My Top 5 By 30 - Natalie Blaszak

When I was younger, I made a bucket list and the other day I found it in an old notebook that I used to use all the time. On the list, I wrote the top five things I want to do by the time I turn 20. Yeah I was a little ambitious, so for the sake of making things more realistic, I'll change it to the things I want to do by the time I turn 30. The list is mostly about traveling and going to other countries, which is probably because my family doesn't travel all that much. The furthest we, or more so I, have gone is to North Carolina, but I have never actually gone across or outside of the country. I've never even been on a plane. Yeah, I know, crazy. Anyway, here are the 5 things on my bucket list.

1. Visit the Land of the Strays
The first thing on my list is something that I always used to talk about to my family. If you don't know what this is, the Land of the Strays is volunteer-run organization/shelter in Costa Rica where tons and tons of dogs get to run around in a massive field and people can visit and interact with them. I love dogs immensely, so to even think about visiting a place with thousands of them makes me so happy.

2. Go to The Blue Lagoon
When I first read this, I had no idea what I was talking about so I had to look it up and realized this is definitely something I want to do. The Blue Lagoon is a hot spring in Iceland where you can just relax and sit in nice, hot water while staring out into a beautiful landscape. The location is gorgeous and a trip here would definitely be amazing for de-stressing and so calming.

3. Visit Pamukkale, Turkey
This city, or mainly what it's known for, is very similar to The Blue Lagoon. In Pamukkale, there are these Natural Rock Springs that are incredibly gorgeous. They look like they are on the side of a mountain, since they kind of cascade down into each other. These springs are beautiful and, again, would be an amazing place to go for a de-stressing vacation and they look like such fun little pools to be in.

4. Go to Disney World
Going to Disney World is honestly still on my bucket list today. I've never been down to Disney in Florida and I have always wanted to go. I see tons of pictures of people who took trips down to the theme park and I have heard stories of how amazing people's trips have been there, but I've never been able to actually go there and experience it for myself, so it's definitely something I want to do soon.

5. Make Lots of Money in a Job that I Love
This isn't a place to go, but this part of my bucket list is by far the most important and I will always believe that. My dad would constantly tell me and my brother, "Don't look for a job that makes you money. Look for a job that you love and makes you happy and if you make good money from it, well then that's a plus," and he is still always saying it. From the day my dad told me this to now, I have always found this so so important for being happy in the future. If you do something that makes you money, but doesn't make you happy, you're not going to do the job well and you will constantly be thinking about quitting or wanting to quit or some other negative thought regarding the job. The only drive you have is to earn money. However, with a job that you love, you will be able to do the job well and make money, whether it is a lot or a little. I do agree with this idea on my bucket list, but I think that I'm more focused on getting a job that I love and if good money comes from it, then that's a plus, just like my dad always says.