The list

So, here it is. The master list of things I want to complete before saying "I do!" next year. All 55 of 'em.

Quick note: Why 55? 55 is a multiple of 11, my favorite number. Also, it is 5, 11 times, and that's 2 prime numbers, and I really dig prime numbers. And? It seemed like a good place to stop.

55 (realistic) things to do before I get married:

1. Ride the world’s biggest roller coaster (in this case the tallest and fastest steel coaster, which is in Jackson, NJ)
2. Dance on a bar
3. Start a pointless collection
4. Conquer my fears
5. Go to the circus
6. Learn to sew
7. Find a (fulfilling) hobby (and actually do it)
8. Write a children’s book
9. Ride a horse
10. Take an artistic class
11. Learn how to change the oil in my car
12. Be a better daughter
13. Be a better sister
14. Get a job
15. Become a big sister (like, in the mentoring way, not biologically)
16. Buy something completely frivolous
17. Meet a favorite celebrity
18. Make a discovery
19. Become a better crunchy-granola-earth-friendly hippie girl
20. Learn to love red wine
21. Actually keep in touch with people far away from me
22. Take on a physical challenge
23. Eat in a restaurant by myself
24. Become more “fiscally responsible”
25. Cleanse myself and my belongings
26. Go to NYC
27. Be less envious
28. Let John teach me something
29. Expand my pallet
30. Accept the fact that I will never join a gym, and find a fitness program that actually works for me
31. Go fishing
32. Build a thicker skin
33. Shoot a gun
34. Ride a bicycle made for two
35. Fly a plane
36. Plant some plants
37. Donate blood
38. Sleep in a (truly) haunted house
39. Go on a spontaneous trip
40. Write a letter to the editor and get it published
41. Send a message in a bottle
42. Go camping
43. Make a time capsule to share with my kids one day
44. Get my fortune told
45. Listen to my iPod right through without hitting shuffle for a week
46. Take a vow of silence (for a day)
47. Teach someone something
48. Kick my caffeine habit
49. Fold 1000 paper cranes (that’s approximately 3 a day for the next year) and give them away
50. Learn how to do my taxes
51. Take pole-dancing lessons.
52. Live without my cell phone for a day
53. Make it through a scary movie
54. Be less whiny and more appreciative
55. Plan my wedding without being a bridezilla

A lot of thought went into this list. It's a product of several weeks of intense thought and reflection. Each item is designed to challenge me, push me to my limits, test the boundaries or scare the crap out of me. Inevitably, each teach me something about myself or life, or in the best case scenario, something about both.