What have I done...

**Before you begin reading, this is what I have posted so far. It is likely that this will be a fluid note, constantly added to and edited, or that it will be the first in a series as I do and remember new things that need to be added.**

I have been amused by the notes that have been circulating around Facebook as of late. They are similar to the chain messages that circulate through e-mail, encouraging you to share random facts and information about yourself. Some of them are simple and have questions such as 'when is the last time you cried' or 'what did you eat for breakfast' or 'where do you spend most of your time' - others are more specific, asking you to highlight things from a list that you've done or to recap a year by answering about things that have happened over the past 365 days.

I started filling out another one this morning, as much to see for myself how I measured up as to tell anyone else - after all, does anyone really read them (except perhaps the junior highers that want the latest dirt on their friends and acquaintences)? Then, after finishing it, and actually posting it, I started reading through it, and ended up deciding to delete it. It seemed like a cheap way to tell about some of what I consider to be defining moments of my life - and then I ended up here - and I'm going to write it my own way.

Physically, I've climbed a 14,000 foot mountain and backpacked 20 or 30 miles through the continental divide, I've rock climbed, paddled something like 80 miles in a canoe over a few years, run a couple races (short ones, but a runner I am not), biked in a triathlon, biked 70 miles in a bike-a-thon twice, and even biked 302 miles across the southern part of MN over three days.

I've been to Greece and Italy, Belize, Canada, and something like 18 states in the US. I've seen the Colosseum, the Parthenon, the Pantheon, and stood in St. Peters Square and saw black smoke come out of the Vatican during the first day of the vote for a new pope after John Paul died in 2005. I've walked the ground where much of ancient Greek mythology took place, touched pieces of pottery made thousands of years ago, and even sat on an ancient Roman toilet in a bath house. I've even been through the Belizian jungle and been around 2 miles from the border of Guatemala, and had a tarantula crawl across the floor one night while I was brushing my teeth.

I've been to Washington DC twice and seen all of the memorials, been to Arlington National Cemetary, and seen Gettysburg. I've been through the Holocaust Museum and seen a pile of shoes that mark lives lost. I've been in the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, and a couple dozen lakes in the Boundary Waters. I've seen meteor showers, the Northern Lights, and watched a thunderstorm roll in across a lake.

I've broken two bones, almost cut my tongue off with a spoon, had to get stitches in my forehead, and have more scars than I can remember stories for (but love to tell about the ones I do remember). I have had surgery at least four times, and two of those were in my mouth.

I lived in the same house for the first 18 years of my life, and since then, have become a pro at packing and moving back and forth from college, and twice since then - but I still hate doing it. I've lived in my own apartment and owned a car. I graduated from college with a degree in Studio Art and Religion. I had a job right out of college and have been at the same one for 2.5 years.

I've fallen for a couple guys, and now, even fallen in love. I've felt the pain of broken relationships and felt the pain of friends losing loved ones and struggling through difficulties. I've known what it feels like to accomplish something that seemed impossible. I have felt love from others, and been blessed with amazing family, friends, and people who support me. I've learned that deep friendships can be formed in a matter of hours.

I've worked in a clinic in a remote jungle and served food to a crowd of 1000 at a soup kitchen in Denver. I've helped paint a handful of houses, learned how to put up drywall, even helped build a ramp. I've worked three summers at a Bible Camp in central MN and spent three semesters traveling to a different church every weekend during college on a ministry team. I have played in a band, and can play guitar, bass (although not real well yet), and even sing okay. I can paint, throw pottery on a wheel, do photography, even draw if I'm in the mood. I've written poetry, a couple songs (though I've never finished one), and written some stories. I've painted a backdrop for a play, painted the side of a semi trailer, and even helped paint a 30x100 foot mural for a concert.

I've ridden in airplanes multiple times, ridden in a helecopter, a ferry, and metros in Greece and DC. I've driven 2000 miles in two weeks.

I've worked on the set of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and even been on national TV (even if it was only for about 3.6 seconds). I've seen a few dozen concerts and even met a good number of the big names in Christian music.

And, because this is only the beginning of my story, I have to include the flip side, things I haven't done yet but hope to do.

1. Go to Australia and visit the Australia Zoo to see Steve Irwin's legacy
2. See the Pacific
3. Go to Hawaii
4. Marry my true love
5. Own a dog
6. ....