Empty Nester Bucket List

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I am so, soooo, close to empty nest that I may as well start telling you all about my empty nest journey. It’s been a shocker and wonderful at the same time. I have been a stay-at-home mom for the last 20 years. This is a major career pivot, to say the least.– I heard someone say that I should look at it as a career “pivot” rather than what I often thought of it as, my job being outsourced to the real-world. — As I began looking at the fact I needed to fill my time and my life with new things, it became clear that there needed to be some rediscovery. I have decided that I need an Empty Nest Bucket List. This list can help me find activities that fill my time and also give me a bit of self-discovery. Or is that re-discovery

midlifecouple walkingoutsidetowardahomeThis list isn’t just travel destinations –though I am going to be creating one of those too.– This bucket list is things I have wanted to do but for one reason or another I put it off because…kids. We all have those things, no matter our time or money having dependants in the home changes a person into a giver for their kids, no matter the age. I wouldn’t go so far as saying this is my “Empty Nester Bucket List to Become a Taker”, but it is definitely, my “Empty Nester Bucket List to Become Me Again”. What’s funny about this list is that it’s very similar to the list of things I wanted to do before I had kids (and baby-moon wasn’t a thing then).

  1. Turn a kids bedroom into a Guest Room –DONE!
  2. Move out of my house and size down
  3. Take a couples trip –seriously, we did that 4 times in the last 20 years
  4. Learn Piano –currently taking lessons
  5. Start a business –doing check it out (Pinconcierge.com)
  6. Sell a business— probably should successfully complete #5
  7. Date your husband more — not just watch Netflix together
  8. Take up a hobby with my husband — he’s a hunter so this is gonna be hard
  9. Finally take a girls trip — seriously only did this 4 times in 20 years too
  10. Contact old friends — Facebook friends you’ve been warned
  11. Create a life timeline — my memory feels like it’s slipping already.
  12. Pick a charity and make it my charity of choice –DONE!! Days For Girls Check it Out!
  13. See Hamilton –SATISFIED (well not yet)
  14. Visit every LDS temple in Utah, then the US then North America, then the world (159 total)
  15. Finally visit the last 2 states I haven’t been too (NC & AK, see #10)
  16. Color more mandalas — seriously love drawing and coloring them
  17. Do a 30 day challenge of origami successfully — I always got time crunched
  18. Tai Chi — I felt I wasn’t allowed to try this until I was “old” I am there now.
  19. Revisit the place my husband and I had our first date –this might not exist anymore
  20. Serve a mission with my husband
  21. Take it easy on my body when I exercise –I have overdone this by not exercising
  22. Enjoy more movies out
  23. Read more –And not just romance novels (but still lots of those)
  24. Go square dancing and reenactment dancing more
  25. Accept that I will be just as short on time — this list did it
  26. Throw away guilt about my kids college struggles
  27. Regularly attend the city council meetings and become “that” person
  28. Pick a local restaurant and make it “our place”
  29. Get a She-Shed or at least a real office (see #2)
  30. Make my bed less cause I can nap in it more

So there you have it my Empty Nester Bucket List. OK, it will change but this is an overwhelmingly large start. Which means I need to add one more things, “pitch the list if you are happy with life as it is

If you want to check out other posts about my life

Here is the empty nest buket list to help you become or rediscover who you are when the kids move out. #bucketlist #emptynester

Annette Barney

Annette Barney

I live in the mountains of Utah. Yes, I am also a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints I love hot pink, XC skiing, running, hot chocolate, yoga, romance novels,traveling for fun, volunteering and, of course, origami. I am a woman, a mom, a wife and a daughter of God. I believe that everything tastes better with a little bacon or a little chocolate but not both.