A few days ago I playfully said to my boyfriend after he did something silly: "You can't do these things anymore; you're 26 now." To which he responded by telling me to "go ahead, bask in it and get your hits in for the next few weeks while you can." His subtle way of reminding me that I will be 26 on March 6th. He's just so sweet.
So, now that I've been reminded that I will soon be leaving my early-twenties behind for far less greener pastures, I decided now's as good a time as ever to solidify my 30 before 30 list and get that bad boy up here. I'm also tired of having a 30 by 30 button over to the left without an actual list. I feel like a fraud. So here we go, acknowledging that I'll be closer to 30 than 20 in the next couple of weeks. Shoot me now.
In no particular order...
01) Be admitted to practice law in New York.
This one's kind of a given. I didn't graduate law school and suffer through the bar for bragging rights. I can't practice before I'm admitted, and I have a few more hoops to jump through before that happens.
02) Create & stick to a morning routine.
I just feel like this is something a real adult would do. As of now, I may putter directly into the kitchen for some semblance of breakfast food, or I may plop down on the couch and get lost in my Instagram feed. And more often than not, I climb right back into bed. But 30-year-olds don't do that. They wake up before their alarm, prepare the breakfast of champions, go beast mode in the gym, shower and dress in record time, and then go fight crime or something.
03) Run a marathon.
I don't tell many people about this goal, because most of my IRL friends would laugh their heads off if I did (Many of them have heard me talk about how much I dislike running). But the truth is that I'm beginning to enjoy running and more than anything, I want to be
able to run a marathon.
04) Be a published author.
Well, we've been on the "to do" list since I was about 12, haven't we? I talk all about why this hasn't been accomplished in past years here. But suffice it to say, I'm deciding to believe in myself now, and it feels
really good.
05) Buy a camera & learn photography.
Before I started blogging, I had no desire to buy a $600+ camera that I had no idea how to use. I even broke a few digital ones during my drunken college adventures without mourning dramatically for the loss. But, now? Now, I
must have one. I want pretty, non-grainy pictures just like everyone else.
06) Invest in a quilted Chanel purse.
I don't think I need to explain this one. Click
here for the beauty.
07) Become more fluent in Spanish.
I minored in it in college and it was my mom's first language, but I think in English and translate in my head, so I sound like a damn idiot when I speak. My accent's fine, but by the time I decide what I want to say, figure out how to say it Spanish and push the words out, whomever I'm talking to has lost interest. So, I need to get it together.
08) Cook the majority of Thanksgiving dinner.
I DID THIS! I actually cooked Thanksgiving dinner this past year, and nobody died. #winning. And I've got
evidence here!
09) Go on a "Girls Only" vacation.
Can you believe I've never gone on vacation with just the girls? Family vacations, of course. Large groups of friends, sure. But no
drunken debauchery fun trips with just the ladies.
10) Feel confident in a bikini.
I'm sure getting fit is on everyone's list in some way because who doesn't like to feel confident in themselves? I've got a ways to go, but I really miss feeling confident in a itsy, bitsy, teeny-weeny bikini. And if I don't do it now, I'm not sure I ever will.
11) Visit London (again) & Paris.
Traveling is just at the top of my 'all day, erry day' list. But London & Paris are the two cities that I've always wanted to see but haven't. I saw London for about 4 hours when I traveled to Oxford, but it wasn't nearly enough!
12) Host a dinner party.
Even if it's in a restaurant, I want to invite everyone I love to dinner and just enjoy everyone's company. I imagine basking in that love, and feeling genuinely happy.
13) Meet a blogger.
Part of what really attracted me to blogging was how interactive it is. I love that what starts as reading one another's blog can turn into a real life friendship. And now that
Erin over at Two Thirds Hazel has debuted her baby,
Blogcation, blates have been taken to a whole new level. Escaping the cold and cruising the Caribbean with dozens of bloggers, a million fruity cocktails and tons of sun? I can't say no.
14) Move into my first "real" apartment.
I love Manhattan, and I love living in my teeny apartment all by my lonesome. But, I can't say I'm not looking forward to a full kitchen, a bigger bathroom and more closet space eventually.
15) Attend a Superbowl or NBA playoff finals game.
I'm pretty sure I missed my chance for the Superbowl this year because it was in New York and probably won't come back for a while. But an NBA playoffs game might be possible if either the Knicks or the Nets got it together anytime soon. (Yeah, fat chance.)
16) Read 100 books.
Now that I have time, I'm all about reading. I recently flew through the Divergent series, and I've just ordered way too many books offline. With a
Goodreads goal of 24 books this year, I think I can hit this goal in 4 years.
17) See a great concert.
So excited to be able to cross this one off the list because of the amazing
KOL concert I went to last week! Now, to see Thirty Seconds to Mars in concert, and we've blown this goal to smithereens.
18) Take a road trip.
I never drive my car because it's not practical at all in the city. But I miss her, and I'd love to venture the open road for a few days. I'm talking rest stops at sketchy gas stations and a paper map with my route drawn in marker.
19) Dance the night away in a foreign night club.
I did this once in Italy when I was 16 and it was one of the best times of my life. I fully support repeating it.
20) Make a serious dent in my debts.
Because college and law school weren't free and scholarships don't cover everything. And sometimes, you just needed that new outfit that you couldn't quite afford. (Not really, but you charged it anyway.)
21) Go to a gun range & learn to shoot a pistol.
I'm actually really afraid of guns. Holding something that could kill a person scares me, and the fact that lots of people who have no idea how to use it have one scares me even more. I'd like to get over this fear by learning to operate one. Plus, I'm sure I'll feel like a badass once I do :)
22) Write 500 words per day.
Even if it's not my profession, I can't say I'm a writer if I don't write often. And although that's not a lot - in fact, it's about ½ of what most writer's write daily - I have to start somewhere.
23) Decorate my apartment to exactly my liking.
I've lived in my apartment for well over 3 years and I'm just now beginning to decorate for aesthetic purposes, as opposed to just function. It's a little embarrassing when people come to visit. I was busy in school sure, but that's no reason my place should look less loved that a college dorm room.
24) Spend a whole day without my cell or the internet.
Sometimes, I can't stand how attached to my phone I am. And I've heard others comment on how freeing it is to just unplug.
25) Grow out my hair.
My hair's decently long at the moment (shoulder-length) but I want hair down to my booty, damn it! I'm talking my hair, not extensions even though I love them dearly.
26) Learn to play the guitar.
I own a beautiful Fender guitar and I can barely play it. It just sits pretty in the corner of my bedroom, unused and out-of-tune.
27) Practice yoga more regularly (at least once a week).
I use to practice weekly about a year ago, but I stopped once I began picking up a little weight. For me, yoga becomes excruciating when I'm heavier because my wrists take a hell of a beating in the process. I tried a few months ago and ended up in tears the next day. I'll stretch into a pose occasionally these days, but my namaste is seriously lacking.
28) Watch every movie that won an Oscar for Best Film.
I think watching all the winners since the academy started in 1929 is a great way to witness the history and development of film-making. Plus, there are some pretty great movies on that list.
29) Hike or go zip lining in the rain forest.
It's always seemed like such a great experience whenever I hear other people talk about it, but I've never been presented with the opportunity to do it. So, I'm just gonna have to make the opportunity.
30) Be married or in a committed relationship.
Goodness. Who would've thought this would've been anywhere on my list?! Surely, not I. But something in the past few months has convinced me that I want it all after all. I'm turning into such a sap, I swear.
