i want to be a doer

I've been thinking a lot about what I want out of my life lately. I am officially an "adult" - I have a career, I am married, I own a home, I have a chunk of debt (don't all adults?!) and I now have a child. The question, "What's next?" keeps popping into my head.

I have learned a lot about myself during the 4.5 months since my daughter was born. I can no longer multi-task like I used to (this may just be due to the fact that I would rather spend time with her over doing other mundane things), I have zero desire to go back to work (financially I have to but if we could afford it, I would LOVE to be a stay at home mom), I love to write (I knew this before but being on maternity leave has allowed me the time to be reminded of this), I have to say NO more now than ever (I just learned a big lesson in this area and it was quite the humbling experience) and, most importantly, I am a family woman through and through - my family is all that really matters now.

These are all great things to learn about oneself but they also put things into perspective. They are really making me focus on what I WANT to do vs. what I HAVE to do vs. what I DON'T WANT OR HAVE to do.

Unless something has to do with something I love, something for me or something to do with my husband or daughter, count me out.

I've decided to start a list of all the things I want to do in my life - big and small (some are tiny even). Instead of making multiple lists, colour coding them, attaching a dollar figure to them, dating them, creating spreadsheets, etc. like I normally would, I am just going to dump everything I always say I want to do in one list - in zero particular order - so I can start crossing these suckers off. I have no idea when I will do these things, how I will do some of them or how I will afford some of them but it's time to be the adult that I am and become a doer and not a talker. This is just a quick start - I will add to this list as I come up with new dreams and ideas.

Jaclyn's To Do/Bucket/Wish List:

• Be a stay at home mom.
• Plan Charlotte's fabulous 1st birthday party.
• Go to Vegas again with my husband and friends.
• Take Charlotte to Disneyland with the grandparents.
• Go on a cruise with my husband.
• Buy a more family friendly vehicle. Yes - a mini-van is probably in my near future! :)
• Re-do our kitchen (gut job).
• Pay off our American Express (and stop using credit cards completely).
• Buy a new TV and storage unit.
• Have brunch at Lou's Bar and Grill (we love it at Lou's but have never had brunch there).
• Take a day trip to Lynden, Washington (my parents used to take me there all the time and I need to go back for a visit - I always drive past it on the way to Bellingham - time to stop by).
• Take Charlotte swimming.

I hope to report back here when I am able to check something off this list. Stay tuned!

What's on your list? Let's start getting s&*% done!