Not on my bucket list

Recently, my girlfriends and I went on an 8 hour road trip to San Francisco to run the Bay 2 Breakers on my birthday (see previous blog). I thought it would be fun if we all jotted down, ahead of time, our Top 10 Bucket List Items. Turns out it was a fabulous idea...we chatted about them throughout the weekend, made reference to them over many cocktails, and on the way home, we talked more in depth about them. Our Bucket List items turned into deep conversation about the things we love, the things that matter to us and just brought us all a little bit closer. I had also printed out a list from the internet entitled: "100 Things you should do before you die" and brought it with me. I read it aloud to my friends on our way home. It was fun to hear my friend's experiences, stories and dreams in relation to the items on the list. Stuff you don't really know until you ask. It was very eye-opening and fun! And, I'd highly recommend it for your next road trip!

Here's my Top 10:

• Run a Half (check. did that twice! Hey, does that count as a full marathon?)
• Hike South Sister (the 3rd largest peak in Oregon. done. checked off my list for good!)
• Run a race on my bday (done. Bay 2 B!)
• Zip line in Costa Rica (I want to go there for a yoga retreat on my 50th bday!)
• Try a tri! (I wanted to do a sprint tri this July, but chickened out! I don't swim and I only own a cruiser, so the only leg I could truly do is the 5k...guess I need to invest in a new bike and some swim lessons before I check that one off!)
• Eat Lobster in Cape Cod (for some reason New England has always held a special place in my heart.)
• Visit NY City and go to the Live with Kelly and Michael show! (Kelly is my hero!! Would love to meet her!)
• Do a run in the wine country (Oregon, California, Washington, doesn't really matter where. I just want to have lots of wine at the finish line)
• Run the Eugene Half (where my husband and I went to college and my son is going now...)
• Get one of my blogs published (but, I guess I need to have more than 17 followers before that happens!)

So, I've done 3 out of 10. I really hope to cross 'em ALL off my list before I kick the proverbial bucket!

Now, that brings me to things that are NOT on my bucket list! Topping that list would be:

• Running a Full Marathon
• Riding in an ambulance
• Spending any time in prison

I would add to that list "riding a mechanical bull" but, apparently one of my best friends thought it WAS on my bucket list and co-erced me into doing it last week! By co-erced, I don't mean that she held a gun to my head or anything...but, she did buy me several beers and showed me the cool T-shirt I could earn and said "c'mon, you know you want to cross it off your list"! Guess that's all it takes.

Anyhoo, I signed the waiver (that should have been my first clue) and hopped up on the bull (in my cute little western skirt and cowboy boots!)...smiled for the camera (and all of facebook to see) and held on tightly. The next thing I knew, I was on my head, skirt up over it and all I could think of as I lay there was "Oh my god, if it hurts this much now, I don't want to be me in the morning!!" I somehow got myself upright, straightened out my cute lil' skirt and marched on over to the bartender and demanded my free T-shirt! She just smiled and said, "You earned it, honey...and by the way, I saw your thong!" Ugh. Little did she know, I was wearing my granny panties but, the force of the bull must have made 'em look ... well, umm, a little skimpier!

I now know that I am waaaaay too damn old to just randomly hop up on some Robo Bull and go for a ride! For heaven's sake, I'm not 24 anymore. There are some things that people just don't want to see when they are out enjoying themselves on a Thursday night. So, for all of you who were innocent bystanders to the "mess" that was me the other night. I am truly sorry.

Bucket Lists are great. They are good way to chart your growth. It's good to have something to work towards. But, I would recommend writing down all the items that are ON your list and maybe even the ones that are NOT on your list...and in my case, laminating it and carrying it around on a binder ring on my belt or something. That way, I will never find myself in this position ever again...

Oh Lordy, someone thinks they're 40.

"I'm much too young to feel this damn old."

-Garth Brooks