28 before 28

For my inaugural post, I thought I would share something that would give you some insight into my life. I got the idea to make a list of 28 things to do before I'm 28 from Simple Lovely, one of my new favorite blogs. I also have a list of 30 things to do before I'm 30, which I started when I turned 21 and which consists of somewhat more substantial/possibly unrealistic goals (e.g. run a marathon...ha!).

I tried to limit my 28 to things that were actually doable, so that they would be a source of inspiration for me rather than a source of stress. The idea is that by simply writing something down, it becomes a tangible goal rather than something you vaguely think about on occasion but never quite get around to doing. These types of lists also appeal to me because they help me to feel like I'm making the most of my time, which in turn makes getting older a much less frightening prospect. I just turned 27 a month ago, so I have a solid 11 months to...

1 - buy an old polaroid camera

2 - start a blog (check!!)

3 - learn how to make my own cheese

4 - finally read The Sot-Weed Factor by John Barth (I bought it in college!)

5 - buy a bike (check)

6 - make an inspiration board (I also got this idea from Simple Lovely)

7 - go on a solo hike

8 - do a photography project

9 - write new poems (I occasionally wrote poems in college, but haven't since)

10 - work on a farm

11 - make a lemon meringue pie from scratch (though David Lebovitz's lime tart would do, too)

12 - take a letterpress or calligraphy class

13 - sort through the stuff I have in my mom's attic

14 - learn to make good espresso (so I can make my own coconut lattes...mmm)

15 - go on a weekend trip with a girlfriend

16 - go to the beach

17 - wear one of my fancy dresses (the ones that usually hang in my closet untouched)

18 - learn how to drive manual

19 - organize all of my photos + film

20 - fill up my journal and get a new one (I've had the same one for 8 years)

21 - copy the audio cassette that I made for my grandma when I was 6 to CD (a favorite keepsake)

22 - back up my computer files (I've never done this...bad)

23 - clean and preserve the quilt my mom made for me when I was little (another favorite keepsake)

24 - spend a whole day with my niece (she's 12)

25 - run a 5K in under 30 minutes

26 - go to a state west of the Mississippi that I haven't been to before

27 - read a book in Spanish (I've been working on my Spanish for a while, but haven't gotten past the beginner stage yet)

28 - do something creative every day (I've already broken this one...oops)

Do any of you have similar lists?