The Bucket List

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At the beginning of this new year, we felt it was absolutely appropriate to plan a date all around New Year’s resolutions…of a sort. If you haven’t seen The Bucket List, you have missed out! The Bucket List is one of those movies that really makes you stop and think about your life. About the things you have always wanted to do, but just never had the time or money to do them. It’s about creating a list for your life of the things you want to do before you “kick the bucket”, so to speak. How much fun would it be to create your list with your spouse? Find out what he/she wants to include on their bucket list too and start planning! What a fun way to start out a new year…with a fresh perspective and plan on your life!

Nicole Martin Photography

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One of our sweet readers, Nicole Luna, just so happened to email us her Bucket List Date idea. We thought it was absolutely perfect to include in this post and want to thank her for sending her idea our way! Nicole, this is a wonderful date idea and (no doubt) memorable for you and your husband! Thanks so much for sharing! Here’s what Nicole said:

“The other night my fiance` and I were up late talking about the things we want to accomplish in life…owning a golf store in the mountains, building our dream home room-by-room, learning how to make one of those cute bears out of wood. After that conversation I had a great idea. Why not make a couples bucket list?

First you will need to buy the movie, The Bucket List (get your abs ready for a workout and box of tissues out, too!). To add a little something extra, I made a meal of foods we were always afraid to try. (That’s one you can already cross off your list!) Next you will need a bucket. You will want to decorate your bucket with paint, stenciling, and/or stickers to say ”Our Bucket List” or ”Nicole & Jarrod’s Bucket List” (using your names of course). Next, get crafty and make some cute cards to write your ideas on. When your hubby gets home from work, have the bucket and cards out, grab your adventurous dinner, and pop The Bucket List in the DVD player.

After the movie, start talking about things you want to accomplish, see, and/or do as a couple. They can be big or small. Write these on your cards and put them in your bucket. I displayed ours on a shelf in our bedroom. I hope to come back to it every year and slowly pull out things from our bucket (and maybe add some, too!).”

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Thanks again Nicole for sharing such a fun date idea with all of The Dating Divas readers! Here are a few other ideas you may want to include in your date night activities…


“Have you found joy in your life?” – Invite

  • Get a Tin Bucket and have 2 pieces of paper, pens, and the movie in it. Attach a note with the saying, “Have you found joy in your life?” with the time of your date right below it.

 

Dinner Ideas…“Best in L.A.”

  • Bucket of Wings – Grab three Tin Buckets and use these to eat your food out of! One for the wings (or other food of your choice) and then you each get one bucket to eat out of in place of plates. Here is a yummy Restaurant-Style Buffalo Chicken Wings Recipe.
  • Make a new dessert or buy some exotic treat from a foreign bakery you’ve never had but always wanted to try. Add it as the first thing on your bucket list. You could also make these fun Cocktail Cupcakes from hoosierhomemade.com to ring in your New Year Bucket List .
  • Have a treat bucket full of yummy treats that you and your hubby love. Pick a magic word like “joy” or “happy” and if you hear it during the movie you get to eat a treat out of the treat bucket. (Great motivation to listen more closely!)
  • Watch the movie in bed using a serving tray for your dinner and dessert…just like you would in the hospital.

 

“You only live once, so why not die with style?”

  • Play “Kick The Can” (like the quote, “Kicking the bucket”).
  • Start the date with playing checkers or chess (both great games to play in the hospital).
  • Go for a motorcycle ride together! You can rent or borrow one if you don’t already own one.
  • Make this movie night all about FIRSTS. Try something new for your date night. Go to a restaurant neither of you have been to, or a museum, or a new store…the point is to experience something new together.
  • Go to the bookstore and pick a book you can read together. If you were really in the hospital you’d be reading a ton! It would be more fun to have someone to read with.
  • Spend time together and cuddle like it could be your last night together.
  • Discussion time: What do you and your spouse think would be the worst illness to have and die from? How old do you wish you could be when you die?…Or each of you come up with other questions pertaining to life/death and discuss them. Put these all in a bucket and take turns drawing a question to answer.
  • If you were really in the hospital…you would need to give each other a sponge bath! {wink!}

 

Create Your Own Bucket List

  • Write your own bucket lists! Then compare. Type them up, print them off, and put them somewhere you can see them every day. One idea could be to set goals of 3-4 new things you want to do to your house this year. OR you could even pick things out to add to each others bucket list. Make them creative and fun for the other person like a modern day version of truth or dare. Then make a plan! Try to cross off as many things on your bucket list this year as you can.
  • Put up a Dry-Erase Board in your bedroom, bathroom, or anywhere else you will both see it and every day write something down that gave you joy. The point of this movie is to find the JOY in your life. You can even write these down in a journal or somewhere else for safekeeping. Make a resolution to find the joy in life. Make a tradition to tell each other the most joyous part of your day before going to bed each night. You could even create Kiirsten’s Vinyl Gratitude Journal to write down all the things you love about your spouse each day.
  • If you are taking a big trip or doing something that would be on your bucket list, save this movie date to use right before you go. Jack Nicholson’s character is the hospital owner, so money is no object in the show. As other divas have suggested making your bucket list together – if you do this, don’t deny yourself the opportunity to list the things that cost way too much. You never know…
  • Help your children create their own bucket lists! See what they want to do in life right now and then put a plan together to help them cross one off their list.
  • To be quite serious, you NEVER know when it will be your last day. In the movie, Jack Nicholson’s character has family problems that he tries to remedy. IF there is something in your marriage/family/lives that needs attention/forgiveness/anything, use this movie night as a perfect excuse to do or say the right thing to that person. Or just discuss and plan what can be done to do the right thing. You could even write notes to those people and put the notes in your safe for a later date

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Kari

I am a very outgoing person that loves spending time with my family and friends. I have a thirst for knowledge, I am completely at home in the kitchen, and my biggest passion in life is snow skiing. I've been married to my sweetheart for 15 years and we have 3 children. I also love to travel!

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Recent Comments

  1. I love your site. Last year I did for my husband the 12 planned date, nights of one each month, and gave it to him for Christmas. He absolutely loved it and has started begging me to do another one again this year (I belive I have started something). So hear I set to gather some creative ideas. I love the Bucket List idea. I think I’m going to plan this one for NYE. We are on a budget and all our friends are going to the city and we just can’t afford it. What better way to start the new year with a bucket list.

  2. I am planning on turning this into a Mothers/Fathers day project.

    I am going to make a big poster board that says “Our Parenting Bucket List”
    and we are going to compile all the things we want to do with our kids before they “get old”

    I am going to frame and hang in our house! Hopefuly we do many of them! 🙂

    They can be simple things like “bake grandma’s lemonbars” to not-so-simple like “deep sea fishing” or “teach you how to roller skate backwards”

    1. Kaitlin – wow, LOVE this idea for a parenting bucket list! I am totally going to do that! My parents, though they didn’t have an actual bucket list for us – were great to plan things out ahead of time. They had a goal every year to take us somewhere new and with six kids, money was tight but they always seemed to make it happen by planning in advance. I’m so grateful for all the memories they gave us and your children will be too! I would love to see some pics of the things you do together! Way to be an amazing parent!

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