Inked: Checking Off a Bucket List Goal

For the past month, I’ve been caught up with the wedding and living that I didn’t realize I crossed off another item from my bucket list (well, three, but more on that in the parenthetical aside at the end of this post).

One thing I’ve been wanting to do for quite some time is get tattooed. A very generous friend of mine paid for my first tattoo as a wedding present.

The day of, I was super nervous, but everything went so well. The artist, Donny Manco, was fantastic! We kicked around two ideas and settled on the one I’ve had in my head for the longest amount of time—a dove leaving a trail of fire.

Ink!

The artist at work, making a stencil

The tattoo hurt way less than anticipated…except for the last half hour or so. The result was so worth it!

The finished product!

After healing and on my wedding day

I’m so happy with my tattoo and am looking forward to many more!

(Incidentally, during the process of the wedding and my honeymoon, I checked off two more bucket list goals—getting married and seeing a Broadway play.)

Kicking the Bucket: Things I’d Like to Do Before I Die

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, this is the second article on the theme of bucket lists.  I  found my list a little overwhelming, so I broke it up into age categories to make it a little more manageable (at least in my mind!).  Here are a list of things I would love to do before I hit certain ages.

Hot Air Balloon (Photo credit: Eric Lim Photography)

Before 30

• Act in an off-Broadway play
• Build my own study/studio (I love books and art and wide open spaces.  For more of an idea of what I mean, check out the Pinterest photo album I’ve dedicated to this dream.)
• Get my first tattoo
• Get my motorcycle license
• Get tattooed with my mom (We’ve had a sort of pact that we’d both get tattooed on her 50^th birthday, which is fast approaching.  I guess I should think up a design…)
• Go rock climbing
• Go skinny dipping
• Have a picnic in Central park (basket, wine, the works!)
• Have coffee (or hot chocolate) with Don Miller (I know the saying goes, “Never meet your heroes.”  I’m willing to take the hit on this one.)
• Learn to play guitar proficiently (I define this as being able to read the music and pick up the tune easily.  I’ve started taking guitar classes, so I’m on my way!)
• Learn to use a sewing machine
• Make Cheetara costume (as you’ll see in tomorrow’s post, I’ve dressed up for conventions a few times.  I want to go with a few people to a convention as the Thundercats at some point.)
• Ride a zip line
• Run a successful Etsy shop (I define this as 5 or more sales per month in both Roaring Out and Lady Velociraptor)
• See a Broadway musical (My mom took me to one when I was a baby, so that doesn’t really count)
• Take a dance class
• Take a hot air balloon ride
• Take a road trip where the only parameter is to get back home before I run out of money
• Take part in a writing residency
• Try frisbee golf
• Visit Portland, Oregon
• Visit Spain
• Write a fan letter to Jason Statham and see if he responds

flamer (Photo credit: olaerik)

Before 35

• Adopt a chimp
• Fly an airplane
• Get married
• Go on a missions trip
• Gut a fish
• Have my photography published in a magazine or book
• Have one or two kids
• Have publication credits from at least 10 different lit mags
• Make my own beer
• Publish my first book
• Raise $5,000 to drill a well with LiquidWater.com
• Swing from a chandelier
• Take a hot air balloon ride
• Travel to Israel
• Try blowing glass or working with hot glass
• Visit Montreal
• Visit the Globe Theatre in London
• Walk away from an explosion in slow motion (like the movies!  or Gangnam style)

Flamenco culture is native to Andalusia. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Before 40

• Be in a band
• Be in at least one episode of a favorite TV show of mine (preferably Dr Who, but I’d be cool with Supernatural, too)
• Flamenco dance in Spain
• Maintain a regular exercise routine (not necessarily go to the gym, but maybe still spar and such)
• Make my own wine in Napa Valley
• Read a book a week and write a review for each (I finished a 25 @ 25 photo challenge earlier in the year.  Perhaps I can do a 40 @ 40 book review challenge…)
• Read at a Poetry reading where I am the headliner
• Ride a gondola in Italy
• Swim with dolphins
• Visit all 50 states (alternately, have sex in all 50 states. A friend of mine mentioned that she had done this and it sounded like a fun, unique challenge 😉 )

Laurel wreath (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Before 50

• Become Poet Laureate of the state I’m currently living in
• Make a habit of traveling abroad each year

I must give credit where credit is due.  I would not have written out a bucket list were it not for the blogs of these two lovely ladies: Lesley Carter and Julie

Check out their blogs.  They do some pretty incredible stuff 🙂

What is one item on your bucket list?