Bucket lists of sorts.

Not listed in any particular order.  It's also a work in progress.  I'll add or subtract things as I see fit.

Who I want to become (the legacy I want to leave, the person I want to be known as):

1. A strong but humbled, god-fearing, loving and supportive wife.
2. Someone who creates space for others to be their true selves and authentically connect with others.
3. Someone who makes people think without being threatening or intimidating. 
4. A good listener.
5. Diligent.
6. Loyal follower of Jesus. 
7. A thoughtful friend.

What I want to do:

1. Open a cafe/card store/library/community center/inn.  Yes, all in one.
2. Run a 10K race.
3. Write a screenplay for a new tv show.
4. Publish a short story.
5. Work as a waitress or a barista (just for a short period of time for the experience).
6. Record music in a real studio.
7. Sing a duet with a YouTube star (e.g., Kina Grannis, Jayesslee, Boyce Avenue).
8. Live with Pam again.  Or be neighbors!
9. Sing in the Urbana Worship Team.
10. Learn to rap (particularly freestyle).

Pumpkin coffee cake.

Pumpkin should be oozing out of my eyes, ears, and nose at this point in the season.  Okay, so maybe I haven't eaten that much pumpkin this fall.  But I sure can't get enough of it.  I've made pumpkin scones, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin brownies, and even my own homemade pumpkin spice latte.  But pumpkin coffee cake?  This was a first.

This year, Nathan and I went to NYC with my family for Thanksgiving, and while my sister was working on her Master's thesis, I wanted to bake something quick and simple with absolutely minimal clean-up.  I wasn't in the mood to pull out the KitchenAid mixer.

"You should use the pumpkin in the fridge, too," Pam piped in when I told her I wanted to bake something.  I pulled out the container of leftover canned pumpkin.  There was a little less than 1 cup of pumpkin.  Challenge accepted.

So I scoured the internet for a simple pumpkin recipe that didn't require special ingredients, special tools, a ton of time, or more than 1 cup of canned pumpkin.  It seemed to take forever.

But then I somehow came across this recipe on Sally's Baking Addiction, a food blog I've been following for some time now.  No one ever talks about pumpkin coffee cake.  I was intrigued.  And it was just what I was looking for.

This was my first time making pumpkin coffee cake and it was exactly what I would want it to be.  Not too sweet, not too much spice, not too dry or dense.  I decided not to add the glaze from the recipe, just to leave out some unnecessary calories, and save me some of the mess - even though it probably would've made it more pretty.