The Life List

Ok, so I'm an Oprah fan.  One of millions.  Some love her.  Some hate her (don't be a hater).  I love Oprah.  Always have.  I've learned much from her shows over the years.  I've just finished watching Master Class on her new network featuring Jane Fonda (yeah, I'm a little behind).  Jane refers to big sections of her life as "Acts."  Since I'm hoping to make it about 75ish (outliving both of my parents), according to Jane, I'm in my Third and Final Act.  Hmmm...I need to organize some things I've yet to do/accomplish.

For me, this isn’t really a bucket list. More of a 'git er done list.  Aside from a few obvious goals, I won’t look back on my life with disappointment if I fail to achieve an item on this list. Also, I expect the list will change as I do.  I think it will look different in a few years (and boy, it would've been great to look at the same list if I had created one from a younger Judy). This list only reflects my life, my desires & passions, it does not dictate.

So, without further ado, this is who I am today.

Family

• See my kids marry wonderful people
• Put flowers on my dad's grave
• Visit my uncle in Key West
• Host a regular game night
• Have a grand baby. Just one.

Things to See & Places to Go

• Visit all 58 U.S. National Parks: Acadia, American Samoa, Arches, Badlands, Big Bend, Biscayne, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Carlsbad Caverns, Channel Islands, Congaree, Crater Lake, Cuyahoga Valley, Death Valley, Denali, Dry Tortugas, Everglades, Gates of the Arctic, Glacier, Glacier Bay, Grand Canyon, Grand Teton, Great Basin, Great Sand Dunes, Great Smoky Mountains, Guadalupe Mountains, Haleakala, Hawaii Volcanoes, Hot Springs, Isle Royale, Joshua Tree, Katmai, Kenai Fjords, Kings Canyon, Kobuk Valley, Lake Clark, Lassen Volcanic, Mammoth Cave, Mesa Verde, Mount Rainier, North Cascades, Olympic, Petrified Forest, Redwood, Rocky Mountain, Saguaro, Sequoia, Shenandoah, Theodore Roosevelt, Virgin Islands, Voyageurs, Wind Cave, Wrangell Saint Elias, Yellowstone, Yosemite, and Zion. 
• Go to the Rose Bowl Parade
• Visit all 50 states
• See the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade IRL (in real life)
• Own and travel in an R.V.
• Tour the Smithsonian
• Visit the World Trade Center Memorial and Museum
• Watch the ball drop in Times Square IRL
• Go on a helicopter ride
• Three cruises:  Alaska, Panama Canal & Mediterranean
• Go to the annual hot air balloon festival in Albuquerque
• Drive Route 66
• Visit Country Music's Birthplace
• Plan & take a girls weekend getaway
• See Stonehenge
• Go whale watching
• Go to the Olympics (winter/summer) doesn't matter where
• Tour Graceland
• Ride the Orient Express
• Hike Machu Picchu
• Visit the Colisseum in Rome
• Go on safari (in Africa)
• Visit the Vatican
• See the Sydney Opera House
• Walk atop the Great Wall of China
• Ride a gondola in Venice
• Germany. Two things to do:  go to the Christmas market and drink a beer in a stein.
• Sweden. See the alps. Maybe sing a tune.
• Brazil.  Lay my eyes on Christ the Redeemer

Professional

• Sell a photograph
• Be a professional photographer
• Have 100 blog followers
• Win a photography contest
• Retire

House & Home

• Eliminate clutter
• Make a gallery wall
• Update & upgrade:
• kitchen: appliances & cupboards
• carpet hardwood floors
• deck
• Create a compost system…pile…whatever it's called.  Got my eye on a "system" @ Costco.
• Get a hot tub
• Make a beautiful, relaxing guest bedroom
• Have a vacation (2nd home) in the mountains (yes, a condo/townhome counts - as does a cabin)
• Build a pond in the backyard
• Finish the basement
• DIY some stuff
• Tile
• (Spray)paint
• Upholstery
• Lighting
• Pay off our mortgage

Health (Body, Mind, Spirit)

• Stay healthy!
• Get medical insurance
• Get dental insurance and my first two crowns!
• Get a colonscopy
• Sleep 8 hours every night for at least 30 days
• Take a spa vacation (not visit a fat farm)
• Hike a 14er (maybe a few)
• Become a person who exercises regularly
• Learn to meditate
• Lower my golf handicap.  Really, I just want to be a better golfer.
• Get back into snow skiing (without breaking something or having any aches & pains)
• Achieve a healthy body image
• Cut and donate my hair to Locks of Love
• Spend one day per week offline
• Pay off all credit card debt
• Volunteer at a charity close to my heart
• Inspire someone to make permanent life changes
• Make it to 75!

Life & Style (aka Hobbies)

• Write a novel.  Bonus:  Have it published
• Complete five scrapbook layouts per month
• Use my camera’s manual settings. Correctly.
• Create a YouTube video
• Read a book a month
• Join a book club.  Better yet, create one.
• Attend CHA annual tradeshow
• Construct a family tree at least three generations up
• Create my baby book/life story album
• Own/run a Bed & Breakfast Inn
• Write my biography
• Have a good belly laugh every day (easy with Bill)

Food

• Make a coconut cream pie from scratch.  (I did get a lesson once from my dad.)
• Can something
• Attend a cooking class -- be more of a gourmet cook
• Refine & perfect my green chili recipe
• Grow my own vegetables & berries
• Have a signature "dish"

Oh my stars, this is a long list!

"Goals that are not written down are just wishes."

-Unknown