28 Things I Have Done in 28 Years

I’ll be 28 tomorrow, and that’s when I’ll share the 30 Before 30 list that I’ve created. (See? I promised lists and…voila! They are ready to be unleashed onto the internets.) While I was making that list, however, I started feeling like it was a little silly to think of all the things I want to accomplish in the next two years without acknowledging at least a some of what I’ve accomplished in the preceding 28. It was an experiment in both reflection and curation, as it turns out that I’ve done more than 28 things…hopefully what I’ve included actually bears inclusion. (As in, yes, “Learned to read” seems basic, but literacy is important, and I really like reading.)

1. Learned to read

2. Played the violin

3. Tasted wine in Australia, Napa, Sonoma, and the Sierra Foothils

4. Swam in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Gulf of Mexico

5. Visited 10 Disney parks in 3 countries

6. Completed 18 years of formal education

7. Hiked to the top of Vernal, Nevada, and Chilnualna Falls in Yosemite

8. Worked as a grocery bagger, a barista, a tutoring center co-manager, a research recruiter, a library intern, and a research assistant

9. Learned to speak, read, and write in Spanish

10. Developed a strong relationship with the Oxford comma

11. Driven a moving truck

12. Flown first class, internationally

13. Traveled to seven countries and fourteen states (I’m including D.C., adjust accordingly)

14. Seen two Broadway shows

15. Taken ballet and gymnastics classes

16. Colored my hair

17. Made bread, ice cream, caramels, and jam from scratch

18. Explored Paris, London, and New York on foot

19. Gotten married

20. Lived in a sorority house for two years

21. Cooked a meal for my family and used my wedding china

22. Snorkeled in the Great Barrier Reef

23. Watched every episode of West Wing, Sopranos, Mad Men*, Dexter*, and Friday Night Lights (a couple of these are in progress, and I plan to keep watching, idiotic marriages or M. Night Shyamalan-esque plot “twists” notwithstanding)

24. Rowed a boat in the Grand Canal at Versailles

25. Made a latte for Tom Hanks

26. Eaten at the Chez Panisse Cafe

27. Traveled by train (Frankfurt to London and Rhinecliff, NY to Montreal)

28. Read Chaucer in Middle English (with glosses, fine, but still)