Progress is progress

I knew it would be difficult to find time to write a blog, it's difficult to find time to do much of anything! I've decided not to structure or limit my posts to simply the "30 Before 30" concept, because it will take a long while for most of those to be accomplished...and in the meantime, I have to write about something!  

I have made some progress with some of the 30- I bought postcard stamps for #7, I made my first payment to #6, and I have been making more time for #1. What can I say, any forward progress is still progress! 

Title Page and Inspiration

So, I find it difficult to come up with titles. A friend told me I should just name the blog 30 Before 30, which in all honesty makes sense, but was boring. She also told me, if I have to explain the title, it's not a good title--but I honestly don't think I'd have to explain the title if people knew the source of inspiration for it. So, below I am posting one of my favorite poems, I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud, by William Wordsworth:

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine

And twinkle on the milky way,

They stretched in never-ending line

Along the margin of a bay:

Ten thousand saw I at a glance,

Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they

Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:

A poet could not but be gay,

In such a jocund company:

I gazed—and gazed—but little thought

What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And dances with the daffodils.

(I have a book with this poem in it, but copied the source from) http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/174790 

To me this poem is one of the most beautiful I've read and reread because it is a simple reminder of the beauty we take for granted in our lives and the memories we make that we can look back upon...Tell me what you think!

Smell the Roses, Dance with Daffodils, 30 Before 30

  I've come to the realization that I am going through the motions of daily life, trying to get everything done that needs to be done (working, studying, chores, etc) and not really enjoying the moment and the experiences available to me. So I've decided to join the masses in writing a 30 Before 30 blog. This is by no means my bucket list, just a way to remind myself to start living in the moment, putting myself out there to experience new things, and seeing the beauty in everyday life. Follow along as I figure out this blogging thing and write about my journey...and if you'd like to be my partner in crime on any of these adventures, let me know!

Today is my 28th birthday, so I've got 2 years to go...

1.    Finish one of the writing projects/novels I have been       working on (doesn’t matter if it gets published, I just want to say I FINISHED IT!)

2.    Skydive

3.    Watch a live taping of Ellen Degeneres in LA

4.    Gamble in Las Vegas

5.    Finish a 5K, 10K, half-marathon, and full marathon

6.    Pay off at least 1 Student Loan

7.     Send a secret to Post Secret

8.     Take a dance class

9.     Get to my ideal weight

10. Donate my hair (for the 4^th time!) and get an ‘adult’   haircut

11.   Go to Napa Valley

12.   Road trip the Pacific Coast Highway

13.   Get a real job, with benefits!

14.   Go to Coachella or Bonnaroo; one of the camping music   festivals!

15.   Mardi Gras in New Orleans

16.   Learn how to paint

17.   Learn how to drive STANDARD

18.   Spend New Years in Times Square

19.   Play on a soccer team again

20.   Watch the sunrise and the sunset; sitting outside, relaxing, enjoying the moment

21.   Do a 365 photo project

22.   Make a playlist with a great song from each year I’ve been alive (1985à)

23.  Go vegan for a week

24.  30 Random acts of kindness (or more)

25.  Take a photography class

26.  Take advantage of the great city I live in (Chicago) and play tourist for a day

27.  Watch a Bears game AT SOLDIER FIELD

28.  Hike the Grand Canyon and watch the sunrise/sunset

29.  Learn to ski

30.  Grow my own fresh herbs

Back-up ideas/ more stuff I want to do but don’t have room on “the list” for and will likely take more time

31.   Watch every movie in the 501 Must See Movies book

32.   Read every book in the 501 Must Read book

33.   Become proficient at the piano and guitar

34.   Learn to sew: at least the basics (hemming pants, fixing holes, etc)

35.    Read, or listen to the Bible from start to finish