The Bucket List Page!

This is the list, current as of 20 Mar 2011. I believe that in my regular blog posts I numbered them wrong somewhere in the mid-40s, so this should be correct.

1. Travel to Italy (specifically, Positano, among other Italian destinations), Spain, France, Greece, England, Scotland, Wales, and other European destinations with Livie and Andrew. See the sights, eat some tasty local cuisine.

2. Travel to Mexico (Oaxaca, Puebla, and other locations) with Livie and Andrew. Again, see the sights, and eat some tasty local cuisine (mole poblano comes to mind).

3. Travel to National Parks around the country with Livie and Andrew. The Grand Canyon, Acadia National Park, Minute Man National Historical Park, Bryce Canyon, Glacier National Park, Carlsbad Caverns, and Guadalupe Mountains National Park are at the top of the list.

4. Take a cross-country family trip with Livie and Andrew in a nice RV.

5. Take Route 66 from Chicago to L.A. – maybe this one could be in an RV.

6. Learn the ins-and-outs of Santa Fe and learning it by heart by spending lots of time there. Same with other Southwestern locations.

7. Get reacquainted with Tucson, with Livie and Andrew.

8. Take Livie and Andrew to the Hoover Dam.

9. Record our travels in photos and writing.

10. Buy a horse that I can ride (hunters/jumpers/trails) and show.

11. Swimming lessons for Livie. Note: I'd like to get her more lessons so she's a competent swimmer (20 Mar 2011). As of April 2012, Livie's getting regular swimming lessons. 

12. Take photography classes.

13. Earn M.A. in English or Creative Writing. - Enrolled in 1st semester of graduate English classes (20 Mar 2011).

14. Write a novel (preferably a mystery) and have it published.

15. Earn a “living” by writing novels.

16. Run the Army 10-miler.

17. Become a better cook.

18. Figure out how to make my grandmother’s tasty, homemade tacos.

19. Successfully grow my own garden, so my family can have fresh fruit and veggies in the summer.

20. Be completely debt-free.

21. Have a vacation home in the Southwest.

22. Get reacquainted with the Chicagoland area with Livie and Andrew.

23. Take Livie and Andrew to “Viva! El Paso” in McKelligan Canyon in El Paso, TX.

24. Spend a long weekend with Andrew in Las Vegas, NV, while Livie spends a fun long weekend with her Abuelita.

25. Take Livie to a Blackhawks home game.

26. Take Livie to watch a big horse show.

27. Be Livie’s groom when she rides in a big horse show (if she wants). 

28. Go to Disney World with Livie and Andrew.
29. Take Livie and Andrew to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.
30. Ride in a helicopter.
31. Ride in a hot air balloon in Albuquerque.
32. Take a Grand Canyon helicopter tour.
33. Have a "herd" of Pembroke Welsh Corgis. We have one, Jock, as of October 2013.
34. Take a ride with the Hurricane Hunters in one of their WC-130s.
35. Take Livie to an air show to see all the aircraft and watch a Thunderbirds performance. Done - twice.
36. Take Livie on the big slide at the Iowa State Fair.
37. Take Livie to Concord, MA, where she was born.
38. Take Livie to Mike's Pastry in Boston's North End for some tasty cannoli.
39. Play polo again.
40. Have a great 40th birthday party (November 2010).Check
41. Take Livie and Andrew to the Women in Military Service for America Memorial. As a veteran, it would be nice to see my name there. Plus, we can see the other memorials - like the WWII Memorial, in honor of my grandfather and great-uncles and take a few moments for quiet reflection.
42. Go to New York and visit the High Line Park (it's a park built on an elevated train structure).
43. Spend a week at Watervale with Livie and Andrew. Watervale, by the way, has been made famous by fellow LFC alumna, Jessica, through her Little Merry Sunshine blog - just go to her blog and do a search for Watervale; then you'll understand why I'd love to spend some time there. For example, her Watervale Withdrawal Disorder post says it all.
44. Take Livie and Andrew on a drive on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago at night. This is an awesome drive, with the bright, twinkling lights (looking like bling) on the west, and the dark lake on the east.
45. Take Livie skiing out west, in one of the big, square states.
46. Eat a delicious dinner with Livie and Andrew at the Great American Land and Cattle Company on Alabama Street in El Paso, TX. This is down the street from where my grandparents lived. It'll bring a sense of saudade, because I've been to that restaurant with them and they no longer live near there, but it has a beautiful view, and awesome food. Done, 11/12/13 (My birthday, but also the day of my grandmother's funeral, so a bittersweet day.)
47. Eat another perfect, heavenly filet mignon at Ruth's Chris in Chicago.
48. Take Livie and Andrew for tapas at La Tasca in Arlington Heights, IL. Jessica, you'll need to join us for this one!
49. Of course, since we're talking about tapas, I'd love to take Livie and Andrew to another of my favorite tapas places in the Chicagoland area: Cafe Ba Ba Reeba in Lincoln Park.
50. Take Livie to see an opera in the theater.
51. In New York with Livie and Andrew, I want to see Times Square, as well as a Broadway show, and go to the Statue of Liberty.
52. Run a 5K. Done, Swamp Fox 5K 9/7/2013