Bucket List

I (like many others I know) would love to know the ending of my story or at least a blip in the future, but that is never going to happen. When I read a book I just can’t wait to get to the end, but I can never skip a page, paragraph, sentence or word and if I do I go back and start over. In life I always want to be ten steps ahead of where I am. I decided I am going to start enjoying my life and living in the day. I know that this will not happen overnight, but I am going to put my best foot forward and try. I know there will be days when I fail, but I will embrace them. One of my favorite movie quotes is “Life is the messy bits” (from Letters to Juliet). I could not agree more. It is what you make of the failure that dictates your life, not the failure itself.


I’ve decided to make a bucket list. I am hoping sharing all of this will help keep me accountable. There are so many things I want to do and try and why not start now. Some may seem silly or trivial but that’s life! I have always been such a planner, but I realized some of my most fond memories are the spur of the moment ones. This is my journey to see/conquer the world one spontaneous (maybe some planned-because some need a little notice) act at a time. So here we go!!!


1. Go to Boston
2. Go to Michigan/Ohio
3. Go one day without worrying about the future
4. Go on a trip with a moment’s notice
5. Visit Kelley before she moves
6. Have a reunion trip with Kristen and Sarah
7. Get a tattoo with Sarah (and maybe Kristen J)
8. Go on a road trip with no plans of where your destination will be
9. Go to Santorini, Greece
10. Go to Australia
11. Go to grad school
12. Buy a house (hopefully by myself and soon!)
13. Live a day without fear and do something crazy
14. Go to Hawaii and do touristy stuff this time
15. Go to all 50 states
16. Visit every continent
17. Go to Spain to see Gaudi’s La Sagrada Familia
18. Learn to sew
19. Read all the classics
20. Become better acquainted with the state I live in-there are so many neat things to do here!
21. Live in a house I design
22. Design a building that makes a difference
23. Adopt a baby
24. Go to Chicago (now that I’m a grown up)
25. See Grease (the actual musical)
26. Go to the MOMA
27. See a show on Broadway
28. Do something I wouldn’t normally do
29. To be a fun mom (that builds forts, has sword fights, plays dolls, etc.)
30. Marry a man that makes me the best possible person I can be and challenges me everyday
31. Complete a triathlon
32. Learn self defense
33. Ride in a hot air balloon
34. Go parasailing
35. Go scuba diving
36. See the Northern Lights
37. Go to Switzerland
38. Go to the Louvre
39. Go to The Kremlin in Russia
40. Learn Swahili
41. Go to the Parthenon
42. Go to the Great Wall of China
43. Become an awesome photographer (so I can better document these adventures)
44. Go see Le Rev before my friend isn’t in it anymore
45. Get my PhD
46. Help special needs kids for a living
47. Make a positive difference in one person’s life
48. Stick to my guns always
49. Help with a Habitat for Humanity House
50. See Rascal Flatts in concert
51. Go to Monte Carlo, Monaco
52. Teach at a university
53. Decorate my house however I want (I am afraid a man not like it!)
54. Drive down a tree lined street in the fall (with the leaves falling)
55. Be better at forgiving
56. Visit NYC at Christmas time
57. Volunteer for a non-profit/ministry that helps with domestic violence and sexual abuse
58. Go to Vegas now that I am of legal age
59. Keep a plant alive
60. Be better about sending letters/cards
61. Go on a blind date
62. Fly first class
63. Read all the books on my nook and book shelf (this requires my mom stopping buying books!!)
64. Have a job I am passionate about
65. Enjoy my single life while I have it
66. Don’t wish time away-this I am quite fabulous at

This list will hopefully be a revolving door, as things get complete other things may be added…

I also wanted to add some of the cool things I have already done because they are that awesome…

1. Go to the Grand Canyon
2. St. Peter’s Basilica
3. The Coliseum
4. The Uffizi Gallery
5. The British Museum
6. The London Eye
7. The Tower of London
8. Saw Big Ben
9. Went into tons of buildings with dead people buried in them (at least that’s what my mom tells me I said)
10. Jump off a red Double Decker bus
11. The Smithsonian Museums
12. Golden Gate Bridge
13. Pike Place market
14. Empire State Building
15. Statue of Liberty
16. Waikiki Beach
17. Disneyland
18. Buy something on Fifth Ave
19. Go to Tiffany & Co. in NYC
20. See a show in NYC (it wasn’t on Broadway)
21. Go to both Coast of Canada
22. See Niagara Falls (both sides)
23. Go to Africa
24. Go on a mission with some awesome friends
25. Go to Italy and be able to enjoy the architecture
26. Help at an orphanage where I’d someday like to adopt a baby
27. Become an Interior Designer
28. Climb Il Duomo and go inside
29. Climb Duomo di Milano and go inside (they almost didn’t let me because I’m a hooch!)
30. Westminster Abbey
31. Celebrate birthday at the American Girl store in Chicago
32. Road trip to California with my bestie
33. Go to Hawaii
34. Vacationed and did absolutely nothing (woohoo for rainy Ohio days)
35. Visit Sedona
36. Go to Florida for a swim meet
37. Camped
38. Went on a cruise with friends and family
39. Graduated college in three years
40. Road down the Thames and found my dream home
41. Saw the Peter Pan Statue in London
42. Went to Time Square
43. Vatican City
44. Washington/Lincoln monuments in DC (something I don’t think I will ever forget)
45. Stayed in a penthouse suite in Vegas!
46. Resigned from a job I didn’t like
47. Survived a car accident with no injury (the paramedics thought I was ejected and possibly dead and all I wanted was to clean up the messJ)
48. Bury the hatchet with a man I will soon get to call my brother!
49. Visit a castle (Windsor in England)
50. Visit the Lowell Observatory and saw incredible stars 

51. Buy something in Chinatown NY

52. Go through a moving wall

53. Meet a total stranger and become best friends and partners in crime after spending 4 hours together!



I know there are plenty more and God blessed me with incredible parents that have helped provide for these as well as give me sound financial guidance.