“Don’t be afraid that life will end; be afraid that it will never begin” –Grace Hansen

I got some advice the other day about keeping a blog. She told me to write something… anything… even if I didn’t have anything in particular to write about.

I actually have several things I’m working on, but nothing that I’d be ready to publish. I read on another blog where, on the 10th of every month, she makes a list of 10 things… 10 of her favorite memories, 10 of her favorite things, etc. So, I decided to carry on her tradition. Maybe I’ll do it on the 10th of every month, too.

So, in no particular order, here is a list of 10 things I want to do before I kick the bucket while I’m still alive. 😉

1) Cross the suspension bridge over Capilano Canyon.

It's 446 feet long and 230 feet above water.

This is the most recent of additions to the list of things I want to do. I read about it while reading this entry in a blog last week, and became SUPER intrigued.
Some of the pictures make it look like a piece of cake. I expected it to look like this:

Kinda like the bridge in Indiana Jones.

Although the bridge over the Capilano River has been reconstructed four times, it’s still kinda creaky, and if the wind (or some punk kid) moves it just right, you get the feeling that you’re going to topple over it and fall to your doom. That’s equally crazy and kind of rad.

2) Learn to speak Italian.

I first saw this picture in high school. Then, I saw it again in college in one of my psychology professor’s offices. Without going into too much detail, the assumption of the woman’s independence and separation from American norms in society made Italy my number one place to visit.

However, it was after seeing Under The Tuscan Sun that I made the decision that one day I was going to sell everything I own and move to Italy.

Who *wouldn't* want to live here?

However, before I sell everything I own (which isn’t much, really) and move to a foreign country, I might need to learn the language. Otherwise, I might accidentally call someone’s mother something horrible, or order soap for dinner.

3) Sing the National Anthem at a major sporting event.

This has been on my list of things since I was old enough to sing into a hairbrush. However, I’m beginning to second-guess this one.

I'd be nervous, too, if I had a bazillion people watching me.

I mean, Christina Aguilera sings in front of THOUSANDS of people ALL THE TIME and even SHE messed up the words. So, I’ve decided that yes, I still want to sing the National Anthem at a sporting event… but maybe I should work my way up to a large event. You know, start at a t-ball game or something.

4) Read the Bible from front to back.

My grandfather has probably read the Bible, in its entirety, more times over the last decade than I’ve packed up and moved around the country. (He’s pretty amazing like that.) About a year and a half ago I decided that it was time to tackle this one, so I bought a Dummies book on the Bible (and one of those cheat-sheet things you bought for high school English class) and started trekking through the Old Testament.

My arsenal. Or something.

Now, if anyone has tried to read the Old Testament, it gets super difficult at times (especially when you find a discrepancy within the first two chapters of Genesis, and then get to the part where so-and-so begat so-and-so). I told my grandmother about my endeavor on a trip home to Texas around that time, and she sent me home with The Message and advice to read through that and then go back to my NIV version, before tackling the King James version. It seems as if this one has become a life long quest… and I’m okay with that. 😉

5) Take a road trip, visit historic landmarks/national parks, and end up somewhere beachy for a few days.

Ideally, I’d like to grab a friend or three and head out to see some cool stuff. Maybe drive to Vancouver to cross the Capilano Bridge, then to Seattle to see a Seahawks game, listen to some cool music in Portland, do a tour of a vineyard in California, camp on the beach (or close enough to it), and head home.

I don’t know why I haven’t done this one yet. It’s probably the easiest out of all of them, especially now that I live closer to the West Coast. Hmm. Road trip, anyone?

6) Run a marathon.

I recently “ran” the Dirty Dash.

This was right before the big mud puddle...

Then, I ran the Kiss Me Dirty run, which had more legit running, and less obstacle-coursing-through-mud.

This was AFTER the race. WAY cleaner than the last one.

There’s another 5K in October that I’m super stoked about, too. But the REAL goal is to do a marathon. Sure, I’ve played sports (soccer and softball… does marching band count?) but I’ve never been a runner. Doing a marathon would be quite an accomplishment. 🙂

7) Go skydiving.

Last summer we went to have dinner in Ogden, Utah and went to this place that has indoor skydiving. I manned the camera, and we dressed Camille in gear and sent her through the simulation.

The video looks way better.

When I told my friend Cyndee about going, she proceeded to tell me that her session was canceled because someone’s parachute didn’t open. It still didn’t stop my desire to go. (And in fairness, it didn’t stop her desire to go, either.. she just rescheduled. I love my friends.) But then again, after watching the movie Twister, I wanted to be a tornado chaser. [Note: It’s not until now that I’m beginning to wonder if I’m slightly insane… wanting to cross shaky bridges, jump out of planes and chase tornadoes. Sheesh.]

8 ) Learn to play guitar.

For as long as I can remember, the women in my family (grandmother, mother and aunts) and I would sing together while my grandmother played guitar. Then, I saw an episode of the Partridge Family, and thought this was TOTALLY normal. (What? You mean your family doesn’t harmonize “House of the Rising Sun” at YOUR family reunion??) I started learning in college, but will admit that I haven’t given it the time or dedication it needs. I pick it up and play for a few weeks, then don’t for awhile… it’s pretty on and off, although I absolutely love to play.

This was at a Kentucky Derby party, as much as I would like to say that I dress like this on a regular basis. I AM Southern, after all.

I can play chords now, but I’m not exactly a rockstar. Yet.

9) Go snorkeling/scubadiving.

My dad used to scuba dive and before he’d leave on a trip my brothers and I used to have contests to see who could hold their breath as long as Dad could (or at least, longer than the other two kids). My brother Kris was always better than I was. Haha.

How RAD would this be?!

I was so intrigued that I wanted to be a Marine Biologist when I grew up. (The dream quickly faded after having to dissect a frog in the seventh grade, but it was a dream nonetheless.) I’d prefer to scuba dive in Australia, or maybe the Bahamas… but anywhere would be fine with me.

and last, but not least…

10) Start a family.

I think I’ve mentioned a few times that my family and I are pretty close-knit. My niece and nephews are the coolest kids on the planet, and I love being the “cool” aunt.

Like building forts in the livingroom with Scott Ryker.

They’re such rad little people with awesome personalities. Having been a part in raising my younger brother and two younger sisters (and the fact that they’ve grown up to be pretty cool people, too)… I’d like to think that I wouldn’t totally suck at being a mom.

Madison Rayne

Connor Aaron, about 45 minutes after he was born.... at 3am.

Now, let me stress that if this were one of the last things I completed off this list, I’d be okay with that. It probably wouldn’t be wise to strap a baby to your back and jump head first out of a plane, so I’m content with waiting on this one. 😉

“For every minute you’re angry, you lose sixty seconds of happiness.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson

While reading my friend’s blog tonight, I realized that I haven’t properly introduced myself. So, I sat down to make my second blog entry as an introduction to me, which would (hopefully) help you to understand the intent behind some of my posts. *crosses fingers*

I thought this would be a lot easier task. I can talk about myself, right?

Uh, no. It wasn’t that easy. Matter of fact, I erased the first paragraph a billion times, for fear that anything I write is going to make me sound neurotic. Or lame. Or… something equally horrible.

Because when someone asks, “who are you?”… what do you say? Other than the obvious, of course. (“Well, I’m a female with brown hair and eyes…”) Sheesh. Even *I* wouldn’t want to read the post.

I thought about cheating — err, maximizing my time — and just linking my post to my Myers-Briggs results; unfortunately, they weren’t as accurate or complete as I wanted.

So… I decided to write whatever came to mind and not erase it. Yikes. It’s long, so I added pictures. At the very least, it’ll give you something to look at while you glaze over the words. 😉

WHO AM I?

I am a 29-year-old Christian woman who – unfortunately – lives for herself and the world more often than she lives for God (but it’s something I’m working on). I pride myself in being Southern, for reasons I can’t adequately explain. I’m competitive and somewhat of a perfectionist. Faith, family, friends and football are always top priority in my life.

Family.

Again, with the parents. 🙂

Some of my Salt Lake family.

...and more Salt Lake family. 🙂

Music, more often than not, has an uncanny way of saying EXACTLY what my heart wants to say… and music is like breathing – I can’t live without it. My Texas accent comes out when I’m tired… or I’ve had too much to drink. Oddly enough, “tired” and “right” are two words that I still say with a slight southern accent. I’m EXTREMELY passionate about life and feel that it is best when experienced with curiosity and an open-mind. I’m incessantly optimistic, even in the most grim of circumstances.
I believe you should never regret anything in life because at one point it was exactly what you wanted. Everyone makes mistakes – they’re inevitable. Learn from it, and go on to the next one.
I think there is something beautiful about everyone. I’m a people-watcher, and the human mind facinates me. I’m also fascinated by Creation and the human interpretation of it. Debating taboo topics is fun for me. Laughter, babies, and “old love” put a smile on my face every time. I really don’t like to drive unless I need to clear my head… which is kind of scary if you think about it.
My grandparents and elementary art teacher are/were the most influential people in my life.

Grandparents, with my Great Aunt Sandy.

I love to cook and have a perfect record when it comes to trying new recipes… but I can’t toast bread under the broiler — I burn it every time. I can remember birthdays, anniversaries, and random pieces of useless trivia, but I can’t remember to return a phone call unless I do it right then or write a note. I’m a list-maker… but sometimes, I lose the list. I’m a hopeless romantic, and am confident that my partner will be as caring and romantic as I am. Playing the guitar and singing to me wins me over EVERY time.
When I get angry, I’m more likely to say something inappropriate and something that I don’t mean — I have no tact when I’m upset. I’m brutally honest, to a fault, but you’ll always know where you stand with me. I’m usually the first to apologize and/or forgive, whether it was my fault or not. I believe in buying gifts and giving them for no reason at all.
Getting remarried and having kids scares the hell out of me… but deep down, I’m kind of excited about it. I often run late to things because I hate having an excessive amount of time before functions or events. Early is not on-time… early is early, and on-time is on-time. My facial expressions are a dead-giveaway to how I feel, and I’m a horrible liar. Somehow, this allows me to be a really good poker player.

Winning!

Events in my life a) make me thankful I’m alive, and b) are proof that there is a God who loves and cares for me very much.
I develop ADD like symptoms at random times. I get bored easily, which is why my Prince Charming will complement my spontaneity. I believe in helping people in need, and also believe that every able person should work.
I ride the fence about a lot of issues, especially politics. I think it’s because I force myself to play “devil’s advocate” when debating, and end up not coming to a conclusion at all. My best work comes when I’m under pressure. I allow my heart to make important decisions… not all, but most.

Following my heart (okay, okay... and my head...) lead me here.

My top 5 strengths are Woo, Futuristic, Communication, Positivity, and Maximizer. I very rarely become REALLY angry, but when I do all hell breaks loose. (I can count on one hand the times I’ve been this angry and still have fingers left. ha.) I’ve been compared to Pheobe from “Friends” and Charlotte from “Sex and The City”, although I’m not sure what that means exactly. I believe that you can attain anything you want in life, if you want it bad enough. If I had my way, I would have 3+ kids, a golden retriever and a house in the suburbs somewhere with a white picket fence and hydrangea bushes in the front yard.

Or, I'll have a dog like this... and name him Boo Radley.

I think God has a sense of humor. I’m not much of a shopper, but I could spend hours in Victoria’s Secret, Central Market, or the housewares section of a store. I love to workout, and prefer group classes to being by myself. I like figuring out what makes things tick… but not in a literal sense. I express myself better by writing, rather than speaking; if I feel like I’m saying something wrong, I get super nervous and don’t know when to shut up. My hobbies change like the weather. I believe that you should approach love like you’re loving for the first time, like you’ve never been hurt. I believe trust is earned, but you should always try to give the person the benefit of the doubt. “Say what you mean, mean what you say, but don’t be mean when you say it” is something I remind myself of, often.
I firmly believe everything happens for a reason, some of which we aren’t meant to comprehend in this lifetime…

…and that’s just the beginning.

“I am fairly certain that, with a cape and a nice tiara, I can save the world.”

My friend and I were discussing a friend’s blog the other day.

Him: “She doesn’t really write about anything deep, you know? I thought blogs were for writing about things you think about, to get them out into the open.”
Me: “Well, they are. Maybe this one is for things she wants to share with other people, and maybe she has another blog. A secret one, like a diary, where she can vent frustration and stuff.”
Him: “You don’t put secrets online. People find them.”
Me: “Yeah? Well, I have a secret blog that no one knows about. I don’t use any identifying information, and I like the thought that unless I gave you the address to it, you wouldn’t know it was me. Kind of like having an invisible diary hanging out in your room. Plus, I like the fact that it’s online. It’s accessible from virtually anywhere.”
Him: “Can I read it?”
Me: “You already know everything you need to know.”
Him: “But hun, blogs are meant to be read. You don’t write something on there unless you want someone to read it, right?”
Me: “Sure. But the people reading it are strangers. They don’t know me. They have an objective opinion.”
Him: “Well, I’m going to google it. I’ll find it.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. He’s absolutely right… people blog because it gives them the chance to talk all about themselves; you blog about your thoughts, your ideas… and probably somewhere deep down, you imagine someone else reading your blog, empathizing with everything you’ve written, laughing, crying, or yelling right along with you. And, being the incessantly optimistic person that I am, I like the possibility that someone out there could be impacted by something I wrote. Kind of like saving the world, one blog at a time.

*snicker*

That sounds so self-absorbed… I’m totally using that for the blog title. 😉