So I know it's been forever since I last updated. A lot has happened since then and I really feel like I'm being tested in a lot of areas by God, but I've got some great friends that help encourage me in Christ and my life is great! This update, then, isn't necessarily going to be an update on my life or what's been going on, but, instead, I want to make this my bucket list. I want you all to keep me accountable and help me to do these things. I think they'll be fun and worth it. Some may be crazy, others you may think, "Seriously? She wants to do that?" By the time you get done reading this, I want to have made you laugh about some silly things and cry about the serious ones. Each one of these things on my bucket list has a story as to why it made it on my bucket list. So, grab a bag of popcorn (or not if you think it's too fattening ;) ) and sit back, relax, and read about my bucket list... Let's get started!
#1 Travel across the country from North Carolina to California and visit friends and family along the way.I would start at my grandparents house in North Carolina, head to Kentucky to visit the Catlett's, up to Evansville to visit the Easterday's, over to Kansas to visit the Bolewski's and the Sunderland's, then travel to Route 66 (because of Cars the movie of course), then head to California to dip my toes in the Pacific Ocean. I love to travel! This is my passion and if I could travel all the time, I would, especially if it means meeting new people along the way!
#2 Be in two places at once. I hope you're thinking A Walk to Remember right now because that's why I want to do this. I love this movie and I love the book too so this is just a must! Maybe I can accomplish this one on my trip across the U.S..
#3 Make a difference. I know this seems broad and maybe I'll never know if this actually ever comes true, but I want to make a difference. I want people, when I die, to say, "This girl made an impact for Christ. She made a difference when it came to living differently as a full out Christian." I know this kind of thing takes time to achieve. But I want to make a difference in someones life. I want to help them see Christ in a way that maybe they've never seen him before.
#4 Change someone's life. This will probably be easier for me since I plan on being a counselor full time once I graduate, but I want someone to come into my office, or life, who is completely unaware of who God is and I want God to use me to help change that person's life so that they can know and love God the way I know and love God. And I don't just want to create a fan for God. I want God to use me to help encourage someone to be a follower of Christ in every sense of the word. (You'll understand more about this one if you read Not a Fan by Kyle Idelman.)
#5 Graduate from College. So, this one may be obvious, but college is tough haha. I'm getting worried that transferring has cost me a lot more than just a couple lost credits. I thought i was going to be able to graduate on time but it looks like I'll be about a semester or two behind which I am not looking forward to, but that's the price of transferring. My hope is that I can squeeze in some classes in the summer and get done sooner, but we will see. So, for now, this is on my bucket list because this may be harder than I thought.
#6 Be Healthy. I am not saying this because I think I am fat and I need to lose weight. I am saying this though because I know a youthful body only lasts so long and I want to start being healthy now so that it is easier to make healthy choices later. I think every girl has their goal weight, so yes, I wouldn't mind losing weight, but I don't think I need to, however, being healthier would definitely help me lose weight if I wanted to. So, I want to snack on fruits and vegetables instead of chips and cookies. I want to drink more water instead of soda and sugary drinks. This one may not be measurable as far as a before-i-die sort of thing, but nonetheless, I want to try.
#7 Run a marathon. I have ran a couple mini marathons, but I want to run a marathon and I want to run it with LLS (The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society). I love running. I have had to stop for a bit because of my back, but I think in a couple years or something, I will be able to do this. Maybe by the time I am thirty years old. I have 9 years to accomplish this one. I think this is more than doable. I want Rhea to run it with me though. This would be a fun bonding experience. I loved running all those half marathons with my dad so I know this will be fun if I can get Rhea or maybe my dad to run it with me (but my dad's a little crazy when it comes to running so maybe just Rhea haha).
#8 Get Married. I realize this isn't necessarily something anyone can hold me accountable to do, but I want to get married by the end of my life. I think most people do haha. I'm about to be real serious, so hold onto your hats... I think I found the guy God has for me to marry (I do not believe in that one special person-- many people think I'm crazy, but I think we get to decide who we fall in love with. It's a decision. It may start as a feeling, but feelings fade, choices don't.) I am in love with Clay and, hopefully, some day we'll get married, but right now I'm his girlfriend and I'm just going to enjoy every moment I have right now and not be anxious about what's ahead.
#9 Be humble/ Learn to be Selfless. I, again, realize this is something I may never know if I attained or not by the time I die, but nonetheless, I will try. I want to never think of myself first, but instead, I want my initial reactions to situations to be, "How can I help that person?" I do not want to think life revolves around me nor do I ever want to be tempted to think that. As humans, I think, we have the tendency to be selfish. By the end of my life, I want to have learned selflessness and achieved humbleness. I hope I never think I have achieved this though because that's when pride comes along. So, I know I will never know, but this is still something I want to try to accomplish.
#10 Scuba/Snuba Dive. There's something you need to know about me. I hate the ocean. I feel like I am going to have a heart attack just thinking about going in the ocean. I'm terrified of it and I hate all the creatures that live in the ocean. They all freak me out. Nonetheless, I want to do this because, one, I will face a fear of mine, and, two, because I will get to observe the beauty of the ocean from inside it instead of from the beach. This one may be a nightmare to try to get me to do, but I will do this some day.... Maybe... (I sort of did this in the Bahamas, but we weren't in the ocean.)
#11 Travel Somewhere in Europe. This I have always wanted to do. Maybe visit a bunch of places at once or just go to Rome or Paris. But I definitely want to go to Europe someday. Pathetically, it's because of Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen's movie Passport to Paris. Don't judge me too much. I'm a twin. I had to bond with other twins.
#12 Play the Guitar (Like a Pro). I have always been musically challenged so when Clay bought me a guitar for Christmas (because he knew it was on my bucket list), I thought, "This is an awesome present, but he is going to be really disappointed to find out I am awful." Turns out I am not too bad. So this one is in progress, but I still need people to encourage me to keep it up because I hate those "walls" you hit and you just don't want to keep trying because you feel like you're never going to get it. That's where I'm at right now. So I just have to keep pushing through and maybe I'll be able to play (just play, not sing) on stage some day.
#13 (Future, way future) Raise children that love God. I know this is very future, but the one thing I want most before I die is to raise children that love God with all of their heart. Today's society has kids thinking things that they shouldn't and feeling like they aren't good enough so they have to change all these things about themselves just to fit in. I don't want my (future) kids to ever think they have to be something other than who they are in Christ. I want them to find joy and happiness and peace in our Savior. I want to be the kind of mother that they trust and can go to when they need wisdom or just plain old advice. I don't want them to ever feel like they are alone. I just want to raise children who love God with all of their heart and in today's world, this is a challenge in and of itself. I hear prayer helps a whole heck of a lot though.
#14 Train ride over 24 hours. Rhea says it has to be over 24 hours otherwise the train ride isn't worth it. I love the country so I would want my train ride to be to somewhere like Arizona or Nevada so that I can see a lot of country beauty on the way. I want to take a train ride because, to me, they just seem peaceful and something of the past. I love old, vintage things or things from the past so this is on my bucket list for that very reason. I want to ride a train just for the experience. I may hate it or maybe I'll love it. Either way, I want to do this.
#15 New York City on New Year's Eve. This is something I have always wanted to do. I pride myself on the fact that I am not a city kind of girl, but I also don't mind it that much to where I wouldn't want to go to any city. I want to go to NYC on New Year's Eve just to say I went and because I think it would be fun. This way, when I go, I can shop in all their amazing shops and sight see at the same time so I kill two birds with one stone. I can't wait for this one to happen!
That's all I've got for my Bucket List. I wrote a whole bunch down but these made the top 15. I cannot wait to get started on marking these off. Some I will have to be patient with while others I may be able to mark off the list fairly quickly. There are so many things I used to have on my bucket list that I have already done so maybe next time I'll write about what I've done and why I wanted to have it on my bucket list in the first place. So now, my question to you, what would you do on my list or if you had a list of your own, what would be on it?
#1 Travel across the country from North Carolina to California and visit friends and family along the way.I would start at my grandparents house in North Carolina, head to Kentucky to visit the Catlett's, up to Evansville to visit the Easterday's, over to Kansas to visit the Bolewski's and the Sunderland's, then travel to Route 66 (because of Cars the movie of course), then head to California to dip my toes in the Pacific Ocean. I love to travel! This is my passion and if I could travel all the time, I would, especially if it means meeting new people along the way!
#2 Be in two places at once. I hope you're thinking A Walk to Remember right now because that's why I want to do this. I love this movie and I love the book too so this is just a must! Maybe I can accomplish this one on my trip across the U.S..
#3 Make a difference. I know this seems broad and maybe I'll never know if this actually ever comes true, but I want to make a difference. I want people, when I die, to say, "This girl made an impact for Christ. She made a difference when it came to living differently as a full out Christian." I know this kind of thing takes time to achieve. But I want to make a difference in someones life. I want to help them see Christ in a way that maybe they've never seen him before.
#4 Change someone's life. This will probably be easier for me since I plan on being a counselor full time once I graduate, but I want someone to come into my office, or life, who is completely unaware of who God is and I want God to use me to help change that person's life so that they can know and love God the way I know and love God. And I don't just want to create a fan for God. I want God to use me to help encourage someone to be a follower of Christ in every sense of the word. (You'll understand more about this one if you read Not a Fan by Kyle Idelman.)
#5 Graduate from College. So, this one may be obvious, but college is tough haha. I'm getting worried that transferring has cost me a lot more than just a couple lost credits. I thought i was going to be able to graduate on time but it looks like I'll be about a semester or two behind which I am not looking forward to, but that's the price of transferring. My hope is that I can squeeze in some classes in the summer and get done sooner, but we will see. So, for now, this is on my bucket list because this may be harder than I thought.
#6 Be Healthy. I am not saying this because I think I am fat and I need to lose weight. I am saying this though because I know a youthful body only lasts so long and I want to start being healthy now so that it is easier to make healthy choices later. I think every girl has their goal weight, so yes, I wouldn't mind losing weight, but I don't think I need to, however, being healthier would definitely help me lose weight if I wanted to. So, I want to snack on fruits and vegetables instead of chips and cookies. I want to drink more water instead of soda and sugary drinks. This one may not be measurable as far as a before-i-die sort of thing, but nonetheless, I want to try.
#7 Run a marathon. I have ran a couple mini marathons, but I want to run a marathon and I want to run it with LLS (The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society). I love running. I have had to stop for a bit because of my back, but I think in a couple years or something, I will be able to do this. Maybe by the time I am thirty years old. I have 9 years to accomplish this one. I think this is more than doable. I want Rhea to run it with me though. This would be a fun bonding experience. I loved running all those half marathons with my dad so I know this will be fun if I can get Rhea or maybe my dad to run it with me (but my dad's a little crazy when it comes to running so maybe just Rhea haha).
#8 Get Married. I realize this isn't necessarily something anyone can hold me accountable to do, but I want to get married by the end of my life. I think most people do haha. I'm about to be real serious, so hold onto your hats... I think I found the guy God has for me to marry (I do not believe in that one special person-- many people think I'm crazy, but I think we get to decide who we fall in love with. It's a decision. It may start as a feeling, but feelings fade, choices don't.) I am in love with Clay and, hopefully, some day we'll get married, but right now I'm his girlfriend and I'm just going to enjoy every moment I have right now and not be anxious about what's ahead.
#9 Be humble/ Learn to be Selfless. I, again, realize this is something I may never know if I attained or not by the time I die, but nonetheless, I will try. I want to never think of myself first, but instead, I want my initial reactions to situations to be, "How can I help that person?" I do not want to think life revolves around me nor do I ever want to be tempted to think that. As humans, I think, we have the tendency to be selfish. By the end of my life, I want to have learned selflessness and achieved humbleness. I hope I never think I have achieved this though because that's when pride comes along. So, I know I will never know, but this is still something I want to try to accomplish.
#10 Scuba/Snuba Dive. There's something you need to know about me. I hate the ocean. I feel like I am going to have a heart attack just thinking about going in the ocean. I'm terrified of it and I hate all the creatures that live in the ocean. They all freak me out. Nonetheless, I want to do this because, one, I will face a fear of mine, and, two, because I will get to observe the beauty of the ocean from inside it instead of from the beach. This one may be a nightmare to try to get me to do, but I will do this some day.... Maybe... (I sort of did this in the Bahamas, but we weren't in the ocean.)
#11 Travel Somewhere in Europe. This I have always wanted to do. Maybe visit a bunch of places at once or just go to Rome or Paris. But I definitely want to go to Europe someday. Pathetically, it's because of Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen's movie Passport to Paris. Don't judge me too much. I'm a twin. I had to bond with other twins.
#12 Play the Guitar (Like a Pro). I have always been musically challenged so when Clay bought me a guitar for Christmas (because he knew it was on my bucket list), I thought, "This is an awesome present, but he is going to be really disappointed to find out I am awful." Turns out I am not too bad. So this one is in progress, but I still need people to encourage me to keep it up because I hate those "walls" you hit and you just don't want to keep trying because you feel like you're never going to get it. That's where I'm at right now. So I just have to keep pushing through and maybe I'll be able to play (just play, not sing) on stage some day.
#13 (Future, way future) Raise children that love God. I know this is very future, but the one thing I want most before I die is to raise children that love God with all of their heart. Today's society has kids thinking things that they shouldn't and feeling like they aren't good enough so they have to change all these things about themselves just to fit in. I don't want my (future) kids to ever think they have to be something other than who they are in Christ. I want them to find joy and happiness and peace in our Savior. I want to be the kind of mother that they trust and can go to when they need wisdom or just plain old advice. I don't want them to ever feel like they are alone. I just want to raise children who love God with all of their heart and in today's world, this is a challenge in and of itself. I hear prayer helps a whole heck of a lot though.
#14 Train ride over 24 hours. Rhea says it has to be over 24 hours otherwise the train ride isn't worth it. I love the country so I would want my train ride to be to somewhere like Arizona or Nevada so that I can see a lot of country beauty on the way. I want to take a train ride because, to me, they just seem peaceful and something of the past. I love old, vintage things or things from the past so this is on my bucket list for that very reason. I want to ride a train just for the experience. I may hate it or maybe I'll love it. Either way, I want to do this.
#15 New York City on New Year's Eve. This is something I have always wanted to do. I pride myself on the fact that I am not a city kind of girl, but I also don't mind it that much to where I wouldn't want to go to any city. I want to go to NYC on New Year's Eve just to say I went and because I think it would be fun. This way, when I go, I can shop in all their amazing shops and sight see at the same time so I kill two birds with one stone. I can't wait for this one to happen!
That's all I've got for my Bucket List. I wrote a whole bunch down but these made the top 15. I cannot wait to get started on marking these off. Some I will have to be patient with while others I may be able to mark off the list fairly quickly. There are so many things I used to have on my bucket list that I have already done so maybe next time I'll write about what I've done and why I wanted to have it on my bucket list in the first place. So now, my question to you, what would you do on my list or if you had a list of your own, what would be on it?