35 by 35

I did it! Yay! Granted my list was kind of lame but considering the insanity of the last 5 months, I think I’d look back and be impressed that I was able to function at all. So making progress on my list is good stuff.

The final list looks like this:

1. Read Dear John
2. Plant a tree
3. Read my camera book
4. Get a Scooba
5. First kid out of braces
6. Housebreak my puppy
7. Clean garage
8. Get Noah to read a chapter book – 1 page a day
9. Make addy an embroidered vday shirt
10. Start a photo org system for 2010
11. Take cow pictures
12. See an alligator in the wild
13. Get a van
14. Feed the ducks
15. Place Scholastic book orders
16. Renew our lease
17. Grow shamrocks
18. Eat the full line up of fried desserts, Texan-style
19. Teach Noah to finger-knit
20. Buy rainboots for Addy
21. Buy rainboots for Noah
22. See the Harlem Globetrotters
23. Publish writing in a magazine
24. Publish photography in a magazine
25. Buy an awesome camera purse
26. Get a credit card
27. Organize my inbox
28. Walk 2 miles
29. Sea World!!!
30. Find an FCC group locally
31. Fill my walls with good frames
32. Take blue bonnet pictures
33. Photograph a sunset
34. Photograph a tiny baby
35. Fly a kite
36. Hide easter eggs
37. File taxes on time
38. Take Addy’s 4th birthday pics

Some of these had been on my to-do list for years…like finding the rumored local FCC group and take my kids to sea world. Other things should always be on my to do list but historically haven’t or concerned me enough to make the list – like filing the taxes on time, getting a new car and renewing our lease. I guess that’s a reflection on how shaky last year was, huh? Still other things made the list but still remain on my person to-do list because while I followed them in letter, I didn’t quite hit the SPIRIT of the goal….like photographing a sunset (very hard to do here in the Land of the Trees…I got a few sunset pictures but they were all in the Walmart parking lot mostly obscured by buildings, power lines and trees) and flying a kite (we did this…and failed!) and getting my photography published in a magazine (I really want an image with CREDIT).

I feel pretty accomplished but the list of things I had *hoped* to do by 35 that still remains untouched is motivating me to keep going. So many simple things – most either activities to do WITH my kids or FOR my kids. The guilt at having not accomplished these things in 5 months is nagging at me. Things like creating sun stationary and sending a letter, creating a nature collage, putting together the puzzle Noah got me for Christmas and working on Addy’s 100 Wishes quilt and lifebook. These things should be my TOP priorities and yet they didn’t get done. I also have some photography goals that I haven’t yet achieved – but no guilt there since I’ve achieved things I would have NEVER thought to put on my list five months ago. Still I want to keep growing and working hard to achieve those goals, too.

So I think I’ll create another list. This time I’ll up the ante and make it 111 things by 2011. Wish me luck!