The Great To-Do List - REVISED and Soon to be Updated!

In the name of lists and challenges, I thought it would be fun to revisit my very first "To-Do" List - and make a few notes and adjustments. The original list (Black type) is what I posted on MySpace (whoa!) on May 5, 2006. Green highlights are things I have completed since then. Red are things that, after careful thought and consideration by an older and more experienced mind, am choosing to cancel from the list from here on out. Last but not least, Blue is just extra notes, and things that may be "half-way done" or done with any sort of special consideration or adjustment :)


Current mood:ecstatic

Things to Do Before I Die...a few more

So, the amazing Miss Abbie did this and it inspired me to think about my own to-do list. First, it's a work in progress and, rightfully so, always will be. It's all things, in no particular order, big and small that may bring happiness, realization, truth, faith, insight, outsight, or might just need to be done.


1. Find my bliss, so that I can follow it!

2. Eat fondue that is not cheese or chocolate - Beef, at Cafe Diva in Steamboat

3. Go to Fairyland

4. Learn to roll sushi - For Bryan's birthday in 2010 (repeated successfully for Karen's in 2011 as well!)

5. Learn an instrument

6. Go to Alaska

7. Climb a big wall that requires spending the night on the wall(if Jack Osbourne can do it so 

can I) - In all honesty, as much as I hate to admit it, I am NEVER going to do this....

8. Adopt a dog - I don't actually have my own, but I have helped several friends with the selection of their furry friends, as well as adopting my kitty cat, Harlo (aka Muffin!)

9. Finish college

10. Decide what to go to college for(since I'm in college you'd have thought I did this  - already....) - Hospitality Management....thought it did not assist in completion of #9.

11. Backpack in Europe

12. Learn how to fix my own car - I can't say it was with flying colors, but in the past year I have: replaced sway bar links, struts, strut mounts, changed oil and assisted in a full tire removal/change/mount/balance!

13. Knit socks - this has been attempted on several levels, thought completion still eludes me

14. Own a home

15. Read as many books as possible by the following authors: Tom Robbins, Paulo Coehlo, Hunter S Thompson, Edward Abbey, Ernest Hemingway, and many more

16. Take a summer long climbing/music trip all over the U.S.

17. Climb in another country

18. Give up television

19. Make the perfect margarita - I hate toot my own horn, but I am calling this one good because I am told how great they are every time I make them!

20. Speak a second language

21. Go to the Iowa state fair

22. Get married and have a family(no "settling down" though)

23. See a ghost

24. Put some pretty colored tape on all my climbing gear so Galo stops asking "is this mine or yours?" - Seeing as I don't have much climbing gear anymore, nor do I ever see/climb with Galo since we live 900 miles apart, this one might be a moot point.

25. Spend a summer in the southern hemisphere(so it snows in July!)

26. Do karaoke...sober. - "Don't Stop Believin', at Jade Summit In Steamboat 

27. Find my birth mother(maybe....) - Found, but not contacted

28. Hitchhike, and Yellowstone doesn't count.

29. Stand on top of Grand Teton

30. Learn to telemark ski

31. Name a waterfall

32. Start a journal and actually keep writing in it for more than a few days

33. Crochet a hat - I didn't say anything about it actually fitting properly.....And I did make Jayne a balaclava that actually fit quite well.

34. Drive a UHaul - I was reminded last year that I had actually driven a UHaul when I was 19, so this was actually completed several years before this list was made....

35. Figure out what is so fun about disc golf

36. Soak in Mr Bubbles

37. Winter camp - Grand Canyon, November 2010

38. Run a marathon

39. Make my own clothes

40. Ice skate in Central Park

41. Join a polar bear club

42. Go to a Buddhist retreat - I didn't actually get to attend a "retreat" but I did get to visit and spend a day at the Rocky Mountain Shambala Center in Red Feather Lakes, CO

43. Protest something - SAVE OUTDOOR SCHOOL!! Many, many letters were sent to the Portland Public School Board.

44. Publish an article in a newspaper - I can't decide if my High School paper counts...if so then this one is just like the UHaul....

45. Read some poetry(other than good song lyrics!)

46. See as many live shows as I possibly can, even when I'm a senior citizen

47. Teach my niece and  nephew something they will never forget

 
48. Be a bridesmaid - Ali & Nate's Wedding, June 2008

49. Learn to skateboard

50. Plant a flower garden and keep it alive

51. Become a good cook(good is a relative term) - By NO means complete, but definitely in progress

52. Celebrate the 4th of July on the wrong day

53. Deep fry a TurDuckIn

54. Touch a snake

55. Climb in Yosemite

56. Be the first one at a party/bar to start dancing

57. Beat Dirk at Tri Towers - Sadly this one involves 1) Living somewhere that I can even find TriTowers and 2) Living in the same place as Dirk so I can play him. Neither is true, so 

another moot point.

58. Balance my checkbook - This is by no means done on a regular basis, but has been done to entirety at least once

59. Get a massage on a Caribbean beach

60. Wear my 1970s Broncos tee shirt to a Bronco game

61. Go to Africa

62. Go to as many different types of churches as possible, to learn firsthand what they're all about

63. Take my mom camping

64. Fly in a sea plane

65. Wear a coconut bra

66. Win a medal in the Rainer Olympics

67. Sail

68. Read neighbor Lori's books about past lives - Neighbor Lori is now 900 miles away too, so.....

69. Run the Race for the Cure, in memory of Adam's mom.

70. Live in the same city as Jayne for at least a season - We actually got 3! Winter 2006-07, Summer 2007 and Winter 2007-08 in Steamboat

71. Lead climb

72. Go on jungle expedition in Latin America

73. Stop biting my nails - Vast improvements, but no complete success as yet.

74. See the sunrise from the top of a fourteener

75. Go to lots more Panic shows, among others, because I'm finally understanding how it can be so amazing and addicting to so many of the people I love. I'm hooked.


To be continued...... 

 A few additions - May 12, 2006

76. Wear fancy going clubbing clothes to the local bar in Steamboat or Boulder with Abbie - This has been done on my own many times in Steamboat and Gardiner, MT - unfortunately though, never with Abbie Lane :(

77. Go surfing

78. Have a pen pal - 2 actually, both from my online book groups!

79. Take a NOLS class

80. Ski in south America

81. Ride the subway all over NYC for a day exploring without looking at the subway map

May 15, 2006

82. Read the holy books of the great religions

83. Learn about meteorology

84. Volunteer for Habitat for Humanity - the only drawback here was that while I did volunteer, I never got to do any actual work because they always worked on days I was at my actual job.

Going to the Dogs

Harlo - AKA Muffin

In the world of ice breakers, "Are you a dog or cat person?" ranks right up there in with "Pop or Soda?" in getting a quick glimpse into the personality or background of a new friend or acquaintance. Me, I've always been a cat person. Not really for any reason pertaining to their specific attributes and differences, but because that's just what our whole family was. Again though, that didn't even pertain to the animal types themselves, but we lived in a city, had no yard and were very busy people. I think deep down my younger brother and I really did always want a dog, but were always thwarted(quickly!) by that standard parental threat of being responsible for taking care of said dog.

Me & my hiking buddy, Buckeye

Well folks, the times they are a-changin. In the past 7 years of living in Steamboat Springs and Gardiner - on many days one could easily draw the not-so-far fetched conclusion that there may be more dogs in residence than humans - I have begun to change my ways. No need for my little Harlo muffin to worry, I still love her dearly, but one of these days she may just have to share her space with a canine companion.

Tater - AKA Sausage Dog

I have many, many friends who have dogs and have blessed me with their acquaintance....and some have even *gasp* entrusted me with their care for extended periods of time. At first I just did what I was told - food, water, potty outings, walks or runs in the yard, and maybe a little snuggle in the evening for those allowed on the furniture. Nowadays though, they are earning their place in my heart as man's best friend.

Why the sudden change? Maybe I'm growing up a little bit, heaven forbid. The idea of taking care of something more complicated and time consuming than a cat is not nearly the dreadful weight that it once was. The idea of a companion that is loyal even when it doesn't want something (hint, hint Harlo - you should be nice even when you don't want me to pet you!) is a nice thought, especially when living alone(which I don't know, but I'm sure I will at some point in time....). I just may be responsible enough to keep something alive and thriving these days. Well, at least in the fauna department - me and flora may never have a good relationship.....

Fuzzy phone pics! Yep, there are 4 of them in there somewhere :)

Of course while the idea that I could have a pet because I've grown and matured is a nice one, I still prefer the REAL perks.....Dinner dates with no cooking or dishes involved. No need to rinse dishes when there are any. A nice extra blanket on a cold day. Far less expensive bribes and apologies. No talking back when you just need to vent, and no need to add the disclaimer of "please don't repeat this". No need to make plans to go hiking, just open the car door and you have a hiking buddy.

I think I like Option #2. I do live in Neverland, after all......

Music in the Mountains

One thing that I always miss by living in such a small and out of the way place is live music. Sure, Bozeman has some and Billings has some, Missoula has a good bit etc etc, but those are 90 minutes on the short side and 5 hours on the long...each way.

However, what we lack in quantity we can definitely make up for at least a bit in quality of venues. Enter, Grand Targhee.

Grand Targhee is a small ski resort on the western slope of the Grand Tetons - little know but with ridiculous snow and scenery(over 800 inches this year, if I'm not mistaken....). In the summer they host concerts and music festivals such as Targhee Fest and the Targhee Bluegrass Festival. This year they also upped the line-up to a 3-day Widespread Panic show over July 4th weekend, which of course was a must-wander for me and a small group of 10-12 friends and the tent-mahal(hold your hat, I promise I'll explain...)

Any music weekend at Targhee is not complete without the camping, located anywhere from 100-500 yards from the music venue. In the past I have only midly experienced this, as I hadn't ever been able to do a full weekend down there before. Well, I learned this year, and learned big! The camping areas are basically large meadows and tree filled areas where you cruise in, get your little plastic bracelet that no one will ever check again and then make the mad, bumpy dash towards the best dry spot near shade you can find, all while the dazed and confused Targhee parking staff wave their arms around and try to at least keep lanes visible through the meadows(no offense to them, they did a great job....I just think it was a much bigger job than they expected and knew what to do with when it hit!). Once landed, you secure your area as best you can by circling the vehicles, staking out tents and picking the most tactical location for the all-wonderful shade tent. This was an especially important detail this year, as remember that earlier mention of 800 inches of snow this winter? Well, a good deal of it is still there, and where there is shade, there will be snow and mud because that great shade that keeps the sun off us also keeps it off the ground.....Behold, the tent-mahal(see? you didn't need to worry after all).

The tent-mahal(thank you Rebecca for the pic and amazing name, by the way), also referred to as the tunnel of love, was the great collaboration that came about with the realization that between the 10 of us camping together we had 4 shade tents that could all match up to each others sides relatively well. After 3.5 days of 80+ degrees in a meadow, I may never go festival camping without at least 4 of these wonderful creations ever again.

While camping is of course an integral part of the Targhee weekend, the music is still phenomenal and in an exceptional place. Most festivals are a collection of bands throughout the day, with folks wandering back and forth between camp and venue, seeing who they want to see and then hitting nap etc. With a show like this though, it's every night at 6pm like a normal concert, which lends to the fun mass exodus from camp, line to get in the gate, and then a huge, crazy and enthusiastic crowd to dance around with for the next 4 hours. This was no exception, and so exhilerating. In fine fashion, the entire weekend opened with thousands of people dancing and singing as they fittingling opened with "Aint Life Grand" and the fun continued all the way up to the 3rd to last song of Sunday night where we may have all gone a little insane singing about the "Surprise Valley". Yeah, they played another song and a good encore that night as well, but my rousing finish was with that one.

Now, one more day of this terrible three-day work week before it's the weekend again....now to rouse some energy to do anything.

For 'Tis Life - Shiny Happy Photos

As happens in life, just by nature of it being the unpredictable, uncontrollable, baffling roller coaster that it is, I've been feeling a little funky lately. For the entirely self serving purpose of having to look at them and hopefully brighten my world for a fleeting moment, it's about time to impart some happy-thought inspiring photos out to the rest of the world....

March 2011 - Funny, I know. But my car's back door hasn't opened in over a year, and I fixed it myself the other day....quite a happy moment!

May 2007 - My best friend's dog, Arthur, making himself comfy in the back of my car during his very first Yellowstone visit. Other than a brief stop to try and lick some sticky gunk off the Gardiner bridge, he was very well behaved for a puppy on a road trip!

Winter 2010/11 - Photo courtesy of Beth Pratt - Mama Bison and a late-born baby(aka lil red dog...we don't usually see lil guys this red when the snow is around!)

September 2002 - Iris and Colonnade Falls in the Bechler region of the Yellowstone backcountry. My first backpacking trip, almost 10 years ago.

December 2010 - My best friend in world, Jayne Rockford Pond, with her husband Alex and their one year old daughter Reesa. Family ski day in Steamboat Springs! I miss that girl an awful lot....

July 2010 - One of my nearest and dearest, Laney, fishing on Yellowstone Lake on her wedding day

May 2007 - Me on the widow's walk of the Old Faithful Inn...one of my favorite places in the world

May 2004 - My mom and me at an overlook for the Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River. Mom's first trip to Yellowstone, back when I was 21 years old.

November 2008 - My little brother and me(yes, I'm happier than I look....Dad has such great timing for catching terrible faces with the camera!). This was my brother's first visit to Colorado, and the first time I'd seen him in almost 5 years. 

November 2010 - The epic snowstorm that hit Gardiner, MT. This is only a happy picture because it looks pretty, and I got to drive away and leave on vacation about 2 hours later.

November 2010 - Balanced Rock in Arches National Park. Not only is this just cool to look at, but Arches is also one of my favorite National Parks. I also get warm fuzzies because Edward Abbey's trailer house was near here during the time he wrote of in Desert Solitaire, one of my all time favorite books

November 2010 - The wonderful man I love, playing in slot canyons in Arches National Park

October 2008 - My Dad and me on the Fish Creek Falls bridge, Steamboat Springs, Colorado

May 2007 - Arthur and me at the South Entrance to Yellowstone. I have a thing for signs when I visit places, and this is by far my favorite and most photographed....I have no idea why :o)

Summer 2010 - Me, Laney and Tyrene, another of my nearest and dearest. I have known Ty almost my entire duration of time in Yellowstone, and she is a wonderful, kindred, native Oregonian, Portlandian and Oregon Ducks football fan to have around. Plus, she's the reason I even know Laney. I love these girls!