I remember coming home one weekend during my first semester of college, and realizing on a beautiful Saturday afternoon that my life was approximately 25% over. I had a legitimate, panic-filled quarter life crisis that fall afternoon, followed by tears and and depression attire (these were pre-Snuggie times, so it was likely more along the lines of a bathrobe). Some time after that, I compiled the following action items*:

*This is purely self-indulgent, so check out now if you aren’t in the mood to hear me wax on.

• Run a Marathon:Yes, totally cliche. I made a feeble attempt a few years ago when I signed up for a training program through Runtex. On day one, we started running the hike & bike trail for seven miles. I repeat, that was day one.  At one point, I veered off into the trees, waited for everyone in the group to pass, and walked in the opposite direction back to my car. We’ll file this one as “incomplete”.
• Perform on Stage (solo): Basically my biggest fear.  Acting, singing, speaking, any and all of the above. No can do. I withdrew from my required speech class in college three times before completing it, each and every time dropping the class the night before I was due to give my first speech. It’s fair to call it a phobia.
• Teach a Fitness Class: Whew! I was starting to feel like maybe I wasn’t making any progress. Completing Body Pump certification is probably one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done, partially because of the being-up-on-stage-in-front-of-people factor (refer to previous action item).
• Become Fluent in French: Or any language, but after eight years of french, I think it is the most attainable. During my sophomore year of college, N surprised me with plane tickets to Paris for Christmas (OH EMM GEEEE, I know, right?! I don’t remember what I gave him, but I’m gonna guess that it paled in comparison). At the time, I was minoring in French and knew enough to get us around without any problems  sans problèmes. N also recently got me some Rosetta Stone cd’s which are awesome, but it’s hard to find the time … again, work in progress. And super props to N for supporting my language skills.
• Be a (great) Mother: I’m trying. This warrants its own post, though.
• Graduate from College: Yes. Done and Done. There were pit stops in San Marcos, Mexican border towns,  Massachusetts (which I still can’t spell since it just got underlined in red), Montreal, England, Motherhood, and back to grand ol’ San Marvelous, but I finally got that dilpoma. It’s hanging on our “wall of achievements”. It’s a small wall. That includes Liam’s kindergarten graduation picture.
• Be 100% Healthy: This includes exercise, eating, and outside substances. Today is day eleven of no Cokes for me. Twenty Twelve just may be my year.
• Establish Proper Life Savings: I do have an account that is called “Life Savings”. That feels good. A twice-monthly amount goes into it. We had to pull from it recently. But it’s there and there’s something in it!
• Be Involved in the Community: I want to volunteer in some fashion, on a regular basis. There was a time when I would take L to Little Helping Hands, an organization that provides volunteer opportunities for childern. The idea is to foster a sense of community in the kids from the outset so they will be more involved later in their lives. Unfortunately, L hated going … this may reflect on my “being a (great) mother” goal. Regardless, I need to get involved and extend this to L, as well.
• Own a House and/or Land: We’re working on it, but the main question is where-oh-where do we want to live? Austin? The northwest coast? International? Hopefully, that’s in the cards within the next year or two.
• Travel to Europe: Yessiree Bob; remember those tickets N gave me for Christmas? I thought we were going to spend three weeks in different parts of France. Instead, on the night we were supposed to leave Paris, N surprised me, yet again, with different plans: Cinque Terre, Italy; Amsterdam, Netherlands; and Brugges, Belgium ==> it’s where Dr. Evil is from, you know.
• Travel to Galapagos Islands: It’s as close as we’ll ever get to visiting prehistoric times.
• Attend a World Cup Game: Okay, soccer is the only sport I pay any attention to, and it’s still a minimal amount. Every four years, however, I don’t miss a game. I basically pick my team early on, once I’ve gotten a vibe about which country has the best-looking players. Beacause I. Love. Soccer boys. For real. Last World Cup it was Argentina and Uruguay. I don’t know, maybe soccer players just look good in light blue? But I can’t think of any sporting event that would be more exciting then being inside a World Cup stadium. My sights are set on Brazil 2014.
• Do a Pull-Up: Checked this baby off, just yesterday! I did a single pull-up for the first time in my life. Upper body strength is not my forte.

And to finish this post with unrelated material, a few pictures to sum up our holidays: