Before I kick the bucket, here are some things I would like to do before I go!

• Sky Diving
• Have a billion dollars piled in front of me
• Go to space
• Set a world record
• Ride all the roller coasters in the world

Reason why I chose sky diving, is because I believe that activity is the most adrenaline inducing activity. Why I would have a billion dollars in front of me is because I just want to see that large amount of money that I could never obtain. Going to space would be one of coolest because feeling weightlessness and seeing Earth from another perspective would be awesome. Setting a world record would put you in the history books so I would not want to be forgotten. Lastly, because I am a thrill seeker, I want to visit all the roller coasters in the world and make a chart from coolest to lamest.

Bucket lists are a pretty cool idea, but they’re also kind of eerie because it’s something you have to do before you die…

Here are the 5 things on my bucket list:

• Meet Taylor Swift

This is on my bucket list because I really like Taylor Swift and since I was 8 years old I’ve been a big fan. I’ve seen her 4 times in concert, but the ultimate goal is to meet her just because she’s so cool.

• See Ben Shapiro Speak in Person at UMW

This is on my bucket list because I look up to him for the way he’s able to portray his ideas. I want to ask him questions and I’d really love to be able to have him come to Virginia just to speak to the UMW student body and Fredericksburg community. It’s really something I’d love to plan, if we could get the funding for it.

• Hike Old Rag

I’d like to hike old rag because I like the hiking I’ve done in the past and I’d like to get better and be able to jump from rock to rock. I also would love to see the view from the top of Old Rag.

• Catch a Billfish

This is on my bucket list because I’ve been around boats and people who deep sea fish my whole life. However, I’ve never done it. I’d really like to catch a billfish because I want to get “creaked” in the inlet that I grew up always wanting to swim in. You see… my mom runs a marina and I have always wanted to go swimming in the marina, but she has never let me because it was dangerous or gross… or something else. So, I just want to defy her by getting “creaked” because you have to be thrown in after you catch a billfish.

• Graduate College

This is on my list because I really don’t enjoy school and I just want it to be over. I’m only a sophomore, so my goal here is to graduate college, so I’m able to do bigger and better things. I can’t wait until May 2020 because I will be done and be able to have a job in the real world. I really just don’t want to have to worry about homework and grades anymore because I’ve never been great at school and I don’t want to have to worry about grades.

Okay, so I have a crap ton (a bucket load?) of things on my bucket list. Especially when it comes to traveling.

Right now my top destinations are:
1. Ireland (which I get to experience for my honeymoon next year, so yay!)
2. Italy (I’ve lived in Europe basically my whole life and I’ve never been, it’s so sad.)
3. Iceland. I’ve had about 14 layovers on the ridiculously unappealing flat rocky island, but never seen anything but the airport. With all my layovers and flying with Iceland air, I learned a thing or two about Iceland that definitely peeked my interest.  A large portion of the population believe in the existence of elves. Yes, elves. Actually to the point where they have chosen to build some roads around certain spots so they wouldn’t disturb the elves. How amazing is that? Not to mention the possibility of seeing the northern lights and all their hot springs.
4. So that leads me to number four, to see the northern lights. Again, born and raised in Sweden and I’ve never seen the northern lights. I’m such a sad person.
5. Skydiving. I’ve bungy jumped, but skydiving is still on my list.
6. Cherry Blossoms in Japan.
7. October fest in Germany, been to Germany plenty of times but never during Octoberfest.
8. Great Wall of China.
9. River rafting in New Zealand.
10. Pet a kangaroo in Australia.

A few things have been taken off my list cause I’ve been lucky enough to travel, but plenty remain! Traveling is one of the most important things for me, I love getting to experience new places, cultures and food. I’m not one of those people who goes on vacation to lay on a beach for a week and do nothing. I want adventure, fast paced, exciting travels.

This writing assignment intrigued me because I really have never thought about making a bucket list. I have seen others make one or make comments about their own but, I never really thought about mine. I know there are many things I would like to do and see in my life so, according to the instructions of this assignment I decided to make a list of five things that would go on my bucket list.
So here it is:
1. Continue to have the opportunity to compete internationally: I am an artistic roller skater and train hard every day practicing spins, jumps, and footwork. I also have off skate training such as, pilates and ballet. I have had opportunities to travel and complete. I hope to continue to be able to do so and improve upon my placements. This is part of my bucket list because skating is very important to me and I have certain goals that I would like to meet. As such, at this point in my life this is on top of my bucket list.
2. Travel: With my skating I have had the opportunities to not only travel all over the U.S. but around the world as well. I have been to Europe several times (Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Portugal), Taiwan twice, Brazil, and New Zealand. But, I would like to continue to travel the world. I love experiencing the different cultures and seeing how others live their daily lives and some so differently than we do here in America. I want to learn different languages and continue to expand my knowledge by visiting different countries. The first place I would travel would be to Italy. I have already been very fortunate to travel there once (Misano Adriatico) but, I would like to return to see other sites that are located in the beautiful country. I would love to travel to all of the cities that contain landmarks such as, the leaning tower of Pisa and where historical events occurred such as the city of Pompeii. I would also like to travel to other countries to assess their environmental sustainability practices and see if we (in the U.S.) could possibly learn from them and implement them here or if we could spread our knowledge on the subject and help other countries produce higher crop yields in a more sustainable manner.
3. Give back: I would like to make sure in my future I will be able to give back to my parents and family for all of the support they have given me and continue to give me with my skating, school work, and other activities. I would hope that I could do this in a way that would make them happy, whether it be monetary or just being there for them as they have been for me. I would also like to be able to give back to the sport that has given so much to me, possibly by teaching future skaters or helping provide funds so it can continue to offer amazing opportunities for others.
4. Develop a more environmentally sustainable method to produce high crop yields: I am striving to complete my degree and continue my education in an environmentally related field that would allow me to complete this part of my bucket list. My parents own a farm and grow corn and soybeans. But, as the population continues to grow we have to figure out a more sustainable way in which we can continue to produce these high yields while, refraining from using so much fertilizer and pesticides and providing the soil enough time to replenish its own nutrients.
5. Volunteer at animal shelters: When I was younger I aspired to be a vet but that soon changed when I figured out I would have to operate on the animals. But, I still love animals and want to help them if I can. So, I would love to be able to have time to volunteer at animal shelters at least once a week to once a month so I could help these animals in some way.

Well, now I can say I have created a bucket list!

For one of this week’s tasks we are required to complete writing assignments that will equal up to 6 stars. This assignment was worth 2 stars.

Yeah, you. You will only live once, so what are you going to do? Well whatever it is, I’m sure it’s great. Today I am going to be sharing with you what I plan to do in my lifetime. Considering the assignment calls for a bucket list of 5, I have carefully picked these five tasks.

1. Do Something Amazing with my Education. I really want to graduate university. It doesn’t matter if it is in biology or the study of looking at blank walls (that was suppose to be a joke). I just want to learn something interesting and by interesting I mean something which holds my attention and has me wanting more. With my education I want to do something amazing. By amazing I don’t mean something as impressive as finding the cure to cancer, but anything as in making a career from my degree or answering all the questions which ponder my thoughts. I simply want to know.
2. Travel the World. As cliche as that might sound, it’s true. My parents have given me the opportunity to travel through the Americas, but I want to expand what I have seen to an even larger scale. I always joke of traveling to China with my dad in hopes of one day having the sufficient funds to do so. But it’s more than just going to a country, taking pictures, and uploading them to Facebook. I want to absorb the knowledge around me– or better yet– let the knowledge absorb me. I want to learn about different cultures and customs. I want to learn new languages and meet people from around the world. Of course to do all of this, I must first diminish my fear of airplanes.
3. Write a Book. I have always been a fanatic of literature. I would love to be able to produce my own book. It doesn’t have to be a life story, but one that entertains. Growing up, I always had my nose in a book, and I would love to give back to children by producing something which has them going ooh and ahh like I once did.
4. Donate. I would like to once in my lifetime be financially stable enough to donate money towards charities which aid people in need. As well as others which protect wildlife and ecosystems. Currently, I can only donate my time, but in a world which is so centralized and focused on money, my time does not help as much as pleased.
5. Spread Love. I am honest to say that sometimes I can be the grumpiest of trolls. That is why I want to focus and learn more about my self-attitude. I want to make changes in myself so that I can spread the message of love. We are all humans. We are one, and as humans we should help each other out. With the hate and violence present today, spreading love could make a huge difference.

When I first saw this assignment, I thought it was going to be an easy A. To my realization, it was not. I do not want to write down just the common anyone writes down when asked to list a quick bucket list, but items which I truly want to accomplish within my lifetime. It took me a while to come up with these 5, but I hope you enjoyed reading them as much as I did writing them.