2015: A Look Ahead

I usually have a pretty good idea of what Life List items I’ll be tackling in the year ahead but this year really was a toss up. We’ll be focusing on paying off our new deck during the first part of the year so any Life List items will be of the more frugal variety. 🙂 Travel plans are also up in the air for the time being. I’ve gone through my List and removed a few of things that were no longer of interest and added some new items. I’ve also been pondering some New Year’s resolutions for the past few days and have settled on a few to focus on in 2015.

New items added to the list:

• Participate in the “23 and Me” DNA initiative
• Have a home emergency kit
• Arm-knit an infinity scarf
• Learn 5 homestead skills
• Go Christmas caroling as an adult
• Go zorbing

List items I’ll try to tackle this year:

• Roast a goose
• Make a soufflé
• Make falafel
• Cook rabbit
• Make fresh pasta
• Go to three Heritage Villages (1 down-Black Creek, 2 to go-Westfield and Country Heritage)
• Picnic in a vineyard
• Stop biting / picking my fingernails (for once and for all!)
• Make a homemade beauty product
• Wear false eyelashes
• Arm-knit an infinity scarf
• Have my dream backyard (once the deck is finished :))
• Start this: Have a home emergency kit
• Participate in the 23 and Me DNA initiative
• Start this: Learn 5 homestead skills
• Exercise at least 2 times a week for a year
• Books: Read 40 books
• Movies: Watch 50 movies
• Cooking: Cook 40 new recipes

Resolutions for 2015:

• Eat real food as much as possible
• Eat local and/or organic food as much as possible
• Order takeout maximum twice a month
• Increase fitness level
• Further reduce our grocery budget through sales and couponing
• Start meal planning and freezing meals

 

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2014 – Our Year in Photos

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2014: A Look Ahead

With 2013 soon coming to a close, it’s time to start planning for 2014. 🙂 We already have some things lined up. Below is the list of things we hope to achieve next year:

• Travel to Hawaii, USA (Booked for Feb 2014 – Aloha!!)
• Attend an authentic luau, Hawaii, USA (Feb 2014)
• Get lei’d in Hawaii, USA (Feb 2014)
• See a volcano (Feb 2014)
• Visit Antelope Canyon, USA (possibly early Fall 2014)
• See the Grand Canyon, USA (possibly early Fall 2014)
• Exercise at least 2 times a week for a month
• Have my dream backyard (spring 2014)
• Own a hot tub (spring 2014)
• See a Habs game outside of Montreal (We have tickets for Jan 18th Woohoo!!)
• Picnic in a vineyard (Summer 2014)

I’ll also set new goals for movies (watch 50) and books (read 40).

I’m already looking forward to next year and this year isn’t even over yet!! 🙂

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2013 Collage: Year in Review

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2012: Our Year in Photos

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2013: A Look Ahead

This time of year is always an exciting time for me. I get to think back on the past year and all that I accomplished and experienced, but also to look ahead at 2013 and start planning what Life List items I’ll tackle in the coming year. This is what I have on the radar so far:

• Celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary – that’s coming up in september 2013. Milestone!
• Own diamond earrings (possibly – see above hahahaha :))

We’re going to Europe in the spring and will tack on a few days in Paris – I’ll be able to cross off lots:

• Travel to France
• Visit Paris
• See the Eiffel Tower
• Visit the Louvre
• See the Mona Lisa
• Visit Notre Dame
• Tour a castle in Europe (possibly)
• Enjoy a pastry and cafe au lait in Paris

We’re also tentatively planning a cruise to the Maritimes. Hopefully we’ll find one with an itinerary that allows me to cross off the last 2 atlantic provinces I haven’t visited yet.

• Travel to New Brunswick
• Travel to Newfoundland
• East lobster on the East coast
• Increase my total cruises to 9 (goal is 10)

I’ll also have new recurring goals to work towards:

• Read 40 books
• See 50 movies
• Cook 40 new Barefoot Contessa recipes (I never had an official annual goal but figured I’d have one next year)

There’s also some stuff that aren’t on my Life List – just things I’d like to get done around the house or participate in:

• Replace last 3 windows
• Paint bedroom
• Grow tomatoes (I skipped last year and so missed them)
• Donate clothes
• Participate in the CIBC Run for the Cure

So, that’s the plan – hopefully I’ll be able to cross off most of them! 🙂

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2011 in Photos

Our year in photos…!

Happy New Year everyone!

Hope 2012 is just as awesome!

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31st Day of Christmas: Endings

2011 marked the end of an era. Yahoo compiled a list outlining the top 10 “ends” that took place in this year.

“An era is truly known only when it’s over. In 2011, institutions closed shop, government programs ended, and others simply moved on. While an era might be a grandiose way to describe the end of, say, Borders or “Kate Plus 8,” each of these finales symbolized, in their own fields, a way of being that wouldn’t happen again.” – Vera H-C Chan.

End of an Era

1. Space Shuttle Program
2. Oprah Winfrey
3. Borders
4. Harry Potter
5. Friendster
6. Steve Jobs
7. News of the World
8. “Kate Plus 8″
9. Elizabeth Warren
10. Iraq Withdrawal

Read the full article here – it’s a great summary of endings in 2011:

Yahoo! 2011 Year In Review – End of an Era#End of an Era.

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30th Day of Christmas: 2012 New Year’s Resolutions

It’s that time of year again! My January 1st to January 3rd diet is about to begin – so exciting. 🙂 Ahem…

But seriously, it’s a new year, time to think about what I’d like to change, what worked, what didn’t, what would bring more happiness and health to my life.

These are my resolutions for 2012:

• Make an effort to connect regularly with family and friends. Whether that’s through letters, phone calls, emails/messages, anything.
• Be more active (this doesn’t mean I’m starting a huge fitness regime that I’ll never stick to – I simply want to be more active in my every day life, which will, in turn, contribute positively to my overall health).
• Have more meatless / lean meat meals. We’ve all but eliminated red meat from our diet and eat mainly fish and chicken when we do have meat at all. I’d like to push this even further.
• Follow through with outstanding house maintenance items (upgrade windows, electrical inspection, etc.) and get at least two done in 2012.

That’s it. Short, sweet, reasonable and achievable.

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29th Day of Christmas: Looking Ahead

So, after careful review, I’ve highlighted the items on my Life List I’ll be tackling in 2012 (you know, if the world doesn’t end and all. Some will depend on whether our tentative vacation plans pan out or not, but here goes:

• Walk through a hedge maze (there’s one at the Toronto Islands so this will be a summer thing)
• Go to a batting cage
• Hot air balloon ride
• Learn how to make bread (have tons of recipes, just have to make it)
• Make falafel
• Make a Black Forest Cake
• Complete 10 random acts of kindness (2 done, 8 to go)
• Own a stand mixer
• Make a colouring book (for my nieces)
• Participate in the walk to end breast cancer (October)
• Cruise to Alaska (pending confirmation – this will be my 7th cruise)
• Try dog sledding (see cruise to Alaska)
• Try snowshoeing (possibly cruise to Alaska)
• Travel to France
• Visit Paris
• Visit the Eiffel Tower
• Visit Notre Dame Cathedral
• Eat a pastry and cafe au lait in Paris
• Visit the Louvre
• See the Mona Lisa

As you can see, a lot of those are tied to trips, which is fine by me. Just need to work out the details. 🙂

Some items are ongoing:

• Continue my cooking challenge (cook all recipes in the Barefoot Contessa cookbooks)
• View 50 movies in a year (I surpassed it this year)
• Read 30 books in a year (I only hit 26 this year)

We’ll also visit some new places in and around town to add to our list of local adventures, including the ROM, Kensington Market, and others.

Excited. Lots of fun plans to make. 🙂 2012 is going to be awesome!!! Well, until the world ends anyway. Maybe I should add that to my Life List – participate in the End of the World. But I won’t be around to cross it off. That would suck.

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