Bucket List

I felt that since this blog came about, in part, to the existence and accomplishment of my bucket list, that I should keep up with it here.  Although some things have already been accomplished, or seem so simple, each one holds a special meaning to me.  I will blog, specifically, about each experience as I cross it off my list. I'm sure along the way, I will add and alter this list frequently; either way, I have the rest of my life to dive into each experience individually.  This is so exciting for me so, here it is:

1. graduate college
2. wish on a shooting star
3. go skydiving
4. get SCUBA certified
5. dive the Great Barrier Reef
6. learn to play golf
7. visit the White House
8. fly a helicopter
9. fly in a private plane
10. ride in a hot air balloon
11. rock climb
12. attend a Giant's game
13. donate blood
14. donate platelets
15. START A BLOG :)
16. receive a graduate degree
17. swim with dolphins
18. ride a motorcycle
19. attend a Yankee/Red Sox game
20. physically hold an Olympic medal
21. witness the Olympic torch being passed
22. attend opening ceremonies at the Olympics
23. participate in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade
24. run a race in Disney
25. run a 5k in every state
26. run a half marathon
27. take a mission trip
28. visit New Orleans for Marti Gras
29. watch the launch of a space shuttle
30. attend Cirque de Sole
31. get married
32. have children
33. make a quilt of Tri Delta shirts
34. donate 10" of hair to Locks of Love
35. stay the night at a Bed & Breakfast
36. volunteer with deaf children
37. climb the Statue of Liberty
38. look over top of the Empire State Building
39. sit in the audience at Regis & Kelly
40. see Chelsea Handler live
41. go to a comedy club
42. visit South Beach
43. ride a mule down the Grand Canyon
44. camp outdoors
45. ride an elephant
46. go horseback riding on the beach
47. witness wild horses run free
48. learn to snowboard
49. learn to surf
50. visit Niagara Falls
51. teach a CCD class
52. visit St. Jude Children's Hospital
53. visit Tri Delta's executive office
54. have a dish/dessert I'm known for
55. partake in a traditional Japanese Tea ceremony
56. see the ball drop in NYC on NYE
57. see a ballet
58. see the sunrise & set in the same 24 hours
59. finish a 1,000 piece puzzle (without help)
60. donate to a charity
61. serve food at a homeless shelter
62. take a train across country
63. hail a cab
64. kiss in the pouring rain
65. visit a Nazi concentration camp
66. develop a close relationship with Christ
67. ride in a submarine
68. jump off a cliff into the water
69. vacation in Hawaii
70. go tech free for a week
71. delete my Facebook (for good!)
72. turn my phone off, one weekend a month
73. surprise my grandmother with a visit to NJ
74. anonymously buy dinner for a stranger
75. watch turtles hatch and run for the ocean
76. visit the Amish Country
77. Tour Williamsburg, VA
78. own my dream house
79. adopt a daughter from China
80. see dolphins in the wild
81. go vegan for a month
82. ride a horse & buggy through Central Park
83. see the Rockefeller tree lighting
84. see the Radio City Rockettes
85. associate with a Tri Delta alumni chapter

MORE TO COME

The journey of 1,000 miles, begins with a single step

Well, here goes nothing or is it here goes everything? Regardless, here I am. Since graduating college and starting my job, I’ve been doing some soul searching. I was well aware that things would play out as they have, what I wasn’t, was prepared to handle it. Essentially in one swift motion, I made the executive decision to stop training and to stop fighting, graduated college, left my entire sorority behind, moved out of the condo I shared with my sister and back into my parents house and began working a full-time job. The dust has settled and the reality is beginning to sink in.

I’ve been thinking a lot and looking to others for advice. I’ve received fabulous advice from amazing mentors, but I’ve also experienced negative influences from those same people. I’ve decided I am on a mission to discover myself; to become a woman I long to be and the woman I will eventually love more than anyone else. I will adopt the qualities I admire in others, and strive to overcome my own demons. This is a journey of self-discovery and self-love.

This past weekend, I finally set out to experience something I have long desired: I went skydiving. Yes, I jumped out of a perfectly good airplane. It was one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life, but, after the adrenalin rush wore, off the feeling that lingered was that of FINALLY taking action towards a desire. Being able to cross off “go skydiving” on my bucket list. That’s when the realization kicked in that life is what you make it.  That I am sitting in the drivers seat of my own life. I am TWENTY-ONE, yes, 21-years-old with a degree and a full-time job that I love and the hunger to make it big…and what’s standing in my way? Fear. I fear myself. I’m afraid that I will make it big. That I will put my head down and truck through life until I get to the top. Really though, I don’t want to get there with my head down the whole way. I want to feel the passion I felt when I used to fight; I want to hurt like when I failed; I want to be bruised and beaten and scared and excited and challenged. I want to laugh and cry and scream and yell. I want to feel something. In fact, I want to feel everything life has to offer.

So, here it goes. Feel free to join me on my journey of self-discovery; it will all be recorded, right here for the world to see. Here goes everything.

• go skydiving
• start a blog