The List

So here is the list. The things I've always wanted to do. Some of the items are silly and childish but fortunately it's a part of me that I can't shut out. :) Take a look and reflect on your own list. Maybe some things are the same and maybe you will see some ideas of things you would like to add. Just remember that the list is not something to merely be admired; it is the course your life should take.

In no particular order
1. Tango in Argentina. I don't mean in a concert hall but in a small cafe that's tucked away from the crowds. Who doesn't want that, right?

2. Climb a mountain at least 15,000 feet high. Any one will do.

3. In Spain they build giant statues out of paper and on one night they burn them all at once. I would love to see that happen. (This got added to my list just last night.)

4. Learn a foreign language.

5. Get married. This may be the hardest one to fulfill on my list because I need someone who will be a fellow adventurer. Someone who will help me live my list not hinder my progress. Someone who has a list of their own. Most guys (especially in Utah) want to settle down and start a family, not run around the world... it may take a long time to find someone who fits that description. I know it's a tall order.
I want that someone who is the constant. No matter what country I'm in, no matter how the world changes around me; the constant through the new beginnings and the constant despite the pains that will come.

6. Attend Oktoberfest! Now I don't drink but I have always wanted to join in the singing and dancing that goes on during Oktoberfest and due to the fact that everyone is stinking drunk I don't even have to be a good dancer.

7. Attend Karnival. I don't want to show favorites as far as countries go so if I'm going to Oktoberfest I have to go to Karnival!

8. Sail the Nile. From top to bottom in a small two man boat with a close friend or that husband that I may have some time in the future. Go ashore every now and then to see new things and meet new people. I recently learned from a friend how to defeat a crocodile so now I'm set.

9. Have someone kiss me in the rain. I know that it's cheesy but I do have a hopelessly romantic side that creeps out every once in a while. I try to keep it under close watch so that I don't make people with sensitive gag reflexes sick but this is one of the things I want to do before I die.

10. Run a marathon. This one is going on right now. I've been training since October and I'm up to running about 10 miles which isn't bad considering I couldn't even run 1 mile when I started. I run on July 24th (if I'm still in Utah at that point...) and everyone should come down to the finish line to cheer me on or if you start now you can run the race with me and check a marathon off of your list too.

11. Along with the marathon theme I am going to run in a race across a desert or through a jungle. Or perhaps I'll bike across China...

12. Be on a game show. I even downloaded an application for "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader" to see what the audition and interview process is like. Look for me on T.V. :)

13. Audition for a Broadway musical. I don't care if I make it or not but it's always worth a shot plus I could spend the week in New York at Ray's Pizza or the Majestic cafe.

14. Create a great work of art. This may be a movie, a dance number, a song, a sculpture, a painting. I don't know what it's going to be yet but when it happens my soul will be there for the world to examine.

15. "Uncover or build or discover a thing that I can call my celebration."

16. See every ocean. I've only seen the Pacific Ocean with my own eyes. Before I die I want to behold and swim in every single one. Better get going...

17. Learn to ride a motorcycle. I already know how to drive stick now I just need to take that on to a bike. I think it would be much easier to get around if I had a good reliable bike instead of having to resort to public transportation.

18. Visit the San Blas Islands. I've only seen pictures but even the still life takes my breathe away. I want to lie on the beach and build an enormous sand castle that will wash away forever when the tide comes in.

19. Visit at least 10 countries... I figure this will be one of the easiest to accomplish because as I'm checking off everything else on my list I'm sure to be a world traveler.

20. Attend an inauguration. I don't really care that much about politics but I do think it would be fun to stand in the freezing cold Mall and see a new president sworn in. History in the making...

21. Learn to ice climb and climb the Stairway to Heaven. I've heard that it's beautiful up there and I want to see it for myself. There is so much beauty in Utah and as much as I want to travel the world, I'm still grateful to have been raised in such a beautiful state.

22. See a shooting star and make a wish. Can you believe that I've never seen a shooting star! If I live the life I want to and be the person I want to be then I may not have much to wish for when I do see my star.

23. Experience weightlessness. I don't necessarily have to go into space. There are other ways...

24. Run away to a foreign country with little or no planning. It wouldn't be running away if every detail was planned out. It must come from the heart and be driven by the desire to experience life.

25. Find/send a message in a bottle. Just for funsies...

26. Live in China for a period of at least 6 months. This was added to my list after I read a book. I've always been able to keep the wanderlust in check until I was introduced to this book. It taught me that I shouldn't have to keep the wanderlust in check.

27. Fall in love. Hopelessly, and unconditionally. This will come with the husband territory, I'm sure, but I thought I'd add it in seperately. It is possible to fall head over heels from someone and not marry them so it deserves a spot all it's own.

28. Save a life. I don't mean from physical harm or danger.

Some of these dreams are just now at their beginnings and some are well under way. When I die I don't want to say that I have lived my dreams. I will say that I have lived my life. When dreams and reality are one then you are truly alive.