Substance

Well, I just got that little itch again. The voice that popped into my head and said "I need to write. Right now". But I don't want to sit here and write about nothing. I want to say something worthwhile. Something with substance.

Lately I've been thinking a lot about what I want to do with my free time. I know I won't be in Boston forever, so there are some places that I want to make sure to visit more often (or for the first time). There are some things that I want to do at some point in my life.

I started a list back in November in one of my earlier posts. 

1. Run a marathon  I can honestly say that after finishing a half marathon, I don't want to put my body through a full marathon. That's way too far for me! I don't want to give up on running, but I want to change my goals. 
2. Climb a mountain (not a hill...)
3. Play in a fantasy football league (I didn't say I want to win)
4. Spend a worthwhile amount of time abroad
5. Take a road trip across the country
6. Have a yard with a garden
7. Own an apartment or house where I am able to move around the furniture and it actually fits

Okay, Kristen, so, what else do you want to do?

Bake really well and be proud of it
Pay off all of my bills
Be someone's role model
Own a house with a big fireplace
Love someone and not hurt them in the end
Go back to Florence
Volunteer at the Children's Hospital in Boston (or somewhere similar)
Become a Big Sister again (as in the Big Brother/Big Sister program...no my mom is not having any more kids!)
Move far away
...and then move home again
Have someone I love teach me something new
Teach something new to someone I love
Throw a party for my parents
Finish my master's degree
Inspire a student to stay in school
Be able to host Christmas at my own house some day
Find a "favorite" book
Take a cooking class
Sleep outside in the summer



Of course, there are others that I want to add. I don't think a list like this can ever be concrete. What's the fun in that?

A Weekend Adventure

When you're little, vacation is such a big word. Yes I know there only 8 letters, but I mean big in the sense that it holds a lot of value. It might mean a few days off from school or a trip to somewhere new. You packed your days full of every activity you could think of. I am so glad I got to experience that.

When I was little, February school vacation meant a ski trip with my parents and sister and two other families. Three girls and four boys, all within four years of each other. We would go skiing, tubing, skating, swimming...

This weekend we all went back to the same resort that we used to visit. There was something different though. This time I wasn't trying to fill my time with activities, I was paying attention to how the snow looked on the trees, the smell of the fire, the sound of everyone laughing and talking. There were some new additions (boyfriends and girlfriends), which mixed things up a little.

At one point I was laying on the couch, while the boys were all out snowmobiling and the girls had just decided to take naps, and I listened to the complete silence in the house. I don't know if I notice silence more now because, with me living on a college campus in the middle of the city, I rarely hear it anymore. No matter, it was wonderful. It snowed a lot of the time we were up there. Not heavy, wet snow, but light, pretty snow. It was really peaceful.

I needed a weekend away with my family. There's been so much going on that it was relaxing just to go somewhere new. I could get my mind off things and just be happy. I could think about what I wanted to think about, not about how to respond to things. I don't know if that makes sense but it was helpful to me.

Be You

Breathe - Ryan Star

Pay it forward

I'm lucky that I can say I'm easily made happy. It doesnt take much to make me smile.

I wish, though, that I could pass it on and share some of that happiness with others. I have a hard time watching other people be upset and knowing I can't fix it.

I have such amazing people in my life and I just wish I knew of a way to make them see how great they are.