73 things in the bucket

As I sipped my steaming coffee with peppermint creamer out of my very rugged mug, I was reading on www.usatoday.com about "The Bucket List". This article was inspired by the upcoming movie which is called exactly that, "The Bucket List" which stars Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. Now I am hopefully not going to be kicking the bucket any time soon, but I figure that if I make a bucket list while I am still young, I will be able to achieve more that is on the list than if I wait until I am older.

***On a side note, it is really funny that this movie is coming out because about a three years ago my Dad and I went out to lunch and one of the items he brought up in conversation was what is in his will and had this folder of stuff I would need if anything were to happen to him. In the folder were things like where he hoped to be buried and things of that sort. He then asked me what he should put on the front of the folder so I would know what it was. I jokingly said, "label it, 'Kick The Bucket Folder'", and he did. So in honor of my father, I hope to take him to the movie so we can get a good laugh out of it! He is so silly!
Anyway, back to the task at hand, here I sit, still sipping on my coffee, and pondering my life and the things I want to achieve, so here is the list in no particular order.

CHERYL'S BUCKET FULL OF LIFE:
1. To get a degree in photography
2. To sew my own skirt (like a hippie one with super cool patches and colors)
3. To sew a quilt with Kristy Pals (my God-mother)
4. To draw and sketch more...which hopefully will include going to Dr. Sketchy's with Naomi
5. To meditate more
6. To go on a road trip with no particular destination and be able to stop and pull over any time I want to enjoy things or take a picture
7. To go to Santorini Greece
8. To have a beautiful garden party on a summer evening with good friends
9. To send more cards to friends for random reasons
10. To learn how to can from Leanne Gossack...Mmmm Jelly!
11. To make homemade cinnamon rolls from my grandmother's recipie
12. To write a book...even if it is only for myself to read
13. To read many of the Jane Austin classics
14. To write a children's book and have any of my very artistic friends illustrate it
15. To go to New Zealand and backpack
16. To do a missions trip at least once every three years
17. To learn another language, hopefully Czech
18. To get out of debt and be able to randomly surprise people with gifts such as landscaping their yards
19. To exercise at least 3 times a week unless I am on vacation
20. To hike more 14ners
21. To go back to Vermont in the fall and spend more time there
22. To get a kayak
23. To take my mom on a "girls trip"
24. To ride my bike more
25. To visit Alyssa in Switzerland
26. To be present at Amanda's wedding
27. To keep in touch with so many of my students
28. To have a child, either through birth or adoption
29. To visit Laura again
30. To spend a week with just my cousin Debbie and do "girl things"
31. To go to Norway
32. To paint something I am really proud of
33. To go backpacking with my husband and any future children
34. To frame some of my photos and display them
35. To take a day once every 6 months to just go take pictures
36. To take Aaron to Key West and Kayak with him there
37. To make a book of my photos for Brad Widstrom
38. To help Aaron get through his 2nd Masters and his PhD.
39. To get henna done on my hands and/or back
40. To write my dad a letter letting him know how much I love him
41. To be in Jake's wedding
42. To get a massage once every other year
43. To go fishing with my Dad every few years in Minnesota
44. To learn some graphic design stuff
45. To volunteer for the museum
46. To be an active volunteer at a local school
47. To go deep sea fishing
48. To go on an Alaskan cruise
49. To go back to Cabo for a second honeymoon
50. To yell and cheer really loud at my child's sporting events (if they choose to play sports)
51. To get DU Hockey season tickets
52. To stay in close contact with Sarah and Kerry
53. To build a deck with my husband, father-in-law, and brother-in-laws
54. To teach my students how to see God through art
55. To visit Laguna Beach
56. To study a random culture and read as many books as I can about them
57. To get a library card and use it
58. To get Aaron his CJ-7 to work on and re-vamp
59. To stay in touch with the my Christensen side of the family and write to them more.
60. To write Dave and tell him how great of a brother he is
61. To put an extension on my home
62. To beat the NES game Yo-Noid
63. To help my dad get to Europe and see the WWII battlefields
64. To take pictures of a friends/students wedding
65. To go to Czech for vacation with my family
66. To give my children God-parents
67. To wear funky clothes/accessories at least once every other week
68. To continue to mentor girls
69. To do more charity walks (MS walk, Breast Cancer walk, ect.)
70. To be more of an encourager to JV missionaries
71. To take Aaron to Hawaii
72. To have a 50th Anniversary bash (I am talking something GRAND)
73. To say on my death bed, "I have lived a life well done"



(Thanks clip art for the bucket photos!)