I have been thinking about making a bucket list for a while now. Sure, I have always had ideas about what I want to be doing but this is the year to write it down. Why this year? Well, 2011 is a big year for me. A lot on my mind. You see, this year I am the same age that my mother was when my oldest daughter was born. Which means I am also the same age that my mother was when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. I know I should not ponder on this subject, but somehow I cannot help myself.

After being diagnosed with cancer, Mom lived for 11 more years and I am grateful for every single day of those years. My mother was a fighter and strong to the end. She had a simple request: “Do not say that I fought a long and valiant battle with cancer in my obituary.” We all just knew, everyone knew. She was always helpful to everyone around her and even on her sickest days she was always there helping me.

Today is the anniversary of my mother’s death. In 1996, my mother passed away. Did she have a “Bucket List?” I don’t know. What I do know is this: she loved her children very much and would spend all of her time with them if she could; she loved her grandchildren (my children) very much; she was a great friend; she was a fabulous cook; she cared for others needs before her own; she went to school to be a dental hygienist; she loved my Dad very much; she lived her life the way she wanted to… to the fullest.

Why do I write this blog anyway? I write it for my children first of all, but also as a tribute to my mother. This blog is part of my Bucket List. Adventurous and fun… enjoying every moment of life. So I wrote it down, the Bucket List! Definition of a bucket list: the things you want to do before you “kick the bucket.” I may add things later, but for now, here it goes:

1. See a Volcano in Hawaii
2. Visit Chichen Itza in Mexico
3. See the Grand Canyon
4. Take all of our family on a super resort vacation on the beach
5. Drive the Pacific Coast Highway in convertible
6. Write my life story
7. Make a difference in someone’s life
8. Go on a cruise
9. Run a marathon
10. Visit Stonehenge
11. See “Christ the Redeemer” in Rio de Janeiro
12. Build a Cabin
13. Build a Giant Snowman with a carrot nose
14. Ride a zipline in a tropical jungle
15. Take a cross country train vacation
16. Visit all 50 states
17. Bake cookies for all the people in my town
18. Explore a cave
19. Go to NY at Christmas
20. Visit Petra – that place where Indiana Jones went in the Last Crusade
21. Visit Bora Bora- stay in one of those houses on the water
22. Take my daughters to a Broadway play
23. Take my sons to an NFL Superbowl
24. See a baby cow being born
25. Learn a new skill

Well, there you have it, my bucket list. I know I will probably ad things along the way because I have a lot of life left in me. First and foremost I want to be a good influence on my children and family, just like my mom was to me. I want my family and children to know how much I love them, just like I knew my mother loved me. I want my children and family to know that they are the most important people in my life, just like I knew how important I was in my mom’s life.

What is on your bucket list? Is there something I missed on my list? I look forward to any and all input. Have a wonderful life and make the most of your life.