#14 - Go Geocaching

This past Wednesday, Shannon and I decided to go geocaching, as it was on both of our summer bucket lists. Compared to skydiving, we assumed that this should be easy enough! To the contrary, it proved to be quite the feat considering neither of us had smart phones or a GPS. We were able to narrow down the area enough by looking at a map, but it still wasn't sufficient. We ended up on a nice paved hiking trail in town that contained two caches. Each time we went poking around in the bushes, the passerby's reactions were a bit concerned. Unfortunately, we weren't able to locate any hidden treasures, but we did stumble upon a nice little lake and a family of ducklings that we couldn't help but share our lunch with!

At this point, I wasn't sure if I was allowed to cross this item off my bucket list seeing as we didn't find anything. This confusion quickly resolved last night when Shannon and I were at a friends house in Seattle. She remembered stumbling upon a nearby cache by accident, so we quickly sought it out and snapped a picture with it. Inside the bottle was a plastic lizard, as well as a small notebook and a pen. We mimicked those before us and recorded our names and the date in the notebook, and returned the bottle to it's hiding spot. Finally, I felt accomplished enough to cross this one off my list!

 

To view the rest of my summer bucket list, click here!

 

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#12 - Get My License

I don't know how it works where you come from, but where I'm from, everyone takes drivers ed, gets their license at 16, and is driving themselves to school by their sophomore or junior year of high school. So it's pretty pathetic that I'm getting my license at 19, but that's how it works in my family. We don't have the money to put everyone through drivers ed, so you have to wait until you're at least 18 to get your license. And since I wouldn't have a car in college, I just didn't bother getting it last summer. But I was tired of asking people for rides, and being known as that one friend without her license, so I wanted to get it before I left for Florida.

I had my permit for four years before getting my license, so the driving test was not too difficult for me. Not to mention the fact that I totally aced parallel parking, and in a car that I had only driven twice before! But it is so handy to be able to drive myself places, as I have a lot to get done before I leave next week. Jeez, I can't believe it's August already. And to think, in a mere ten days, I'll be in Orlando getting ready to check into my hotel for the night. Wow!

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#3 - Skydive

My instructor, Corey, pulled the rope and the parachute shot out of his backpack, jerking us upward as it halted the free fall. I scanned the landscape below me. I could see the Seattle Space Needle, granted it looked the size of a bean, as well as all other cities in the surrounding area. Mount Rainer and Mount Baker stood out beautifully against the clear blue sky, and I looked down just in time to see a plane taking off below us.

"Welcome to my office," Corey said. "How does it feel?"

I couldn't stop smiling. "This is unreal!"

 

Ever since we became friends almost seven years ago, it was mutually decided that Shannon and I would go skydiving once we both turn 18. Because of our busy lives, we had to postpone this plan for a year, but it finally happened! I can't decide if my favorite part was floating over western Washington, or the minute-long free fall from 13,000 feet. Either way, this was the best experience of my life!

 

Honestly, the scariest part was when we had to sign all the paperwork. Basically, it read "You might be confined to a wheelchair for the rest of your life, sign here. An extremely painful death may await you, sign here. You could be killed, sign here." But once we finished that, the rest of the afternoon was fear-free!

 

 

We were put in a group of about ten people and watched a short video that walked us through how the dive would go, then practiced our arching and landing positions. Shannon and I were in the first mini group, so went to gear up and meet our instructors. Us four jumpers, as well as our four instructors, then boarded the small plane. There were no seats - you just sat on the crowded floor, strapped to your instructor. Shannon and I were positioned in the back of the plane. We then took a twenty-minute scenic flight until we reached the right altitude. I was carefree and excited this entire time, but the butterflies in my stomach arrived when I saw the first jumper and his instructor fall out the door. I turned my head to Shannon, and we were both wide-eyed, but excited smiles soon followed.

 

Finally, it was our turn. Shannon went first, scooting to the door of the plane. She and her instructor waited for about five seconds before leaning forward and falling out. Then it was my turn. We scooted to the door, and without even a five second notice, we were falling at over 100mph. All I could feel was pure euphoria, laughing uncontrollably as the wind hit my face. Then Corey pulled the chute, and all was calm.

 

This was an experience I will never forget, though it went by quicker than expected. Therefore, Shannon and I have already decided when we are going skydiving again. I can already feel the addiction forming! Here are some more shots from this amazing afternoon:

 

 

 

 

 

 

To view the rest of my summer bucket list, click here.

 

To visit my Disney College Program blog, click here.

 

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Thoughtful Thursday | Find Your Strength

"Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid." -Albert Einstein

I discovered where I belonged around the eighth grade. School was going well, I played sports year-round, and I had finally found the perfect group of friends. There was just one problem - I was humanities, they were science. I love writing short stories, while they loved crunching numbers. We came from totally opposite sides of the brain, if you know what I mean. Seeing as the lot of us had identical schedules, I consistently compared myself to how they performed in school. For years, I considered myself the stupidest one in the group, even though we were the top of our class. I was the worst of the best.

It wasn't until around my sophomore or junior year that I made the most important realization: Just because grammar and poetry come more easily to me than calculus or physics, that doesn't make me any lesser of a student. With this new found wisdom came confidence, which helped me to finally figure out that, at this time, I wanted to pursue a degree in psychology. And although there are a still a few sarcastic comments thrown around about engineering being a superior field, I have learned to shrug it off because I am doing what I love.

If you are evaluating someone else, or even yourself, based on weaknesses instead of strengths, I can tell you for a fact that you're doing it wrong. The amount of distinct types of talent in this world are limitless. Find your strength, work to develop it, and flourish.

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#17 - Go To A Concert

Who did I see, you may ask? None other than the extremely talented and handsome John Mayer, with an opening performance by Phillip Phillips. I've been to three concerts before (Daughtry, Alicia Keys, and The Classic Crime), but this one has got to be my favorite. He performed at The Gorge Amphitheatre, which is an outdoor venue that seats over 20,000 people, is a 9-time winner of Pollstar Magazine's award for "Best Outdoor Music Venue", and declared one of the "Best Outdoor Concert Venues in America" by ConcertBoom! For more info, click here. From your seats on a sloping grass hill, you have a great view of not only the stage, but the Columbia River running just past it, as well as the canyons of Eastern Washington and a beautiful sunset. You are also able to camp in their designated camping grounds the night before and/or the night of the concert, which only adds to the fun!

But the music! John Mayer was phenomenal, the music was amazing, he had the best stage presence, and is an all-around heartthrob. I'm not usually one for spending tons of money on concerts, but this is one I would love to see again. If you've never seen John Mayer Live, or have never visited The Gorge, I recommend doing both at least once in your lifetime!

And as I wait to complete my next bucket list item (this thursday!), I will continue to explore the blogging community. I absolutely love reading other blogs and learning from how they share and display their content. One that I've been looking into is the lovecats inc, which is a fashion/beauty blog that I found because Helen, the author, had commented on my previous blog post. So all you ladies out there, this site is filled with trusted reviews, fashion posts, and much more! She is also doing a giveaway at the moment, so click here for more information.

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