December, 2018 - just a bucket list dream

2018 my year in review

Posted on December 30, 2018December 26, 2018 by crazydreamsgirl

Hello, my bucket list friends ! 2018 was quite a year and it’s hard to believe that it is coming to an end already . The last few months of the year always seem to fly by and 2018 was no exception . So before we move into 2019 let’s dive on into a review of my 2018.

2018 my year in review

2018 was a jam packed year , I was able to accomplish a lot ! I Crossed 9 things off my bucket list including going to the Mall of America, petting a zebra and Meeting Alice Cooper ! I Traveled to some amazing places , passed the Mblex ,became a certified massage therapist, Went to my first comic con, and spent time with the some of the people I love most. I also spent some time doing some of my favorite things such as blogging , drawing , shopping , going on walks, swimming and going to the movies . This year also had some hard times as well . I had my fair share of heath problems this year including a trip to the ER on my birthday and my family went without a refrigerator for way to long . I also lost an irreplaceable friend who had always been in my life . This year was definitely a roller coaster of a year with some amazing ups and really tough downs. This year was a thrill ride for sure and I’m very proud of everything that I accomplished but I hope 2019 is more like a lazy river . Below I have put links to posts of some of this years adventures and some photos from this year ! I can’t wait to share more adventures with all of you in 2019 !

Rock on – Christina Epperly

Bucket list items crossed off this year

Dyeing my hair green

Finishing an entire coloring book

Standup paddle boarding

Go on a road trip with friends

Pet a zebra

Go to Mall of America

Go backstage at a concert and meet Alice Cooper

Make a perfect cupcake

Travel adventures

Trip to Redding

Weekend in Monterrey

Spring Break in Idaho

Reno on the way to Idaho

Road trip to Idaho

Summer fun in Idaho

Minnesota vacation

Dallas Vacation part 1

Dallas Vacation part 2

Dallas Vacation part 3

Dallas Vacation part 4

Health Problems

My Crazy health problems

Birthday in the ER

I don’t have time to be sick

Refrigerator problems

The great refrigerator saga of 2018

The end of the refrigerator saga

A few Fun adventures

Summer Mall weekend 2018

2018 goals how did I do ?

Posted on December 29, 2018December 27, 2018 by crazydreamsgirl

Hello, my bucket list friends ! It’s time to see how well I did with my 2018 goals ! Here we go !

2018 Goals

Cook more at home instead of eating out –

Nope this one just didn’t happen . With two jobs and everything else going in my life I was just too tired and too busy to cook . I know some people love to cook and find it relaxing but it just not my thing especially after a long day of work.

Pay off at least one of my credit cards and get the other balances as small as possible –

Another nope but I did get one of my student loans paid off.

Have at least $1000 dollars in my savings account by the end of the year-

Nope not even close !

Pass the MBLEX and start working as a massage therapist

I passed the meblex ( You can read about it here) but I’m still looking for the right place to work as a massage therapist .

Cross 10 more things off my bucket list-

So close ! I crossed 9 things off this year !

Improve my credit score

My credit score is ok but I have not reached my goal number yet.

Get back in to doing races

I did one 5k this year I wanted to do more then that but life got way to busy

As you can see I didn’t do all that great with my goals for this year but overall I’m proud with the things I did accomplish this year. I mean I became a certified massage therapist and met Alice Cooper so I really can’t complain but I hope I meet for of my goals for 2019!

Rock on – Christina Epperly

Christmas Eve and Christmas day 2018

Posted on December 26, 2018December 26, 2018 by crazydreamsgirl

Hello, my bucket list friends ! I hope all of you had a very merry Christmas. Before we get into wrapping up 2018 I wanted to write about my Christmas eve and Christmas day celebrations. Here we go !

Christmas Eve and Christmas day 2018

On Christmas Eve my family and I went to my cousin’s house to celebrate Christmas but before we did that there was a lot that needed to be done. My dad spent a lot of cooking and baking for our family get -together. We delivered some baked good to the neighbors and made a quick stop at the store before arriving at my cousin’s house. At my cousin’s house there were lots of great food and drinks, wonderful laughter and two fun gift exchange games ! It was a smaller get – together then we have had in past years but it was still just as fun. I had a fun Christmas Eve with celebrating with my family . Christmas day was very busy but a lot of fun ! Christmas morning we opened up gifts and my dad made us all great breakfast. We delivered some more baked goods to neighbors before heading out to eat and to the movies. We had a wonderful dinner I love pasta ! Then we went to see Mary Poppins Returns. We all really enjoyed the movie it was so much fun I loved the songs! It was a great family movie and I’m glad we saw it !

That was my families Christmas celebration I hope you enjoyed reading about it !

Rock on – Christina Epperly

Fall bucket list 2018 results!

Posted on December 21, 2018December 19, 2018 by crazydreamsgirl

Hello , my bucket list friends. Today is the first day on Winter already !so it’s time to see how I did with my summer themed fall bucket list ! Let’s get to it !

Fall bucket list 2018 results

You can read more details about some of these items in a fall bucket list update post I did HERE

Also you can click HERE to see the original fall bucket list 2018 post

go out for frozen yogurt or ice cream – Yes ,tastes great anytime of year !
go swimming – No, I was planning to do this when I was in Texas but we were so busy that I was to tired to go swimming .
watch a movie that takes place during summer time – Yes ! I watched Summer Forever on YouTube.
wear flip flops at least 10 different times – Yes ! I love flip flops and I have many to choose from .
go see at least 3 movies – No, but there are a lot of movies out right now that I want to see.
color a summer themed coloring page – Yes ,it turned out so beautiful !
buy a summer clothing item such as a tank top or summer dress – No, but I did buy a lot of Christmas gifts .
buy a box of Popsicles – yes ! So yummy !
ride a roller coaster – nope didn’t get a chance too
make a no bake cake – nope didn’t get to this one done either
read a book set in the summertime – Nope I have been reading one off and on but I did not finish It !
have a picnic – nope

As you can see I didn’t do the best with this list , That is mainly because life got very busy and I often forgot about this list . That being said I did enjoy the things I got to do and I’m really happy how that coloring page turned out !

Rock on – Christina Epperly

My new friend Lavender !

Posted on December 12, 2018December 12, 2018 by crazydreamsgirl

Hello, my bucket list friends it’s time for a fun and happy post! As many of you know I’m a big kid at heart who loves toys . Well, on Saturday I got this very cute toy dog from Costco and it is not just any toy dog it’s from American Girl ! I can’t wait to tell you all about it . Here we go !

My new friend Lavender !

On whim my friend asked me to go to Costco with her . I was excited to get to spend some time with her. I had no idea I would find something there that I just couldn’t pass up . While my friend and I were looking around in Costco . I saw these awesome American Girl pets . There was a huge horse but also some very cute dogs and cats . I walked away at first but I could not stop thinking about how much I wanted to get one of the dogs . As you have probably guessed now I ended up getting one . I finally got around to opening her today . She comes with cute little book that has quizzes and other fun things inside . After looking at the book I named her Lavender to remind me to take time to relax and reduce stress . She is a really cool toy that can stand up or sit down . I love how she has moveable legs . I cant wait to fill out more information about her in the book she came with !

Rock on ! – Christina Epperly

My Childhood without Santa Claus

Posted on December 10, 2018December 10, 2018 by crazydreamsgirl

Hello, my bucket list friends ! I hope all of you are having a very merry December ! One thing I really love about blogging and writing in general is that it allows people to express feelings and ideas that they might otherwise keep to themselves . Now this is not the typical post that I usually write .This is definitely much more on the controversial side but it is something that has been on my mind lately and I feel the need to express it . Get ready and hold on tight for a different kind of post from just a bucket list dream !

My Childhood without Santa Claus

When I was growing up my family didn’t do the Christmas tradition of Santa Claus . Both my sister and I knew that the gifts under the tree had been bought for us by our parents or other family members but that didn’t mean we didn’t love Christmastime ! I looked forward to Christmas just like any other kid did . I loved decorating the Christmas tree , decorating sugar cookies , looking at Christmas lights ,being in church Christmas plays , and of course getting some pretty awesome gifts ! Some people may have felt like my sister and I were missing out on something great but we didn’t think so . Neither of us really minded knowing who our gifts were from as long as we had presents to open on Christmas day . Looking back now,knowing that my parents were the ones buying the gifts for us made me really appreciate the things I got for Christmas . We didn’t have a ton of money to spend and I knew that. Seeing all the effort that my parents put in to Christmas made it more special . Another benefit of not doing the Santa Claus tradition was that I realized the important of giving to other children whos parents could not afford any gifts for them . I remember participating in the toy drive at church and helping out at the toys for tots donation center . Since I knew how presents really got under the tree I knew that it was up to the kindness of others to help those children . Not doing the Santa Claus tradition made me want to help others more. I knew that Santa didn’t bring gifts to those in need but that people with kind hearts did . Not believing in Santa Claus helped to teach me the importance of kindness and giving. I look at it as a very positive thing not only did I learn some important character qualities, I never had to deal with the disappointment of finding out the truth and I was able to enjoy Christmas year after year without questioning if reindeer could really fly or if one guy could make it to every house in the world in one night . Now, all that being said Santa Claus wasn’t banned in our house or anything like that. We owned the Santa Claus movies and if we wanted to pretend Santa was real we could . Overall not doing the Santa Claus tradition had a very positive effect on my childhood. It taught me important values and lessons that helped me grow in to who I am today.

Rock on – Christina Epperly

Bouncing back after living in sick town

Posted on December 7, 2018December 7, 2018 by crazydreamsgirl

Hello , my bucket list friends ! I’m happy to report that this is my second day being back at work after being out sick . ( you can read about my sick days here ) I’m still not 100% better but I’m feeling much more productive again . I’m not sure what I was sick with but in the meantime I’m being very careful about what I eat. I’m cutting back on foods like cheese and beans that can cause digestive problems. I’m also drinking tea like crazy ! The tea I’ve been drinking while sick is Traditional Medicinals Belly comfort peppermint tea. It tastes good and it helps to keep me hydrated . I’m looking forward to being all the way better hopefully very soon ! I hope all for you are staying well and staying out of sick town ! Rock on – Christina Epperly

I don’t have time to be sick!

Posted on December 6, 2018December 6, 2018 by crazydreamsgirl

Hello , my bucket list friends ! This post is going to be a bit of a rant but have you ever been sick at a very inconvenient time ? I mean I guess there is never a good time to get sick but there are sometimes that are better or worse than others .When I was a kid my family got the flu during Christmas time . It was definitely not fun at all . Well currently I’m dealing with a very inconvenient sickness . On Tuesday I had to leave work early because I was feeling so sick . I was also unable to go to my second job that afternoon . Yesterday I missed an appointment and another shift of work . This morning I missed another shift at one of my jobs .In addition to missing all that work,on Tuesday night I was in horrible pain my abdomen was hurting so bad I thought I was going to have to going to the ER but fortunately the pain decreased and I was able to get some sleep. yesterday I was feeling very week and I didn’t to much but sleep and lay on the couch. Being sick is never fun but it’s hard for me to miss all this work when Christmas is coming and I have gifts to buy . The good news is I slept pretty well last night and I’m feeling ok today not 100% better but I feel well enough to make it to my afternoon job ! I’m excited to get back to work after being out for awhile . Stay Well my friends !

Rock on – Christina Epperly

Fantasy of lights 2018

Posted on December 3, 2018December 3, 2018 by crazydreamsgirl

Hello, my bucket list friends ! This weekend I got to enjoy one of my favorite Christmas time things ,Christmas lights ! There is this really cool event in my area called Fantasy of lights I’ve mentioned this before in a blog post from last year.( you can read it here ). Anyways I thought I’d go into more detail about this fun event . Let’s get to it !

Fantasy of lights 2018

Fantasy of lights is this wonderful event where a local park goes all out with the Christmas lights . There are many colorful light displays set up you can see everything from penguins to dinosaurs . The event started 20 years ago but I remember when it was new! It used to be just a drive through attraction but later on walk through nights were offered . After doing both more then once I can honestly say that the walk through nights are my favorite . This year I did the walk through with my parents . I saw my favorite light displays including the ice skating bears, the bear climbing the huge candy cane and the big Fantasy of lights arch. There was a light display of cat that I think was new . It’s fun to see all the displays that have been added over the years . It was cold and crowded that night but it was still enjoyable . One of the things that have changed since this event started is that you now have to get tickets before you go because it has become so popular . Even with the all cold and all the people it was worth going to this year. I hope everyone is enjoying the last month of 2018 .