This meme's still open to challengers.  Just scroll down my entries and find the first one and reply there.

Echoloc8 asks: 25 things you simply have to do before you die?

Now this one has been hard.  I've been mulling it over for a few days.  To be honest, I'm not sure I can think of 25 things that I HAVE to do to be fullfilled or have a meaningful life or what not.  Like to do? Sure, I can spout off quite a few there.  Change it to have, and well, I just don't feel that needy.  Still, the following is more or less what has popped into my head.

1. Make a will.  This really, really needs to have been done, oh, four years ago when my son was born.  We've got to quit dragging our feet.  

2. Write a book.  Start to finish.  It doesn't have to be long, I just want to have done it.
3. Have a book published.  Ideally, once I've done #2 I can keep at it and come up with something that is worthy of this.

4. Learn to scuba dive.  
5. Go diving somewhere pretty, perhaps in conjunction with

6. Eat Peking duck.  I love duck and this is a dish I've never had.  The only restaurants I've seen that have it on the menu ask you to call in your request 24 hrs in advance.

7. Drive a Mustang (stick shift only)

8.  Go on a cruise or three: Carribean, Alaskan, Mediteranean
9.  See the 7 Wonders of the Ancient, Medieval and modern Worlds and any Eighth wonders
10. Travel in the UK and Ireland
11. Travel to Australia and New Zealand
12. Have an extended Mediteranean vacation
13. See the Holy Lands
14. Take the kids to all of the different Disneys


It's not a full list of 25, but the last few are all travel oriented.  Heck, if I break the 7 Wonders down into individual things like "I want to visit the pyramids at Giza" or "I want to go to Stonehenge" then we'd have way more than 25.

I've read a lot and that just makes me want to see and experience those places for myself.  I was big time into Greek and Roman mythology circa 5-8 grade.  I just couldn't get enough of it.  Factor in all of my English classes and drama classes over the years,  and an extended tour of Greece and Italy becomes my dream vacation.  Especially since I also love beaches and they have some prime ones on their coasts. And the food in those regions. Mmmm, good!