Bucket List

As a child, I was obsessed with death... and quite terrified of it. Perhaps it was in part because of my evil sister, who used to tell me that every freckle I had was cancer. I used to also have this horrible recurring nightmare that my mother was holding me down, trying to feed me poisonous green slime (remember the kind you'd get in the little plastic trash can?). That's a strange one because really I have THE NICEST parents on the planet and they would never do anything like that... but like I said, I was terrified of dying. 

I used to lay in bed at night and pray to God to just let me live long enough to get married and have babies. I'd say "Pleasepleasepleaseplease let me live long enough to have a baby and then you can do whatever you want with me." Ha ha ha. 

Well, thankfully we have a generous, loving God, and He has let me live through the birth of not only one, but TWO wonderful little children... and now my prayer has changed... now it goes something like, "Pleasepleaseplease let me just live long enough to watch my children get married and have babies... THEN you can do with me whatever you want!" LOL. 

So have you seen the movie "The Bucket List?" Great flick. I watched it the other night. It deals with the uncomfortable notion of having to think too much about your impending death. So the two guys who know they're dying decide to make a list of all the things they want to do BEFORE they die. It's their "Before I Kick the Bucket List." 

Last night I laid in bed thinking of what mine might be... 

Well, let's see. I've already done so much...

Graduate from college. Check. Get married and have kids. Check. Visit Japan and Mexico and Hawaii. Check. Snow ski. Check. Ride in a helicopter. Check. Skydive and bungee jump... check.

Start a small business. Check. 

Cool... that all seems pretty good. But let's think of what else I would like to do:

* Drink a beer in a pub in Ireland... on my way in July!

* See a Broadway show in New York

* Go on a photo safari in Africa

* Have 2 Golden Retrievers as pets, and maybe a horse & a farm! 

* Publish a book

* Hold a grandbaby

* Learn to play the bongos

* Visit every state in America!

* Meet Missy Mullins in person... oh and Dave Matthews too! ;)

* Own at least one top of the line ($$$) Nikon lens!!!

Alright, that's a good start. How about YOU... what's on YOUR list??