It’s my last day in my 30’s and since I’m posting a quiz on my birthday tomorrow I’m posting my bucket list today. These are things I’d like to do before I die and I figure at 40 I’ve got at least 40 good years to accomplish them. Plenty of time. Maybe I’ll find a place on the blog to keep track of it.
1. Write and publish a novel.
2. Open my own bookstore.
3. Spend a night in an English castle.
4. Visit Ireland.
5. Meet a US president. (Jimmy Carter came to Cleveland last year for a book signing but couldn’t do it because of a health scare. So close!)
6. Learn to start a fire without matches. (this probably comes from watching too many seasons of Survivor)
7. Learn to play the piano.
8. Raise a happy and successful son.
9. Celebrate my 50th anniversary. (13 in)
10. Make exercise a daily priority. (never has been but I need to start taking care of my health)
11. Get back to my wedding weight, just once.
12. Try a vegetarian diet for a year.
13. Drive across country.
14. Visit all 50 states.
15. Stay in an overnight car on a train trip.
16. Fly first class.
17. Take Gage to Italy.
18. Ride a boat down the Mississippi River.
19. Trace ancestry to when all branches entered the US. (we’ve been here a long time so this will take many more years of research)
20. Spend a week touring Napa Valley.
21. Live somewhere warm year round. (As a midwestern girl I love my seasons but I’d like to see if I’m missing anything :))
22. Volunteer on a political campaign.
23. Sit on a jury.
24. Buy only American for 1 year.
25. Have a library with wall-to-wall built-in bookcases.
26. Write and mail 1000 letters. These can include cards if I include a personal note.
27. Be an extra in a movie.
28. Watch a play from backstage.
29. Go skiing.
30. Attend a murder mystery dinner.
31. Volunteer weekly.
32. Read all the books I own. (I’d like to have no TBR pile just once. I can give away books to reach this goal)
33. Start my own book club.
34. See all 4 tennis majors. (2 down, Wimbledon & Australian Open to go)
35. Give blood.
36. Sleep under the stars.
37. Have a hammock.
38. Fire a gun.
39. Make a daily goal list and use it.
40. Do a random act of kindness every day. (and keep a journal for it)
Birthday Photo
Jason and I have attended the US Open a few times. This was in 2005.
I’m not a tennis player but Jason is very good. I like to watch. Rafa Nadal is my current favorite.
Giveaway
I’m giving away new copies of Reading Like a Writer by Francise Prose and Saving Cee Cee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman. Just leave a comment telling me which one you’d like to win (or both!). I’ll draw a winner October 19.
Stacy's Books 
I love your list. The ones that I have done on it were great, and I also want to do most of the others! (NOT sitting on a jury, though!)
Please enter me for Saving Cee Cee Honeycutt, since I am the last person in the universe not to have read it!
What a fun list! Come by to see us and knock South Carolina off for your list of 50 states.
I’d love to win Saving CeeCee Honeycutt…Thanks
You’ve got some worthy goals on your bucket list. I’ve donated blood (not so bad), taken a train trip and stayed in an overnight car (ask me any questions you’d like) and I certainly live in a place that is warm pretty much year round (mostly). I suspect you already do random acts of kindness. 🙂
Great photo! I was at Shea Stadium for a Sept. game back in the 80’s – our seats were so high up on the 1st base side, we turned our heads and watched the US Open (with binoculars, but still…)
This reminds me – I created a small list some years ago. Kind of a five-year plan. I have to look around for it and see if I’ve done anything on that list. Hmmm.
May you complete all of that you have in your list! I really enjoyed learning a bit more about you from your list.
Great list! I would love to win Saving Cee Cee Honeycutt.
So jealous! Not only have you been to the US Open a few times, but you’ve been to the French Open, too? You are already accomplishing my bucket list… 🙂
That’s a great list! I’ve been a vegetarian for 14 years now!
Please enter me for Saving Cee Cee Honeycutt. Thanks!
The list is a great idea. We definitely share things in common (Italy, Ireland, Survivor, and firing a gun). There’s more but these stand out to me. This also gives me ideas for my 40th.
I could possibly help you with the tbr thing, keep you on track. I plan to start a tbr thing in 2012: read only my books allowing for very limited outside books.
Want to join me birthday girl?
Very Happy Birthday to you 🙂
Throw my name in for Saving Cee Cee Honeycutt please 🙂
I loved this list…….
3. Spend a night in an English castle. WOW
8. Raise a happy and successful son. ALWAYS
11. Get back to my wedding weight, just once. TAKE PICTURES 🙂
16. Fly first class. ONLY ON A LONG TRIP IS WORTH IT
17. Take Gage to Italy. CAPRI IS GORGEOUS
23. Sit on a jury. BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU ASK FOR, EEK
24. Buy only American for 1 year. I THINK THIS IS AMAZING, WOW
25. Have a library with wall-to-wall built-in bookcases. BUT OF COURSE
27. Be an extra in a movie. TOTALLY FLIPPING COOL IDEA
30. Attend a murder mystery dinner. CAN I COME WITH YOU?
36. Sleep under the stars. ABSOLUTELY AMAZING
40. Do a random act of kindness every day. (and keep a journal for it) SWEET
What a fun bucket list. Hope you had a great birthday.
I just love your bucket list … so varied and fascinating! I didn’t know WHAT I would be reading next!
Great list…now I think I should make one!! 😀
You have a wide variety of things on your list. I love it! If you are ever in Texas, I can definitely help you out with the watching a play from backstage item. 🙂
-jehara
Another giveaway. Thank you. Reading like a Writer is the one for me.
Saving Cee Cee Honeycutt would be a book I would like to read and win.
Nice giveaways and thanks for the chance to win.
What a great list! Some of them sound so fun.
I meant to add I would love to win Reading like a Writer.
No need to enter me. Just wanted to say Happy birthday! #1 on your bucket list is #1 on my bucket list. 😉
I’d love to read Saving Cee Cee.
Reading like a Writer sounds good! Let us know how it goes with buying American for a whole year – trying to find the items is the challenge!
harvee44@yahoo.com
Happy happy birthday! And good luck on reaching all of your goals!
francine proses’s book sounds great
Wow! That’s quite the bucket list. I’ve got a few similar ones myself but haven’t talked about it in a blog post yet! I’ve been wanting to read Cee Cee Honeycutt for awhile now.
Stacy, you have a great list here – ambitious but still doable. You have several I’ve already done and a few I still want to do (Ireland and sit on a jury). I’ve enjoyed your focus on your birthday the past few weeks. I hope your year ahead is a happy one.
Include my name in the list for Francine Prose’s Reading Like A Writer.
Absolutely love your post. I’ve done a small travel bucket list in the form of scrapbooking but I think I might take a leaf out of your book and create one for the next 20 years of my life. Saving CeeCee is my pick 🙂
I especially like your last paragraph – and I did start a blog – two in fact – just a few months ago! I always write letters to my children at Christmas – sometimes more often, but at least once a year. They know their letters will be in their stockings! Probably wouldn’t do anything you said not to – just a little bit inhibited! But that’s just me. Congratulations on being freshly pressed!
I started a list (though it was 50 things but I don’t think I had enough things to fill the list!) when I was about 20 or something! I still have it in my wallet I think, I should review! I have “Read all the books I own” too lol! 🙂 And also write a book if I remember right…
You should visit Ireland. It is beyond what even the best movie or book describes it as.