8 things~

8 things before I die-
Just 8???

I've been published locally many times, and in one book internationally. (via another author and I was credited)...but seeing my own book with only my name on display at Barnes and Noble or Books-a-Million is near the top of my list of things I want to do/see before I exit.
I'd even be happy to find one of my books in a bargain bin at the grocery store in a few years :)


I love hot-air balloons and I would love to ride in one, somewhere out in Arizona or New Mexico for a balloon festival they have every October for 9 days or so. I think I would cry every day- just looking at photos of the balloons fills me with a kind of wonder I can't describe.

(This is my favorite tree- it's a Crepe Myrtle like none I've ever seen...one half of the tree produces white flowers, the other side a dusty pink flower. When I planted this one it was shorter than me. Now it's at least 15-20 feet tall)

I am in awe of whales and I want to see them in the wild~ I want to be on a ship and take photos of them. Then I want to go to New Zealand and swim with the Beluga whales...the white ones. Or at least be on a tiny boat and get close to them. I love whales- love, love, love whales.

I'd also like to go to Alaska during a Salmon run and watch the bears fish. I'd also like to join them (at a safe distance) for dinner, but I will be grilling my Salmon over an open fire- they can have theirs raw.

I want to live overseas for an extended period of time. Actually- I'd like to do this in the Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, Ireland, and perhaps Japan for 3 to 6 months at a time either teaching English, a craft, or writing. Spending a few months in Wyoming writing in a lovely cabin in the woods (much closer to home) would be wonderful too, however, I don't think I have any blogging friends from Wyoming. Not yet anyway :) Obviously I don't need a blogging friend to make this happen, but it would be nice if one were close by.

Be my ideal body weight.
sigh- why is this one so hard? Not a single day goes by that I don't think about it (understatement)...not one single day- in the last 13 years. I am getting there- but it's slow.

To be on my own for a while, before I'm too old. I have never lived alone- ever.

Being alone in my house is blissful. I think part of my desire to travel stems from often being in a crowd. For as long as I can remember there's always been a group of people close by- mostly family. Being part of a large family is a blessing, no doubt, but room to grow and think without being questioned or unobserved is rare for me, even today. Perhaps it is a good thing? I only know there are times when I crave solitude with every cell of my body. I rarely find it for more than a few hours at a time.

One more...just one more? There are hundreds of things yet I want to do.
Hold a great grandchild- one named Cora? :)
Have a house by the lake, go see the Galapagos Islands, go on a cruise (anywhere)- tour the Mayan ruins, go back to China for a little while-maybe go back to school???
I think I'd better stay alive for a long time! :)

Ruela said I had to tag 8 of you- but I will leave the challenge open to anyone who wants to play along. Let me know if you decide to do it~