Is it just me, or is January the world’s longest month ever? Perhaps it’s the weather out here that’s making things feel eternal, or maybe it’s the fact that Ryan’s training schedule is ramping up again for the year, but holy moly. If you follow me on instagram, you likely saw that Mieke’s face yesterday accurately reflected our collective mood about the last six+ days of rain…nonstop. Regardless, it’s been a month, and I’m doing my best to keep my chin up and keep the kids busy and entertained. Enter our JBLM winter bucket list.
For those of you who’ve followed this blog for some time, you know I’m a huge fan of bucket lists. I’m trying to live more presently, however, so I’ve decided to swap the big overarching bucket lists for something a little bit smaller. So, instead, I’m doing seasonal bucket lists! Because this is our second-to-last winter here at JBLM, I’m trying to maximize the time we have and do as much as possible. And in that spirit, today I want to share our JBLM winter bucket list with you all!
- Play in the snow at Mt. Rainier – would you believe we’ve yet to visit Mt. Rainier yet?! I know. We’re awful. I mean, we were busy moving, weathering a deployment, and having another baby, but still. There’s a snow play area for younger kiddos there, and I’d love to take the kids there this season before the snow is gone. Plus, I’d love a real taste of winter!
- Visit Port Angeles – This one’s a sad, mixed bag for me. I was supposed to run a race next weekend in Port Angeles, but because of Ryan’s training schedule, I won’t be able to do it. I’m considering taking the kids there for the day anyway though. We still haven’t explore the coast as much as I’d like!
- Do a weekend trip to Winthrop – Winthrop is a bit of a hike from JBLM – just under five hours – but at the beginning of March, they have a balloon festival. I’d love to take the kids there to play in the snow, see the balloons, and explore another area of Washington of which we’re a bit unfamiliar.
- Run my first mid-training race – I’m still in the market for a good first race (looking for a 10k), but I’ve got a few in mind. I’m hoping for something mid-February to give me a good gauge of my current strength and progress whilst training for the Portland Marathon.
- Take the kids to see the Fremont Troll – Honestly, I never knew how close we were to this little cultural landmark in Seattle! I think the kids would love a day trip to the area and to see this public sculpture up close and personal (as would I!)
I like to think of bucket lists as kind of a guidebook, per se, convincing us to get out and explore even when we’d prefer to be lazy and stay inside. In this military lifestyle, we kind of live on borrowed time, and even if you don’t love your duty station, there is always something to do and see. My goal is to do and see as much as possible before our time is up, hence our JBLM winter bucket list.
Do you make bucket lists? What’s on your winter bucket list?
