Life List

 “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain


I started this list back in the Winter of '05 right before I packed my bags and headed off to Italy for a semester.  I knew it would be an experience of a lifetime and wanted to make sure I milked it for all I could. After all, how often do you live in Italy?  Some people have teased me that I have too many dreams, that it is not possible to accomplish them all.  I know my list is quite long, but I am  very passionate about life and making the most out of it.  I think there are so many wonderful and beautiful places to go and things to do that I do not want to waste my opportunities. We are better people by the experiences we have and the cultures we encounter.  I have decided to call this my Life List instead of Bucket List - I think it sounds more optimistic. 

Some will be easy to accomplish, some are going to take a lot of effort, and some will seem downright impossible. But you never know until you try, and I at least want to say that I tried. I will continue to cross things off when the tasks are complete.  Here it goes:

PERSONAL
Go on an African safari
Skydive (Spring 2006)
Send mom flowers randomly to say I love you   Fall 2010
Be happily married and have a family my parents (and I) would be proud of
Attend at least four major sporting events:
      The Super Bowl
      The Olympics (Torino, Italy February 2006)
      The U.S. Open
      Nascar
      Wimbledon
      Kentucky Derby
Drink mint julip
Wear a big hat to the race
     The World Cup
      Indy 500
      Stanley Cup
      Baseball World Series (attended playoffs in 2009 – does that count?)

Swim with dolphins (2008)
Have a full conversation in another language (Yellow Bar, Florence, Italy)
See a space shuttle launch
Be an extra in a movie (Contagion 12.10.10)
Ride a camel in the desert  (May 2007)
Learn again to properly ballroom dance
Get something published



Learn to play guitar
Spend New Year’s in an exotic location
Get passionate about a cause and spend time helping it, instead of just thinking about it.
Have a song written for me
Drive across America coast to coast/ Driving Trip
Own an antique car
Sleep under the stars.
Go deep-sea fishing
Go to a film premiere     
Fly a plane
Visit a Blues Bar (Chicago, 2010)
Go to a flamenco bar (Spring’06)
Ride in a submarine
Own a puppy
Learn how to drive stick shift
Volunteer for a local cause (January 2010-present)
Ride in a carriage with significant other
Climb the statue of Liberty (pre- 9/11. Date unknown)
Learn to Knit
Help Build a Habitat for Humanity Home (Fall 2008)
Volunteer regularly
Go whale watching
Hold a monkey
Milk a cow
Go to a State fair
Ride Tandem bike
Go to a drive in movie
Ride in a helicopter
Hot air balloon ride
Own a summer home/lake house
Learn to Ski and actually balance (water and snow)
Go horseback riding on the beach
Learn how to Change a tire
Show up at the airport with a suitcase in hand and take the first available flight
Get on Amtrak train and go on a trip to wherever it takes me
Run a 10K
Go to USA Wine Country (Oct 2010)
Try archery (Overnight camp when I was young)
Fire a rifle (Overnight camp when I was young)
Play on an adult softball team (Summer 2010)
Go Fishing (when I was young)
See Bryce Canyon (Utah) on horseback ( still counts even though mine was a mule)
Experience weightlessness
Own a great camera and how to use it
Learn to play golf (well
Make an impact on someone's life
Get Married
Go to a movie by myself
Donate my hair to locks of love
Backpack across Europe (May 2006)

MONUMENTS
The Basilica di San Marco, Venice (spring 2006)
St. Peter’s Basilica, The Vatican, Rome (spring 2006)
The Alhambra , Spain– (spring 2006)
Visit Sagrada Familia in Barcelona (spring 2006)
The Pyramids of Giza, Egypt
Stonehenge, United Kingdom
The Sydney Opera House, Australia
The Big Ben, London, England (summer 2006)

MUSEUMS TO SEE
El Prado, In Madrid, Spain (spring 2006)
The Uffizi Gallery, Florence Italy (spring 2006)
The Louvre, in Paris, France (summer 2006)
The Van Gogh Museum, Amersterdam (summer 2006)

TRAVEL

Visit all 50 states
Clearly 50 is a lot to list so 32 remaining

Visit all 7 continents
Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe and Australia
Canada (been once, but want to go as an adult this time)
Whistler
Niagra falls
Vancouver
Camping/hiking
In Europe:
Italy
Ride in a gondola in Venice with my love
Germany
Visit Auschwitz
Berlin Wall
Spain
Greece
Amsterdam
London
Ireland
Prague
Croatia
Russia
Sweden
Austria
Belgium
Australia
Outback
Scuba or snorkel Australia's Great Barrier Reef.
Hold a Koala bear

Great Wall of China
Taj Mahal
Bali
Amazon Rainforest
Bora Bora
Acrolis in Parthenon, Greece
Jerusalem, Israel(May 2007)
Serengeti Migration, Kenya
Galapagos Islands
Sistine Chapel(Spring 2006)
Canals of Venice (Spring 2006)
Pompeii (Spring 2006)
See the Northern Lights
Leaning tower of Pisa(Spring 2006)
Yellowstone National Park
Yosemite National park
Bryce Canyon
Mount Rushmore
Machu Picchu, Peru
The Colisseum, Rome (Spring 2006)
Niagra Falls
Panama Canal
The Channel Tunnel (Summer 2006)
Mount Fuji
Mount Kilimanjaro
Mayan Temples
Visit Liverpool and Cavern Club


1 comments:

Mich said...

I LOVE this! You've totally inspired me, I am going to work on my list right now!

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