How on earth is it already New Year’s Eve??? Looking back on all that I’ve done in 2018, I truly can’t believe that 1.) it has only been one year and 2.) that the year is already over!
When this year started, I knew I would be crossing two things off my Bucket List…but I had no idea that by the end I would be crossing off FIVE!!!! I have been so incredibly blessed and I’m looking forward to all that 2019 has in store for me. Here is a recap of my crazy Bucket List experiences of the year. I know that this may not be super interesting to most people, but it is important for me as a reminder that even when everything seems to be going wrong (like some technical difficulties that have been preventing me from posting lately) you just never know when a wonderful life changing moment is about to happen.
Happy New Year everyone!
1.) Run the Disney Princess Half Marathon – Completed 2/25/2018
I have never been a runner. Despite all of the sports I played growing up, soccer included, I just hated running. It was boring, tedious, and just not for me. This race was honestly only on my Bucket List because of the awesome bling you get at the end and because you get to run through Magic Kingdom before it opens. Mark and I worked so unbelievably hard to be able to run 13.1 miles and I truly don’t think I had ever felt more accomplished or proud than I did when we crossed that finish line. The craziest part is that we went on to run two additional half marathons throughout the year…
2.) Have Dinner at Cinderella’s Castle During the Fireworks – Completed 2/25/2018
What better way to celebrate completing the Princess Half Marathon than by having dinner in a castle?! I have dreamed of eating in the iconic castle ever since I was a little girl and it truly did not disappoint. It was just as beautiful as I had hoped it would be with delicious food and a great view of the fireworks (they even piped in the music and dimmed the lights!)
3.) Visit All US National Parks – Initiated 8/25/2018
Okay, okay…this obviously hasn’t fully been crossed of the list yet, but I finally kicked off the journey to completing it by visiting Acadia National Park! So I feel like that counts (this is my Bucket List recap so I make the rules.) Acadia was more than I could have ever dreamed it could be, and accidentally going off the grid was something I didn’t know I needed. Mark and I loved it so much that we have decided to make a trip to our region’s only National Park a yearly trip (though next year we will also be crossing off Glacier and hopefully Shenandoah…)
4.) Drive Along the Historic Route 66 (while listening to “Route 66″…) – Completed 9/30/2018
This seems like such a silly thing…but I remember visiting my Aunt Pauline in Arizona when I was little and she always had all of these crazy Route 66 souvenirs around and would talk about what a great road trip it makes and it made me want to experience what she had some day. The best part about this was that it happened 100% by accident on our way from Chicago to Peoria for a wedding. The wedding was the best I had ever been to and Chicago is always a blast…but this was truly the highlight of that trip.
5.) See the Northern Lights – Completed 10/9/2018
Seeing the Northern Lights has been in my top 3 Bucket List items for as long as I can remember, and I am truly blessed to have been able to see them, unplanned, twice. I had no idea that I would even be going to Iceland until I booked my trip to Copenhagen semi-last minute at the very end of June. With a 22 hour overnight layover, I hoped I would be able to see them, but I knew it was a long shot and made sure not to get my hopes up.
The first time I saw them was when I woke up as the plane started to descend into Iceland. I opened my window and right in front of me were these beautiful green lights dancing in the clouds. Yes, I instantly started laughing and crying.
The second time was a few hours later. I had rented a car and parked it by Seljalansfoss waterfall so that I could hopefully get a couple hours of sleep. When I woke up, I saw what looked like shimmering white wisps in the sky. These white wisps were actually the Northern Lights!!! It had been a pretty rainy evening so the leftover clouds made the color of the Lights weak, but my camera was able to pick it up beautifully. Honestly, even though my view from the ground looked like it was white, it was still such an unbelievably incredible thing to see. I truly cannot wait until the next time I get to see these dancing lights (and hopefully the wind won’t cause my camera to shake & make the pictures blurry).
*Honorable Mention: Driving my Dream Car – Completed 10/20/2018
I have always wanted a red Mustang. Don’t ask me why, I have no idea, but it has always been my dream car (I’m thinking it has something to do with Grease…) When I went to go pick up my rental car in Las Vegas, the lovely lady at the desk said, “Well…I have a red Mustang available if you want that instead…it’s the same price as the other car you were going to get”. Queue the tears and me basically yelling “yes!” I then proceeded to drive down the highway, all windows down, while blasting Elvis’s “Viva Las Vegas” on my way to hike Red Rock Canyon. Seriously the greatest part of that horrible work trip (Vegas and I are not friends…)
Tracy says
Love to visit all the National Parks. Especially now in the climate.