At the beginning of every year the list starts strong… really strong… I go pretty hard and then always slam on the breaks because I have this panic that I will run out of things to do and that the list will run out.  It’s a stupid thing to do, because then at about this time each year I look at the list and thing heavens above there is a lot of stuff left… will there ever be a year where I actually finish the list?   So here we are again… so far I have crossed off 51 things… which is a pretty good effort… but there are only 7 weeks left in the year… and 49 things to do… that is a lot… so I am asking for help… here is a good old list update with both the things I have done (click the hyperlinks to read the blog I wrote about it, or just enjoy this little blurb if it’s a fresh one)… and the things that are still left to do… so if you see something that you think you might like to help me with, sing out… it’s going to be a mad rush to the end.

1. Visit Hobbiton – completed: 01/01/15
2. Make my own dumplings
3. Do another Pinterest craft – completed: 13/02/15
4. Make my own hot cross buns – completed: 05/04/15
5. Follow through with the 2015 date box again
6. Paint Something – completed: 15/08/15
   It wasn’t quite the painting I thought I would be doing, in fact technically it was ‘oiling’ but I used a paint brush for a bit… so I think it counts and the deck looks pretty flippin good.
7. Eat something I have planted – completed: 27/01/15
8. Buy lunch at work no more than twice a week
9. Go to two weddings – completed: 21/02/15 (wedding 1, wedding 2)
10. Order fish at a restaurant – completed: 06/01/15
11. Try again to embrace home cooking
12. Have a weekend away – completed: 26/04/15
13. Go to some carols by candlelight
14. Work as a classroom teacher – completed 13/03/15
15. Make the most of my gym membership
16. Run 5km without walking
17. Do some trivia – completed: 17/01/15
18. Learn another song on guitar
19. Have a picnic in the backyard
20. Start collecting and sorting photos of Dave and I’s family history
21. See some black sand – completed: 02/01/15
22. Put some new photos up around the house – completed: 11/04/15
23. Blow some giant bubbles
24. Ride a rollercoaster – completed: 09/04/14
25. Play mini golf
26. See a movie at the drive-in – completed: 14/02/15
27. Build a sandcastle
28. Buy an ice cream from an ice cream truck
29. Take a selfie with the selfie stick fully extended – completed: 10/01/15
30. Go to the beach at least 5 times – completed: 26/01/15
31. Stargaze while lying on the grass
32. Watch the sunset from a beach
33. Rent a bike and go on an adventure – completed: 03/01/15
34. Stay at the Langham – completed: 07/01/15
35. Go Hiking – completed: 03/01/15
36. Take a last minute road trip – completed: 01/10/15
    It was only really last minute for me because I left it until the last minute to get myself organised to go… but that still counts.  Davo and I headed to NSW for his Masters Graduation!  I was a very very proud wife and it was definitely worth the trip.
37. Make a playlist for each season (Summer and Autumn)
    We can now add Winter:
    – Touch The Sky – Hillsong United
    – No Longer Slaves – Bethel- We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together
    – This is Living – Hillsong Young & Free
    – Captain – Hillsong United
    – Great I am – New Life Worship
    – Believing A Lie – Joel Shannon & Asher Johnson
    – I’ll go in the Strength of the Lord – Salvation Army
    – O Boundless Salvation – William Booth
    – Over the Rainbow – Judy Garland, Wizard of Oz
38. Bake a cake for someone
39. Buy a stranger dinner (e.g. pay for someone else meal at a restaurant)
40. Learn a greeting in a language I haven’t spoken before – completed: 07/11/15
41. Give a heartfelt surprise to someone – completed: 10/08/15
    It doesn’t really matter what it was, or who got it… because I feel like giving that away on here ruins the magic of it… but it happened… and if you recognise the picture for this one… well then I guess you know… but if not, you’ll just have to trust me when I tell you it happened.
42. Dance in the rain
43. Plant a tree – completed: 22/09/15
    Well Dave actually planted the tree trees without me… so instead I got to plant the vine in the middle… but the backyard now has an orange tree, a lemon tree and a passion-fruit vine… lets start praying for some delicious fruit soon!
44. Knit a scarf – completed: 30/05/15
45. Read a book on a subject you wouldn’t normally choose – completed: 08/06/15
46. Fly a kite
47. Write and email/call a company from which I received excellent service
48. Go on a romantic getaway
49. Help someone in need
50. Learn something in sign language – completed: 08/06/15
51. Wear fancy dress to something – completed: 29/08/15
52. See two oceans meet – completed: 05/01/15
53. Go in a sea vessel… kayak, canoe, paddle boat, regular boat… whatever – completed: 06/01/15
54. Play a board game with friends – completed: 11/07/15
55. Write at least 3 letters to my prayer pal
56. Go fruit picking – completed: 08/11/15
    It’s a good thing that my brother’s girlfriend Amy is organised, because without her this would not have happened, but it did… the weather was perfect and we took home a delicious mountain of strawberries, cherries and best of all raspberries….mmmmmm…. so many delicious raspberries… it turns out I like berry picking, especially raspberry picking.
57. Swim 20km across the year
58. Do another boot camp
59. Do another fun run
60. Walk/run 400km across the year
61. Go camping
62. Walk 10,000 steps more often than I don’t
63. See some fireworks
64. Eat a Feijoa – completed: 16/04/15
65. Go on a luge – completed: 03/01/14
66. Swim in a thermal pool – completed: 02/01/15
67. Cook all meals at home for a fortnight (no going out or lazy take away)
68. Take a photo everyday
69. Play Super Mario Bros
70. See a Musical – completed: 07/02/15
71. Read 15 books – completed: 27/10/15
    All done… here’s the full list: 
    
    • The Storyteller – Jodi Picoult (finished 26/01/15)
    • Still Alice – Lisa Genova (finished 09/02/15)
    • Leaving Time – Jodi Picoult (finished 22/02/15)
    • Wild – Cheryl Strayed (finished 21/03/15)
    • Divergent – Veronica Roth (finished 02/04/15)
    • Child 44 – Tom Rob Smith (finished 10/04/15)
    • Useful – Debra Oswald (finished 05/05/15)
    • Emma – Jane Austen (finished 08/06/15)
    • The Burnt House – Faye Kellerman (finished 18/06/15)
    • If I Stay – Gayle Foreman (finished 25/06/15)
    • Little Women – Louisa May Alcott (finished 03/08/15)
    • Pretty Little Liars – Sara Shepard (finished 23/08/15)
    • Butterflies in November – Audur Ava Olafsdottir (finished 12/09/15)
    • We are all completely beside ourselves – Karen Joy Fowler (finished 01/10/15)
    • Salem Falls – Jodi Picoult (finished 27/10/15)
72. Try four more local cafes in search of our new breakfast spot
    I’ve tried 3 and I have one more in mind…. so I am almost there.
73. Try Inverloch’s ‘Red Cup’ equivalent
74. Have a mocktail – completed: 17/02/15
75. Finish unpacking the last boxes
76. Visit a country town I haven’t been to before – completed: 01/10/15
    Well I guess by default it is a country town… but it’s a bit bigger than most… We headed to Newcastle in NSW for Dave’s masters… but I had never been there before… and now I have and technically it fits the requirements.
77. Put up some outside lights for christmas
78. Keep getting closer
79. See Big Hero6 – completed: 30/05/15
80. Use a remote control toy
81. See a live music concert… or 4 – completed: 26/09/15
    I didn’t think I would be able to cross this off until I saw Taylor Swift in December but a surprise MSO concert means it is already off the list.
    • Lady Antebellum – 17/03/15
    • John Farnham & Olivia Newton John – 08/04/15
    • Michael Bolton – 16/05/15
    • MSO Disney in concert – 26/09/15
82. Do some colouring – completed: 08/05/15
83. Go to a live sporting event – completed: 08/01/15
84. Have a hot jam donut
85. Have High Tea – completed: 07/02/15
86. Cook something from each of my Donna Hay Mags
87. Learn a new skill – completed: 10/05/15
88. Make a photo book of our New Zealand Adventure
89. Have at least 5 different groups of people over for dinner – completed 07/09/15
    Again I feel like if I name names it makes people feel like they were only here for the list, which isn’t true, there has been more than 5 and all of them were for more than just the list… but it is all done.
90. Ride a push bike without tears – completed: 03/01/15
91. Complete my sentence a day book for 2015
92. Make a teepee or blanket fort and watch a movie in it
93. Go to a farmers market – completed: 26/04/15
94. Go through the alphabet of foods/restaurants/cuisines
95. Do something handy at home – completed: 14/02/15
96. Walk the dog once a week
97. Set up our outdoor furniture and eat at it – completed: 19/10/15
    All done and I love it! I feel like we might be spending a lot of time out here while the weather is good.
98. Actually read through the New Testament
99. See a wild swimming animal – completed: 06/01/15
100. Touch a volcano – completed: 02/01/15

Ok… So there you go… that’s where we are at in the middle of November…  51 things completed, 49 to go… and as you can see there are still a lot of gaps… so if you see something you want to cross off with me now is the time to say so… I am going to need some help!