I’ve been tagged by lovely Angie over at Cakes Photos Life to do the 10 in 10 meme. 

The idea is to write a list of hopes and dreams that you wish to be fulfilled within 10 years. You can make it as simple or as detailed as you like – add pictures, descriptions and how you will achieve these if you can/want.

Start with number 10 and make it the one you think is easiest to achieve, working down to the one that will take the most work, money or just plain impossible.

I found this a toughy… and if I’m honest this is a slightly edited version – some of the things that I really, really want I don’t really want to put up on the blog – I’m a bit daft and superstitious like that! But it has been a really helpful exercise in working out what my personal priorities are.

10 – Learn more about using my camera and how to take better photos. I know I can take quite nice photos when the light is right and everything falls into place… but I’m not so good at taking photos indoors, or at speed. I’d like to get better at that, and I’d like to get better at post processing. I’ve had Photoshop Elements installed on my computer for 18 months and haven’t ever made time to learn how to use it properly. This must change!

9 – Find a form of exercise that actually makes me happy. I thought it was running, but I’m very much a fair weather runner. I don’t like getting cold! Nor do I like getting wet, so swimming is out. I don’t like gyms. I don’t like being instructed. And I don’t like team sports. My options here are running out… any suggestions?!

8 – See DorkySon settled and happy in school with a good group of friends.

7 – Get a dog. This one depends on where we’re living. We’re definitely not set up for a dog at the moment, but in ten years I hope we are.

6 – Go on a month long American road trip visiting family and friends.

5 – Spend a long weekend in Paris with DorkyDad. I know you can never really recapture those early, heady days of a relationship, but I think we’d have fun trying. I’d like to sit in a street cafe in the sunshine, drinking white wine, eating artichokes and ham, olives and cheese and frites, and smooching with my hubby.

4 – Land a dream job. Right now I’m not 100% sure what that job is. I guess the big dream is being paid to write. But as a close second I’d take a nice flexible job working in communications for a charity that I passionately believed in.

3 – Live in a house by the sea. A big creaky house, with lots of room for our books and rugs and pictures, where I could lie in bed at night and hear the waves. Yes please.

2 – Have a book published.

1 – Wake up every morning feeling like we have achieved the perfect balance in our life. The right amount of work, the right amount of play. Enough time doing things as a couple, as a family, and individually. Enough money to be happy but not so much that we don’t know what to do with it, or so much that we waste it on silly things. Near our friends and family so that we can enjoy lots of happy and fun times together, but not so near that we drive each other crazy. Living somewhere we feel safe, but not sheltered. Challenging ourselves, but not feeling overwhelmed. Making the most of every single day.

So that’s me. Or at least part of me.

What are your big dreams and ambitions? If you want to join in, write your own post and then link it up over at Cakes Photos Life.