Let’s see how I’m doing with my list of twenty:
1. Exercise in the gym three times per week. In progress! I give myself an A+ on exercising regularly even though some of the exercises are challenging. I do it in the morning before I talk myself out of it. š
2. Practice yoga twice per week. In progress! I really enjoy practicing yoga, and doing it twice per week feels like rest days to me.
3. Go for a long walk outdoors once per week. In progress! I realized that I should have quantified my walk distance. I walk outdoors every week, about 5 km each time. I limit my walk to 5 km to save time for other activities. We’ve been getting frequent April showers during the week but sunny weekends here. A day like in the attached picture is just perfect for walking.
4. Learn Spanish online fifteen minutes daily. In progress! I’m learning new nouns, verbs and verb tenses. I’m doing this casually to prepare myself for a trip to Costa Rica in June.
5. Sign up early for a 5K running race in September. Not yet. I’ll make sure to register before June 1 when the registration fees will increase.
6. Co-ordinate my parents' move to their new home. Check! So glad it went smoothly, and they’re settling in nicely.
7. Meet up with my sister from out of town. Not yet. She’s coming on April 29. Can't wait!
8. Enjoy a family weekend getaway. Check! We went away the weekend of April 22-23 to stay at a B&B about 30 km west of Toronto. The weather was sunny on both days and warm on Sunday. It was a nice and relaxing break from our routine.
9. Celebrate two family birthdays. Not yet. They are coming up in May and June. There will be cakes!
10. Share some decadent chocolate with my family. Check! We try not to make this a habit, just special treats now and then.
11. Call to chat with my friend on her birthday. Check! So much fun to catch up and share a few hearty laughs.
12. Go for coffee with a friend. Check! We met up at Dineen Coffee place, rated #4 coffee places in Toronto by Trip Advisor. I enjoyed every drop of my cappuccino.
13. Write to my friends overseas. Check! Glad to hear my friends and their families in Europe are all well. I dream of taking a round the world trip in winter 2019, going somewhere warmer than Toronto, and visiting my friends who live in different countries.
14. Complete bookings for our trip to Costa Rica in June-July. Check! I booked air tickets, transportation, and accommodation in San Jose. I’ve been to Playa Grande in Costa Rica before. Look forward to visiting another part of this country.
15. Start booking a second trip for the summer. Not yet! I’ll do this as soon as I sort out the renovation schedule of my investment property which is a new addition to my "to do" list.
16. Read about my summer travel destinations. In progress. If you have suggestions for where to stay and eat in Madrid, Andalusia, Budapest or Prague, I’m listening!
17. Post once a week on my blog. In progress! So far so good. I actually posted more than once per week in April.
18. Get a haircut before going to Costa Rica. Not yet. I’ll get it done by mid-June. My hair is low maintenance so this is easy to take care of.
19. Declutter my closet. Check! Feel good for getting this done. I can see my clothes and some empty space in my closet (yay!). Even feel more proud that I have not bought a new clothing item since January 1, 2017. I have some good quality clothes that I should really wear them out before buying new.
20. Donate twenty unused items. Check! I marked in my calendar to do a quarterly review and donate what I do not use.
All in all, I’m happy I got nine items checked off, six have been underway, and five to do. Now for more fun reading, please visit the links below and see how Tamara, Leslie, Sheila, Katie, Dani, Ashley and Michael Ann have tackled their Spring bucket lists. Join in on the fun, too.
Tamara at My Retirement Project
Leslie at Once Upon A Time & Happily Ever After
Sheila at Making The Most of Every Day
Katie at The Mishaps and Mayhem of a Solitary Life
Dani at Family Love Inspiration Education
Ashley at Perks of Ponder
Michael Ann at Out and Back
Happy Spring!
Hi Natalie, and welcome to your first linkup with the gals!
ReplyDeleteRegarding your upcoming travel plans, which sound awesome BTW, my best advice would be run, don't walk, and get Rick Steves books for each destination if you haven't yet done so. His team provides the best info out there IMO on what to see, what to do, and most importantly, where to eat! We followed his guide book all over Madrid and had an absolute blast. Most memorable was a night of tapas bar hopping on Calle de Jesus, near the Prado Museum.
Hi Tamara, this link up is fun...I'm a newbie with blogging and am learning! Also thanks for your R. Steeves books suggestion. Will do pronto!
DeleteGreat job on your list! I love that you have been decluttering. It's something that I constantly am working on. Every so often I just want to do a big purge and spring is such a good time for that! Your trips sound so fun! My sun is studying in Spain and leaves this weekend. Maybe he'll have some good food recommendations! I've raised him well :) (He'll be studying in Alicante but we have family in Granada and Malaga so he will be in Andalucia as well.)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sheila! After my closet decluttering and packing and unpacking for my parents, I'm in the "own less" mode, hopefully for a long time LOL. Your son's studying in Spain sounds amazing. A big plus to have family there, too.
DeleteThat's a whole lotta green on your post! Well done. I bet you are really getting excited about your sister's visit this weekend. I so enjoyed being with my sister last week for annual library convention trek.
ReplyDeleteI think we are all waiting for warmer, more spring-like spring! We have had so much wind. Makes being outside very unpleasant. Your photo from the weekend afternoon is beautiful. Would be a perfect background for an inspiration card or poster. Love the delicate tree branches.
Bravo to decluttering the closet. I had planned to do mine a month ago and it still hasn't happened. Have been working too much for my taste, although I love it, but it sure keeps me from having the energy for cleaning and cooking.
Thank you so much for joining us. I have no doubt you will have all green on your list next update!
Thank you, Leslie, for letting me join. So nice of you to coordinate with all participants for the spring update. Yes, I can't wait to see my sister this weekend. I was relieved to get the closet decluttering done, and after having finished the packing and unpacking for my parents' move, I'm in the "own less" mode, hopefully for a long time.
ReplyDeleteWow! You've been a busy girl! Good for you! I especially like the phone call to a friend and coffee with a friend! This isn't on my list, but it's something I'm trying to be intentional about. Yesterday I went to a friend's house, and we chatted for a couple of hours while her son napped. It was just lovely! We both had a blast! I'm determined to make this happen more often. Friendships are important!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Michael Ann, for visiting. Glad you had a lovely time with your friend. Friendships are so important and enriching. I mark down in my calendar to get in touch with my friends on a regular basis, especially on or near their birthdays.
ReplyDelete