Bucket List: Update

Original Post: April 16, 2010

So this is my bucket list. You know, the things you want to do before you die. I’ve had some things in my head that I want to do before I pass, but never down on paper. I have yet to see the movie ‘Bucket List’ also, maybe I will do that tonight? Was it good? I was inspired to finally write mine down by friend Stacy Laue after reading her own bucket list not too long ago! Check hers out, it makes me laugh. So here it is. It includes some things probably not possible, some things definitely possible, and some things that I’ve already done! I have a long way to go… but here it is:

- Skydive. April 19, 2008.

- Travel in Europe. January 2009.

- Repel over a cliff. Summer 2003.

- Take a ride on the tallest roller coaster in the country. Summer 2006.

- Run a Marathon. October 30, 2011.

Marathon Completed!! Marine Corps- Oct. 30, 2011

 

- Run at least 5 marathons by the time I’m 40

- Own a home

- Own a ‘second home’ or time share

- Live abroad for at least a year

- Go to the Olympics

- Start my own company

- Have photographs published in a major publication (Nat Geo. Time. NYT. Sports Illustrated.)

- Photograph an endangered species

- Get a dog

- Get Married to the girl of my dreams. Fall helplessly deeply in love.

- Have kids

- Adopt a kid

- Learn to cook (Almost there)

- Be in a movie (being an extra counts…)

- Watch the launch of a spaceship live

- Go to Oktoberfest

- Win a race (Forgot I actually did this… 2009 Elon Turkey Trot Champ! haha)

- Bungee Jump

- Take a ride in a hot air balloon

- Visit all 50 states

- Visit all 7 continents

- Surf in Hawaii/ somewhere exotic (costa rica, Australia, etc.)

- Go heli-skiing

- Road trip across the US

- Be a ‘best man’

- Learn to snowboard

- Compete in a downhill ski race (preferably in the Olympics)

- Hang glide

- See the Northern Lights

- Be on a jury

- Go to a rascal flats concert 

Rascal Flatts Concert

- Go to a rap concert

- Sit in the front row of a concert

- Shake hands with someone who has changed a country.

- Have my own LARGE collection of books, taking up a whole wall

- Have only pictures that I have taken hanging in my house as decoration

- Buy a Black LTZ Chevy Tahoe with big wheels and a bumpin’ stereo system (My beemer is a close second.) 

- Learn how to play the guitar

- Take my kids to sunset beach, where I vacationed for many many years

- Live in a big city

- Live in a rural area with a big yard

- Get a tattoo 

- Go scuba diving, and take awesome pictures while doing it

- Go to grad school

- Be a teacher at a college

- Take dance lessons just for fun

- Appear on a game/reality show (in this order of preference: Amazing Race, Minute to Win It, Survivor, Price is Right)

- Go to an SNL, David Letterman, or an Ellen show.

- Go to Las Vegas

- Visit a real Blues Bar in Chicago

- Go to Hollywood

- Go to Mardi Gras

- Go to New Orleans

- Do a mission trip in Africa

- Walk along the great wall of China

- Go on a Cruise

Things to check off my list.

2012.

It’s 2012. I can’t believe it. So many things I want to do! Some people say I need to slow it down and I ‘have time to reach the goals I want to reach,’ but I’m always thinking about the next big thing! I celebrated the Holiday’s with some family and friends and it was great! Here are some photos to recap some recent adventures.

The Bryant's family is all about desserts.

Christmas Day.

Nap Town.

Washington, DC

Big Apple, Big Easy, Big Slacker

I’ve been slacking. Yep. Sorry about it.

Recently I have been traveling like crazy and it’s been great! From my home in Baltimore, I went to New York City two weekends, one with my mom to see the show Wicked, and one with my friends, I ran in Washington DC’s Marine Corps Marathon, traveled to Sonoma, California for work and finished up in New Orleans for my cousins wedding! I had been everywhere I went except New Orleans but all brought new experiences and adventure!

New York brought the show Wicked and exploring the city with my mom. Now being roughly three hours from the Big Apple, I’ve made the trip to the city quite frequently, but mom hadn’t been since my 10th grade year of High School- 8 years ago! We had a blast maneuvering the busy streets of New York visiting my cousin Alex in West New York, chelsea market, times square, rockafeller center, ground zero, and  best of all- the show Wicked, which was so amazing.

The second New York trip allowed me to explore with two great friends Steph and Lane. We explored and laughed so much, and obviously took tons of photos. We went to the famous Carlo’s Bake Shop in Hoboken, and hit the town that night as well.

DC brought on a new challenge for me. Running 26.2 miles is something I had never done before. The freezing morning woke me up early, but I was anxious! It was such a blast being a part of a marathon, especially one as large as the Marine Corps. My cheering crew consisted of Mom and Jordan, but I saw many of my friends along the route! I don’t know how I could have finished without Katy Burns, who helped me finish the last three miles by walking out the cramps and knots in my legs, but still, an exhilarating and accomplished feeling.

Then I packed my bags for a trip to California for work. My company has been making some great progress with our office and work in California and it’s been such a blessing to play such a big part of it. I hadn’t been back since June so this trip was pack full of jumping back into the Sonoma work and getting content for our clients!

After spending less than 10 hours at home, I got back on a plane for New Orleans. My extended family made the trip to The Big Easy, for my cousin Ryan’s wedding. Not only was it in French Quarter of New Orleans, but it was in Jackson Square, at the St. Louis Cathedral. And between the ceremony and the reception, we paraded and danced to a band through the streets to the reception. Can you say, awesome? The trip wasn’t complete without lots of jazz, dancing, cemeteries, checking out bourbon street, magazine street, royal street and more!

 

Jordan’s Senior Pictures: Sneak Peek

This weekend I got to take pictures of my little younger brother for his SENIOR pictures. I can’t believe he’s already a senior and growing up but there’s nothing I can do about it! We had a good time going around our home town of Bel Air to take some pictures. Before we headed out I asked, do you think i’ll take about 250 photos? Because I needed room on my memory card. He said, yea that sounds about right. So 800 photos later, enjoy a sneak peek of some favorites! We still have to take some more!

Another Proposal

Yesterday I had the opportunity (along with my little brother) to ‘stalk’ another proposal so that the couple would have documentation of such a monumental moment in their lives. The first proposal I shot was my brothers and I had to wear camouflage and hide in the woods. This one was MUCH easier as it was in more of a public place. And what made it even easier, the girl who was getting proposed to and I had never met! So it’s not like she would recognize me and wondering why I was following them! BJ and Beth were meeting their parents for dinner downtown Baltimore and were planning on walking around the inner harbor before their dinner date. After following the couple around for about 20 minutes he popped the question! It was such a beautiful day outside for a beautiful moment! We followed them around until they got to dinner, where the photographers were revealed. We then left and had the pictures printed and in frames at the after party for their friends and family to enjoy.

Recent Shoot

 

 

 

 

 

 

A little bit of Florida on my mind

I had the pleasure and the opportunity to visit my awesome brother and my sister in law in Florida for the weekend. It was a quick, but much needed and wanted trip. Hopefully i’ll get some time to write some more about it later, but I just want everyone to know how blown away I am by his ‘adultness’. He’s only 13 months older than I am but he seems so put together and well off and I can tell he is loving life. He has an awesome new house, great job and just added a new puppy (Callie) to his family. While I’m sure she misses her Uncle Dave, I know she’s in an awesome house and is going to constantly be surrounded by the kids of Chris’ youthgroup!

Sights of Baseball

Sights and sounds of baseball are fond childhood memories for many kids. Going back reminds you of the good old days.

Nationals Game.

Unusual and Fun Dates.

Lauren and I started a challenge with our friends Lane and Rebekah to complete. The challenge is about a list of unusual and fun dates to complete. They are slacking on their end and are supposed to complete one of the challenges in return for a chocolate peanut butter cake recipe we gave them. So, I decided to get started on the list by completing challenge 4. You decide which are real. Here’s the whole list:

Niagara Falls and Sydney Opera House

Mt. Rushmore and Paris.

San Francisco, New York, Baltimore, Texas

Sign of things to come: Sunset 11

Sneak peek of things to come from Sunset ’11!

Wedding Season

Yesterday we had the privilege to attend yet another beautiful and awesome wedding! It’s wedding season and my long time friend Ashley Shelsby married Jason Hill. The wedding was at the beautiful Baltimore Country Club and we had an absolute blast hanging out with all of their family and friends, eating and dancing the night away!  Such a beautiful, god-centered service by the youth minister that Ashley and I had growing up. Here are a few pictures! More to come!