It's Not An Ordinary Kind of Life

This week, there were two sweet stories featured on the "Today" show, my favorite morning show. On a side note, how do Matt Lauer and Katie Couric wake up before the crack of dawn and be so chipper on national TV? I can barely roll out of bed at 7:30a.m. Sometimes I wish I was a morning person but I LOVE sleep!

Back on topic, there is a segment called "Live for Today" in which the show identified a list of 50 Things To Do Before You Die. Scan through this list and see if you can cross any of these off and also determine which items inspire you to get your lazy a$$ off the couch:

Watch whales migrate (uhmmmmm....ewww!!!)
Go white water rafting (West Virginia, baby!) See wild game on an African safari
Find a long-lost friend
Learn to dance (Hao - this is for you =) )
Fly a plane
Drive a NASCAR race car
Appear on Broadway
Dive the Great Barrier Reef (after getting PADI-certified would be awesome)
Skydive (Done it! it's AWESOME!)
Golf on a world famous course (need to practice more or it would be embarrassing)
Travel the Nile in Egypt (who wants to go with me?)
Be serenaded by a Venetian gondolier (sure, if it's a he and HOT)
Swim with the dolphins
Play with an orchestra
Paint the Big Apple red (oh yeah, love the NYC)
Float in a hot air balloon
Sip a mint julep at the Kentucky Derby
Visit the Oval Office (not while George W. is in office)
Trace your roots
Helicopter over a Hawaiian volcano
Ride a mule down the Grand Canyon
Stroll along the Great Wall of China (It's amazing! You can see it from space!)
Cruise in a Ferrari
See the Taj Mahal at sunrise (ooooh...Yasmeen - take me!)
Walk the Inca trail at Macchu Picchu (An ABSOLUTE must!)
Ride a Harley down an open road
Feed sharks (...and get eaten alive?! NO THANKS!)
Scale a famous peak
Explore a Rain Forest
Learn to be a cowboy
Play ball in a Major League park
Prepare the world's finest meal
Be an extra in a movie
Gaze upon a magnificent waterfall
Horseback ride along a beach
Conquer a fear
Ride a steamboat down the Mississippi
Dive in a submarine
Taste the finest wine
Run a marathon (...from a fun run to marathon...)
Write a song or poem for someone you love
Volunteer overseas (a great idea!)
Visit a nudist colony (I'm game...who's with me?!?)
Explore the Alaskan wilderness
Hover in a blimp
Eat a cheeseburger in paradise
Run with the bulls in Pamplona (visit me en Espana!!!)
Say a special thank you
Experience weightlessness

Anyway, the segment documents ordinary people who accomplish one of the above items. I found the following stories particularly heartwarming:

• This little English boy has a disease that is causing him to lose his eyesight. His parents decide to sell their stake in a company to finance an around-the-world family trip so that he will be able to see and do as much as he can before he loses his eyesight completely. Although it makes me sad that he will someday lose his eyesight, it's fantastic that he will be able to see and do more things than most people do in a lifetime. And he can treasure those memories for a lifetime. [I believe it fell under paint the Big Apple red. I am busy getting ready in the morning so couldn't get all the details...)
• A 50-something year old woman (forget her name but let's call her Amy) had dated a guy nicknamed "Dude" 30-some years ago in college and had broken up. She then became pregnant and gave up the baby girl, Kate, for adoption. Flash forward to the present, the baby girl grows up and searches for her birth mother. Kate tracks Amy down and together they search for the father and former beau, Dude. Amy meets Dude for coffee...which turns into dinner...which then turns into dessert. The chemistry is still there. Amy and Dude then meet up with Kate to spend time together and get to know each other. Slowly, Amy and Dude fall back in love with each other. Dude proposes and Amy accepts. Finally after 30-some years, the first loves re-unite, acqaint themselves with their daughter, and get married. [I think this one was find a long lost friend]

Check out the msnbc.com site and follow the Today Show link for video clips. Brought a tear to the eye (weep, weep).