bucket lists

When I was 19 years old, my friend inspired me to make a bucket list. We stayed up late one night decorating yellow pieces of paper with markers and glitter and writing down all our dreams. Go on an African Safari. Put my feet in the Atlantic Ocean. See New York. Eat a large pizza by myself.

That last goal was inspired by my friend … and we did it … miserably.

I had that bucket list for a long time, but I have no idea where it is now. Since then, I’m not sure I’ve made another official life-long list, but I’ve definitely made lists – usually in the summers, when I wanted to make sure I attended concerts and fairs, went to lakes and climbed mountains. Before I moved a year and a half ago, I had a whole list of things I needed to do. Among a bunch of other things, I needed to hike the Wellsvilles, see the play “Big River” at a local theater, float the Oneida Narrows in Idaho, go the The Famous Preston Night Rodeo, run the Logan Half Marathon one more time and plan a going-away fiesta for myself.

For half a dozen years or so, I also made a list at the end of each year of five things I needed to do that I hadn’t done before in lieu of New Year’s resolutions. I learned to sew blankets and purses, I went to Oregon, Hawaii and Florida, I took my first Illustrator class, got my first professional massage and bought my first pair of stilettos.

What I’ve learned about making these lists is they make my life more fun. They give me goals to buy plane tickets, to see new places, to experience new things, to read new books.

When we make lists such as these, we’re also giving ourselves hope. There’s hope that we will have at least one more day to look forward to. When we make life-long bucket lists, we’re hoping we have years ahead of us filled with happiness, love and adventure. We’re hoping amazing things will happen to us, and maybe if we’re really lucky, we’ll create amazing things.

I started a new bucket list a while ago. I put it in a place I can add to it easily when I think of more things, because a bucket list should never really be completed. And now I’m going to share it with you in its current state, but I’m also going to make a page for it on this blog where I can cross adventures off as I go, and add more as I think of them.

And my idea for you? Make your own bucket list if you don’t have one! And share it with me! I’d love to see it. Maybe we can inspire each other and share the same dreams and hope. For now, here’s mine:

• Travel to France, Germany, Spain, England, Iceland, Peru, Italy, Ireland … and more!
• Go skydiving
• Complete a P90X program
• Write and publish a book
• Start my own business
• Learn web design
• Go ice skating in New York
• Tour the National Cathedral
• See Mount Vernon
• Pick a pumpkin from a pumpkin patch
• Hike or bike a volcano
• Get a Brazilian wax
• Run the Bear Gutsman in Utah with my family
• Travel someplace exotic for Christmas
• Do service on Christmas (soup kitchen, travel and give toys, visit hospital)
• Hike to Havasupai Falls
• See “Wicked” on stage
• Live in a place where I can have a dog
• Have a baby (or two, or three)
• Go to Glacier National Park
• Read “Les Miserables”
• Get on the Ellen show with Linda
• Take guitar lessons
• Do the splits
• Run another marathon
• Buy a cocktail dress and have a reason (or 10 reasons) to wear it
• Have a party with those flying paper lanterns
• Take ice skating lessons
• Go rock climbing outside
• Go to The Wave in Southern Utah/Arizona
• Hike Angels Landing and the Narrows in Zion’s National Park
• Do some hiking in the Tetons

New Mexico Bucket List

• Carlsbad Caverns
• White Sands National Monument
• Roswell UFO Museum
• River Rafting in Taos area
• Skiing
• Hot springs in Jemez Mountains
• Camping
• Go to a Lobos basketball game
• Ride in a hot air balloon with Travis