I can remember when I was probably 8 or 9 years old my family, every week, would eat at this Vietnamese restaurant after church. It was one of those restaurant-customer relationships where when we walked in they knew exactly what we wanted and didn’t even really bother asking. But I vividly remember this one day—no not the day we taught the Vietnamese lady who worked there what an Arnold Palmer was, no not the day that we almost set off the smoke alarm with our imperial platter entrée. No, it was the day my mom brought the book 1001 Things to do Before You Die. Now I can’t remember any specific details about the book; frankly I can’t even tell you one thing that the book said. All I can tell you is that that book left an impression on this 8-year-old kid. I think the original impression was that coming up with a list of things to do before you die (or a Bucket List) was a creative, fun thing to do. Thinking back on it now I see that it was more than just creating a list of frivolous activities; it was more about experiencing life and learning to live for the day and not caring what tomorrow may bring.

Living life like there could be no tomorrow is an exhausting adventure that not only takes commitment, but takes courage and perseverance to sticking with the task. I hope one day I can look back on my life and say, “You know what, I don’t regret a single day, or a single thing I did.” Since this is my task I decided, what better way than to document living my life every single day as if I would be dead the next? So although this is only a weekly splatter of my thoughts and ideas that have come from the activities I will be partaking in, I want to share not only the, I’m sure, hysterical stories that are waiting to burst forth, but also the things I learn and discover. So in order to connect every spread I create, I want to share with you the motto I will be including at the top of every entry: My life is a beautiful adventure that God intended for me to live out to the fullest, remembering that every day is a gift and should not be taken for granted.

It’s going to be a hard journey from here and I may find out things I don’t really like about myself along the way, but I’m prepared to share it all with you: the good, the bad and the ugly. It is here at the beginning of my last year of high school that I am going to share with you all the lessons I’ve accumulated throughout my 17 years on the earth and all the lessons that you will be reading and experiencing right alongside me. This is my dearest and most sincere wish: that you will learn a little bit more about yourself through reading what I have to say. I want everyone to find those places, those activities that make you tick, those experiences that capture who you are and what you are intended to be. I hope in reading who I am going to be and what I am going to do, I can inspire you to find this out for yourself and embark on your own journey to discovery of the ultimatum of who you are supposed to be.

This isn’t just some rant where I am going to express all of my frustrations and triumphs in life, no. It is going to be a place where I am going to steadily slice away at a bucket list I have created for this, my last year of high school. It is going to be a place where I want feedback and expression of thought, so that I too can learn from you. I want it to be a sanctuary of thought, a place of freedom of ideas and a sincere friend who is willing to say, I believe that God has a big plan for you, so go out there and find out what that plan is. So I invite you to sit back, relax and launch into this adventure alongside me.