The Bucket List

I've always thought about my bucket list and talked about things I wanted to do before I died.  This was only a thought and an abstract concept in my jumbled up brain for a long time however, until about 6 months ago when my bucket list was born.  I was hanging out with my friend and we couldn't decide what to do for the afternoon.  See, we lived in a tiny town of about 400 people in the middle of farming country in Ireland where there wasn't a whole lot to do so I decided we should make bucket lists.  So, crayons in hand we set about writing our bucket lists.  There were some things I had dreams about my whole life and some things I found on other bucket lists and internet research that made the list.  I think there is something so important about writing out your dreams and making them something tangible.  Writing down that bucket list somehow made it more real and has given me the drive to actually start achieving some of those dreams.
Why am I telling you all of this you might ask?  Well, just like I believe putting that list down in writing made it more real I believe telling others about my dreams will make me more accountable to those and I'm hoping by telling you all about my dreams you can help me achieve them.  See, accomplishing things on a bucket list is as much about the people you accomplish them with as the actual event.  I want to give you the chance to share in my dreams and grow with me.  I want your help in achieving these goals.  So, I am going to write my bucket list here and as I finish things I will write about them and bring you into the adventure.

THE LIST!
Visit All 7 Marian Apparition Sites
Go on Pilgrimage to the Holy Land
Go to Christ the Redeemer in Rio
Bring Others to Christ
Go to Where St. Gianna Lived
Read the Whole Bible
Run a Marathon
Go Bungee Jumping
Walk the Wicklow Way
Climb One of the World's Seven Summits
Sing at a Karaoke Bar
Play an Open Mic Night
Read the New York Time Bestseller List
Hike an Active Volcano
Learn to Water Ski
Become Fluent in Another Language
Go Cliff Jumping
Play in a Band
Learn to Sew
Learn to Beatbox
Do Something Spontaneous
Work in an African Orphanage
Complete Five Random Acts of Kindness
Volunteer at a Soup Kitchen
Volunteer in India
Grow Out and Donate My Hair
Visit Every State
Visit All US National Parks
Go Geo-caching
See All American Baseball Fields
Hike the Appalachian Trail
Go to Nashville
Drive Route 66 From Start to Finish
Go to Washington D.C.
Go Wine Tasting in Napa Valley
Go to Disney World
Break a Plate on Purpose
Ride an Elephant
Go on a Cruise
Ride in a Hot Air Balloon
Swim with Dolphins
Ride in a Helicopter
Go to the World Series
Take a Photography Class
Attend an Olympic Games
See the Northern Lights
Go Paint-balling
Watch Sea Turtles Hatch and Make for the Sea
Watch a Sun Rise and Set in One Day
Witness a Solar and Lunar Eclipse
See Ground Zero
Go Whale Watching
Ride a Jet-Ski
Take Ballroom Dance Lessons
Ride the Ten Largest Roller Coasters in the US
Watch 100 Greatest Movies to Date (2013)
Meet Someone Famous
Go to a World Cup
Catch a Fly Ball at a Major League Baseball Game
Ride in a Horse-Drawn Carriage
Eat Breakfast in Bed
Take a Cooking Class
Go to Canvas and Cocktails
Adopt Children
Get Married
Become a Keynote Speaker
Be Environmentally Conscious
Be Financially Stable
Maintain a High Level of Fitness
Let God Love Me
Love Myself
Be a Godmother
Learn to Trust
Live Life to the Full
Get a Master's Degree
Set Foot on Every Continent
Scuba Dive Off the Great Barrier Reef
Ride the Rocky Mountaineer
Visit Machu Pichu
See the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World
See the Seven Modern Wonders of the World
Go to Italy
Kayak in the Bio-luminescent Bay of Fijardo, Puerto Rico
Go to the Amazon Rainforest
See Niagra Falls in US and Canada
Go to a World Expo
Attend a Lantern Festival in Taiwan
Go on an African Safari
Walk the Great Wall of China
Throw a Dart at a Map and Go Where it Lands
See the Terra Cotta Warriors
Go to New Zealand
Go to Harry Potter World
Go to Rio Celeste, Coast Rica
Go to Scotland
Attend the Grand Ole Opry
See an Opera at the Met
See a Performance at the Sydney Opera House
Visit a "Real" Blues Bar in Chicago
Watch an Orchestral Performance in Vienna
Learn to Play Many Instruments
Go to a Jazz Club in New Orleans
See Straight No Chaser Live
See Michael Buble Live
See Once

So that's the list!  I know its long but I've got a lot of dreams!  Making this list has been an amazing opportunity for me to think about what is important to me and to dream big.  Most of my life I've been too afraid to dream big.  Its scary to admit those goals but I've actually found it freeing to identify what is important to help me.  It has also been healing in a lot of ways.  For most of my life I never dreamed big because I didn't believe I was special enough to do anything extraordinary.  Through writing this list I have started to believe I am worth enough to have big dreams.  This list isn't just about things I want to do but who I want to be.  I don't want to be the girl who is afraid to take risks or dream big because she doesn't think she is worth it.  I want to believe because I am a daughter of God I deserve big dreams and a life full of life, love and joy!  So, believe in yourself and make your own list because you deserve a life lived to the full!