It’s natural to want to hibernate the days away when it’s brutally cold outside! Oddly enough, I haven’t minded the whole walking in negative temps nearly as much as I thought I would before moving to Chicago. Perhaps the novelty will wear off as time goes on, but for now, I’m still so excited to be here that I’m embracing it – bundled up, of course!

It probably comes as no surprise to you all when I say time is passing by at warp speed! The fact that we’re past the middle mark of January is beyond me. There are so many things I want to make time for over the next few months that I figured I should put together a bucket list of sorts so I don’t wake up in April thinking, “what did I do all winter long?”

Go to a Blackhawks game – Both of my younger brothers play hockey and I miss watching them out on the ice! I’m hoping their teams bring them to the Chicago area sooner rather than later, but in the meantime, I’m excited to catch a game at United Center. Who wants to join me? 🙂

Make Monday night yoga a thing – My apartment building offers yoga a few times a week and I’m embarrassed that I haven’t taken full advantage. I’ll admit, it seemed much more appealing when it was being offered poolside! I ventured upstairs for the class last night and it was quite honestly the best experience I’ve ever had when it comes to yoga. I felt light as a feather walking out of the room! I already penciled the hour into my planner for the next month.

Bake chocolate chip cookies – My last two attempts were a reminder that I could use some serious work in the kitchen. The first batch had to be thrown out completely on account of the fact that the cookies morphed into one big blob while in the oven, and the other batch didn’t taste (or look) quite right. I figured out that it was more than likely a result of using the wrong kind of salt (note: don’t use coarse kosher salt). I’m going to give them one more go and if I still can’t get them right, I’ll just have to beg Whit to bring a batch of hers when she visits in February!

Closet clean out – Why wait for the spring?! I filled four bags full of things I’m no longer using/wearing and it felt so good. I think I need to do one more round and force myself to part with a few of those pieces I talked myself into keeping before it will truly feel finished. I put together this shoe tree over the weekend (by some miracle I didn’t have any leftover pieces – woo!) and it freed up so much floor space and generally just makes things look more tidy.

See the new Beauty and the Beast movie – Not going to lie, the music alone in the trailer was enough to give me goosebumps. I was a total Disney movie junkie when I was younger and I can’t wait to watch one of my favorites come to life!

Get a massage (maybe even a facial, too) – Does this even need an explanation? Massages are amazing and self-care has been my top priority as of late.

Take a long walk when it’s snowing – The last time it snowed I was walking home at night and I felt this overwhelming sense of calm watching the flakes fall from the sky. Selfishly, I want that again. The lakefront has been calling my name, too.

Go ice skating – I took ice skating lessons for a little while growing up and while I was no Kristi Yamaguchi, I can still get around okay! Back in Kansas City, I always got a group together to go to Crown Center each year and it was always wayyy too much fun. I’d like to avoid the craziness of Millenium Park at all costs so I’m hoping to visit one of the other rinks around the city!

Take myself on a date – Preferably one where I get dolled up and enjoy a nice glass of wine and delicious bowl of pasta. I know some people might find this strange or maybe even uncomfortable, but I’ve never been one to shy away from going out alone – I like my me time!

Give back/pay it forward – I think all too often we think of giving back as some big production that has to take up a lot of time when the little things you can do day-to-day can be just as impactful. For me, it’s something as simple as picking up a few extra pieces of fruit at the grocery store to hand off on my walk home or smiling at the strangers I pass on the street instead of walking with my head buried in my phone.

So, there you have it!

What’s on your winter bucket list?