Akis-Davis, Keyonte

I have quite a few things that I want to accomplish before I die. There are so many that it is hard just to choose three to write about. One of the biggest things that I want to do somehow obtain a large multi-level warehouse and have a paintball free for all with a bunch of my friends. Another thing on my bucket list is to ride a motorcycle across the country just to see the sights. The third thing that I want to do is to block for at least one series in an NFL football game.

                First off is the gigantic paintball match. I have never played paintball in my life, I have played laser tag but that is a completely different game. The large multi-level building is necessary because all the high places in the building could provide perfect hiding places for all of the sneaky people looking for someone to hide and snipe people. A large number of people are needed to make the match more fun, not to mention the fact that it makes hiding harder. The only thing that could ruin the game would be if someone had the idea to freeze their paintballs before loading them into their gun. A frozen paintball can and will leave an ugly bruise on your skin.

                Next on my list is to ride a motorcycle across the country to sight see. For no reason at all I have always wanted to ride a motorcycle, and riding one across the country just seems like the proper way to do it. Driving motorcycles is not too far out of my reach, but I have a fear of losing control and hurting myself really bad. I know that taking a cross country trip is not the best idea, but it seems like it would be fun to ride off with just money, a bike, and your thoughts. One of the bad things that could happen would be to get into a bad wreck, but that is the extreme. A lesser thing that could happen would be for my legs to get sore from riding for a prolonged time.

                The third item on my list is to block for a series in an NFL game. I love playing football, and playing in the NFL is the biggest step that I could make. If I blocked in an NFL game, I would be able to feel the stress and adrenaline that the pros feel when they step foot onto the field. Even though I have no experience outside of high school football, it still seems like it would be fun. I would not care which team I got put on, as long as I could suit up and play with them.

                These three things from my bucket list are a few of the more rational ones that I could think of. A few of the irrational ones would be things like playing basketball on the moon, or driving that skateboarding car that I saw on MTV. The paintball competition is about the most normal and obtainable one of the three. The motorcycling across America would be second, and the most irrational of the three is playing in an NFL game. My bucket list has much more on it which is what made it hard to limit it to three things

Meiers, Cambrea

Everyone has things they want to do before a point in time in their life or before they die. Some may want to climb the tallest mountain or adopt a child before they get to old or die. I personally don’t have a complicated bucket list. There are just a few things I’d like to do before I get too old like get married, travel a little, have kids, and see my grandchildren before I die.

          I want to get married, because I want to share my life with someone. I don’t want to live alone and have no one to share things with besides my cat. I also don’t want people to look at me and think, “There goes the old lady with a bunch of cats.” If I get married, I also have a chance to have children!

          I would love to have kids, but, before I even think about having kids I want to travel overseas and visit different countries! I want to learn about their way of life! I really want to go shopping, buy different clothes, and eat different foods. If I had children I would not get to experience all the different cultures and see all the scenery. After I get back to the great United States of America then I will think about having kids.

          I believe that almost every girl is born with a motherly instinct to take care of children. I love taking care of children at church, family get-together’s, and babysitting children. Children are such a big part of my life already. I’d love to have some of my own.

          Being married and having kids of my own are already big accomplishments, and seeing my grandchildren before I die would just be icing on the cake. Hearing their laughter and seeing their smiling faces would probably keep me going, and I would stick around a lot longer.

          To sum up my bucket list, before I get too old or die I would like to get married, travel overseas, have beautiful children, and see my grandchildren. My bucket list is very simple, but it’s what I want most in life.

Hogan, NaCenya

        Have you ever thought about the things you would like to do before you die? It is called your bucket list. The things on my bucket list include becoming a nurse, going to Washington D.C, and building my own home.

            Becoming a nurse is on my bucket list because it is something I am working toward as of now. Just because I am in school for it doesn’t always mean that is what will happen to me. But I am determined to do it, so to accomplish that will mean a lot. I also want to be able to depend on myself if need be and be able to take care of the people around me. I also have this on my list because I want to be able to say that I have changed people’s lives. Not all people can say that they have done that, and being a nurse is a way to be close and personal.

            Whenever I get married, and before I start a family, I want to travel. One of the places I would like to go to is Washington D.C. This is on my list because I have not been to a place as historical as this. I want to be able to take tours of the White House, visit museums, and even meet President Obama, (or whoever is in office). I want to dine with the President and be his/her special guest because of a good deed or a cure I have helped a doctor find. I want to be on the news standing right next to my husband and the President. Being recognized by the President in Washington D.C will be amazing.

            The last thing on my list is building my own home. When I start a family I want a big one, one with a husband and six kids. Most homes are not made for at least nine rooms (seven for the kids and I, and two for guest), at least five bathrooms, and a gigantic kitchen and living room. You may be able to find it separate but not together, so this is a major thing on my list. Not only do I want to build my own to fit a big family, I want to do it because I will be able to call it my own. I wouldn’t have to owe anybody anything except utilities. I also want to have something to keep in the family that the family could actually say was built by us. Not everybody can say that.

            The things on my list may not seem extravagant but these are things that I would like to say I did before I died. I may or may not be able to accomplish my bucket list but it’s mine. To say that I am a nurse, traveled to Washington D.C, and built my own home will be a dream that I can hope to see.

Jackson, Megan

            I have always been a dreamer.  When life was unsatisfactory, when I would have preferred to be anywhere but in my own skin, I spent my time imagining what life would be like some day, at another, better time.  Until now, I never thought of my dreams and plans to be carried out eventually (when I had the funds, when I was finished with college, when I felt like it) as a bucket list, but I suppose that iss what they have been all along.  After all, "eventually" is just a nicer way of saying "before I die."  Not all of my dreams are practical - some of them are as far fetched as you can get - but I think that is the beauty of dreaming.  It frees you from the binds of every day life.  While there are endless exciting and wonderful things to do that are entirely possible within the constraints of physics and my budget, I have never been inclined to limit myself in that way.  So, without further adieu, I present you with my "bucket list."

             The item first and foremost on my list of things to accomplish before the timer hits zero is getting as far out of Arkansas as possible.  It is not that Arkansas is a bad place, because it is not.  It is simply that it is not right for me, never has been, and potentially never will be.  I do not tolerate the heat well.  I do not share the general population's viewpoints on hunting, fishing, gun control, or most current political issues.  I do not hate it here, but I have never fit in, and it has never been my home.  So, before I accomplish anything else, I want out of Arkansas.  I may find that Arkansas is better than anywhere else I go, and I may come back one day, but my experiences thus far say it is an unlikely prospect.

            Item number two is more like a short list unto itself.  The first step is to move out of the United States.  I refuse to spend my short time on Earth stuck inside the bubble that is the United States of America.  I want to live in the French countryside. I want to own five century old farmhouse in Scotland.  I want to walk the streets of Rome.  I want to explore the African savannah.  I want to see every museum, every famous work of art, and every ancient structure in the world in person.  I want to see the Australian outback and arctic Russia.  I want to learn a dozen languages, and communicate easily wherever I end up.  I want to experience Egypt, Canada, and Brazil.  I want to see everything there is to see, and one day when I am old to be able to say, "I have traveled the world." with complete honesty.

            Last but certainly not least on my bucket list is something that is significantly more complicated than it sounds.  I want to learn to be happy.  I want to be content with my life.  Happiness is not something that someone else can provide for you.  It is a choice that you make every day when you wake up, no matter the circumstances in your life.  You decide whether or not it is a good day.  You can not always control what happens to you, but you can certainly control your reaction to it.  My biggest lifetime goal is to learn to genuinely be in control of my own happiness.

            In summary, I have a lot of dreams.  I may accomplish all of them.  I may add to the list as time goes on.  A year from now, I might have an entirely different bucket list than the one you just read.  The beauty of a bucket list is that there are no rules and regulations.  It is what you want it to be, and if you change your mind, it can change with you.  I am only eighteen.  I have a lifetime ahead of me to think of other things I would like to do before I die, and I'm sure it will not take long for this list to exceed two and a half pages.  For now, though, these are the things I want to do before I die, and I think that they are enough.­­