54. Learn To Play The Harmonica

So, I'll be honest...I completed this bucket list item a little while ago...well actually a little more then a little while...ok, around two years ago.  I have a few bucket list items that are from my originally bucket list, that I completed before my blog started.  Well I have to catch up sometime, so I was thinking now.

It was the spring of 2010, and I was running around Walmart waiting for my Mum to be done here grocery shopping, when I saw the harmonica for sale with an instruction booklet.  I'm always up for a challenge (like look at that list to the right), so I thought why not, and grabbed the harmonica, and went to the till.  I found the harmonica easy to learn, soon I was playing all the songs in the little beginners book that came with it.  I started translating old clarinet music I had lying around.  I eventually bought the Harmonicas for Dummies book from chapters, but honestly I didn't find it very useful.  The harmonica was a short lived hobby, I soon got bored, and moved on to a new challenge.  It is a very unique instrument, I would recommend anyone who plays an instrument to find one to try.  I learned a lot from my little harmonica, and had a lot of fun with it.

I pulled out my little harmonica today, and remember how I used to play it.  I was nowhere near as good as after I got it all those years ago. After a few minutes of playing with it, and taking a picture, I slid my harmonica back into my past.

89. Explore A Castle

It's been a while since my castle exploring, but I got distracted, and never finished writing about my bucket list items I completed on my trip to Europe.  When in Italy I stopped at a smaller town called Assisi (this is also where I completed 7. Try Gelato).  I had no clue I would get to see a castle, or even get to go in one, it was a pleasant surprise.  My tour guide lead us on a short hike, which took no more then ten minutes to reach the castle.  There was a small fee to enter the castle, but it was definitely worth it.

After paying the fee my friends, and I went exploring.  I kept thinking how this would be the perfect place to play hide and seek.  There were passageways going every where connecting to smaller rooms, and towers. It was quite the workout going up the continuous spiral stair cases to get to the lookout towers, but the view from the tops was incredible.  One of the best parts was going through the small tunnel that connected the castle to another tower; they were dark, and while walking through them it was easy to forget the world that existed outside the castle walls. One day I would love to get the opportunity to visit another castle, probably in different european county.  It would be fun to explore it, and compare it to the castle in Assisi.

125. Spray Paint Something

This was a last minute add on to the bucket list when I learned that at the end of my grade twelve year I would get to spray paint the street in front of the high school.  It was my first time ever using a can of spray paint, and after painting the street, I came to the conclusion that graffiti artist is not a career option for my future.  It was a creative way to leave our mark on the school we had spent our last twelve years in; though the paint will soon wash away, it will disappearing like the class of 2012.

The students union supplied dozens of cans of spray paint; I grabbed a bright orange, and picked a spot on the street to begin writing my name. Soon after I found the lime green, and traced around the orange, and followed creating a border with blue.  I ended with drawing the 'smiley' face I have doodled on everything this past year.  It is a symbol of memories from my last year of high school, and the person I was when I left, before entering the real world.  I don't know if I will ever spray paint again, but it is nice for my rebel side to be able to say I tried it at least once.

117. Swim With Sea Turtles

Before going to Hawaii I thought that seeing a sea turtle in the wild was rare; soon after arriving I learned I was wrong.  I was ecstatic when I saw a couple turtles on my first morning snorkelling. The one in the first photo is the turtle I technically completed this bucket list item with.  I swam a small distance behind him, as he swam his way across the reef.  For a few minutes I followed taking pictures of the unique creature.  After that I saw many turtles, most were resting on the bottom, or under ledges, and were only saw when they swam up to the surface for air.

The second two turtles I saw when I went snorkelling at turtle town (as I said in the post 78. Go Snorkelling in the Ocean, turtle town is not a specific place it is just an area named that when many turtles are there, and is easily accessible from shore).  These two were huge, and came up very close to me.  There is a Hawaiian law that you may not touch, or interfere with the turtles in anyway; violators are charged up to a $10 000 fine.  As these large animals swam toward me, I did my best to keep my distance.  The one in the back is missing it's front right flipper; likely it was attacked by a shark.  Even missing a flipper the turtle was swimming great, he was a very speedy, gigantic, amputee.  They soon returned back under the ledge they were hiding under, and I swam along, continuing to explore the corl reef.  It was amazing to be swimming with the creature that has been my favorite animal since grade two!

64. Graduate From High School

After twelve years of counting down I finally made it!  Last week I finished diplomas, and a few days ago was the cap and gown, and the prom. It was a long busy day, but overall was a lot of fun.  The day began when we put on those funny black dresses, and those weird square hats with the tassels.  The graduating class was lined up in alphabetical order, and sent into a gym full of proud family members,  and friends.  After many heart felt speeches we were all called up, given our diplomas, and then finally as a group, we through the weird square hats up into the air. All of which occurred before 11:30am.

As soon as cap and gown was finished I took some photos with friends, and family, then left the school to prepare for the prom.  At this point it would be much more simple to be a boy then a girl; all guys have to do is possibly shave, comb there hair, and put on a suit.  For us ladies it is a far longer process; first I did my makeup, then my hour plus long hair appointment, followed by painted my finger nails, and finally I put on my prom dress.  It was so exciting to get to wearing the dress I bought over six months ago.

My escort- a close friend of mine- picked me up at my house, we both admitted the other cleaned up good.  With our matching corsage, and buttoner we set out for the exciting evening.  I don't know how prom works at other schools, but ours started with the grads meeting up for a group picture, then with our escorts we walk to the arena, which was decorated in an Winter Wonderland theme.  Inside we had  an evening of celebrating with friends, and family.  There was a dinner, then more speeches, and finally some music was put on to dance.  By the end of the night my dress had a big rip in the back from the end being stepped on while I was walking, and the bottom was muddy from the floor being wet, luckily I only intended to wear the dress once.  The evening ended when the grads were loaded into a bus, and headed to the safe grad party to celebrate together.  It was the last time my class of 2012 will all be together, but I will be left with many good memories from that night.

PS. I apologize for the length of this post, but I thought since it is such a milestone it would be ok.

55. Go Whale Watching

Well...the title should be Go Whale Watching For A Second Time, but I thought I would just add it in because it was a different type of whale then I watched before.  After this I only have one last bucket list item left that I completed in Hawaii, I promise!  While going out to Molokini Crater to go snorkelling I got the unexpected surprise; humpback whales were still in the Hawaiian waters around Maui.  It was quiet entertaining watching their dorsal fin rise, and fall, or the random flipper come out of the water.  It was most exciting when suddenly the large whale would jump out of the water landing on it's back, though this happened few times, and I was unable to get a picture.

I didn't find the humpback whales as interesting as the killer whales I saw in the Gulf Islands, but it was still a cool surprise.  Maybe if I had never seen a whale before it would have held the same excitement as the first time I went whale watching.  If in Hawaii I don't believe that going on a whale watching tour would be worth it.  The humpbacks are in the Hawaiian area from December to May, and if you travel on a boat to a snorkel tour like I did you will see them, plus after getting back I was able to see them from the shore, which was pretty awesome.

71. Stand At The Summit Of A Volcano

Not only did I get to stand on the top of a 10 023 ft volcano, but I also got to watch an amazing sunrise from it's peak.  I'm not surprised that this bucket list item was accomplished in Maui, Hawaii is a group of islands created by inactive volcanos. We had to leave the condo around 3:30 am, and drive in the dark up the dormant volcano of Haleakala.  It was interesting going from swimsuit weather at the base to putting every piece of warm clothing I owned on as we approached the summit.  Wrapped in a blanket, sitting at the summit I watch the sun creep over the horizon.

The bottom photo is of my mother, and I at the summit minutes after the sunrise.  If in Maui I would highly recommend going up to watch the sunrise on Haleakala.  It was an amazing opportunity, though I had to get up early for the drive, and the weather was extremely cold; the view made it all worth it.

11. Go Zip Lining

On a trip to the city my Dad surprised us, and took my family zip lining. In Calgary, Alberta there are three large ski jumps on the hillside, which were used for the 1988 Winter Olympics.  Today the biggest of the jumps is no longer used for ski jumping, but has been converted to the start of one of the three zip lines located at Canada Olympic Park.  I started with a ride down the training line, it is short, and simply to get the hang of what it it feels like, and to learn how to stop.  The first photo is of my Dad, and I at the top of the first zip line.

The second photo is the view from the base looking up at the big ski jump where the largest of the zip lines starts.  The last picture I took from the ski jump, just before I went over the edge.  I had no clue what to expect when I learned that I was going zip lining.  It started with putting on these awkward harnesses, then going out to the long cord. After my harness was attached to the line a latch was pulled, and meters above the ground I went hurtling down the hill.  For the longest run there was a small parachute I had to throw out behind me, to slow myself down.  The ride was exhilarating, though I think I would have enjoyed it more if I wasn't as worried about throwing the parachute, or getting into the position the rider should be in when they reach the end.  Hopefully I'll get to try zip lining again, next time I'm thinking over a rainforest.

8. Get a Henna Tattoo

Getting a henna tattoo has been a long time bucket list item, so when I say a store in Maui that had the sign Henna Tattoos on the window, I knew I would have to go there before my flight home.  I found time a week before my vacation ended.  It was hard to choose what design to get, because there are so many, but in the end I chose a cute little turtle. First the artist drew the design on my back with sharpie marker, and after I confirm it, she started to apply the henna chemical.  It didn't take long to get the tattoo, but it took around an hour for the chemical to dry, so I had to be careful not to bump it.  My turtle lasted around two weeks, before it started to fade.

I could never get a permanent tattoo; that is one item that is not on my bucket list.  I have no problem with people who get them, and the line about how gross they will look when you are old, and your skin has sagged, doesn't really affect me.  I could never find something that means something to me now, and would still be important to me years later.  My parents can rest, knowing they don't have to worry about me coming home with a poorly planned tattoo.

1. Try Surfing

Well I finally accomplished my number one item, the item that started the whole bucket list!  Surfing was amazing, a must have on every Bucket List.  This was another item I accomplished in Hawaii, and was probably the highlight of my trip.   I started with taking a two hour lesson with Big Kahuna Adventures Maui, there were two instructors for a group of ten of us, which worked perfectly fine.  They lesson provided each participant with a board, rash guard shirt, and special shoes.  The instructor start with teaching water safety, then how to paddle, and finally how to standup.  After about half an hour we went to the water. The lesson was quiet simple, we would take turns going over to an instructor, wait for a wave to come, and they would give the board a push, normally you would paddle yourself, but being inexperience it is hard to get the speed needed on my own.  After traveling in front of the wave for a few seconds I would pop up from my stomach onto my feet, and ride the wave till I got close to shore, then turn around, and paddle back out to the instructor.  I was extremely pleased with the company I went with, I would definitely recommend them.  After two hours of paddling my arms were extremely exhausted.

Later that week I went back to Big Kahuna Adventures Maui and rented a surfboard for a couple hours.  The waves weren't as good that day as the day of the lesson.  I'm not sure if it was because the lesson was in the morning, and I rented the surfboard in the afternoon, or if it was just an off day.  Despite the smaller frequency of waves I was able to start myself of paddling, and without any assistance I successfully surfed many waves.