Back in 2013, I wrote a post about my bucket list. I shared with you 15 things I wanted to do in my lifetime, and eight of them had already been crossed off. Today, I’m recapping. I’m sharing my bucket list again. But now, two years later more items have been added, as well as more items have been marked off! I tried to get as many photos as I could to go with the ones I’ve marked off.
1. Go to a Colts Game
As a Christmas present in 2012, my aunt and uncle bought tickets to a Colts game for me, my brother and our three cousins. We all got to go together to see our favorite football team win on their home field. It was awesome being inside Lucas Oil Stadium, cheering with thousands of other fans and wearing blue with my favorite people.
2. Drag Race
I’ve got the need, the need for speed! I have no idea why really, but drag racing has always sounded so awesome. While in Florida on vacation with Travis’ family in 2011, I was able to mark this one off the list. I went 69.6 mph in 3 seconds, and beat my competitor — Travis. He’ll tell you he let me win, but I know how competitive that boy is — there’s no way he let me win!
3. Go to Australia
It’s beautiful. It’s halfway around the world. It’s a completely different day there. They have kangaroos bouncing around everywhere. Why would I not want to go there? Now that Travis lives in Korea, it’s our hope that I can come visit and we can explore areas on that side of the world that we may never have the opportunity to visit again. Australia is definitely on that list! We are hoping to go there this fall. And I really hope we get to hit up New Zealand while we’re at it!
4. Be Kissed on New Year’s Eve (at midnight of course!)
You always see it in the movies, and it looks so romantic and wonderful. So, of course, I wanted to experience it too! This item is sort of marked off my list. In 2012, I got a kiss on New Year’s Eve at midnight. Travis and I spent the evening with his parents, but I was just getting over the flu. It was not romantic, or at all how I had pictured this bucket list item. So, yes, it’s marked off. But I’d really like a romantic New Year’s Eve with Travis where I get kissed at midnight. Thanks to the military, we’ve hardly ever spent a New Year’s Eve together. This will be yet another year I don’t get to see my man.
5. Get Married
The last time I wrote about my bucket list, this item wasn’t marked off. But in 2013, Travis and I stood in front of all our friends and family and vowed to spend the rest of our lives together. It was a perfect day, and I honestly would live it all over again. Now, we’ve been married for two years! See pictures from our wedding day here.
6. Have Children
I’ve always wanted to be a mommy someday, and I really look forward to having children someday. I’m so glad, however, that Travis and I have had these first two years of marriage all to ourselves. I feel like we’ve really built a strong foundation for our marriage, which I think is important to do, especially if you can do it before adding little people to your family. Read this to see all the things I think you should do before having a baby. We don’t know when we’ll mark this item off my bucket list, but I know it will happen in God’s perfect timing.
7. Ride on the Back of a Motorcycle
I believe it was in 2014 that I marked this item off my list. My dad got a motorcycle and took me for my first ride. I was very nervous and held on really tight. I’m glad to be able to say I’ve done this item, but riding a motorcycle will never be a hobby for me. Read about my experience here.
8. Go to Hawaii
Tropical, warm, beautiful, beaches, fresh fruit, hula dancing … I’ve wanted to visit Hawaii for as long as I can remember. And this year, I was able to mark this item off the list. When the Army sent Travis to the island of Oahu for a week-long class, there was no way I was letting that man go without me! We were able to change my flights (as I was already in Korea visiting at the time) and I flew with Travis to Hawaii. It was everything I had imagined, and I hope I get to go back someday. You can read more about our time in Hawaii here.
9. Swim with Dolphins
I can’t believe how many things I’ve marked off my list in just two years! Yes, I got to swim with dolphins in 2014 when Travis and I went on our first cruise. We were in Cozumel, Mexico when we got to get in the water with the dolphins, feed them, pet them, and even do tricks with them. We weren’t allowed to take photos of the experience for the dolphins’ safety, but here is a photo from another time when I got to feed and pet dolphins at Sea World. Read this post to see what else we did on our cruise.
10. Visit Italy and Stomp Grapes
Have you ever seen the movies, “A Walk in the Clouds” or “Under the Tuscan Sun?” This list item is inspired by those movies. Italy looks stunning. Oh, and I love Italian food. And stomping grapes in a giant bucket looks so fun! This item doesn’t look like it’ll happen in the near future, but you just never know with us!
11. Read the Bible
It took quite awhile, but in high school, I was able to finish reading through the entire Bible. I read it straight through from Genesis to Revelation. I like marking my Bible all up — underlining and adding notes. By now, I know I’ve read the Bible several times through. Right now, I’m reading it backwards — starting with the book of Revelation and reading to Genesis. I’m almost done as right now I’m reading Leviticus.
12. Be in a Dance Routine
While in college, I joined a group called Covenant Army. It was a dance group that worked out together and then learned dance routines together. We performed hip-hop and reggae style dances at churches or International events. I’m so glad I got to be a part of it. I love dancing. I was also in several dance routines when I was a camp counselor.
13. Donate my Hair
I know a lot of people do this, so maybe it doesn’t seem like a big deal. But, do you know how much I love my hair? It’s the main thing I am complimented on. So cutting it all off after my first year of college was a drastic change. I got 12 inches cut off. I donated the hair to Wigs for Kids, an organization that provides wigs to children with cancer for free. And for the next few months, I could barely get my hair into a ponytail.
14. See a Broadway Play in New York City
NYC is one of those places you just need to visit at some point in your life. I love plays, musicals and theatre in general, and seeing a Broadway play is the best you can get. I visited my best friend who lives in NYC once. I stayed with her for a weekend, and we saw “Sister Act” on Broadway. It was hysterical. I loved it! And I was so excited to meet Raven Symoné outside after the musical. She was Olivia on “The Cosby Show” and Raven on Disney’s “That’s So Raven.”
15. Ride in a Hot Air Balloon
I’ve always been a little scared of heights, but this still seemed like it would be such a neat experience. And I was given the opportunity as a graduation present from Travis. We got to go for an hour-long ride in a bright colored balloon right before sunset. It was gorgeous and so so so neat. We went 3, 200 feet high, and the whole time it was just like we were floating. It definitely wasn’t scary, other than being afraid of dropping my camera! But it was such an awesome experience, and I’m so glad Travis gave me the opportunity to mark it off my list.
(This is where my list stopped back in 2013.)
16. Ride a Mechanical Bull
I always thought this looked fun. When Travis and I were at a BBQ festival in Georgia one summer, they had a mechanical bull. Lots of children were riding it, but I knew I wanted to do it too. I definitely did not last long, but it was fun to experience!
17. Shoot a Gun
I was SO nervous to do this. I mean, seriously, it took me a long time to actually pull the trigger. But once I shot a gun, I realized it didn’t kick as much as I thought it was going to. Now, I’ve shot several guns. I’m not comfortable at those shooting ranges where you are stuck in a small room with strangers who have guns. I mean, I don’t know those people! What if they don’t take gun safety seriously? But I do enjoy going out to a big, open field with family members who I can trust. Read this post about my experience.
18. Go on a Cruise
For our one year anniversary, Travis and I wanted to go a on cruise. It didn’t really happen that way, though. Instead, we celebrated with a cruise about six months after our anniversary. We were just glad we got to go, and it ended up being way cheaper in the fall anyways. We loved our cruise, and I would totally go on another one. In fact, I highly recommend a cruise for a vacation because you get to see several places and it’s a really good value. Click here to read about our cruise.
19. Go to a Rodeo
OK, so I went to a rodeo when I was really little, but I don’t remember it. I have seen a home video of me in my cowboy hat after the rodeo. I guess I cried my eyes out as we left because I wanted a lasso. I got a lasso for my birthday that year, and I wasn’t even big enough to twirl it! So Travis and I went to a rodeo in Georgia, and it was so fun watching the bull riders and other cowboys and cowgirls doing their thing.
20. Release a Paper Lantern
Have you seen the movie “Tangled” and fallen in love like I did? Releasing paper lanterns just seems so romantic. The night I marked this off my bucket list is a night I’ll never forget. I think it’s a favorite memory for both my husband and me. He secretly bought paper lanterns and surprised me with them one night while we were dating back in 2011. That was the night he told me he loved me for the first time. It was incredibly special being under the stars with lightning bugs dancing all around us.
21. See a Monkey (Not in a Zoo)
Yes, I want to see a real live monkey, and by that I mean one that does not live in a cage. I hoped to see one when I visited Costa Rica, but never did. I hoped to see one sometime during our cruise, but we never did. My husband has seen them during his trip to Indonesia, and I’m jealous. I hope I get to see one someday!
22. Horseback Ride on the Beach and in the Ocean
Um yes. This was awesome. This was probably my favorite part of our honeymoon back in 2013. We got to ride horses to the beach, along the sand. And then, we even got to ride the horses into the ocean. It was so cool! What an experience!
23. Visit all 50 States
This is probably on a lot of people’s bucket lists. It would be really neat to say I’ve been to all 50 states and be able to see each one. I know I’ve been to at least half. I think I’ve been to 26, so I still have a ways to go. I would like to do a road trip up the east coast and end in Maine. I also need to visit a lot of states in the middle of the country — where it would be great to see a lot of national parks.
24. See the Northern Lights
How beautiful it would be to experience this wonder. I’m not even sure where I need to go to see these, but I know you can only see it at certain times of the year. Either way, I have to make this happen.
25. Ride in a Helicopter
I think I’d be a little scared, and I might even get motion sick. But I still want to experience this at some point.
26. Ride an Elephant
Did it! Yes, I got to ride an elephant back in 2008 I believe. I went to the Indiana State Fair with a friend, and they just happened to have elephant rides. It was neat!
27. Run a 5K
In 2013, I made it my goal to be able to run a 5K. I was working out all the time trying to get my stamina up so I could actually run 3 miles without stopping. I finally did it, and Travis and I did our first Color Run together. It was … well, tiring actually. But I’m so glad I didn’t give up! Read about my first Color Run here.
28. Go on an African Safari
Lions, zebras, giraffes, oh my! How awesome would it be to see these animals in their natural habitats? I would just love that! In Disney World, Travis and I got to go on a safari and it was so cool! The giraffes were running, and I had never seen giraffes run before. I loved it, and I figure it was just a glimpse into what a real safari would be like.
Are any of these items on your bucket list? Have you done any of the things I still need to mark off?