My Reverse Bucket List

When Foxy's Domestic Side linked up her reverse bucket list to one of the linky parties I link up to I was intrigued... what is this reverse bucket list??

I loved the idea of making up a list of all the things we have been able to accomplish on our bucket lists!

Of course the hard part was deciding how far back to go... and what was worthy of having been put on a bucket list to begin with.

1.  Trip to France.  Though this was back in high school I had wanted to go to Paris and see the Eiffel tower for as long as I could remember.  Imagine my surprise when I ended up enjoying the tour of the Loire Valley so much more!  We also got to see the Mona Lisa, step foot on Normandy beach, and tour Versailles palace.

2.  Marry my high school sweetheart.  Seriously in high school I was already talking about when we'd get married; not if....

3..  Taking a cruise to the Caribbean.  My grandparents went on many cruises and everything always looked so amazing in my grandmother's photos so I was thrilled when my husband suggested a cruise for our honeymoon.  I just fell in love with the Virgin Islands!  We had such a wonderful time snorkeling and kayaking through a mangrove lagoon too.

Our boat as seen from the beach in St. Maarten

4.  Be a stay at home mom.  It's true. while most of my friends were dreaming of careers I often said I wanted to be a wife and a mom.  I didn't want to work outside the home if I could help it.. and somehow we've managed to make that work.

5.  Vacationing in Walt Disney World.  I went to Walt Disney World twice as a kid (that I can remember) and always wanted to go back.  We have been lucky enough to take our boys multiple times and have even managed to check out quite a few of their on- site hotels.

5.  Seeing the sights of Las Vegas.  We have been lucky enough to get to Vegas twice and while I am not a huge fan of cities I really enjoy walking around all the hotels and seeing all the sights and seeing the shows.  We have seen some pretty spectacular shows too!  I always felt Vegas was one of those places that everyone must see before they die.

6.  Feeding the dolphins.  Truth be told I'm pretty sure my bucket list said "swim with dolphins"... but when it became a possibility that we really could swim with the dolphins, I started getting a bit freaked out about swimming with these huge, live animals. I also could not stop thinking about how I was probably swimming around in their excrement and decided I'd be much happier feeding them... from shore.  So that's what we did and it really was quite amazing!

7.  Visiting the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.  I was a huge Harry Potter fan long before I ever had kids and just knew I HAD to visit.  We had the best time checking out all the nooks and crannies and were so impressed with what a wonderful job Universal Studios did recreating the magical world.

8.  Eat dinner in a revolving restaurant with beautiful views.  My husband and I went on a trip to Quebec and got to eat in an amazing restaurant with ever changing city views.  It was fantastic.

9. Visit Martha's Vineyard.  Though I have lived in New England all of my life it wasn't until a couple of years ago that I actually made it over the island of Martha's Vineyard (next I want to check out Nantucket!).

10.  Checking out the sights in Charleston, South Carolina.  For the last few years I've been hearing a lot about Charleston and was hoping to get there for a vacation soon.  We finally went this summer; just my husband and I.  It sure was hot but we had a great time.  Truth be told... I preferred visiting the Isle of Palms and Sullivan's Island.  (I'm not sure why I always think I want to visit a city when I have got to be a country girl at heart).  I just loved watching all the dolphins frolicking around the boats whenever we were out near the harbor.

11. Design my own dress and make it.  When I was in high school I really wanted to be a fashion designer so, with the help of my mother, I made several dresses for myself. Including most of  my prom dresses.

My junior prom dress

My senior prom dress (with rhinestone straps)

12.  Seeing the Ice Castles.  We finally went this year to see the famed ice castles and I have to admit it was pretty amazing.

13.  Watched Phantom of the Opera on Broadway. My grandparents took me to New York city when I was in high school because I really wanted to see a show on Broadway.  It was an amazing day with a trip to FAO Swartz, lunching in a posh New York hotel, and seeing the show.  We had amazing seats.

14.  Enjoying Niagara Falls.  I went once as a child with my grandparents and again with my husband just before we were married.  We even took an elevator down behind the falls.  They are pretty spectacular to see.  The roar from the water is quite spectacular and not much can beat the view of the falls all lit up at night in their rainbow of colors.

15.  Conquering my fear of heights and making it through a rope/ zip lining course. Truly I do not like heights at all and while zip lining was never really on my bucket list I have to admit I had a huge sense of accomplishment when I finally completed an entire ropes course; zip line and all!  We've now been a few times and tried a few different courses.