Meeting someone on the internet, packing up all my stuff and driving over 600km to be with him (never met him in real life ). It worked out, we've been together for almost 10 years now!

Going to work after my divorce and being a SAHM for 11 years! I was so unsure and scared, but kept that job for 25 yrs.

Casey, guess I didn't realize how you met your guy..that is very daring and cool, too. :)

Wow Casey.. did we meet the same man? LOL.. Did the same.. travelled across Canada.. 82 hrs on a Greyhound bus for a man I'd never met! Left all and sundry behind, and 7 years later we're apparently still in love, laughing, and living.. TOGETHER!

We actually met in the middle.. he's from England, and I am from BC, so 4500 miles for each of us, and here we are!

Moving from CA to Iowa, lock, stock and barrel with no job. I have second cousins in Iowa but they are an hour or more away. Fortunately, I got a job right away and was able to buy my house. That was 3 1/2 years ago and I am here to stay. Iowa has really rotten weather but the people here more than make up for it.

Taking 50% of my total net worth and self-publishing a book on Sears Homes (after my divorce, no less!) and then living off the other 50% of my total net worth while I worked and waited for the book to take off.

That was a thrilling ride, but I wouldn't trade the experience for anything.

Rose

A few things come to mind.
Quitting a job after 9 years and moving 1500 miles away from family and friends.
Making 3 parachute jumps one Summer.
Going to Hawaii and camping on the beach for a month.

Ron

Taking early retirement at 58 and living on savings and dividends I was an AVP in a bank but too much politics there; two years afer I left it was taken over by another/ Really bad higher management decisions I always thought.
The other was joining the AF right out of high school.

Wish I had known some of those guys you met on the net and are still with good going!!

Two things I can think of:

1) Starting my own business 8 years ago after getting laid off from my corporate job.

2) Skydiving

Can't tell ya or I'd have to kill ya! LOL

Rosemary, Congratulation on publishing your own book. That is awesome. Please tell us more. What is the name of the book?
Thanks, Lexi

I can't think of anything, though with as much glove trotting that I do, getting on a plane each time is pretty risky these days. :-)

Jodi-

I can't really think of anything daring, but in 1976, I had one daughter graduate from school, two daughters got married, I flew to LasVegas and also flew to New Orleans, moved to a new house when I was 8 months pregnant and then in October I gave birth to my fourth child when I was 41.

Sue

It wouldn't seem so daring now when flying is so common, but about 60 years ago I flew in a 2-seater airplane with a flying farmer while visiting in North Dakota.

"globe" trotting ... not glove trotting. sheesh.

Whitewater rafting down the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon, a 14 day trip on which I almost drowned in the largest rapid. We actually paddle-rafted (not the huge motorized rigs), which meant 8 paddlers per boat, plus guide. The waves were HUGE!

Quitting a secure, boring, ho-hum job after years of service there and starting my own business. Everyone thought I was making a mistake, but I worked for myself until I retired and sold it for a profit. Unfortunately the new owners were not open after a little over a year. :(

Joining the Air Force and later getting out before retirement age, which was also one of the stupidest things I'd ever done.

Breaking through a door in an apartment that was pretty much engulfed in flames. It was the apartment next to mine. We shared a common wall. The people's car was there, but no one answered the door as I screamed at them. Another neighbor heard me and we went in the burning apartment together. We couldn't see anything. The man that was with me opened the refrigerator door to get some light and the bulb exploded. He was barefooted and burned his feet on the melted shag carpet. I just got a little too much smoke.

No one was home. The woman who lived there went to the hospital in an ambulance the night before while I was at work. Her dh and dd went with her in the ambulance. That is why the car was there.

It turned out to be arson. Two different closets had a pile of clothes in them that had gasoline poured on them according to the fire marshall. Just a few weeks later the man filed for divorce. I don't know if there was any connection or not. I'm just glad we weren't seriously injured or worse and the only damage to my apartment was a smokey smell.

Linda

Driving to Florida by myself.

During the time my DH was ill from colon cancer, my brother, who lived in my parent's house in Florida, died. Both my parents had died a few years before. That left me the only survivor. They never had a will. (Don't let that happen to you!!)

Anyway, the house was vacant, was vandalized, became a threat to the neighbors because of the possibility of fire, etc. I had to hire and deal with lawyers by telephone, and pay the taxes.

It was two years later before I could go down there. I had never driven anywhere other than locally.

I didn't make any plans as to time. When I got to Charleston, SC, I went to the home of good friends, knocked on the door and shocked her literally speechless. She just stood there and called her husband to the door! I stayed two days and went on.

There is a lot more to the story, but making that trip and handling the Estate alone was the most daring thing I have ever done. I believe though, that it was good therapy for me at the time.

Sue

Driving down a gravel road while home on leave on time, I saw the car ahead of me skid, slide off the road, and roll over, upside down, in the ditch. The young guy was driving way too fast.

I slammed on the breaks, jumped out and ran to their car. All I could think was "it's going to explode and they'll burn to death." (Too much TV at the time! LOL)

I climb down in the ditch, reach in the window and start pulling the one guy out. Thank God, they weren't hurt, other than their pride, and I did help them out of the vehicle (which didn't explode!) They thought the entire situation was rather "cool" and were laughing.

I was about 31 at the time; they were high school kids. I gave them a good tongue-lashing for scaring the beejeebers out of me. All I could think as I was sliding down the ditch was that I was going to have to pull their dead, bloody, decapitated, bodies out of the car and it was going to scar me for life. But, I couldn't just stand by and do nothing so I jumped into the fray.

They didn't want me to call the police, so I called their parents instead and let them deal with the mess.

Silly boys; they think they're bullet-proof.

Moved away from my family. Made a decision and within a week I was on a jet flying out west to Calgary with only $100 in my purse to share a condo with a person I had only met once at political convention. Within a week I landed a good job.

The other daring thing I did was to leave my career to take care of my Mom. Gave up my chance to get married and have kids. Kind of regret that decision now.

Anne

I mentioned this question to both DH and I my best friend separately today and asked what they thought.

Their opinion was unanimous. "You can't post THAT or THAT and he// NO not THAT! LOL

1. Getting married.

The changes and new responsibilities are huge and mostly unknown, plus (this is a guy thing) you wonder up until the wedding date approaches: did I (or her) make the right choice? Will we be happy? Can we stand each other after a year? Can I make enough money to support us? Will we be sucessful? What about children, and when? Will she stll love me after a couple of years?

2. Passing the second stage of marriage:

At about year 3, I found that I did not really did not know abour her religious preference. I thought that I knew, but did not. Its at this time that both of us re-evaluate our marriage, and must come to a conclusion: do we continue or split (before there are children on the scene)? We stuck together, had some rough times and dissapointments, not in each other, but from life's big blows that strike sometimes. Others are lucky enough to escape these calamities - its a crap shoot who gets what. After you realize that is the case, you blame no one, roll with the punches, and look for the best solution.

We've been married 49 yrs - time to re-evaluate, eh? Maybe not! Let's give it a few more years and see what happens.

3. Leaving home at the age of 17 with two other high school graduates in my class to look for our destiny. I had about $200. We three rented a garage that had been converted to a rambling, open space, apartment (in St. Louis). My first chore the next day was to investigate a trade school to see what was offered and costs. The next thing on the same day was to do a job search to find work that would support my rent and food. If I did not find something in a week, I would have to take the bus home. This little adventure lasted about a week when my high school principal contacted me to tell me of another opportunity that he had discovered. I listened and immediately accepted the challenge.

4. The Challenge:

My first escapade away from home was only 100 miles distant. This time, it would be 350 miles away by Greyhound Bus, and I would be alone - just me and my suitcase. I would attempt to win a apot in a new experimental engineeing training program sponsored the US Ordanace Weapons Command. Only 40 would be selected from a field of 400 applicants. Entrance was by the college entrance exam and the old fashioned I.Q. test. Veterans were given a 5 point advantage. I made it in! and now one of the biggest projects of my life began: working my way through college.

This was during the Korean Police Action (the US never described our part as a war, but there was no difference. A dead or wounded soldier has the same hurt no matter what the policy makers choose to call it.) The US Government ahd no idea what the nation was facing during this period, but were preparing. They were training a pool of engineers for an Arsenal, and at the same time, trying a work-school program. One my 18th birthday, I did recieve a draft notice and had to appear at my draft board to show them where in the Federal Register to find a special act of scholatic defferment for this group of students. Mind you, this was not a 'freebie'. If for any reason, I did not complete my degree, I was subject to immediate draft. Also, it extended my draftable age. At that time, the draft was for ages 18 through 24. For those of us who were in this program, our draft age was from 18 through 28, thus we could have been taken after graduation, however, there exemptions that came into being if, as new grads, we took employment in certain capacities.

This was my grand project and it was scary for the first couple of years. Failure was always a real possibility. Fifty percent of the group dropped out the first year. It was this period that shaped my future for the rest of my life.

Like a few others have mentioned, quitting my job and starting my own business. As of March 1, that was 20 years ago. Very frightening.

The other was really youth.....plunging into the Amazon river!

Running for city council a few years ago. My opponent was the president of the chamber of commerce. Although I was defeated, it was only by 33 votes!

My first thought was "getting married".....

I had only known Denny for 6 months when we were married.

To me, making that commitment meant "till death do us part"
It meant we had to make it work.

In about 7 weeks it will be 43 years.

And I hope for a lot more.

Anne, this may sound like a dumb question, but I'm familiar with your cooking expertise over on the cooking forum. You mentioned you aren't married and have no kids. Do you do all that cooking just for yourself??

Wildchild.......C'MON, 'fess up! I'd love to know!!! We won't tell your family. LOLOL

After college in 1974, I moved to NYCity without a job, stayed with friends till I found a job and an apartment. Lived there three years alone in Queens NY. Had a great time!

getting married. No question about it!

One might say, coming here to the US at 18, but since it was at 18 it really wasn't daring. LOL, you know, how you know EVERYTHING at 18!

I guess, it has to be my attempt, and then the following year my complete crossing of the US on my bicycle.

Moni

I'm not brave enough to say the most daring!!

Second most daring, probably marrying Gary after knowing him only a little over 3 months. I, like several others, met my sweetie online. I know after 3 days of talking with him on the phone that I was going to marry him. I drove 400 miles to met him and found out I was right about marrying him. We were married June 25th and have now passed the big one year anniversary of our first contact. He's a keeper :-)