A Couple’s Bucket List – Lagom Style

The Bucket List is a few days late this month because instead of bringing you 10 items from our list, we decided to share 14 Bucket List items to do with your better half.

After researching some possible experiences to add to this list, I found that most were things you could do alone, but they just added “with your spouse, boyfriend, or significant other.”  I wanted to include 14 Bucket List worthy adventures that would only be better with someone else.

***A disclaimer here – I, Caroline, am not the most romantic person out there.  Big shocker to some of you I know.  So some of the list below is a little out of my comfort zone, but in the name of “Lagom” I would be willing to give them a try. 

1. 1. Dance Lessons –  Let me clarify and add couple’s dance lessons.  It’s one thing to take some country line dancing lessons while you are out with friends.  It is a whole other situation to sign up for ballroom, swing, or salsa lessons. Lessons that require a partner. Lessons that require one person to lead and the other to follow.  
   2. Carriage Ride – This is probably one of the “ultimate” romantic experiences with the vision of cuddling up under a warm blanket and a light snow falling around you. You could do this alone, but it may be a little awkward. It might be worth it to watch the reactions of others as you clip-clop along thoroughly enjoying your loneliness.

      

   3. Attach a Lock to a Love Bridge – The most famous bridge is in the city of love – Paris.  And apparently sometimes that love comes to an end. The locks in Paris were removed a few years ago because they were causing damage to the bridge, but not to worry love can be found in other places. A listing of of those other places can be found here.
   4. Kiss Under the Eiffel Tower – On my personal bucket list is to visit Paris. Someday I would like to use the high school and college French that I learned (which probably needs a refresher course by now).  What better place to publicly display your love and affection than under the Eiffel Tower?  And if I never make it to Paris at least I can try Vegas.
   5. Matching Tattoos – For this one you have to be really committed.  I’m not saying get the kiss-of-death-initials tattoo, but instead possibly a small personal tattoo that means something to both of you, but doesn’t have to openly shout a name.
   6. Airbrush T-shirts – I hope I don’t offend someone here, but I am not of huge fan of the airbrush t-shirts.  I’m sure once back in junior high that I probably had one but not since then.  So if ever I find myself on vacation doing all those touristy things like sitting in an over-sized rocking chair, sticking my head in a hole so it looks like I’m wearing a bikini, or purchasing the sunset airbrushed Caroline-n-Aaron t-shirt, know that I am OK but have just decided to reach outside my comfort zone. (And wearing the airbrushed t-shirt is probably more of a commitment that the matching tattoos to me.)
   7. Send Love Letters – In a day and age when text messages and emojis are probably the main communication, how romantic would it be to receive a monthly letter of love?  It wouldn’t have to be poetic words confessing your undying love, but just a simple note of why you love your special someone.  Not a card with someone else’s words, but your words saying, “I love it when you do the dishes!”  Or whatever you find romantic.
   8. Do the Dirty Dancing Lift – I initially saw “Run into each other’s arms” and I was thinking then what.  Immediately my mind went to Baby and that famous leap.  No, in reality most of us aren’t going to be able to do the perfect choreographed leap, but we could possibly manage the one in the water where they fall over.  In my opinion, either one works.
   9. Be Swept Off Your Feet and Carried Out of Work – If we are going with the movie theme, what would be better than to have your “Richard Gere,” carry you out of a factory, classroom, cubicle, or whatever you consider your work place. Every girl needs her own gentleman.
   10. Bud and Sissy License Plates – Continuing with the movie and Debra Winger theme, I can’t leave out my all time favorite movie – Urban Cowboy.  I would never seriously leave name license plates in my back window, but it would be fun just once to pull them out of the glove box and slap them in the back window. Having the Black 1979 Ford F-150 to put them in would put this one over the top!
   11. Share Spaghetti – One last movie reference that just had to be Disney.  Of all the romantic Disney scenes the one I would choose to re-enact would be the “Spaghetti Share” from Lady and The Tramp. You can’t go wrong with food, and I guess a kiss at the end wouldn’t be too bad either.
   12. Ride the Ferris Wheel with the Stuff Animal That He Won For You – This sounds good in theory, but I am not a fan of heights or spinning wheels.  On top of that, I am so competitive that I would want to win the animal for myself. I could see this ending badly for myself.  Like throwing up on my stuffed animal that we fought about because I knew I could do it myself.
   13. Stand on Juliet’s Balcony – The icon of young couples and the love they share immortalized in the hearts of every freshman in high school. A worthy tale of star-crossed lovers.  Unless you are an English teacher that has read the play a million times and continually picks apart this ill-fated plan that would never work in reality.  But I still believe that I would like to stand on Juliet’s balcony while my listening to the words of my loved one. And since we are a little older, Romeo, aka Aaron, may have to yell a little louder. Okay maybe I wouldn’t appreciate it in the romantic aspect, but in the historical and literature aspect it would be momentous.

       

   14. A Couples Weekend Retreat – I would love to do a weekend retreat, but to specifically to say a “couples” retreat makes me a bit nervous.  I just envision one of the comedy movies where you are placed in these group therapy sessions with every stereotypical couple you can imagine. And I’m even more afraid to imagine what label we would be given. Worse than that would be the sweat house tee-pee.  I can only imagine the smells. I could try it but would probably need two weeks of solitude to recover from it.

So here is my take on a Valentine’s Bucket List done in the name of Lagom. Valentine’s Day is a hard one for me because I’m not a romantic but a practical realist.  Give me $50 worth of flowers and I’m thinking I could have bought some groceries or paid a bill.  Don’t get me wrong I appreciate the gesture but have a hard time accepting -what are to me- frivolous gifts.  That being said I love to give thoughtful and unique gifts.  Sometimes those gifts aren’t “things” but experiences and adventures where the memories last longer than the tangibles. You know a Lagom Adventure.

Katie here!!  So I decided that it would be fun for Enrique and I to sit down and come up with 14 bucket list items that we want to do together…just us.  WHAT WAS I THINKING!?!?!?  It’s not that Enrique doesn’t like to do all these crazy adventures I drag him on, but between both of our jobs, activities, and kids, us sitting down at the end of the day usually results in us passing out from exhaustion within 5 minutes.

So we sat down on our preferred couch, turned the TV on, and started discussing some of “our” bucket list items.  Not even halfway through we started losing steam, and by #9 we were asleep!  So as nice as it sounded to come up with at least 14 items, we struggled a little.  Hence, 9 it is!

And as I said, these are items that we came up with for us to do together…just us!  A few of these may be repeats from some of my previous bucket list items, but they apply here.

1. Hike Pikes Peak.  One of our first big vacations was driving to Colorado and exploring.  Colorado was also a part of one of the first big road trips I went on as a child with my family.  I’ve rode the cog train to the top of Pikes Peak many many times, but I’ve always caught myself staring at the trailhead to the top across from the train station…wondering what it would be like to hike it.  For some reason, this place has always held a special place in my heart.  Knowing that, Enrique has really pushed me in my hiking so that we could make that hike together.
2. Manitou Springs Incline.  Not far from Pikes Peak is the Manitou Springs Incline.  The incline is a set of stairs that gain 2,000 feet in elevation in less than a mile.  Through conversations with other people about the area, Enrique learned about this and had decided he would like to take on the challenge of running up it in one of the quickest times.  I wouldn’t mind walking up it either, but I won’t be running it!!  I’m just trying to decide if I want to watch him go up it from the bottom or get a really good head start and meet him at the top!!
3. NASCAR at Talladega!!  If you read my post about my adventure in Richmond, VA (here), you would know that I love NASCAR!  And the most fun I’ve ever had at a race was at Talladega.  Yes, the race was great, but I had the most fun camping and tailgating under the shadows of the track.  I probably only got a few hours of sleep a night because there was just so much to do!  Even though Enrique is not a huge fan like I am, he still enjoys going, and I really want to share the Talladega experience with him.

   

4. Professional Futbol.  Imagine that…a Mexican who likes Futbol!  Or as we know it…soccer!  My man is obsessed with it!  And it has always been a dream of his to attend a professional futbol game.  There’s many times when European League teams come to the US and play but we’ve never tried to get tickets to go.  Even though soccer is not one of my personal favorite sports, I believe getting to attend on of these events with Enrique would be something I would always cherish.  His ultimate bucket list item would be to attend a World Cup match, but that would probably be a pretty expensive adventure.
5. Hot Springs, Arkansas.  After doing some research on the National Parks, I would really like to go to Hot Springs, Arkansas.  It’s not far from where we live and would probably make a good extended weekend trip.  Bathing in hot springs just seems like something Enrique and I should do alone.  Taking 3 boys with us just does not seem very relaxing at all!
6. Coed Crossfit Competition.  Enrique and I like to Crossfit.  He’s really really good.  I’m just okay, but I like to compete like everybody else.  Some of my favorite workouts are the ones that we get to do as a team.  At some point in our future, we would like to compete in just a local coed competition just for the fun of it.  Of course, I say it would be fun, but we are both so competitive, that sometimes it gets real serious real quick!!

   

7. Cooking Class.  Even though Enrique works at a restaurant for a living, I am the cook of the family.  That being said, I’ve always wanted to do one of those Couple’s Cooking Classes.  When I asked, he was all for it, so that should be an easy one to cross off our list sometime soon.
8. Community Service.  Even though I am the Student Council sponsor at my school, this idea was actually Enrique’s!  Through his work and our love for Crossfit, we have befriended a lot of local police officers and firemen.  My boys have baked cookies and taken them to the police station as a “Thank You” for your service, so now Enrique wants do some kind of community service that either involves our local first responders or some other local organization that we feel close to.  The Stuco sponsor in me was clapping inside when he brought this up!

   

9. Adult Weekend at Home!  Enrique and I love our boys more than anything in the world.  No doubt!  But during our conversation, right before I passed out, I told Enrique that I would really like an entire weekend at home, just us.  No kids, no plans, and NO PETS!  Just him and I, our couches or bed, a long movie list, and lots of good food delivered to the house!!  Just a time to relax and catch our breath.

Even though Enrique and I live a super crazy, busy life, we still like to get away and do things whenever we can get a chance.  This will be our 15th year together, so holidays like Valentine’s Day has kind of lost it’s shine.  This morning’s Valentine celebration was an extra kiss, an “I Love You,” and “Happy Valentine’s Day.”  Even though many people may frown on the fact that we may not be keeping the “flame lit,” trust me…our flame is burning bright!  We just fuel that fire with our kids and adventures!

Tell us what some of your adventures are that you’d like to do with your significant other?