Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Lovely Life List

And now for something totally original...a list!

This is something I've been working on long before I got started the blog, inspired by the wonderful Maggie over at Mighty Girl. Do you know Maggie? Oh, you must! Just do yourself a favor and go check out her blog at once! I hope you have the next 137 hours free to spend obsessively reading.

Maggie is a Blogger with a capital B, and she does big and important things like inspire people to chase their craziest dreams. She is Amazing (capital A), and if I can contribute nothing else to this little blogosphere but introduce a few more people to Maggie, then I will die a happy peacock!

Among Maggie's wonderful contributions is her Mighty Life List - a list of 100 things she wants to do before it is all over. And she encourages all of her readers to dream big and think about all of the things they want to cross off of their list. Big or small, practical or totally out there, ANYTHING can go on the list.



It is so important to have dreams, and what I learned from Maggie is that it is just as important to give a voice to those dreams. Know what you want and put it out there for the universe to hear. There are so many adventures waiting for us, so go crazy -- think BIG! Talk to your friends, your spouse, your mom about what you want to do -- and listen as they invariably start spilling their secret dreams. You never know what will happen...

Without further ado, here are the ingredients for what I call Alison's Lovely Life List*:
*This list is a work in progress; I reserve the right to add/delete items as my little heart desires; items in bold are COMPLETE!

1. Quit my job and spend 6 months volunteering 
2. Adopt a sweet and charming miniature dachshund 
3. Run a half marathon 
4. Learn how to drive…again 
5. Meet my best friend/be a best friend 
6. Take my mom on a fantastic trip to Italy  
7. Be a wife 
8. Be a mother 
9. Be the world’s coolest aunt  
10. Live in Los Angeles 
11. Figure out my goal weight and learn how to stay there 
12. Live in an adorable apartment in Greenwich Village 
13. Spend a few months backpacking in Europe
14. Spend a long weekend at the Parker Palm Springs  
15. Learn enough Spanish and French to impress people  
16. Ride on the Orient Express 
17. Take a bike tour through Italy 
18. Learn to surf in Hawaii  
19. Buy my own little beach bungalow in the Hamptons  
20. Contribute something positive to the world and make a good living with a “Thank-God-It’s-Monday” fulfilling job 
21. Write a book  
22. Own my own business 
23. Have a drink with one of the writers of The Daily Show  
24. Be a Disney World Cast Member – spread pixie dust!  
25. Learn how to use all of the features of my DSLR and be a photography rock star 
26. Ride Dumbo at all 5 Disney theme parks 
27. Plan my own lovely and adorable Martha Stewart-worthy wedding 
28. Attend a red carpet movie premiere  
29. Go to the Oscars (maybe as a nominee!)  
30. Meditate in Bali  
31. Swim with that cool glowy plankton stuff in Puerto Rico 
32. Fall madly in love with the sweet, funny guy 
33. Go to the Sundance Film Festival
34. Live in Orlando 
35. Fly on a private plane  
36. Compete in some kind of cooking contest -- bonus points if there is a corny Food Network Special about it! 
37. Attend a political rally in Washington DC  
38. Linger over dinner in Sorrento with my family, watching the sun set over Mount Vesuvius  
39. See the town in Ireland where my grandmother was born  
40. Ride on a zipline through the jungles of Costa Rica  
41. Take an African safari 
42. Have my picture taken in front of the Eiffel Tower  
43. Ride the Tower of Terror solo – and buy the picture this time! 
44. Run over the Brooklyn Bridge at sunrise  
45. Dive into the Mediterranean from a boat floating off of Capri  
46. Take a cross-country road trip across the US  
47. Get super dressed up and go to the Met Costume Institute Ball 
48. Learn to give myself the perfect blowout 
49. Dance all night in Cuba  
50. Flaunt some beads at Mardi Gras  
51. Pay off my credit card debt 
52. Earn another master’s degree 
53. Figure out my creative calling  
54. Plan a summer volunteer bike trip  
55. Be Goofy (or some other costumed character!)  
56. Make someone’s wish come true  
57. Start a book club  
58. Do something that could get me arrested (but not get arrested for it!)  
59. Figure out my favorite book, movie, death row meal  
60. Win a hand of black jack in Las Vegas  
61. Spend the night in Cinderella’s Castle 
62. Cheer for Team USA at the Olympics  
63. Watch a movie under the stars at Bryant Park 
64. Get tickets for Shakespeare in the Park  
65. Shop in a Moroccan marketplace  
66. Take a bike ride along the beaches of Goa  
67. Own a Chanel jacket  
68. Drive down Pacific Coast Highway in a convertible  
69. Have clothing custom-made in Vietnam  
70. Run a marathon  
71. Be photographed by Bill Cunningham 
72. Cheer loudly at my brother’s college graduation 
73. Make sure my mom and brother really know how much I love them  
74. Host a big Thanksgiving dinner  
75. Learn how to bake a dessert that people remember  
76. Run a race that raises money for something I care about  
77. Have my picture taken with Judge Judy 
78. Wear a bikini in public
79. Buy a fixer-upper and flip it 
80. Sneak a peak in the Vogue accessories closet  
81. Be a clue in the NY Times Crossword Puzzle  
82. Be a mentor to someone 
83. Watch the Sound of Music at the Trapp Family Lodge in Vermont  
84. Write a blog that inspires people 
85. Take Audrey to the South Beach Wiener Dog Festival  
86. Become the person who actually follows through on all of my good intentions…it isn’t only the thought that counts 
87. Have my place featured on Apartment Therapy  
88. Spend a day performing random acts of kindness – feeding meters, shoveling walks, buying a round of drinks 
89. Hang out at the tents at New York Fashion Week and see a fashion show  
90. Find a regular volunteer project  
91. Master a great smoky eye, a rosy pink blush, my perfect lipstick shade
92. Learn to make amazing French macarons 
93. Solve a mystery  
94. Learn CPR 
95. Attend a blogger summit  
96. Make something pretty
97. Learn how to tie a tie and sew a button
98. See all 50 states
99. Take a cruise to Alaska
100. Go skinny dipping
101. Hang out backstage with the band
102. Be an extra in a movie/tv show
103. Throw a fabulous party
104. Dye my hair blonde
105. Design the most glamorous peacock Halloween costume
106. Go to a state fair
107. Meet an Imagineer
108. Learn Photoshop
109. See all of the Best Picture Oscar winners
110. Understand the very basics of html coding
111. Teach Audrey 3 new tricks 
112. Sing on stage at the Apollo
113. Teach a class
114. Eat many delicious 10pm dinners in Barcelona
115. Make a gingerbread house
116. Ride a unicorn (with thanks to Beatrice and Isabelle, truly great Life List makers)


Do you have a Life List? What have you crossed off so far? What is the craziest thing on your list? Let me know!


2 comments:

  1. This is the best.life.list.EVER! Wow! I am seriously impressed. I love it! I say we both figure out 91 and then tackle 89! :)

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  2. Wow, thanks! You know a thing or two about adventure and living life to its fullest, so I consider that very high praise!!

    And yes, that sounds like a great deal! I am pretty sure that with amazing smoky eyes (and super high heels), you can pretty much get into any fashion show :)

    Also, reading your blog makes me seriously want to tackle #114 -- my passport is practically jumping out of the drawer!

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