My Bucket List

Hello dear readers. The world is a very weird place right now. We hear about sadness and heartache everyday. But times like these we need to think of the future, we will be free someday, both literally and from the fear we are currently feeling.

So what better way to think of the future than making a list of all the things I would like to do in my life before I'm done living it. So here we go, my bucket list.

#1 Go either sky diving or bungee jumping

Now, people who know me are probably thinking, Gretchen, you are terrified of heights. Why would you jump from somewhere really high up? I think it would be cool, a rush and what not. Plus I don't like it when things I'm scared of hold me back.

#2 Publish a book

I have been a life-long reader. During school, I easily finished 100 books a year, and I try to read as much as I can. Also back in school, I had about 3 different teachers from different grades vote me most likely to become an author. In case you can't tell from this blog, I love to write. Even if no one is gonna read it, I still like to do it.

#3 Foster and Adopt at least one child

I have always wanted kids. In the 8th grade, I freaked out my health teacher, because we were doing an assignment in like, future planning or some shit. One of the questions was how many kids we planned on having. I put 20.

These projects were presented and then hung on the wall, so my whole class knew and asked me why 20, and the whole grade took health from two teachers, anyone not in her class apparently heard from others and everyone was asking me, cause they thought I was kidding.

So, why 20? I said that I liked kids, but I also really appreciated being a sibling. And sometimes I would be having a fight with one sibling, so I would hang out with the other. But sometimes, neither wanted to play with me, so I was alone. But if I had 20 siblings, you would literally never be alone.

#4 Travel to all 6 continents that are not frozen

I hate cold weather, pictures of Antarctica are lovely, but that's as close as I need to get to it. I have already been to North America (Duh), and I went to Europe the summer of 2011, but would love to go back. I have a whole Pinterest board just full of different places I would like to see and experience.

Some things I would like to see:

• The worlds largest cave, Han Son Doong, in Vietnam
• The Poseidon Resort in Fiji, where you can sleep in a hotel room on the ocean floor and there's a button to feed the fish
• The Walkway Above the Trees, in South Africa
• I also really want to go to Valparaiso, Chili, for shits and giggles

#5 Get a degree

I have gone to college and failed so many times. But I will not give up. Yes, I wasted a lot of time and money figuring out what I don't want to do and what I'm not good at, but hopefully the program I'm starting this fall will be the right fit.

#6 Have a house with absolutely everything I want in a house. 

Baths look so enjoyable. Bath bombs? They smell amazing. But I cannot have this luxury, because I am 5'11". I want a bathtub so long and deep that only my head and some shoulder is above the bubbles. Is this really so important to me that it's on my bucket list? Yes, yes it is.

Also at my perfect home, I want a big ass porch. The kind with a brick wall that's so wide you can sit on it. With a very comfortable swing.

I also would like a huge kitchen, with an island, and a walk in pantry/appliance supply closet.

#7 Travel to all 50 states and every US territory

I have lived in America for 24 years. That's all my years! And do you know how many states I have been to? Not many. I believe only 9. And I know, our country is very large, but still. I want to see it. Specifically:

• The Center of the Universe, In Tulsa, Oklahoma
• The Tear Drop Memorial, in Bayonne, New Jersey
• The Entrance to the Secret Garden in Portland, Oregon
• The monuments in Washington DC
• The Grand Canyon

#8 Have 10+ tattoos

I've got three right now, and ever since I was little and my mom told me that someone with a tattoo would never live under her roof, I have wanted tattoos. Not tattoo. Oh no, never just one. Many, many tattoos. 

#9 Be rich (in my previously impoverished eyes)

My family growing up was poor. Just a fact. Then my parents got divorced and we were even poorer. Now, as an adult, I do okay. Luck and two good credit scores has gotten me a lot. And I appreciate every bit of it. 

But I want to be so rich, I can be in a bidding war for that perfect house I'm dreaming of, and not have to back out just as it's starting because I'm worried about the mortgage. 

I want to be able to keep our cars in running order without having to worry about a) It regularly breaking down in the first place and b) Not being able to pay to fix it or worse, replace it. 

I want to go on a yearly vacation. One year in the US, the next year out of it.

Now, that house? It'll still probably only have three bedrooms like our current one does, it doesn't need to be a mansion. It just has to have a few special things. And those cars? They'll probably be Ford like we have now, Ben's dad's brand of choice. Those vacations? They won't be that long or that perk-filled. No first class flights, no 5 star hotels, maybe save a little extra for one 5 star restaurant depending on the cuisine. Just, comfortable.

#10 Go to Disney World and Universal Studios

I love Disney so much, as well as Harry Potter. A little while ago, we actually had some plans made, and some money saved, but then life happened. But I will make sure we get there some day. 

#11 Be fluent in American Sign Language

I love sign language. I miss signing with my deaf clients. I love when I'm somewhere loud with my sister, and I can get her attention and make my point from yards away. It's a beautiful way of communicating.  

#12 Do my part to help the planet

The Earth's environment is real rough right now. Sadly the only thing I'm currently doing to help is driving a hybrid and trying my best to recycle. But I teach my kids at the center about recycling. I really want to have a bee hive someday, if we get a house with some more land. I would love to find a good cause to work with to improve the planet. Maybe I should look for a club that helps clean up the dunes.

#13 Have a job I like, that will help fulfill these dreams, while leaving time for the others

I am going to school for a degree in Environmental Safety with a concentration on Occupational Health and Wellness. Does that pay bucket-loads? No! According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median salary of an OSHA inspector is $60,000 a year (https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/occupational-health-and-safety-specialists-and-technicians.htm)

which is about 3 times what I make now, so that sounds amazing and like it would definitely be a step in the right direction.

#14 Run a Marathon

Yep. A marathon. I hate running. Or at least, as a fat person I hate running. But I walked my first 5k last year, and it... sucked. So why do I want to do a marathon? Basically just to say that I can. Maybe go back and rub it in the face of my high school gym teacher, who literally made fun of me for being a very terrible runner. Maybe just kind of as the icing on the cake of my fitness journey. Nothing says, "I beat obesity," like running a marathon.

#15 Be a skinny bitch (in my eyes)

Once again, you need to see through my eyes for this one. I will never be ridiculously skinny, and I don't want to be. 

So why don't I just say I want to be healthy? I do want to be healthy, but you don't look in the mirror and think, "Damn, I look so nice and healthy today!" I want to feel skinny. I want to feel confident. And I do more and more now a days, and my weight loss journey isn't complete. I'll get there. 

And really, the majority of these goals? They'd be easier if I was thinner. Travel as a plus size person is not very fun. Keeping up with kids while larger? Not very easy. Bungee jumping and sky diving has a weight limit. Rides at theme parks have weight limits. Tattoo options on skin that is always changing is kind of limited. Working a good job and still having energy to volunteer? Being skinny and healthy will help there too. If I ran a marathon right now, I would legit have a heart attack I think, or pass out at the very least. But this is my bucket list, and I want to do all of these things. But #15 is the one I'm most focused on right now. And so far, so good.

Thank you once again for reading. What are some items on my list that are also on yours? What would you add? Let me know in the comments down below. See you next time.

-Gretchen