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222. Make a Flower Arrangement

When I was just a young girl I thought I would grow up to be many things; an Oscar-winning actress, a real estate investor that would give Trump a run for his money and, lastly, a uber-in-demand wedding florist that could turn drab into dramatic dazzle. Though, as of yet, I am none of these things I did try my hand at floral artistry to complete this goal on my bucket list.

Not being able to bear the thought of spending hours on my craft and having the flowers wilt in a matter of days, I went the "fake" route. Before you shun me by not using fresh varietals, let me say that they make some really good artificial stems these days. I'm not really talking about the quality you might find a your local craft store, I'm speaking of the higher grade florals you can find at shops specific to designers. On several occasions I actually had to reach out and touch a leaf to check its lack of freshness. Of course, you will be spending about double the money, but it will be worth the end result.

There really was no rhyme or reason to my design logic, more just selecting my favorite stems in the store, taking them to the craft table and attempting to create something amazing. Once I got started I couldn't stop, making an arrangement for each room in my home. Watch out…next time I will dabble with real flowers, as long as they don't have thorns or need water.

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142. Relax in a Natural Hot Spring

Natural Hot Springs exist all over the world and are defined as sites where groundwater is discharged at a particular location. Out of all the places in the world, I was lucky enough to relax in a Hot Spring at the Tabacon Resort in Arenal, Costa Rica. The amazing resort, located at the base of the Arenal Volcano, features five thermal pools for your lounging pleasure, along with several other scattered pools on the grounds. This eco-friendly resorts water flows naturally by gravity and ranges in temperature from 77 to 122 degrees.

 Relaxing in the springs is free if you are a guest at the hotel, otherwise it will cost you about 90 bucks for a day pass. It's worth spending the $200 to stay the night in the hotel as well.

Once we checked in we immediately headed across the street to embark on this new adventure. We were greeted at the springs by a large pool with a swim-up bar, perfect place to start our experience. I ordered one of those fruity "I have an umbrella" chick drinks that complemented the heat of the water I was waist-deep in. It would have been just as easy to spend the whole day right here, but that would not have gotten this item checked off my bucket list. We venture through what seemed like a maze of bridges each one surrounded by streaming water or rain forest foliage, in other words wherever you turned it was visually amazing.

I at least dipped my toes in each pool which ranged in temperature, from comfortably luke warm to "get me freakin' out of here, I think I have third degree burns!" Don't get me wrong, this girl loves a steamy hot tub, but at 122 degrees I couldn't get beyond my big toe. I finally settled myself  in a mid-temped spring, sat back to take in the breathtaking view and watch the toucans fly overhead.

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5 Bucket List Books Reviewed

The Wish List, Barbara Ann Kipfer
Written by the same author as 14,000 Things to be Happy About, The Wish List is a catalogue of close to 6,000 unexpected goals, everything from write a love poem to watch the sun set over Machu Picchu. The best part about this book is the massive amount of aspirations that are listed, you'll be sure to find quite a few to add to your own life-to-do-list. They even include blank spots for you to incorporate anything they might have missed. The problem is that the goals are not categorized in any way, so make sure you mark everything you are interested in the first time around because you most likely won't be able to find it again. The Wish List is strictly a "list" book, if you are looking for inspirational anecdotes or educational information, this is not the one for you.

5 Bucket List Goals From This Book: Live in a Castle with a Moat, Be a Train Conductor, Adopt a Pet from the Humane Society, Play PacMan and Fly a Cargo Plane.
  

101 Things To Before You Die, Richard Horne
Richard Horne has also written 101 Things NOT to do Before You Die. This book features 101 of, what seems like, the most popular bucket list goals, such as, see the space shuttle launch and ride the world's biggest roller coasters. This is a fun life-to-do List book with journal space to keep track of goals achieved, star stickers so you can reward yourself upon completion and informative factoids about each one. Once completed, it can be kept as somewhat of an autobiography of your adventures. The only negative is, due to the limited amount of goals, you most likely will just use this as a supplement to your own list.

5 Bucket List Goals From This Book: Catch a Fish with Your Bare Hands, Meet Your Idol, Invent Something, Bungee Jump and Crash an A-List Party.
 

2,001 Things to Do Before You Die, Dane Sherwood
2,001 Things to Do Before You Die is a handy check list that is the shorter version of The Wish List (mentioned above). Just like Kipfers book, this is just a list of goals with sporadic inspirational quotes throughout. Some of the aspirations are redundant (ie: get call waiting & get rid of call waiting) and highly unlikely (like waking up next to Brad Pitt). If I had to choose between the two bucket list books, I would opt for The Wish List instead.

5 Bucket List Goals From This Book: Kiss the Blarney Stone, Make Paper Dolls, Build an Igloo, Be Silent for a Week and Start a Pillow Fight.

 

This Book Will Change Your Life, Benrick
This book is a highly illustrated guide for living a hysterical life for the next 365 days. If you are looking to mix-it-up for the next year with kooky, fun goals than choose this book. For instance, on Day 84 you will throw away an apple core in a park, mark the spot and come back in 20 years to see your apple tree and on Day 197 you will improve your signature. This may not be the inspirational bucket list you are looking for, but it will prove to be amusing and entertaining.

5 Bucket List Goals From This Book: Choose your Final Meal on Death Row and Make it, Be on the Lookout for the Paranormal, Walk Barefoot on Grass, Try a Food that Scares You and Get a Hobby.
 

1,000 Places to See Before You Die, Patricia Schultz
This book is the Big Daddy of all life lists for travel. If you have ever thought about going there, it is probably listed here. It is a hard core reference book, that has just as much information as inspiration. This is a tightly researched guide, which includes intriguing trivia and photographs. The only issue is trying to decide where to go on your first adventure; Halong Bay, Lizard Island Resort or Manual Antonio National Park?

5 Bucket List Goals From This Book: Hike at Yosemite National Park, Bike Great Ocean Road, Balloon in Burgandy, Dog Sled in Scandanavia and Fish at Li River.

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“Like” my New Facebook Page

In an effort to stay more connected, I have created a new Facebook Page that I hope you will "LIKE".

If you are a
bucket lister…
foodie…
need some inspiration from time to time…
and/or
want to take life by the cojones & live it to the fullest please press "like" on my page. Click HERE!
 

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226. Make a Homemade Beauty Product

Thyme & Fennel Cleanser
1/2 tsp crushed Thyme
2 tsp crushed Fennel
Juice of 1/2 a Lemon
1/2 Cup Hot Water

Add all ingredients together and let steep for approximately 15 minutes. Strain and cool the mixture.


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164. Take a New Route to Work

Yes. On the surface, you may think that this is a super-lame goal….but, hear me out. {Besides I believe that any new experience could NOT possibly be lame, you should know that by now!}

How many of you have taken the same route to work everyday; you have the seven stoplights timed perfectly, you pass that same powder-blue house with cream trim that desperately needs a paint touch-up and all the folks outside mowing their lawns will always stop for a moment to wave? Then you definitely need to break out of your monotony of your day-to-day life and this could be one of the simplest ways to do it.

You would think that this would be the easiest goal on my list, but when you only live 4 blocks from work it can be quite tricky. To accomplish this, I had to actually take the "long" route to my restaurant, five blocks…phew…it might take me 6 minutes to get to work today instead of the typical 4. I had never been down Oak Street before, I'm not sure why, but at one point I had to stop my car to take a photo of the cutest white cottage house that I would have never seen if I didn't step out of the box today.

To sum it up, I added 2 minutes to my commute, saw two new cats, one memorable home and felt slightly renewed, at least for a few moments. Totally worth it.

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211. Share Your Most Embarassing Moment

Thank God, I don't embarrass easy because I am definitely prone to saying and doing things without putting any thought into them beforehand. Not to say that I am thoughtless or harsh, more just clumsy and absentminded. I trip over invisible objects, break random things and have stuck my foot in my mouth on way more than one occasion. But, on this one afternoon I can truly say that I felt my cheeks turn a crimson red, my stomach knot up as if I drank the water in Mexico and I was praying for a rapid, direct escape route.

I was in Vegas for my company Christmas party, where everyone had just received a nice size bonus. The thought crossed my mind to put the entire unexpected compensation on red at the roulette table, but I couldn't bear the thought of losing my money without anything to show for it. Instead I decided to take a stroll into Jimmy Choo to buy a pair of uber-fabulous shoes that I would never have normally conceived as doable. I strutted in, feeling pretty proud of myself, and ogled over the luxurious selection before me; stilettos, wedges, or knee-high boots? Leather or suede? Pink, camel or the always-sexy jet black? Was I in Heaven?

I picked up a pair of red, soft leather platform boots with a 4 1/2 inch heel. I was admiring them, as if they were a famous piece of artwork, when the sales woman approached me. Before I could say, "can I please try these on in a size 37", she said "excuse me, but woman to woman, I just want to tell you that your zipper is down." BAM! I stood there for a moment in a slight daze, weighing my options of what to do next. I did manage to mutter, "Oh…No, thank you so much." But, the embarrassment was just too much, how was I suppose to ask this same sophisticated woman to bring me a thousand dollar shoe to sample? I pretended to look around the store for about ONE minute more and then headed out with my tail between my legs. Hence the reason that #194 on my bucket list {own a fabulous pair of designer shoes} is not checked off yet.

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Bucket List for Couples {9 Things Every Couple Must Do}

A couples relationship should be filled with experiences that create wonderful memories, bring them closer together and nonverbally say "I love you". Here are nine ways to start designing your life together.

1. Couples Massage
A couples massage is one of the hottest treatments at luxury spas all over the world. What could be more romantic than lying side-by-side with your significant other in the most relaxing environment?

2. Write a Love Letter
Let's bring it back to old school; the days where letters were handwritten, sealed with a kiss and mailed at the post office. Love letters are a physical memory that will last a lifetime.

3.Cook Dinner Together
Food and romance have be linked throughout history, mix in some intriguing conversation and you have the best date night ever. The dishes that you create on this night will become a significant part of celebrating other events in your lifetime.

3. Have a Picnic
Break out the old picnic basket, pack your favorite bottle of wine, pick a secluded outdoor getaway and create a memory.

4. Stay up all Night, Laughing
There are many reasons that we stay up all night, how many of them include just laughing?

5. Sing a Karaoke Duet
12 years ago, my husband and I sang "Summer Nights" from Grease at a local Karaoke club. Though the musicality left much to be desired and they actually turned the volume down on my microphone, it is an experience that we still talk about.

6. Carve your Names into a Tree
I typically would not recommend defacing a living object, but in the name of Bucket Lists I will have to break this rule.

7. Dress up for Halloween
Fairy tales can come true, at least on Halloween. What could bring a couple closer together than looking completely ridiculous as a team?

8. Kiss on Top of the Ferris Wheel
Some of the most romantic movies feature a smooch on the tippy-top of the Ferris Wheel.

9. Watch the sunset & rise in one day
You might be able to complete this one as well as, #3 {Have a Picnic} & #4 {Stay Up All Night, Laughing} all in one day! Now that's the ultimate in multi-tasking.

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Sky Diving Naked?

Skydiving naked is NOT on my bucket list but is was on Sebastian Terry's. Just the plain old "classic" tandem sky diving was enough excitement for me, but Sebastian decided to take it one step further. What do you think?

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128. Apply to be on a Reality TV Show {Oops…I did it again}

As many of you will remember, I already completed this goal by applying for Oprah's Own Next TV Star contest just a few months ago. Remember? I shamelessly begged for votes in hopes of becoming the top 5 and to have a shot at having my very own Bucket List show. ‎7 Weeks, 1 Million Votes, 2 Interviews & 3 Producer cuts later, I just barely missed being a finalist. I ended up 22nd out of 9,500 entries, not bad for my first try. After getting over the disappointment of not heading to LA for my 15 minutes of fame, I realized that the journey had been amazing and the dream lived on…

So, I had to do it again. I just applied for the Next Food Network Star to have a show called "Bucket List for Foodies" {surprise, surprise}. Come on, it's not that much of a long shot considering that I am a chef and bucket listologist…totally doable. Then again, I think just about anything is doable. 

At least I learned a few things from my last experience and feel armed with a little more "reality TV audition" knowledge. I now know that the process is painfully loooonnnng and even though casting agents call, producers email and background checks are aced, it doesn't mean you will make the final cut. And when you were convinced you were so close and finally realize that you were dumped…it will hurt…especially when you were fantasizing about your beach house in Santa Barbara, being best friends with your uber-in-demand hair stylist and sipping fruity cocktails at Mr. Chow with Jennifer Aniston.

Back to reality here. Why do it again? Because I met some of the most inspiring people, learned invaluable lessons about myself and felt a level of excitement that has escaped many people at this age. Most importantly, this process confirmed that incredible things usually don't happen to people who are afraid of being vulnerable and frighteningly exposed.

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