Along with my quest for finding the right fit in a job, I've also thinking a lot about other non-work-related things I want to accomplish--big and small. So I decided to make a list of 26 things to do before I turn 26 (next February). Some of these have sentimental reasons, some are business oriented, and others are just for fun. So in no particular order:
1. Find a geocache. I am intrigued by this hobby and I tried unsuccessfully a few times so far. I'd like to be able to log at least one!
2. Make a dress sample. I have countless sketches and dreams of showing at Baltimore Fashion Week, so I need to actually make some of the designs. But, to be realistic, I'm starting with a goal of just one. If I end up making more, all the better!
3. Run a 5k (preferably the Color Run or another obstacle run)
4. Write a business plan. I always have all the elements that a business plan contains in my head whenever I'm working a side venture, but I want to actually write it all out.
5. Paint my office. I've been putting this off since we moved in to this house 2 years ago.
6. Take a sushi making class. I'm allergic to seafood, but I have this dream of making fusion sushi and want to learn the basics.
7. Start a project life scrapbook or just scrapbook in general. I have a box of keepsakes and mementos just waiting to be scrapbooked and hundreds of photos to print. It's about time I got on this!
8. Take a blog workshop. I started blogging back in the LiveJournal days of the early 2000s, but that was mostly high-school induced, privacy protected, emotional rants. I picked blogging back up a few years ago when I started The DC Frugalista later renamed Endlessly Frugal, which will soon become the frugal section of this site. I've learned a lot about blogging along the way, but no where near enough. I've been wanting to learn more of the ins and outs. hence the desire for a blog workshop.
9. Organize my books. I have worked in multiple libraries and spent the majority of my academic life with my nose in a book. Book sales are still one of my favorite shopping excursions. You could easily confuse my office with the back room of a used book shop. I've been intending to sort them in some meaningful way and have lots of ideas. Now to actually do it...
10. Learn how to pair wine. I love wine, specifically Moscato wines. I've been to my fair share of wine tastings and I know what I like, but it would be nice to know the
correct rules of pairing.
11. Go to a music festival. As soon as I found out the hubby has
never been to a music festival, I decided that had to go on the list.
12. Finish a photo challenge. I keep telling myself I will take more pictures and with my handy smart phone and my T2i, I really don't have an excuse. I've been doing better, but I think completing a photo challenge will get things jumpstarted.
13. Start a garden. I've recently discovered that I enjoy gardening and we started a fairly large garden plot (this was on my mental list before I got around to the post). So far it has been a lot of trial and error, but if I get a pumpkin harvest in the fall, I will consider it a success.
14. Attend an NFL game. Every time I've had tickets, I've ended up giving them to someone who is more a fan than I am. This shouldn't be too hard since the hubby asked for 49ers tickets for his birthday.
15. Finish my book project. I've been working on a book idea for a while now and it's on the way to being done. This is my push to hopefully finish it and query it out.
16. Visit the Appalachian Trail. When I was a kid my grandfather hiked the Appalachian Trail straight through. He passed away six years ago and I miss him like crazy. I would love to find a spot on the Appalachian Trail just to spend a few moments alone and feel close to him.
17. Finish my DAR Application. I have all the documents, I just need to organize them and submit.
18. Complete Top Chef University. The hubby and I have until October to finish our online cooking course on Top Chef University that we bought a Groupon for last year.
19. Improve my coding skills. My adventures in blogging and online shop creation have resulted in learning some basic coding skills--something I never really expected I would be able to do. Now that I
can, I want to learn how to do some more advanced html tricks.
20. Go skiing. I haven't been skiing since I was in a accident many years ago. I spent a lot of time earning that black diamond skiing skills and I want to try to get back into the sport (although this time I will stick to the green and blue trails).
21. Take salsa lessons. The hubby and I had a voucher for salsa lessons, but due to scheduling conflicts we weren't able to take them. I still really want to go and I'm hoping that we'll be able to make it work in the fall.
22. Create 26 new jewelry designs. In light of 26 birthdays, I want to add 26 more designs to my online jewelry
shop.
23. Bake a perfect batch of cookies. I can bake pies, cakes, muffins, you name it...but cookies still elude me! I always end up burning them or my ratios aren't quite right.
24. Buy an umbrella. Because I never seem to have one when I need it.
25. Refresh my memory of sign language. I learned a fair share of sign language growing up and I have let it lapse. You never know when it might come in handy.
26. Write/compile my poetry. I enjoy writing poetry (I even received a scholarship for it in college). I always seem to find myself writing stanzas on scrap paper or napkins, but never pull them together in one place. As I keep writing, I want to try to centralize my work in a journal or word document.
Hopefully this isn't too ambitious of a list, I'll cross things off as I complete them. What's on your birthday bucket list?
Photo Credit: Ava Blue via Flickr
