As I was working on my life list, it occurred to me that I've done a lot of stuff that I feel really fortunate for having had the opportunity to do. In some ways, this list is even more important than my life list because every single thing on here has shaped who I am today. It makes me think of that scene in "Up" when Carl is regretting not doing all the things he and Ellie had dreamed of, and then he opens the scrapbook she made for them and is reminded that even though life took a different course for them, they had a really wonderful life together nonetheless. (And then I sob uncontrollably for the next hour.) I guess this is my way of saying that even if I get to do nothing on my life list, I feel pretty darn lucky for all the things I didn't need to put on there...
- Marry my best friend - 2009
- Start a family - 2011
- Have a natural birth - 2011
- Take a completely spontaneous trip - to the 2007 Cabin Party (booked our flight at 11pm the night before and flew out the next morning)
- Get scuba certified - 2009
- Scuba dive in the Great Barrier Reef - 2009
- Go to Australia - 2009
- Drive cross country - twice in 2004 (Michigan to California, and California to Virginia)
- Tour Italy - 1998
- Go on study abroad - 2002
- Visit London - 2002 and 2007
- Live in a foreign country - 2001 (Halifax, NS, Canada - not glamorous, but it counts) and 2002 (London)
- Look down over Paris from the top of the Eiffel Tower - 2002
- Throw a great surprise party - 2008 for my mom's 60th
- Surprise someone in another state for their birthday - 2008, also for my mom's 60th
- Dance with my father to Love Me Tender at my wedding - 2011
- Dance with my best friend from high school to Garth at my wedding - 2011 (fulfilled a 12 year old promise)
- Visit Disneyworld and Disneyland - multiple times, not sure of the years
- Go to Hawaii - 2010
- Go camping in a VW westfalia - 2010 (Maui)
- Own my own home - 2009
- Graduate college - 2003
- Be completely credit card debt free - 2011
- Look up at the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel - 1998
- Make a wish at the Trevi Fountain - 1998
- Ride the tube - 2002
- Take the Chunnel - 2002
- See all of the Davids - 1998
- Feed the pigeons in Venice - 1998
- See the Christmas tree at Rockafeller center - multiple times, not sure of the years
- Finish a half marathon - 2008, and twice in 2010
- Find my perfect blonde hair color - 2011
- Grow my hair long - 2009
- Go to the theater in a foreign country - 2002 (London), 2007 (London), 2009 (Sydney)
- Meet my favorite band - 2010 (The Avett Brothers)
- Go offline for a week - 2009 (Honeymoon)
- Open my own Etsy shop - 2010
- Sell something I made on Etsy - 2010
- Roast a truly perfect marshmallow - 2010 ("the megamallow")
- Take a gondola ride in Venice - 1998
- Get a psychic reading - 2004
- Go for a ride in a hot air balloon - 2009 (Queensland, AU)
- Tour Graceland - 2004
- Eat a pulled pork sandwich in Memphis - 2004
- Visit the Redwood Forest - multiple times, not sure of the years
- Have a truly extravagant dinner in a foreign city - 2009 (Quay in Sydney)
- Tour the Sydney Opera House - 2009
- Have a kangaroo eat from the palm of my hand - 2009
- See Niagara Falls - multiple times, not sure of the years
- See a broadway show - multiple times, not sure of the years
- Visit the observation deck of the Empire State Building - 1989
- Climb to the top of the Statue of Liberty - 1989
- Buy a friend flowers just because - 2011
- Give a $20 bill to a homeless person - 2010
- See the Grand Canyon - 2004
- Buy a fancy piece of art - 2009
- Sing karaoke solo - 2005
- Fly first class overseas - 2009 (SFO -> SYD)
- Take the coastal route on a long road trip - 2007 (Seattle to San Francisco)
- Sew something I'd actually wear - 2008
- Go backpacking - 2008
- Attend Mardi Gras - 2000
- See an event at the Olympic Games - 1996 (Softball, Atlanta)
- Swim with sea turtles - 2010
- Go for a dip in the Mediterranean - 1998
- Build a piece of furniture from scratch - 2010
It's worth noting that a good chunk of this list was sponsored by my parents - thanks Mom and Dad! Hmm, maybe I better add "Be able to give my children the same opportunities I was given" to my life list :-)