Bucket List (June 2013 progress)

TRAVEL
~~Gamble in Las Vegas (2009)~~ – It’s hard to explain why I love Vegas so much. It’s completely artificial, and it’s expensive, and yet… I like it. It’s just so unashamed about what it is. It doesn’t try to disguise what it is. Also, The Killers are from here. That’s probably a pretty big reason. Plus it’s just darned FUN.
~~See The Killers in Las Vegas (2009)~~ – This was a super fun show! I loved seeing them in their hometown, and they definitely seemed to love it too. I wrote about the whole show here. “I know this place is brand new, and I’m sure they built it really well, but let’s blow the roof off this son of a b*tch!”
~~Party until dawn in Las Vegas (2010)~~ – Super fun trip with my BFF Leah. After driving 6 hours from Utah, we partied all night. I wasn’t sure we’d make it to dawn, but then we did! And I took this picture as proof. It was a fun night! We even randomly ended up on some strangers’ party bus!
~~Eat pasta in Italy (2013)~~ – My first meal in Italy happened in Venice, and I ordered the seafood pasta. It was delicious! I actually had pasta in each of the 3 places in Italy we visited. Can you tell I like pasta? I do. A lot.
~~Eat escargot in France (2013)~~ – These were delicious, all drenched in pesto. They weren’t too dissimilar from clams, really chewy and flavorful. I’m sure I looked like a noob trying to figure out how to get them out of the shells, but eventually I got the hang of it. I liked them a lot and I will definitely be ordering some again the next time I go to France.
~~Eat paella in Spain (2012)~~ – Paella is essentially the national dish of Spain, and it definitely ranks high on the list of my favorite foods ever. The rice is so flavorful, cooked in the broth of the seafood and the saffron, all the flavors mix so well. I want to master this recipe before I leave Spain.
~~See the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution (2010)~~ – This just might be the highlight from my trip to Washington DC. It was a bit surreal to see the actual physical documents, the very paper that helped create this country. As a History major I was on cloud nine.
Eat sushi in Japan
Visit the ruins of Ancient Rome
Visit Machu Picchu
Visit the fjords of Norway
Visit the Grand Canyon
Visit Yellowstone National Park
Go on a road trip across at least 9 states
Visit half of the 900+ sites on the UNESCO World Heritage list
Travel to all 7 continents

Career
~~Become a teacher (2012)~~ – I graduated in 2011, but I got my first non-substitute job in 2012, in Spain. I really like it here, and I’ve learned a ton about working with ESL students. This will definitely be an experience that I will draw on for the rest of my career. I’ve also learned a ton of Spanish.

Life Experiences
~~Swim with sharks (2009)~~ – I absolutely love sharks. They’re so strong and agile and badass. They’re definitely one of my favorite animals. Doing this in Hawaii was one of the highlights of my life. Next time I want to swim with great whites. Who wants to go with me?
~~Get a tattoo (2010)~~ – I thought about the design for a really long time, and in the end it turned out exactly how I was picturing it in my head. I absolutely love it and I’m so glad I did it. I plan to get more at some point, but I want to be 100% sure of what I want first.
~~Go skydiving (2005)~~ – Skydiving was such a rush! The only scary part was right before the actual jump, but once I was in the air it was all fun and crazyness. I really loved how huge Mt Rainier looked from up there. It went by so fast! I really want to go again, but it’s pretty expensive. Someday.
~~Learn another language well enough to survive in that country (2013)~~ – I don’t really have a picture for “learning Spanish”, so here’s a picture of Plaza Mayor, one of my favorite places in Madrid. Madrid will always have a special place in my heart, and it’s here that I really learned how to speak Spanish! I wouldn’t call myself fluent (at all) but I’m proud of how much I’ve learned.
See a polar bear in the wild
Swim with a sea turtle
Swim with a whale
Spend a week in the wilderness
Go hang gliding
Adopt a child
Learn how to play the guitar
Get my skydiving license