I believe that New Yearﾒs resolutions are ridiculous. As the current year slowly winds down, we begin to decide what changes we are going to make in our lives in the New Year. ﾓIﾒm going to stop smoking,ﾔ ﾓIﾒm going on a diet,ﾔ ﾓIﾒm going to go to the gym three times a week,ﾔ ﾓIﾒm going to stop relying on caffeine.ﾔ

Yeah, we say those things and then two weeks into January, what do you find yourself doing? Watching Saturday Night Live, scraping the bottom of a Ben & Jerryﾒs pint, walking past the gym instead of walking in and taking four to five smoke breaks a day.

Iﾒve found myself in the same situation.

Whatﾒs the point in setting a goal when youﾒre already questioning it as you set it?

As I struggled with this over my extended New Yearﾒs weekend, I came across something on television that got the cogs in my brain spinning.

I was flipping through channels, when, gasp, I turned to a music channel playing music videos.

Now, I know those of you who know me know that Iﾒm the last person to listen to an American Idol contestant, let alone be inspired by one, but stranger things have happened.

The video that stopped my channel surfing was the first single for the newest American Idol winner, Chris Allen. The song had a simple but profound message, ﾓLive like you were dying.ﾔ

Itﾒs so simple. If you died tomorrow, what would you say you missed out on? What would you wish you had done?
I began to brainstorm and made a list of the things that I want to do before I die.

Ironically enough, a commercial for a new show on Mtv soon came on with four guys doing the exact same thing. This group of friends made a list of 100 things to do before they die and are setting out to do them as Mtv captures it on camera in the new show The Buried Life.

Well, heck, I might not be the first one to come up with the idea, but Iﾒm still going to stick to my guns and make my list.

My advice to you is, donﾒt set goals that chastise you. Set goals that excite you, goals that have meaning, or goals that are plain silly. But, the most important thing is, set out to reach those goals. Donﾒt live a life of what ifs. Live a life of whatﾒs next.

This way, you can set the goal to quit smoking or lose weight, but you can also set that goal to run with the bulls in Pamploma or get over your fear of clowns.

So, here it is. My list. Some of the things may seem silly, some are a little out there and some may be a little cryptic. But, they are the 100 things I want to do before I die. As I mark items off my list, I will do an update on my Facebook page so that you can follow along with my progress.

1. See the original ﾓStarry Nightﾔ and compare it to my tattoo.
2. Do a cartwheel.
3. Snorkel the Great Barrier Reef.
4. Go to New Orleans, but NOT during Mardi Gras. Iﾒm not big on the whole public intoxication and public nudity thing.
5. Go to Pearl Harbor.
6. Learn sign language. I learned the basics in Girl Scouts, but I want to learn how to have a conversation.
7. Get my Masterﾒs degree.
8. Spend an entire day in bed.
9. Take a road trip in a really cool old-timey RV.
10. Learn to play violin/fiddle.
11. Cook a three course meal all by myself.
12. High-five a stranger in Walmart.
13. Have an exhibit of my photography in at least three different galleries.
14. Dance in the rain.
15.Learn to play the drums.
16. Send my design idea to Orange County Choppers.
17. Publish a childrenﾒs book. I have a series idea, but Iﾒll start with one.
18. Learn to speak Italian.
19. Hold a Red Panda. They are the coolest bears ever.
20. Open my own studio equipped with a darkroom.
21. Visit my family in Tennessee.
22. Use a large format camera like two of my favorite photographers, Ansel Adams and Sally Man. Large format cameras use 8ﾔ x 10ﾔ negatives and have amazing detail.
23. Go to Mexico for Dia de los Muertos. It is the Mexican Halloween, called Day of the Dead. They believe it is the day their dead loved ones can return to see them.
24. Submit a picture of my rabbit Lucy to cuteoverload.com.
25. Swim with the dolphins.
26. Learn to play banjo.
27. Take a traditional sleigh ride.
28. Install a koi pond in the yard.
29. Ride a horse.
30. Get a traditional tattoo done in the ancient way. There are still some artists who use the traditional tool of a piece of wood with needles on the end. They ﾓtapﾔ your skin with the tool to do the tattoo.
31. Get my bartending license. Ever since I saw the movie Cocktail, Iﾒve wanted to be a bartender.
32. Grow my hair to the same length my momﾒs was when she moved to Pocahontas County. It was down to the small of her back.
33. Learn to speak German.
34. Participate in the RoadKill Cook-off.
35. Visit every county in WV.
36. Visit Stonehenge.
37. Finish my Art History minor.
38. Go Belsnickeling.
39. Assist in the birth of an animal.
40.Ride a Ferris wheel. My fear of heights has hindered me from experiencing a lot of things.
41. Make a skirt out of ties.
42. Help deliver a baby.
43. See the Taj Mahal.
44.Ride a roller coaster. They scare me to death, but I want to get over that.
45. Submit a recipe idea to Ben & Jerryﾒs.
46. Twirl two fire batons. I can only do one right now.
47. Buy and restore, if necessary, a 1967 Mustang.
48. Bowl a three-digit score. I can do it on Wii, but not at an actual bowling alley.
49. Ride a Harley.
50. Relearn Spanish.
51. Shave my head.
52. Learn to breathe fire.
53. Learn to speak French.
54. Go to the top of the Eiffel Tower.
55. Build my yo-yo table. Itﾒs hard to explain, but I see it in my mind and I want to try it.
56. Get a tattoo from Ami James and one from Chris Garver, two of the best artist in the world in my opinion.
57. Become a wife.
58. Walk across the New River Gorge.
59. Set off a metal detector with my piercings. I donﾒt even know if this is possible, but I think it would be cool to find out.
60. Walk on the Great Wall of China.
61. Sing for an audience, even if it is just Karaoke.
62. See a Broadway play.
63. Create and publish my ﾓOrange slice smilesﾔ photo book.
64. Enter the American Photo photography contest.
65. Tell my college advisor he was wrong about me.
66. Go an entire day without cussing out loud or in my head.
67. Sky dive.
68.Act like Papaw at Christmastime. My papaw was the King of Christmas and I think Iﾒm ready to take over his title.
69. Bungee jump.
70.Have my very own mini-Faschnact in my backyard. Faschnact is a celebration in Helvetia that culminates with the burning of ﾓOld Man Winter.ﾔ
71. Ride a Merry-Go-Round.
72. Learn to play cello.
73. Learn to ice skate.
74. Become a mother.
75. Learn to snowboard.
76. Learn how to fly a plane.
77. Help build a house.
78. Swim in the ocean.
79. Go a week without watching TV.
80. Become an ordained minister.
81. See an MMA fight.
82.Learn how to make stained glass windows.
83. Set a Guinness Record in a photography related field.
84. Go to Scotland and see the Stewart castle.
85. Start a Calliope-esque art/prose magazine at the high school. Calliope is a magazine at West Virginia University.
86. Build a snow fort.
87. Go an entire year without spraining my ankle. This is more difficult than it sounds.
88.Learn to decorate a cake.
89. Learn to drive a stick shift.
90. Get an authentic Stewart kilt.
91. Stand in the middle of an elevator as itﾒs moving.
92. Travel to Italy.
93. Go for a ride in a hot air balloon.
94. Meet Philip Anselmo, again. This time heﾒll be sober.
95. Design a clothing line for plus-size women.
96. Learn the art of graffiti.
97.Visit Jim Morrisonﾒs grave.
98. Win an award for my writing. Iﾒve won for my photography and I think it would be nice to be recognized for my writing.
99. Visit Dimebag Darrelﾒs grave. Dimebag was the guitarist for Pantera and one of the best guitarist to ever exist.
100. Take a gondola ride in Italy.