37.... the recap.

last year on my birthday, completely inspired by andrea of hula seventy,  i made my very first birthday list.  a list of 37 things to do before i turned 38.  some things little and some grandiose.  but it is good to go big sometimes, even if all it is is a dream...

here was my list

being today is my final day as a 37 year old, here is my recap. 

some things done, many not.  that is ok. 

1. get a vintage bike , not a schwinn by any means but she is a pretty blue.
2. went to this concert,  ok maybe not what i had in mind originally,  but sharing a first concert with my 2 fave little people?  priceless!
3. hmmm this one i will need to carry over for sure.  i have improved on manual focus and my night shooting this year.  i am proud of that.  still SO much to learn and try.
4. throw a par~tay.  done.
5. probably my most accomplished thing on my list. goal was-meet 3 flickr friends in real life...  i think my tally wound up being  around 13 this year!!!  and each and every one was like meeting an old friend.  we shared photo walks and stories and food and it has been the best ever.  to think at first i was afraid to make that leap and bridge that gap from internet friend to live in person friend.  how much i would have missed out on this year if i had stayed that way...
6. take a rain ride with my mom.  terrible that i did not make this happen still.  i owe her a trip to boston.
7. make a solid date night with hubby and keep it.  to rekindle a romantic spark in my marriage. we had a bumpy start to this, but then i think we did pretty good thanks to all the babysitting my mom has volunteered this past year.  thanks mom!
8. 365 DONE!  (and crazy enough to start all over again...)
9. photo strip done x 2
10. gave back by participating in to Haiti with Love, and Red Cross Fund by auctioning photos, raising  $175.00 total from just 3 of my prints. 
11. learn a song on the guitar, nope.  though hubby has been learning one....
12. roller skating.  nope.  :(  really was hoping to do this for my birthday but now post surgery that is a no no....  
13. take a dance class.  no
14. still no
15. knit something from an actual pattern. i was gifted a pattern and 2 balls of yummy yard .  maybe i can sneak this in today...  at least try.
16. portrait of me.  started my own 52 pieces of me set to help me appreciate myself in photos.
17. win at whack a mole.  no, but i did win a stuffed pig once at the water balloon game this summer.  
18. girls only weekend.  YES! weekend in  Providence RI with my very best girlfriend.  yay for us.  after 14 years of friendship we finally did it. this is going on my list every year now... never. coming. off.
19. get my photos hung somewhere... oh.  my.  yes!   i also got published in 2 books this year,  picture hope and mugs and china cups .  sales from both books and the gallery show all going to wonderful charities.
    
20. nope
21. nope
22. nope
23. no again
24. plant a garden with k and c.  we tried....
25. that was just a big fun dream....  dreams are good.
26. through 37.  this is where it al falls apart on me....  many of those things i even had planned: trip to philly where i would see roller derby with jen and coney island meet up on the way to philly to ride that coaster,  but kids got sick and we had to stay home.  the polaroid house is no longer (never mind the fact that it was on the other side of the country!  lol)  the big kid is still learning to drive.  winter has stalled that progress.  the camping and swimming i have no excuses for.  it was a bit of a rough year at times so i am really giving myself a break.  plus it only drives me to do better with those little things this year.  come one spring!  come on healing body!   and now onto my "one to grow on"  that jessica suggested,  write 37 love letters to ones i love, and write 1 to myself.  that will be my project today as i bid farewell to 37 and welcome in 38.   a new calendar year of life.  a new page.  i am not sad to see 37 go, instead i am excited to see what 38 holds.  37, though difficult at times,  was filled with many sweet surprises some beyond my wildest dreams and that only makes me believe that 38 will hold such surprising goodness as well.   

goodbye 37 year old self, i did my best to take good care of you.

xo, 

me