"Rowan's Bucket List"

For several years Rowan has been telling me things to put on his bucket list.  I type them into the notes on my phone whenever he thinks of something he wants to add.  When the doctors in Seattle first decided to proceed with a bone marrow transplant, Rowan said "I'm a little afraid to die, but I'm also confident I won't, because I've got the power of God on my side."  Moments later he added, "but maybe I should start doing some of those things on my bucket list...just in case." 

 

He has tackled a few of them over the past year or so. 

 

Like "Get Baptized".

 

 

 

 

"Play Soccer".

 

 

 

"Join the Army" (Honorary Texas Army National Guardsman)

 

 

 

"Learn to Swim" (he finally did it in just the past two weeks!).

 

 

 

And "Go Fishing"... though he still wants to actually "catch a fish".

 

 

 

Fast forward to this weekend.  After breakfast one morning in Port Isabel, before we headed back over the bridge to South Padre, Brian said "Carrie, get in the back seat.  Rowan, get up here."  The look on Rowan's face was priceless.  He was in shock, and from the looks of things excited, but a little scared too. See, one of his bucket list items was "Ride in the front seat of a car, but not just to the mailbox".  Here are the pictures of Rowan, strapped into the front passenger seat, for a quick 2.37 mile drive over the Queen Isabella Causeway.  He made a finger mustache and asked "Does this help me look older?" Brian asked him what he would say if they got pulled over (I believe Brian told him to say it was his Mom's idea;) But they decided that Rowan had great acting skills, so he could just fake cry and tell the officer that it was on his bucket list, and that he had begged us to let him do it:)  Luckily, that did not happen, and we pulled over and got Rowan safely into the back seat again just after the bridge.  The smile on his face was priceless!  He even said, "I wish my hair was still long so the air from the vents up here could blow it back dramatically":)

 

 

 

Later during the trip, he and I read over all of the other items he had on his bucket list.  We laughed at a lot of them, I almost cried because of a few of them, and then Rowan told me, "Some of my favorite things on my bucket list really need to be done so I can help save people. Those are the ones I care most about doing".

 

I am so blessed that Rowan continues to think of others before himself, despite all he has been through.  He deserves to do ALL of these things.  Some are so outrageous though, that we know that simply cannot happen.  In the meantime, we will tackle the ones that are attainable, be thankful for the ones he has already accomplished or enjoyed, and hope and pray he lives to see the ones that will save others happen.  It truly is what he cares most about!

 

 

Here it is...

 

"Rowan's Bucket List"

 

Find Big Foot (check)

 

Learn to ride a two-wheel bike without training wheels (working on it now)

 

Learn to swim (check)

 

Go bowling

 

Play soccer (check)

 

Score a goal in a soccer game

 

Play paintball

 

Ride in the front seat of a car, not just to the mailbox (check)

 

Play laser tag

 

Join the Army (check)

 

Find a cure for cancer

 

Go to Lego Land

 

Go see a Broadway show in NY

 

Go on a Disney Cruise

 

Go to Ireland

 

Go fishing (check)

 

Go on a boat

 

Actually catch a fish

 

Do a cart wheel

 

Do a back flip

 

Get baptized (check)

 

Be in a feature length real movie

 

See Mt. Rushmore

 

Be on "What would you do?"

 

See the David and the Sistine Chapel

 

Go to Scotland to look for the Lochness Monster

 

Meet Adam Levine

 

Go to real school

 

Try bacon

 

Try any type of meat from Franklin Barbecue in Austin, Texas

 

Save the World

 

Cook with Gordon Ramsey or Robert Irvine

 

Meet Bobo from Finding Big Foot

 

Ride a Segway (a golden Segway if possible)

 

Play in the snow, somewhere that it's all the way up to my knees

 

Meet Jesus

 

Find my bone marrow donor, thank them and give them a big hug (check)

 

Go to Washington to see all the monuments

 

Go camping (checking this one off as soon as we get to Seattle)

 

Help lots of other people find their bone marrow match! (He's working on it:)

 

Learn to play the violin