Get my fortune read
Experience inner silence at a meditation retreat
Feel the freezing wind on my face on a snowmobile snowverland adventure
Take a trip with Mom
Go on a solo nature retreat
Take family portraits
Ride in a helicopter
Ride in a hot air balloon
Wonder at the Albuquerque Balloon Festival
Do an overlanding Moon Tour in Australia
Go to a live All Blacks Rugby Match
See Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me
Watch 4th of July fireworks in Washington DC
Tour the White House
View the changing of the guard at Arlington National Cemetery
Visit the states we haven’t experienced (Chris & Jeremy - Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Alaska. Just Jeremy - Ohio. Just Chris - Hawaii, North Dakota, Delaware.)
Experience all the National Parks we haven’t seen
Experience the Northern Lights
Take a cross-country trip
Hike the Enchantments
Take a wilderness safari in Africa
Experience a European Wine Tour
Visit Red Square
See Mount Everest
See a match at Wimbledon
Pass through the Panama Canal
Swim in Ha Long Bay
Feel the spray of Iguazu Falls
Experience Burning Man
Tour Napa Valley
Visit the Roswell UFO Festival
Visit the Shire in New Zealand
Descend into the Waitomo Glowworm Caves
Meditate in the Taj Majal
Climb the pyramids
Trek to Petra
Ride in Portland’s World Naked Bike Fest
Cheer on the USA at the Olympics or Paralympics
Explore Chichen Itza
Celebrate Carnival in Brazil
Get down and dirty at Boryeong Mud Festival
Experience Christ the Redeemer
Feel the magic of Lapland
Take salsa lessons
Learn to play pickleball
Research our family tree
Celebrate Dias de los Muertos in Mexico
Attend Oktoberfest in Germany
Own or rent a roadster and take a cross-country vacation
Complete the Rim to Rim Challenge
Tour Alcatraz
Walk on the Great Wall of China
Celebrate New Years’ in Times Square
Complete the Freedom Trail in Boston
Bikepack an epic route
Cross the Golden Gate Bridge
Ride the Millennium Wheel in London
Cruise Alaska
Eat a Philly Cheese-steak in Pennsylvania
Experience the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona
Attend a major sporting event like the Super Bowl or World Series
Celebrate Bastille Day in France
Stroll around Stonehenge
Fly over the Nazca Lines
Venture to Machu Pichu via the Inca Trail
Ride through the Chunnel
See the Liberty Bell
Swamp boat tour through the Everglades
Photo op with the King’s Guard at Buckingham Palace
Watch the latest films at a Film Festival
Throw the colors at Holi in India
Hear the engines roar at the Monaco Grand Prix
Laugh my ass off at a comedy festival
Light a flame at the Fire Festival in Scotland
Stay out of the way at the Cheese Rolling Festival in Gloucester, England
Release a lantern at the Lantern Festival in Taiwan
Frolic in the snow at the Snow and Ice Festival in China
Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in Dublin
Enjoy Coachella
Be awed at the Osh Kosh Air Show
Try not to be offended at the Kanamara Matsuri Festival in Japan
Go see Stephen Colbert live
Get professionally body-painted for Fantasy Fest
See a show at the Sydney Opera House
Float in the Dead Sea
Spend a night at an Ice Hotel
Soak in Iceland’s Blue Lagoon
Explore an Ice Cave
Take an epic train journey (Rocky Mountaineer or Orient Express)
Drive a racecar on a real racetrack
Complete the Rubicon Trail
Couple’s Massage in Thailand
Shootcation in Bali
Buy a capsule wardrobe
Fly Business Class
Complete a physical challenge that makes me proud of myself
Ride an elephant
Fly high at the Kite Festival in India
Photograph Marine Lake in Banff, Canada
Stroll the Cinque Terre in Italy
Experience the thrill of Caminito Del Rey in Spain
The Long Game - 11/30/2024
My 50 B4 50 List has morphed into a 60 B4 60 List. I accomplished 44 things on my list prior to COVID hitting and then lost the momentum to cross other things off the list because so many of them were not achievable during that period of time. But now it is time to get focused again and start a new challenge and I think I should add Jeremy to the mix this time. We are both getting ready to get after it. So I am going to update my list and add a few things for him as well. Let’s get out there and have some fun.
Sudden Realization - 7/3/16
Jeremy and I decided to take a quick trip to Ouray, Colorado this weekend to go off-roading in the mountains. We love to spend time Jeeping and rock-crawling, but this was not our original plan for the 4th of July holiday. We had actually invited people over to BBQ and play games, but both couples canceled leaving us to plan our spur of the moment trip. They canceled for legitimate reasons and we were not upset in the slightest. Life happens. However, it did get me to thinking about why they canceled.
Two of them had "procedures" done recently and just were not recovering as quickly as they thought they would. This would not have been an excuse I heard from my friends at the age of 25 or 30 or even 35. But now that we are in our mid-forties, our friends are getting things removed and tested and dealing with adult children and ailing parents. When did all our friends get so old? Wait, am I old? I don't feel old. I don't think I look that old, but if I really sit and ponder, I am getting older. In fact, I am a little more than five years away from receiving my AARP card and a senior discount at my favorite fast food place. Soon I will be having procedures like my friends and talking about what kind of meds I'm taking to remove the mystery growth on my arm.
The drive to Ouray from Parker is about six hours. We had the doors off and it was raining a good portion of the trip. Picture us bundled up with waterproof jackets and hoods and me with a blanket wrapped around my legs. Yes, it can still get pretty cold in the mountains in July. In this environment, jamming to the radio is a bit difficult, so Jeremy and I often found ourselves chasing our own thoughts for several hours. Cell service was spotty on the trek, but in a brief moment of three bars, I was able to pull up a short article in Women's Health about this 30 year old woman who went on a running streak for 242 days and why in heavens name she did it.
Turns out she committed to the running as a part of her 30 Before 30 list. I couldn't care less about the running streak. I don't like to run. (I could tell you why, but it would include information about how it makes my knees hurt and what kind of meds I need to combat that, so let's not go there.) However, I was intrigued by this 30 Before 30 list. She explained that several of her friends created these lists when they turned 29. It's sort of like a bucket list of things to do before you turn 30. What? I LOVE LISTS. And I especially love, Bucket Lists. I have had one for several years. I even have an app for that. I've crossed a few things off here and there, but my goal was to do these things before I die. And I've got plenty of time, right? Well, maybe not.
It's not that I'm planning on kicking the old bucket anytime soon, but what if I'm unable to do some of the things on my list because I simply waited too long? Or maybe I never get around to them out of fear or plain old lack of planning. So I decided to step up my game. There is no time like the present. All we have is now. We aren't promised any tomorrows...Blah, Blah, Blah. You get the sappy picture.
In November of this year (2016) I will celebrate my 45th birthday. That gives me five whole years to accomplish 50 amazing adventures. I came up with more than 50 items so I could actually pick and choose based on time and financial constraints. The List includes things that challenge me, places I want to see and events I want to experience. I also tried to think about the old adage of "What do people regret on their deathbed? It's not failing to visit Mt. Rushmore or going skydiving. It's neglecting relationships and taking the ones we love for granted." This led me to include several activities related to building more meaningful relationships with my family and friends.
My plan is to consciously and purposefully work my way through the list while chronicling about my experiences and the impact they have made on my life and the lives of those closest to me. My hope is to experience life to the fullest and inspire others to live a "life worth living."
