A Final Nod to the "27 in 27"

Believe it or not, the big 2-8 is just around the corner! With that in mind, I thought it only proper to take last year's Bucket List and give a brief rundown of it all. Did I cross everything off? Nope. But I did try, and I can say that I have had A LOT of fun this year. Some of these I know I've reported on in the past, but we'll give a synopsis of the entire thing in one fell swoop, anyway.

1. Take a road trip
California here we come! Caryn, Greg, and I ventured to the sunny climes of California at the beginning of June.

2. Reach my weight goal
Nope. Didn't hit this one, but I'm close! 7 lbs. away. And I'm working the Livestrong.com calorie counter to try and make it happen soon.

3. Go camping Trips with my ward and my family--two weekends in a row! Love it.

4. Make a new friend I made a number of new friends this year! Shouts outs to Jen M. and Skyler, in particular.

5. Finish the quilt I started last year
Its brilliant. I love it. Its on my couch 24/7 and makes me happy happy happy!

6. Buy a house
I barely remember a time I wasn't living in this cute little condo of mine.

7. Lose a bad habit
Sorry--no details for y'all on this one. Just know...still working on it.

8. Run a race--10K, half marathon or Ragner Relay I tackled a 10K and a half marathon last spring. Looking forward to my first 10K of 2011 next month!

9. Do something entirely new to me Snowshoeing? Awesome. But I could also count the multitude of new tasks I've been tackling in my new position at work. Lots of new stuff there, believe you me!

10. Finish the National Boards process Finished with bonus points because I passed in November!!

11. Get a massage The real tragedy here is that I've only gotten ONE this year. That should change.

12. Enjoy a mutually desirable kiss This was a buzzer beater, coming in with just a week to spare! I cannot complain, though. It fit the bill by definitely being enjoyable...

13. Visit all the temples in Utah I have not yet been to Okay, this one needs more explanation. No, I did not visit all the temples. I began a concerted effort last spring and summer. I've been to the Draper, Timpanogas, Bountiful, Ogden, Salt Lake, Jordan, Oquirrh, Provo and St. George temples. But it struck me one afternoon that I was spending all this time traveling when, well, the work is the same--no matter what temple you're in. So I basically dropped this entire goal in about July and focused just on attending the temple regularly all year. Good lesson learned.

14. Do something that scares me Oh where to begin?! Meeting new people scares me, but I went to my new ward and actually introduced myself and made real effort to get to know people. Calling men up on the phone for a date scares me, but I called him anyway and it worked out pretty darn well ;) Risking looking like a fool scares me, but I flew solo to a Swing Dance one weekend anyway...and did look the fool, in case you were wondering. This one will always be a challenge, but I tackled it more than once this year.

15. Read Jesus the Christ Read it. Loved it. Recommend it to all.

16. Give someone a nickname that sticks I think this one was just an epic fail. *sigh* My only connection with nicknames this year was hating a few that were "gifted" to friends. The success here was that I didn't claw anybody's eyeballs out about it.

17. Go to a U of U football game WOOHOO!! Thanks to Greg and family for taking me along!!

18. Do something spontaneous A lot of my spontaneity this year involved stopping at bakeries in Salt Lake and NYC. This is a good form of spontaneity, in case there was any doubt.

19. Take a class unrelated to teaching Swing Dancing at DF Studios in Salt Lake City. Crazy fun times. You should all do it.

20. Visit a historical site
Federal Hall in New York City and The Alamo in San Antonio. SKIDOOSH!

21. Fall in love with a new band
Now, this just needed to be a new band to ME. And my band o' the year was most definitely Train. I'm sort of addicted to "If It's Love," "Marry Me" and, of course, "Soul Sister." Just can't get enough!!

22. Engage in a significant service to another
I don't know on this one...I mean, I participated in service projects, helped out some people here and there, but I don't know if I actually achieved the true purpose behind the goal. ALAS.

23. Watch a sunrise or sunset with somebody I love
Nope. Well, if we did it wasn't anything so memorable that I thought, "Yes! Crossing this one off the list!" I'll see what I can do to make it happen eventually. Doesn't it just sound lovely?!

24. Send thank-you cards I really can't get enough. I love thank-you cards!

25. Go "Green" Recycling. Reusable grocery sacks. I just need a Prius and I'd be set...

26. Practice civic responsibility in a tangible way Giving blood. Saving lives.

27. Do something that makes me feel like a kid again
Staying up extraordinarily late during holiday vacations to read popular fictional novels? Don't mind if I do.

Pictures from here
and my own camera :)