Thursday, April 8

Unplanning Life

I used to plan my life. I can't tell you how many times the Big Guy has tried to teach me to stop spending so much time planning and start living. Side note - there are only two types of references to "plan" in all of the Good Books: God's plan and the evil, secret, cunning plans of really bad people. So what do we learn from that? Leave it to God to plan - he's better at it anyway.

So I decided this was my year to stop being so anal. I wasn't going to let an opportunity to make some memories pass me by. I wasn't going to worry about if I had money or time or if I really should stay home and clean my room or put away Christmas decorations - I've decided to leave that for April's spring cleaning.

Living my life this way led me to experience so many things I had never done and has contributed to one of the best years I've ever had. Here is a list of 55 firsts I had in the past year:
  1. Saw Broadway's The Lion King - thanks, Mom!
  2. Learned to Zumba - loved watching the men stop their weightlifting routines to stare at all the women swinging their hips and shaking their bon-bons
  3. Went to Moab
  4. Hiked to Delicate Arch - one of the most breathtaking sites I've ever seen
  5. Rafted down the Red River - took on a huge rock, the raft went up 90 degrees and flipped most of us off the raft
  6. Played Things, Bananagrams, and Sedarahc - and have never laughed harder (see Things game with the fam below)
  7. Had some wild kissing adventures on roller coasters - no further details available for the public
  8. Went to a Kelly Clarkson concert - so fun to hear a whole crowd shouting my name
  9. Got a promotion - became a director
  10. Had my hope renewed and fell in love again - and again...
  11. Lost 30 pounds I'll never see again unless there's a baby involved
  12. Rode the Alpine Coaster, the Alpine Slide, and the Zipline in Park City
  13. Went to a Jazz game and got put on the Jumbotron
  14. Got internet on my phone - though I still wouldn't have it if I were paying for it
  15. Spent the night in Flaming Gorge - and went on the biggest dam tour in Utah
  16. Speed dated - and actually ended up with a good one!
  17. Went to a horse race at the gorgeous Del Mar fairgrounds
  18. Bet (and lost) on a horse race
  19. Danced at a Zombie prom
  20. Went to a Real game - almost convinced me to buy season tickets on the spot
  21. Saw Broadways' Legally Blonde - trying to hold back from going blonde again
  22. Rode a Harley
  23. Burnt myself on a Harley
  24. Played bocce ball on the beach at Coronado Island
  25. Watched my aunts and uncles on The King Family Show on TV - PBS, baby!
  26. Put on a Christmas fireside
  27. Learned to play Roulette
  28. Learned to play Craps and won $280 - secret is to press it and let it ride
  29. Lost $600 playing Craps - lesson learned: do not do what your "expert" teachers do
  30. Bought skis
  31. Learned to snowboard - and though I was called a "natural" by my instructor, I have quite a few bumps and bruises that may prove otherwise
  32. Said goodbye to Aunt Vonnie who taught me to live a colorful life and to be diligent in making important memories
  33. Participated in a TV show rating audience - be grateful that the show we reviewed will not air based on our ratings
  34. Sang karaoke at a bar
  35. Threw an Oscar party
  36. Visited Oregon
  37. Visited Washington - decided I need to travel more this year
  38. Went to a Bee's game
  39. Rode in a Hummer limo and a diesel-powered GMC limo
  40. Got glitter toes
  41. Saw Cirque du Soleil's Ka
  42. Went to Monster Jam - got put on the kiss cam
  43. Saw Reel Big Fish in St. George
  44. Went to Disney On Ice - well, the second half of it anyway
  45. Signed up to play on a soccer team and played my first soccer game
  46. Got an airbrush tan
  47. Got eyelash extensions
  48. Had some hair removed by laser - it's fine if you like feeling like rubber bands are snapping all over
  49. Canoed on Utah Lake
  50. Went to a piano bar and danced on a piano
  51. Shopped for an engagement ring - twice!
  52. Saw a film at the Sundance film festival
  53. Ate shrimp, lobster, and sushi - hated it all
  54. Got into hiphop - don't worry, I pay no attention to the lyrics
  55. Saw Michael Buble - and fell in love
And 10 more things I'd like to do before 30:
  1. Wakeboard - DONE! 6/14/10
  2. Go on a cruise - Scheduled to the Caribbean 1/16/11
  3. Go to Hawaii
  4. Get scuba certified and go scuba diving (in process...)
  5. See Wicked - DONE! 4/10/10
  6. Run a 5k in an organized race - 1/2 marathon in September
  7. Complete 90 days of P90x (done 12 days...)
  8. Join a book club (start on Monday!!)
  9. Go to Lake Powell - DONE! 5/30/10
  10. Go to Italy - though I'd settle for Colorado or Seattle until I save enough $ - Did Colorado and Seattle 5/10, 8/10
What have you done this year?

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Kelly, you just happen to be one of the coolest women I know :)

Melanie said...

I"m so glad you are back to blogging. ANd I must say, what a year! I think I would like to do all those things one day, except maybe losing 600 bucks!

Jamie said...

WOW! That is ALOT of stuff! I don't think I've even done 10 of those things! You are amazing!

Catherine said...

You are awesome girl!! Thanks for sharing! What a cute idea!! I want to be like you when I grow up!! :)

Justin and Terressa Bishop said...

You inspire me!

Sparklebot said...

In the last year, I've eloped, acquired 2 kids, graduated from law school, passed the bar, adopted 2 birds, acted as Santa and the Easter bunny for the first time, and . . . so many more firsts. It's been an interesting year. I can't believe how much you've done. Way to go.

ellen said...

I have a list of 50 things I'm working on this year. Your list is great!! Good luck with the rest and I hope you get to Italy!

it's me, andrea. said...

Can I just say how happy I am that you're blogging again! Love. It. And I'm so happy for you. We should catch up sometime.

Rin said...

Wow! Okay, I've missed a ton...shopped for engagement rings TWICE?!!

And way to go!

Linda de Azevedo said...

Kelly! Saw your Blog featured on Studio 5 KSL TV this morning...Julie Hanks commented on it in this segment!
http://studio5.ksl.com/?nid=54&sid=12264023
I am truly inspired by your efforts...in fact, I signed on to go to Lion King in SCL this weekend!