Bucket List

Back during Thanksgiving week of 2009, I made my first bucket list, which consisted of 50 goals. The majority of those got completed over the years, and those that didn’t were mostly eliminated in one way or another. It’s also been a good number of years since 2009, and my goals and plans have changed a lot over time. I’ve actually revamped the list several times since then, and have chosen in 2023 to do so again, this time making it a rolling list of things I’d like to do that can change and have additions/deletions at any time. Makes more sense than trying to revamp every few years as my life and personality evolve!

The Bucket List – Incomplete

Travel to (outside US): Indonesia; Prague; Avignon; Austria; Chile; Argentina; Zambia; Jordan (and the Dead Sea); Turkey; Iceland; Sicily (including a wine tour); India; South Africa; San Marino; New Zealand; the Andes Mountains; Machu Picchu; continents/regions to visit: Asia, Oceania

Travel to (inside US): Glacier National Park; Rocky Mountain National Park; the Grand Canyon; Yellowstone National Park; Sequoia National Park; remaining US States (13): Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Kentucky, Michigan, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming

All the rest:

  • visit an elephant sanctuary
  • see the northern lights
  • attend a ren faire
  • take a pole dancing class
  • take a belly dancing class
  • take an aerial yoga/acrobatics type class
  • take a bikram yoga class
  • complete pistol squats
  • attend dinner theatre
  • see Whitey in concert
  • attend a blind restaurant
  • attend a monster truck rally
  • go grape stomping
  • play an accordion
  • go on a yoga retreat
  • Paint Your Pet: Angus, Ghost, Gherkin
  • hike the full Camino del Norte in Spain
  • move to Europe
  • Alcohol/drinks to try: Mead
  • axe throwing

 

The Bucket List – Complete (87)

Travel excluding US States: Canada; Costa Rica; Panama; Puerto Rico; Florence; Scotland; Ireland; Bahamas; continents/regions visited: Central America, South America, Europe, Middle East, Africa (though barely)

US States visited (37): Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland (including DC), Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin

All the rest (in no particular order):

  • learn calligraphy
  • learn tatting basics
  • eat/chew honeycomb
  • ballroom dancing classes
  • class in making stained glass
  • fish pedicure
  • run a full 5K
  • see Phantom of the Opera live
  • see Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat live
  • play a cello
  • go ziplining
  • get a tattoo
  • swim with dolphins
  • go snorkeling
  • see/ride a camel
  • read Ada by Nabokov
  • read the Harry Potter series in French
  • donate hair to Locks of Love
  • transfer old home movies and cassettes to digital form
  • make a mashup of Metropolis and ECTP
  • get back on a swing
  • go on a cruise
  • go on an Alaskan cruise
  • have a honeymoon
  • meet Brandon Sanderson
  • go to a wine tasting
  • go through an escape room
  • experience a mud run
  • experience a color run
  • revisit my childhood piano lessons
  • learn how to ride a bike again
  • lose 100 lbs
  • laser hair removal
  • complete a triathlon, half marathon, or long-term weight training program (half marathon)
  • fall back into someone’s arms
  • paint with henna
  • Alcohol/drinks tried: good-quality brandy
  • attend a silent dance party
  • see The Greatest Showman in theatre
  • eat a Viennetta
  • use a climbing wall
  • go through the Chunnel
  • karaoke
  • Paint Your Pet: Christabel, Ash, Gavroche, Nimi, Jojo, Atticus
  • Alcohol/drinks tried: Pornstar Martini, French 75, Kir

*****
Last updated: 11/12/25