Do you have a bucket list? I never did… until a couple of weeks ago.
After reading an adventure bucket list from Taylored Adventures, I felt inspired to write out my own bucket list.
I guess I’ve always had a short list in my head of bucket list items. I have just never taken the time to write them down before now.
So, in no particular order, here it is…
My Bucket List
1. See the Northern Lights
STATUS: Hoping to see them this summer
If you know me at all, then you probably are not surprised to see that this is tops on my bucket list. Lucky for me, my home state of Michigan is far enough north to occasionally catch a glimpse of this natural phenomenon… if the conditions are just right and you are in a dark enough area anyways. We have two trips planned to Northern Michigan for this summer. So I am crossing all my fingers and all my toes that the opportunity will arise for us to see the Aurora Borealis during at least one of those trips. Wish me luck!
2. See Phantom of the Opera on stage
STATUS: Did it!
As a teenager, this production came to my hometown. My mom bought us tickets and took our entire family to see it. It was amazing! We sat right in the center of the front row. It was almost as though we were part of the production. Remember the scene when the chandelier comes crashing down? That gigantic chandelier swung right over our heads! In the production, smoke rolled across the stage to simulate a river for the boat scene. That smoke rolled off the stage and practically into our laps! Incredible, right?
3. Ride a unicycle
STATUS: Trying to work up the nerve
Every year as a child, I requested a unicycle on my Christmas list but I never got one. Well, that dream has finally come true. I received a unicycle as a gift for my 40th birthday, and I tried it… once. It was a little scary so I am trying to work up my nerve to try it again. The youtube video tutorials I watched make it look way easier than it really is!
DISCLOSURE: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. If you make a purchase through any Amazon links in this post, I receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you).
4. Visit Glacier National Park
STATUS: Nothing planned yet
I wrote a report on Glacier National Park in the 4th grade. I have been daydreaming about visiting this park ever since then.
5. Bungee jump
STATUS: Did it!
In my teenage years, my dad arranged for me to cross this item off my bucket list during a family vacation in Utah. Once I was at the top of the jumping tower, I was terrified and wanted to back out. Despite my fear in the moment, I did it anyways. IT WAS EXHILARATING, and I will never do it again.
6. Vacation in Hawaii
STATUS: Nothing planned yet
7. See The Nutcracker Ballet
STATUS: Nothing planned yet
I used to own a VHS tape of The Nutcracker starring Mikhail Baryshnikov. As a teen (and into my early 20s), I watched it every single year. I loved the story, the music and the graceful ballet dancing. Someday, I would love to see The Nutcracker ballet performed on stage. Someday…
FUN FACT: Did you know there was a movie version of The Nutcracker filmed in 1993? It starred Macaulay Culkin dancing ballet as the nutcracker prince. I dragged my high school friends to the theater to see it on the big screen. (In case you are wondering, it was not the amazing production I had hoped it to be. I would not recommend it.)
8. Visit Acadia National Park
STATUS: Tentatively planned
I have our itinerary all planned out. Now, we just have to wait until we have enough vacation time to go there. I’m crossing my fingers for the summer of 2019.
9. Hike part of the Appalachian Trail
STATUS: Nothing planned yet
I don’t think that I am a “through hike” kind of person but I would love to have a smaller version of the Appalachian Trail experience. I would like to be able to say that I’ve hiked portions of the AT. It doesn’t help that I have read books and watched movies that have further romanticized this idea in my head. So far, I have satisfied my big trail curiosity by hiking portions of the North Country Trail instead; the NCT crosses through Michigan not too far from my home.
SIDE NOTE: Are you looking to read about the Appalachian Trail hiking experiences of others? I enjoyed reading Alone Together by Wally Miars and Wild by Cheryl Strayed (which is about hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, not the AT). I also enjoyed hearing Jennifer Pharr Davis (author of Becoming Odyssa) speak at a local campus about her AT hiking experiences and watching A Walk in the Woods (the film adaptation of Bill Bryson’s book by the same title). For children, our family loves Ellie’s Long Walk by Pam Flowers.
AMAZON LINKS:
10. See Hamilton the Musical
STATUS: Nothing planned yet
I have read (and loved) Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow. And now, I am desperate to see this highly acclaimed musical interpretation of the book. To top it all off, my sister-in-law has seen it and a blogger friend has seen it. I am so jealous of them both!
The good news is that there are Hamilton productions coming to my area in 2019. I’m crossing my fingers that I will be able to get tickets to one of those shows!
11. Visit Paris
STATUS: Did it!
I visited Paris for a week with my high school French Club in 1994. And then, lucky me, my friend and I stayed for an additional two weeks with some of her relatives in nearby Le Mans, France. I hope to visit France again one day with my husband.
12. Tour Europe
STATUS: Still dreaming about this one.
My husband and I have dreamily talked about how to accomplish this particular trip. Maybe we could chaperone a high school trip if one of our children go? Or, maybe we will do this in our retirement years? We haven’t worked out the details yet but we will get there one day.
13. View a Solar Eclipse in Totality
STATUS: Working on it!
Even though we could only view a partial eclipse from our Michigan home, the 2017 solar eclipse was a really neat experience for our family. I can only imagine what an amazing experience it must have been to see it in totality! There will be another solar eclipse in our area in 2024, and we will only need to drive an hour or two to see it in totality. I am already making plans for this! My family will definitely not be missing out on this particular bucket list item.
14. Road trip along Route 66
STATUS: Did it!
We road tripped along several portions of Route 66 in the summer of 2015. (Read all about this amazing 15-day cross-country family road trip.) We also visited several portions of Route 66 between Chicago and Saint Louis in the summer of 2017.
15. Visit Yellowstone National Park
STATUS: Did it!
I visited this iconic United States National Park as a teenager during a family vacation. I remember thinking it was really neat. However, I did not fully appreciate it at the time. I would love to go back there with my own children someday.
16. Attend an opera
STATUS: Nothing planned yet
17. Road trip along the California coastline
STATUS: Nothing planned yet
18. Cross the Mississippi River headwaters at Lake Itasca.
STATUS: Almost did it
We spent a week long family vacation in Minnesota in the summer of 2016, but we just couldn’t fit in all the things we wanted to do there (including a visit to Lake Itasca State Park). We hope to make it back out there someday.
19. Try paddle boarding
STATUS: Did it!
On a vacation with extended family, we rented cabins on a lake. Included with our rental was a rowboat, a paddle boat AND A PADDLE BOARD. I put on a life jacket, stepped on to the board and paddled a way for a while. What a peaceful way to enjoy the lake!
20. Go kayaking
STATUS: Nothing planned yet
21. Try downhill skiing
STATUS: Nothing planned yet
22. Visit Fallingwater or Taliesin (or Both)
STATUS: Nothing planned yet
I am a little bit of a Frank Lloyd Wright nerd. I have toured his Chicago home and studio, I’ve wandered through the Oak Park neighborhood that features over 20 structures designed by the famed architect, and I’ve toured the Meyer May house (the only FLW structure located in my hometown of Grand Rapids, Michigan). I have also read books about the architect’s life and watched a documentary about him. In short, I have developed a small fascination with his life and his work. It’s no wonder that I dream of one day visiting his Wisconsin home and/or his famed creation built over waterfall cascades in Pennsylvania.
SIDE NOTE: Are you interested in learning about FLW? I enjoyed reading Loving Frank by Nancy Horan and watching a documentary by Ken Burns about Frank Lloyd Wright. To introduce children to the works of FLW, I would recommend 13 Architects Children Should Know by Florian Heine and The Wright 3 by Blue Balliett.
AMAZON LINKS:
23. See the Rockefeller Plaza Christmas Tree
STATUS: Nothing planned yet
24. Write a novel
STATUS: Working on it.
The story for my book is so alive to me that I sometimes dream about it in my sleep. I have completed an outline and written the first couple of chapters. But yikes! I still get nervous when others read it.
25. Go on an RV road trip
STATUS: Nothing planned yet
We talk of doing this in our retirement years. We want to visit National Parks and see interesting roadside attractions on our big RV trip someday.
26. Ride in a covered wagon
STATUS: Nothing planned yet
Laura Ingalls Wilder was my favorite author as a young girl. So, when I heard that covered wagon vacations are a thing now, you know that I was super intrigued by the idea. (Check out my book recommendations for fans of the Little House books!)
27. Write a children’s book
STATUS: working on it… kind of!
I have three stories written. However, I haven’t shared them with anyone yet.
28. Learn to tap dance
STATUS: Did it!
I took a beginning tap class for adults last year. It was so much fun! And, I even danced with my classmates to Michael Bublé’s White Christmas in the studio’s winter dance recital.
29. Learn to drive a stick shift
STATUS: Nothing planned yet
30. Knit or crochet something
STATUS: Nothing planned yet
First, I need to learn how to knit or crochet. Who would like to teach me one of these skills?
31. See a bald eagle in the wild
STATUS: Did it!
On a visit to Starved Rock State Park in Illinois, I saw TWO BALD EAGLES fly overhead! A month later, I saw another bald eagle gliding along a small local lake. And on the 4th of July, we saw a bald eagle fly overhead during our family reunion. (We cracked jokes about how it should be considered a blessing if we were hit with bird droppings from the national bird on Independence Day. One relative commented that it is the eagle’s patriotic doodie to bless us in such a way on this important American holiday. Funny, right?)
There is a nesting area in nearby Grand Ravines Park. I am hoping to see more eagles during hiking excursions there.
32. See the giant sequoia trees in California.
STATUS: Did it!
We did this as part of our amazing 15-day cross-country road trip in the summer of 2015, and the sequoia trees were definitely worth the long drive! (Side note: See how we kept our children entertained on this long road trip.)
33. Visit Las Vegas
STATUS: Did it twice!
I brought my husband with me to Las Vegas for a work conference in 2011. We enjoyed it so much, we took the kids back there with us a few years later.
So, there it is! That’s my bucket list.
Do you have a bucket list?
Tell us about your bucket list in the comments below. Do you have one?
- If so, what’s on your bucket list?
- If not, what would you put on your bucket list?
If you don’t have a bucket list yet but would like to create one, More Than Main Street offers a free printable to help get you started. Plus, you might enjoy reading what she has on her own personal bucket list.
AMAZON LINKS:
If you make a purchase through any Amazon links in this post, I receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you).
Are you following our minivan on social media yet? If not, please check us out on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google Plus, and Pinterest.
Love this! You are much braver than I am for going through with a bungee jump! I had forgotten about crossing the Mississippi at Lake Itasca; when I was a kid, I was obsessed with doing that, but I still haven’t done it. We have some of the same goals. We should team up for the eclipse in 2024! And I think you and Meredith should see Hamilton together. She is SOOOOO obsessed with it and is constantly singing/rapping the songs that I don’t know if I can actually stand to see it when it comes to Michigan!
Yes! We should definitely team up for the 2024 eclipse!!! Maybe we should team up for a trip to Lake Itasca someday, too. PS I have a feeling that you will change your mind about Hamilton once it finally comes to our area. I bet you won’t want to miss seeing it for yourself. 🙂
This is such a fun list! We actually got to see the Northern Lights here in Washington maybe 4-5 years ago. They weren’t intense like the pictures you see, but the definitely made me seriously want to see them in their full glory.
Oh, you got to see the Northern Lights!!!! You are soooo lucky!
What a great list! I read a 40 before 40 list and I’m working on my own. I feel like once it’s wrotten down I’ll start doing it! Come on up to BC and you’ll see tons of bald eagles. Good luck crossing things off the list.
I can’t wait to read your list once you publish it. This was such a fun post to write! How cool that you see Bald Eagles regularly. One flew over the soccer field during my child’s practice last year, and I totally missed it! I was so disappointed!
I don’t have a bucket list… yet. I’ve thought about it, but just haven’t taken the time to jot it down. I love some of your ideas and can’t wait to read about them once you mark them off your list!
Thanks, Tara! If you get around to jotting down your bucket list, I hope you publish it on your blog because I would love to read it!
Thanks so much for the shoutout! Love your list. I want to add a few of yours to mine!
Thanks for inspiring me to write my bucket list!
We’re going to be in the path of totality for the next eclipse. I’m definitely stocking up on eclipse glasses. My family owns quite a bit of acreage, and we’ve played around with the idea of selling camper spots or renting spots at our church and serving concessions/meals people could buy from the fellowship hall.
Those are great ideas! You could totally organize a solar eclipse event!
We have several similar things on our bucket lists. I want to hike the AT. And LOVED the book, Wild! I also want to see the Northern Lights, go Rving with the family, see an eclipse in totality (partial just made me want more also).
It does not surprise me at all that we have so much in common!
This is such a great list! You’ve inspired me to sit down with my husband tonight and write down all the things we’ve been talking about for years so we can have a visual list and start checking them off!
I don’t have a bucket list. It’s all in our head. We dream to road tripping in an RV. Visit all of the National Parks. See the Milky Way and Northern Lights. Oh, here’s a tip for #12. Our friends bought a Volvo SUV and they got a paid return airplane tickets to pick up the car in Sweden and did a road trip in several countries before they left the car in Germany, if I’m not mistaken, where the car dealer shipped the car to the U.S. But now you have to put buy a brand new Volvo SUV in your bucket list. 😉
You’ve already checked off so many things! I haven’t written out a bucket list yet, but it sounds like fun. Interestingly, I have lived near both Taliesin and Falling Water. Plus out here in California the Craftsman style homes are all the rage. The only book I’ve ever read about Wright though was “The Women” by TC Boyle. It’s a novel, though, so not really sure how accurate it is…I’m sure your books will be wonderful.
I love the unicycle idea! I think I too would be nervous! I am hoping we can get to Lake Itasca next year ourselves.