Make This Moment Count

The title of this article mimics the title of a notebook I was given by my best friend the day before my 17th birthday. This book was intended to mirror the book from the Netflix show No Tomorrow. Inside the first page reads “I give to you this journal in hopes that you will create your own apocalist. May your life be forever full of fun, love, happiness, Peppa Pig and sheer stupidity.” Each summer as a young teen in middle school, I would create summer bucket lists to finish. When I stopped making them in 8th grade my mom asked me why and I said I was too old for it or something along those line. Fast forward and I am 20 years old and continually adding to my list and trying to complete items. I now have 112 items that need to be completed. Now I present to you, 25 items from that list (in no particular order). A lot of these are “one day” and “maybe,” which is not a bad thing, but a very realistic one. 

Go to Disney

That’s right, I have never been to a Disney park. I dream of going to Disney and spending a week traveling around all of the parks. One of the ones I want to visit the most is Animal Kingdom. I love animals and seeing them in all of their beauty. I hope one day I get to experience the magic.

Graduate College

This seems self explainatory. Unfortunately I don’t mean my Bachelor’s Degree. I wonder why it’s called that. I have a dream of getting my Master’s in Education for Curriculum and Instruction from the American College of Education. Though another 2 years of online school sounds bad, I think after 2020 I can handle that.

Eat a Bug

This item was inspired by Andrew Zimmern. I loved how fearless he is to travel to world and try exotic and weird foods. It intrigues me with how he didn’t even flinch sometimes when crunching down on a weird bug. 

Build a Treehouse

It was a childhood dream of mine to build a treehouse in an actual tree. My dad built me a small playhouse, which has since fallen down due to age and lack of use. I felt really jealous when my neighbor build his kids a large treehouse on one of their Oaks. One day I hope to build one. 

Go to Versailles

Every girl dreams of running through the halls of a castle in a long flowing dress. At least I have that dream. It likely will not ever happen unless I get married in a castle (still hoping). Regardless, Versailles has a lot of history and even a TV show about the extravegant lifestyle lived in it. I would like to one day see the opulence it has.

Fly First Class

Of course I don’t mind the cramped yet cheap seats of Spirit Airlines. However, it would feel lovely to one day fly first class and be able to stretch our and eat some good airplane food. Perhaps I’ll make the splurge for my honeymoon.

Finish Sudoku

Being that this is a game based on numbers and math, I am quite bad at that. It would probably take me hours to finish it. A crossword, however, I can finish quickly.

Ride in a Firetruck

I have loved the sound and color of firetrucks since I was a little girl. I loved watching them in parades and passing by. I could never stop looking at the lights. It has always been a dream of mine to ride in one.

See a Broadway Show

Living in Hershey, there were always broadway shows passing through the Hershey Theatre. Before the pandemic, Anastasia was coming, but they had to cancel and would not reschedule. I was devastated, as that is one show I dream of seeing. However, I will settle for Waitress next May, perhaps. 

Slip and Slide Kickball

If you haven’t heard of Slip and Slide Kickball, you have to look it up. Instead of the dreadful act of running around the bases, you slide. I saw a group of people playing this on the quad my freshman year and the idea has always stuck in my mind to play this on a hot summer day with all my friends. 

Go to a Triple Crown Race

The Triple Crown races are three horse races that are for the best of the best. My dad was lucky enough to have attended one in his last years. I have a nice keychain as well. The racehorses Secretariat, Easy Goer and Ruffian were all some of our favorite stories and contenders growing up. Horse racing was the entry point to my horse girl life. 

Attend a Renaissance Fair

The Pennsylvania Rensaissance Fair is well known throughout the state. People get very much into it and it seems like a great time. I would love to get laced up in a corset and long dress to be honest. I can’t wait to go one day.

Fly in a Hot Air Balloon

One of my jobs serves a launching point for hot air balloons. One day, I had to actually go out and monitor the launch since one actually was launching for once. I stood there for a while watching this giant balloon inflate and rise into the air. It was the most beautiful thing. Up in the sky it looks so small but standing at it’s base, it was gigantic. Also, I recommend the Amazon movie the Aeronauts. It’s about weather balloons, but it is thrilling.

Scuba Dive

As beautiful as the skies are, the ocean below is just as magnificent. Free diving is one thing I would love to learn to do even more than scuba, but scuba seems to be a good start to exploration.

Visit the 7 Wonders of the World

The 7 Wonders of the World are not the traditional wonders everyone things they are. They have a huge historical standard and significance to scholars around the world. Being one myself, I would love to travel the world and see the beauty and ageless wonder they hold.

Go to the Opera

My dream of going to the opera began with seeing the scene of the Russian Ballet in Anastasia and hearing a woman sing high and beautfully. The scene of the women in long, beautiful gowns and men dressed in their best suits stuck with me. I would love one day to dress in my best gown and take little binoculars to the opera.

Ride a Mechanical Bull

I added this one to my list after seeing Sonic and watching him ride the bull. It was a very funny scene and typically any scene in a movie involving bull riding is very funny. I imagine me trying this would also be a funny sight to see.

Publish a Book

It is actually a dream of mine to publish scholarly book. I do not know whether it will be about an anayltical piece on education or a historical piece requiring years of research. I debate whether or not I will get my doctorate for higher education, but I supposed it is possible.

Have a Baby, Adopt or Foster

It is a dream of mine to have children. I hope that when the time comes I am able to. Many women struggle with fertility issues through no fault of their own. It is a fear I have, but I cannot prematurely worry. Whether or not I can bear children of my own, I plan to adopt or foster eventually because there are hundreds of children in a terrible system. 

Deep Sea Fishing

It was always a a hope of mine that my dad could one day go on a deep sea fishing trip with me. We had shore fished the singular and last year we went to the beach, where he suffered from a freak jet ski accident– that is a funny story in its own, but we never went short fishing again. One day I hope to catch a big tuna, a mahi, or even a swordfish. I hope I could get that catch of a lifetime, eventually.

Visit National Parks

While I have never been hiking, I would absolutely take it up as a hobby if I had the chance to go hiking in a beautiful national park. There is so much beauty and depth to many parts. I love trees and water and being immersed in nature, even if a small part. I would love to camp one day out under the stars.

Have a 5 Star Meal

Though I can’t imagine the cost of this meal, I would love to try 3 stars or above. There are a few 3 star resturants in Lancaster. I hope soon I can save up, put on a nice dress and heels and go out to dinner. Maybe for my 21st birthday I can treat myself.

Adopt a Husky

I have been obsessed with Huskies my whole life. I loved the movies Snow Dogs, Snow Buddies, Eight Below, Balto, and Iron Will since I was a child. Huskies are a beautiful sport dog associated with snow and winter, my favorite season. I love to play in snow and be outside. Even before we got my current dog, we had looked at husky puppies per my wish. I hope one day to have one and to enjoy its dramatic life.

Kiss Under Mistletoe

There are a few smooching items on my list. On a ferris wheel, by a waterfall, under mistletoe– I am a huge romantic at heart. Being that my mother and I love Hallmark Christmas movies, there is always the one kiss that makes love feel everlasting. It just seems so special to kiss under the mistletoe. When Harry and Cho did it, it was just weird. But when any Hallmark lady dressed in red does it, it feels like magic from the Chrsitmas season.

Get Married

This gif is me on my wedding night. I love popcorn so much.

The biggest dream of my life is to get married to the love of my life and my soulmate. Some women don’t want to get married, and that is fine. I have a phad a professor and she lived in a house next to her partner. They were never married. I dream of a wedding. Mine will be much different as I won’t have my dad to walk me down the aisle or dance with me in a father-daughter dance. That is okay. He will walk by my side and dance with me from heaven. I hope that whoever I marry won’t care as much about the decorations or food  as much as I do. A wedding will be a celebration of my love to my partner. It’ll happen one day or it won’t. I have no idea.

I hope you enjoyed getting an insight to the sporadic and interesting things I want to do with my life. With my evergrowing list, there is so much I want to do. Some of the things I can no longer do, but that is okay. I hope that when my time on this earth is coming to an end, I can look back on all the things that I did and the memories I hold dear to me. I hope those memories will be good stories for my children and grandchildren. Through times of sadness, fear and grief, there will always be joy, happiness, and laughter to follow. Go out and make your own memories.

HCXO, Cecilia