Ultimate Life Bucket List

Posted on October 30, 2012 by lesleycarter

Some people create a bucket list because they are dying; I created one because I
want to live!

What’s on your bucket list? You can submit your bucket list or your bucket list adventures to Bucket List Publications or [email protected] for publication. Share your goals and find inspiration in the accomplishments of others.

The more unrealistic we are with our dreams and goals, the more we’re able to achieve!

My life list is ever-changing, always growing; that’s why I create a yearly list. My 2012 Bucket List included things like fly a jetpack, swim with whale sharks, experience aerobatics in a biplane, and delivery my baby girl. With only a few items left, I’ve been thinking about my 2013 list.

Overall, these are the things I’d like to accomplish in my life. I usually choose from these each year and add new ones as I see fit.

“The purpose of life, after all, is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experiences.”

– Eleanor Roosevelt

Adventure:
Skydiving ✓
Bungee jumping ✓
Base jumping ✓
Paragliding ✓
Parasailing ✓
Snorkeling ✓
Scuba diving
Rock climbing ✓
Rappelling ✓
Caving ✓
Ziplining ✓
Doing aerobatics in a biplane ✓
Hang-gliding
White-water rafting ✓
Riverboarding ✓
Sailing ✓
Surfing ✓
Hot air ballooning ✓
Sky Jump – Vegas ✓
Riding a stock car
Riding roller coasters ✓
Kayaking ✓
Canoeing ✓
Snow Shoeing ✓
Windsurfing ✓
paddleboarding ✓
Riding a dune buggy in the desert
Sandboarding
bodyboarding ✓
Jumping from a cliff into deep water ✓
Drag racing
Go kart racing ✓
Ride in a float plane
Indy style auto racing
Wonderland
Trapeze swinging ✓
Blackwater rafting
Parabungy

Countries:
Fiji
Canada ✓
USA ✓
Monaco ✓
Belize
Costa Rica ✓
England ✓
France ✓
Italy ✓
Greece ✓
Ireland ✓
Northern Ireland ✓
South Africa
Saudi Arabia ✓
Cuba ✓
Mexico ✓
Libya ✓
Brazil
Denmark
Japan
Marshall Islands
Maldives
Nepal
Scotland
Switzerland ✓
Thailand
United Arab Emirates ✓
Peru
Bonaire
Dominican Republic ✓
Nicaragua ✓
Luxembourg ✓
Colombia
Spain ✓
Germany ✓
Sweden
Egypt ✓
Algeria ✓
Morocco
India
China ✓
Australia
Barbados ✓
New Zealand
Russia
Netherlands ✓
Belgium ✓
Austria
Croatia ✓
Israel
Iceland
Antarctica
Bahamas ✓
Bermuda
Turks & Caicos ✓
St. Lucia ✓
Cayman Islands
Congo
Turkey ✓
Aruba
Tanzania
Vanuatu
St. Vincent & The Grenadines
Bora Bora
Antigua
St. Maarten ✓

Animals:
Ride an elephant
Ride a camel ✓
Hold an alligator ✓
Hold a snake ✓
Hold a hissing cockroach ✓
Go on an African Safari
Dog sledding ✓
Ride a horse ✓
Go whale-watching ✓
Visit the San Diego Zoo ✓
Milk a cow
Swim with whale sharks ✓
Cage diving
Swim with beluga whales ✓
Swim with dolphins ✓
Ride an ostridge
San Diego Safari Park ✓
Go to the Kentucky Derby
See a manatee ✓
See a polar bear ✓

Explore:
Cabot Trail ✓
Niagara Falls
Victoria Falls
Yosemite Falls
Bourbon Street
Universal Studios ✓
Kilauea Volcano
Mt. Everest
Mt Kilmanjaro
Sea World ✓
The Louvre ✓
The Georgia Aquarium ✓
Iguacu Falls
The Bay of Fundy
The Great Barrier Reef
Coral reefs of Florida
Red Sea
Fiji Islands
The Everglades ✓
Forbidden City
Epcot ✓
Go on a cruise ✓
Walk through a corn maze

See:
Cliffs of Moher ✓
Ottawa on Canada Day
Mount Rushmore
North and South Poles
Navy Pier ✓
Halong Bay
Giant’s Causeway ✓
A sun rise in the east ✓
A sun set in the west ✓
Brooklyn Bridge ✓
Cloud Gate
Stone Arch Bridge
Chrysler Building ✓
Gateway Arch
Kennedy Space Center
The Garden of the Gods
Cadillac Ranch ✓
Clingmans Dome
Elvis Presley’s Graceland ✓
Lincoln Memorial
Times Square ✓
Monument Valley
Seven Falls
Chinese Theatre, Hollywood ✓
Great Wall of China ✓
The Galapagos Islands
Vatican City ✓
The Taj Mahal
The Eiffel Tower ✓
The Tower of London ✓
Seljalandsfoss Waterfall
Hollywood Blvd ✓
Moraine Lake
The Leaning Tower of Pisa ✓
Chichen-Itza
The Grand Canyon ✓
The CN Tower
The Statue of Liberty ✓
The Sears Tower ✓
Visit a Renaissance fair ✓
Drive down Route 66 ✓
The Northern Lights ✓
The Serengeti
The Parthenon ✓
The Acropolis ✓
The Kremlin
The Pyramids of Giza ✓
Stonehenge ✓
The Sydney Opera House
Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament ✓
St. Peter’s Basilica ✓
Notre Dame Cathedral ✓
Golden Gate Bridge ✓
The Colisseum ✓
The Smithsonian
Central Park ✓
Las Vegas Strip ✓
Grand Central Terminal ✓
The Empire State Building ✓
The White House
Christ the Redeemer
Machu Picchu
Petra
Pikes Peak Cog Railway
Millennium Park
Ngorogoro Crater
Disney World’s Magic Kingdom ✓
Grand Bazaar
Paria Canyon

Accomplish:
Find the love of my life ✓
Get married on the beach ✓
Have a family ✓
Raise a happy and healthy child/children
Have family rituals and traditions to celebrate holidays and important life events
Renew our wedding vows every ten years
Build a house ✓
Fly a glider ✓
Fly an airplane ✓
Fly a helicopter ✓
Fly a jetpack ✓
Fly a biplane ✓
Get a bachelor’s degree ✓
Get a Master’s degree ✓
Get an Education degree ✓
Write a book ✓
Write a blog ✓
Go on The Price is Right ✓
Learn to surf ✓
Ride a mechanical bull ✓
Make a difference in at least one person’s life ✓
Volunteer ✓
Create a website ✓
Create a YouTube video ✓
Serve a meal to those without on a major holiday
Teach high school ✓
Teach my child/children to read
Teach my child/children to swim
Teach my child/children to ride a bike
Plan at least 5 bucket list adventures for others ✓
Tutor students ✓
Kiss the Blarney Stone ✓
Win something larger than a small french fries
Cook an entire Thanksgiving meal, from scratch
Reach 50,000 followers on my blog

The Arts:
See a play at the Globe Theatre ✓
See The Nutcracker ✓
See Cirque du Soleil ✓
See a musical in LA ✓
Go to a movie premiere ✓
See a performance on Broadway ✓
Watch an opera ✓
Watch Criss Angel perform ✓
See Wicked ✓
See Cats ✓

Sports:
Coach basketball ✓
Coach soccer ✓
Coach volleyball ✓
Coach field hockey ✓
Attend a professional baseball game ✓
Attend a professional football game
Attend a professional hockey game
Run a marathon ✓

Do you have suggestions for 2013? Did I forget something life changing?

92 thoughts on “Ultimate Life Bucket List”

lesleycarter on October 30, 2012 at 4:23 pm said:

Send it this way when you do 🙂

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- RiBelle on October 30, 2012 at 11:04 pm said:
  
  Will do 🙂
  
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Kolman Rosenberg on October 30, 2012 at 4:28 pm said:

I really enjoy your blog Lesley!

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Chatter Master on October 30, 2012 at 4:37 pm said:

You had me at: ” I created one because I want to live!”

🙂

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LadylovesCake on October 30, 2012 at 4:50 pm said:

Wonderful post Lesley! I’m going to write mine up ASAP – I must say, I thought I lived a very full life, but your blog has proven that there is so much further you can take it. Thank you for being such an inspiration and someone we can all look up to. x

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Cowboys and Crossbones on October 30, 2012 at 4:50 pm said:

You should add honky tonkin’ on Broadway Street in Nashville. I will be your host! Great list. Cheers!

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onsunnyside on October 30, 2012 at 4:55 pm said:

Go for the scuba diving and add Bonaire to your location list. It’s a beautiful place to dive right off the beach. That’s if you don’t try it while in Fiji.

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- lesleycarter on October 30, 2012 at 5:03 pm said:
  
  Adding Bonaire now and looking into it tonight 🙂
  
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Stone.Soup.Stories. on October 30, 2012 at 4:58 pm said:

Serve a meal to those without on a major holiday- Thanksgiving, etc!

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- lesleycarter on October 30, 2012 at 5:01 pm said:
  
  Great one! I’ve done this before, but it deserves to go back on the list. 🙂 Adding it now!
  
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  - Stone.Soup.Stories. on October 30, 2012 at 5:04 pm said:
    
    It’s on mine! I can’t wait to do it. 🙂
    
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Clanmother on October 30, 2012 at 4:59 pm said:

I love your enthusiasm! Live it all with no regrets! I have – and it has made all of the difference.

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amphomma on October 30, 2012 at 5:23 pm said:

Wow! That is quite a list of hopes AND accomplishments. I have to say I have never really made my own bucket list. I certainly do not have as much desire to do some of the things on your list, mostly the ones involving planes, because I have terrible, awful, horrible motion sickness! Writing a book is on mine; it has been a lifelong dream, but the substance of said book hasn’t appeared yet in my mind! I’ll have to give this more thought. Thanks for some inspiration!

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rusty on October 30, 2012 at 5:28 pm said:

What an awesome list you have there! Very inspiring!

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momentswithmillie on October 30, 2012 at 5:32 pm said:

Bravo! I will continue to live through you! What an amazing on-going daily inspiration!!!!

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neatsmart on October 30, 2012 at 5:40 pm said:

Sounds like a great list!

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colormusing on October 30, 2012 at 5:46 pm said:

So inspiring! This particularly motivates me to articulate my own dreams and goals, instead of just vaguely thinking, “Maybe someday I’ll…”

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- lesleycarter on October 30, 2012 at 5:48 pm said:
  
  One of my favorite quotes is that there are 7 days in a week and someday isn’t one of them 😉
  
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Sajeevs blog on October 30, 2012 at 5:57 pm said:

You are really living life to the fullest! Very inspiring!!

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vanbraman on October 30, 2012 at 6:12 pm said:

I will give you a suggestion for a few more zoos to visit. Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha and the Taronga Zoo in Sydney. I know that you have seen pictures from them on my blog. My opinion is that the Henry Doorly Zoo is better than the San Diego Zoo. I would also recommend the Night Zoo at the Singapore Zoo and also the Toronto Zoo. The Toronto Zoo will be getting Pandas next year which would be another reason to visit.

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Giggles McGill Jill on October 30, 2012 at 6:17 pm said:

GREAT list! Wow! You’ve given me things to add to mine for sure! 🙂

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tiny lessons blog on October 30, 2012 at 6:25 pm said:

Great lists and much accomplished already! How about a gorilla trek in Bwindi forest in Uganda for 2013?

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- The Landy on October 31, 2012 at 5:59 pm said:
  
  Strewth…that sounds alright!
  
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midwesterngirlforever on October 30, 2012 at 6:34 pm said:

There is definitely an important lesson in this post about living life to the fullest.

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- The Landy on October 31, 2012 at 6:00 pm said:
  
  I’m with you on that!
  
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mamiesmith on October 30, 2012 at 7:12 pm said:

Wow! This is so inspiring. (I laughed when the one about The Price is Right jumped out at me. So cool!)

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- lesleycarter on October 30, 2012 at 7:16 pm said:
  
  I couldn’t live in SoCal and not go on The Price is Right 🙂
  
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allinthedayofme on October 30, 2012 at 7:18 pm said:

I love your zest for like!!! 😎

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mongo466 on October 30, 2012 at 7:58 pm said:

That is one heck of a list you have and to see all those check marks is inspiring, didn’t notice the Nazca Lines on it though, another very interesting location. I could probably give you about a dozen more in our area but I wouldn’t to overload you.

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- lesleycarter on October 31, 2012 at 2:55 am said:
  
  Please send your ideas this way! I love it 🙂
  
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  - mongo466 on October 31, 2012 at 6:17 pm said:
    
    Ok, so I don’t have a dozen because I forgot you have been to Cusco and already visited the Sacred Valley (you forgot to check Peru off your list). I imagine that you will be returning to visit Machu Picchu as it was closed due to heavy rains on your previous trip. Here are a few ideas for your next trip; Tipon, Moray, Maras/Salineras, Killarumiyoq, Qenko, Lake Titicaca and if you are going to Machu Picchu you should try the hike up Huayna Picchu.
    
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hereinthisworld on October 30, 2012 at 8:48 pm said:

I love this article and I love the tag line as well. Beautiful piece. I wish to one day break out and do some of those things as well. Thanks for reading and keep writing!

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PlantBasedDietAdventures on October 30, 2012 at 9:06 pm said:

Leslie, that is truly one impressive list.

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nickrokicki on October 30, 2012 at 9:18 pm said:

Hey Lesley!
Funny you should post this… my post just went up about how I’m on track to complete my very own 2012 Bucket List. And, there is a shout-out to you… without stumbling across your energetic blog posts, there is no way I would have even had a yearly bucket list. And then I most likely would not have accomplished the items I did this year.
Looking forward to more great things!
Nick

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kittenkirst on October 30, 2012 at 9:19 pm said:

Wow what an awesome list! I am inspired to write my own once I am back from Mexico. Good to have it written somewhere to chart the awesome things we get to experience :0)

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ghummakkad on October 30, 2012 at 9:31 pm said:

Lesley, glad to see India and The Taj Mahal on the list. Remember, you have a fellow blogger in India who would like you to visit this beautiful country! Give me a heads-up whenever you plan to visit and I’ll help you chalk out a plan!

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anewdayrising79 on October 30, 2012 at 10:09 pm said:

Ahhhhh, I hate this blog, but I love it.

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love.antoinette on October 30, 2012 at 10:18 pm said:

Hey you should totally have a check on that “raising a happy and healthy child” 🙂 Very extensive and specific list you got!

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denisediscovers on October 30, 2012 at 11:20 pm said:

I’m pleased to see Vanuatu is now on there. You could add “Stand on top of an active volcano” which is something you can do in Vanuatu.

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[email protected] on October 30, 2012 at 11:58 pm said:

I think these adventures can be all the more sweeter knowing that you have a family and a home base in which to return. You lead an amazing life in the way you live it and share it!

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stuffnjsays on October 31, 2012 at 12:49 am said:

That’s awesome! Loving that your list is getting checked off too.

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Anita Mac on October 31, 2012 at 1:14 am said:

Fabulous list Lesley! You are living life to the fullest! Ticking off a few items in my bucket list and thinking it needs an update too! May have to pinch one or two from your list – there are some ideas I hadn’t thought of! Happy travels!

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Mini on October 31, 2012 at 1:51 am said:

I love reading your blogs.. You have made life such a beautiful definition… love, fun, keep achieving more….. Great Work!!

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jomaidment on October 31, 2012 at 2:13 am said:

Visit Wales, more specifically south Wales, or Cornwall or Devon including Lands End,

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Anja on October 31, 2012 at 4:00 am said:

I had my list once and managed to get most of the things done. When I checked yours it inspired me to write a new one and I’ll update it always when I remember something new… =)
I would just like to recommend you to visit Slovenia, Europe. It’s small country, but I think you would like it because it offers so many different adventures and it has it all, the sea side, mountains, small cities, lakes (most people like Bled lake a lot), rivers and forests. You can check it out or if you want you can contact me any time, I’m from Slovenia. =)

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chrisb-jwordsandimages on October 31, 2012 at 4:10 am said:

All I can say is Wow! Wonderful. Go girl.

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fatimasaysell on October 31, 2012 at 4:29 am said:

Have you ever been on a safari? This is one of the things I’d love to do and I haven’t been to Africa yet. Good luck with all your wonderful plans. 🙂

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Long Life Cats and Dogs on October 31, 2012 at 5:24 am said:

My word, you’ve ticked off a most incredible amount. I see South Africa and riding an Elephant still remain. Time to get your butt down here for a visit!! Two ticks in one go – got to be worth it.

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- lesleycarter on October 31, 2012 at 5:39 am said:
  
  I’m working on it 🙂
  
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Gone Bananas on October 31, 2012 at 6:27 am said:

You are amazing! I love your blog! 🙂

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Stephanie on October 31, 2012 at 6:59 am said:

Wow…

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ebikerleatherblog on October 31, 2012 at 8:11 am said:

WOW, is correct @Stephanie . That list is amazing, it is time I have stole some ideas from the list 🙂

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cravesadventure on October 31, 2012 at 9:02 am said:

Great Post & Great Bucket List of LIFE!!! Happy Halloween:)

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vyvacious on October 31, 2012 at 12:45 pm said:

Awesome. You have such an extensive list with so many things checked off, that’s so great!

For mine, I would definitely add a list of foods I want to eat and where I want to eat them. When I take my trips, they’re usually food trips where I let my palate and growling stomach determine my next meal. Sometimes I find myself planning around one dining experience that I’ve been dreaming about for a long time, those are the best trips when mixed with spontaneous food outings throughout 🙂

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imagesbytdashfield on October 31, 2012 at 3:19 pm said:

Awesomely cool list! I’ve milked a cow (poorly), been to Grand Cayman, cooked an entire Thanksgiving meal from scratch (phew!), taught my two kids how to read, hit all of the Smithsonian’s, and not only have I been to the Gateway Arch – my name is in a time capsule in one of the legs 🙂

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The Landy on October 31, 2012 at 4:04 pm said:

So when are you going to make it “downunder” to Australia….plenty of fun things to do here…hop, skip and a jump from Fiji!! Cheers, Baz, The Landy

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- The Landy on October 31, 2012 at 6:07 pm said:
  
  Climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge – you’ll be the only one who hasn’t soon 😉
  
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maureen lermer on October 31, 2012 at 4:22 pm said:

‘Lovely.. you have to come… down to Germany… Wonderful blog

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mongo466 on October 31, 2012 at 6:20 pm said:

Lesley, I have to ask, was the jetpack one of the water types or an actual jet engine, jet pack?

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- lesleycarter on October 31, 2012 at 6:38 pm said:
  
  http://www.jetlev.com/
  
  🙂
  
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  - mongo466 on November 10, 2012 at 5:42 pm said:
    
    That looks like too much fun.
    
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wwfd301 on October 31, 2012 at 9:34 pm said:

OMG…I am exhausted reading this list…and feeling like a total slouch! =)) You have certainly LIVED! I have an idea for a bucket list item that is on my list in my mind but I have to put it on paper still. I have always wanted to do this but until yesterday, I didn’t realize it was indeed, a bucket list item. Be deployed/recruited to help out at the scene of a disaster.

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sweetjen13 on October 31, 2012 at 11:42 pm said:

Awesome bucket lists you have there! It made me love life even more!:)

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