The Nilla List

Well, really quickly I'll give you the highlights of my evening. I got off work at 3:30, stopped by Publix to buy the rest of the ingredients for the cheeseball I signed up to make for the student appreciation party (Here's a story for you: I couldn't remember what I'd signed up for, since it was the week before Spring Break when we signed up... I thought I remembered it being something salty (and usually I just write "something salty" on the sheet so that I can make my decision to either buy or make something closer to time), so I wasn't feeling particularly inclined to make anything, so I figured I'd buy some chips. So, I went to Wal-Mart on Tuesday and bought a big bag of Doritos. And then the list was posted yesterday and I saw that I hadn't gone the smart route and written "something salty" but rather had actually volunteered for a cheeseball and crackers. Dang it. So, I had to go buy crackers and beef). So anyway, yeah, bought those ingredients. At least I signed up for something easy. Then I headed home and washed some clothes and forced myself to be a good student. I have really procrastinated stuff, and with the fact that I now have to re-do that whole literature review, I don't think I can do that anymore. So, I knocked the assignments for 523 out of there (I have to present tonight) and spent the rest of the evening reading for 523. I have to write up 3 booktalks by next week and actually need to do a total of 5 of them. I'm still in the middle of reading book 4: The Presence by John Saul. But I was successful in getting almost to the halfway point last night. Which means I read around 100 pages yesterday. Now if I could only keep that pace...

Okay, so the Nilla list. I had actually been thinking of making my list for some time now. And I always intended to blog it, but I had yet to get around to it. Then Julie found an old list she had made about 10 years ago, and she sent it to me, since she said I would appreciate it. And I did :). I'm wishing I had made a list like that 10 years ago so I could see the things I wanted to accomplish and see how many I could check off my list. Well, but I didn't. So I'm making one now. So, it's a work in progress. And most of it right now is places I want to see or go. But there are a couple of accomplishments on there I'd like to do.

• Get married to "the right person in the right place at the right time"
  
• Be a mom
  
• Transit the Panama Canal on boat
• Ride in a gondola in Venice
• Go to the top of the Empire State Building
• See the Statue of Liberty
• Visit all 50 States (this means I have to actually visit something or someone there... Not just pass through, like in an airport)
  
• See/go up in the Eiffel Tower
• Be debt-free (although a mortgage could be acceptable debt)
• Graduate from college with a master's degree
• Own my own house (either by myself or with my spouse... both count :) -- but no more apartment living!)
• See the great pyramids of Egypt (and go inside)
  
• Take a cruise
• Learn ballroom dancing
• Ride in a limo (don't laugh! I've seriously always wanted to do this!)
• Eat in a fancy restaurant that has all those forks and where you are supposed to wear a nice evening gown (yes, another materialistic silly thing, but I've really always wanted to do it just once!)
• Learn sign language (I decided I wanted to learn about 10 years ago when I met Julie. Obviously I have wasted 10 years... I have picked up a few signs here and there. Maybe I will get motivated enough to learn it, because that would be neat)
• Write a novel (and hopefully get it published!)
  

So I realize that a lot of that list is just stuff I want to see; places I want to go. But I've always had desires to travel. So, they go on the list. Although I never made a list before of the things I want to do or accomplish in my life, I do remember things I've wanted to do and have done (which is why they are not on the above list). So, I will list some of them for you here:

• Go to NYC
• See Washington, D.C.
• Ride the NYC subway
• Graduate from college with a bachelor's degree
• Live on my own (okay, so this one is not all it's cracked up to be... Or at least not at this stage in my life. But it is something I know I had always wanted to experience, so now I can say I have).

Well, I sincerely hope there were others that I hoped to accomplish and did. Otherwise that's kind of sad. That's why it's good to have a list.

And, since I am making lists (have I mentioned that I love lists :)?), I will make a list of which of the states I have visited so far. (Does it make me a dork that I am enjoying my list-making??).

• Alabama (I've been living here for 10 years and visited here every 2 years since 1985 before that)
• Georgia (again, various times)
• Florida (various times)
• North Carolina (Brad and Tarylyn and Saria -- April 2003)
• Louisiana (April 2000)
• New Jersey (December 2007)
• Pennsylvania (December 2007)
• New York (December 2007)
• Washington, D.C. (okay, so it's not a state, but whatever -- December 2007)
• Washington (various times)
• Utah (August 1999)
• Colorado (July 1995)
• Texas (a couple of times -- 1987ish and 1990ish)

Okay, well, I guess I'm about all out of lists. For the moment. But, now you know things the Nilla wants to do one day. Hopefully I get to check some stuff off my list soon :).

*Oh yeah, and Kristy guessed the movie quote correctly!*