Monday, March 12, 2012

All 50 by 50

One of my silly, crazy, may-not-even-get-to-cross-it-off items on my bucket list is that I visit every state, all 50, by the time I'm 50. Today I found this site that helps me track my progress, giving me a visual of where I've already been.

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Now I do have a couple of "rules" for myself. The main one is that I don't consider it a state I've visited if I just fly in to the airport, say for a layover. Nuh uh. That doesn't count. You don't see the state by sitting in its airport. But I DO count the state if you drive through it, because you experience the state that way. It's a good thing Josh and I drove to Maine about 10 years ago, because I wouldn't have nearly this many states if we hadn't. ;)

But filling out this map also brought back some fun memories as I had to specifically think about each state and what I did there.

Here are a few fun things I noted:

--I've visited several of the marked states thanks to mission trips I went on as a youth and college student (the Phoenix, AZ, Chicago, IL and Minneapolis, MN). These trips were always a highlight of my school year.

--driving NYC at night and seeing the Empire State building lit up in red, white, and blue (b/c it was post 9/11). A visit to New York City (at Christmastime) is also on my bucket list.

--Wyoming counts because my summer missionary coordinator's family and I drove from Denver to Cheyenne to buy fireworks for the 4th of July since they're illegal to sell in Colorado. ;)
yep, summer missionary = law breaker.

--driving through the Shenendoah Valley at sunset? breathtaking.

--the Gettysburg battlefields? amazingly peaceful, which is mind-blowing considering its role in history

--Hawaiian beaches? Not as nice as the Gulf Coast in my honest opinion. The "sand" on the beaches was actually tiny rocks and I had to wear flip flops the whole time. I'd much rather sink my toes into the white silky sands of Destin, Orange Beach, or Gulf Shores any day!

And now a question, as if it really matters in the grand scope of life. ha! Would you "count" the state of Kansas if you've been to Kansas City even though the volleyball tournament was on the Kansas City, MISSOURI side of the city but your hotel was on the Kansas City, KANSAS side of the city? (we could see the KC Chiefs stadium out our window)? Does Kansas count??? hmmm... As for now I've left it off the list, but if I get desperate I may just have to count it.

And now I can mark off "write a completely random blog post because I'm procrastinating" from my bucket list too.

In all honesty there's so much "going on" with friends and family right now, that it's nice to sit, reflect, and remember for a few minutes. Even if it means posting a completely random blog post.

Happy Monday, everyone!


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