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The Reverse Bucket List

This week’s The Circle linkup asks us to create a “reverse bucket list”–instead of listing all the things we still want to do, name a few that we’ve already done. Pretty cool, right? Be sure to check out the other lists at In its Time

I absolutely love this idea, especially since this year I’ve been trying to (and struggling to) focus on contentment. I have no beef with a bucket list, but sometimes focusing on all those things I still haven’t done can be somewhat depressing. This idea though, to take stock of your life and say, “Hey, look at all these awesome things I have done!” is a beautiful thing. I think I needed this, in a way. Making this list reminded me that my life is actually pretty dang good, so I should really spend more time focusing on this list, and not the one I make with all those haven’t-yets.

Awesome things that I have done: 

Reverse Bucket List Places I've Been | www.shealennon.com

1. Study abroad in Paris. The summer of my senior year at K-State, I traveled to Paris with a group of students to study French at l’Institute Catholique. If that sounds utterly fantastique to you, that’s because it was! I stayed with a host family, a sweet motherly woman who bought me chocolate ice cream and teased me when my pants started to look a little tight by the time I had to go. (Some people gain the Freshman 15, I gained the Paris 20.) It was such a memorable, wonderful experience; my only regret is that I didn’t go sooner and stay longer! 

2. Surprise my mom in Hawaii on her 60th Birthday.  A couple of years ago, Aaron and I got the crazy idea to go to Hawaii (where my mom lives for part of the year…sweet, right?) for my mom’s 60th birthday. What would make it even crazier is that we wouldn’t tell her, we’d just show up (we made plans first with her significant other, don’t worry!). The look on my mom’s face that day at the airport was unforgettable. So was the rest of the trip; Hawaii is breathtakingly beautiful, what an amazing memory. 

3. Go to a World Series game. Not just any World Series game either, but one that my very own Royals played in last year! True story, we sold Aaron’s old pickup to pay for the tickets–those babies weren’t cheap! But, it was an experience we both really wanted, and that pickup really needed to go anyway. My dad, a huge baseball fan, came with us, and other than the fact that we got our Royal butts whooped by the Giants, it was a good time. I will never forget that night! 

Reverse Bucket List Loves of My Life | www.shealennon.com

4. Meet a great guy and get married. I met Aaron in college; he was the roommate of my best friend’s then-boyfriend. When I met him I knew right away that he was one of the good ones. I had a boyfriend at the time, but when I was single again it didn’t take me long to not-so-subtly show Aaron that I was interested. Lucky for me, he felt the same way, and now, 11 years of dating and 8 years of marriage later, he’s still the love of my life. 

5. Become a mom. I was never the type who dreamed about having babies; I had friends who did, and I wondered sometimes if I just wasn’t cut out for motherhood. At one point though, this switch flipped inside of me and I knew that I wanted a child. This sounds cheesy and trite, but honestly, my life changed in the best way when Jona was born. Sure there have been lots of challenges (hello “angry baby” newborn stage!) but being that cute, sweet, stubborn little guy’s mom is the best!

Reverse Bucket List Kansas City Adventures | www.shealennon.com

6. Discover the best ice cream in KC. You know how much I love ice cream. (If you’re new here, welcome to my blog! I’m obsessed with ice cream. Now you know.) I’m not an ice cream snob; I’m happy to scoop myself a bowl of Blue Bell Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough (no more recalls please BB!). However, going out for ice cream is the best kind of treat. In my opinion, the best ice cream in Kansas City can be found at Murray’s. They have an impressive selection of amazing flavors, but my favorite is Chocolate Flake Fromage, a tangy cheesecake-like ice cream with thin chocolate chunks. 

7. Have a play-date at the Nelson Atkins Museum. That’s right, my baby is so hipster we have play-dates at museums! Or something like that. In reality, my friend and I went because our kids were still young enough to be happy* hanging out in a stroller while we walked around, chatted, and looked at art. (*Or so we thought…the kids were done with the art-viewing pretty early on, so we ate some lunch and walked around outside the museum.) 

8. Attend a blogging conference. Two weekends ago I attended Go Blog Social here in Kansas City, and it was such an inspiring event. I will share more about the conference and what I learned here tomorrow, so be sure to come back! 

What is on your “reverse bucket list”? 


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