It’s been a minute since I’ve done a Bucket List blog for individual items. I am currently at the library trying to get my brain to chill the heck out. I feel so tense and overwhelmed. I thought writing might help. I found a blog draft related to Bucket List item number 50. I thought it might be fun to try to compose a blog before the library closes in an hour.
I decided to tag in Bucket List item number 16 to this blog update since that’s the only other item I’ve crossed off this year. Bucket list item number 50 and 16 are:
50 – Make a font out of my handwriting.
16 – Go Horseback riding.
Close to midnight on the day before I turned 34, I started to get antsy. I’d been feeling some type of way about not having crossed off any bucket list items in a while. Something about getting older brought about a sense of urgency for wanting to complete the things on my bucket list.
My oldest daughter and I were the only ones still up. We try to get the littles to bed early every day because they’re a handful if they do not get sufficient sleep. I honestly can’t remember what my husband was up to or why he fell asleep before I did. I happened to be scrolling through my most recent bucket list blog update to see if there was anything I could try to cross off soon. What better weekend than your birthday weekend to cross off a bucket list item, right?
The only one that sounded reasonable was number 50. I googled if there were any apps or sites that could turn your handwriting into a font. It literally took maybe two minutes to find one that seemed like I would be able to make it work. It took a bit to get the site to cooperate because it acted a little funky formatting wise on my phone, but I persevered!
I had to write out each individual letter and a few punctuation symbols on the site’s templates and then enter it back into their site. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a printer, so I had to do it on my phone. I wrote out each letter as close to how I would write them on paper as I could using my finger on my phone screen. After I got the letters submitted, it took me about 10 tries to get it looking as close to the flow of my handwriting as possible. The sizing and closeness of the letters mattered significantly. When the letters are far apart, it doesn’t look too much like my handwriting. Once I modified those factors, it’s not too bad.
Here it is. Please excuse the terrible quality photo.
My daughter laughed at me the entire time. My ADHD hyperfocus apparently led to some quality antics. She talked with me while I worked, and I spooked her a few times after each adjustment just didn’t look right and I pouted about it. She clapped for me when I got it the way I wanted. I love that I have this memory with her.
I haven’t used my font since I made it back in July. Shocker. I mean, really though, what would I use it for? Haha! I’m happy I tried it and got to cross off the item. It brought me joy and a great memory of the last moments of being 33 spent with my daughter.
Bucket list item number 16 happened more recently to the date I’m writing this blog. Last weekend in fact! We had two of our kiddos with us. The school had sent home a flyer for an annual fall festival that was happening last weekend. Fun fact: I took my son to the festival the morning of the day I went on a first date with my husband in 2024. It rained during 2025 and we opted to not go even though they still held it. When we saw the flyer, we thought it would be fun to go this year.
When we arrived, it was sprinkling a little bit. The individuals taking the money to get in, indicated everything was proceeding as scheduled, but they reported the horses that were planned for rides had not shown up. We didn’t realize there were going to be horse rides, so we were okay with that news. We got parked and walked over to use a porta potty. While I was inside the porta potty (absolutely freaking out because those things are gross, lol) I hear our kids start yelling that the horses had arrived. I quickly finish up and go out and see that the trailer was driving through.
We start at the closest activity and get to hold a salamander, turtle, and snake as well as check out a few other cool items. As we move on to decide what to check out next, we see the horses getting set up. I see that they are full size horses and not ponies. I beg my husband to go there next so we can be first in line and ask if adults can ride too. He hesitated because he thought it might be better to go to another area first. I said, “PLEASE! WHAT IF THE LINE GETS TOO LONG AND WE DONT GET TO DO IT BEFORE WE HAVE TO LEAVE FOR H’S FOOTBALL GAME?!?!”
He agrees! We get up in line and wait a few while the individuals get the area set up. They confirm adults can ride too! HECK YEAH! I am too pumped.
*I did not, in fact, finish this blog before I left the library the other day. It’s about a week later as I continue to try to knock this one out.*
Anyways, my husband and our youngest daughter are the first to ride a horse and the organizers of the event live streamed it on Facebook. Our son rides next! My turn finally comes. I ask to ride the biggest horse because it looks the most stable. I’m a big girl, I don’t want to cause any issues for the smaller horses, haha!
We circled around the area a few times, and I absolutely loved it. I have zero clue how anyone stays on a horse while it runs, but it would be fun to try it. You can tell by my facial expression that my Bucket List dreams were bringing me all the joy. Here’s a picture for proof.
As I’ve been on this journey to cross off items on my bucket list, I’ve learned that finding joy can surprise you.
I wanted to make my handwriting a font, and while I did that, I created a fun memory with my daughter which brought more joy than the actual font itself. We enjoyed the festival in general, but now I have sweet memories of riding horses with my husband and two of our children. I love that I can actively seek out crossing an item off and cross one of unexpectedly!
I love that I have my Bucket List to keep me moving forward and seeking joy. I think it’s a great way to keep yourself motivated to seek joy. Sometimes we get so caught up in the day to day obligations we forget that life can hold so much room for adventure and joy.
Whether you actively seek out your joy or stumble upon it unexpectedly, I hope joy finds you! You deserve so much joy and love in this life simply because you exist! I hope this blog can serve as a reminder of these things!
