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Bucket List


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From me:

01 A practical joke
02 My grandparents die
03 English Tour
04 Barn swallows
05 Buying hubcaps
06 Group photos
07 Mr. Science
08 Backpacking, Middle English
09 Leukemia
10 Comfort Clothes
11 Marmots and Texas
12 Eagle, Turkey and Emu
12 Accident and Hike

From Alert Readers:
01 In the Foothills
02 Excess
03 Things unsaid
04 11 Kids
05 Multiple Choice
06 . . . bit my ear
07 Facts and Stats
08 Neiheisel Review
09 Family and Horses
10 Sing a Song
11 The Professional
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2011 Collection

Parodies:
Erma Bombeck & Martha Stewart
Around the World
Coping with DUI
Defining Pretentious
The 12 McQ's

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Christmas 2011
Dear Family and Friends,

This year I crossed a lot of items off my bucket list (you know, the list of things to do before you "kick the bucket"). Some of them were happy and some were sad. Some were spur of the moment decisions and some were lifelong dreams. Some were my choosing and some were forced on me by life. Here's a summary of what I accomplished this year:

Check box Go skydiving.
Check box Run a 5K race. (3.1 miles. I finished in 40 minutes.)
Check box Visit De Smet, SD, home of Laura Ingalls Wilder. (I loved the Little House books growing up, so it was a dream come true to finally see the town that had lived in my imagination for years. My sisters, a friend, and their daughters joined me for this trip.)
Check box Join a service club.
Check box Read the Bible in 90 days.
Check box Spend the perfect day with Isabel. (On a Sunday afternoon in January, I cradled my 3-year-old niece in my arms while we played dress up with her sister. I treasured every moment of that day, not knowing it would be the last time I would hold her. A week later she passed away.)
Check box Speak at a family member's funeral. (I offered the few, inadequate words I had: even though our arms are empty and our hearts ache, Isabel is now safe in the arms of Jesus.)
Check box Live for 10,000 days. (Accomplished on August 6.)
Check box Sprain an ankle and visit the Emergency Room for the first time as a patient.
Check box Make friends with an amazing group of young adults in Mitchell. (I stepped into a local church one Sunday night for a young adult worship service. The friends and fellowship I found that night quickly became a significant part of my year, bringing much joy in an otherwise difficult year.)
Check box Have a summer roommate.
Check box Finish Ashton's quilt. (Not everything on my list was accomplished.)
Check box Find out Merlin's gender. (Only a reptile vet can determine the gender of a snake. Merlin's gender remains a mystery. Other than that, Merlin is doing well. So is Hannah, my dog.)
Check box Give blood. (First time in Mitchell.)
Check box Get inked. (First time in Mitchell. I found a local tattoo parlor and added another tattoo.)
Check box Meet Justin Bieber. (I'll try again next year.)
Check box Watch a taping of "Wait, Wait ... Don't Tell Me!". ("The oddly informative news quiz"; it's my favorite program on NPR and my only source of news.)
Check box Get Carl Kasell's voice on my voicemail. (At least I got his autograph.)
Check box Sponsor 2 more children through Compassion International. (I am blessed to be part of the lives of Pablo, Dahiana, and Fanaye through Compassion sponsorship.)

May God richly bless you in whatever you cross off your bucket list this Christmas and in the new year to come.

Ruth S.

This is one page of over four dozen devoted to Christmas news letters. The main Christmas News Letters page has links to more examples, plus some general guidelines and specific suggestions for writing Christmas news letters. If you have an example, either good or bad, that you'd like to share with the rest of the world, send it to me and I'll add it to these pages.



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This page updated: June 21, 2014