If I Had a Million Dollars

Hello Internet friends!

I know I know, I have been absent for far too long. I’ve been in what one would describe as “a funk”, and haven’t felt up to writing about trivial/silly things. (Plus the world appeared to have lost its mind the last few weeks…so didn’t seem appropriate).

But, I am back now!

Last week, over drinks some co-workers and I were talking about what we would do if we won the lottery. And I honestly I didn’t have a great top-of head answer. What would I do with my life if money was no longer a concern?

It’s probably because I spent a couple of nights earlier this week at the very posh* Pfister hotel in Milwaukee (or maybe because work has been sucky so its fun to fantasize about not needing to), but I’ve been thinking about my answer for a while now.

*Seriously guys…this was my sink:

 

Here is what I have come up with thus far.

Be Practical

• Pay off my student loans. This is a pretty obvious one. Law school was pretty fucking expensive, and I borrowed heavily to go. I’d like to not have that crushing debt anymore…
• Pay off my mortgage. We probably won’t move into a giant house, but it would be good to own one free and clear. This would also allow us to rent it out for pure profit whilst traveling the world (*spoiler* more on that to come)
• Pay off my parent’s mortgage. They had the unfortunate experience of buying their house at the peak of the real-estate boom, and unfortunately housing prices in their area never fully rebounded from the crash. Since I probably owe them for keeping a roof over my head for 20ish years…I feel like rich me could repay the favor and take the burden of paying off theirs, so they can go do whatever, wherever after they retire.
• Invest. Because the smartest thing you can do with your money is use it to make more money. That way, no matter how lavish your spending becomes, you can maintain that lifestyle long into the future.

Change my Lifestyle

• Quit my job, and write full time. I have no idea what types of things I would write (probably something similar to Jen Lancaster, AJ Jacobs, or Jenny Lawson…), but being independently wealthy seems like a good excuse to take the leap and work to become a published author. I’d have all that free time, not to mention no more mental exhaustion from working all day to go out and get inspired.
• Buy a lake house. My husband’s family has a beach house, which one day will be ours. So we spend most of our vacation time at the shore. And don’t get me wrong, I love the ocean. But the nostalgic side of me loves being lakeside more. I grew up in the Northeast…surrounded by glacier made lakes covered in pine trees. We lived in a lake town for most of my childhood. My dad was a mechanic at a marina, which meant tons of boat rides and swims int he calm,  cool waters, and I spent many a summer night at my grandparent’s “camp” (aka trailers and campers in a resort style set up) on a lake in Upstate New York. There is just something about jumping off a dock, roasting marshmallows on a campfire, and being surrounded by trees and fresh-crisp air that is just the ultimate relaxing getaway for me. Maybe it is simply the comfort of being so familiar. I miss those experiences. (And they are so hard to come by here in northern Virginia. There just aren’t that many lakes, and the ones there are are man-made. It just isn’t the same, but the rather lengthy trek up north isn’t practical for a short vacation, particularly when our aforementioned beach house is only a few hour’s drive).

• Upgrade all of my stuff. Call me shallow…but a sudden influx of millions of dollars means time for an entire new wardrobe, all of the shoes, Tiffany jewelry and Kate Spade bags I can fit in my closets. And basically the entire Crate & Barrel and Pottery Barn catalogs…Plus probably a new car, and a second one (currently husband and I just have 1 between us, which is fine because I don’t need to drive much, but you know, good to have options). Preferably one that parallel parks itself…

Knock off my entire travel bucket list

Which would probably take at least a year…maybe 2, depending on how long we stay in each place. (And obviously we’ll be traveling in style and will need a private plane because Charlie Dog will be coming with us. No riding in the cargo hold for my puppy.)

My list is rather extensive…I think it is fair to say I have an incurable case of wanderlust…Here are all of the places I want to go (not including places I have already been, but would love to re-visit not on a student budget…like London and Venice…)

• North America
  • Hawaii
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Vancouver
  • Savannah (TBH…can and should probably knock this one off without hitting the jackpot…it’s like a 90 min flight from here, could do it in a long weekend…)
  • New Orleans
  • Alaska (when the Northern Lights are visible)
  • The Grand Canyon
  • Zion National Park
• Central & South America
  • Costa Rica
  • Belize
  • Peru
    • Lima
    • Nazca
  • Galapagos Islands
  • Chile
    • Santiago
    • Valisparo
    • Vina Del Mar
    • Concon
    • Pucon
  • Argentina
    • Buenos Ares
    • Puerto Igazo
    • Patagonia
    • Tierra Del Fuego (penguins!)
• Europe
  • Scotland
    • Edinburgh
    • Glasgow
  • Wales (to visit the town of my family’s namesake…I can’t say where then you would all know my maiden name…and this is the Internet)
  • France
    • Paris
    • Marseille
    • Cannes
  • Amsterdam, the Netherlands (during tulip season)
  • Monaco
  • Italy
    • Rome
    • Naples region
    • Florence
  • Switzerland
    • Zurich
    • Lucerne
  • Prague, Czech Republic
  • Vienna, Austria
  • Budapest, Hungary
  • Romania
    • Bucharest
    • Bran (Home of Dracula!)
  • Istanbul, Turkey
  • Greece
    • Athens
    • Mikonos
    • Santorini
  • Spain
    • Barcelona
    • Madrid
    • Seville
  • St. Petersburg, Russia
• Middle East/North Africa
  • Morocco
    • Fez
    • Tangier
    • Marrakesh
    • Agadir
  • Petra, Jordan
  • Egypt
    • Cairo
    • Alexandria
    • Luxor
• Africa
  • South Africa
    • Capetown
    • Knysna
  • Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
  • Kenya
    • Nairobi
    • Diani Beach
  • Tanzania
    • Zanzibar
    • Mt. Kilimanjaro region
    • Serengeti
  • Kalahari Game Preserve, Botswana
• Asia
  • Kathmandu, Nepal
  • Bali
  • Hong Kong
  • Singapore
• Oceania & South Pacific
  • New Zealand
    • Wellington
    • Aukland
    • Matama (Hobbits y’all!)
  • Australia
    • Sydney
    • Perth
    • Cairns
    • Somewhere in the Outback (which I realize is massive and I will need to narrow that down…)
    • Fiji
    • Northern Mariana Islands
    • Tahiti (it’s a magical place…)

Jesus…I just went back through and counted…that’s like 80 places. If I averaged a week long stay in each place (a fair average…to give time to do things right and not get burnt out), it would take me a year and a half to get through the entire list.  Exhausting, but totally worth it I’m sure!

So…that’s it. My entire “what I would do if I won the lottery” list. Tell me, what would you all do if money weren’t a barrier?

Now, if you will excuse me…I will be off planning my world adventure…