Carpe Diem!

Things I want to do... someday. I don't want to say "before I die," but that's basically what this is, right? That just sounds so morbid! A girl I follow on Twitter updated her bucket list today, which gave me pause and got me thinking about my own. A few years ago I put together my own (short) bucket list, and found it interesting today to go back and look at it to see how much I had accomplished:

Becky's List - Circa 2007

1. Write a book.
2. Visit New York City.
3. Go diving in the Great Barrier Reef
4. Travel overseas.
5. Live in California.
6. Pay off my student loans.
7. Stay the night in a haunted house.
8. Go to Disneyland.
9. Walk the Great Wall of China.
10. Visit FIDM.

And what have I accomplished, you ask? Well, I finally got to strike off #2 by visiting NYC - twice - in 2008.

I struck off #5 when I relocated to California in the fall of 2011. I stayed the night in several haunted places (New Orleans, San Diego, and San Francisco), striking #7 off the list in 2008 and 2009. I finally struck #8 off by hanging out at Disneyland for my 30th birthday in 2009 (I crossed off an unlisted goal - eating at Club 33 - just two years later).

And after many dreams about it, I finally got to tour and visit FIDM in 2011, striking off #10! 

During this reflection, I also realized how many unlisted goals I accomplished during that same time. I flew both in a private plane and (separately) in first class.

I was kissed on top of the Empire State Building. I had a cupcake from a Cupcake ATM. I saw my disabled niece finally walk. I paid off all of my debt (excluding those pesky student loans).

I met Drew Brees! And I stood on the sidelines of an NFL game! I started a non-profit.  I put my toe on the red carpet of the Academy Awards (hehe).

I sat on "Carrie's Stoop" in NYC. I walked across the Brooklyn Bridge. I stared at wonder at the Grand Canyon. I adopted a dog. I slept in a room next to the ocean. I have been blessed with so many opportunities, I actually feel guilty for wishing for more. 

That being said, life is too short to not make goals and wishes. This is my new bucket list, circa 2013 (updated 7/26/2014!). Some of these are unrealistic, and may just be impossible... but that's the fun of dreaming. It doesn't necessarily have to come true - the fun comes from trying!

Becky's List - Circa 2013

1. Walk across the Sydney Harbor Bridge.
2. Write a book (yes, I haven't quite given up on this one yet).
3. Attend a movie premier, and actually watch the movie.
4. Hear my niece, Bella, talk.
5. See my siblings get married.
6. Sleep in an overwater bungalow in Tahiti.
7. Own a convertible Mustang. <-- Rented one for my 34th birthday; no longer want to own one (but it was fun!)
8. Wear a bikini in public.
9. Get a tattoo with my bestie.
10. See my brother graduate college.
11. Get my dad to see the ocean.
12. Take my mom to the east coast.
13. Meet the cast of Southland. <-- Two down, others to go! Met Michael Cudlitz and C. Thomas Howell!
    
14. Drive up the Pacific Coast Highway.
15. Witness a miracle.
16. Learn how to kite surf.
17. Wear an Oscar de la Renta... anything ;) <-- Own an Oscar de la Renta tote courtesy of Target, Xmas '13!
18. See marriage equality become a reality. <-- Seeing it realized more and more for my friends every day!
19. Live to see the discovery of a cure for cancer.
20. Tour the Freedom Trail in Boston.
21. See the Ruby Slippers in person. <-- Done! Washington, DC - Summer 2013
    
22. Visit Paris.
23. Pay off my student loans - for good.
24. Experience zero gravity.
25. Swim in the Great Barrier Reef.
26. Have coffee with one of my favorite authors.
27. Enjoy a spa-cation.
28. Go parasailing.
29. Go an entire year without getting sick :(
30. Pay off one of my parents' debts (house, car, etc)
31. Vacation in Greece.
32. See New York at Christmas.
33. Attend a taping of The Ellen DeGeneres show.
34. Re-do Mardi Gras in New Orleans (once in a lifetime is not enough).
35. Attend a show at New York Fashion Week.
36. Go to the Super Bowl.
37. Visit family in Indiana.
38. Watch the sunrise in Hawaii.
39. Be tech-free for one week.
40. Help someone else check off something on their bucket list.
41. Own a home with a view.
42. Walk the Great Wall of China.
43. Send someone else on vacation.
44. Learn how to sew.
45. Sing on a stage.
46. Meet Brad Pitt.
47. Run a 1/2 marathon.
48. Take a training class with Jillian Michaels.
49. Get a boob job - yes, seriously.
50. Send my oldest niece to college.

Well, that's it for now. Most of this will likely never happen, but it sure is fun to dream. I'll make sure to update this if/when these things actually happen. In the meantime, I encourage you to go out and make a list of your own. You only get one life - why not make sure it was worth it?

Until next time...

--- Becks