Things That Made Me Happy in August

Here are the things that made me happy this month:

• Starting the fall semester at school
• Finishing my probationary period at work
• Celebrating family birthdays
• Seeing the eclipse from my school campus
• Checking out my campus's space center for the first time (I love space, and science, so I don't know why it took me so long to visit the space center)
• Making a UV bracelet at my school's solar eclipse event (the beads change color in sunlight)
• Buying an Earth Ball at my campus's space center gift shop
• Seeing my niece and nephew
• Checking out a couple local festivals
• Seeing a chipmunk on my way to work one day
• Seeing a hummingbird feed at our feeder several times this month

Even when I have bad days, there is always something to be thankful for, something to be happy about. I have had way more good days than bad, and I am so very thankful for that. What made you happy this month?

My Illinois Bucket List

Some of thes places I have been to before, but it has been a long time, so I would love to go again. Some are new to me, and would love to visit for the first time. A couple of these I just recently saw/visited this summer.

• The Bean (DONE)
• Crown Fountain (DONE)
• Sears Tower
• Buckingham Fountain
• Art Institute of Chicago
• The Lurie Garden
• Millenium Monument
• Lincoln Park Zoo
• Water Tower
• Soldier Field
• Chicago Symphony Orchestra
• Grant Park
• Lincoln Park Conservatory
• Hancock Tower
• River Tour/Cruise
• Blue Man Group
• Shedd Aquarium
• Field Museum
• Museum of Science and Industry
• Adler Planetarium
• Navy Pier
• Tribune Tower
• Chicago Theatre
• Peggy Notabaert Nature Museum
• Hull House
• Maggie Daley Park
• Holy Name Cathedral
• Cirque Du Soleil
• United Center
• Chicago Botanic Garden
• Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum
• Lincoln Tomb
• State Capitol
• Starved Rock State Park
• Eads Bridge
• Chicago Harbor Light
• Baha'i House of Worship
• Morton Arboretum
• Fireworks at Navy Pier
• Oz Park
• Wicker Park
• Tiffany Dome
• Graceland Cemetery
• Chicago Temple
• The Fountain of Time
• Eternal Silence
• Garfield Park Conservatory
• Cahokia Mounds
• Springfield
• Obama Kissing Rock
• Pullman historic District
• The Secret Mermaid
• The Home Alone House
• Livonian Wolves at the Leaping Wall
• Par-King
• Al Capone's Hideaway & Steakhouse
• Inez Clarke Monument
• Rosehill Cemetery
• Ebenezer Floppen Slopper's Wonderful Abandoned Water Slides
• World's Largest Catsup Bottle
• Rock n Roll McDonald's & Museum
• The Super Museum
• Popeye Character Trail
• Gateway Geyser
• World's Largest Lincoln Statue
• World's Largest Cross
• The Eternal Indian
• Railsplitter Covered Wagon
• Puerto Rican Flag Sculptures
• Liberty Bell of the West
• Kayak in the Chicago River

High School Advice for Freshmen

It has been a while since I graduated from high school, so I

Here is my advice for freshmen this year (or any time), to help get you through school:

• Before the first day of school, take a tour to get the lay of the building, and to see where your locker, classes, lunch room/cafeteria, etc. are.
• Don't be afraid to ask a teacher or upperclassman for help, if you get lost. After all, they were in your position at one point.
• Put your schedule and locker combination somewhere safe (like in your phone, a planner, etc., in case you forget it. You don't want to be late because you couldn't figure out your combination, or where your class was.
• Get your homework done as soon as possible. Even if it is not due for a while, getting started on it as soon as possible means you won't be scrambling at the last minute to finish the assignment. Plus, you will have more time afterwards to do the things you actually WANT to do.
• High school is not about being popular or the most beautiful or the most talented, or about gossiping. It is about learning, making friends, and making memories.
• Join at least one club, sport, or after school extracurricular. It helps you learn how to balance school and home life, and can even improve your grades.
• If you are struggling in any way, don't be afraid or embarrassed to ask for help. You can't do everything by yourself, and it is not weak to ask for help. You can only do so much. Asking for help means that you are human.
• Don't let others define who you are, you define who you are. Just be yourself and let the real you shine through. The right people will be attracted to the real you, and will be there for you no matter what.
• If you don't think you can do something, try to do it anyway. You never know unless you try, and you may even end up liking/loving it!
• Fitting in isn't the most important thing in school/life. You are you for a reason, and you are meant to stand out. Fitting in only makes things worse.
• Find out what your passions are. You never know what you like or what you are good at, if you never try. Try something out, and if you don't like it, or are not good at it, then you can move on, and find something else to try.
• DO NOT BE PRESSURED INTO DOING SOMETHING THAT WILL MAKE YOU UNCOMFORTABLE!!! Just because others are doing it, does not mean you have to as well. If someone tells you
• Don't be afraid of telling an adult about any bullying you experience/encounter.
• Find friends who will love you for you, who will not try to change you into something or someone you are not, and who will always be there for you.
• Attend school functions like games, shows, concerts, rallies, etc. They really aren't that bad, and it's only a small fraction of school life.

If you are a freshman, I hope the first year (as well as the rest of your high school career, of course) goes well!!!

My Essentials

There are a few things that I need to have in my day-to-day life, and it always helps me get through the day, whether good or bad.

My essentials are:

• Notebook and pens (I am always thinking of things I want to remember for later, and if I don't write it down, I will definitely forget it, so these are a must for me!)
• Bullet Journal
• Alone time (I am a very shy and introverted person, so I love alone time, to recharge.)
• A water bottle
• Nature (I love being in nature; it always seems to relax me, to calm me down)
• Books (I LOVE to read. If I am stressed, or bored, I can always pick up a book, and escape into another world for awhile.)
• Brimmed hat(s)
• A snack (or two!)
• Dry shampoo (this is a must for me!!)
• My blog

Thanks to Sarah Jo Burch for the idea for this post!!

My Idaho Bucket List

• Boise
• The Canopy Walk
• Coeur d'Alene
• Island Park
• Shoshone Falls
• Boise National Forest
• Sawtooth National Recreation Area
• Hells Canyon
• Priest Lake
• Mesa Falls
• World Center for Birds of Prey
• Warm Lake
• Idaho Botanical Garden
• Ernest Hemingway's Grave
• Idaho Potato Museum
• Treaty Rock
• Dog Bark Park Inn
• St. Anthony Sand Dunes
• Balanced Rock
• Payette Lake
• Idaho Capitol
• MK Nature Center
• Yellowstone National Park
• Boise Trolley Tours
• Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail
• Discovery Center of Idaho
• Bruneau Dunes
• Blast Off Family Fun Center
• Riot Fun Family Fun Park
• Idaho Centennial Carousel
• Yellowstone Bear World
• Pocatello Zoo
• Hands On Pottery Studio
• Thousand Springs
• Shoshone Ice Caves
• Idaho Ice World
• Activity Barn
• Zoo Boise
• Rider Ranch
• Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge

My Hawaii Bucket List

Things I would like to do in Hawaii:

• Diamond Head
• Waimea Canyon State Park
• Pearl Harbor
• Kilauea
• Hanauma Bay
• Waipio Valley
• Na Pali Coast State Park
• Iolani Palace
• Haleakala National Park
• Sea Life Park Hawaii
• Honolulu
• Waikiki
• Maui
• Maui Ocean Center
• Honolulu Zoo
• Rainbow Falls
• Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden
• Nu'uanu Pali
• Dole Plantation
• Akaka Falls State Park
• Hawaiian Volcano Observatory
• Oahu
• Whale watching
• Mauna Kea
• Hana Lava Tube
• Curtain of Fire
• World's Largest Plant Maze
• Lanai Cat Sanctuary
• Place of Refuge
• Valley of the Temples Memorial Park
• Learn to surf
• Spouting Horn
• The Blue Room
• Ka Lae
• Charles Lindbergh Grave Site
• Raelian UFO Peace Park
• Sky Gate
• Hike to Coco Crater Arch
• Jump off of Waimea Rock
• Go to a shrimp truck in Haleiwa
• Go to a Luau
• Visit the King Kamehameha Statue
• Visit Wailua Falls
• Take in the sights of Kahiwa Falls
• See monk seals at Poipu beach
• See the sunrise from the top of Haleakala
• Vist Ali’i Kula Lavender Farms
• Walk through the bamboo forest
• Watch lava flow into the ocean
• Go on a helicopter tour
• See the spectacular Rainbow Falls
• See the active volcanoes at Hawaii Volcano National Park
• Night swim with manta rays
• Visit Garden of the Gods on Lana’i
• Step foot on the “Forbidden Island” of Ni’ihau

My Favorite Books

I love to read, so this is probably a great post for me to talk about.

I am mostly into young adult fiction than any other genres, which I am perfectly fine with.

Of the books that I have read, here are my favorites:

• Harry Potter series
• Anne of Green Gables series
• The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
• His Dark Materials books
• The Lord of the Rings series
• The Hobbit
• Daughter of Smoke & Bone books by Laini Taylor
• Divergent books by Veronica Roth
• Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
• Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children books by Ransom Riggs

Thanks to Sarah Jo Burch for the idea for this post!!!

My Georgia Bucket List

Things I would like to do in Georgia:

• Atlanta
• Savannah
• Geogia Aquarium
• Atlanta Botanical Gardens
• Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site/MLK Home
• Mary Mac's Tea Room
• Center for Puppetry Arts
• Jimmy Carter Library and Museum
• National Center for Civil and Human Rights
• World of Coca Cola
• Joel Chandler Harris House
• Freedom Parkway
• Centennial Park
• Confederate Memorial at Stone Mountain
• Blue Ridge Scenic Railway
• Mercier Orchard
• Denton Branch Falls
• Carriage ride in Helen
• Whitewater Release at Tallulah Gorge
• Burt's Farm
• Drive-In movie
• Tybee Island
• Sea turtle walk on Jekyll Island
• Cumberland Island
• Butterfly Center at Callaway Gardens
• Whitewater Rafting in Columbus
• Trail of Tears
• Phipps Santa
• Yellow Daisies at Arabia Mountain
• Chattahoochee Nature Center guided canoe trip
• Milkshake at Flip Burger
• Climb a tree with Tree Climbers International
• Zip line at Banning Mills
• Rock City
• Savannah Histortic District
• Cathedral of St. John the Baptist
• Zoo Atlanta
• Stone Mountain
• Georgia Guidestones
• Blue Ridge Mountains
• Providence Canyon State Park
• Piedmont Park
• Lake Lanier
• SkyView Atlanta
• Vogel State Park
• Wild Animal Safari
• Tybee Island Light
• LEGOLAND Discovery Center Atlanta
• Juliette Gordon Low Historic District
• Dungeness Ruins
• BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Atlanta
• The Tree That Owns Itself
• Pasaquan
• Krog Street Tunnel
• New Manchester Manufacturing Company
• Tiny Doors ATL
• The Dwarf Castle
• Cascade Springs Nature Preserve
• Toccoa River Swinging Bridge
• Hindu Temple of Atlanta
• "Eye of God" rapid, Chattooga River
• Atlanta White House
• Oakland Cemetery
• St. Mary's Subarine Museum
• Rousakis Plaza Echo Square
• Mount Olive Cemetery
• Gravity Research Foundation Monument
• Jimmy carter Smiling Peanut
• Noguchi Playscape
• Titan I Missile
• Lapham-Patterson House
• The Big Oak
• Driftwood Beach
• Fort Frederica
• Giant Peanut Monument

My Delaware Bucket List

• Delaware State Fair
• Brandywine Zoo
• Brandywine Creek
• Wilmington
• Nemours Mansion and Gardens
• Fort Delaware
• Zwaanendael Museum
• Delmarva Peninsula
• Fenwick Island Light
• Funland
• Longwood Gardens
• Brandywine Creek State Park
• Jungle Jim's
• Alapocas Run State Park
• Rockford Park
• Rockwood Museum and Park
• Air Mobility Command Museum
• Lewes Beach
• Glasgow regional Park
• Viking Golf & Go-Karts, Thunder Lagoon Waterpark
• Russell Peterson Wildlife Refuge
• DuPont Mansions/Chateau Contry
• Hopkins Farm Creamery
• Delaware Seashore State Park
• Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge
• Lums Pond State Park
• Bellevue State Park
• Battery Park
• John Dickinson Plantation
• Fort Delaware State Park
• Steampunk Treehouse
• Miles the Monster
• Dressed John Milton Statue
• Delmarva Peninsula
• Fenwick Island Lighthouse

My Favorite Characters

I love the fictional world, and I try to visit a different place as often as I can.

Here are my favorite characters from books, movies, and TV shows:

• Hagrid
  (we both love animals, although I wouldn't go so far as smuggling them around)
• Stay Puft Marshmallow Man
• Bombur from The Hobbit
  (quiet like me, but I do speak quite a bit when I want to!!)
• Rory from Gilmore Girls
  (quiet, yet fierce!)
• Merida
  (Goes down a path she chooses for herself, and isn't afraid to speak up for herself)
• Newt Scamander
  (another one who loves animals, and is passionate about saving them)
• Hurley from Lost
  (More of a thinker, like me)
• Gold/Rumplestiltskin from Once Upon a Time
  (I don't know what it is about him that I like so much; maybe that he shows that there is good and bad in everyone, and that whatever you choose to do has a consequence)
• Hoss from Bonanza

Thanks to Sarah Jo Burch for the idea for this post!!

My Connecticut Bucket List

Things I would like to do in Connecticut:

• Harry's Place
• Durham Fair
• Submarine Force Museum
• Sleeping Giant
• Dinosaur Park
• Mystic Aquarium
• Mohegan Sun
• Tour the Mark Twain House
• Visit the Willimantic Frogs
• Lake Compounce
• Pex Museum and Factory
• Ride the Essex Steam Train
• Pick some apples at Johnny Appleseed's farm
• Tubing on the Farmington River
• Kent Falls State Park
• Tour the State Capitol
• Cornwall Bridge
• Hammonasset Beach
• New Haven
• Pick Your Own Produce at Jones Family Farms
• Taconic Mountains/Salisbury
• Gillette Castle
• Hartford
• Mystic Seaport
• Adventure Park at the Discovery Museum
• New England Air Museum
• Hill-Stead Museum
• Rocky Neck State Park
• Maritime Aquarium
• Stamford Museum & Nature Center
• Shore Line Trolley Museum
• Beardsley Zoo
• Steam Train ride

My Colorado Bucket List

Things I would like to do in Colorado:

• Pikes Peak
• Red Rocks Amphitheatre
• Wolf Creek Pass
• Independence Pass
• Keystone Resort
• Denver
• Boulder
• Aspen
• Denver Zoo
• Denver Botanic Gardens
• The Wild Animal Sanctuary
• Mesa Verde National Park
• Chimney Rock National Monument
• Ute Indian Museum
• Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve
• Colorado State Fair
• Pose at Four Corners (Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah)
• Colorado River
• Watch a rodeo
• Take the Telluride gondola at sunset
• Four Pass Loop
• Holy Cross
• Lake Dillon
• Browns Canyon
• Pagosa Hot Springs
• Rocky Mountain National Park
• Maroon Bells
• Garden of the Gods
• Hanging Lake
• Santa's Workshop
• Butterfly Pavilion
• Raft the Yampa & Green River
• Cache La Poudre River Corridor
• Ride horses at the Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch
• Downtown Aquarium-Denver
• Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
• Benson Park Sculpture Garden
• Ghost Tour in Fort Collins
• Trolley Tour in Fort Collins
• Clark Family Orchards
• Long's Peak
• Colorado Balloon Classic
• Royal Gorge Route Railroad

Things You Would Change if You Could

Like many people, there are things I wish I could change, both about myself, and the world as a whole.

• My eyes (I was born with an iris coloboma in my right eye, which has affected the sight in that eye, among as other things)
• Homelessness
• Hunger
• How people treat others (Is it really that hard to just let people live their lives how they want to, without juding them for every little thing? If everyone were the same, life would be very boring. No one is perfect, so mistakes are going to happen, and that is what life is about; making mistakes, learning from them, and moving on.)
• Unemployment
• All suffering

Thanks to Sarah Jo Burch for the idea for this post!!!

The Wildest Things I Want to Try

There are some things on my bucket list, that are kind of out there

• Snowboarding
• Skydiving/tandem skydiving
• Indoor skydiving
• Ziplining
• Jump from a waterfall
• Ride in a hot air balloon
• Learn archery
• Try to learn to skateboard (yes, to me this is wild)
• Try snowboarding
• Go horseback riding on a beach
• Go bunjee jumping
• Go on a mission trip
• Publish a book
• Dye my hair a crazy color
• Become more outgoing (I am very, very shy, so being more outgoing is definitely part of this list)
• Learn to play the piano
• Learn karate
• Swim with dolphins
• Live in another country for six months to one year
• Conquer my fear of public speaking
• Fly in a helicopter
• Meet one of my favorite actors (I have a post about people I would love to meet someday, which you can check out HERE, if you like)
• Fall in love (and be in a loving, fulfilling, healthy relationship)

**Thanks to Sarah Jo Burch for the idea for this post!!!

What I Would Spend A Million Dollars On

There are a lot of things I would like to spend my money on, but these are what I would truly like to spend it on. I know $1 million won't be able to go this far, but this is what I would like to do.

• Food and basics/essentials to give to the homeless
• A farm for me, family to live on
• Horses to raise
• A DSLR camera
• Equipment to help me film YouTube videos
• Donations to cancer (and other diseases) research
• Donations to end animal cruelty
• Water filtration systems for developing countries
• Essentials for those in developing countries

Thanks to Sarah Jo Burch for the idea for this post!!

My California Bucket List

Things I would like to do in California:

• Disney Land
• Universal Studios Hollywood
• Knott's Berry Farm
• Legoland
• Yosemite National Park
• SeaWorld San Diego
• Walk across the Golden Gate Bridge
• Tour Alcatraz Island
• Lake Tahoe
• Griffith Observatory
• Hollywood Walk of Fame
• Sierra Nevada
• Hollywood Sign
• Sand Diego Zoo Safari Park
• Six Flags Magic Mountain
• Fisherman's Wharf
• Hollywood Boulevard
• Sand Diego Zoo
• Monterey Bay Aquarium
• Hearst Castle
• Sequoia National Park
• La Brea Tar Pits
• Mui Woods National Monument
• Redwood National and State Parks
• Santa Monica Pier
• Lombard Street
• Grauman's Chinese Theatre
• Aquarium of the Pacific
• Golden Gate Park
• Griffith Park
• Napa Valley
• Death Valley National Park
• Kings Canyon National Park
• Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park
• Heavenly Mountain Resort
• Cascade Range
• Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park
• Half Dome
• Channel Islands National Park
• General Sherman
• Venice Beach
• The Big Sur Coastline
• Ride a cable car in San Francisco
• Chinatown
• Long Beach
• RMS Queen Mary
• Cabrillo National Monument
• California State Railroad Museum
• Underground Tunnels of Los Angeles
• The Wave Organ
• The Winchester Mystery House
• Secret Tiled Staircase
• Seward Street Slides
• The Secret Sidewalk
• Tesla Coil
• Glass Beach
• Horsetail Fall's Fire Fall
• Forestiere Underground Gardens
• Devils Postpile National Monument
• Salvation Mountain
• Audium-Theatre of Sound-Sculptured Space
• Watts Towers
• Phantasma Gloria
• Santa Cruz Mystery Spot
• Hollywood Forever Cemetery
• Defenestration
• Magowan's Infinite Mirror Maze
• Mono Lake
• Rustic Canyon's Murphy Ranch
• Heart Rock Falls
• Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve
• Camera Obscura & Holograph Collection
• Victoria Beach's Pirate Tower
• Santa's Village
• Yoda Fountain
• Wayfarers Chapel
• Bob Baker Marionette Theater
• Cabazon Dinosaurs
• Garden of Fragrance
• The Cat House
• Fern Canyon
• Wood Line
• Mescaline Grove
• Japanese Tea Garden
• Bishop Tuff
• Robo Lights
• Land's End Octagon House
• Monticello Dam Morning Glory Spillway
• The Parrots of Telegraph Hill
• Black Star Canyon
• Elmer Long's Bottle Tree Ranch
• Space Shuttle Endeavour
• Fairy Post Office
• Long Now Orrery
• Castello di Amorosa
• The Flower Fields
• Gilroy Gardens
• Snow White Cottages
• Chapel of the Chimes
• Vasquez Rocks
• 24-Hour Sprinkles
• Peace Awareness Labyrinth and Gardens
• Chandelier Tree
• Fork in the Road
• Devils Golf Course Landscape
• Eureka Dunes
• Suisun Bay Ghost Fleet
• Crystal Cathedral
• Venice of America Canals
• Lotta's Fountain
• The El Segundo Butterfly Preserve
• Spadena House
• Leroy King Carousel
• House of Air
• Lucia and Aristides Demetrios Wind Harp
• Monopoly in the Park
• Desert Christ Park
• The Carson Mansion
• Graffiti Waterfall