My Story: Moving to Cayman

The Reverse Bucket List: 25 Things I’ve Checked Off In 25 Years

by Island Diaries by Kate
Pin

We all have a list of things we’d like to do within this lifetime…but do we ever stop to think about all the amazing things we’ve experienced so far? 25 years on planet earth may seem like a long time or a short time depending on who you ask. I do not think there is any dispute however, in saying that there is a lot of lessons to be learned and fun to be had in the first 25 years of a life! In today’s blog, to commemorate my 25th journey around the sun, I will be taking some time to reflect on my top 25 favorite and/or most memorable experiences in no particular order…AKA the Reverse Bucket List. I hope this inspires you to write down your own! (You’ve got a lot of writing to do if you’re over 50! Hehe.

1. Went skydiving with Bryan in Miami

2. Ran my first ever marathon in Minneapolis

3. Studied abroad in Madrid with Emma

4. Scored a game-winning OT goal against Bemidji

5. Learned how to waterski and barefoot from my dad

1. Skydiving in Miami
2. At the Minnesota State Capitol after finishing my first ever marathon
3. Emma and I in the Puerta del Sol during our first week in Madrid
4. Playing soccer for SCSU vs. Northern (not the same game described above!)
5. From left: Demi, Angie, Raayn, and myself quadruple-skiing behind my dad’s boat on Chain Lake

6. Bought a moped named Valentina and taught myself how to ride her

7. Got asked on a date by my Spanish tutor and immediately fell in love

8. Fostered a dog named Maggie and actually enjoyed the experience! (Apologies to Bo…my kitty back home)

9. Got a belly button piercing with my college teammates (it didn’t stay in very long)

10. Recreated the Tommy Bartlett waterski show with all my cousins at the cabin “Up North”

6. With my scooter, Valentina
7. Bryan and I at the cabin in Pine Lake, MN where he proposed
8. Maggie, the foster pup
9. In St. Cloud, MN getting ready for a very traumatic belly button piercing session
10. Me when I was 10 getting ready to ski from the dock in the “Fearing Ski Show”

11. Competed in the world championship for jump-roping in Bloomer, WI (if you know, you know)

12.Was a contestant in the Ms. Reedsburg pageant and failed miserably

13. Learned how to brew my own kombucha

14. Went cliff jumping with Bryan at the Calas in Mallorca

15. Went to France with Demi and celebrated the French world cup victory with the locals

11. Me with my jump rope trophy in Reedsburg. As you can see I was going through a bit of an Avril Lavigne punk phase.
12. Riding in a parade float as one of the Ms. Reedsburg contestants, relieved that it was over and vowing to never do something like that ever again
13. With a bottle of my ginger berry kombucha
14. Jumping from a cliff at Cala Llombards in Mallorca
15. Demi and I at an outdoor bar in Marseille watching France play in the World Cup

16. Went camping on Madeline Island with my high school besties and had our campsite ransacked by a bear

17. Became an aunt to baby Clyde!

18. Moved to a Caribbean island amidst a global pandemic

19. Visited the Today show in New York City (even got on camera!)

20. Walked around Paris in the rain and ate some macaroons

16. (From left) Raayn, Angie, Demi, and myself enjoying the beach at Madeline Island, blissfully unaware of the fact we were cohabitating with bears.
17. My nephew Clyde who I have no pictures with yet because I have been trapped on an island most of his life!!
18. Living my best life in the Caribbean! (Still amidst a global pandemic)
19. Our view from the Today show in NYC!
20. Eating a macaroon in Paris during a rare moment when it was not raining

21. Got front row seats to a George Ezra concert at First Avenue in Minneapolis

22. Partied with my brother and friends in Madison, WI to celebrate my 21st birthday (Complete with the infamous Wando’s fish bowl, JJ riding a mechanical bull, and walking through ice and snow in heels)

23. Took a family trip out west and saw the Grand Canyon

24. Kissed a stingray in Grand Cayman

25. Made a wish and threw my penny into the Trevi fountain in Rome

21. Bryan and I waiting for the George Ezra concert!
22. Keagan and I both celebrating our 21st birthdays in Madison
23. Me, my mom, and Chase at the Grand Canyon. I have clearly arrived at a very fashionable moment in my life.
24. Bryan and I holding a Stingray (that we later kissed) in Grand Cayman
25. Tossing my penny into the Trevi Fountain in Rome. Having a Lizzie McGuire moment.

That’s a wrap! While obviously this is not an exhaustive list, it definitely highlights some of the most memorable moments and events from over the past couple decades. Once I got rolling, so many memories came flooding back to me — so many so that I obviously couldn’t include them all in my reverse bucket list! I highly recommend this exercise to anyone, whether it be for a birthday or for the New Year (or any time of the year, really). It’s such a fun excuse to go back and look at old photos and reminisce on your journeys around the sun! Next year when I turn 26 I will have to do it again and see how much I can add 🙂 Happy birthday to me! Thanks for reading — Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

Pin

Leave a Reply