Resolutions and Life/Bucket Lists

As we ring in the New Year many of us are busily creating our New Year's Resolutions - loose that last 10lbs, exercise more, spend less, etc. I do not make resolutions -as I feel those just become broken once the champagne has worn off.

I set goals.

But I feel maybe I do need to dream a little, and this is where a bucket list would come in great.
I'm sure you've heard of them - and perhaps even seen the movie. It's a list you create of all the things you want to do/accomplish before you die. I hadn't really thought about bucket lists much until a friend of mine asked for help to check off one of his items.

On his list was to buy and try a bottle of Dom Perignom. Not wanting to shell out the $140+ dollars for the bottle, he approached a couple of us to see if we would like to all go in together on one.

Hello. Of course I said yes.

We purchased; we tasted. He checked one off the list, and I got to thinking about mine.

The wheels in my head began to turn.

We only live once, shouldn't we want to and strive to be able to try things/do things to make us happy?

But the list I am creating isn't a list of things to do before I die. My list is a list of things I want to do that will ultimately define my life.

If you know me (by any minuscule amount by now) you've probably guessed it by now.

Italy.

I encourage you to sit down for 30 minutes and think of your own.

And how was the Dom Perignom you might ask? Good. I personally don't think I'd shell out the full amount for a bottle, but I'm glad I had the opportunity to try it.

 

~Melissa

 

Goals for Goals

     Ahh goals. I'm sure we are all familiar with them. Those things you form into lists and compile every January 1st. I know I've had my fair share of them. But as I'm sure you've heard before, a goal really isn't a goal unless it is attainable. How do you make it attainable? By making the necessary baby steps towards reaching it. You need to set a time frame and keep yourself in check occasionally to make sure you are still along the right path. You also need to be flexible, and understand that things for whatever reason could change the time frame for you goal - or even your goal itself! One thing I know for certain.... once you reach a goal you've worked so hard towards you have a brief moment of that sweet smell of success. Then, if you are a goal oriented person, you will probably quickly set a further goal. :)

I'm sitting here contemplating some of my goals that were not forgotten, but also not been managed well. A goal without a plan is only a dream, right? And I have tons of those too ;)

Right now I have made a top 5 - not in any order (well, with the exception of the financial ones). If you have to many at one time, it tends to get overwhelming....and the 5 I have vary in length. I'm gonna go ahead a share them:

1. Take the necessary steps towards finishing my ADN so I can take the N-CLEX for my RN.

2. Pay off our credit card. Period.

3. Start Saving more so we can ideally have 6 months of income in savings.

4. Start saving for my dream Italy Trip. I want to take this trip for my 30th birthday so I'd better get a move on it. I know its three years away, but I need to pay our credit card off first, and I do not plan on taking the trip of my lifetime on a super tiny budget. :)

5. Be the best mom I can be. - I know this sounds small compared to the rest of my list, but its really the

biggest one on here <3 . We all get in the hustle and bustle and tend to over look the little things.

So there you have it. Once you have your goals, do like I said and then take one a time and break it down piece by piece to see what you have to do to get there. :)

I plan on giving a mini update here and there to help keep myself accountable. ;)
What are your goals???

 

Italy, my love. {Goals & Dreams}

  If you know me at all, you know I have many dreams. One of those dreams includes traveling to Italy. I'm not quite sure when it was that I decided I was going to fall in love with Italy, but it was a long time ago. For nearly ten years now I have dreamed of seeing the architecture in Rome, the artwork throughout the regions; there is so many things to see I know my visit will have to be two weeks. Even then there will be so much I won't be able to do.

Italy, my love.

I will travel to throughout Tuscany and sample wines from vines planted generations ago.

I will sit at an authentic cafe' and have a latte' or espresso, or whatever it is they make good there, and just people watch.

I will stuff myself with gelato.

I will visit the Sistine Chapel, Colosseum, Pisa (and its leaning tower)

I will visit the lost city of Pompeii.

And wouldn't it be so grand to take a cooking class and make my own Italian feast, in Italy?

Oh the food, I love Italian cuisine so much. And all of the regions have different 'flares'. Dinner isn't rushed so much as it is in America. A pizza is usually ordered as an evening snack, and the real meal won't start until later in the evening, and can go on and on into the night.

I would love to ride a bicycle through the countryside.

And fly in a hot air balloon over the rolling hills.

I would sit there in awe looking at the beaches, and beauty of it all.

Oh the history of this place I dream to go.

And I haven't even mentioned anything about Venice or Sicily yet.

Sigh, like I said, two weeks won't be enough, I will have to limit my travels, this time.

It is my goal to visit Italy and have my dream vacation when I am 30. That's three years away. Not that far off for the lavish time I plan on having. You see, when I go, I plan to go all out. This will be the trip of a life time.

Oh yes, the shopping. I nearly forgot about Gucci, and Prada! Not that I will buy much from them, but I am most definitely buying myself little pieces of Italy to bring home.

So my friends, it is time for me to crack down on our finances and spending, get all of the bills paid off, and start saving for my dream.

I might need a little encouragement along the way. :)

But this is my dream.

And we all need to follow our own.

{Source}