“Rain Rain Go Away” Bucket List

What’s that old saying?  “April showers bring May flowers.”  If that’s the case, then May should be loaded with them!  It’s done nothing but rain for the past month. And when part of your job is an Athletic Director in charge of two baseball teams and a softball team, that’s not good!

I’ve spent most of my spring stressing over rescheduling ball games than thinking about adventuring. So today I’m going to take a break from that and add some more items to my Bucket List:

• Prairie State Park:  Unbeknownst to me until recently is a small Missouri State Park in Western Missouri that preserves some of the last tallgrass prairie in the country. It also features a herd of buffalo!  What could be more enchanting than walking among buffalo and wildflowers! My plan is to make this trip very soon. Hopefully with all this rain the flowers will be popping!
• Spoonbill Fishing:  It’s spoonbill season!  This is a fish that basically has a large nose that resembles a spoon. Every year during this time my Facebook is loaded with pictures of people who have been lucky enough to catch some of these giants!  A friend of the family recently caught a 90 pounder! One spring I’d like to go spoonbill fishing. That being said, when I see those pictures caught from the same lakes I like to play in…it creeps me out just a little.

  

• Golf:  I’ve played a few rounds of golf here and there, but I’ve never really committed myself to learning the game and practicing more to get better.  Since I’m a huge on “lifetime sports,” I feel like this is a game that I will enjoy later in life.
• Buckingham Palace, England:  I’ve always been fascinated by the “Royals” growing up.  I always enjoyed watching movies and reading books related to royal families (fiction and nonfiction).  My latest TV series binge was “The Crown” on Netflix. After watching that, I really would love to see Buckingham Palace in person, even if it’s just from the outside.
• See a Haka:  A haka is traditional Maori war dance.  If you’ve ever watched sporting events, usually rugby, that involve the nation of New Zealand, you will witness this dance being performed prior to the game.  I’ve seen several other videos of a haka being performed during wedding ceremonies and other activities. You can feel the power and emotions of those participating through a video.  I would love to see one in person!
• Sky Pool in Houston:  I recently saw a video of a pool with a glass bottom that hovers above the busy streets in Houston.  I feel like this would just be one more way to face my fear of heights!
• Black Sand in Maui:  I am not a huge beach fan.  Not because I don’t think beaches are absolutely gorgeous, they are, but I don’t like myself in swimsuits that much….That being said, I’d love to walk on the black sand beach in Maui!
• Gum Wall in Seattle:  As disgusting as it sounds, I would love to put a piece of gum on the gum wall in Seattle.  I probably wouldn’t make a special trip just to do this, but I bet the hiking is good in Washington!!
• Paint Rave:  Ever since I’ve watched the movie Miss Congeniality, I’ve wanted to go to a paint rave and just get totally splattered in neon paint and dance under the black lights!!  One of the favorite dances at the school is the “Glow Dance,” but we aren’t able to pour paint on drums and beat them to get it all over the place!!
  

  

  
• Learn Spanish:  People always assume that since my husband speaks Spanish, that I do as well.  I was even asked to teach a Spanish class once at school! Unfortunately, it’s not that easy.  Part of the problem is probably because my husband speaks English so well that I’ve never really been forced to have to learn.  But someday, when my life slows down a little bit, I would like to learn.

Caroline here.  I know I said I love to hike in the winter, but I should clarify that I only like that in the actual winter months.  I’m okay with spring like weather arriving anytime minus a few less rain showers. So I am ready to take a few moments of my time and concentrate on my bucket list with the hopes that the weather will start cooperating and let me check off a few of my new ones or previous ones.

First let me provide a little update.  I have been able to check three of my previous ones off my bucket list, as well as, one that would have been on my original list.

1. ✔️In our February edition, I listed 10 things that would be better to do with someone else.  And one of those was ride in a horse drawn carriage.  In March I had the pleasure of attending the Farm and Gin show in Memphis with Aaron, his parents, and friend Eric.  When Aaron’s dad suggested a carriage ride back to the hotel from Beale Street, I knew this was my opportunity to check one of my list.  Not only did I do this with someone else but I did it with four other people. I’m not sure if I would recommend that many people as the “romantic” version but this item is completed.

   

2. ✔️Over Easter weekend our plans changed and we stayed at home.  I didn’t want to waste the extra day off, so I planned on doing something near to home.  My decision was to visit the St. Louis Art Museum.  There was an exhibit there that I would like to see, so I decided it was time to go (a blog will be following shortly). So visiting the Art Museum is complete.

   

3. ✔️While I was there, I was able to inadvertently check off another bucket list entry – to see a Monet.  I’m not sure why I never check to see if the St. Louis Art Museum had a Monet Water Lily but they do and I was quite surprised and pleased.

   

4. A bucket list item that was on my original list from 10 years ago and will be a stretch for me to ever check it off is to travel to Egypt.  Yes, a goal but realistically not sure if it will ever happen.  So when I discovered the Sunken Cities of Egypt exhibit at the art museum, I thought that may be as close as I ever get to actually seeing Egypt.
5. ✔️✔️✔️I’m a concert person and if I lived closer to the larger venues and could afford it then I would be at concerts all the time.  I actually completed this item before I made my original bucket list, but if I hadn’t it would have made my list. And that concert would be Willie Nelson.  I am a Willie fan and I have seen him three times. I can vaguely remember seeing Willie Nelson with my parents when I was about seven years old at the Checkerdome in STL.  Next, I attended FarmAid in St. Louis in 2009 where Willie and others performed. And the last time I saw Willie was two years ago in Cape Girardeau. It was supposed to be Merle and Willie, but sadly Merle passed away the day before the concert.  Willie is actually in Cape and St. Louis again this weekend, and I have considered going again.

   

6. It is the time of year that the Appalachian Trail thru-hikers have started their northbound hikes.  I am following backwardshatforwardthinking and his progress along the trail. Being a bit of a competitive person, I would like to challenge myself to complete a thru-hike.  That being said I don’t think the Appalachian Trail or the Pacific Coast Trail are realistic options for me. I can’t take off 5-6 months from my job and by the time I could possibly have that allotted time I will be retirement age and not sure if physically in shape for that. (Not like I am now.)  Anyway I would still like to aspire for completing a thru-hike.  I have been researching some shorter ones and the one that has caught my attention is the Superior Hiking Trail in Minnesota.  It is roughly 300 miles, elevation gain of 600 feet,  and can be completed in under a month with 93 free camping spots along the trail.  I think this would be a reasonable option for me.
7. I am interested in different cultures and how they live.  This past summer while taking a walking tour of St. Louis. We stopped in front of a Polish Catholic Church that has a mass in Polish.  I’m not Catholic, but I would like to attend just to experience a religion and culture different than my own.
8. If I am having a cultural experience with the Polish mass, I would like to make a day of it for a Polish meal and stop at a deli.
9. See the bluebonnets in Texas,  I have never been to Texas (it is on my list).  But when I do go, I want to see the fields of bluebonnets.
10. And like Katie, I would like to learn Spanish.  I have four years of high school French and 12 college hours because I was going to travel to Paris blah blah blah.  Sadly that hasn’t happened. And I haven’t had a real chance to use my French other than the few years I taught it. Although I could read the wedding invitation I received from a former student who was married in France. Although I am holding out hope to make to France someday, I think at this point in my life I am more likely to use Spanish.  I guess I could add to my list to visit French speaking Canada, so I could use what little French I remember 25 years later. I’ll save that one for another edition. In the meantime, I would like to at least learn some conversational Spanish.