Up and Adam [Ries]

This is my bucket list. We all have one, whether or not it is typed up or written down. Although when I go, kicking a bucket will not suffice. Let me bang some pots and pans, and somebody organize a parade. I’ve always been a list maker, so it only makes sense to have a Life Dreams List. I’ve made a “before I graduate high school” list. And then there was the “before I graduate college” list. And since I don’t know when I will go back into the educational system, I guess now it is a “before I graduate Life” list. So this list is things I want to do before it is too late. I’ve had the incredible opportunity to go, see, and do a few amazing things in my short life so far, so some are already crossed off or are ‘to do again.’ Some are short and relatively simple, others are long term goals that will take years to work toward accomplishing. My list is purposeful, meaningful, and some are challenging. And I hope that some of these items create a legacy that last longer than a lifetime.

1. Kayak down (or up?) a major river
2. Travel back to Italy to visit Florence and Venice to retake favorite photographs in the same spot
3. Learn to speak fluent German (I studied this 4 year in high school, but who remembers that?)
4. Fall in love (so many life goals should be accomplished as a pair)
5. Take gourmet cooking classes
6. Start my own small business
7. Roadtrip to the Grand Canyon
8. Learn to like whiskey
   Somewhere in 2015 it happened. It might be due to my 3rd year attending Dublin Irish Fest, a late night at a friend’s lake cottage sampling a half dozen bottles, or perhaps just the insistence from some great friends. But I bought myself a bottle of whiskey for Christmas. And I find myself ordering either whiskey or bourbon on a regular basis if I’m at the bar.
9. Pay off my student loan debt
10. Publish a book
11. Take photography classes
12. Own and live in my dream house
13. Sleep on the beach
14. Raise a family
15. Invent a new and useful tool, gadget, or program
16. Visit and photograph ancient Egypt
17. Take dancing lessons
18. Become a bicycle enthusiast
19. Jump off of a cliff into the ocean
20. Name my house, like in the old days when all estates had names
    2014, when I bought my Humble Bungalow. Maybe it’s not “estate” worthy, but it fits the house.
21. Visit all 50 States
22. Write a song & perform it in public
23. Scuba dive at a coral reef or ship wreck
24. Attend Mardi Gras in New Orleans
25. Visit a rain forest
26. Learn to play chess (all the cool old men do this)
27. Keep bees and harvest honey
28. Restore a stained glass window
29. Grow an enormous vegetable garden
30. Watch all the movies on the American Film Institute’s Top 100 list
31. Become an early morning person
32. Earn my Master’s Degree
33. Live off the grid
34. Play the lead role in a community theater production
35. Teach a college course
36. Swim with dolphins
37. Own a grand piano
38. Build an outdoor fireplace
39. Grow a bonsai tree
40. See a Broadway performance (in New York, a traveling show doesn’t count)
41. Spend an entire day eating Italian food and watching favorite movies
42. Throw an awesome Halloween costume party
43. Take my family to Disney World (or Land)
44. Become a regular volunteer with a non-profit organization
45. Vacation again in Southern Germany (Bavaria)