Last Updated: August 18, 2019
This is my 50 before 50 bucket list. This post was originally written just over five years ago. It’s not one of those l can’t die without doing this list. It’s more like things l would like to do. It all started during my high school years in Boston. I had a list of places l wanted to visit and things l wanted to learn or do including visiting the most popular destinations. Like every girl l knew, I had my little notebook that l jotted things in.
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I must admit, l have been lucky in life as l have managed to do quite a bit of these, but it was planned luck. I was able to visit my favourite places after college. I was single, making good money and knew l wanted to be child free. It was by design you could say. Some of these things l have done, some l have not, but look forward to doing. Some l’m pretty sure are never going to happen (like swimming!). I will update the list as l think of more things l would like to do. Either way, it’s fun to look at my list and cross off the ones done! So here goes:
1) Be Jessie’s girl (told you it was old!)
Who didn’t love Rick Springfield and that song? While l never got to be Jessie’s girl, I did attend every concert he did in Boston. I remember once we found out he was staying at one of the posh hotels in Prudential center and my friends and l stalked him. I still remember my polka dot dress (the off shoulder ones popular back then) and wearing cream coloured high heels that killed my feet. We made it to his floor (getting off the elevator at a lower floor and climbing the stairs for the rest), but we were foiled by the bodyguards!
2) Sing on stage with Billy Idol
Never happened! I loved and still love Billy Idol. I went to every single concert in Boston, and all the close-by areas like Maine, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. I died my hair blonde, well yellow!Now l am still paying the price :-). Haha! Later on in life I did meet him at least twice and he was super nice. In my profession, I met pretty much everybody, everybody! HIPPA privacy rules prevents me from naming names though.
3) Learn to ride a motorcycle
Done! It was a gift to myself for my 30th, and l rode for 10 years before selling my motorcycles. I had a Suzuki 450, a Kawasaki Vulcan and a Suzuki Intruder 1400. It was fun riding around the streets of L.A and Calabasas and running into folks like Arnuld and Jay Leno amongst other riders. Stopping at Paradise Cove for food with friends and thinking of Beach Blanket Bingo and always humming “another pleasant valley Sunday” under my helmet.
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4) Go to France
Done quite a few times and hope to do it again for sure. Paris is always fun. I still have the fondest memory of visiting Versailles with a complete stranger and discovering the postcard she mailed me years later, visiting Marseille which was amazing and made me happy that we ignored the warning from others.
5) Visit Spain
Haha! We know how that has turned out! My first visit to Madrid was like yikes 35 years ago by my lonesome, way before the internet and l didn’t speak a word of English, just me and my guide book. I remember my day trip to Toledo and meeting two old ladies who were visiting from Kansas or Arkansas (can’t remember which) and were so thrilled to have ditched their boring husbands to take their once in a lifetime trip. Now, we live in Valencia so close to Madrid. We have lived in Seville and Malaga also. It’s hard to believe because l certainly never pictured living here back then. Having purchased our flat here, we are staying here for a while.
6) Visit Portugal
Done! We absolutely love Portugal. We have visited the Algarve region, had a totally horrendous day trying to visit Sintra when we visited Lisbon and we both agree that Porto is hands down our favourite part of the country and we can’t wait to revisit.
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7) Live to Europe
Done! Who freaking knew this would happen! It was a pipe dream. You see the movies and you dream. Who knew years down the line l was going to meet a Roman and actually think seriously about it. Some of you know what triggered the hard look at moving. Our first stop was Malta and we enjoyed it very much, and now we are living in Spain.
8) Visit Berlin
I don’t even know how this was on the list. I can only imagine that it had to do with Hogan’s Heroes. A show that l loved so much and couldn’t wait to see. The original run was before my time, but the repeats came on right after my classes and l rushed home daily to watch. I know the show wasn’t set in Berlin, but l had to see the wall after it came down l guess. We enjoyed the city. Learning history is so much more fun now, better than reading books.
9) Visit Prague
I’m guessing this one made it there at some point because l read so much about that city being a place l had to visit..blah..blah..blah. I have done, and l know it pisses off people, but l didn’t really like Prague. It is a very pretty city, no arguments, but it just didn’t jell for me like it did Federico. Do l hate Prague? No, not even in my first impression, but l found it Meh! I much preferred our day trip to Cesky Krumlov and l would go back just to revisit the Museum Tekniki which was the most amazing place.
10) Write a book
Done. My dream since l was a little girl has always been to be an author. I can not tell you how l used to devour Enid Blyton and James Hadley Chase books. This progressed to Harold Robbins and Sidney Sheldon to name a few. In my head, I was the next Jackie Collins. My first novel was a gay romance novel in 2012. I have written two extremely short novellas, one the new platform Amazon 15 min read and one a 30 min read. I have written a short get your shit together self help book and have just recently completed a moving and settling how to book for Spain with a focus on Valencia.
11) Learn Yoga
It has not happened, not unless you count a couple of classes with Nintendo Wii :-). It’s one of those things l just keep putting off. Maybe someday! My gym does offer the classes, so it’s not like l don’t have access to it. I just prefer Zumba and Body Combat classes.
12) Learn to cook Thai food
Does watching Chasing the Yum count? I have made a couple of things, like pad thai with peanuts but nothing to get excited about so l still would love to learn.
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13) Visit Japan
14) Watch the Lakers play – Done!
15) Watch the Celtics play – Done
16) See Paul Simon in concert – Done
17) Visit Brussels
18) Visit Switzerland – I keep this one on here from a long time ago, but truthfully don’t care much now
19) Volunteer
20) Learn Graphic Design – in progress
21) Grow my hair – it ain’t gonna happen :o(( !!!
22) Crash a wedding
23) Go on an African Safari
24) Make unique beaded jewelry – Done
25) Write my Dad’s life story
26) Learn Italian – in progress
27) Learn Spanish
28) Learn HTML
29) Learn S.E.O
30) Learn to play the piano
31) Actually use kickboxing moves on a thief, knocking him out with a right hook, not just practicing on a bag
32) Visit London – Done,done,done,done,done,done,done..and too many more done to count, but l love it and l’m about to do it again
33) Visit Thailand
34) Visit Taiwan
35) Visit Budapest
36) Visit the Great Wall of China – another one l’m ambivalent about
37)
38)
39)
40)
41)
42)
43)
44)
45)
46)
47&
48)
49)
50) Retire early and take my nextbiteoflife – in progress
I am going to leave this up as a page so l can update it. How about you? Any to do lists to check off?
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I love lists! It was fun reading yours, thanks for sharing. Budapest is amazing. Definitely give yourself a week there to see everything. I had the best time.
Happy travels 🙂
Thanks for stopping by and commenting Lauren, it’s much appreciated. I am so pissed our Budapest visit is only 5 days! Should have definitely made it longer from what l’ve been reading. I can’t wait. I get the feeling l might like it so much, a repeat visit will be warranted.
I like lists, especially of this kind. My favorite blogs are those where you can get a glimpse into the author. I also appreciate that you have room for a few more.
There are two that really have me intrigued. I’m wondering how your going to fulfill #2 and am curious about the story behind #25. Hopefully we’ll be reading about them on here some day.
Well, #2 is not going to happen either..lol! But l did get to meet him a few years ago in L.A at work. He had lost none of his charm, but that’s going to be as close as l get. #25 is a work in progress. I have the first chapter written and l get snippets from my siblings and uncles. At his funeral years ago, so many people insisted on speaking at the wake to recollect things he had one for them that it ran over 8 hours!!! All on VHS. I was thinking it had to be a big book, but no, it does not. He ran away from his village to avoid being a servant the rest of his life. I must dedicate time to it.
A nice list with some really nice things to do. I must admit that some of the things you want to do are on my list too (no, not singing on stage with Billy Idol :D). Good luck with them all and hopefully you’ll make them happen sooner rather than later!
Aha!!! So you want to drop kick someone with a karate chop! Lol! I think l watched too many movies. I have visions of doing that split even though l know l would never get up again :0)) or shooting like Chow Yun Fat . I think travel is a big one for everybody, so l am not surprised that the lists would be similar. Good luck to both of us in making them happen!!!
We share a lot of goals…mostly places we want to travel. I really want to visit Prague and Switzerland!!!
Prague looks so pretty from all the pictures, l can not wait to discover it at some point. Switzerland, not so much anymore, maybe because it’s neutral ..lol! I’ve even seen return flights for like 80€ from here! but don’t want to pay more than 40!!!
Well certainly volunteering would be an easy one to check off, and some others as well. I need to find where the hell I even put my list. 🙂 I’d like to go to Budapest too since I’m half Hungarian and would love to see my “people’s” home. lol!
Lol! Yes, you should definitely go to “represent”! I can’t wait to visit there soon. I’ve done some volunteer work for rescue shelters etc, but l mean an epic one, like go to some foreign place and dig a well, or a road or something. Find your list, l’m nosy!!!
You have had some great travels it looks like, with many more to come! Great list!
Thanks for stopping by and commenting. Travel really is our passion. Little bites serve well.
Great list! I have a 30 before 30 and I used to have an extensive list that has just kept growing and growing the more I travel!
Hi there, I’m sure it will be 100 by 50 pretty soon. Travel makes you discover even more things and places to go..never ending..but l love it! I should probably add seeing the big Buddha, thanks to your post! :0))