The Author

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I am a high school English teacher, and mother of two charming little ones of my own. I teach in a high poverty urban charter school, while I live in a typical American suburb that has frequently been rated one of the safest cities in the country. It is a paradox I struggle with constantly, but it is my life.

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

My Buried List

I have posted this before on FB, but I am posting it here, just for reference. I made this list last year (based on ideas that have been in my head for many years), but sadly was not able to completely cross anything off last year. This year, I'd like to cross off a few.

My “buried” list

1. Spend a week lying on a remote-ish tropical beach drinking delicious drinks and swimming in warm water.   (Condo reserved, airline tickets booked! - Maui- October 2011!!!)

2. Visit Venice and eat real Italian food and gelato.

3. Experience Mardi Gras in New Orleans.   (tentatively planned for February 2012!!!)

4. Sit in a Jacuzzi, in my backyard, sipping pink champagne, eating chocolate covered strawberries.

5. Spend a summer in Romania with the orphans. Maybe bring one home.

6. Learn to dance hip hop.

7. Be in a stage version of Hair.

8. Learn to surf.   (maybe this year in Hawaii???)

9. Be in a movie.

10. Write a recommendation letter for a student to go to an Ivy League school  (December 2010 Estefani & Cynthia, but neither got accepted)… and see him/her actually get accepted and attend (and ideally graduate)

11. Bless another teacher with something really awesome. (June 2011 - Going into details would kind of ruin this, but this was far easier than I thought. I forgot how much little things mean to us poor teachers).

12. Take a group of students to work with orphans in a 2nd or 3rd world country.

13. Get published in something real… like in print… not just on the internet.

14. Go to a protest for something I truly believe in.

15. See Alaska in the summer, when it doesn’t get dark (and isn’t cold).

16. Direct Rent with a perfect cast and as much time and money as I need to make it perfect.

17. Be in a Shakespeare play as a lead role.

18. Make homemade tortillas.

19. Spend 2 hours floating happily in a lazy river.

20. Cruise the Caribbean, stopping at several different islands.

21. Spend a week at Disney World at a nice resort, with a meal plan and everything, not having to worry about money while we are there.

22. Be on the Amazing Race.

23. Convince my mom and dad to go out of the United States, preferably on a mission trip. I would ideally like to come too, but will consider this one accomplished if they go without me.

24. Be in a Flash dance mob.

25. Grow enough vegetables to make a complete salad.

26. Completely and totally surprise Marc with an unbelievable gift.

27. Go to the airport on a random Friday and take the first flight out on Southwest, no matter where it goes (like in Yes Man).

28. Camp in Encinitas for a week with a really awesome RV.

29. Own a Jacuzzi.

30. Learn Spanish… like, fluently.

31. Tour Jerusalem.

32. Go to the Olympics (just to watch, hopefully to watch Marc)

33. Write a letter to the president and my congressmen about something that is really, really important to me. Hopefully get a response.

34. Sit in a tropical waterfall (I have to say tropical, because I have done this in the mountains, but I want to do it in a warm one).

35. Drive across America, coast-to-coast

36. Go whitewater rafting through the Grand Canyon.

37. Be in the pit at a Green Day concert.

38. See a concentration camp in person.

39. See Phantom of the Opera professionally (like on Broadway, but LA or Vegas would work)  Tentatively possible - Taking the drama kids to Broadway in January 2012, but I am letting them pick the shows, and I don't know if it will even be there then

40. See the Cirque de Soleil show “Love”    April 2011 - See blog for details; it was amazing!

41. Go kayaking in the ocean.  (Going with the Pacific Camps junior highers in July - Thanks for letting me tag along Cynthia!)

42. Visit the Channel Islands.

43. Hike a volcano.  (This October in Hawaii!)

44. See the Sistine Chapel ceiling.

45. Speak at an educator’s conference.

46. See Robin Williams do stand up comedy.

47. Go tubing in Kauai

48. Take my students on a totally awesome surprise field trip, probably funded by me.

49. Share my faith with students at my public school campus, somehow without getting fired.  Spring 2011 - Rather subtly, but found a few ways. We did a "relationship rating" activity while learning about drama, and when I modeled the activity, I rated God as my closest relationship and explained it. I even did it in front of an administrator, and I didn't get fired.... yet. Haha.   :-)

50. Plan a huge “thank you” banquet for youth pastors’ wives.

(New Additions- Added June 2011- some inspired by my students)

51. See the Hollywood sign up close and personal

52. Go to a foam party.

53. Ride a mechanical bull.

54. Try doing stand-up comedy in front of an audience.

55. See the aurora borealis

56. Visit India.

1 comment:

  1. #19 float in a river. I have just the perfect place for it. If you like remote, ranch style living... www.bar717.com
    I go to this place every summer. 2 hrs seems like a life time and it is the best thing I was able to give Rachel last summer. I hope to make it happen this year too. We will have to see.
    But if you want to check it out, go for a weekend and see if they can take you as a resource person. If they can you may be able to give your kids a scholarship. The best way a teacher could spend a summer or at least 2-3 weeks. You gotta go phone,cable, tv, computer-less though ;O)

    ReplyDelete