100 To Dos Before I am Done

It is customary for bloggers to write 100 things about themselves to celebrate their 100th post. Since I write about myself rather frequently and would prefer not to bore you to tears, it is much more entertaining to share my personal checklist. You often hear people make mention of places and experiences “on my list,” but how many of us actually take time to make that list? Everyone should have a checklist of things they want to achieve in their lifetime; to strive for, to work for, and to live for. Sparked by the recent surge of books in the genre of “Things to do before you die,” it was time to officially pen my own list. Hope you enjoy my personal checklist of 100 things to do before I die and are inspired to start one of your own (and of course maintain the list of memories of things you have already accomplished: your to-done list).

Attend:
1. a creative writing retreat
2. a concert of Vivaldi Concertos performed by a famous orchestra
3. a game at every Major League Ballpark
4. a Grand Slam tennis match
5. a hot air balloon festival
6. a U2 Concert (July 23, 2011 at TCF Stadium in Minneapolis)
7. an Alanis Morissette concert
8. a wedding in Las Vegas
9. the Gilroy Garlic Festival
10. the Highland Games
11. the Kentucky Derby
12. the Oregon's Brewers Festival


Celebrate:
13. Halloween in Salem, Massachusetts
14. Oktoberfest in Germany (Regensburg Dultfest, September 2013, better than Oktoberfest!)
15. my 25th wedding anniversary renewing our vows on a tropical island
16. Thanksgiving by marching in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
17. the Summer Solstice in Reykjavik, Iceland


Cook:

18. a Sunday dinner with my whole family at a villa in Tuscany
19. at an overseas cooking class


Dance:

20. lessons with my husband
21. the Polka in Eastern Europe


Dine:
22. at a Mario Batali or Bobby Flay restaurant (Vegas, August 2012)
23. at Charlie Trotter's
24. at French Laundry
25. at Sardi's
26. at the Chef's table anywhere
27. in a Café with my last name in Italy (Rome, April 2012)
28. on Buffalo Wings at the Anchor Bar (September 2008)
29. on Lobsters in Maine


Drink:
30. at a vineyard with my last name in Italy, Australia or California
31. at the Cape Winelands in South Africa
32. at the Chateau Ste. Michelle Vineyard
33. Champagne on a vineyard in Champagne, France
34. frothy goodness on a German Beer Trail (September 2013)
35. through Kentucky's Bourbon Trail
36. through Scotland's Scotch Whiskey Trail
37. wine and plenty of it on a vineyard tour with Kristen, Renee', Stacy and Diane


Experience:
38. a full day at a luxury spa
39. an African Safari
40. scuba diving
41. sex on the beach
42. raising $100K for animal charities


Host:
43. a Foreign Exchange Student
44. my family for a holiday in my home


Purchase:

45. an original Tom Everhart painting
46. a convertible for my WARM CLIMATE retirement


Read:

47. A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
48. every Bill Bryson book
49. The Bible (or the Bible for Dummies (Removed)
50. Thomas Jefferson by R. B. Bernstein
51. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy


Receive:

52. my Master's Degree (Removed)


Rescue:

53. a poodle mix


Ride:
54. the Cyclone in Coney Island (July, 2014)
55. the roller coasters at Cedar Point


See:
56. Michangelo's David (April, 2012)
57. Sistine Chapel
58. Monet's Gardens at Giverny


Skate:
59. Miami's Great EsSkate
60. Rockefeller Center
61. the London Inline Marathon
62. the Napa Valley Inline Marathon
63. the New York City Inline Marathon


Stay:

64. at a Disney Deluxe Resort
65. at a Ritz
66. at the Fairmont Banff Springs
67. at the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac in Quebec City
68. at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island
69. at the Hayman Island Resort in Australia
70. at the Hotel Del Coronado (completed March 2008)
71. at the Inn at Little Washington
72. in a castle (Oberwesel, Germany; September 2013)
73. in a lighthouse
74. in an over the water bungalow in the South Pacific
75. on a boathouse


Swim:

76. the Mediterranean Sea in the Greek Isles
77. with a dolphin
78. with the animals of the Galapagos Islands
79. in an ocean with my dogs


Travel:
80. across the Atlantic on a cruise
81. in a hot air balloon
82. on a water plane


Visit:

83. all 50 US States by the time I'm 50 (which will probably be 51 states by 51 by the time I get there)
84. all 7 continents (including Antarctica before the environmentalists realize we shouldn't be there)
85. a village of my descendants with my Mother (September, 2013)
86. Capri, the Amalfi Coast, and Montalcino Italy (April, 2012)
87. Cooperstown
88. Croatia (soon, before it gets McDonalds and Starbucks)
89. Disney World with my nieces and nephews
90. Mount Rushmore
91. Nantucket Island
92. Stonehenge
93. the Czech Republic
94. the Easter Island Statues
95. the Great Wall of China
96. Pyramids of Giza
97. the Seychelles (Chelle sees seashells at the Seychelles on the seashore)


Win:

98. a photo contest


Witness:

99. sunrise from Cadillac Mountain


Write and publish:

100. a book
101. a travel article

I would love to hear about what is on your list. Leave me comments to inspire my extended list...

Bonus To Dos:

102. Travel around the world on a cruise
103. See a Bills game in Buffalo
104. Do 10 pull-ups without help
105. Learn Italian
106. Get my boating license
107. Kite Surf