My Lifetime Goals and Thromes 
As a child, I grew up extremely shy and afraid of everything. I was always picked on by the bigger kids in my neighborhood and school. I was so scared, that when I had to stand up in front of my class to read a story or give a speech, my hands would shake so badly that the papers would shake and I couldn't read what was written. When I was confronted with challenges, my mantra was always, "I can't, I can't... I CAN'T!..." When the going got tough, I would quit.It was only due to the encouragement and gentle nurturing of my parents, family, grandparents, pastor, scoutmaster, and other rolemodels (quotes), that I learned I did not always have to be a quitter and a failure. In High School, as I gave my life over to God, I learned that I could do ALL things through Him, if I just trusted Him. After I gave my life over to Him, my life changed dramatically.
During an 8 month mission trip to India in 1978, my friend Greg Ormson encouraged me to make up a list of "thromes" or major life goals to shoot for in life. Little did I know how much that challenge would affect my life.
I started out dreaming and compiling a list of 10 things I would like to accomplish in my life. Over time, that list has grown and evolved. Now it seems that every time I check something off my list, I find that I am adding several more new goals onto my list that I want to see or experience in the future.
Did I make this list to compare myself to others or impress others? No, not at all - I know what a loser I was! I made this list for me so I can challenge myself to do things I had never done before, and so I could look back and remind myself of where God has taken me from the scared loser I was. I am still just an average guy who makes lots of mistakes. But along the way, I have learned that if somebody else can do something, then so can I, as long as it is in God's will, and He gives me the strength to do it.
Do I always succeed in everything I set out to do? NO, of course not! But if I shoot for 100 goals and only accomplish 10 or 20 of them, at least those are 10 or 20 things I would never have done before, and the experience and confidence I have gained has helped me go on to take on other challenges. Now I find myself LOOKING for new challenges and ways of "expanding my envelope"!
Since creating the original list, my life has changed dramatically and God has taken me on so many incredible adventures through many more lifetimes of experiences than anyone deserves. Now every time I visit a new country or experience a new adventure, I realize that there are so many other new horizons, borders to cross, mountains to climb, places to explore, cultures to soak up, and people to meet, many who have seen and done much more than I have. It is at these times that I realize how very small I am in this huge and incredibly wonderful world, and I am challenged with even more new challenges, new borders, new friends to meet, new horizons to explore...
Below is the original list of top 10 goals and thromes I made at the age of 20, as well as the current list that it has grown into. This list is constantly changing (check back often), but it is living proof that if other people can do these things, then I can do them too, and so can YOU!
Where do you want to go in the world? What would you like to do if you could? Have you made your list of thromes, your goals and dreams? If not, what's stopping you? Don't say "I CAN'T..." You CAN! Go ahead and dream, give your life and dreams to God, and then just go out and DO IT! Where there's a will, there's a way!
"I CAN do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me"
--Phil 1:21

Guitar
Baby Grand Piano
Bass
Blues Harp
5-String Banjo (built one)
5-String Fiddle (built one)
Mandolin
Appalachian Dulcimer (built two)
Hammered Dulcimer
Penny Whistle (have several)
Bagpipes (have Kitchen pipes, studying with Nashville Pipe & Drums)
Celtic Harp (built one)
Concert Harp (played with Symphony)
Bowed Psaltery
13-Course Lute (built one)
Sitar (India) (own two)
Bul-Bul Tara (India)
Gluntang (Indonesia)
Charango (Andes) (have 2 which I play with Andean Pan flute band)
Zampoña Pan Flute (Andes)
Rain Stick (Amazon)
Steel Drums (Caribbean) (Full set from Trinidad)
Bamboo Goatskin drum (Jamaica)
Wooden Gato drum (built one)
African Thumb Piano Kalimba (built one)
Australian Aboriginal Dijeradoo (bought one)
Native American Indian Cedar Flute
Nyckelharpa (Swedish Key Harpa)
Turtles
Goldfish, Tropical Fish, Seahorses, Eels, Sharks
Chameleons
Rabbits (several as a kid)
Ducks (as a kid)
Raccoons (several as a teenager - "Tornado", "Chief", "Ms. Chief")
Skunk ("Spunky" 1981-1983)
Ferret ("Qwaba Kitty" 1981-1983)
Husky/Wolf ("Nikiya" 1981-1983)
Mitred Conure (my first parrot, "Cap'n Kidd")
Dusky Conure
Budgerigars ("Felix" and "Petitsa", Russian for "bird")
Cockatiels ("Angel")
Yellow Collared Dwarf Macaw ("Gandolf")
Blue and Gold Macaw ("Eiki")
Solomon Island Eclectus Parrot ("KiraKira")
Congo African Grey Parrot ("Jambo Kasuku")
West African Senegal Parrot ("Herbie")
Toucan
Hummingbird ("Ruby")
Swedish Magpie ("Skata" Pica Pica)
Icelandic Raven ("Hrafn" "Korpen" Corvus Corax)
Hawk (rehabbed one; studying to become certified falconer)
Screech Owl ("Otus Asio" - studying to become certified falconer)
Falcon or Eagle
Peacocks (Had 5 in Bahamas)
Muted Swans
Emus (Emmett, Elvis & Elvira)
Rhea
Ostrich
Fennec Foxes (Got "Phoenix" and "Sahara" in July 2000)
Kinkajous ("Osito" and "Miela")
Coatimundi (fell in love with one in Amazon village!)
Ringtailed cat or Cacomistle (researching now)
Zorilla (researching now)
Cuscus (researching now)
Sugar Gliders ("Papua" and "Guinea")
Flying Squirrel
Siberian Chipmunk
Siberian Dwarf Hamsters (about 20 of 'em!)
Iguana
Chinchilla
African Pygmy Hedgehog
Armadillo ("Armin")
African Serval
Siberian Lynx
Wallaby ("Wally")
Kangaroo
Angora Ram
Jacob's Four-Horned Sheep
Icelandic Sheep or Goats
Icelandic Horse
Arabian Horse ("Tatanka")
Zebra
Zorse
Zebu Cow
Llama ("Oscar Farinango", our first llama cria!)
Alpaca ("Al")
Dromedary Camel
Yak
American Bison
Reindeer
Fallow Deer
Muntjack Deer
Develop an Exotic Animal Rescue Sanctuary (designing it now!)
Sports
Camping/Hiking
Canoeing
Sailing
Windsurfing
Water skiing
Snow skiing
Scuba diving (Bahamas)
Spearfishing (Bahamas)
Flyfishing
Whitewater rafting
Kayaking
Horseback riding
Spelunking - caving - Tennessee, Kentucky, Sweden)
Rock Climbing and rapelling
Parachuting (Indiana)
Fencing (Indiana State University)
Juggling (Music City Juggler's Club)
Kicking Footbag (everywhere I go!)
Body-building (just kidding! :)
English (got a pretty good grasp of it!)
German 
Norwegian
Swedish
Skånska
Danish
Icelandic
Old Norse 
Viking Runic 
Dutch (studying tapes)
Afrikaans (studying tapes)
Swahili (studying tapes and practicing with Lost Boys)
Dinka Bor (studying dictionaries and practicing with Lost Boys)
Tok Pisin (Pidgin of Papua New Guinea)
Quechua (Inca - from Ecuadorian friends)
Spanish (take classes and study tapes)
Italian
French (only 1 semester!)
Tamil (Tamil Nadu, South India) 
Telegu (Andra Pradesh, India)
Hindi (North India) 
Urdu (North India/Pakistan) 
Farsi (Persian of Iran - currently taking classes) 
Arabic (studying tapes and learning alphabet) 
Hebrew (have tapes) 
Japanese (crash course)
Chinese (pick up words at Chinese restaurants!)
Korean (learning from my dry cleaners)
Russian 
Lakota Sioux
Amslan (Sign Language) 
HTML (HyperText
Markup Language - You're reading it now!)
JavaScript (working on it!)
Comparative Language Database

North America
United States
(have visited 42 states - 9 left)
Canada
Caribbean
Bahamas (lived on 2 islands intermittently for 7 years)
Haiti
Jamaica
Puerto Rico
Virgin Islands
Cayman Islands
Dominican Republic
St. Bart's
Central America
Yucatan Peninsula,
Mexico
Guatemala
Honduras
Panama
Costa Rica
South America
Ecuador
Peru
Bolivia
Brazil
Argentina
North Atlantic
Iceland
Greenland
Vinland
Shetland Islands
Faroe Islands
Hebrides Islands
Orkney Islands
Scandinavia
Sweden
Skåne
Denmark
Norway
Lappland
Finland
Iceland
Europe
England
Ireland
Scotland
Wales
Germany
France
Netherlands
Belgium
Luxembourg
Liechtenstein
Austria
Switzerland
Prussia
Czech Republic
Bohemia
Mediterranean
French Riviera
Italy
Spain
Greece
Turkey
Russia
Africa
Kenya
Sudan
Tanzania
South Africa
Timbuktu
Egypt
Middle East
Turkey
Morroco
Egypt (pyramids)
Saudi Arabia
United Arab Emirates
Jordan (Petra)
Israel (Jerusalem)
Asia
India
Sri Lanka
Nepal
Tibet
China
Malaysia
Singapore (where my brother lived for 4 years)
Japan
South Korea
South Pacific
Hawaii
Fiji
Tahiti
Pitcairns Island
Bora Bora
Australia
New Zealand
Tasmania
New Guinea (where my mom was born - the ultimate adventure!)
Visit, Dive in, Sail on, Climb, Explore
Visit the 7 Wonders of the World:
Taj Mahal, India (kicked footbag)
Machu Picchu, Peru
Chichen Itza, Mexico
Petra, Jordan
Great Pyramids of Egypt
Great Wall of China
Colosseum of Rome
Lake Michigan, Indiana (scuba)
Coral Reefs, Florida (scuba)
Coral Reefs, Bahamas (scuba - kicked footbag under water)
Barrier Reef, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico (scuba)
Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Red Sea
Dead Sea
Mediterranean Sea
Baltic Sea
North Sea
Indian Ocean (sailed in catamarans)
Lake Titicaca, Peru
Lake Victoria, Africa
Lake Tanganyika, Africa
Nile River, Africa
Congo River, Africa
Ganges River, India
Amazon Rain Forest, Ecuador (dugout canoes)
Gullafoss Falls, Iceland
Blue Ridge Mountains (skiing and kicking footbag)
Rocky Mountains (skiing and kicking footbag)
Andes Mountains, Ecuador and Peru (kicking footbag)
Alps, Bavaria
Mt. Kebnekaise, Sweden (climbed highest mountain in Sweden, kicked footbag at summit)
Mt. Kilamanjaro, Africa
Himalayas, Nepal/Tibet
Mammoth Cave, Kentucky
Þing Vellir, Iceland
Ayers Rock, Australia
Stonehenge, England
Alesstenar Standing Stones, Kåseberga, Skåne (Sweden's Stonehenge)
Machu Picchu, Peru
Huancha Picchu, Peru (climbed)
Chichen Itza, Tulum, Coba pyramids, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico (kicked footbag)
Carnival, Brazil
Great Pyramids, Egypt
Great Wall of China
Taj Mahal, India (kicked footbag)
St. Catherine's Square, Russia (kicked footbag )
Viking Ruins, L'Anse Aux Medows, Vinland, Canada
Equator, Ecuador (kicked footbag)
Arctic Circle, Lappland (kicked footbag)
Antarctica
North and South Poles
Occupations
Work Overseas (India, Bahamas, and Sweden, England)
Missionary (India)
Life Guard (Bahamas)
Musician (cruise ship in Bahamas)
Circus Clown (Hoxie Brothers, Clyde Beatty Cole Brothers)
Fire-eater/Fire-breather
(music videos and special events)
Juggler (circus,
TV, music videos and special events)
Sword Swallower (after practicing for 3 years, I finally did it 3/12/01!)
Stilt-walker (parades and other special events)
Work on a ship (S.S Emerald Seas in the Bahamas)
Pirate (Bahamas)
Scuba Instructor (Bahamas)
Asst. Horse Wrangler (Illinois, Alabama)
Recording Studio Engineer (Pinebrook Studios, IN, and Nashville, TN)
Studio Musician (Pinebrook Studios, IN, and Nashville, TN)
Record Producer (Pinebrook Studios, IN, and Nashville, TN)
Own Publishing Company ("DanSongs Music", Nashville, and "SkanSång Musik", Stockholm)
President of Record Company (TriEngel Records International, Internet)
College teacher (Indiana State University and Anderson University)
Published author ("Sword Swallowing and Its Side Effects" published in Dec 2006 British Medical Journal) (working on article and 2 books)Do, Learn, Accomplish
Become an Eagle Scout (received "Pro Deo Et Patria" award)
Live on a deserted island (Bahamas)
Live in a teepee
Live in a thatched hut in the jungle (Bahamas, Yucatan, Amazon Rainforest)
Work on a ship in the ocean (Bahamas)
Learn to ride Arabian horses on a Dude Ranch (Hat Ranch, AZ)
Take horseback riding lessons in reining (Hat Ranch, AZ)
Show horses at a horse show
Learn to juggle 3 balls
Learn to juggle 4 balls
Learn to juggle 5 balls (working on it now)
Learn to juggle clubs and fire torches
Learn to pass 6 clubs with a partner (1362k Juggling.avi Movie)
Learn to pass 7 clubs with a partner
Learn to pass 8 clubs with a partner
Learn to pass 9 clubs with a partner
Learn to pass 9 clubs with 2 partners
Learn to pass 10 clubs with 2 partners
Learn to pass 11 clubs with 2 partners
Learn to walk on tall stilts
Learn to pass juggling clubs while walking on tall stilts
Learn to eat fire
Learn to breathe fire (Gotland, Sweden)
Learn to ride unicycle (college)
Work as a circus clown (Hoxie Bros, Clyde Beatty Cole Bros)
Learn how to be a Human Blockhead
Learn to swallow swords (after working on it for 3 years, finally did it 3/12/01!)
Get a Guinness World Record in Sword Swallowing (did it Aug 20, 2002, broke it Sept 2, 2005)
Swallow 8 swords at once! (swallowed 7 on 9/2/05 and 8 on 1/1/06!)
Swallow a sword UNDERWATER in a tank of sharks and sting rays (DID it 5/18/07!)
Perform at Ripley's Believe It or Not! (Myrtle Beach, SC / Times Square, NY)
Perform with one of the last sideshows (John Strong Sideshows)
Perform with a Christian Circus
Perform at Myrtle Beach Bike Week (300,000 Bikers!)
Open and perform with major country artists (Brooks & Dunn, Dwight Yoakum, Cletus T. Judd, Rascal Flatts, Trick Pony, Natchez Trace)
Open and perform with Christian artists (Ceili Rain)
Open and perform with Christian artists (Kutless, Hawk Nelson, Toby Mac, Casting Crowns, etc.)
Perform at Colleges and Universites around the world
Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN (Vanderbilt Medical Center, Juggleville)
David Lipscomb University, Nashville, TN (Impact Youth Convention)
MTSU, Murfreesboro, TN
Belmont University, Nashville, TN
Harvard University, Cambridge, MA (Ig Nobel Awards ceremony)
MIT, Cambridge, MA
Oxford University, UK
Cambridge University, UK
Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland
Karolinska Institut, Stockholm, Sweden
Waldorf College, Forest City, IA
Wartburg College, Waverly, IA
Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, IN
Concordia University
Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA
Perform on:
CNN Headline News (with Jeanne Moos)
CNN Health (with Sanjay Gupta)
ESPN (First Take)
MTV Live
MSNBC (Keith Oberman Countdown)
Discovery Channel
Discovery Times
Discovery Health
Discovery International
Discovery Channel Canada
The Learning Channel
The Travel Channel
The History Channel
National Geographic Documentary
Animal Planet
The Documentary Channel
The Food Network ("Unwrapped")
USA Network
Armed Forces Network
Univision
Telemundo
Superstation WGN
Fox & Friends
Mancow Morning Show
BBC - British Broadcasting Corporation
CBC - Canadian Broadcasting Corporation ("As It Happens")
NPR - National Public Radio
Bob and Tom Show
Paul Harvey
Tonight Show with Jay Leno
Late Night with David Letterman
Jimmy Kimmel Live
Ellen Degeneres
Regis and Kelly Live
Oprah
XLTV - Xtreme Life TV (in the works)
JCTV
TBN
CBN 700 Club
Inspiration PTL Club
Daystar
Steel Roots
Shocked and Amazed TV
Tennessee Crossroads
Absolutely Alabama
USA Today
Newsweek
People Magazine
National Geographic
Forbes Magazine
Scientific American
Amusement Business
Women and Horses Magazine
Christian Activities
Meeting Planners Magazine
NADA Auto Exec Magazine
Road King Magazine
New York Post
New York Times
London Times (UK)
Irish Times (Ireland)
The Guardian (UK)
The Telegraph (UK)
British Medical Journal (UK)
Perform in other countries around the world
Ireland
Germany
Austria
Switzerland
Sweden
Iceland
England
Scotland
Israel
Jordan
Japan
South Korea
China
South Africa
Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea
Go white-water rafting (Tennessee)
Climb water towers (Waldorf College, Forest City, Iowa)
Fly in a hot air balloon (Tennessee)
Bunjy jump (Sweden)
Parachute from an airplane (Indiana)
Walk on a bed of hot coals
Ride elephants (India, circus)
Ride a camel
Go on a camel or Arabian horse trek in the dessert with the Bedouins
Go on a Llama trek
Ride sting rays (Bahamas)
Swim with dolfins
Swim with sea turtles (Mexico)
Swim with sharks (Bahamas, Mexico)
Go on a safari (Tiger safari on elephants in India)
Ride dugout canoes in the Amazon Rainforest (Ecuador)
Skinny-dip in a waterfall in the Amazon Rainforest (Ecuador)
Polar Bear Skinny-dip on January 1st (Did it 1/1/02 in Percy Priest Lake in 20 degree weather!)
Take up Falconry (studying for my certification now)
Take up fly fishing - Become an avid fly fisherman
Take a course in stained-glass
Take a course in photography
Take a course in gourmet cooking with my wife
Learn to brew Beer, Wine, and Mead
Learn to brew a great cup of Swedish coffee
Read the Bible from cover to cover
Read Viking sagas in the original Old Norse (Njáls Saga)
Get a college degree
A.A. degree in Music [Waldorf College]
B.A. degree in Music Business [Indiana State University]
Recording Engineer degree [Recording Workshop - #1 in my class!]
Have one of my songs published and recorded (23 recorded)
Play with a symphony (played concert harp)
Work in the music business (Nashville, TN - Regional Manager SESAC-12 years, Stockholm Sweden - STIM, London, England - OnRadio)
Secure an international position in the music business (STIM, Sweden)
Secure an international position in Internet business ("Director of Int'l Rights Licensing" for WWW.com/OnAir.com)
Tour with a major act (Toured with Brooks & Dunn, Summer 2002, 2003)
Own my own successful business (Cutting Edge Innertainment - swordfish productions)
Win the USA Network contest (won 2nd place in the 2006 "Show Us Your Character" contest)
Receive the Ig Nobel Prize (received the 2007 Ig Nobel Prize in Medicine at Harvard University on Oct 4, 2007)
Develop a Comparative Language Database (100K+ Excel file 30+ languages, under development)
Write a book (working on an article and 2 books now - I've got the page numbers done!)
Write a film (working on "Other Side of the Coin" - story of Leif Eiriksson)
Write a #1 song (won 1st place in national songwriting competition)
Produce a record (produced albums and demos)
Produce a music video ("Merry Christmas, Doll" aired nationwide each Christmas on FOX/CMT/TNN)
Write music for a film (soundtrack for a film on Sudan Africa)
Buy a home (Nashville)
Get out of debt! (working on it!)
Buy or build a log cabin (designing one now!)
Build a lighthouse tower (designing it now!)
Build a castle tower (designing it now!)
Build a wine cellar (in process of building one)
Develop an international Bed & Breakfast (designing it now!)
Develop an Exotic Animal Rescue Sanctuary (designing it now!)
Become a certified Master Falconer (studying and reading up on it now)
Build a dulcimer (built 2)
Build a lute
Build a 5-string banjo
Build a 5-string fiddle
Buy and play a celtic harp
Build a celtic harp
Build a flintlock rifle (bought Hawken .54, building .45 flintlock pistol)
Build a ship in a bottle (working on one now)
Build a grandfather clock (Emperor)
Get a Swedish Nyckelharpa
Get a grand piano
Get a suit of armour (got helmets and swords so far!)
Get a Jeep
Get a sailboat (O'Day 222)
Pass the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Seamanship Course
Circumnavigate the globe
Live to see the 21st century!
Be happily married and become a great husband and friend
Become a fun "dad" to an adventurous, multilingual family!

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