Flash Mob

I never dreamed of participating in a flash mob, but when I got the opportunity I couldn't pass it up. For those of you that don't know, a flash mob is when people are going about their business and break into a choreographed dance to surprise the people around them. Ours was at school instead of in public but it still counts. The teachers all learned a dance to the song Happy. Then in the middle of an assembly when the principal said the word "happy" in her speech we all came onto the floor and danced in unison. The kids loved it! There was cheering, there was laughing, it was great.

http://1drv.ms/1zOw5fo

Goal accomplished: Participate in a flash mob--check! 20 down, 10 to go!

Where I Currently Stand

I have tried a lot of new things since my half birthday. For those of you following my progress, here is where I stand now.

1. Learn a dance
2. Make a $30 donation to a charity
3. Make a list of 30 accomplishments done before 30
4. Touch my toes
5. Write a book \ get an article published
6. Drive a Porsche
7. Do something meaningful for society
8. Volunteer 30 hours
9. Get a tattoo
10. Swim with dolphins
11. Invent something
12. Learn sign language
13. Lear to cook 3 new meals
14. Earn a shirt with my name on it
15. Go on the field at a professional baseball game
16. Motorcycle to the shore
17. Visit a castle
18. Go to my ancesters town in Italy
19. Skateboard/snowboard
20. Learn the drums
21. Go to a Union game- see every pro sport
22. Learn AutoCAD
23. See a rocket launch
24. Travel alone
25. Paddleboard
26. Trapeze
27. Visit the White House
28.  
29.  

Sign Language

I love sign language. Originally I knew only about 3 words (cookie, candy, and motorcycle) but it seemed like a cool skill to have. If I were ever fluent in it I would want to translate for people. I registered for a class at the local community college with a few of my friends from work. The class turned out to be a great experience because the teacher was completely deaf. Talk about throwing someone in the deep end. For the first class, the teacher had a translator to tell us what was happening. For every class after that the teacher pointed to words on a powerpoint and then signed them. We watched him and repeated.  I learned the sentence structure, some nouns, some verbs, and some common phrases. It was fascinating! The teacher was so inspirational. Him and his brother were both born deaf in Greece. When their mom found out that America had better school and opportunities for deaf students, so she moved her family to America. He ended up at a school for the deaf in NJ when he was 8. He went to a deaf college, and a hearing grad school. Now he is a professor. I really feel like having a deaf teacher made the whole experience so much more real. For 1 hour every week I communicated with someone using sign language... even if I was just using simple sentences.

Goal accomplished: Learn sign language--check! 19 down, 11 to go!

Kickin It For a Cure

Doing something meaningful for society is a hard goal to accomplish because who really makes the rules and decides what is meaningful. I figured when I did it, I would just know.
This fall I have been coaching the boys soccer team at school. They are really nice kids and we worked very closely with the girls team. A few weeks ago the school nurse mentioned an idea to raise money for women with breast cancer. She had heard of the idea at her daughters school and felt like we could pull off something similar. The other coach and I jumped at the chance. We had the resources and a well-behaved motivated group of students. Why not? I then spent the next few weeks crazily organizing things. We bought T-shirts to sell, made pink ribbons, set up a snack stand, and hyped up the charity soccer game. There were posters, announcements, donations, everything. Our idea was to call the event Kickin' It For a Cure and sell a few T-shirts and cupcakes at a game where the boys would be all decked out in pink. A week later we were completely sold out of pre-orders and were turning people away. 70+ people from school planned to attend the game. The principal allowed us to all wear our shirts on the same day. It blew up!
The day of the game it was pouring but we wanted to play anyway because of the charity event. I was a nervous wreck all day running around trying to get everything together with the other organizers. We got the kids into the bus, drove over to the field all ready to play in the rain, and the other team never showed up. Whomp whomp. So we drove back to school and gave away the raffle prizes and snacks to the team. We decorated the cafeteria instead of the field. And although we had that little bump in the road (ok it was kind of a big bump since we never actually played the charity game) it all worked out in the end. We raised $331 which will go directly to women in the area through the South Jersey Breast Cancer Coalition.
I felt good about helping others, and I felt even better that I had helped spread that positive giving attitude onto the team. Maybe some day one of them will remember me and this event and do something else to help others.

 I have some cute pictures of the team and the kids psyched up for the game, however, I can't post pictures of other people's children online. So instead here is a picture of me, the other coach, the lady who made the gift baskets, and the lady who came up with the idea.

 

Here is a close up of what the shirts looked like. I was super happy with them!

 

 

Goal accomplished: Do something meaningful for society--check! 18 down, 12 to go!

To the Shore and Back

When I finished grad school I was talking with my parents and I said, "now what am I going to do?" (Its hard to think about school being over when you have been in it for your whole life.) My dad said, "Now you can learn something fun". So I got my motorcycle license. My dad found me a bike shortly after that. I have been practicing and trying to get more comfortable on fast roads and in traffic. I have dealt with traffic, and with speeds, and with turns, but never all together.  And never on two lane roads. Today I put all of my skills together and rode to the shore and back. My dad was with me on the way there. I followed him so I didn't have to worry about where I was going, I just focused on riding. Then on the way home I did it all by myself!

Here I am getting ready to leave the beach.

Here I am safely back home.

 

Goal accomplished: Motorcycle to the shore--check! 17 down, 13 to go!

Volunteer Work

Over the years I have had some pretty awesome CCD teachers. When one of them asked if I was willing to teach CCD this year to help her out, I couldn't say no. I've come full circle. So once a week for the rest of the school year I will be spending an hour with 17 first graders. (That will be well over 30 hours of volunteer work.) I'm excited because I think they are going to be a nice change of pace from my regular older students. Today two of them cried through the entire class, one didn't know how to write his name, and one of them hugged me goodbye. So cute!

me: "What do you need to be a catechist?"

Mrs. M: "a kind heart and a willingness to give your time."

 

Goal accomplished: Volunteer 30+ hours--check! 16 down, 14 to go!

Half Way

My 30th 1/2 birthday is next week. That means I am about halfway through my year of fun and adventures. I am also halfway through the list. Right on track...

1. Learn a dance
2. Make a $30 donation to a charity
3. Make a list of 30 accomplishments done before 30
4. Touch my toes
5. Write a book \ get an article published
6. Drive a Porsche
7. Do something meaningful for society
8. Volunteer (12 out of 30 done)
9. Get a tattoo
10. Swim with dolphins
11. Invent something
12. Learn sign language
13. Lear to cook 3 new meals
14. Earn a shirt with my name on it
15. Go on the field at a professional baseball game
16. Motorcycle to the shore
17. Visit a castle
18. Go to my ancesters town in Italy
19. Skateboard/snowboard
20. Learn the drums
21. Go to a Union game- see every pro sport
22. Learn AutoCAD
23. See a rocket launch
24. Travel alone
25. Paddleboard
26. Trapeze

I have no idea how I am going to do some of these. Help is always welcome. Also, I have spots for 4 more. If you have any ideas, please share!

Whoop There It Is

Many of the adventures on my list have been added recently in life. I have wanted to do others for years. Going onto a baseball field is probably the thing in the list I have wanted to do for the longest time. Its weird too because I have no idea why. I've never been a huge fan of playing baseball or softball. I have, however, always liked the Phillies. In 1993 my dad took us to the World Series. The next season I had a calendar of the games and I would write whether the Phillies won or lost on it (there were a lot of L's that year). Since then I have gone to tons of games. Some in good seats, some in bad, some at the Vet, some at Citizens Bank, I've even been to some Yankees games. No matter where the game or what stadium, it always seems so exciting to be on the field.
When my friends Roseann and Kristen heard about my 30 adventures, they decided they wanted to help me accomplish one. They planned a trip to Philly today for us to tour the stadium and walk on the field! I was so excited!
We got to see the diamond club seats and the behind the scenes lounges. We saw the press boxes and the news a rooms. We saw the batting cages and the interview room. We did not see any players and we were not allowed in the locker room since it was a game day. The culmination of the tour was the chance to go on the field and into the dug out.

 Here I am in the dugout.

 

 You weren't allowed to touch the grass. The tour guide (who was already mad at us) looked away so I had to quickly walk on it. 

Here I am pretending to give an interview.

 

 

Goal accomplished: Go on a baseball field--check! 15 down, 15 to go!

Not Yet Hooligans But Close Enough

I've seen a football game, lots of baseball games, some basketball and hockey games, but never soccer. So I decided that this summer I needed to see a Union game. I like soccer the best and I've heard good things about the Union so its about time I went. The team only has a couple of home games a summer so it took some planning. In the end, I ended up going with my dad and we had a great time. Our seats were awesome! You could see the game and had a beautiful view of the bridge. The weather was perfect, there was a huge full moon, the home team won, and it was an all around fun, wonderful evening!

This was our view from the stadium.

The game to the left and the bridge and river to the right.

 

Goal accomplished: See all of the pro sports--check! 14 down, 16 to go!

 

 

Two to Tango

When I decided to take a dance class I did not care what kind and I basically knew nothing about any of them. Learning at least one routine sounded doable though. When I had the opportunity to take a Tango class I decided that would be perfect. Since I didn't know the differences between the dances, that one seemed as good as any. Today I took the class. While Tango itself is pretty fun, I do not think dance lessons are something I will continue. I learned a lot and caught on to the moves. I do not, however, like having strangers touch me. I think if I knew my partners it would have been way more enjoyable. I now know and can do the basic Tango steps though so goal accomplished.

Goal accomplished: Learn a dance--check! 13 down, 17 to go!

Flying Trapeze

This was hands down the most thrilling, exciting yet terrifying thing I have ever done! In my first lesson I learned how to hang upside down by my legs and then to turn right side up and kick to do a backflip off. Basically your body weight does the work and you just hang on and do what the instructors tell you. They worry about the timing and all of that for you. Then once they know that you can do the steps on time, they had a catcher there. Climbing up the ladder was scary, standing on the little platform was scary (although you got an awesome view of the city), jumping off was scary, and flipping was scary. But then you get down and you realize its fun and exciting and you want to try it again. After the 3rd or 4th time I realized I was out of breath from the adrenaline, bruised, and scraped but having a great time.

 

 

 That's me... flying!

 

 

Goal accomplished: Trapeze--check! 12 down, 18 to go!

 

Special thanks to my friend Brian for suggesting this activity.

Paddle boarding

My friend said she would teach me how to paddle board. The only directions she had for me were, "stand on it, paddle, and don't fall in." Ok, got it.

 

Goal accomplished: Paddle board--check! 11 down, 19 to go!

Farmer for a Day

Today I volunteered at a farm. They are a farm that serves poor people in the Atlantic City area. They needed volunteers to farm in their fields so that they could grow food to serve the people. I heard about the chance on the radio so I assumed tons of people would be there. There were not many at all and most of them were workers from the station. It was kind of sad. Good thing I went. I did 2 hours of cabbage picking and weed hoing. Believe it or not, farming is really hard work.

Here I am with my new volunteer friend on my way to the cucumber patch. (Somewhere out there, there is a picture of me with the radio DJ too. If I find that one on their website sometime I will show you it later)

Making a Pretty View Prettier

I did 2 more hours of community service today. I went with some friends and we painted the fence along the river in a neighborhood that needs some help. The weather and the view were beautiful so the time went very fast. That's 10 volunteer hours complete.

Here I am painting our first section.

Adult Electives

I hate not being able to do something. Even if I do not use the skill often, I like to know that I can do it if I wanted to. Well, when I was in high school my favorite class was Drafting. I was very good at it and we did everything by hand. My senior year we got AutoCAD but I never really learned how to use it. Since drafting may be my special skill (I seem to have a knack for thinking that way) I figured its about time I learned AutoCAD. What if I want to use my talents someday?! So I signed up for a class at the community college. Turns out, the program isn't as difficult as I thought it would be. And I've still got it ;-) ...shout out to Mr. D!

Here is a room drawing I made in class.

 

Goal accomplished: Learn AutoCad--check! 10 down, 20 to go!

If the Tiara Fits

I thought I would need to go to Europe to see a real castle but then a friend tipped me off to a local one. When I googled it, I found out that 2 of the top 12 castles in America are super close to me. Who knew America even had castles! Today I took two friends and we went on a mini road trip to visit them.

This is the first castle we saw. It was made entirely of concrete and was created by one man for himself. We toured the inside and it was very interesting to see all of the details this man put into it. He worked with tile so every surface (and I mean every surface) had a tile picture of some sort. It was however, a claustrophobics nightmare. The rooms were so tiny, very dark, and the ceilings were low. I'm not 100% sure what I pictured, but I guess I was anticipating more of the grand ballroom king and queen type image when I visualized a castle. The second castle we saw gave us a little more of that. Although we were not able to get into this one. It had a more traditional look. You could see it coming over the horizon and it was very impressive up close. We peeked in the windows and we saw golden images on the walls of a huge room with a big piano. It was way closer to what I thought it would be like to see a castle.

Here is a picture of the second castle. It had gargoyles, stained glass windows, and the classic boxy roof. I definitely plan on going back sometime so that I can go inside.

Here I am! You know what they say, "if the tiara fits..."

 

Goal accomplished: Visit a castle--check! 9 down, 21 to go!

So far so good

Update... so far so good...

1. Learn a dance
2. Make a $30 donation to a charity
3. Make a list of 30 accomplishments done before 30
4. Touch my toes
5. Write a book \ get an article published
6. Drive a Porsche
7. Do something meaningful for society
8. Volunteer (8 out of 30 done)
9. Get a tattoo
10. Swim with dolphins
11. Invent something
12. Learn sign language
13. Lear to cook 3 new meals
14. Earn a shirt with my name on it
15. Go on the field at a professional baseball game
16. Motorcycle to the shore
17. Visit a castle
18. Go to my ancesters town in Italy
19. Skateboard
20. Learn the drums
21. Go to a Union game- see every pro sport
22. Learn AutoCAD
23. See a rocket launch
24. Travel alone

If you have any ideas for me to add to the list or if you can help with one of the goals, let me know!

Right Place at the Right Time

Sometimes you are just in the right place at the right time. This week I had one of those moments and I need to add it to my list because it was a once in a lifetime experience. I was not doing any activity one evening while on vacation, so I decided to go for a walk. While I was walking I saw what looked like a bright single firework that never popped. This bright flash of light went all the way into the sky and had a clear trail of smoke behind it. I passed a very nice Disney worker who had stopped what he was doing to watch too. I asked what it was and it turned out to be a space shuttle. I was so excited! (That's how you know Im a geek at heart because I was thrilled that I witnessed it). The worker said they see them sometimes because of how close they are to Cape Canaveral. In the future, maybe I can go see a launch from up close. Even if I never do though, I saw this one just because I was looking in the right direction at the right instant.

Here is a video of the Delta IV with information and pictures from up close.

I did not have a camera with me when I saw the rocket. By the time I ran to my room and got my camera and ran back, it looked like this. You see the wavy cloud looking thing to the right of the crane? That was the smoke trail after a few minutes. You are just going to have to take my word for it.

 

Goal accomplished: See a rocket launch--check! 8 down, 22 to go!

Swimming with Dolphins

During my vacation I spent a day at Discovery Cove. Discovery Cove is basically a really nice fake beach where you can go swimming with dolphins, fish, and sting rays (They also have exotic birds but who wants to waste their time on birds when you can be with water animals... not me). It was cold and rainy that day but I enjoyed it anyway. The dolphin I got to ride on was named Coral. I was surprised by how strong the dolphins felt. I guess I expected them to be more delicate. Swimming with dolphins has always been something I have wanted to try, but I actually really enjoyed swimming with the sting rays. Sting rays are my favorites when I go to the aquarium, so I have pet them before. It is totally different though when you are in the tank with them. I was snorkeling around looking at all the fish around me and all of a sudden there was a sting ray right there touching my legs. Its definitely something you only experience once, if ever.

Me and Coral

 

 

Goal accomplished: Swim with Dolphins--check! 7 down, 23 to go!

Flying Solo (Literally and Figuratively)

While traveling alone was never on my "to-do" list, it is something I am proud of myself for accomplishing. I am also happy that I was able to try it this year during my year of growth. And I have to say, it was a success! I booked the trip alone, traveled on all sorts of public transportation, made plans for recreation activities and ate alone. I was nervous because I don't do many of those things often. Really the trick to traveling alone is just read everything. If you read the emails, the pamphlets, and signs, a smart person can find their way around. In the end it turned out to be very relaxing and I am happy to be able to say I went on vacation and handled everything alone.

Here I am with Mickey!

 

Goal accomplished: Travel alone--check! 6 down, 24 to go!

Suzy Homemaker

Let me just start by saying I do not like cooking. I get grossed out by the look of a lot of raw food and I hate dishes. With that being said, its about time I learned to make a few things. Up until now, I could make the basics... any sort of macaroni, Mexican, and chicken. I can also grill and microwave. I am so sick of the same meals over and over again though. A few weeks ago, my mom helped me make spaghetti sauce from scratch. (Consider the torch passed). In that experience I realized that trying to do it exactly like my mom would drive me crazy, since she is a "just add a little bit" type of cooker. I resigned myself to the fact that I am a planner. I am never going to be able to just whip something up with that I have at home. But I can read a recipe, make a list, and follow directions. So that is exactly what I did today. I made pork chops with baked potatoes and risotto with shrimp all by myself. I read the recipe, deciphered what I thought my mom was trying to say in them, then followed the directions. Piece of cake! Mmm!

 

Goal accomplished: Learn to make 3 new meals--check! 5 down, 25 to go!

More Community Service

Today I did 3 more hours of volunteer work. It was way easier and more fun than my last community service adventure. First off, it was run by a friends church group. I had never met them before but they were all very welcoming and thankful for the help. The work itself was also easier. I helped carry bags, set up tents and tables, and paint kids faces at a Wellness Fair. I'd call it a success.

This is the shirt they had me wear so that people would know I was there to help.

 

8 hours of community service complete, 22 to go!

 

 

Updated List

It's going very well so far. I completed 4 goals and I have started 4 others. I have also added a few more things to the list. I still need 8 more ideas though! Suggestions welcome!

1. Learn a dance
2. Make a $30 donation to a charity
3. Make a list of 30 accomplishments done before 30
4. Touch my toes (been stretching, working on it)
5. Write a book \ get an article published
6. Drive a Porsche
7. Do something meaningful for society
8. Volunteer (5 out of 30 done)
9. Get a tattoo
10. Swim with dolphins
11. Invent something
12. Learn sign language
13. Cook 3 meals without a cookbook or my moms help (1 out of 3 done)
14. Earn a shirt with my name on it
15. Go on the field at a professional baseball game
16. Motorcycle to the shore
17. Visit a castle
18. Go to my ancesters town in Italy
19. Skateboard
20. Learn the drums
21. Go to a Union game- which would mean I have seen every Philly pro team
22. Learn AutoCAD (registered for a class)

$30 donation

In my search for more community service, I found myself skipping over anything that had to do with sick people. I'm not very good with hospitals and spending time with the sick makes me very uncomfortable and nervous. So I have decided that helping sick children could be my monetary donation instead. A friend suggested a $30 donation for my 30 birthday and I put it on the list. Today I made the donation to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. I don't know anyone there, I have no connection to it personally, but they help sick children and that's more than enough for me.

Goal accomplished: Make a $30 donation to charity--check! 4 down, 26 to go!

Recipes

In order to learn how to cook I asked my mom for some recipes. Turns out she had been saving some for years for me and my brother, just waiting for the day when we would ask for them. They are kind of hard to read and she puts little commentary notes in some like "you like this" or "you cant mess this one up." Well, clearly she has more hope in my cooking abilities than I do. I can mess anything up. Once in college I burned taco shells in the microwave. Who does that?! Today I attempted some green smoothies. The directions said add a pomegranate... so I did. Apparently you don't eat the skin of a pomegranate. Oops. How was I supposed to know that? If you are supposed to peel a fruit, they need to say that. I know my moms recipes will need some deciphering, but hopefully I will figure out a few. I am attempting the first one this week. I will let you know how it goes. Stay tuned.

I may not be a good cook, but I'm an excellent organizer.
Here is my new cook-binder!

Close but no cigar

My soccer team went to the playoffs this weekend. This was my first time in a playoff. It was very exciting! I was hoping we would win and get the champion sweatshirts with our name... but we lost. :-( I'll have to try again later for this goal.

Community service comes in all shapes and sizes

When I said that I wanted to do something meaningful for society, I did not have anything particular in mind. So when I got the opportunity today to do some volunteer work, I jumped on it. A new plan came to mind. I will do 30 hours of volunteer work this year and count that as helping society. I usually buy things for less fortunate people around Christmas time but giving my time is a nice new goal. I can do a soup kitchen or a charity event or anything that needs my time and energy. Today I did 5 hours of work with some friends at a local state forest. Basically everyone got in big 4 wheel drive Jeeps and went deep into the woods and picked up other peoples trash. I was hoping the experience would jump start my helping spirit. All it really did, though, was anger me that people are doing such stupid things and then just littering them all over the forest because they know they will get away with it and someone else will clean it up. Cleaning up after druggie litterers wasn't really what I had in mind when I said helping society but at least I did something for someone else (which is the point of community service volunteering). The environment and the forest rangers thanked me. Next time I volunteer my time I will pick a different community service to get a well rounded experience. This goal is definitely not complete yet, but it is started and it has a much clearer directions now. I'll keep you posted as I do more. 5 hours of volunteer work down, at least 25 to go.

Enjoy the ride

When I was younger I wanted a tattoo but my mom was against it and I was too chicken to get one. Last year I decided what I wanted to get (a phrase my dad wrote to me on my 18th birthday and a reminder to enjoy life) and was prepared to get it. My dad pointed out that I was almost 30 so I might as well wait until my birthday and make it a treat for the milestone. I figured that was a good idea because then I went a solid year with the idea in my head. The time is finally here. My brother took me to the tattoo shop in Philly as a birthday gift. I was excited but prepared for it to hurt. I was pleasantly surprised by how little it hurt and how quickly it was done.

I'm very happy with the end result!

 

 Here it is the day I got it.

This is me and the artist. My brother's friend is in the background.

 

 

Goal accomplished: Get a tattoo--check! 27 to go! 

Go big or go home

I have always loved Porsches. Boxsters are my favorite! I don't know why I love them so much, but I do. I have sat in them at the Auto Show a few times. I also got to ride in one when I was 17 because my cousins boyfriend owned one. From then on, I've always wanted to drive one. Yesterday I rented myself a 2011 Porsche Boxster Spyder. I spent the whole day just driving around. It was amazing!

 

Here I am in the drivers seat.

 This is the car. There is still snow on the ground, but not on the road so it didn't stop me.

 

 

Goal accomplished: Drive a Porsche--check! 2 down!

Been There, Done That

When I started seeing bucket lists online and thinking about my own, I quickly realized that I had done a lot of things already.  It seemed logical to me to start my goals with "making a list of 30 things you have accomplished before turning 30." (thanks to my friend for thinking of this idea) So here it goes...

1. Gone parasailing, jetskiing, waterskiing, and surfing (all one time things, but all fun)
2. Read the classic novels (One summer I decided to reread all of the books I read in high school)
3. Been in a commercial (I wanted to be on real tv or in a movie but I was in an internet commercial so I am counting it)
4. Got my name on a plaque (It is in my high schools courtyard. Check it out next time you are there)
5. Been in a parade (One year me and my dad tried to go to as many parades as we could in a year, then I volunteered as a balloon handler in the Thanksgiving parade)
6. Learned to drive a motorcycle (The day I graduated grad school I said "now what am I going to do?" and my parents said "something you enjoy" and that was that)
7. Played the piano (My roommate and I did this together as a New Years resolution one year)
8. Gotten my masters degree
9. Been to 18 states: California, Nevada, Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan (Michigan was only for a few hours but it counts)
10. Been zip lining (and a belay)
11. Learned to be a barista (I hated the job but the skill is nice to have)
12. Climbed the steps up the Statue of Liberty
13. Been to the Brickyard (when I was in 4th grade)
14. Been to a World Series game (when the Phillies played the Blue Jays and it rained for the entire night)
15. Watched the sunrise over the ocean (yay East coast living)
16. Seen the Christmas tree lighting at Rockefeller center (with college friends)
17. Won a sandcastle contest (in Florida with my friend at the time)
18. Seen a Broadway show (I wasn't as exciting as I thought it would be. Next time maybe a musical)
19. Flown in a bi-plane (for Fathers Day 2 years ago)
20. Climbed a mountain (with my Uncle when we went to visit him in Nevada)
21. Run a 10K (It felt like torture at the time, but I was happy when I finished it)
22. Witnessed the change of a millennium (My great grandchildren will probably find this more exciting than any of you reading this now)
23. Rode a horse (Did not enjoy it. If the animal wants to go left and I want to go right, who has the power)
24. Seen a shooting star and found a four leaf clover (I can still remember exactly where it was in the field too)
25. Gone snorkeling (Don't worry, I didn't see anything dangerous)
26. Volunteered to help the less fortunate (every year at Christmas time and once for Habitat)
27. Seen a professional baseball, football, basketball and hockey game
28. Gotten slimed (ah, the joys of being a teacher)
29. Seen the Brady Bunch house (Its in California)
30. Been chosen as a volunteer in a Disney World show (I don't remember the name of it but I had to put on a huge jumpsuit and they dumped water on me as part of one of the shows. It was in a pretend boat at MGM)

And just for your curiosity, the things I have no desire to ever do...
Run a marathon (see #21 above)
Go on a cruise (Im claustrophobic and get sea sick, plus we have all seen Titanic)
Jump out of a plane (no thanks!)


There you have it! Goal accomplished: List 30 things you have done before turning 30--check! One down, 29 to go!

The List

I don't have 30 things on the list yet. But since its time to start crossing some off, I decided to start with what I had. I can add more as I think of them or as people suggest them. So far some friends have already given me some ideas. They said... 

• Learn a dance
• Make a $30 donation to a charity
• Make a list of 30 accomplishments done before 30

I am going to add those to my own ideas. In no particular order...

• Touch my toes
• Write a book \ get an article published
• Drive a Porsche
• Do something meaningful for society
• Get a tattoo
• Swim with dolphins
• Invent something
• Learn sign language
• Cook 3 meals without a cookbook or my moms help
• Earn a shirt with my name on it
• Go on the field at a professional baseball game
• Motorcycle to the shore

And even though these involve traveling I'm going to include them...

• Visit a castle
• Go to my ancesters town in Italy

As I complete something, I will be sure to take pictures. I know some of them seem strange, but I will explain as I go why I put each thing on the list. And remember, suggestions are welcome.

Birthday month

Its March! Ready, go!

The Rules

While thinking about my year and goals, I came up with 3 simple rules when creating my bucket/30 list.
First, I did not put anything on the list that I have done before. Most years I make a New Years resolution and try to accomplish something. I also try to do the things I want to try. So I have a long list of things I have already done. I kept these previous accomplishments off of the new list.
Rule number 2: I did not include anything that depends on others, fate, or luck to accomplish. Some things that I want that I did not put on the list for this reason are meeting a celebrity and having a song written about me. While I still think they are cool things and I would love for them to happen, I do not have the power to make them happen. So they were removed from the list.
Lastly, I did not include anything unattainable. For example, I've always wanted to go to the Olympics. But since we can't turn back time and make me train to be the best in the world at something, we are going to have to accept that some things will never happen.

That's it! Plain and simple. Nothing already done, nothing out of my control, and nothing unattainable.  Anything else is fair game!

Under construction

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