My 28 for 28 List

Author's note: Yes, I am totally copying Molly over at Wicked Cheap in Boston.

Since my birthday is in October, I'll be 28 for most of 2013. As I mentioned in my previous post, 2012 was a really difficult year for me, in many ways. So I want 2013 to be awesome. And with that wish, I know comes some personal responsibility  So I've decided to make a list of goals for my 28th year. These are not New Year's resolutions and it is not a bucket list. That gives me nine months to accomplish the following (in no particular order):

1. Run a 5K - I've only run one once...in 2009. I'm thinking about this one. I began my "couch-to-5K" training last night.
2. Use my scuba diving certification - for the first time since 2008. This could possibly be incorporated with #19.
3. Try 28 new recipes.
4. Host a dinner party - brunch is OK, too. Will be easier once #7 is accomplished.
5. Make 28 crafts I've pinned on Pinterest - at the time of this post, I had 60 pinned.
6. Pick up a second job or something else doing what I love but also making money - could be freelancing, making the shelves at Target look as OCD as I feel, or finally starting the event planning business a certain BFF and I have talked about.
7. Get my own place.
8. Lose at least 10 pounds - my health has made this impossible for the last three years but I'm determined to take the reins.
9. Keep a plant alive until I turn 29 - I will buy it before the end of January so that's eight months.
10. Pull an April Fool's prank - I've been wanting to do this for years but have been "too mature."
11. Use my cast iron skillet for nine different recipes.
12. Make dog treats for Rags at least once a month.
13. Take Rags to the dog park at least once a month, unless the dog therapist - I mean trainer - coming next week tells me otherwise.
14. Do more yoga.
15. Get a passport - using it is another story.
16. Travel to a state I've haven't been to yet - driving through doesn't count. This appears to be accomplishable February 21-24 when I travel to Dallas, Texas for a Junior League conference.
17. Donate blood - something else I haven't been allowed to do because of my thyroid.
18. Visit Niagara Falls.
19. Attend a home University of Florida football game - the plan is for the September 21 Tennessee game!
20. Acquire gear for backpacking and use it at least once.
21. Go hiking and/or kayaking nine times.
22. Watch every movie nominated for Oscars Best Picture (I've seen 1 of 9 - Django Unchained).
23. Read all of the 2013 fiction and nonfiction finalists for the National Book Award as well as the previous 15 years' worth of Pulitzer Prize Best Fiction winners.
24. Visit friends I haven't seen in a while, traveling to at least five cities to do so. Boston counts. So does incorporating #16.
25. This is kind of cheating, but I'd like to accomplish Fat Mum Slim's 20 Ordinary Things.
26. Go to a concert. Music was such a big part of my life for such a long time, but live music has really fallen off my list of priorities over the years.
27. Complete some sort of fast. I bought a juicer and still use it occasionally, but I really want to do, at the very least, a three-day juice fast. However, I'm addicted to my morning coffee so I'd need to wean off of it before doing the fast - it's the only reason my first (and only) fasting attempt failed.
28. Send someone a letter, for no real reason, other than to tell them how important they are in my life. I hesitated to include this one because I don't want everyone who doesn't receive this letter to feel left out or disappointed. You all know who you are. I just want to pick a random person, and brighten their day a little.

I wanted to add "keep a boyfriend" but that's selfish (maybe unrealistic?) and–in the grand scheme of things–not nearly as fun or motivating as the other 28. And those of you whom I love dearly know there's a 29th goal on here that is not for public consumption, but it's on there nonetheless.