30 by 30

We all have a bucket list- or an idea of things we'd like to accomplish at some point in our lives.  But I've found that I'm more apt to say that I'll get around to these things "one day", rather than setting short term goals to knock some of these items off my list.  I never thought to actually write these things down, until recently.  Brad & I have been talking about general life goals & timelines & it's made me realize that time is fleeting!  There doesn't seem to ever be enough time to do all the things I'd like, which brings to mind one of my favorite quotes:

"I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think, all the walks I want to take, all the books I want to read, & all the friends I want to see."

Brad finds it absurd but I tend to cry each year on my birthday.  It's not because I'm vain & having a "I'm SOOOO old!" moment, but rather I see that time is slipping away & I still have SO many things I'd like to do in too little time.  As a result, I've put myself on a time crunch. I'm going to tackle a chunk of dreams/goals by age 30 & (hopefully) feel less blue when that day comes.  I'm facing it head on as I'm 28 (& 7 months).  Therefore, I have roughly a year & a half to tackle these items.  I'm hoping posting them here will hold me more accountable.  Taking this time frame into mind, I've tried to make this list fun & challenging while keeping in mind my short time limit.

Start date: August 16, 2014

1) Visit Italy
2) Improve my rusty Spanish skills
3) Learn to operate my fancy DSLR camera in manual mode
4) Experience a truly beautiful moment in my life that it brings me to tears
5) Learn to cook
6) Ride a horse
7) Read 50 new books
       Big Girl Panties / What Do You Want to do Before You Die / The Help / One More Thing / On the Road / You're Not Helping / Lies that Chelsea Handler Told Me / Look Me in the Eye / Stiff / The Goldfinch / Tales of a Female Nomad / Not That Kind of Girl / The Hunger Games: Girl on Fire / Brain on Fire / The Hunger Games: Catching Fire / The Maze Runner / Let's Just Say It Wasn't Pretty / If I Stay / The Kill Order / In a Sunburned Country / A Walk in the Woods / When You are Engulfed in Flames / A Fortune Teller Told Me / Yes Please / The Scorch Trials / Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone / Dad is Fat / The Death Cure / The Hunger Games: Mockingjay / Tweak / Marching Powder / Life on Foot / Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets / Where She Went / The Good Dream / Sand in My Bra / Imperfect Justice / The Dirty Life / Gone Girl / Sharp Objects / Farm City / Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban / Confessions of a Bad Beekeeper / Growing Up Amish / The Opposite of Loneliness / Seriously... I'm Kidding / I am Malala / Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire / Dopefiend / 
8) Learn to play guitar
9) Learn to sew
10) Rediscover my love for running
11) Get a haircut I really love
12) Grow a garden that can actually feed my family
13) See New England in the fall
14) Be in the best shape of my life
15) Ride in a hot air balloon
16) Learn how to can foods: peaches 
17) Eat a (mostly) clean diet
18) (Re)learn to play piano
19) Start riding a bike again
20) Learn to 'live in the moment'
21) Visit 2 states I've never been to: North Carolina
           *Wyoming - booked June 2015 
22) Take a singing lesson
23) Take up yoga
24) Float down the Cahaba River
25) Watch the sunset from Ruffner Mountain
26) Hike through the Sipsey Wilderness
27) Go paddleboarding
28) Support a CSA
29) Go spelunking
30) Stop the tears on birthdays & relish the things I've accomplished