Happy Birthday to Me...

Today is my birthday.


I am 28 years old.


This year, as a present to myself, I decided to make a list of 28 things to do when I am 28. I picked all kinds of things… spiritual, emotional, and physical. It’s kind of a mish-mosh of all kinds of ideas that have been floating in my head. It’s kind of crazy up there, but I’m going to let you take a peek into my brain. I made sure that everything that I picked was totally achievable and able to be done over the next year. This isn’t a list of things I wish I could do or crazy out-there ideas. These are things that I actually want to do to help make my life better. So here it is… my list of 28 things to do when I’m 28.


1. Attend mass twice each month.
I really want to get back into the habit of going to church each week. I want to have a relationship with God and I think this will be a good start.

2. Volunteer at least twice.
I used to be part of a service sorority, Gamma Sigma Sigma. I would do volunteer work several times each month. I haven’t done any real volunteer work since leaving college. I love the feeling I get when I volunteer and I miss it.

3. Blog every week.
Obviously, I’ve been slacking on this whole blogging thing. Hopefully, with this list, it will help give me something to blog about each week. And if not, you get to hear about my boring life.

4. Read six books.
Haven’t read a book in quite some time. I actually enjoy reading, but I always tell myself that I just don’t have time. This year, I’m going to make time.

5. Knit or crochet two blankets.
I enjoy knitting and I just learned to crochet. It’s a great way to spend some time and relax. So far, I’ve only made blankets for other people. I want at least one for myself.

6. Knit a pair of socks.
Like I said, I love knitting. I have yet to venture into the area of socks. I recently purchased a book. Now I just need to try it.

7. Scrapbook our wedding and honeymoon.
I don’t want it to be years from now before I get these pictures in an album. My friend is always asking me to do some scrapbooking with her. This year, I’ll take her up on the offer.

8. Run two 5Ks.
In the last couple years, I’ve told people I was going to run a 5k. I even paid for and signed up for one. Yet, here I am at 28, still not completing a 5k. This year, I’m doing two.

9. Workout twice each week.
This shouldn’t be too hard, since this is something I do regularly, but I want to make sure that I actually keep up with it.

10. Lose ten pounds (and maintain).
In the past few months, I’ve gained a few pounds. Now it’s time to get it back off. I know this is something I can do once I set my mind to it… well, my mind is set.

11. Get together with a friend each month.
Each month, I go to a Girls’ Night In. I’m hoping to continue that throughout this year. But even if GNI gets cancelled, I need to make sure I make time to see my friends.

12. Spend time with a family member each month.
Family is so important to me. It doesn’t have to be every single family member each month, but I want to spend time with someone in my family each month, whether it’s a sibling, parent, niece, cousin, aunt, uncle, grandparent, or in-laws.

13. Go to a Blues hockey game.
I’ve only been to one Blues hockey game in my life. My husband has only been to one also. It wasn’t with each other. This year, we’re going to make sure to go together.

14. Go to a Cardinals baseball game.
This is a yearly pastime for me. But I couldn’t leave it off my list. I love the Cardinals!

15. Plan a vacation.
I think vacations are important. Everyone needs time away. Justin and I are going to enjoy planning our second big vacation together.

16. Plan two day trips.
Day trips can be so much fun, yet Justin and I never plan them. This year, we’re going to plan at least two. I’ve got some great ideas, but we’ll see what we come up with.

17. Go camping.
I was in scouts until I was 18. My husband grew up in small town Missouri, spending weekends camping in the wilderness. We’ve never been camping together. Not sure what kind of camping it will be (Justin is convinced it’s not camping if you have running water), but we will be camping!

18. Take photos at each new event.
The past year, I just don’t have that many pictures. And that makes me sad. I want to make sure I take lots of pictures this year so I can look back at all the fun things we’ve done.

19. Plan a date every month.
Justin and I have never been very good about going on actual dates. This year, we’re going to take turns planning dates for ourselves and spending some quality time together.

20. Go on a walk with Justin each week.
This goes hand-in-hand with #19. A weekly walk will give us time to spend together and talk about life.

21. Cook one new dinner idea each month.
I tend to eat rotate the same few dinner ideas every couple weeks. It gets boring for Justin who is much more adventurous in eating. I want to be more adventurous in eating, so this is my start.

22. Attend a cooking class.
And to help with those new dinner ideas, I’ve decided to take a cooking class. How am I supposed to know how to cook all these new foods without someone to teach me?

23. Grow some type of veggie or fruit.
I’ve never grown my own food before. I know I don’t like many vegetables, but I really thought it would be fun to try and grow my own strawberries, tomatoes, or herbs.

24. Clean the house each month.
Now I’m not saying my house never gets cleaned now, but nowhere near as much as it needs to be. I plan to divide the house into four areas and each week, I’ll tackle an area.

25. Purchase my first car.
I’m 28 and I’ve never purchased my own car. Yes I have a car that is mine, but it was gifted to me. I know it’s a financial burden, but it will be pretty cool to be able to say I bought my own car.

26. Save $10,000.
There are a lot of things that Justin and I want to do in the future. Let’s be honest, most of those things take money. I’m hoping to have this much in savings, even after our big vacation and putting down money on my new car.

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Some things I just am not going to share. The last two items are a little more personal to me, so I won’t be sharing them on this blog. Just know, there are 28 items on my list and I will be working to complete them all.

When I realized that I was going to be turning 28, I actually started to worry. 28 seems so much older than 27. But now, I’m actually really excited about this next year! Here's to me and my bucket list!