My (Very, Very Long) Bucket List

1. Go to all 50 states
2. Go to Disney Land
3. Go to Disney World
4. Go to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
5. See the 7 wonders of the world (or however many there are)
6. Go to Europe
7. Go to Australia
8. Go to Mexico
9. Go to Canada
10. Go to South America
11. Go to Africa
12. Go to a luau
13. Write at least one book
14. Host a masquerade birthday party
15. Be a voiceover in a movie
16. Have a chocolate party
17. Go to a spa
18. Get my own place
19. Get a boyfriend
20. Get married
21. Have children
22. Adopt
23. Become a baker
24. Become a special education teacher
25. Volunteer with the Special Olympics
26. Participate in the Summer Olympics (horseback riding or biking)
27. Make my own clothes
28. Make my own purses
29. Make my own hats
30. Make my own jewelry
31. Skydive
32. Meet Johnny Depp
33. Meet Andrea Bocelli
34. Meet Celtic Woman
35. Meet Celtic Thunder
36. Meet Daniel Radcliffe
37. Meet Emma Watson
38. Meet Rupert Grint
39. Meet Robbie Coltrane
40. Live on a farm
41. Raise horses
42. Have a flower bed
43. Grow fruits and vegetables
44. Swim with dolphins
45. Learn how to do cartwheels
46. Go bunjee jumping
47. Learn to juggle
48. See the Ringling Brothers/Barnum and Bailey Circus
49. Watch a Cirque de Soleil performance
50. See Wicked
51. See The Lion King performance
52. Learn Italian
53. Learn French
54. Learn Spanish
55. Learn German
56. Learn Sign Language
57. Learn Russian
58. Learn to play the piano
59. Learn to play the flute
60. Learn to play the clarinet
61. Learn to play the saxophone
62. Learn to play the cello
63. Pick up the violin again
64. Pick up the guitar again
65. Sleep in the yard
66. Learn to crochet
67. Have a sleepover
68. Have a water balloon fight
69. Become a photographer (maybe professional)
70. Donate money to St. Jude's Childrens Hospital
71. Donate money to the ASPCA
72. Watch a sunset
73. Watch a sunrise
74. Have a picnic in the park
75. Go to concerts by favorite artists
76. Learn to draw
77. Learn to paint
78. Take pottery classes
79. Become more outgoing
80. Make picture CDs for my friends and family
81. Make mix CDs for my friends and family
82. Live in another country for up to a year
83. Redecorate my current bedroom
84. Get an iPad
85. See the Grand Canyon
86. See Niagra Falls
87. Have a pool party
88. Host a clothes swap
89. Host a clothing drive
90. Get my driver's license
91. Learn to surf
92. Swim in the ocean
93. Learn to water ski
94. Learn to jet ski
95. Visit Cape Canaveral (I hope I spelled it right)
96. Walk through a rainforest
97. Visit a waterfall
98. Go on a sleigh ride
99. Create a board game
100. Ride a gondola in Venice
101. Ride in a helicopter
102. Learn to play tennis
103. Take horseback riding lessons
104. Go horseback riding along the beach
105. Learn to snowboard
106. Swim in all of the Great Lakes
107. Get over my fear of heights
108. Become a black belt in Karate
109. Try fencing
110. Take a basic self-defense class
111. Go see an opera
112. Learn Hebrew
113. Learn to play the drums
114. Take singing lessons
115. Write my own music
116. Meet Josh Groban
117. Go to a Josh Groban concert
118. Learn to dance
119. Jump off a cliff into deep water
120. Got white water rafting
121. Ride in a hot air balloon
122. Go on a zip line
123. Walk through a corn maze
124. Go zorbing
125. Ride the London Eye
126. Watch a rocket launch live
127. Go whale-watching
128. See a koala bear
129. See a panda bear
130. See a kangaroo
131. Go on an African safari
132. Ride a camel
133. Swim with the manatees
134. Read a book in one day
135. See the Northern lights
136. Visit Yosemite National Park
137. See Christ the Redeemer statue
138. Visit the Parthenon
139. Visit the Acropolis
140. Visit the statues of Easter Island
141. Visit the pyramids in Egypt
142. Visit the Stonehenge
143. Visit the Sydney Opera House
144. Visit Big Ben
145. Visit St. Peter's Basilica
146. Visit the Notre Dame Cathedral
147. Visit Machu Piccu
148. Visit the Colisseum
149. Visit the Great Wall of China
150. Visit the Taj Mahal
151. See the Mona Lisa painting
152. See the Madonna painting
153. See The Scream painting
154. Visit Mecca
155. Visit Israel
156. Visit the Eiffel Tower
157. Visit the Leaning Tower of Pisa
158. Visit the Blarney Stone
159. Climb the Statue of Liberty
160. See the Empire State Building
161. Visit the Hershey Chocolate Facorty in Pennsylvania
162. Ride a steamboat down the Mississippi River
163. Visit the Coney Island Boardwalk
164. Visit the Four Corners
165. See the Bean in Chicago
166. See an Irish castle
167. See a Scottish castle
168. See an English castle
169. Ride a cable car in San Francisco
170. Go to the National Cherry Blossom Festival
171. Go to a New Orleans Mardi Gras festival
172. Learn calligraphy
173. Learn embroidery
174. Learn to quilt
175. Learn to sew
176. Learn not to take things personally
177. Develop better self-esteem/confidence
178. Meet JK Rowling
179. Save money for the future
180. Go on a shopping spree
181. Be a foster parent
182. Have a chapel in my own place
183. Have my own pool
184. Have my own library
185. Have my own gym
186. Have a tree house in the backyard
187. Meet the Pope
188. Take up yoga
189. Live a life of no regrets
190. Learn to meditate
191. Join AmeriCorps or PeaceCorps
192. Build a Habitat for Humanity House
193. Join Big Brother/Big Sister
194. Volunteer at an animal shelter
195. Start a charity
196. Start a bakery
197. Invent something
198. Be a spectator at the summer Olympics
199. Go to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
200. See the Radio City Christmas Spectacular
201. Win the lottery
202. Take acting classes
203. Have my portrait painted
204. Learn to do a backflip
205. Ride a Segway
206. Get a henna tattoo
207. Get a massage
208. Learn one new world every day for a year

More Favorite Things

• A warm, comfy bed
• Smiles
• Making someone's day
• Compliments
• Hugs
• Stars in the sky
• Shooting stars
• Rainbows
• Waterfalls
• Polar bears
• Popcorn with lots of butter
• Balloons
• Sleep masks
• Nature
• Making new friends
• Glitter
• Lace
• The color purple
• S'mores
• Origami
• Strawberry-banana smoothies/shakes
• Claire's Boutique
• The Italian language
• The French Language
• The Spanish language
• Purses
• The Museum of Science and Industry
• The Adler Planetarium
• The Brookfield Zoo
• Science
• Astronomy
• Girl Scouts
• Things that glow in the dark
• Making things out of clay and then painting them
• Making lists (I know this one is weird, but I love lists)
• Getting a phone call, email or text message from a friend
• Strawberries
• Bananas
• Bagels and cream cheese
• Brussels sprouts (yes, I said Brussels sprouts)
• Banana boats (bananas with the middle scooped out, filled with mini marshmallows and chocolate chips, and cooked for a few minutes)
• Candles
• TGI Friday's
• Reed diffusers
• The Rainforest Cafe
• Dyeing eggs for easter
• Tie-dying clothes
• Running through the sprinkler
• Sudoku
• Stickers
• Butterflies
• Learning something new
• England
• Puzzles, especially 3-D ones
• Children
• Vision boards
• Olympics (Go USA!!!)
• Sleeping late
• Gardening
• Helping people
• Praying
• Scrapbooking
• Sitting on the porch in the evening
• Cake Boss (TV show)

My Favorite Things

• Friends
• Family
• Animals
• Books/reading
• Writing
• Traveling
• Shopping
• Swimming
• Music
• Dancing like no one is watching
• Walking/playing in a rainstorm
• The smell after a rainstorm
• Flowers
• Chocolate
• Children
• Arts and crafts
• Lazy summer days
• Volunteering
• Donating blood/bone marrow
• Ice cream
• Pasta
• Italy
• Ireland
• Scotland
• Andrea Bocelli
• Celtic Thunder
• Celtic Woman
• Irish music
• Block parties
• Baking
• Board/card/video games
• Laughing
• Movies
• Johnny Depp
• Christian music
• God
• Journaling/blogging
• hot chocolate on cold days
• Lemonade on warm days
• Knitting/crocheting
• Jewelry
• Clothing
• Horseback riding
• Girls' Life Magazine
• American Girl Magazine, Dolls and Store
• Discovery Girls Magazine
• Kiki Magazine
• Floppy hats
• Photography
• Musicals
• Doodling
• Getting mail from friends and family
• Taking a long relaxing bath or shower
• Massages
• Yoga
• Birthdays
• The Chicago White Sox
• Sandals
• Tank tops
• Crayons
• Markers
• Colored pencils

A Friend in Need

I found out today that a friend of mine lost her dad to a drunk driver. I am sorry for her loss, but I'm also angry that the person was stupid enough to get behind the wheel and drive. Thanks to that person, my friend has to live with the grief and anger of losing her dad this way.

I hate it when people think they can drive after they've had drinks.  I know their judgment is impaired after drinking, but I don't get why they are allowed to get behind the wheel when they're drunk. It just gets me angry.

I wonder how that person feels, knowing that he has killed someone. I hope he feels tons and tons of remorse, guilt and shame. I hope he's put in jail for a long while, so he can think about what he's done. My friend and her family does not need to go through this. She is one of the most wonderful people I know, and I am fortunate to be considered one of her friends. She does NOT deserve this.

I will be leaving my phone on all night, probably for several nights, for my friend, if she wanted to talk at night. She was there for me when my mom died, so I'm repaying the favor for her. She desperately needs friends and family right now.

I know what she is going through, so I can shed a little light on her situation, if she has any questions for me. I'm just angry that there are people out there who drink and drive, and think that's ok. They don't really care about anything if they do that. I don't mind if people want to have a good time, but drinking doesn't have to be a part of that.

This is why I don't drink. Or, rarely drink. I don't want to put other lives in danger, because of my actions. I hate seeing people suffer, especially if it's friends and family. I just want to scream at the top of my lungs, because life is just so unfair. I know I can't change what has happened, but I wish I could tell people NOT TO DRINK AND DRIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is what happens when you do. You jeopardize your life, and others' lives as well. You could end up killing someone, or yourself. You could cause a lot of grief, anger, and confusion. I wish I could ask this person why he did what he did. And how he feels. I really want to make him feel bad for what he did. But, I can't. That's ok, though. I don't want to cause anymore problems than there already are.

I really wish my friend wasn't going through all this crap. It's not fair. I hope the person who caused this finds it in his heart to apologize (even though that isn't enough for what has happened), and to feel bad for what he has done. If he doesn't feel sorry/bad about his actions, then he doesn't have a heart, and he is a  MONSTER. He doesn't deserve to live, if that is the case.

Sorry for going on like this, but I needed to let it out. Thanks for listening.