9. Professionally Record My Voice

Date Accomplished: April 8th, 2011

I've been singing in the church worship band for almost five years now. While they record every Sunday morning, I've never had a 'professional' recording of my voice...until now. On April 18th, Life Community Church put on a worship concert (at which I sang). A few guys decided to remaster and release the tracks this summer on Live At 4400. I sing track seven - Revelation Song.

2. Meet Someone Famous

Date Accomplished: October 21st, 2010
Last October, I had the opportunity to meet my favorite female vocalist, Ingrid Michaelson while she sang in studio at the Mix 107.9 radio station.

Note: After adding this to my 'Bucket List' - I realized that I had, in fact, already met a handful of celebrities. I met most of them (Vanessa Minnillo, Damien Fahey, Billy Bob Thorton) when I appeared on an episode of MTVs Total Request Live (can you believe the celebrity guest that day was Billy Bob Thorton - who cares!?) but I didn't have any photos of them, as I didn't have a camera. Therefore, I decided to add it to my list.

Pictures from her concert later that night...

 

29. Be in the wedding of a good friend

Date Accomplished: October 23rd, 2010

What a wonderful day - the wedding of my best friend since kindergarten: Ashley Dropsey.

4. Try out for a reality show

Date Accomplished: July 21st, 2010

34. Visit the Ancient Ruins in Mexico

Date Accomplished: January 1st, 2010

27. Make a difference in someones life

Accomplished On: July 9th, 2009 and hopefully again and again...

**This is one of those aspirations that I hope not only to accomplish once - but I hope that as a follower of Christ (as well as being a youth leader and high school teacher), I am able to make a difference in several lives. I hope that I am continually able to make a difference - especially in the lives of the teenagers around me.**

I met Judy (Pink Jacket) and her family during my last day in Kasuku.

After sharing the Gospel with their family, I asked if anyone was interested in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

The room fell silent and each of the women looked at one another. The mother (Green Jacket) was the first to speak up - she said that because she worked as a bar maiden, she couldn't become a Believer (she didn't want to be considered a hypocrite). I explained to her that God asks us to come to him as we are; He doesn't care where we work or at what stage of life we're in. All he asks is for our hearts...he'll take care of the rest.
Still, she had reservations and asked for more time to make a decision.

Judy was the next to speak. She was worried that by accepting Christ, she wouldn't be able to wear blue jeans anymore. I laughed and reminded her of the conversation with her mother: All God asks for is our hearts - to come as we are.

After almost an hour of questions, Judy decided that she needed Christ in her life. I told her that just because she was making the decision to walk with the Lord didn't mean she wouldn't have hardships; however, I reassured her - that despite those struggles, the Lord would forever be by her side.

Judy then prayed for forgiveness. It was one of my favorite moments during the entire week in Kasuku.

25. Go on a cruise

Accomplished On: December 27th, 2009- January 3rd, 2010

76. Attend the Indianapolis 500

Accomplished On: May 24th, 2009 and May 30th, 2010

I've actually been lucky enough to attend the Indy 500 on two occasions. The first time was in 2009 and then again in 2010.

My moms side is from Indianapolis so it has been a tradition for her and her siblings to attend every year.

I was pleasantly surprised by this event. When I think of the Indy 500, I immediately think of NASCAR, however; the Indy 500 is a lot different. The crowd is awesome - and so patriotic!

My only complaint would be around the 75-125ish lap. This is when the race begins to drag (hey, I'm only being honest). Other than that, the Indianapolis 500 is a very worthwhile experience and I can't wait to attend again!

56. Read 100 works of classic literature

After reviewing list after list, I couldn't settle on one in particular to use for the "100 Works of Literature" challenge.

Finally, after viewing over a dozen lists - I stumbled upon a site combining the top results from the most credited sources.

The author of this particular site (http://wealthwisdomandsuccess.com/success-books/best-books-of-all-time-top-100/2007) decided the results based on the following:

"Naturally opinions on what the top novels are differs from reader to reader,
from year to year, and for region of the world. But I decided to get a little more scientific about my process. So this is how I compiled my list of the books I wanted to read.
I gathered rankings from the following lists: Random House Reader, Random House Board, The Radcliffe List, Time Magazine, Guardian Unlimited, and BBC.
I then ranked the books according to the number of times the book appeared
on the above lists. First the books that were listed on all six lists were compared
with the other books receiving six votes. We averaged the rankings and came
up with the average placement on all six lists."

I thought this was an awesome idea and decided this compliation would be perfect for me. So, with that said - I will be reading the following hundred novels:

1. THE GREAT GATSBY by F. Scott Fitzgerald

2. ULYSSES by James Joyce

3. 1984 by George Orwell

4. THE CATCHER IN THE RYE by J.D. Salinger

5. ON THE ROAD by Jack Kerouac

6. THE GRAPES OF WRATH by John Steinbeck

7. CATCH-22 by Joseph Heller

8. LOLITA by Vladimir Nabokov

9. BRAVE NEW WORLD by Aldous Huxley

10. BRIDESHEAD REVISITED by Evelyn Waugh

11. THE SOUND AND THE FURY by William Faulkner

12. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD by Harper Lee

13. THE LORD OF THE RINGS by J.R.R. Tolkien

14. A PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST AS A YOUNG MAN by James Joyce

15. ANIMAL FARM by George Orwell

16. TO THE LIGHTHOUSE by Virginia Woolf

17. INVISIBLE MAN by Ralph Ellison

18. A CLOCKWORK ORANGE by Anthony Burgess

19. GONE WITH THE WIND by Margaret Mitchell

20. AS I LAY DYING by William Faulkner

21. A FAREWELL TO ARMS by Ernest Hemingway

22. A PASSAGE TO INDIA by E.M. Forster

23. LORD OF THE FLIES by William Golding

24. THE CALL OF THE WILD by Jack London

25. DAVID COPPERFIELD by Charles Dickens

26. EMMA by Jane Austen

27. TESS Of The D’URBERVILLES, Thomas Hardy

28. THE SCARLET LETTER by Nathaniel Hawthorne

29. WUTHERING HEIGHTS by Emily Bronte

30. THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER by Carson McCullers

31. SLAUGHTERHOUSE FIVE by Kurt Vonnegut

32. JANE EYRE by Charlotte Bronte

33. BELOVED by Toni Morrison

34. ANNA KAREINA by Leo Tolstoy

35. THE SUN ALSO RISES by Ernest Hemingway

36. NATIVE SON by Richard Wright

37. ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

38. NOSTROMO by Joseph Conrad

39. HEART OF DARKNESS by Joseph Conrad

40. UNDER THE VOLCANO by Malcolm Lowry

41. THE GOOD SOLDIER by Ford Madox Ford

42. HERZOG by Saul Bellow

43. THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS by Kenneth Grahame

44. U.S.A. (trilogy) by John Dos Passos

45. FINNEGANS WAKE by James Joyce

46. AN AMERICAN TRAGEDY by Theodore Dreiser

47. WOMEN IN LOVE by D.H. Lawrence

48. THE AGE OF INNOCENCE by Edith Wharton

49. THE WOMAN IN WHITE by Wilkie Collins

50. THINGS FALL APART by Chinua Achebe

51. TROPIC OF CANCER by Henry Miller

52. MY ANTONIA by Willa Cather

53. LIGHT IN AUGUST by William Faulkner

54. THE MAGUS by John Fowles

55. THE WORLD ACCORDING TO GARP by John Irving

56. DON QUIXOTE by Miguel de Cervantes

57. TOM JONES by Henry Fielding

58. WAR AND PEACE by Leo Tolstoy

59. MOBY-DICK by Herman Melville

60. MADAME BOVARY by Gustave Flaubert

61. WINNIE THE POOH by A(lan) A(lexander) Milne

62. GREAT EXPECTATIONS by Charles Dickens

63. THE BROTHERS KARAMAZOV by Feodor Dostoevsky

64. TRISTAM SHANDY by Laurence Sterne

65. LITTLE WOMEN by Louisa M. Alcott

66. VANITY FAIR by William Makepeace Thackeray

67. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE by Jane Austen

68. IN SEARCH OF LOST TIME by Marcel Proust

69. THE AMBASSADORS by Henry James

70. THE FOUNTAINHEAD by Ayn Rand

71. GRAVITY’S RAINBOW by Thomas Pynchon

72. THE AWAKENING by Kate Chopin (1851-1904)

73. DUNE by Frank Herbert

74. A TOWN LIKE ALICE by Nevil Shute

75. ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND by Lewis Carroll

76. CLARISSA by Samuel Richardson

77. THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY by Douglas Adams

78. A PRAYER FOR OWEN MEANY by John Irving

79. THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO by Alexandre Dumas

80. THE PORTRAIT OF A LADY by Henry James

81. OF MICE AND MEN by John Steinbeck

82. ALL THE KING’S MEN by Robert Penn Warren

83. GO TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAIN by James Baldwin

84. CHARLOTE’S WEB by E. B. White

85. ROBINSON CRUSOE by Daniel Defoe

86. CRIME AND PUNISHMENT by Feodor Dostoevsky

87. THE STAND by Stephen King

88. REBECCA by Daphne du Maurier

89. I, CLAUDIUS by Robert Graves

90. HOWARDS END by E.M. Forster

91. TENDER IS THE NIGHT by F. Scott Fitzgerald

92. THE RAINBOW by D.H. Lawrence

93. BLEAK HOUSE by Charles Dickens

94. ATLAS SHRUGGED by Ayn Rand

95. ABSALOM, ABSALOM! by William Faulkner

96. THE WINGS OF THE DOVE by Henry James

97. AUSTERLITZ by W. G. Sebald

98. THE TRIAL by Franz Kafka

99. WISE BLOOD by Flannery O’Connor

100. FRANKENSTEIN by Mary Shelly

1. Go Skydiving

Accomplished On: July 19th, 2008

20. Go on an African safari

Accomplished On: July 13th-15th, 2009

30. Get my CCW license

Accomplished On: June 26th and 27th, 2010

33. Go Repelling Off a Cliff

Accomplished On: March 28th, 2009

22. Learn to Snowboard

Accomplished On: Winter 2009 & Winter 2010
Despite the fact that I have nearly no coordination, I decided that I wanted to learn to snowboard.

My friend Rachel is an avid snowboarder and being that she spends almost every Saturday (during the winter season) on the slopes, I decided there was no time like the present to learn.

After one full season of planting myself on the bunny hill (while avoiding the lift at all costs), I decided that this past season would be the time to test my ability.

During my first trip to Mad River Mountain in 2010, I challenged myself to attempt a "green circle" trail. I must say, the most difficult part was getting off the lift. I did a nosedive while attempting to exit the lift, however; the trip down went better than expected. I only lost my balance once!

Throughout the remainder of the season - I continued to challenge myself; I even tried an intermediate course.

Snowboarding has become one of my favorite things to do during the Winter months. I'm so glad I decided to try this "extreme" sport - it is not only exciting but it has been one more thing to "check" off my list.

10. Learn to Play Guitar

Date Completed: June 2009
Ever since I can remember, I've been a vocalist. I love to sing and a day doesn't pass by that I'm not singing (even if it's just around the house or in the car).

After years of performing and attending concerts, I decided it was time to learn how to play the guitar.

I first picked up a guitar in the sixth grade. I took half a dozen lessons; however, 1) it hurt my fingers 2) I didn't have the time to play on a regular basis.

Ten years later, I picked the guitar back up and was determined to teach myself to play. Over the past nine months - that's what I've done.

I began playing basic chords: G, D, C, A and have incorporated many more: Em, F, Am, Bm.

It was difficult at first but I've made sure to consistently play - there's nothing better than sitting around singing and playing the guitar.