So at the beginning of this semester I compiled a “bucket list” of things I wanted to do before leavin’ Master’s. It was initially a short list I just threw together one night because I was bored and thought it might be fun to do a couple unusual things before graduation. But God has a way of surprising me, and what I thought would be a rather ordinary semester turned out to be three of the most fun and exciting months of my life! The more I checked off things on my little list, the more spontaneous and gung ho I got about makin’ the most of this semester. So, after looking back and reflecting on all I’ve learned and done this semester, I compiled my final “college bucket list.” Some of these are my original items; some were added as I went along; some were totally random and spontaneous but completely worth it!
Here goes:
1. Walk down to the carniceria and have a Mexican feast!
- Mmmm, I can still taste it! Yummy!
2. Dye my hair with kool-aid
- I wanted to do that ever since my sister showed me this clip:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtkU2ch0sRI Besides the massive amounts of dye stain I spent half the night scrubbing out of the dorm shower stall, it was TOTALLY worth it!
3. Ditch an important class
- I ditched a test day in Marketing to go to the Returning Hearts ministry…that was awesome! Also slept through two Bible Study classes and half of a Finance class one week, but that was unintentional and not nearly as fun.
4. Run through the sprinklers
5. Take a train ride
- 5 hours from Newhall to Riverside to visit my dear friend JD! Wonderful adventure!
6. Commit cafeteria suicide
- JJ, BK, and WW accompanied me in chugging glasses filled with EVERY drink in the caf! EPIC!
7. Get rushed to the ER like my roommate
- This one wasn’t planned. But as SH and I were sittin’ there waiting for the doctor to return, she remarked how funny it was that this time last year SHE was in the ER for pneumonia. Definitely a roommate bonding experience!
8. Pull a prank
- Try THREE pranks in one night! And then use the guys who are getting pranked to help in pranking each other while they are being pranked! SH, AH and CL rock…we did good, y’all!
9. Get pranked!
- BK, JJ, and PC Christmas pranked SH, AH, MJ and I! The sweetest gift EVER!
10. Teach a computer science major how to use a computer program
- Ha, that one just made my day. :-)
11. Sneak into a boy’s room (NOT on open dorm night) (see pull a prank)
12. Share something important with a prof
- Miss Price is an amazing woman of God, just for the record! I got to share with her how much her class meant to me and how I got the chance to apply the things we were learning to my life.
13. Merge my two “worlds”
- My mama stayed the night with me during my first weekend back here. She got to take a walk around the neighborhood, stay in my dorm, and have brunch in the caf…so much fun! Then my sis, CR, came out to visit for my birthday! She got to meet all my Waldock brothers and we went on mall adventures and had secret talks on C-dub hill!
14. Jump in the pool…in the winter
- I’m still shivering!
15. Have a surprise party
- We threw a surprise party for WW as well as a surprise ice skating party for AH. AND my friends were sweet enough to throw me a surprise birthday party…my very first!
16. Learn to drink coffee…black
- CJ…you have changed my life forever…
17. Start eating healthier
- Not by choice…but still a good thing…
18. Write a “secret admirer/love note”
- AH, SH, and I teamed up to creatively ask out BK, WW, and DH to Fall Thing. We had some fun with that one!
19. Stay up till 4:00 AM wasting time on Facebook (INSTEAD of doing homework) and then take a 3 hour nap the next day because I’m just SO exhausted
- Oh wait…I do this anyways…
20. Receive a cryptic message
- Or rather, a series of messages. JJ and WW found my backpack and snuck in a note which started a trail of notes which, when put together, spelled the acronym, “Y R U GOIN?” Trying to hunt down the notewriters was so exciting...even though I failed miserably...
21. Become a lounge lizard
- Waldock is my second home…I’d probably just camp out in the lounge if there weren’t all those rules against that…
22. FINALLY go to a Dixon Christmas party
- About time…
23. Get a pet
- SH and I had fun taking care of our baby fishies Sushi, Wasabi, and Soy Sauce
24. Kill a pet
- RIP Sushi, Wasabi, and Soy Sauce
25. Learn how to knit a hat and then send it to an orphan
- Again, thank you CJ! What a neat ministry! And if anyone wants a knit hat for Christmas, lemme know!
26. Start a new workout routine
- AH, SH, and MJ let me join them in their “laundryroom workouts.” We kickboxed to the rhythm of washin’ machines!
27. Discuss my life problems with a horse
- I named him Bob. He was purty. And a good listener.
28. Suck helium out of a balloon
- No, I had never done it until this semester!
29. Extend my family
- WW = Daddy. JJ = Son.
30. Help organize a semi-elaborate plot to throw a guy in the pool for no reason
- Hehe, JJ… That was a fun night!
31. Become a Baptist!
- PBC is such an awesome church! And I am now totally sold on hymns! I’d make a great Baptist, if only I didn’t like to dance so much… ;-)
32. Hike to the cross
- JJ, WW, SW, BC, DF, and I did a spontaneous night hike during finals weeks to see the stars and city lights. It was lovely!
33. Get kidnapped
- My friends kidnapped me during finals week and took me “to the library”…by route of the ICE SKATING RINK!!!! Best surprise ever!
34. Make a new friend
- Probably my greatest bucket list success of all! Thank you, my Waldock brothers, for making this semester special, exciting, inspiring, spontaneous and just plain grand. Whether I was having mon/wed/fri lunch with PCl and JJ, listening to DH’s conspiracy theories, enjoying Piper nights with WW, or staying hours at supper just to spend time with the gang, I have learned so much from all of you, laughed so hard, and been filled with encouragement and joy. Y’all are the best and I praise God for you every day! I also got to spend more time with AH, who taught me a lot about gentleness and kindness. You are such a beautiful woman of God, AH! Finally, I got to know CJ, who is officially one of the funniest and smartest girls on campus! Enjoyed the time spent with you all!
On one more extremely important note, I want to thank my dear roomie for all the adventures we’ve had this semester and the past year-and-a-half! You are a gift straight from God, SH, and you taught me how to grow in love for God and compassion for others by your constant example. Thank you for late night talks, spontaneous adventures, sneakiness, prayers, comfort, and lots of fun times. I love you girl…so very much!
