Well, I'm 28

I have been for over a month.

My birthday was uneventful, which is about a million times better than last year, so I'll take it.

And seeing as my faithful reader/bestie Allie has asked for it, and I know all of you lurkers are chomping at the bit for it as well, I'm going to give you a #30b430 update.

Digging deep (to 2014) for the list (although you know I have it in about 3 other places where lists are kept in my life), crossed off with explanations in parentheses.

Take a rail trip of Europe
(Decided not to go the rail route re: strikes, but visited France, Spain, Andorra, Monaco, Italy, and Switzerland in August of 2016)

Pay off student loans 
(no explanation necessary, so damn proud of myself for this one... all in spent $130,000 on college)

Run a 10k

Make a quilt/learn to sew
(I'm working on this one... I should be finished soon... quilting is fun and challenging!)

Learn to golf
(took lessons in summer of 2016)

Get my CFP
(got my CLU as well, as of October 1 of this year)

Grow an herb/vegetable garden
(so fun to make herb butter and cook with my fresh herbs!)

Buy a house

Go skydiving

See a show on Broadway/NYC in the fall or early winter
(Laura and I saw Anastasia on Broadway a few weeks ago and it was amazing)

Go on a mission trip to Africa

Fall in Love

Apply to be on Big Brother

Learn to drive a stick shift
(Susan gave me a ~1 hour lesson and then I learned the hard way in Paris when our rental car was a stick.. and we had no GPS... thank you KG for reading the signs to me and not murdering me <3)

Read 10 "classic" novels
(Instead of 10 novels, I made an American Literature syllabus that I've been working through... I'm in the mid 19th century right now, about half way through Moby Dick)

Take an art class
(took a watercolor class at the Dallas Creative Art Center on St. Therese's Feast Day this year!)

See the Northern Lights

Develop a skin care regimen/work out routine
(this one is kinda self explanatory... just because it's "developed" doesn't mean it happens that regularly,  as witnessed by the mascara on my pillowcase.)

Save $1000 and blow it in one day shopping

Drive the Pacific Coast Highway
(there's a whole post about this trip in May or June of 16)

Have a relaxing day at the spa with facials and mud baths
(unfortunately mud baths were not involved, but Allie and I got facials and massages at an amazing spa and I want to go back every single day)

Do something for someone who can't repay me

Read the whole Bible/Catechism
(finished this one a few years ago... I'm on my second round through the CCC right now... sooo good!)

Ski a black diamond

Build something useful
(see last post)

Swim in a waterfall
(sooooo... at Turner Falls they didn't let us swim directly under the falls because of rocks, and at Hamilton Pool Preserve, it was more of a trickle than a waterfall BUT I went to Niagara Falls and took the boat tour into the mist and so between these three waterfall events of the last six months, I'm checking this off... and it's my list so I get to do that.)

Write something everyday for a month
(anyone remember the #scratchpaperpoet project?)

Do something spontaneous and life changing

Start riding again

Discern my vocation


So there you have it. Sixteen down, fourteen to go. And less than two years to do it, so I better get to work!

Elisabeth and Felix, pray for us!