The Bucket List Revisited

I was writing a blog post and like just about every post I've started the past 8 months ... it wasn't lighting me up (we'll get to that when there's time). For now, I thought revisiting this little list might be fun. Crossed a bunch of stuff off that I wasn't feeling anymore, and added a few things that do. Good think about a bucket list - is that you are allowed to do whatever you want with it. My list was meant to dance. 

The Bucket List, Nov. 21, 2016 (I'm 40)

1.  Participate in the IM World Championships 
2.    Be part of a team that raises $1,000,000 for a charity
3.    Complete a 3 day adventure race
4.    Publish book - Momentum - Feb, 2019
5.    Participate in the XTERRA World Championships
6.    Watch the Olympics live
8.    Watch a live birth can be my own (April 17, 2015)
      * repeat coming June, 2017
9.    Attend Burning Man Festival
10. Be the keynote speaker at a conference
11. Run a marathon
12. Start my own company and take holidays that are out of the school calendar ... Cadence & Kale ... 
13. Buy a house in Canada and call it “home”
14. Visit the Grand Canyon – and ride mountain bike there
15. Knit something – and give it away - Scarf - Ricky, Christmas 2017
16. Own a house by a lake (could be married to #13 – or not)
17. Attend a silent retreat
18. Ride a/my bike on all 7 continents (N. America, S. America, Asia, Europe, Africa, Australia, Antarctica)
19. Cross a country on a bicycle
20. Fly on a trapeze and dismount with a full back flip
21. Hang my own painting in my home - Done December, 2014 - The bike, the zebra and the Buddha
22. Buy a round-the-world ticket
23. Pay for a strangers groceries
24. Write myself a letter and read it in 10 years
25. Read the Bible
27. Give Blood
28. Participate in SEVA Safari for Africa Yoga Project or finish my ambassadorship
29. Run a sub 45 minute 10k
30.  Become 100% debt free
32. Learn to cook my mom’s Yorkshire pudding - close enough - Summer of 2014
33. Learn to bake my mom’s butter tarts
34. Ride in a hot air balloon 
36. Teach a yoga class pre-triathlon (preferably pre-Ironman)
37. Master a second language. (None of this 1.6 proficiency BS)
38.  DO A PRESS HANDSTAND - and when I do, I can buy a SUP
39. Do headstand on SUP  … even better, a press handstand - November, 2013
40. Fill an auditorium of people for a yoga class
41. Help build a house for someone other than myself
42. Organize a family picture with all of my brothers/sisters/in-laws/nieces and nephews and dad (I think that’s close to 50 people)
43. Make boxed card sets with my mothers artwork
44. Learn the words to the Mexican National Anthem
45. Say YES to someone and have it change his or her life. (Originally from Steph Corker http://stephcorker.com/bucket-list/)
46. Assist at a yoga conference or teacher training
47.  Plan and pay for a sister trip to wherever
48. Inspire at least 25 people to try a tri (Leslie, Lauren, Martha, Kristen, Carol, Ron, Rachel, Torrey, Daniel, Martha, Brooke, Trent, Lucy, )
49. Write down 3 things I am grateful every day for a month
50. Make a commercial
52. Publish another article for MindBodyGreen (January, 2013) Click here to read.
53. Learn to play the guitar (again)
54. Make jam or Bailey’s (or both) as Christmas gifts
55. Publish a story for Ironman.com or Triathlete Magazine 
56. Own a Vespa
57. Complete another meaningful fund raising challenge with Christine Martin
58. Become a Baptiste Certified Yoga Instructor - November, 2015
59. Eat clean
60.  Speak to over 1000 people (at the same time)
61. Skateboard down Reforma on a Sunday in Mexico October, 2015
62. Learn a complete tango dance choreography with my Ricky P.
63. Throw a surprise party - December 2014
64. Meet up with Val Drake for a glass of wine
65. Race an Ironman with my niece Rachael
68. Visit the east coast of Canada
69. Hang my stained glass ornaments from childhood on a Christmas tree December 2015 and happily every year after.
70. Host Thanksgiving dinner (bonus point if at my home in Canada)
72. See Riverdance
73.              Donate my hair to locks for love   (July 2013) Click here to read. Repeat April, 2016. 

The Original List, 2013
1.    Participate in the IM World Championships 
2.    Be part of a team that raises $1,000,000 for a charity
3.    Complete a 3 day adventure race
4.    Publish an amazing book that speaks from my heart but doesn’t bounce around like my head
5.    Participate in the XTERRA World Championships
6.    Watch the Olympics live
7.    Participate in Escape from Alcatraz triathlon
8.    Watch a live birth can be my own (April 17, 2015)
      * repeat coming June, 2017
9.    Attend Burning Man Festival
10. Be the keynote speaker at a conference
11. Run the Great Wall of China a marathon
12. Master a pole-dancing routine
13. Start my own company and take holidays that are out of the school calendar
14. Buy a house in Canada and call it “home”
15. Get rid of the remaining grudges that hold me back
16. Visit the Grand Canyon – and ride mountain bike there
17. Knit something – and give it away
18. Watch every movie that has won an Academy Award for Best Picture.
19. Discover my life’s purpose
20. Open a Swiss bank account
21. See a platypus
22. Ride a camel in the Sahara desert
23. Own a house by a lake (could be married to #16 – or not)
24. Spend a week at Attend a silent retreat
25. Ride a/my bike on all 7 continents (N. America, S. America, Asia, Europe, Africa, Australia, Antarctica)
26. Cross a country on a bicycle
27. Climb one of the worlds seven summits
28. Visit Redwood National Park
29. Fly on a trapeze and dismount with a full back flip
30. Hang my own painting in my home - Done December, 2014 - The bike, the zebra and the Buddha
32. Sleep in an Ice Hotel
33. Buy a round-the-world ticket
34. Pay for a strangers groceries
35. Write myself a letter and read it in 10 years
36. Read the Bible
37. Read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
38. Give Blood
39. Do a fire walk
40. Participate in SEVA Safari for Africa Yoga Project or finish my ambassadorship
41. Be on a game show
42. Golf 18 holes without picking my ball up
43. Run a sub 45 minute 10k
44. Change a car tire
45. Drink wine in Italy with my Colombian crew
46. Buy a car
47.  Become 100% debt free
48. Attend Tony Robbins seminar and make a connection with the man himself
49. Learn to cook my mom’s Yorkshire pudding - close enough - Summer of 2014
50. Learn to bake my mom’s butter tarts
51. Ride in a hot air balloon over the Serengeti
52. Travel by jeep for at least three months in Africa
53. Cook something featured on “The F Word”
54. Teach a yoga class pre-triathlon (preferably pre-Ironman)
55. Master a second language. (None of this 1.6 proficiency BS)
56.  DO A PRESS HANDSTAND - and when I do, I can buy a SUP
57. Meet Chrissie Wellington and tell her how fabulous she is
58. Do headstand on SUP  … even better, a press handstand - November, 2013
59. Fill an auditorium of people for a yoga class
60. Help build a house for someone other than myself
61. Live in Colorado for at least 6 months
62. Organize a family picture with all of my brothers/sisters/in-laws/nieces and nephews and dad (I think that’s close to 50 people)
63. Make boxed card sets with my mothers artwork
64. Learn the words to the Mexican National Anthem
65. Say YES to someone and have it change his or her life. (Originally from Steph Corkerhttp://stephcorker.com/bucket-list/)
66. Assist at a yoga conference or teacher training
67. Develop a new position for myself called Director of Teacher Wellness
68. Work from wherever, whenever but always be available
69.  Plan and pay for a sister trip to wherever
70. Inspire at least 25 people to try a tri (Leslie, Lauren, Martha, Kristen, Carol, Ron, Rachel, Torrey, Daniel, Martha, Brooke, Trent)
71. Write down 3 things I am grateful every day for a month
72. Make a commercial
73. Be a better communicator
74. Organize a lifetime of photos
75. Publish another article for MindBodyGreen (January, 2013) Click here to read.
76. Learn to play the guitar (again)
77. Make jam or Bailey’s (or both) as Christmas gifts
78. Publish a story for Ironman.com or Triathlete Magazine 
79. Own a Vespa
80. Complete another meaningful fund raising challenge with Christine Martin
81. Become a Baptiste Certified Yoga Instructor - November, 2015
82. Stop procrastinating (be clear about my priorities)
83. Eat clean for a month
84. Achieve my ideal triathlon weight (I ate 5 chocolates for breakfast yesterday)
85.  Speak to over 1000 people (at the same time)
86. Skateboard down Reforma on a Sunday in Mexico October, 2015
87. Learn a complete tango dance choreography with my Ricky P.
88. Throw a surprise party - December 2014
89. Meet up with Val Drake for a glass of wine
90. Race an Ironman with my niece Rachael
91. Volunteer in a disaster relief
92. Take a train across Russia
93. Help build a school
94. Visit the east coast of Canada
95. Hang my stained glass ornaments from childhood on a Christmas tree December 2015 and happily every year after.
96. Host Thanksgiving dinner at my home in Canada
97. Create a team of amazing, robust, open-minded power houses and work together on lighting up the world
98. Spend at least a week living off the grid
99. See Riverdance
100.               Visit the Ancient Wonders in Egypt
101.              Donate my hair to locks for love   (July 2013) Click here to read.

15 for 15

I can not come as a surprise that my picture selection for 2015 has shifted. As I looked through my files, much room is occupied with pictures of Cami, and I don't regret that one bit. While there are more than a handful of moments when I think what have I really done this year? All it takes is a moment to trip through Dropbox, to realize, I have had another eventful year. Pics are not in Chronological order.

1. Parque Mexico, Mexico City

Maternity Shots with Les

With the sun shining and Jacaranda blossoms paving the way through the park, Les and I met up for a maternity shoot. Looking at these shots seems surreal to be honest. I can remember being pregnant, for sure, but it seems like so long ago. That being said, it seems like just yesterday that Cami was born. By this point.my gallbladder had all but shut down and packing on the extra pounds was all but impossible. The silver lining of the diet (no fat, no dairy, no high protein) was that I would be able to fit into my wedding dress when the day came. I love this pic for the shape of my belly, the color of my hair and the little love joy growing inside.

1.5. Hospital Medica Sur, Lomas, Mexico City

Camila Jude Godinez Clement (1 day young)

I used to think that Cami's name was a mouthful, but now I love it. I love that we got to squeeze a little bit of my Mom in there and it suits her perfectly. I haven't shared the birth story here in cyber space. So here is the condensed version. Wednesday night, April 15th I went into labor. The contractions didn't hurt, but despite sage advice, I stayed up all night timing them. At my last prenatal appointment, I was told that my fluids were "low" so in the morning, when the contractions were 4 minutes apart, I called my doctor and went to the hospital ... to be sent home. Fluids were just fine. By 10:00pm (Thursday night) I started to keel over a little bit with the contractions. Now they hurt. When they say you'll know, they mean it. Again, I timed the contractions all night

Insert: another sleepless night

2.0 ... and went to the hospital at 6:30am Friday morning. I got settled into my room and could not wait to hop into the tub. I made the mistake of asking my doctor when she thought I might have the baby, to which she answered (never trust a doctor who answers this) 1:00-2:00pm. I could do that. My contractions worsened, and each hour I was dilating only a fraction of a centimeter. By 1:00pm, I was 7cm. By 2:00, 7cm, 3:00, 7cm, 4:00, 7cm. By 5:00 I was kicked out of the tub, because I was still 7:cm. 6:00, 7cm .... I had decided then, that if I was still at 7cm by 7:00, I needed to have an epidural. I hadn't slept since Tuesday night, was exhausted and fear crept in. At 7:00 I was still 7cm. Leading up to the birth I had a lot of hope leaning on the 1 minute between contractions, along with the one minute contractions ... I had neither of those. My contractions were long, and if I moved a muscle, another crept in. Cami was born at 10:02pm with a nuchal arm. She was placed on my chest and we had a little chat before being swept off. She is the greatest blessing to date.




3. Mexico City, Mexico

Hard Criminal Passport Photo

And ... that's her passport photo. Period.









 4. Tulum, Mexico

We Got Hitched

I Diane, I Ricardo promise to:

To start and end our days with love, to love you when we are together, and apart, to love and protect our family and strive to be amazing parents, to walk beside you … unless its a race, to inspire and encourage you to do what makes you happy and fulfilled, to be honest and faithful, to make you smile b4 bed, to share of ourselves, to discover and never stop exploring, to be an optimist and look for solutions, to respect you and to listen to you, to be part of your family and friends, and to never forget the little things. Diane - To put the phone down when we are talking. Ricardo - To put down the phone when I am driving. Diane - To always find new spots to put your clothes. Ricardo - To make sure there is always a glass of water next to you. Diane - To move Aero to your side of the bed … every night. Ricardo - To not give you a hard time if you have not showered in 3 days. 

To be your best friend always. I love you. 

5. Mexico City, Mexico

My Comeback Race

I love this picture because there is a lot of love here. Daniel and Martha have turned party animals - party animal/triathletes :) Kristen is pregnant in this picture but no one knows, and Torrey is lovely as always and wearing bike shorts from my first IM (which Niva gave me). The day was a test on ego and letting go as I flatted twice on the bike. In a short race, flatting twice is race-shifter. That podium you wanted, was never yours to begin with. And the race itself, owes you nothing. It never does.



6. Teques, Mexico

Turbulence

Shortly after I was allowed to get back on my bike, we made our way for the hills. We discovered a new route here, and along the way there happens to be an airplane in someone's black yard. We thought about names for this route, and first agreed that it would be called the landing strip ... but that was soon kyboshed and now it's called Turbulence. Love this pic for so many reasons ... bus mostly the landscape frame.



7.  ASF, Mexico City

3:00 - 4:00 Yoga Class

I never leave this class the same as when I came in. Teaching to the teachers here at ASF started my first year. While the faces have changed, the joy has not. There is nothing like spending one full hour with a group of teachers and not talk about teaching. These people trust me to take them from their hectic and stressful days, and flow them on their mats. There are always a ton of laughs, lots of breath, balance and ease. I love these yogis!



8. Chapultapec Park, Mexico City

May 17, 2015

On Cami's first month birthday, a group of friends made their way to the park for a picnic. My sister was visiting and we spend the afternoon watching the dogs play, munching on snacks and chatting away. I even ran 5km this day while my sister watched Cami. This picture brings a huge smile to my face. Daddy + Aero + Cami = Love.



9. Los Cabos, Mexico

Ironman 70.3 6 Months post Cami

Swim: 46:56 (Division rank 29)
Bike: 3:15:57 (Division Rank 17)
Run: 2:39:27 (Division Rank 23)

Overall: 6:50:22 Division Rank 23/40

This race was Hard. Wetsuits were prohibited, so I was feeling rather insecure right off the bat. With a conservative swim, I set of for what I thought was a decent bike. Then I ran ... and ran ... and ran. When I told Ricardo my run time, he said, "oh, you walked!" Nope - I ran. The whole thing ... and finishing never felt so good. This was the farewell 35-39 age group. Next year I am 40-44. Bring it on!



10. Sayulita, Mexico

Body Bliss Retreats

Once or twice a year, I host, or co-host a retreat. Hosting in Sayulita was nothing short of magical. The beaches are not jam-packed and the shore line is riddled with fishing boats rather than hotels. The hills host some fabulous houses and the waves are forgiving. This year, some came with kids, some without. Nothing quite like a run on the beach ... followed by burpies, lunges, planks and frog kicks.



11.  Muskoka, Canada

Places

Other than on the mountain top, there isn't anywhere I would rather spend my Canadian summers. Lake and mountain run a stiff competition in terms of places that inspire. This year we hosted many friends and family at a cottage in Muskoka. The view was breathtaking, the weather, fabulous, and the company - the best.

12.  Muskoka, Canada

Faces

Each day at the cottage, some people came, and some people went. In total, I think we hosted around 35-40 peeps throughout the week.

My favorite kind of trip.

Love all these faces.




13. Valle de Bravo, Mexico

Eden, Cami, Madison

This school trip caused a few feathers to ruffle, but these girls were a dream to have with us. Along with 180+ sixth graders, we enjoyed a week of nature, horse back riding, crafts, bee farming and bonding. These three got to hang out and have fun. We have Eden on the right who is just about 8 months and a smidgen away from walking already, compassionate Cami in the middle, and Madison who loves her mommy so much she couldn't bear to be out of her arms for our imposed picture. We love out kiddos.


14. San Luis Potosi, Mexico

Family

Last year I posted a picture of my Canadian family after a muddy wagon ride through the Canadian forest. This is my Mexican Family. Ricky is the youngest of 5 kids, so there are is no shortage of inside jokes, loving arms, stories of the past, nieces, nephews and love to be had here. I feel really fortunate to have been welcomed into this family with loving arms.

15. Whistler, Canada

Sealed With a Kiss

We spent Christmas in Vancouver and New Years in Whistler. Ricky hit the slopes for five days and I did for four. Yep, four days of boarding. Bliss! Friends and family met up in one place or another which made the trip even greater that it already was. Thanks to the Colmenero's for the invitation, and to everyone who made 2015 a year for the books.

2016: Passion, Focus, Freedom ...  and a few other words I am working on. 

Let's move from words that light us UP!