30 things to do before i'm 30.

tomorrow i am 25.  that's right.  a quarter of a century.  the big two-five.  one more than two dozen.  halfway to the hill.  YIKES.

in honor of this birthday and because of my obsession with lists, i've decided to officially make the 30 things to do before i'm 30 list.  that gives five years to check these off.  hopefully that's enough.  if not, i'll extend it because as i've said before: my blog, my rules.

[side note: these are in no particular order other than the order i thought of them.]

1.  visit a castle ... preferably in england or ireland, but i'd be willing to consider alternatives.
2.  SKYDIVE.
3.  camp out under the stars -- very different than the 'camping' that my family usually does in the hilton.
4.  swim with dolphins (in a controlled atmosphere, not because a boat sank and i was stranded in the ocean).
5.  go to a pumpkin patch and pick the perfect pumpkin.
6.  attend new york city's thanksgiving day parade OR new year's eve celebration -- i'm not delusional enough to think both are possible before i'm 30 ... just delusional enough to hope for one.
7.  get a dog and name him doodle.
8.  learn to cook something other than pasta that sticks together.  and have photographic proof of this accomplishment.
9.  find a shark's tooth all on my own ... not because i stole it from one my sister or mom found.
10.  read the bible.  and understand it.  and not the kiddie version that i read when i was seven.
11.  adopt a child for christmas.
12.  see the blue ridge parkway leaves during the fall.
13.  FINALLY go out west.  i'm leaving that as unspecific as possible since every other westward plan has failed.
14.  actually get up in the early hours of the morning and experience the chaos that is the day after thanksgiving sales.
15.  cruise to ... anywhere, really.  just go on a cruise.
16.  ride in a hot air balloon (and don't throw up).
17.  snorkel...or scuba dive, but let's start small with snorkeling.
18.  fold 1000 paper cranes and make a worthwhile wish.
19.  go white water rafting without wetting my pants.
20.  travel by train.  not necessarily hogwarts style, but similar.
21.  learn to parallel park.  so so scary.
22.  get a massage. and enjoy it. because it IS possible to relax, right?
23.  watch all 7 (kind of 8 thanks to the two part finale) harry potter movies in a row ... spreading over multiple days if necessary.
24.  join a church.  not just attend one.  but join one like an adult.
25.  learn how to build and start a fire, all on my own.
26.  hike in the blue ridge mountains.  or any mountains, but i prefer the blue ridge.
27.  learn more than just the harry potter theme song on my guitar.
28.  experience a true sunrise.  maybe on the beach.
29.  become a vegetarian for a month.  and people, there has to be a limit on this because of my extreme aversion to vegetables.  it's just something i want to try.
30.  kiss in the rain.

okay, that last one is cheesy and pretty much just lame, but i saw it on someone else's bucket list and the disney-loving romantic in me squealed.  so it made it on the list.  if you watch the blog closely, i imagine i'll edit it out to be something legitimate, but for now it stands as is.

challenge: extended.  i'll keep you updated, folks!

face lift!

no, not a face lift for me (RUDE).  for the blog.  as you can most likely see.

which really just goes to show you that i will do anything to put off my thesis.  ANYTHING.  including updated my blog template.

but whatever.  it's starting to look like fall every now and then and i couldn't be more excited.  maybe the fall blog will help bring the lovely fall weather.  a girl can dream, right?

for now, enjoy whatever part of fall makes you happy whether that be the break from suffocating temperatures, the ridiculousness that is football, the festivals and hayrides, or the pumpkin spice scents.

and if none of that makes you happy, be happy that my birthday comes in the fall.  YES.