Dry Land

Blog-readers...  I guess I could be a little un-mundane and tell you something I never realized until earlier today.  My friend in high school... Daniel, was his name.  He was probably my best friend, but I was so interested in trying to be popular, (never really succeeded.. A.D.D. probably had a hand in that) that although we had the most in common and most fun hanging out, neglected really spending time with him as much as I could have...  I took his sister to the prom, though we went as friends (she was cute) and then she died in a tragic car accident a few years later.

I sat next to him at the funeral.. but I honestly can't remember doing much with him.  I wish I had, because shirking the idiocy that comes with trying to be something you're not brings a nugget of self-respect.  Who knows.. I may have ended up doing something, instead of chasing what I thought I should have been doing.  So here I am, barely having finally pulled free of the riptide dragging me away from shore.  Finally having broken free, I'm no longer treading water, but swimming toward a shore I know to be just over the horizon.  I do not know the shore yet, or what it looks like, but I know it's there, and it's time to stand on solid ground.  I've been bobbing to and fro, mouth barely catching the surface, for far too long.

Thanks be to God alone who has given me the strength to keep my head above water in this mess.  He's pulling me out and pointing me in the right direction.  The shore is there, I just need to get on land.

Bucket List 31-40

1. Go on a cross country road trip
   This item can coincide (and probably will) with the "visit every state" list item.  My preference is to take Route 66 from one end to the other.. but I haven't really researched the route and so far it's placement on my preference for road trip routes is merely there for historical and popularity reasons.  Depending on whether or not I really research this, or simply string together several things I'd really like to go see, it may be completely different or not.  It doesn't have to be done a certain way, certainly not in an RV, more than likely in a convertible, and with at least 1 other person.  This one isn't that hard to plan.. and probably wouldn't cost an arm and a leg.  No hotels, if possible, camping out is cheaper and more fun.  It'll probably be around a week and a half.
   Needs for the trip:
   - vehicle
   - suitable co-tripper
   - food....  can't eat out the whole time
   - gas
   - route
   
   
   Estimated cost:  $500... 
   Date of Completion:  2013
   
   
2. Go rock climbing
   This one is something I've done before..  but only in an inside facility.  What will cross this off the list is going rock climbing in Mineral Wells State Park.  They're actual rocks, but I don't know if I'll need my own gear to climb there.  So I'll have to do a little research.
   
   
   Needs:
   - perhaps my own gear
   
   
   Estimated cost: $50-175
   Date of Completion: 2012
   
   
3. Go on a safari
   This one will definitely take a little more planning.  I want this one to be protracted now that I think about it.  I've decided, (between numbers 2 and 3..  haha.. ) that everything I do will have something to do with bringing people closer to God.  Whether I am on a missions trip.. or just talking to them or giving of myself to them.  So I want this safari to incorporate some sort of missions trip in the midst of it.  I really want to see the Savannah of Africa.. see the giraffes, elephants, lions, zebras..  the way God created them.. roaming and wandering about.  This world is God's aquarium/terrarium and and everything is balanced.  I love that symmetry and beauty.  I once had a jar with dirt and a couple of plants in it..  the lid got stuck and I couldn't get it off.  Well, things continued to grow.  The little spider or whatever was in there breathed the oxygen and gave off carbon dioxide to the plants who in turn produced the oxygen.  I can honestly STILL (I was 7 or 8.. it was on Rowena St) remember the exact smell of damp, raw, clean oxygen when the lid finally loosed itself from the jar.  This world is God's terrarium.  No outside influences are needed to keep it going.. because God created it with His Master hand.
   
   
   Needs:
   - passport
   - ideal clothing
   - good pair of hiking shoes
   - Bibles in whatever language is spoken where I'm going
   - money for touring, etc.
   Cost:  +$1,000s?
   
   
   Estimated Date of Completion: 2020
   
   
4. Visit Victoria Falls
   I could probably Google this and know the answer, but I'm not leaving this page until this blog is finished, so I'm not going to.  It may be one of those things that takes place during another Bucket List cross-off, but until I figure that out, I'm treating it as separate.
   
   
   Needs:
   - passport
   - ideal clothing
   - money for touring
   - Bibles
   Cost:  $750s?
   
   
   Estimated Date of Completion: 2018
   
   
5. Dive the Great Barrier Reef
   This one is near Australia.. I know that much for sure.  I can become certified here at the school, and there is a decent chance I could even do some sort of summer work at the Barrier Reef.. though I doubt I'll take it.  I really look forward to this, as I have a huge interest in sea life.
   
   
   Needs:
   - scuba gear (rental most probably)
   - passport
   Cost:  $1000
   
   
   Estimated Date of Completion:  2017
6. See Angel Falls
   This one will be taken care of with another.. that or Victoria Falls will be.  One of these is in Zimbabwe.. the other is in South America..  can't remember.
   
   Needs:
   - passport
   - good shoes
   - Bibles
   Cost: $1500
   
   
   Estimated Date of Completion: 2019
   
   
7. Climb the Statue of Liberty
   I've recently discovered that this one is relatively cheap.  To climb all the way to the top of the Statue of Liberty is only $5 extra than it is to actually go to the island.  Since you have to make reservations months in advance to visit the Statue of Liberty and only a very small number are allowed to go inside the Statue per day.. it may be a year in the wings before I can do this one, even if I called today.  The costs will be relatively small, considering.. since I've driven to New York before..  staying just outside the city is relatively cheap. Once you get into Manhattan, it's mainly walking and subway riding from that point anyway.  In my estimation and experience, however, bring some good shoes.
   
   
   Needs:
   - Time
   - Gas money or plane ticket
   Cost:  $300
   
   
   Estimated time for Completion: 2011
   
   
8. See Mount Rushmore
   Well, at least as far as this set of 10 is concerned, this should be the easiest on the list to mark off.  Mount Rushmore is in South Dakota...  quite possibly the cheapest place in this group to get to and stay for a while.  I'll probably try to find a few things to do while up there.. maybe travelling into Canada for a couple of days, or visiting where Custer's Last Stand took place.
   
   
   Needs:
   - basic road trip supplies
   Cost:  $200
   
   
   Estimated Date of Completion:  2012
   
   
9. Visit a castle
   This one will definitely be taken care of when I go to Scotland  to see the beautiful British Islands.  I want to see the White Cliffs of Dover and various other places on the islands.
   
   
   Needs:
   - passport
   - travelling set up
   Cost:  $1250
   
   
   Estimated Date of Completion:  2016
   
   
10. Visit the Pyramids of Giza
    The last of the ancient wonders of the world..  These massive structures were built when the Hebrews were living in Egypt under the oppressive hand of the Egyptians.  To see these has always been something I've wanted to do.  I'll probably do this when I visit Israel..  so I'll lump that in with that visit.
    
    
    Needs:
    - separate passport (one for Israel one for everywhere else)
    - comfortable clothing and shoes
    Cost:  $2,500
    
    
    Estimated Date until Completion:  2025