Saturday, December 31, 2011

Life is what we make it

Life is what we make it. Always has been, always will be.

During my 3 degree year one of my mentors at the Academy taught me an important fact of life…shit happens.  And you know what, he was right.  You can’t change the past.  You can wish is went a different way, you can sit and dwell upon it, but in the end, it happened the way it happened, and you made the decisions that you made, as bad or as good as they were. 
This past year I made a lot of really great decisions but along with the good, I sure made some bad ones.  I caused a lot of stress in life, I hurt some people that mean the world to me, and I made some pretty life altering decisions for not only myself but for other people as well.  I discovered the strength of some friendships, and lost others and learned a hell of a lot from it all. I’m very sorry to those I hurt and I wish I could take any pain or stress I may have caused away. I’m also very thankful for those whom have been there all the way through, you mean the world to me.
You often read stories about people who faced diversity in life and made the right decisions when pushed to the limit.  Well, have you ever read about people who when faced with tough decisions makes the wrong choice? Probably not! I feel that there is a reason for this.  If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change the way you think about it. I’m a firm believer that everything happens in life for a reason.  And as I look back at my worst decisions in life they have actually turned out to be my best.
We have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for the day. Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it. Our attitude is everything. The past shapes our future, but our attitude is the deciding factor in how our future will turn out to be.  So as I look back on this year, I have faith that all those regrets I hold right now will actually turn out to be into praises in the future.
I realize this year that I also have strayed away from God.  That’s something that I know is the cause of a lot of the things I regret from this year.  However, You can at any time decide to alter the course of your life; no one can take that away. I feel so blessed that God sent his son to purify us from our sins. I know that I have sinned but that I am saved purely because of Jesus. And though many at this moment choose to scorn or judge me, or my choices, or my marriage, or my career, or my life based on some of the bad decisions that I have made in the past so, He That Is Without Sin Among You, Let Him First Cast a Stone.  I realized I’m so worn down from trying to please everyone, and caring about what other people think of me and my life.  That’s not me. That’s not who I want to be and it’s taken me a very long time to figure that out. 
Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed. – Proverbs 16:3
2011 was life changing and left me with a new life and new adventures to begin.  I am thankful for what God has given me, both good and bad, because of what I have learned from it all. I know that this next year will come with many changes that simplify my life and hopefully put me on a path that best serves the Lord.  
Love absolutely everything that ever happens in your life.
-Paul Cantalupo

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Bucket List

Well I’ve been thinking and we all have bucket list, whether we write them out or not. One for what you want to do this year, or one for what you want to accomplish during your career or even places you want to go. But I keep hearing that if you make a goal public and have people to hold you accountable, you are much more likely to accomplish your goals.  Well these are things that I plan on accomplishing, so this is how I plan to hold myself accountable.   For as long as I live I expect this list to be a work in progress, but it will always give me something to strive for.  Now, without further adieu:
 
-ADVENTURE & TRAVEL-
1.   Visit the following “Wonders of the World”
        Great Pyramid of Giza and the Sphinx
        Stonehenge
Colosseum
Great Wall of China
Old City of Jerusalem
Chichen Itza and the Mayan ruins
Iguazu Falls
Leaning Tower of Pisa
Taj Mahal
The Acropolis
Christ the Redeemer
Petra
Easter Island Statues
Machu Picchu
Eiffel Tower
Mount Everest
2.   See the Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights
3.   Hike in the Grand Canyon
4.   Take Road Trip across the US
5.   Visit the Holocaust Museum
6.   Explore the Caribbean on a Katamaran or Yacht
7.   Visit Auschwitz Concentration Camp
8.   Visit the Hague
9.   Camp on a west coast beach with a beach bonfire
10.   Go to Denmark
-Extreme Adventure Sports-
11.   Surf in Hawaii (July 2011 Oahu)
12.   Go Kayaking in 5 amazing locations
13. Go Ultra Gliding in a super scenic area
14. Go Windsurfing
15. Go Paragliding
-Unique Experiences IN THE AIR-
16.   Preform in an Airshow
17.   Fly a Glider in the Swiss Alps
18.   Fly a Glider in Hawaii
19.   Experience going Mach 1 (July 2008 Edwards AFB CA)
20.   Cloud Chase in a fighter (July 2010 Shaw AFB SC)
21.   Experience going Mach 2
22.   Preform a Barrel Roll in a Fighter (July 2008 Edwards AFB CA)
23.   Experience Nine Gs and not blackout (July 2008 Edwards AFB CA)
24.   Ride in a Hot Air Balloon
25. Ride in a Helicopter
26.   Skydive from a Hot Air Balloon
27.   Experience a ZERO G Flight
28.   Fly a Private Jet
29.   Be a Thunderbird Pilot
-Unique Travel Experiences -
30.   Jump from the cliff rocks
31.   Experience Mardi Gras in New Orleans
32.   Ride 5 of the biggest & fastest roller coasters in the USA
33.   Go a Winter and a Summer Olympic Games
34.   Experience Oktoberfest in Germany
35.   Experience Time Square in New York for New Years
36.   Go on a Cruise in the Mediterranean
37.   Go Dog Sledding        
38.   Swim with Dolphins
39.   Swim with Great White Sharks
40.   Go sailing on a massive sailing boat
-Unique Experiences -
41.   Set a Guinness Book of World Records in ‘something” (Largest Dodge ball Game May 2011 USAFA CO)
42.   Be in a movie
43.   Be in a commercial
44.   Whiteness a Hole in One in “real” Golfing
45.   Go Zip Lining
46.   Budgie Jump
47.   Race a Sports Car on a Track
48.   Marry the Man of my Dreams (June 2011 Carmel CA)
49.   Raise Wonderful Children with that Man
50.   Celebrate a 50 year Wedding Anniversary
51.   Experience My Perfect Day
52.   Witness Something Truly Amazing Like I’ve Never Seen Before
53.   Achieve the Rank of General
54.   Invent Something Useful & Cool that people will use
55.   Preform a Miracle
56.   Save a Life
57.   Stay up for 48 hours straight
58.   Live near the Ocean
59.   Own a Business
60.   Write a Book and get it Published
61.   Have “something” named after Me
62.   Make a Difference in thousands of people’s lives
63.   Do something in Memory of my Father
64.   Do something in Memory of my Cousin
-Hobbies & Learning Projects-
65.   Learn how to Slalom Water Ski and how to make a Roster Tail
66.   Learn how to Kiteboard (June/July 2011 SF Bay)
67.   Learn how to Surf like a Local
68.   Learn how to do a flip and few tricks on my wakeboard
69.   Learn how to do a few tricks on my snowboard
70.   Learn how to do a handstand and then do one!
71.   Learn how to do a cartwheel
72.   Take up Kiteboarding as a hobby and board regularly
73.   Learn how to Golf well and hold my own on a major golf course
74.   Learn how to indoor rock climb well and join a club
75.   Get Sky Dive Certified
76.   Get my Private Gliders License
77.   Get really good at crud
78.   Finish my Grandma’s Doll House
79.   Learn the origins of my family tree and history of my family
80.   Learn that grass is not always greener on the other side
81.   Learn to Release feelings of Inadequacy
82.   Learn to act within my sphere of influence and stop worrying about things which are not within my control
83.   Learn to Maintain a Positive Attitude
84.   Discover my life's purpose
85.   Read the Bible Cover to Cover
86.   Grow and maintain my relationship with God
-Health & Fitness-
87.   Get a 6 pack and keep a 6 pack or flat stomach for life
88.   Stay Fit for Life
89.   Run a 5 k race in 25 minutes or less
90.   Run a 10 k race in 50 minutes or less
91.   Run a Half Marathon
92.   Run a Marathon
93.   Complete a Triathlon
94.   Run across the Golden Gate
95.   Go for a run in downtown San Francisco
96.   Do 11 Pull Ups (not chin-ups) in one set
-Money & Contributions-
97.   Give away over 25% of what I earn in one year to charities
98.   Retire with over a Million in savings
99.   Hand out a $20 bill to people that look like it could make a difference in their day
100.  Start a Scholarship Fund