Thursday, April 29, 2010

Bucket List

One of the things that I wanted to see while up here in Alaska was the Aurora Borealis (northern lights). With only a few more days left I'm starting to see that opportunity slowly fade away. Although I can happily say that as a consolation, I've seen my fair share of Bullwinkles around, I can't help but think of the thing that will have escaped me. For whatever reason, it seems that when I want something it usually ends up happening which sometimes reminds me of the cliche "be careful what you wish for." I've skydived, swam with sharks, surfed, rode horses, ran marathons, done triathlons, furthered my education, fallen in love, seen things that were purely majestic, competed in sports, done some good, gotten in mischief and still understand that there is much that I'd like to do. So much so that I've created a list of things that I'd like to do and see in my lifetime.

Visit:
See the Aurora Borealis
Go on an African Safari (Complete)
Visit Machu Picchu
Climb Kilimanjaro
Backpack Europe
Qualify for the Boston Marathon
Climb the pyramids of Egypt
Ski powder filled trails in Whistler
Visit the Coliseum in Italy
Sail around the caribbean in a sailboat
Cruise down the Venice Canals in Italy
Go to Rio for Carnival
Visit the Galapagos Islands
Raft through the Grand Canyon
Run with the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain
Walk along the Great Wall of China
Canoe through the Amazon
Visit the Vatican
Travel to Baghdad or Kabul one day (not on orders)

Do:
Write a book
Run for local office
Go to Law School (Complete)
Fly the F-15E (Complete)
Meet a sitting President
Watch Brycen's first Little League game
Finish an Ironman (Complete)
Own a small business
Start a non-profit organization (Complete)
SCUBA dive the Great barrier reef
Write a song and record it
Win my Fantasy Football League
Get Court side seats to a Celtics game
Be an extra in a film
Be on a game show
Break a world record
Visit an orphanage in Korea
Become a black belt in martial arts
Go up in a Hot Air Balloon
Kiss a supermodel
Give a large sum of money to charity anonymously
Give a commencement address
Live in a monastery under the rule of Benedict for at least one week
Catch a pass from an All-Pro NFL quarterback
Teach a college class

Personal:
See my Nephews and Niece graduate college
Coach a player and then one day see him/her on TV
Be a husband and a father
Be a grandfather
Become someone that my children will always look up to
Do something that would make my parents truly proud
Watch a court room rise when my father walks in (Complete)
Campaign for someone I truly believe in
Fight to end poverty in the US
Make a difference in someone's life
Do something amazing for my parents to thank them for everything
Be at peace with myself and God

To be continued...