Bucket List: Thirty Before 30

Today is my birthday! I made it to 27! Birthdays are a great time to reflect on the last 365 days and set goals for the next year. I’m quickly sliding down the slope to the big 3-0, and I have no idea where the time has gone. While I spent most of my 20s in undergrad and law school, I didn’t have the time or energy to be adventurous, spontaneous, or explore. My 27 years have consisted of structure, routine, and lists (lots and lots of lists). If someone said free spirit in the same paragraph as my name, I would laugh in her face. So here’s to more whimsy and less planning in the next 3 years!

As I compiled this list, I asked myself…What did I think I would accomplish by now? What memories do I want to make in the next 3 years? What have I not tried because I’m scared of failure/rejection? While I have many vague goals to become a “better version of myself” in the next 3 years, I want my bucket list to be specific, measurable, and relevant. Without further ado, here’s my Thirty Before 30 bucket list:

1. Read an entire book in one day. (Contrary to my love of reading, I have never actually done this.)
2. Overcome my fear of heights.
3. Go to the airport and buy tickets for a random flight. (This makes the control freak in me squirm with anxiety.)
4. Read 30 books.
5. Be a mentor.
6. Watch less reality TV. (I’m watching RHOBH as I write this…le sigh)
7. Go sailing.
8. Watch all of AFI’s Top 100 American Films of All Time.
9. Meet Justin Timberlake! (I’ve dreamed about this since I was 10..maybe it will finally happen :))
10. Swim in the Mediterranean.
11. Do a pull up. (I am still haunted by the Presidential Physical Fitness test from elementary school.)
12. Pay for a stranger’s meal.
13. Take a staycation and enjoy my city.
14. Go to the movies alone.
15. Learn how to French braid. (Yes, I totally missed the boat on this.)
16. Take ballroom dancing lessons.
17. Swim in a waterfall.
18. Take a cross-country road trip.
19. Throw a dinner party.
20. Learn how to fold a fitted sheet. (Is this even possible?!)
21. Have a signature dish. (that doesn’t come out of a box)
22. Disconnect for 24 hours.
23. Watch the sun rise on the beach.
24. Learn how to meditate.
25. Start a garden. (even if it’s just a small herb plant on my windowsill)
26. Run a half marathon.
27. Do one thing that completely terrifies me.
28. Go to a drive-in movie.
29. Fly in a helicopter. 
30. Write myself a letter today to be opened on my 30th birthday! 

Do you have a milestone birthday coming up? I would love to hear what’s on your bucket list!