First, I decided to start my own bucket list. I learn something new about myself on a regular basis, and creating this list will be an on-going project.
I realize that some of things seem near to impossible, but there are a lot of things on the list that, living the military life, can actually happen sooner or later. There are a few things that I may have to save for my next life though.
Maybe I can inspire someone else to do make their own list. I mean, really think about it. What would you like to do before your time here ends?
As for me, here goes...
- Visit the Holy Land.
- Learn to speak French fluently.
- Run a marathon.
- Be a Runner!
- Dip my toes in the Arctic Ocean.
- Go "off the grid" for about a month.
- Enjoy a gondola ride in Venice, Italy.
- Learn to ski or snowboard.
- Watch a ballet by a major dance company.
- Go white water rafting.
Visit the Smithsonian...all of it, or at least the most interesting parts:Museum of Natural History,Air and Space Museum,Museum of American History.- Learn to ride a horse.
- Learn to play Fur Elise or Claire de Lune on a grand piano.
- Visit Havana, Cuba.
- Dance, or see someone dancing, the Tango in Argentina.
- Go skydiving.
- Ride in a hot air balloon.
- Learn to fly.
- Cruise the Mediterranean.
- Experience weightlessness.
- Watch a live rocket launch.
- Visit the Grand Canyon.
- Take a really good picture of the Northern Lights!
- See the Pyramids.
- Take a canoe through the Amazon.
- Be known for, and consulted on, my expertise in something.
- Have a picnic at Machu Picchu.
- Attend Carnival in Rio!
- Know what it feels like to entertain a sold out crowd (sing like Christina Aguilera).
- Sleep in the Cinderella Suite at Disney World.
- Tour the US in an RV.
- Live in a foreign country for at least six months.
- Make a quilt.
- Go on a medical mission to another country to help others in need.
- Read at least 50 classic novels.
- Learn to allow myself to make mistakes.
- In old age, savor sweet moments with a grand-baby.
- Plan my funeral, and die knowing that it will be an event filled with tears of joy. Would you please send me on my way, make a gumbo, and celebrate my life?
- Go back to college to finally earn that PhD in Anthropology that I've always wanted.
- Attend a mass at the Vatican.
- Sail a boat to "Margaritaville", wherever that may be.
- Give Oprah a hug.
- Attend a major award ceremony of some kind, and know that I've had something to do with the person receiving that award. Be the Mother of a Nobel Peace Prize recipient maybe?
- Volunteer at a soup kitchen.
- Spend a week at a 5-star spa.
- Own a Degas painting.
- Sleep in a castle.
- Design wedding dresses as a hobby, or maybe just run a bridal salon (?).
- Vacation at a Sandal's resort.
- Host an exchange student.
Go dog mushing.Go on a whale watching cruise, and take a picture of a whale tail.- Live in a high rise apartment/condo in a major city.
- Design our dream home.
- Own an antique half tester bed.
- Attend a Dave Mathews Band concert at The Gorge.
- Bet on a horse and attend the Kentucky Derby.
- Visit the source of one of the world's great rivers.
- See a Geisha perform a traditional tea ceremony.
- Inspire someone.
- Learn to play the violin.
- Watch a volcano erupt.
- Learn to crochet.
- Crochet a baby blanket.
Learn to make Petit Fours.- Spend time with a Lost Tribe, and learn from them.
- Attend a Broadway performance of The Lion King, so that I can hear "The Circle of Life" live.
- Visit La Rochelle, France (the origins of both Mom and Dad).
- Run a Bed & Breakfast on the coast.
- Learn to take better pictures i.e. take a photography class.
Second, I always have to have something to look forward to, and before deployments, I like to have an idea of what I'm going to do (besides taking care of myself, house and kids) to keep me busy; I need something fun to accomplish.
I always hear about these great movies, but have never taken the time to watch them. I may have seen bits and pieces, but...
So, here is a list of classic movies that I plan to see in the future (I think that completing 20 is a safe number in the time that he's away):
- Casablanca
- Gone with the Wind
- Cleopatra (Elizabeth Taylor)
- Breakfast at Tiffany's
- Dr. Strangelove
- African Queen
- American Graffitti
- The Maltese Falcon
- Roman Holiday
- An American in Paris
- Singing in the Rain
- Bridge on the River Kwai
- Bell, Book, and Candle
- Lawrence of Arabia
- To Kill a Mockingbird
- Arsenic and Old Lace
- Dial M for Murder
- The Sound of Music
- Sabrina
- The Great Gatsby
- Giant (James Dean)
- A Streetcar Named Desire
- The Sound of Music
- Silkwood
- Great Expectations
- My Fair Lady
- Oklahoma!
- The Glenn Miller Story
- Doctor Zhivago
- The Grapes of Wrath
- The Postman Always Rings Twice
- One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest
- Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf
- Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
- Rebel Without a Cause
- East of Eden
- Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid
- How to Marry a Millionaire
- Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
- La Ronde
- The Kid (Charlie Chaplin)
- The Quiet Man
- An Affair to Remember
- Hello, Dolly!
- The Great Gatsby (1974)
- A Farewell to Arms
- For Whom the Bell Tolls
- Deliverance
- 12 Angry Men
