2012

I have had several people ask me what I think 2012 holds for me and to be honest I am not sure.
Although, here is my best guess . . .

1) a divorce.

That is all I know. I am guessing that my divorce will be final by June. Beyond that I have no idea. I am not sure if my teaching contract will be extended to the 2012-2013 school year or if I will go back to subbing.
I have no idea if I will get approved to refinance this house in my own name or if the judge will take it and give it to "he who shall remain nameless."
I don't know if I will be living in Vancouver at this time next here or if I will have moved. I will tell you this... if I am without a teaching contract and no longer a home owner you will not be seeing me in Vancouver.

The next few months will be very interesting because whatever happens from March-June will impact this next chapter in my life. I do plan on getting my masters started this fall IF I have a teaching contract.

What I can tell you for sure is that I will not be getting anymore animals. I am at my max- one in 2008, one in 2009 and one in 2011, so I am good for the next 10-12 years.

For the first time in my life I truly don't know what this next year will hold. I am interested to see. And, don't rule me out for marriage and babies in 2012 just yet- you never know what the future holds.

Can I Indulge For Just A Minute?

Please tell me that I am not the only one . . .   ;o)  The only thing missing on the back on my number 15 jersey are the words "Future Mrs." Deep down for the past 4+ years I have had a Tebow crush and now for the first time I really feel "single," so I can shout it from the rooftops. It used to make someone .... er.... umm.... jealous? Yeah, jealous. Puh-leaseeeeeeeeeeee!!! He did gift me with wonderful "Tebow" attire over the years though, so I can't complain too much.

Now my gift to you...

You're welcome!

Be A Member of a TV Show Audience

I really, REALLY want to go to the Price is Right. I always have and I always will. I have been watching it since I was born. Literally.  It now tapes in Las Vegas, so my PLAN is to catch a taping next time I am there.

How fun would it be to actually get on? And, WIN! :o)

Have My Portrait Painted

Any suggestions on where I can do this and what the cost is?

Be in Two Places at Once

Here is how I will do this one . . .

I live so close to Oregon, so all I need to do is park my car near the Washington/Oregon bridge and just walk on across. I will stop and straddle the state lines and there you have it. I will be in two places at once. Washington and Oregon!

I see NO reason that I can't make this happen very soon!  Stay tuned!

Experience Childbirth

I'm gong to kill 3 birds with one stone here. Experiencing childbirth is on my bucketlist, as well as, having a daughter and a son, so here is a post dedicated to all three. 

I always thought that I would want three daughters.  I wanted them about 18-24 months apart and they would all be best friends. They would have long brown hair with little ringlets on the ends and beautiful blue eyes. Now that I am approaching 27 years old and I'm still wanting to be done with babies by 30 I am thinking my 3 little girl dream is over. I think I would settle on one of each now. I still want a girl first. I come from a heavily female dominated family, so raising a boy would be a little foreign, but I think I could do it. So, after I complete my first item on my bucketlist I plan to get to work on this one... PRONTO!!  

And, if you're wondering . . .  I am totally one of those people that want to have a baby without medication. I am so scared to have an IV I might even just pop out out at my house to avoid it. ;)  Having a c-section scar scares me a little more than the idea of an IV. I saw pictures of the most wonderful home birth recently in a tub in a backyard. Now, I don't think I would go THAT far, but ya never know....

Merry Christmas. . .

Marry My TRUE Soul Mate

This is a hard one to write about because, in fact, at 21 years old I truly believed that I had met my soulmate. My perfect match. I felt so lucky and blessed to had found, at such a young age, what some people search a lifetime for.
I didn't find my happy ending after all, so now I am nearly 27 years old and  I'm going back to the drawing board to figure out what is next.
I like to relate this all to teaching. I graduated college at 23 years old and I never thought I would turn 26 and still be subbing. I assumed at the very least I would have a classroom by 25. I was 26 ( and a half ) when I finally got my dream and although it sucked big time to be subbing that long, I now know that it was really good for me and all it all prepared me for what was/is to come.
I hope that my "starter marriage" will have taught me enough that I will be so much better when I get my second go at it. At times I have thought that maybe that was it for me. Married once and it failed. Maybe I am meant to be single for the rest of my life. . . maybe I am not meant to have kids?? I suppose it is all a possibility.
All I can rely on is...
Jeremiah 29:11 - 'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'
When it's the right time it will happen. Somehow I just don't think I am meant to be an old lady with a bunch of cats. Heck. . . I don't really like cats. My Rollie is just so special. When he is gone my cat days will be over, so there is no way that can be what is meant for my furture.

Here's the plan . . .

I've decided that I am going to devote one post for each bucketlist item. I want to make a plan and really figure out how in the heck I can achieve what I want to.

I hope you're ready for about 3 months of bucket-postings! :o)

What I Have Accomplished Part 2 . . .

It took me 8 posts to tell the full story about Las Vegas (and, about 3 months, so it probably wasn't as detailed as it should be because I already forgot a bunch of stuff.)

I can only imagine how long it will take me to go indepth though this bucket list, so just bear with me and get ready for a whole lot of "bucketlist" postings.

Plant my own flower garden.

May 17, 2009

Learn to ballroom dance. Properly.

March 2011

Send a message in a bottle.

Kona, Hawaii ~ August 25, 2007

Catch a ball in the crowd of a major leagure baseball game.

August 2002

Ride a horse on a beach.

Long Beach, Washington ~ Summer 2003

Learn how to ice skate.

September 10, 2010

Accept a one-of-a-kind marriage proposal. On top of the Seattle Space Needle just before midnight.

October 20, 2007

Wear a REAL Hawaiian Lei.

August 23, 2007

Fly first class.

To Kona, Hawaii ~ August 21, 2007

Ride in a horse drawn carriage.

Victoria, BC ~ Summer 2004

Stay in a five-star hotel.

Mandalay Bay Las Vegas ~ August 2-5, 2009

Go to Las Vegas. (TWICE!!)

August 2009 & August 2011

Create my own blog.

October 2007

Accept myself for who I am.

2009 and always . . .

The Finale Las Vegas: Part 8

So, it's our last day in Las Vegas. We leave tomorrow morning. I decide to get some breakfast (Starbucks, of course, just like at home) and then decide to change and head out to the pool. T & E went for some casino time downstairs. There is no place in the world where I enjoy laying out at the pool more than in Las Vegas, Nevada.
After laying out for an hour or so I went back to the room to shower and get ready for the day. About the time I was ready to go the gang was back and we set off. We knew we wanted to see a show, but we were having a really hard time deciding just want we wanted to see. I really just wanted to leave it all up to Toni because I have seen a handful of Vegas shows already. We walked down the street in the BLISTERING heat to one of those "half price show ticket" places to see what they had available for that day. We really were not impressed with anything that was left, so we caught the Deuce and decide to head into Caesar's Palace and hit up a few places that we had yet to see.

I think that Caesar's has some of the best shopping in the world. It's not only so beautiful to walk around "The Palace" but the stores make you feel like you are a celebrity!

 

After lunch and a few hours of shopping we headed back to the hotel to make plans for our last night. T and I went downstairs to the concierges to see what they could do for us.  We finally settled on going to see the show "Absinthe" at Caesar's Palace. This show was quite spendy, but absolutely amazing. It takes place outside in a tent, so it's very intimate and every seats is a great seat. This show is not for the faint of heart, nor the easily offended.

After our show it was about 11 pm and it was time to head out to Chateau Night Club inside our next-door sister hotel The Paris. (Beautiful hotel and someday I WILL stay there.) 

    All ready to GO!

The Chateau is a beautiful club, but very small. And, if you don't mind $24 drinks it's a great place. The crowd was not the beautiful Las Vegas crowd you would expect, but the music was good and we were there to DANCE.

  Once we were done with drinks and dancing (my drink of choice was water since I am not into $24 drinks.... lol) we went into Bally's to find dinner. Who knew that dinner was so hard to find in Vegas after 1am? On the way there get to see the fountains at the Bellagio (another place I am dying to stay at).... Here is the best picture that I could get.

 This was taken on the bridge between Caesar's and back to Paris/Planet Hollywood. It is really hard to get close to the fountains unless you actually plan to catch a show and then wait there by the hotel or street to see it.
 The only place we found that we could eat was inside Bally's. For *I think* $20 we got two of these....

 

They were so yummy! You couldn't even taste the alcohol, so it was right up my alley. We ate Mexican food... listened to music and danced a little with our big blue drinks in the middle of Bally's Hotel and Casino. What a perfect way to end a Las Vegas trip.

Next, we wandered back to our hotel room and called it a night. The next morning we used our 24 hour dining pass and had breakfast at out hotel, Planet Hollywood before flagging down a taxi to take us to the airport. 

Las Vegas in my most favorite place to be. Ever. Even more so than Hawaii. There is just something so wonderful about being there and I cannot wait to go back.

Much ♥ 

What I Have Accomplished . . .

As you now know I am devoted to all things bucket list in the year 2012.  I thought I would first take a look back at the things I have actually accomplished and put some pictures with them to make it come alive. 

So, here it goes...

Become a certified teacher. 

March 14, 2008

Own my own home.

March 9, 2009

Go to Hawaii.

August 2007 & August 2008.

Get my own classroom.

September 28, 2011

More to come...........

Attention: Bucketlist Update! Take 2! Revamped and Back with a Vengeance

Kristina's Bucket List

Accomplished:

Become a Certified Teacher.......March 14, 2008

Own a Home.....March 9, 2009

Go To Hawaii.......August 2007

Get My Own Classroom....... September 28, 2011

Plant My Own Flower Garden.......May 17, 2009

 Learn How to Ballroom Dance Properly.......  March 2011

Send a Message in a Bottle.......August 25, 2007

Catch a Ball in the Crowd of a Major League Baseball Game.......August 2002

Ride a Horse on a Beach.......Summer 2003

Learn to Ice Skate...... September 2010

Accept a One of a Kind Marriage Proposal.......October 20, 2007-Seattle, Washington

Wear a REAL Hawaiian Lei.......August 23, 2007

Fly First Class.......August 21, 2007 to Hawaii

Ride in a Horse Drawn Carriage.......Victoria, Canada 2004

Stay in a Five Star Hotel.......August 2-5, 2009-Las Vegas, Nevada

Go to Las Vegas.......August 2-5, 2009

Create a Blog.......October 2007

Accept Myself for Who I am.......2009 and Always

Things I'm Working On:

Marry My TRUE Soul Mate.......August 3, 2008   

Experience Child Birth.......

Be in 2 Places at Once.......

Have My Portrait Painted.......

Be a Member in the Audience of a TV Show.......

Learn not to Say YES When I Really Mean NO.......

Shower in a Waterfall......

Ride in a Hot Air Balloon.......

Be Kissed in the Rain.......

Look Into My Child's Eyes, See Myself, and Smile.......

Reflect on My Greatest Weaknesses and Realize They were My Strengths.......

Travel to all 50 States.......

Sing in the Rain.......

Get a Masters Degree.......

Shoot a Clay Pigeon in Mid Air.......

Ride a Mechanical Bull.......

Spend New Years Eve in New York City With Katie.......

Learn to Be Good at Playing the Piano Once Again.......

Ride in a Helicopter.......

See the Hollywood Sign in Person........

Go to the Super Bowl.......

Learn Conversational Spanish.......

Go to Mardi Gras in New Orleans....

Travel to Maui, Hawaii.......

Take up Photography.......

Have "High Tea" at the Plaza Hotel in New York.......

Own lots of Real Estate.......

Stop Worrying.......

Go to the Kentucky Derby and Attend the Barnstable-Brown Ball, Watch the race from the Turf Terrace,Bet on my favorite horse, Have a Mint Julep (the traditional beverage of the Kentucky Derby. It's an iced drink consisting of bourbon, mint and sugar,) Wear a great hat at the race and Stay at the famous Galt House Hotel.......

Send my Parents on their Dream Vacation.......

I've been thinking a lot about my Bucketlist lately. And, frankly, it's a boring list and I don't get to cross things off very often. I thought it was time to add a few new items and really work hard to cross a few of them off in the upcoming year 2012. Here we go . . . 

*New Items*
Reach my goal weight.....
Own a pair of Uggs.....
Party in Cancun....
Go on a no-budget shopping spree....
Celebrate my birthday in Las Vegas.....
Watch fire works from inside an airplane.....
Make a wish at the Trevi Fountain in Rome....
Stop being so afraid and start living....
Drink wine in Italy.....
Sing in the rain....
Go into an airport and buy tickets for a random flight.....
Have a daughter....
Have a son.....
Wear a corset....
Kiss my love on the big screen at a sports game.....
Have a love like Noah and Allie.....
Own a beach house.....
Meet my other half....
Spend Christmas at Disney World....
Stay in Cinderella's Castle....
Spend New Years in Paris....
See the Eiffel Tower.....
Be given a puppy for a present....
Have a "usual" somewhere....
Have fireworks at my wedding....
Be married to the same person for over 50 years....
Own a pair of Louboutins....
Put up a Christmas tree with Him...
Be snowed in....
Receive everything on my Christmas wish list...
Finish a shampoo ad conditioner at the same time.....
Stay up all night on Christmas Eve....
Have my husband kiss my pregnant belly....
Date a celebrity....
Go on a vacation by myself....
Use a fake name at Starbucks.....
Live in a mansion....
Shop in Tyoko.....
Jump into a pool fully clothed....
Visit Puerto Roco.....
Be on the show Cash Cab......
Visit Kauai....

And, lastly........
COMPLETE my Bucketlist.... haha

♥

jobs

{one}

what is the worst

job you have ever had?

Umm, Bath and Body Works. I worked there for the summer between freshman and sophomore year of college.

{two}

have you ever been fired?

Nope.

{three}

what would your dream job be?

To be the principal of an elementary school or to be some type of teacher mentor working at district office. 

{four}

what did you want

to be when you "grew up"?

I wanted to be a veterinarian until I job shadowed a day and realized that I could not do it. Then I decided I wanted to be a teacher. Deep down I still want to deliver babies though! :)

{five}

how old were you when

you got your first job?

Seventeen - I started my 6 year stint as a florist.

The end.