When Did I Become An Adult?!

I hate to report that I've been a little down in the dumps lately. The Big Boca Bob family has been dealt some hard hits in the recent weeks, and it's been a struggle to wake up with a smile on my face - which if you ask any of my former roommates, I am annoyingly good at.  We could sure use any of your extra prayers, if you could spare a few.

There are many things in life I don't understand, and several of those questions will forever remain unanswered. This bothers me as I am one who fights for that closure. I try so hard (don't ask me why) to end all aspects of my life with a period (I'm speaking grammar here people, NOT menstruation). And right now I am living one big run-on sentence with LOTS of commas. God must NOT have been an English major. This coming Monday, I will be turning the big 2-5. That is a quarter of a century. And that is also another comma. YIKES. 

Year 24 was very good to me. In that year, I graduated with a M.S. degree in a field that I absolutely love (a bucket list item achieved). I found TWO great jobs in an economy that is currently refusing that right to many people. I purchased my very own home in which I live with the man I am hoping to spend the rest of my life with (ring pending). I rescued another hairy, annoying, four-legged, crack-smoking child that completed my little family of four. I have been witness to the growth and maturity of my siblings, and I have been witness to many historically proud moments for the U.S. of A. I am blessed. I know this. I thank God for every day given to me during my 24th year, and I can only hope that year 25 is just as giving.

However, 25 is not starting on the right foot and I am frightened for what lies ahead. I am a channeler of my emotions. I need an outlet. For many years, that outlet was music (which still sometimes works). More recently that outlet has been running (crazy concept, I know). And now that outlet has become list-making. I have made MANY lists over the last couple of days. Grocery lists (specifically for a fabulous Cinco de Mayo fiesta at Casa de Bob), checklists (for daily items that sometimes get left out), training lists (of miles to be ran if I ever want to accomplish an important goal, and lastly (and completely out of character for me) a bucket list. I realize that 25 is still extremely young in the realm of life. I am still a teen when it comes to life's biggest moments.  BUT, after watching my family continuously struggle to remain a family, I  do realize that turning 25 makes me another year older. Another year checked off another list. Therefore, with commas constantly being thrown into my life, I have decided to start creating my own periods. No.....not periods. More like exclamation points. In the mind of this very young 25 year old, every item checked off that list is a period. An accomplishment. An ending to a dream.

So......here it is. The bucket list. In no particular order.

1. Cross the Atlantic Ocean to visit another country.
2. Go skydiving.
3. Be debt free.
4. Get married.
5. Have my father walk me down the aisle.
6. Become a homeowner.
7. Become fluent in Spanish.
8. Get my motorcycle license.
9. Buy a Harley.
10. Run a marathon.
11. Attend a Super Bowl.
12. Learn how to solve a Rubix Cube.
13. Perform an original song on stage with all of my siblings.
14. Become a Mother
15. Find a hobby that Officer Bob and I can enjoy doing together and actually do it at least once a month for a year.
16. Go bungee jumping.
17. Visit Las Vegas.
18. Be an extra in a movie.
19. Earn an M.S. degree.
20. Go on a cruise.
21. Ride a tandem bike with Officer Bob.
22. Retire.
23. Schedule and attend a girls getaway every year.
24. Help a stranger in need.
25. Sleep under the stars.
26. Get up early to watch the sun rise with my best friends.
27. Walk the stairs to the top of the Statue of Liberty.
28. Bench press my own weight.
29. Fall in love.
30. Attend a Broadway show.
31. Write a letter to someone famous and have them write one back.
32. Bike a century (100 miles in one day)
33. Watch all my siblings graduate from high school.
34. Lose 30 more pounds to reach my goal weight.
35. Accept my own body.
36. Sit in the front row at a music concert.
37. Learn to drive stick shift.
38. Help someone else fulfill a bucket list dream.
39. Get a tattoo.
40. Eat at an underwater restaurant.
41. Organize a fundraiser for a charity I am passionate about.
42. Get a piercing.
43. See my dad be truly happy for a day.
44. Attend a destination wedding.
45. Start my own successful business.
46. Get matching sibling tattoos with the crew I call family.

I have taken the pleasure of crossing off a few items already accomplished! Now THAT does make me smile. The list will only continue to grow, but just recognizing my own dreams gives me hope for years 25 through ??.

After all.............

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass.

It's about learning to dance in the rain!