Sarah Daniels’ Reverse Bucket List
TRAVEL:
USA
Massachusetts
-milked a cow (at Olde Sturbridge Village, Sturbridge, MA)
-celebrated the Fourth of July at the Hatchshell on the Esplanade in Boston. Fourteen times.
-attended the Boston Comic Con
-attended the 100th running of the Boston Marathon
-seen the Tall Ships entering Boston Harbor
-been on a whale watch
-eaten clam chowder and cornbread at the Union Oyster House
-eaten at the Top of the Hub
-been on an Old Town Trolley Tour of Boston
-seen the Red Sox play a game at Fenway Park
-been to the Boston Children’s Museum
-been to the New England Aquarium
-been to the Boston Museum of Science and the Mugar Omni Theater
-been to the JFK Library and Museum
-been to the Museum of Fine Arts
-visited the USS Constitution
-been to the Bunker Hill Monument
-took a ride on a Boston Duck Boat
-visited Plymouth Plantation
-seen the Boston Pops perform at Symphony Hall
-seen the Nutcracker performed by the Boston Ballet
-taken a ride on a Swan Boat in the Public Garden
-visited the Bull and Finch Pub (the “Cheers” bar)
-eaten cannoli at Mike’s Pastry in the North End
-eaten at Wahlburgers in Hingham
-visited Louisa May Alcott’s home “Orchard House” in Concord
-visited Hammond Castle in Gloucester
-did the Ghosts and Gravestones tour. Twice.
-went to King Richard’s Faire. Several times.
New Hampshire
-ridden the Mount Washington Cog Railway -ridden the Hobo Railway -ridden the Cafe LaFayette Dinner Trains and enjoyed a DELICIOUS dinner -ridden the Conway Scenic Railroad
-been to the top of Mount Washington
-ridden the gondola up to the summit of Loon Mountain
-ridden the gondola up to the summit of Cannon Mountain
-visited Santa's Village -visited Story land -visited Clark's Trading Post -visited the Polar Caves -visited Flume Gorge
-visited Lost River Gorge
-attended a downhill skiing Sunday morning service
-attended the New Hampshire Highland Games. Several times.
Maine (multiple times)
-went on a canoe trip on the Saco River. Several times.
-visited Stephen King’s house in Bangor (just the house, not him)
-visited York Beach and the Nubble Lighthouse
-been to the Fryeburg Fair. Several times.
Texas (multiple times)
-been to Sea World (San Antonio, Texas)
-seen a mermaid. At Aquarina Springs in San Marcos.
-visited the Alamo
-visited Six Flags over Texas
-taken a ride on a boat down the Riverwalk
-seen my grandparents and great-grandparents graves at Fort Sam Houston
-visited the Witte Museum
Colorado (4x)
-visited Golden and watched my sister get married there
-gone to the Kristkindel (Christmas) market in Denver
-visited the Mork and Mindy house in Boulder
-seen an outdoor showing of Empire Strikes Back at the Red Rocks amphitheater
Florida (2x)
-swam with sharks (nurse sharks in a tank at Disneyworld)
-been to Disneyworld. Twice.
California (4x)
-visited the Hollywood Walk of Fame and put my hands in George Lucas and Steven Spielberg's prints in front of the Chinese Theater.
-did the VIP tour at Universal Studios, Hollywood.
-attended three Oscar parties a block away from the actual Oscars with the cast and crew of LOTR
-took a fifteen-passenger limo to the party location, and when we arrived and the door opened and I exited, everyone outside thought I was someone famous…for about 5 seconds
-watched actors and actresses walk the Red Carpet
-walked down the red carpet into the Dolby Theater (the day before the Oscars)
-held an actual, for real Academy Award Oscar statue. They're REALLY heavy.
-had a hamburger at the Hamburger Hamlet across the street from the Chinese Theater because this is what George Lucas was doing the night Star Wars premiered.
-went to a Harry Potter/LOTR concert at the Hollywood Bowl
-attended a screening of LOTR: The Two Towers at the American Film Institute
-visited Ripley’s Believe or Not in Hollywood
-visited the Hollywood Wax Museum
New York (multiple times)
-been to the top of the Empire State Building
-visited the Statue of Liberty
-visited Ground Zero in New York City. Two months after 9/11.
-seen the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree in New York City.
-seen a play on Broadway. Two, actually - Miss Saigon and Phantom of the Opera.
-visited Times Square
-visited Chinatown
-shopped at South Street Seaport
-took a carriage ride through Central Park
Pennsylvania
-visited the Hershey's Chocolate Factory in Hershey, PA
-been to the Gettysburg battlefield
-visited Amish country
Washington DC (2x)
-visited the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument, and the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.
Virginia
-saw the wild ponies on Chincoteague Island
-been to Busch Gardens
-visited Colonial Williamsburg
Arizona
-visited Phoenix
-visited Sedona and saw the Red Rock formations, Chapel of the Holy Cross
-visited Navajo Native American reservation
-visited the Grand Canyon, South Rim
Maryland
-visited the Ocean City boardwalk
New Jersey
-visited Atlantic City and walked the boardwalk
International
England
-ridden a double decker bus in London
-visited the Sherlock Holmes Museum in London at 221b Baker St
-visited Buckingham Palace (the outside, anyway)
-seen Shakespeare performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company
-visited Shakespeare’s birthplace and his grave
-had tea at a tea house
-had a high tea at a hotel
-ate real English fish and chips
-visited Warwick Castle
-ridden in a London Taxicab
-visited Picadilly Circus
-visited Covent Garden
-visited Paddington Station
-shopped on Portobello Road
Ireland (2x)
-gone drinking in a real Irish pub in Ireland
-visited the monastic city of Glendalough
-visited the gardens at Powerscourt
-ate real Irish bangers and mash
-visited a real Irish pub
Scotland
-took a cruise on Loch Ness
-Visited Stirling Castle, Edinburgh Castle, Urquhart Castle, Eilean Donan Castle, Doune Castle, Kilt Rock, and the Isle of Skye in Scotland
-eaten haggis, cranachan, steak and eel pie, and cullen skink
-drank a whiskey hot chocolate
-ate at the Greyfriar’s Bobby pub and rubbed the statue’s nose for good luck
-climbed to the top of the Wallace Monument, all 256 steps
Germany (2x)
-visited Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin
-visited Kasteel Innsbruck castle
-eaten weiner schnitzel and German potatoes
Iceland
-seen the Northern Lights (in Rejakvik, Iceland)
-soaked in the Blue Lagoon in Iceland -seen the geysers and the Gulfoss waterfall and fjord
Aruba
-gone snorkeling and fed parrotfish
-saw a beautiful beach wedding
-ate at Flying Fishbones restaurant with our feet in the surf
China
-sung kareoke in China
-visited the silk market
-visited Shanghai
-ate duck's tongue, turtle, squid, and jellyfish
Belgium
-ate Belgian waffles from a street vendor in Antwerp
-ate frites (French fries) with meat sauce and gravy
Netherlands
-visited Amsterdam
-ate chicken schwarma
Canada
-visited Prince Edward Island, and the "real" Green Gables
-stayed in the bed and breakfast that was featured as Rachel Lynde’s house in Anne of Green Gables
-visited the “White Sands Hotel”
-saw the Blue Chest
-ridden a rickshaw (through downtown Halifax)
-visited Montreal
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
-received my Bachelor of Arts in Communication Arts
-graduated from High School
-sold my photography professionally
-learned how to cook well - my specialties are pies and soups
-threw my mom and stepdad a surprise 25th anniversary party
-performed on stage several times
-written a song (just lyrics, not music)
-taught myself how to sew. Made a shirt, a dress, purses, altered several things.
-learned to ballroom dance
-designed my own line of homemade jewelry
-finished a 1000 piece puzzle all by myself
-hit a hole in one during a game of mini golf
-hit a bullseye on a target with a bow and arrow
-got a bullseye head shot and a bullseye chest shot my first time at a shooting range
-completed the Star Wars Trilogy arcade game with rank of General
-completed both levels of the original Nintendo Legend of Zelda
-received my brown belt in Uechi-Ryu
-took one semester of American Sign Language at a community college and was told I was a natural
-paid off all my credit card and loan debt!
SEASONAL FUN
-sat in a hot tub outside in winter
-built a snow fort (many)
-had a snowball fight
-made snow ice cream
-have gone night skiing
-visited a pumpkin patch and picked a pumpkin there
-been on a hayride. Several times.
-been through a corn maze. Several times.
-gone apple picking and made pies with the apples I picked.
-bobbed for apples
-raked a huge pile of leaves and then jumped in it
-cooked a HUGE Thanksgiving turkey. Twice.
-been to the St Patrick’s Day parade in South Boston
-stayed up til midnight and toasted the New Year
-was alive during the Bicentennial. I was 2, but hey, it still counts!
-had Christmas in a log cabin in Maine, while the snow was falling.
-went to a Midnight Mass 12/24/21 at St Thomas Aquinas Church in Derry, NH
-rode on a double decker bus in a 4th of July parade
MISCELLANEOUS
-worked on the set of a movie (independent release)
-smashed a pie in someone's face
-caught a bridal bouquet (a friend back in college)
-cliff jumped
-caught a jar of lightning bugs (at Ernie's Place in Bridgton, Maine)
-attended a masquerade ball
-coordinated a wedding of two dear friends in 4 weeks. Yes I did.
-was a bridesmaid twice, and a maid of honor once (for my sister). I was also a flower girl twice.
-donated blood (right after 9/11)
-found a four leaf clover
-gone to a spa
-let my hair grow reaaaallly long. In college it was down to my rear.
-watched a meteor shower
-flown first class. Three times.
-made really cool travel scrapbooks of my trips to China, Aruba, and Scotland
-became an aunt to my niece Jenai and my nephew Tommy
-tied a message to a balloon and let it go
-gone ziplining
-ridden in a super stretch limo
-did mud wrestling. And WON.
-eaten successfully with chopsticks...I can pick up a peanut!
-fired guns, including an assault rifle
-ordered off In n' Out Burger's Secret Menu
-witnessed miracles
-saw Judy Collins, George Winston, Cyndi Lauper, Debbie Reynolds, Arlo Guthrie, Don MacLean, Barry Manilow, David Lee Roth, the Dropkick Murphys and Aerosmith live in concert.
-saw John Williams conduct his own compositions. Twice.
-met Steven Tyler, Ian McKellan, Sean Astin, Andy Serkis, Peter Jackson, Billy Boyd, Lou Ferrigno, and the cast of the Lost in Space TV show in person. Steven Tyler gave me a kiss, Ian McKellan told me I looked gorgeous, and I almost made Sean Astin cry when I told him how much I loved his portrayal of Samwise Gamgee.
-met the Newsboys, Phil Keaggy, Petra, Audio Adrenaline, and Tony Vincent
-met Danny Wood from the New Kids on the Block when I worked at a movie theater. I didn’t recognize him and carded him, which he thought was funny.
-Been on the front page of the Boston Globe.
-Been on live TV.
-been to a Renaissance festival. Several times.
-did a no-budget grocery shopping spree
-seen an almost total solar eclipse.
-attended several midnight movie premieres.
-became a godmother
-gone paintballing
-ridden an elephant and a camel (at a state fair)
-got a henna tattoo
-adopted a rescue kitty
-taken goofy pictures in a photo booth with someone
-ridden in a horse drawn carriage
-made my own pottery -ridden a horse
-had several published authors tell me my writing was good
-had my tonsils out -had wisdom teeth out -travelled by train, bus, car, bicycle, and plane
-worked out so hard I threw up
-attended the homebirth of a friend's baby
-seen movies at a drive in. The very first one was Star Wars.
-met Joel Hodgson and the MST3K ‘bots.
-sang onstage in a mini-choir with Third Day and Harvest Bashta at Soulfest in front of thousands of people
-watched Jars of Clay perform “Flood” in the middle of an intense downpour thunderstorm at Soulfest
-had TobyMac jump into the crowd intending to crowdsurf but he missed and crashed into me, knocking me to the ground. We both ended up in the bottom of a moshpit for a minute or two.
-Built tree forts
-won $250 on 50 cents put in a slot machine
-did a 40-day juice and water fast
-did a 40-day “Daniel” (raw fruits and veggies only) fast
-did a 3-day water fast
-did a 3-day “Esther” (nothing) fast
-attended Ringing Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus several times as a kid
-baptized several teens at a teen camp
-watched Saturday morning cartoons with a big bowl of sugar cereal
-played the Clue board game while watching the movie Clue at Chunky’s Cinema Pub
-won tickets in a radio station contest for the X-Files Expo
-started a blog, Forged in Film
-attended the final Rubart Writer’s Academy
-wrote a novel-length fanfiction with myself as a character
-have my name in the credits of all 3 Lord of the Rings movies