Check Mark 32: Go to Vatican City

In 2011, we had a chance to sneak off to Rome for a couple days - just enough to visit Vatican City and see the Coliseum and Roman Forum.  Seriously - how cool is Vatican City?!  I mean, it's its own state ruled by the Pope and has it's own currency (kind of).  Regardless, it's a pretty cool place full of history and art!

Outside the walls of Vatican City..

St. Peter's Basilica from St. Peter's Square

We got to go inside St. Peter's Basilica and climb the dome!

St. Peter's Square from St. Peter's Basilica.

View of the Vatican from our walk through Rome.

Check Mark 31: Go to the Top of the Empire State Building

While in NYC for 48 hours for the American Express photo shoot, my husband and I decided to go to the top of the Empire State Building.  I mean, that's what you do when you are a tourist in New York City.  However, we didn't know the Empire State Building was one of the 7 Wonders of the Modern World, so we can check seeing another one of those off the list.

Since it was November, the line to the top wasn't long and the top wasn't crowded.  We got to see NYC from a whole different perspective.  We even located the penthouse where the photo shoot took place and got some cool shots of the building.  Cliche I know, but it really did take place in a penthouse.  We could see much of NYC that we couldn't otherwise in the 48 hours we had and we loved every bit of it!

Check Mark 30: Professional Photo Shoot for a Well Known Company

Like most teenage girls, I wanted to be a model.  I signed with an agency, went through classes, put together a comp card, and got to do one little photo shoot for a company I can't remember.  So, when I got a call about 15 years later to fly off to New York to do a photo shoot for a very well known company, I absolutely could not refuse.  The only thing was, I didn't apply or audition for the gig.  It came from saying a few kind words about the company's product in an online survey.

That company was American Express and that product was a credit card I use all the time!  They wanted to use my statement in an upcoming online marketing campaign and offered to fly me and a guest to NYC for a photo shoot.  Of course, my guest was my new husband and they photographed him too!  They put us up in an incredible hotel in the heart of it all and paid for the entire trip.  The photo shoot was with a professional photographer from France, a makeup artist that does the Victoria Secret Angels, stylists who are used to working with models, and clothes I could never afford.

This happened the same year I got married, so I would have to say this was the second most awesome thing that I got to do in 2012 - or ever!  You can check the finished product out here.

Check Mark 29: Ride a Train

I guess in reality I've checked this off my bucket list a couple times - from Ferrara to Milan and back, Ferrara to Venice, Venice to Rome, Rome to Florence, but my favorite was from Fairbanks to Anchorage.  There's nothing like 12 hours on a train going in and out of the Alaskan wilderness during winter.  You get to see so much of Alaska you miss otherwise.  The landscape glistens with snow.  Moose abound in woods.  Lakes are frozen and used for transportation by sled dog team or snow mobile.  Alaska looks so pure and majestic in the winter.

We needed to get from Fairbanks to Anchorage and the most reasonable mode of transportation was the winter train.  It was cheaper than a plane although a lot longer than a flight but you got to see more and didn't have to deal with the inside of an airport.  It was perfect!  This train is on of the last trains that can still be flagged down by passengers, so along the way we picked up a local band who played in the front car as passengers ate and drank.  We also picked up a locally famous Alaskan author who was willing to sell and sign her books.  Overall, it was an unforgettable experience that I would do all over again given the chance!!

Check Mark 28: Take a Flightseeing Tour around Mt. McKinley

Sometimes you never knew you really wanted to do something until you do it.  That's how the flightseeing tour around Mt. McKinley was for me.  I had originally signed us up to do this for my husband.  After mushing sled dogs and going on countless Northern Lights tours, I thought this would be something he would enjoy.  Little did I know, this would be one of my favorite parts of our Alaska trip.

We were super blessed with a clear day as we loaded into the little Cessna to take off for Denali National Park from a frozen Lake Hood.  We got to see Denali close up as well as other parts of Alaska we wouldn't have been able to see otherwise.  We flew around Mt. McKinley and the surrounding range and glaciers.  Halfway through the trip, we landed in Talkeetna, a cute little borough in Anchorage for a break.  On our way back to Lake Hood, we got to see a lot of Denali thanks to the clear skies!!

Check Mark 27: See the Northern Lights

Don't be deceived by this being check mark 27 - this has always been the number one thing to do on my bucket list!  It didn't matter when or where, but I was determined to see those beautiful lights!  Finally, on our latest trip to Alaska in March 2013, I saw them!  I saw the Northern Lights!  Granted that was the purpose of this trip to Fairbanks, I learned that you can't plan or predict seeing the lights.  I met people on my trip to Fairbanks that have made several trips to see the lights and still haven't seen them.

Our flight to Fairbanks consisted of several legs - from Cincinnati to Minneapolis, from Minneapolis to Seattle, and then Seattle to Fairbanks.  Needless to say, the last part of our journey was a red-eye flight.  Unfortunately I had a middle seat and my husband snagged the aisle, but the guy seated in the window seat was an unexpected blessing.  As we approached Delta Junction, Alaska, the light show began.  I was trying to maneuver to see the lights through the windows without disturbing anyone, but the guy next to me noticed my interest in the lights.  It ended up that he was from Alaska and worked in the control tower at the airport and had seen the lights a million times and was more than willing to switch seats with me!!  For about the next 45 minutes, I got to witness the spectacular green lights dance from the airplane all thanks to this generous person!

I was so happy to have seen the lights from the plane because that relieved the pressure for the rest of the trip, which was a good thing because the only other lights we saw were faint green over Chena Hot Springs - not near as exciting as seeing them dance from the plane!  This picture I am posting is not one that I took.  I pulled it off Google but it is exactly what I saw from the plane that night.  I just didn't have a sensitive enough camera to capture the lights.  Again, I didn't want the pressure of trying to capture the perfect picture, so please excuse the fact that the picture below was not taken by me.

Check Mark 26: Mush Sled Dogs

When I was younger, my favorite books were Jack London's "The Call of the Wild" and "White Fang".  I loved reading about sled dogs!  I just knew one day I had to ride with a sled dog team despite my dislike of cold weather.  With the help of my husband, I got all the necessities to brave the cold season in Alaska and discovered my love for Smart Wool products!!

In March of 2013, we packed up all our gear and took off for Fairbanks, Alaska.  Our travel agent booked several excursions for us and one was to ride with sled dogs.  On the big day, a driver picked us up and took us to this little house off the grid in the outskirts of Fairbanks.  Here we saw where and how the dogs lived and got the full, real experience.  They took us into their home, gave us a tour, and talked to us about how the dogs are trained.

We played with the dogs while the owners got the team ready.  At first we rode with the team through trails near their house.  Then, when we were about halfway finished with our ride, they offered for us to mush!!  I could never have imagined I would have this opportunity but it was a dream come true.  With a little instruction, my husband and I mushed sled dog teams for the first time!