Bucket List

While working through things with my counselor a while back, it became apparent that I am a person who craves excitement and risk. I love change. I love to do new things. And if my life gets a little boring and predictable, I am liable to seek out things that I find risky and exciting - not always wise :)
So, she suggested that I write up a bucket list of things I want to do - so that when I get bored, I have a go-to list instead of getting myself into trouble. As I went through the list, I discovered that some were exciting, some less so, but all things I really want to do sometime in the future. So here they are:

Visit all 50 states (I have 16 to go, and am hoping to hit 3 of them during my conference in the North East next spring).
See the major Broadway shows (not necessarily on Broadway)
Join a rock climbing gym
Go to all the continents except Antarctica (I hate the cold, I have 3 continents to go)
Learn to box
Ski in Colorado
Have an herb garden (I have a Basil plant right now, so I'm on my way)
Attend a movie premiere
Dine at a 5 star restaurant
Learn to ride a motorcycle
Go to a TV show taping
See a play in London's West End
Take a cruise
Bake a souffle (did that last month!)
Learn sign language
Go to a day spa

It's fun to dream.

L.A.

J and I finally made it for our women's getaway. We had some hiccups with her schoolwork, but once that was on track, the mission was a go! We got up early on Saturday morning and headed out to the big city. As we were driving and listening to music, I was thinking of what I wanted to discuss with her first, when she beat me to it. She knew we were going to discuss sex and boys/men and bodies, so the questions have been circling her brain for a while now. She shut off the radio and started asking questions. We talked all the way to LA, including getting lost while looking for The Grove. When we got to Beverly Hills we took a break and had a celebrity watch (J was certain that anyone she saw with a big camera was paparazzi in disguise, "they try to look like normal people, but that camera is just way too nice."). We didn't find the Grove because my phone doesn't have good internet, but we made it to the Beverly Center for some pizza and shopping. Then we headed to our hotel, The Wilshire Hotel, which was a couple miles from downtown. Once we got into the hotel, we didn't leave until the next morning (and we got there around 3). We alternated discussions and TV/Movies. Our second discussion was about money. I wanted to be sure that she understood the importance of being wise with what she has, tithing, saving, etc. From the money discussion we have 2 Tasks for Womanhood - she'll begin keeping a budget with the money she earns and gets for allowance and she will tithe 10% and save 45%; the second is that for one month, she will be in charge of our household's grocery/fun money and will decide how to spend it (with guidance of course).
Our 3rd discussion was on how we treat other people and "consider others better than ourselves." From this area, she will find a charity she wants to support, and run/walk a 5K without complaining. She will also host a dinner party for friends, considering their needs over her own.
In the middle of these discussions, we ordered room service, which is J's favorite thing for some reason. I don't know why she likes to eat mediocre food in a hotel room with no table, but she loves it - she had steak, I had sliders, and we shared some chocolate cake.
When we woke up Sunday morning, we had our discussion about spiritual matters. We talked about turning things over to God when she has troubles and learning to depend on him more. We read through a couple Psalms, including one in which David asks God to "break the teeth" of his enemies. We then got to discuss how we can be honest and real with God. I left her alone for a while then and told her to talk to God about her dad. She had some honest time with him, some crying, and some asking God to slap her dad around. Then her tasks were to have devotions at least 3 times a week, and memorize some key verses over the next year.
Our final discussion before we left the hotel, was over Proverbs 31. We went through and saw what God desires a woman to be - hard working, creative, loving and faithful, learning, etc. So we worked together to come up with the final six tasks - keep her grades at a B- or above, enter her art in an art contest, begin learning French, take a babysitting class, decorate a room in the house on a budget, and volunteer for the humane society. Then, if she does all of the tasks, we'll have a big celebration at the end of the year. My friend's husband is taking her son to climb a huge mountain - literally, I'm not sure what ours will be but it needs to be something related to being a woman, so I'll have to keep brainstorming.
After that last discussion, we found The Grove (a shopping center near Beverly Hills), we ate at Subway (she's a simple girl, with simple tastes), walked around the Staples Center while Comikaze was happening at the convention center - we saw Snake Eyes from GI Joe, Alice and her friends from wonderland, a couple fairies, an elf, and a bunch of other really awesome outfits. We ended in the garment district, which reminds me a lot of Tijuana. We were going to go to Griffith Park, too, but J was reading a new Calvin and Hobbes book she got at the Barnes and Noble at The Grove and she got sick, so we headed home during a lightning storm. It was an amazing weekend and I look forward to seeing what happens in the months to come.