My Bucket List

Ever since watching the movie The Bucket List I have had a mini bucket list of my own forming in my head. I have never written it down though so I sadly forget things, or do something awesome like riding a motorcycle on a mountain in the sprinkling rain in Costa Rica, and wonder if it ever was on my bucket list. . it sure should have been. To be honest I partially haven't written it down purely because I was torn on whether I should share it with people, or keep it locked up in a little drawer somewhere. And lets be honest, some of the things I find imperative to do or accomplish before I die may be things that y'all have done a thousand times. Or find absolutely bonkers. But I guess that's my problem, I care about other people's opinions too much. Who cares if you think that my wanting to do yoga on a cliff over the ocean is unrealistic, I think it's fabulous. And I promise you I will do it. . eventually.

I want to say that the list goes from trivial and expected to unique and unusual but it doesn't. It's in an order straight from my head so it's jumbled. I'll be continuously adding to this as more things pop into my head and hopefully crossing things off as I'm able to accomplish them.

1. Make creme brulee
2. Go for a long run on the beach 
3. Have a house with a white picket fence
4. Positively effect someone's life
5. Have two kids: a boy and girl 
6. Go to Ireland
7. Go to Bora Bora
8. Go to Greece
9. Go to Alaska 
10. Run in a 5K and finish respectfully 
11. Run a marathon 
12. Cross stitch a quilt
13. Paint an oil painting 
14. Do karaoke 
15. Successfully do the Duval Crawl in Key West
16. Have a wine weekend in Napa Valley 
17. Come up with a perfect gluten free cookbook of fabulous desserts
18. Sew a dress 
19. Make a snowman
20. Ski!
21. Horseback ride on a beach
22. Snorkel the Great Barrier Reef 
23. Skinny dip in the ocean 
24. Live in a cottage
25. Own a pink beach cruiser 
26. Live on the beach 
27. Have a cabin
28. See a bear in the wild 
29. "Own" a star
30. Get a massage on a secluded beach  
31. Go to the circus
32. Have floor tickets to a basketball game
33. Sit in the front row at a concert
34. See the Northern Lights 
35. Have a tulip garden
36. Be in a hot tub during a snow fall  12/11
37. Have an MRI (in the full tube not the half one, yes it's weird but whatever)
38. Swim with sea turtles 
39. Jump off a cliff into the ocean
40. Cave dive
41. Go to a hot spring (Costa Rica 2010)
42. Go to the Army/Navy Game

Mission Trip? I Like That Idea

I've been tossing around the idea of going on a mission trip for about a year now, but I've never really looked upon it. About a month ago I facebook messaged a fellow sorority sister who has gone on quite a few mission trips and who I look up to dearly for advice on how to really start the process. She responded with great guidance but the hustle and bustle of school and work kept me away from paying it any mind.

Now that I'm sitting here studying for my two tests and practical on Wednesday, it of course pops back into my head and I can't shake it. (Great timing eh?) I was considering doing Peace Corps after getting my nursing degree, but I decided against it. I think a long trip over the summer sounds extremely doable and rewarding. . If you know me you know I am not an outspoken person, especially not concerning God. I have my beliefs, I do strongly believe in them, but I'm not exactly one to go and yell at people for not believing in what I do. If someone is rudely going against what I believe and personally jeering at it I do not have a problem nicely telling them why I believe what I do, I will not sit and have someone makes jests at something that I live by. That being said I do think everyone has their own set of moral codes, but I also think that some places do not have any at all and that's where I would love to go. I want to make a positive difference in a persons life and help them see something that they may have not seen before, or purposefully shut out of their life (I'm guilty of doing this myself).

I just started looking and have already found two trips that I would love to go on. I like one specifically because it is closer to the US. Sad I know, but I've never really been overseas before (Costa Rica doesn't really count). This trip is focused around working with an orphanage in Tijuana. That being said the chances of my being allowed to go to Tijuana are slim to none; my mom was just reading in the paper about how dangerous Mexico is this morning. And she's rather protective, which I'm very thankful for. But I would love to work with children. The second trip which I am extremely drawn to is in Thailand and has to do with human trafficking, an atrocity that I have very strong feelings concerning. I first really became aware of human trafficking through a Lifetime movie and since then it is something that I will willingly get into arguments about and have always wanted to help stop but have never really knew where to start.  Click here if you're interested in reading more about it! And make sure to read this story to understand exactly what is drawing me towards this. It's so heartbreaking.

If any of you have any ideas or places to point me to I would greatly appreciate it as I feel like this is going to be a great journey that I'm just starting to put my toes into.

Ciao!! xoxo