My Bucket List!

This list really is mainly for me, but feel free to read it. Some of it will only make sense to me...the list is really long and varied. Some of these are what I want to learn to do, and some are principles I will continue following. Some things I've done, some I will definitely be able to do, some are big dreams. Some are practical and some are crazy. But I'm going to do them anyway :)

1. Skydive
2. Bungee jump…off Victoria Falls
3. Visit the 7 wonders of the modern world:
4. Visit the last wonder of the ancient world
5. Visit the 7 wonders of the medieval world
6. Visit the 7 natural wonders of the world
7. Visit the 7 wonders of the underwater world
8. Visit the lost city in Columbia
9. Live in a country/countries not the US or Canada
10. Get my high school diploma
11. Graduate with highest honors
12. Be valedictorian
13. Get my undergrad degree
14. Get my Masters
15. Get my PhD…in something
16. Go to an excellent school- Ivy, potentially
17. Fall hopelessly and unconditionally in love
18. Get married
19. Have children
20. Adopt children
21. Sleep on a beach
22. Sleep under the stars
23. Be a camp counselor
24. Be fluent in Spanish
25. Be fluent in French
26. Learn Italian
27. Learn Mandarin
28. Learn Finnish
29. Learn Indonesian
30. Learn German
31. Write a book or novel
32. Write a song
33. Get into shape
34. Submit photographs
35. Visit all the continents
36. Learn to be humble
37. Learn to be content
38. Learn to live on not much
39. Be in a movie
40. Be in Les Miserables – Eponine and Fantine, specifically
41. Be vegetarian for a while
42. Be a teacher
43. Grow a garden
44. Learn to cook
45. Learn to sew
46. Swim with dolphins
47. Backpack through Europe
48. Ride a camel through the Sahara desert
49. Go on a missions trip
50. Make a difference in someone’s life for the better
51. Be an activist
52. Don’t lie
53. Get enough sleep
54. Ballroom dance
55. Learn the bass
56. Learn the ukulele
57. Teach someone illiterate to read
58. Paint a real canvas painting
59. See the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights)
60. Get over my procrastination
61. Get over my perfectionism
62. Drive around North America in a loop
63. Rock climb
64. White water raft
65. Zip line through the rainforest
66. Hike mountains
67. Ride the highest and fastest rollercoaster in the world
68. Spend a whole day reading a novel
69. Spend a week without electronics
70. Give without expecting anything in return
71. Bike as much as possible
72. Scuba dive
73. Kiss in the rain
74. Be a DJ
75. Be a bartender
76. Be a barista
77. Run a marathon
78. Share my faith
79. Grow in my faith
80. Go to law school
81. Be published
82. Stay up all night at the beach for sunrise
83. Hike a mountain in time for sunrise
84. Dance at sunset
85. Witness a solar eclipse
86. See a meteor shower
87. See a shooting star
88. Ride a gondola in Venice
89. Scuba dive on the Great Barrier Reef
90. See the Terra Cotta Army in China
91. Walk the Great Wall of China
92. Spend a month/months in Bali, Fiji, and French Polynesia
93. Escape somewhere for a while without telling anyone
94. Compose music
95. Be a lifeguard
96. Bike the Tour de France
97. Swim the English Channel
98. Host Saturday Night Live
99. Water ski
100. Horseback ride through the country
101. Go on a National Geographic expedition
102. Go on a medical mission, like Operation Smile
103. Write for the New York Times
104. Write/photograph for National Geographic
105. Go sailing in the French Riviera
106. Skinny dip
107. Learn fencing
108. Study abroad
109. Become a Yoga/Pilates instructor
110. Learn to meditate
111. Spend time in Switzerland regenerating
112. Ride in a hot air balloon
113. Go paragliding
114. Climb Mount Everest
115. Experience and learn about other religions
116. Spend time in museums
117. Live bohemian in Montmartre
118. Go in the London Eye
119. Go to the Amazon Rainforest
120. Go to Oktoberfest
121. Go to Mardi Gras
122. Go to Carnival
123. Go to La Feria de Abril
124. Take part in an archeological dig
125. See the Pyramids and ruins of Ancient Egypt
126. Make a film and/or documentary
127. Master playing Clair de Lune
128. Read classic literature
129. Read the Lord of the Rings
130. Read Gone With the Wind
131. Read C.S. Lewis
132. Read Don Quixote in Spanish
133. Read Lorca
134. Read the Iliad and the Odyssey
135. Read Thoreau in a boat on Walden Pond
136. Read Pride and Prejudice
137. Read Shakespeare
138. Read Les Miserables
139. Write and publish poetry
140. Don’t have regrets
141. Be a wine connoisseur
142. Join the Peace Corps
143. Volunteer at a homeless shelter
144. Volunteer at a soup kitchen
145. Be an EMT
146. Get a (small) tattoo
147. Get another piercing; cartilage, nose, belly button…
148. Dye my hair a different color for a while
149. Donate clothes, food, books, movies
150. Be a mentor/tutor
151. Recycle
152. Learn to take short showers
153. Plant flowers
154. Be green/organic/eco-friendly
155. Travel through Greece and Turkey
156. Travel through Austria, Germany, and Holland
157. Travel through Italy, France, and Switzerland
158. Travel through England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland
159. Travel through the Italian and Greek islands
160. Travel through Hungary and the Czech Republic
161. Travel through Spain, Portugal, and Morocco
162. Travel through Japan and China
163. Travel through Scandinavia
164. Travel through Israel
165. Travel through Australia
166. Travel through India
167. Travel through Egypt and Africa
168. Work in a South American orphanage
169. Do stand-up comedy
170. Dance tango in Buenos Aires
171. Do Tai Chi
172. Practice Feng Shui
173. Play in a band
174. Be in a Broadway play
175. Splurge on a designer bag
176. Have massages every once in a while
177. Collect art
178. Visit castles throughout the world
179. Understand economics and business/finance
180. Watch all the Oscar Best Pictures
181. Go to the Cannes Film Festival
182. Win an Oscar
183. Be in an iPod commercial
184. Go on an African safari
185. Help save endangered species
186. Participate in a protest
187. Go to a major music festival
188. Live in an apartment in the city
189. Live by the ocean
190. Live in the country
191. Live in an Italian villa
192. Live in a house with a bay window
193. Be a street musician
194. Make the world a more beautiful place
195. Run 100 meters in 11 seconds
196. Go to the Olympics
197. Play at Carnegie Hall
198. Raise my child with love, hard work, manners, faith, music, knowledge
199. Send my parents on their dream vacation
200. Take a sabbatical/take a year off just to travel the world
201. Learn to talk less and listen more
202. Spend time with the elderly and learn about their lives
203. Write letters
204. Read often
205. Get to know my neighbors
206. Take frequent walks
207. Learn how to say what I mean directly and not beat around the bush
208. Learn self-defense
209. Learn kick-boxing
210. Learn how to change a tire
211. Read newspapers, be informed about what’s going on
212. Never gossip
213. Be a good swimmer
214. Learn tennis
215. Downhill ski
216. Care about the environment
217. Learn First Aid/CPR
218. Learn how to play Poker
219. Learn Flamenco
220. Be confident
221. Make good, lasting friends
222. Don’t worry about what others think
223. Make a complete fool out of myself
224. Make mistakes and learn from them
225. Have a favorite author
226. Know about history
227. Become quicker at math
228. Be flexible always
229. Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances
230. Become better at making decisions
231. Improve time management skills
232. Take risks, get out of my comfort zone
233. Learn to make and tend a fire
234. Go camping in a tent
235. Win a Pulitzer prize
236. Win a Nobel Peace Prize
237. Improve my photography skills
238. Go on a spontaneous road trip
239. Be a photojournalist/foreign correspondent
240. Learn Hebrew, Hindi, and Arabic
241. Swing on a trapeze/learn acrobatics
242. Watch a lightning show over a lake or ocean.
243. Enjoy my career.
244. Send a message in a bottle.
245. Learn Italian cooking
246. Attend a World Series baseball game.
247. Visit all 50 US states and all 13 Canadian provinces.
248. Defy gravity.
249. Overcome my back problems
250. Overcome my asthma

viva espanaaa

buenas nochessss...im in madrid exclamation point. this is our first day here and we just got in from PARIS...haha i do not get this european keyboard. i dont have much time right now but let me tell you, its amazing here and i am not coming back. mom and dad, if you could send me over some more clothes and money thatd be great, im eloping with rodrigo in a week. i will write lots about the trip and post some of my approx. 2000plus pics...adios y mucha amor exclamation point
...
Update: Hah, I should probably explain this post– there was a computer in the Madrid hotel, but I did not understand the Spanish keyboard at all, including finding the exclamation point button.

Au Revoir/Adios!!!

Bonjour mes amies; Hola mis amigos :)
Demain, je vais a Paris! Y luego, voy a Madrid!
Je suis/estoy tan excitada para Europa!!!
Jaja, hablo espanol pero solo je parle le francais un peu.
Claro, me duele mi espalta (?) el dia antes de ir a Europa...FML.
Pues, hasta luego! Sacare muchas fotos!
Con mucho amo(u)r,
Katii :)
P.S. prayers for safe travels and my back pain to go away are much appreciated!

Oh, and you know what's cool? Every Wednesday I get Chinese food, and this year, I've had some really cool ones that have been completely relevant. Here's a few:
"The day only gets better" (taped to my math notebook, haha)
"Now and then it's good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy"
"Everyone has a photographic memory. Some just don't have film."
there are a bunch more, and then today's:
"Expand your horizons" ...which I am doing literally - tomorrow!

Quote du jour:
Here are some pieces of "Desiderata" by Max Ehrmann...

"Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others.......You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy."

In His time...

1. IgotitIgotitIGOTIT! Do you know what I got?
I got my license! I have to keep reminding myself of it. It’s quite a wonderful surprise each time I tell myself :)
2. Just bought: “Breakable” and “You and I” by Ingrid Michaelson (love her), “Pot Kettle Black” by Tilly and the Wall (cool stuff), “Circus” by Britney Spears (oh shut up), “Stop Crying Your Heart Out” by Oasis (good song), and “I Know What I Am” by Band of Skulls (iTunes free song of the week). + www.modcloth.com and www.urbanoutfitters.com >>trust me. (Sorry this is all fluffy stuff (actually most of this blog has been that so far- just brain farts and lists and mumbo jumbo) but once I get more hours back in my days…eventually…this will gain more substance.)
3. Oh yeah! Happy Easter everyone! He lives indeed. I love Easter…it’s so pretty and flowery and happy. The chocolate doesn’t hurt either. And the greatest gift is the joy it brings. EXCEPT I did have a very joyful day with my family, but I also had a buttload of work to do…still to do, I should say. I literally spent all day on my stupid science fair display (it’s pretty awesome, though) and now I have to finish the final draft of a major paper, finish another paper, do a rather lot of homework, and PACK FOR EUROPE WHERE I’M GOING IN FOUR DAYS! Here's something to remember through stress and hard times...I liked this from the Easter service today. It's a hymn called "In His Time" :

In His time, in His time.
He makes all things beautiful, in His time.
Lord, please show me every day,
As You're teaching me Your way,
That You do just what You say,
In Your time.

In Your time, in Your time,
You make all things beautiful, in Your time.
Lord, my life to You I bring,
May each song I have to sing
Be to You a lovely thing,
In Your time.

Oh heyy

Hiiii !
I feel like blaahging. So…updates.
1.) 8 days!!

<--Imma goin to Europe!
2.) I pulled two leg muscles - had to miss the first track meet today :( there’s another on Saturday and I really want to be able to run again! I’ve been trying javelin while I’m off running, which is cool, but it’s not the same.
3.) I discovered Tilly and the Wall and Telekinesis today! I love love them both. Tilly and the Wall is kind of…I don’t know, Tegan & Sara, The Ting Tings, etc.-esque. (Maybe?) Telekinesis definitely sounds like The Shins and Death Cab for Cutie- which would be why I like them- Death Cab is one of my favorite.bands.ever. (planning on doing a Talent Spotlight on them soon.)
4.) I spoke today at school today, for "spiritual emphasis week," about living out faith & what that has meant for me...just a slightly ambiguous topic. I talked about how this year has, in a lot of ways, royally sucked, and so that’s meant just holding on/pressing on...see 1 Thess. 5:16-18; James 4:8; Phil. 3:14. Great verses if you get stressed like I do.
5.) Linkage: http://www.thekatzes.com/index.php >>Cool. http://thesartorialist.blogspot.com/. >>Definitely check out if you’re into fashion/photography. Oh, speaking of which: my bag came in and I love it! I also found a reasonably inexpensive Burberry coat so that was pretty sweet fashion-wise. Not exactly a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but hey, I’m down with it! (See picture.)
6.) I’m so sick of gossipy, shallow people. Which seems to describe my generation. Just by the way.
7.) I discovered that I cannot do those SAT bubbles! I’m just not made for it. I was made to color outside of the lines, so to speak. Hahaha.
8.) My “sister” (notice quotation marks) just got MARRIED...Oh my gosh.
9.) I love lists.
...
56.) 56!

Three cheers for consumeristic, narcissistic societies...

Oh good Lord...Generation Diva.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/191247

Read it.
Scowl.
Grimace.
Cry out in agony.
Yeah.
They'll be having Botox parties for their Sweet Sixteens.
On a happier note, the economy's going down the tubes, so kids who don't even know how to spell "Clinique" won't be spending millions ($40 million, according to the article) on their baby-butt faces, right? Right?
Remind me to rant about this (actually, about my generation,) when I have time.
Which I don't right now. So I won't. But oh, I will.