Cute Kids

I've been traveling the past few weeks, which is why the blog has been silent. (It's on the agenda for the new year to be sure to post regularly, starting now.)

While on the plane the other day, my fiance and I overheard a father of young boys a few rows back say to his son.

"Oh, you were trying to use the Force to get your drink and it didn't work? That's okay I got it."

My fiance and I shared a giggle, and then he informed me that we're going to have awesome kids like that.

The First Step

I have a problem.
I knew it was a problem, but didn't really take issue with it until recently.
I don't know how to fix it. But I'm not sure it needs fixing.

You see, I have a fear (I guess that's how you would put it) of being bored or not having anything to do. When going somewhere I have a book and some knitting with me just in case. When it comes to traveling for an event such as a family party, I have multiple knitting projects, my little notebook, a book, and my Kindle. Enough stuff to keep a normal person entertained for weeks on end.
The problem? Well, I rarely use this stuff.
But if I don't have it with me, I get all antsy. Then there usually ends up a period of time where I really wish I had it with me because I could be knitting while we drive the half hour to the store.

So, while I don't plan on doing anything about this. I did realize I'm a little out of hand when last night, after confirming a last minute flight back home to Utah, I downloaded 5, yes 5, new books onto my Kindle.

But I have decided to leave the computer at home this trip. Maybe that's why I needed 5 new books. On top of the half dozen or so from previous trips that I still haven't read....

Bucket List

  People talk about their bucket list. A lot of people seem to have cool stuff on theirs like ‘skydiving’ or ‘blow something up’.  I have given a lot of deep thought to my bucket list. And it is this:

      1.       Gettysburg

       2.       Travel to more countries than my dad. Bonus points if it’s somewhere he hasn’t already been to.

           2b. Travel to all 50 States

       3.       Never pass up an opportunity to have an adventure.

Now for some explanations.

     Gettysburg is the most haunted place in the United States. No further explanation needed. Plans are in the works for this to be achieved. Part of this plan is getting my internship on the East Coast.  

It’s tradition that my dad goes somewhere, and then comes home and tells us about all the wonderful food he’s eaten along the way. Or the cool things he’s seen. Or some story about a person he met. Sometimes he’ll call us and start with “Guess what I’m doing right now.”  My dad’s a bamf. We’ll talk more about this later. As of now, he’s been to 17 countries in the world. (Last time we counted he was at 16.) I figured that instead of specifying things for a bucket list, like ‘go to Cancun’, I would do a more general goal, that was still a challenge.

     So far on this one, I’ve got 6 countries down. 2 of which my dad has never been to. I also have tried to do things while traveling that either my dad hasn’t done, are part of the ‘1,000 things before you die’ school, or a lot of people seem to talk about, or should be talking about.  A few highlights: The two countries I’ve been to that dad hasn’t: Poland and New Zealand. Top pick: Seeing the original Christus Statue by Thorvaldsen  in Copenhagen, Denmark and attending Mass at Sacre Couer in Paris.

     A subset of this goal is to visit all 50 states. (Dad has only been to the lower 48) Top of that list is to see  the Aurora in Alaska. Also, subset of this is to visit as many LDS Temples as possible. So far I have 8 of those. (Currently there is 137 operating temples worldwide, with several being constructed or planned.)

     Now, never pass up an opportunity to have an adventure. Who can come home from work, have their mum say “Let’s get Studebakers for dinner” and totally jump in the truck for an hour and half long drive just to get the best pizza ever for dinner, and happen to see a real life bald eagle in the wild on the way there? Or visit a long time friend of your dad’s only to get back to your hostel at nearly 1 am and ride up the lift with a guy in purple tightie whitie style underwear while a hot Brazilian asks you if you would like a beer? Or wake up at who knows when in the morning in a teepee to listen to a confused bull elk try to find a mate? Ever sheared a sheep? Or fished the Cisco run? Or attended a Testicle Festival? Gone to the park in the middle of the night to swing?  Wild and Crazy Adventure anyone? (That last one was a code, those who know what it means have done it with me or a member of my family.)

     Yeah. Almost anything goes for this girl. And I have a pretty cool list that is growing in size in the back of my journal.