DEADline #48

In my post about the things I want to do before I leave this earth, I wrote about Don and Marty in item #48.

Don, Marty and I have been friends since the '80s. That was a lovely decade with the best hairstyles, EVER. I think I can probably write an entire post dedicated to Don's hairstyles over the past 20 years. Marty and I met in high school, and we both met Don at our dancing school. We weren't fast friends. It took a while, okay, a long while for us to become close friends. I may, or may not have been the hold out.

We had the best time at our dance classes and rehearsals. We practically lived at our dance studio for a couple of years. After Don and I went away to different colleges, we would still come home on the weekends for rehearsals for our shows.

Fast forward MANY years later, and Don lives in California and Marty lives in Arizona, and we are closer than ever. A couple of years ago we started a new tradition. Once a year, the three of us get together for a weekend at one of our homes. We rotate our location each year.

The three of us may not talk as much as we would like, but once we are together, it is mostly non-stop goofiness. Don and Marty are like an old comedy team, and they never fail to keep me in stitches.

A couple of years ago, Don sent Marty and me a song in an e-mail (I can't remember the song, but I KNOW that Don remembers). The song sent Don into a daydream of sorts. I can't remember the exact details of Don's daydream,  but after he got us started, the three of us just ran with his idea.

The three of us would rent a cabin for a week (and the whole dream has a sort of 1950's feel to it). We would drive an old pick-up truck and have to go to the little country store to pick up our staples for the week. We would be wearing overalls and little '50s dresses (I would probably be the one in overalls). We'd sit on our front porch swing and drink lemonade. We'd make pies (well, the boys would be doing the baking, I'd be chopping the wood) and we'd listen to the radio. We might even make up a little dance routine or two.

We'd be laughing, singing, and dancing for an entire week; my boys and me.

Anyway, that is #48.

Man, I love those guys.

There's a lot to get done before my DEADline

I always wonder how I am going to get done everything I want to get done....in this lifetime. There's so much to do, so much to experience, so much to learn, so much to see, and so much to taste.

A couple of years ago, I bought one of those Moleskine books, and my goal was to list the 100 things I want to do in this lifetime. Actually, I titled it "100 Things To Do Before I Go". A 'bucket list', so to speak. I was only able to think of 50 things my first go at it. My little book was lost for a bit, but then I found it a couple of weekends ago while I was doing the "massive 2010 clean out". I've managed to add a couple more items, and I'm sure now that my book is in my possession again, I'll be able to hit 100.

Here they are: (and those that are blocked out, are things I've managed to accomplish)

1. visit France (again)
2. go skydiving (again)
3. live abroad
4. weigh my goal weight
5. not live paycheck to paycheck
6. be a fabulous foster parent
7. be fluent in the French language
8. be comfortable in my own skin walking into a room of strangers
9. be a decent salsa dancer
10. go on a special trip with my mother
11. make a difference in a child's life
12. go rock climbing
13. be able to run 3 miles w/out stopping
14. practice yoga faithfully
15. visit Martha's Vineyard
16. be a raw vegan
17. be perpetually neat and organized
18. get my sign language interpreting certifications
19. go on an extended European vacation
20. remove money as a concern
21. go on another Country Walkers tour
22. host a big, blow out bash
23. zipline through a canopy
24. have a home with a front porch and a swing
25. go to Alaska
26. live a toxin free life with a toxin free home
27. own a home with a fireplace
28. own an 'escape'/summer home/cottage
29. take beautiful photographs (good enough to sell)
30. go a month without TV (again)
31. visit all 50 states
32. truly live in peace in my heart and home
33. have the visible baby biceps I've always wanted
34. visit New York City
35. stay in one of those huts on stilts on water (is it Bali? Thailand?)
36. visit my Grandfather's mother's hometown in Poland
37. make sure I can do the splits at every decade (40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90!)
38. be debt free
39. walk along an east coast's coast with pedal pushers on like I've always dreamed about with Ignacio
40. be my own boss
41. go on an Outward Bound adventure
42. live for me
43. be a volunteer for the elderly
44. have a special relationship with my nephews. Always.
45. stop worrying about what others think
46. ride my bike and take it on public transportation
47. visit at least 500 of the 1000 places before you die
48. rent an old house with Don and Marty for at least a week, living out the daydream we've created
49. get a makeover that makes me look fabulous
50. get my teeth straightened (again)
51. go kayaking
52. take guitar lessons
53. always take dance lessons (ballet/jazz)
54. live a life that my dad would be proud of

I think I need to get more imaginative with the next 50 things. Dream big, baby.

There is a lot to get done. At least I know if I don't get it all done, there is always my next lifetime.