30 before 30

I think the title of this entry pretty much sums it up - I turn 30 this year, and I want to accomplish a specific 30 things before I depart from my 20's. There are a lot of bloggers out there who do this every year...but I was specifically inspired by my super ambitious and goal-oriented friend Val of Oh, Hopscotch! Her 30 before 30 list got me to thinking..."hey, why not!?"

I thought long and hard about the items I put on this list. I should rephrase that...it took me over a week to come up with all the ideas, and that week included a lot of conversation on the matter as well as a lot of strategizing. I am getting started late into my bday year, so hopefully all that pre-list effort will pay-off over the next 7 months.

I'm quite happy with the items I settled on - and in true list-maker fashion, I felt it was set in stone once everything was handwritten in my best penmanship. What I love about my list is it's a good mix: challenging and fun, friends required and individual feats, and most importantly - a blend of mental, physical, and emotional challenges. I want to see what I'm made of...better myself in the process, and have fun while doing it. I want to hold myself accountable, and I'm putting all of this out there so hopefully I have some support from others who will in turn hold me accountable too :)

So, here it goes...my 30 before 30, with some explanation thrown in there too:

1.) Landscape the front yard
2.) Host a fancy dinner party
3.) Volunteer somewhere new
4.) Learn to sew and make myself an article of clothing
5.) Take ten yoga sessions & try different types
6.) Donate hair to Pantene Beautiful Lengths
7.) Run an eight minute mile. While I've completed a half marathon, I've never been fast. I know 8 min won't seem fast to most, but it would be an adulthood PR for me :)
8.) Make homemade marshmallows
9.) Get craft room in working order
10.) Learn to crochet & make a hat
11.) Participate in a blind bourbon tasting (at The Century Bar)
12.) Ride a roller coaster...it's been far too long! We'll be going to Cedar Point for this one!
13.) Travel internationally
14.) Get back into music...find five new (to me) artists/bands that I love
15.) Set up at a new craft fair
16.) Read Wildwood & Under Wildwood. Every time I try to read a book I get sleepy. Colin Meloy of The Decemberists wrote these, and his wife beautifully illustrated them...if that's not enough to keep your peepers open, I don't know what is!
17.) Complete 30 days of a Primal Diet nutrition plan. I have a serious sweet tooth...so this will be interesting!
18.) Write five new blog posts
19.) Get my Etsy shop stocked and ready for sales. It's empty at the moment, but this is where it'll be.
20.) Create a signature cocktail
21.) Watch The Artist. I'm almost always "connected" and doing more than one thing at a time...so for a solid 100 minutes, no distractions allowed during this silent film :)
22.) Teach someone a new skill
23.) Re-pot houseplants that have old, grimey, icky pots
24.) Create a printed photo album or display. iPhones have put me in the bad habit of not printing the photos I love. I've noticed my home doesn't have recent snapshots to provide me with perspective of all the great things/people/and of course animals that are in my life...it's time to get back to basics!
25.) Throw someone a surprise party! Yay!
26.) Get my first Mac
27.) Spend a weekend in Athens, OH with Lonmeister. A best friend's weekend at our Alma Mater couldn't sound more refreshing! Go Bobcats!
28.) Learn to drive a stick shift
29.) Brew my own beer
30.) Get out of my comfort zone - Boudoir photo shoot! Eeeeep! With the help of my very talented photographer friend who owns her own biz, I will attempt to keep from blushing for at least a few frames ;)

So there you have it! For those of you who know me well, I'm sure you noticed that a couple of these are already complete. Yes...I retroactively put a couple of the biggies on there - because hey, I did these within the specified timeframe and they were significant achievements! Waste not, want not - right!?

I'll be back to this post to update my progress as I go. I hope you'll follow along and cheer me on - your support and involvement mean a lot!

Thank you!
~PaisleyAnna