This post was inspired by a blog that I’m loving right now:

28 and Counting …

While browsing through her posts a few weeks ago, I found this gem:

My Bucket List

She inspired me to write down my list, all in one place.

I also liked the way she categorized her list, so, here goes …

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Travel Experiences

Go on a cruise as an adult.

I’ve been fortunate to have gone on two cruises already, but the last time, I was 9-years-old. Yup. It’s beyond time to experience one as an adult. There are so many amazing places! And a cruise ship is just awesome – It has everything in one place!

Al and I have talked about going on one in the next year or so, so I think we need to pay another visit to Jody at AAA – She helped us plan our awesome honeymoon!

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Visit as many of America’s national parks as possible.

This has always been a life-long dream. I’ve been fortunate to see several of the states so far, but I haven’t had the chance to see the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Yellowstone, and others, not yet.

I did a Google search of America’s national parks recently, researching for an upcoming blog post, and I wanted to pack up and head West!

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Experience Cedar Point.

This obsession / quest started years ago. I love roller coasters! Cedar Point currently has 16 of them, and 72 rides total! I think I’ll need to stay close to the park in Sandusky, Ohio, for more than one day!

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Set foot in every U.S. state.

By my count, I have set foot in approximately 17 states so far, plus one Canadian province (British Columbia, 1998).

“Setting foot in” doesn’t count layovers in airports, though (Texas, that means you). I also like scarletpen’s idea of visiting every Canadian province!

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Go to Costa Rica.

I remember writing stories as a child about adventures in the rainforest. Costa Rica is one of those places that I have dreamed of.

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Go on an Alaskan cruise.

I was so jealous when my cousin Missy got to go on an Alaskan cruise with her parents and our grandparents when she was 11. Since then, I’ve always wanted to go!

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Kayak in a bioluminescent bay.

I learned about this experience just a few years ago, when one of my PEO sisters recounted her travels to Puerto Rico. I enjoy kayaking, and the photos I’ve seen are just breathtaking.

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Spend a week at a Disney Resort.

I’ve been to Disney World multiple times, but I’ve never stayed at any of the Disney Resorts. After seeing some of them on our honeymoon whilst traveling between Hollywood Studios and Epcot, Al and I decided that’s what we want to do, the next time we head to Orlando. The trouble is, which resort to pick?

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Go to Disneyland.

I’ve been to California three times in my life, but I haven’t experienced Anaheim yet! I can’t wait to experience Disneyland, and California Adventure.

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Go to Key West, Florida.

Florida has been the state that I’ve visited the most times. I think I can easily count over 100 times, since I was a baby. The perks of having both sets of grandparents live down there! Key West has been a dream of mine for a long time. My parents have visited several times, and I was envious of their pictures from a few years ago. See my friend Megan’s recap of her recent Floridian adventure!

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Go to at least one amusement park in another country.

The closest I’ve gotten to this goal was seeing Disneyland Paris in 2008, and that was only their equivalent of Downtown Disney. The tickets were so expensive!

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Zip line (in as many places as possible!).

Since I love roller coasters, zip-lining has been one of the top things that I’ve wanted to do. My mom has even beaten me to it! She got to zipline FIVE TIMES across a river in Canada!

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Go white water rafting.

I wasn’t able to go on the white water rafting trips to Tennessee in high school, but I wish I had! I would love to experience this in a natural setting.

However, closer to home, there is a place in Charlotte, North Carolina called the U.S. National Whitewater Center.

Their official description on Google: “Recreation grounds with whitewater rafting, canoeing, kayaking, rappelling, rock climbing & more.”

Yes, please!

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Re-visit several places.

I could go on, and on, and on … But I definitely want to re-visit:

1. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
2. Hershey Park
3. Chicago, Illinois
4. Washington, D.C.
5. Miami, Florida
6. Los Angeles, California

And more! This particular list will continue to grow, I have no doubt. I look forward to writing many more Adventure Time posts!

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Personal Development

Finish editing my three NaNoWriMo novels (2012, 2013, and 2014).

Curious about what I’ve written, so far?

Well, guess what, you’re in luck!

I did a series of blog posts, called Writing Wednesdays, that attempted to capture these three novels. There are 25 posts!

Granted, I have a long way to go with these three. The longest one, the 2014 one, currently stands at 16,000 words and some change. I want to get each of these to at least 50,000 words (the goal for NaNoWriMo) before considering publication.

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Self-publish those three novels.

Again, I need to finish those three, and then edit them.

However, I’m looking at you, Amazon, when the time is right.

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Knock NaNoWriMo 2016 out of the park.

I already have a big idea percolating, and it’s something completely different from my first three novels. I’ve vetted it by a few VIPs of mine, and all seem to be very intrigued. Bring it on!

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(Finally) Finish my paralegal studies degree.

I’m SO CLOSE. I’m taking Family Law right now, online, which is going great.

The only classes I have left are Legal Research (Summer 2016), Legal Writing, and Trial Prep & Discovery.

My hope is to earn the degree some time in 2017!

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Become certified with the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC).

I have been interested in becoming a Certified Professional Coder (CPC) since 2013. However, I’ve done quite a bit of research over the years, and my manager has given me some great advice. I look forward to pursuing this in the next couple of years. At a minimum, I would like to be a CPC before we start having children!

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Chronicle my experiences from July 2006 – July 2010.

I’ve shared part of my story already, through this post: Book Review #8: Tornado Warning: A Memoir of Teen Dating Violence and its Effect on a Woman’s Life.

However, I was recently given some great advice by a good friend, Mike H., who wrote this via Facebook message: “Write that book. Even if you don’t publish it, it can be cathartic or therapeutic.”

He’s exactly right.

And I plan to do that. I already know how I want to write it.

And, eventually, I’d like to share it on the blog, as well.

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Lifestyle

Find a house!

What a journey we’ve been on in the last year, Al and I .

We are FINALLY seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, however, and we will be getting a home of our own in 2016!

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Learn new recipes.

I enjoy cooking, so I’m on a mission to learn new recipes!

If you have any favorites, please, share!!

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Make a Difference

Volunteer with Faith Works Coalition.

This is something new. Our associate pastor has been involved before, and we are in the planning stages of getting our church involved. It’s exciting!

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Make a blood drive happen at Tidewater Comicon.

It may not happen this year, since the 2016 event is May 21-22 (Less than three months away!), however, it’s exciting to think about. Similar conventions in Florida have reported success, and we’d love for it to happen in Virginia Beach!

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Final Thoughts

This list will continue to grow and change. However, for now, I’m very excited that I have most of my ultimate goals here, in one space.

I will be reviewing this list often, holding myself accountable!

I look forward to publishing future blog posts with accomplishments!

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Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂