Tag: bucket list

Road Trip Adventure Log: 4 New States in 4 Days

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Well, it is official…. I only have EIGHT more states to go until the big goal of setting foot in all FIFTY STATES is complete!

My husband, Waring, was such a trooper on this trip. He knows I have been itching for adventure lately and dying to get some more states crossed off the list. Although driving to Oklahoma and back in a four day weekend was probably not his 1st choice for a fun-filled family vacation, he buckled in and took to the road just for me!

We set out after a small group bible study at our house on Thursday afternoon and drove to Atlanta for the night. We woke up before sunrise the next morning and headed to Memphis, TN. We stopped for famous Memphis dry rub BBQ for lunch and a quick art studio paint session for Addie before hopping in the car again bound for Bentonville, Arkansas. We swam in the hotel pool (Addie’s favorite) before crashing for the night. On Saturday we stopped at two donut joints before noon, cruised along historic Route 66 in Oklahoma, made it across the Kansas state line, and spend the afternoon in Branson, Missouri. The Ozark’s were beautiful to ride through and Branson did not disappoint with its kitsch. Addie (and Waring) wore themselves out at Fritz’s Adventure Park before making the drive back to Memphis, TN that night. Sunday we spent the day exploring Memphis sights and attractions before heading back to Atlanta, GA. Monday morning we headed to the Atlanta Children’s Museum for a little exploration before making it back home around 5pm that evening.

My goal this year was to knock out 2 new states. I really wasn’t sure if that was going to be possible at all, considering I am not allowed to travel after the end of April and soon after we will have a brand new baby to celebrate and party (stay up all night) with. I know it sounds like our trip was a whirlwind…and it was…but it was also a great deal of fun and adventure. I am so thankful for my husband, who puts up with and even encourages my hair-brained schemes.

PS: Addie is turning out to be a great little road trip warrior!

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1st Bucket List Adventure of 2018: Float Therapy

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  1. Try Float Therapy at Remedy Float in Savannah. This ancient technique has been around for a while, but it involves resting in a water chamber that is filled with one thousands pounds of salt so that it is IMPOSSIBLE to sink. You float in darkness and with complete sensory deprivation. It is supposed to be incredibly relaxing and safe for pregnant women!—-CHECK!!! This experience was AHHH-mazing! February 2018=Self-love in a (salty) tub!

 

Thanks, Jennifer for being crazy enough to try this out with me! Remedy Float is located downtown Savannah, nearby the Savannah Civic Center. They have a neat setup, that is complete with a green tea station, yoga room, and two float chambers. The concept is pretty straight forward. After a quick shower to rinse off any perfumes, soap, etc.. you take a 60 – 90 minute soak in a highly-concentrated salt bath chamber. Float therapy hinges on the concept of sensory deprivation, leading to an other-worldly sense of relaxation. The water in the float chamber is so highly concentrated with salt that you literally CANNOT sink. You will float in 95 degree water for your session in complete darkness and silence.

To be honest….the whole concept seems a bit scary, but it was not at all! I was so relaxed the receptionist had to bang on the float chamber in the room beside me to wake me up! Floating in nothingness made me so aware of Eleanor’s movements inside of my belly. I found that I could focus and was more aware of her when all of the outside chaos disappeared. I could also feel tension in my shoulders and neck that I wasn’t cognizant of prior to floating. In short, it was amazing. I will definitely be back!

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Bucket List: 2018 Edition

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More than any other action item on the bucket list this year I am praying that God’s provision and guidance lead our family this year. I am praying for wisdom and increased faithfulness on my part so that I (and our family) may abide and in His plan and not our (my) own. This year I am seeking to be more intentional with my prayer life. Let me know how I can earnestly pray for you this year.

Here’s The List:

  1. Try Float Therapy at Remedy Float in Savannah. This ancient technique has been around for a while, but it involves resting in a water chamber that is filled with one thousands pounds of salt so that it is IMPOSSIBLE to sink. You float in darkness and with complete sensory deprivation. It is supposed to be incredibly relaxing and safe for pregnant women!
  2. Learn about and try soaping. I have always been interesting in making my own soap and bath products. This year I am going to take a class in Jacksonville from the Studios at Florida School of Holistic Health. 
  3. Light a Sky Lantern. I have these….but have never lit them!
  4. Visit 2 New States. I visit Michigan and Colorado last year….so onward to state 39 and 40 this year at least!
  5. Create a back porch haven. We recently had a concrete slab poured for our back patio. I can’t wait until the covering is built over the next few weeks and we get to start creating a backyard sanctuary complete with our new grill that Waring’s parent’s bought us for Christmas!
  6. Have a healthy labor and baby. Our last labor experience was a bit of a surprise followed by the scariest days of my and Waring’s lives. We are praying for a bit smoother delivery and a healthy baby and mama!
  7. Go to Harry Potter World. This has been on the list for a while….at some point it may happen. 
  8. Prepare the house and the nursery for Baby Harvey #2. The future nursery of Harvey Baby #2 is currently our Christmas gift wrapping center/guest room. Now I just need to find out the gender, clean out the room, and search Pinterest for hours. 
  9. Spring clean before baby. Christmas break normally starts part 1 of my two part spring cleaning, but it has only been completed half-heartedly this year in light of all the busyness we have had. We have on more snow day today, so I am going to try to knock out a little bit more. 
  10. Start (and keep) Journaling during Quiet Time. I am notoriously inconsistent with journaling of any kind…but I do find it beneficial. 
  11. Take a Blue Ridge escape. Pick a weekend and go!
  12. Buy a fancy purse. I have been eyeing several lately but I just can’t pull the trigger…..
  13. Find and STICK to a skin care routine. I started researching this last year, but fell a bit short in the execution. 
  14. Use Fly-Lady Routines and complete a 30 day Declutter Challenge. I have done each of these before, however I am in desperate need of a review. 
  15. Start an herb garden. Don’t hate me…but I am not a huge fan of basil. I am kind of obsessed with cilantro, tarragon, and dill though. I love the idea of growing herbs because they don’t take up much space. 
  16. Cook at least one new recipe each month and post pictures of the progress. I don’t know about you, but it seems like we cook the same meals over and over for dinner and it just gets BORING! This year we have deer meat, tons of locally caught shrimp, and frozen fresh picked tomatoes to experiment with for dinner!

In addition to this annual bucket list, I also like to compete a season bucket list full of fun traditional things that we like to do with each changing season. These lists generally revolve around the holidays celebrated during each season and are pretty similar from year to year. I love the idea of being intentional during each season and creating lasting traditions and memories with the family.

And…if I didn’t already have enough lists, I like to also create a monthly goal checklist that breaks down some of these larger bucket list goals into manageable bites throughout the year and focuses on growth in several areas of life (physically, spiritually, financially, relationally, etc…) to help me track my progress and growth each month.

 

What’s your plan for this year?

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Bucket List Year-End Review

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I still can’t believe that 2017 has already exited the scene to make way for 2018. This past year was full of the usual adventures and a few new ones too. We celebrated birthdays, enjoyed two full years of living in our new home, explored NYC with the girls,  took a family cruise to Mexico, enrolled Addie in Pre-K 3 and dance, visited Disney again, and again, and again, and took a weekend escape to check Niagara Falls and Cedar Point off of the bucket list. Oh yeah…and we decided to invite a new member into our family….Baby Harvey #2 is coming in June 2018.

Here is the progress made from this year: (not too shabby if I must say!)

  1. Write my own manifesto (from Gretchen Rubin’s Happiness Project)—-CHECK! Maybe I will share this with you guys one day… I love Gretchen Rubin and recommend any of her books if you are looking to be more intentional in your life.
  2. Write a letter to my future self—-CHECK! April @ age 30.
  3. Celebrate my last day of my 20’s—-CHECK!
  4. Plan (and have) a spa day—Hubby helped with this task! The facial and massage from Milan Esthetics was wonderful!
  5. Do Adult Disney—CHECK! We got to see visit the Inaugural International Festival of the Arts at EPCOT!
  6. See the Rocky Mountains— CHECK! Rocky Mountain National Park was just as amazing as I thought it would be. Colorado is a MUST SEE state in my book!
  7. Fly fish— YES! We look lessons in Estes, Park Colorado. See photo evidence below!
  8. Sand surf–-YES! We made life-long memories here in Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado. BTW…the sand gets up to 150 degrees so make sure you wear SHOES!!! (Thanks for NOTHING Trip Advisor, hahah!).
  9. Stay in a Deluxe Disney Resort– NOPE I can’t part with the cash to pay for the price tag of this particular adventure.
  10. Hang Glide— NOT YET
  11. Sleep in a tree house—NOT YET
  12. Learn about floral arts— DOES PINTEREST COUNT?
  13. Take a cooking class-–YES, thanks Justin and Meredith!
  14. Master the art of the sugar cookie—-HM…maybe next year!
  15. Plant bougainvillea–-YES, thanks Hubby for the birthday gift. I hope the cold hasn’t killed them this week. 😦
  16. Reach goal weight (finally)—Well, I am currently expanding due to this new baby.
  17. Pay off student loans— YES! CHECK!
  18. Develop a “big girl” skin care routine—Well, sort-of…but I could use more work on this one so I am going to keep it for next year too.
  19. Visit a new state-— CHECK and CHECK!!! Michigan and Colorado. Currently on 38
  20. Visit a new country—Nope, although we did go back to Canada and Mexico this year.
  21. Explore Universal’s Harry Potter World—NOPE!
  22. Complete a Reading Challenge—-HAHAHAH. Do Addie’s  books count?
  23. Learn Spanish (again…)—-NOPE
  24. Prepare for an emergency (so we won’t get totally caught off guard by something like Hurricane Matthew again.)—-This is about half way complete, but we could still use some more work.
  25. Attend Dragon Con-–CHECK!!!
  26. Plan and implement seasonal bucket lists/monthly challenges-–CHECK! I got a little slack after morning sickness set in, but other than that we were pretty consistent.

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2017 Bucket List: Completion Report

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While the temperature outside may still denote Summer, my school calendar does not. A new Happy Planner has been purchased and pre-pre-planning is underway. I have to go back to work a little bit earlier these days…however it is easy to get back into the school year swing when you absolutely love your job AND when the one who helps with Addie during the day is the same woman who raised you (thanks MOM)!

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We had another epic Summer in the Harvey household complete with trips to Disney World, a cruise to Mexico, time spent at the Lake and Beach. It’s a wonder that we were able to complete anything on our Summer Bucket List with all that extra fun…but Addie and I are pros at this bucket list thing. Check out of progress this Summer!

Here is the list for this year:

  1. Make a stepping stone- Bought the supplies, but not yet completed. I will post picks with the finished product!
  2. Collect and paint rocks- CHECK!
  3. Visit the Trampoline Park- CHECK!
  4. Paint Pottery- CHECK! Addie did such a great job. The lady who works there noted how much patience she had painting all of her pieces.
  5. Create a spa night at home- CHECK! Aunt Mer took us to a neat place that allows you to customize and create your own bath scrubs and oils. We used these and some samples of spa lotions and nail polish that we got for free the same day.
  6. Go to a summer matinee- CHECK! We saw Cars III….not my favorite Disney movie, but a Disney movie is better than almost anything else out so I call it a win.
  7. Have a Random Acts of Kindness Day- I really like doing this, but it is so much more fun as a group. I will add it to the Fall Bucket List to redeem ourselves!
  8. Tie dye- CHECK!
  9. Have a picnic/tea party- CHECK! This was Addie’s first-official-non-pretend Tea Party. She LOVED it!
  10. Go sea shelling in St. Augustine- CHECK (sort of). We went to Fernandina instead and there were VERY FEW shells.
  11. Make homemade pizza- NOPE.
  12. Make jewelry- CHECK! Addie made a necklace and bracelet with her name on it and all.
  13. Go to the beach with friends- CHECK!
  14. Have a lazy day around the house- CHECK! We actually had several of these….until I decide I can’t stand being cooped up and we go head to town or anywhere.
  15. Go to a U-pick farm- CHECK! This year we actually picked tomatoes. YUM!
  16. Go to the open studio hours at a local kids art studio (Henny Penny or Scribble Art Studio)- NOPE. Maybe sometime soon?

All in all it was a great Summer. I can’t wait for many more with this little chick!

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Summer Bucket List: Addie’s First Tea Party

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We have played “tea party” in the bath tub, playroom, at Mimi’s house, and just about everywhere. Addie has made raspberry, peach, blueberry, chocolate, and even the occasional broccoli and carrot tea. This week Addie, Mimi, and I had a chance to have our very own real tea party. Look at the pictures below. I think it is safe to say that it was a great experience, and I am sure will become at the very least an annual tradition!

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Addie’s First Tea
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Yum, raspberry tea!
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Three lumps is better than two!
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Gotta have the pinky out!

Summer 2017 Bucket List

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Another glorious summer is here! As an educator, Summer is the season of life in which we can stay up late, pretend for a little while that we are stay at home moms, finally get to that overdue spring cleaning, READ, be the fun mom that you wanted to be all year, cook actual meals that aren’t from a box, can, or freezer, and reconnect with family and friends. Yes, summer sabbaticals are amazing. They recharge our batteries and allow us to hit the ground running at 110% come August!

Summer is great, but it doesn’t last! In order to make the most of each summer day with Addie I find it helpful to create a bucket list (of course….). In years to come I think it will be even more fun as she will get to come up with unique and crazy adventures to add to our list each year as well.

Here is the list for this year:

  1. Make a stepping stone (We did this last year, so I would like to make it a yearly tradition).
  2. Collect and paint rocks
  3. Visit the Trampoline Park
  4. Paint Pottery
  5. Create a spa night at home
  6. Go to a summer matinee
  7. Have a Random Acts of Kindness Day
  8. Tie dye
  9. Have a picnic/tea party
  10. Go sea shelling in St. Augustine
  11. Make homemade pizza
  12. Make jewelry
  13. Go to the beach with friends
  14. Have a lazy day around the house
  15. Go to a U-pick farm
  16. Go to the open studio hours at a local kids art studio (Henny Penny or Scribble Art Studio)

We still have a little bit  more time before I go back to school. I will be sure to post our accomplishments then! What’s on your list this summer?

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Saturday With Addie: New Rides and New Kicks

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Confession: This weekend was a lot of fun. Too much fun probably… You see, I only have a few more months left to go until I earn my Ed.S degree (ekkk!) from Georgia Southern and I should have been working on my action research thesis. I should have been getting ahead of some Gifted certification course work, grading papers, and myriad of other school related tasks. I will get it done eventually, but it didn’t happen this weekend.

Reality: Here is what did go on this weekend…

1. Friday Waring and I ran the Shamrock Run. I will admit I didn’t want to run. It was cold. Our running buddies were sick. Did I mention it was sick. I would have muuuuuch rather curled up on the couch, ate a greasy burger, and watch another Hallmark movie. But….when it was all said and done I am glad that we finished strong. Waring and I are passionate about the March of Dimes because of all that they have done for Baby Addie. You see, when Addie was first born she had respiratory distress. She needed a special drug that was developed through the funding and support of this wonderful charity. This wonderful weekend with Addie was made possible because of the heroic efforts of the March of Dimes, and for that reason we ran and will keep running for years to come.

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2. Saturday morning HUBBY got to ride a Lamborghini, and subsequently marked a HUGE item off of his own bucket list! (Thanks Mom and Dad for this thrilling Christmas gift!)

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3. Addie got some new kicks. See the evidence below… AND she showed them off at my cousin Grace’s Sweet 16 Party. She was a showstopper!!

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Verdict:

Now, doesn’t this weekend sound MUCH better than being holed up in a room with a laptop and a bunch of articles and data?!? Let me answer that for you. YES, yes it does. I WILL get the work done, and I WILL probably have to be up late (very late) in the near future to get everything finished. This weekend was worth it!

2015: Another year, Another Bucket List

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I am not sure if it is just the bigger journal that I have to write out my goals in or if I am just feeling overly ambitious this year, but the 2015 Bucket List is jammed-packed!

Here’s the Plan:

1. Be more thoughtful (create a thankful box and plan to send more cards, flowers, letters, and thoughtful gestures each month).

2. Read 15 books (2 personal finance, 2 parenting, 3 devotions)

3. Learn to sew and making something for Addie

4. crochet a blanket

5. Build our dream home

6. Visit 2 new states

7. Celebrate 10 wacky holidays

8. Go zorbing

9. Take Addie on her first trip to Disney (to visit Mariah)

10. Go see Tori and John in Winston-Salem

11. GO see Audra, Drew, and Baby Samuel

12. Hang glide,

13. Triathalon

14. Krispy Kreme Challenge

15. Plant hydrangea and bougainvillea

16. Fine my “signature dish”

17. Complete 2 Minimalist challenges (more on this later)

18. Create a will

19. Complete at least 2 100 Day Challenges (more info to come)

20. Celebrate the Highland Games

21. Stick to a budget ALL year

22. Dye my hair a crazy color

23. Start and keep a prayer journal

24. Get a henna tattoo

25. Give up soda (again)

26. Get to happy college weight again

27. Brush up my Spanish for the mission trip

28. Put Waring second only to God

29. Get our home’s first nativity set

30. Start an Advent Calendar

31. Learn about homesteading (Rain water collection, composting, bees, chickens)

32. Go to an stargazing event

33. Run the 1/2 marathon for time

34. Make homemade soap

35. Make our own bedroom furniture

36. Learn and use essential oils

37. Focus on 5 specific individuals all year in prayer

38. Keep fresh flowers in our new home

39. Create an emergency preparedness kit

40. Set up autodrafts into our IRA

41. UNPLUG!

42. Smashbook ALL year!

43. Complete the Tybee Polar Plunge!

I am excited to see where this year takes our family. We have a lot of things to look forward to this year, like finishing grad school, building our new house, and going on a mission trip with church. I know that even if  I never cross off another bucket list item that our little family is BLESSED BEYOND MEASURE!