To Do. To See. To Experience.

My friend Katie recently blogged about her Life List: a collection of places she wants to visit, goals she hopes to achieve and experiences she’d like to have. Joining the Peace Corps and living in Africa were two major things I always wanted to do, but they weren't on my Life List. Mostly, because I never had one.

Luckily, I found this posted on my friend Frances' blog. It’s by no means a definitive Life List, or even a Life List of my own (I’m still working on that). But it was fun to see how childhood road trips and family vacations were responsible for checking off many of these. And even more interesting, to see what things I’ve done only because I moved to Africa.

It's no surprise that there's plenty more to do, to see and to experience. (I have a feeling it will always be that way.) Despite that fact, I'd say I'm still making pretty good progress ... How about you?

1. started your own blog
2. slept under the stars
3. played in a band (to be clear, it was THE band, not A band)
4. visited hawaii
5. watched a meteor shower
6. given more than you can afford to charity (plus two years)
7. been to disneyworld
8. climbed a mountain
9. held a praying mantis
10. sang a solo
11. bungee jumped
12. visited paris
13. watched a lightning storm at sea
14. taught yourself an art from scratch
15. adopted a child
16. had food poisoning
17. walked to the top of the statue of liberty
18. grown your own vegetables
19. seen the mona lisa in france
20. slept on an overnight train
21. had a pillow fight
22. hitch-hiked (In Africa no less)
23. taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. built a snow fort
25. held a lamb
26. gone skinny dipping
27. run a marathon
28. ridden in a gondola in venice
29. seen a total eclipse
30. watched a sunrise or a sunset
31. hit a home run (in the park)
32. been on a cruise
33. seen niagra falls in person
34. visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. seen an amish community
36. taught yourself a new language
37. had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. seen the leaning tower of pisa in person
39. gone rock climbing
40. seen michaelangelo's david
41. sung karaoke
42. seen the old faithful geyser erupt
43. bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. visited Africa (and lived there!)
45. walked on a beach by moonlight
46. been transported in an ambulance
47. had your portrait painted
48. gone deep sea fishing
49. seen the sistine chapel in person
50. been to the top of the eiffel tower in paris
51. gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. kissed in the rain
53. played in the mud
54. gone to a drive-in theater
55. been in a movie
56. visited the great wall of china
57. started a business
58. taken a martial arts class
59. visited russia
60. served at a soup kitchen
61. sold girl scout cookies
62. gone whale watching
63. got flowers for no reason
64. donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. gone sky diving
66. visited a nazi concentration camp
67. bounced a check
68. flown in a helicopter
69. saved a favorite childhood toy
70. visited the lincoln memorial
71. eaten caviar
72. pieced a quilt
73. stood in times square (even worked in an office there)
74. toured the everglades
75. been fired from a job
76. seen the changing of the guards in London
77. broken a bone
78. been on a motorcycle
79. seen the grand canyon in person
80. published a book
81. visited the vatican
82. bought a brand new car
83. walked in jerusalem
84. had your picture in the newspaper
85. read the entire bible
86. visited the white house
87. killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. had chickenpox
89. saved someone's life
90. sat on a jury
91. met someone famous
92. joined a book club (started one, in fact!)
93. lost a loved one
94. had a baby
95. seen the alamo in person
96. swam in the great salt lake
97. been involved in a law suit
98. owned a cell phone
99. been stung by a bee
100. seen mount rushmore in person
101. learned to play an instrument