A List: 28 by 29

After seemingly on a whim chopping my hair and getting my ear pierced, I was asked what had gotten into me by a few people. And I think it was my 29th birthday coming up quickly over the horizon and wanting to add more things to the list of things making 28 the best year yet.

So, in the Keigley kitchen, the Sunday 2 weeks before my birthday, we made a list.

28 things to do before I turn 29 in 2 weeks. Averaging out to 2 things a day.

And as it turns out, a list of things to accomplish in a short amount of time makes life way more fun to me who functions highly off of accomplishing things and seeing work complete. That is a principle about myself I have learned in the last year or so. Giving myself challenges and things to look forward to on a regular basis really does help to make life more fun and create more happiness.

And here is the list:

1. Chop hair - done, thanks Torrye for the initial cut, and read this about the rest.

2. Pierce ear - after a whim trip to the mall to try and do this and not accomplish it a few weeks prior, because you can't pierce cartilage at the piercing pagoda anymore, Torrye, Kendall and myself ventured to Bad Monkey, where our friend is a tattoo artist, and Torrye and I were pierced.

3. Eat Indian food - it seems my tastes have drastically changed. I want to try any and all new foods in front of me (well not all necessarily). So Indian it was. I have never had it. So we went to Chai Pani in Asheville. And it was mmm mmmm good!
 

4. Jog a whole lap around the lake at Look Up - until about a month or 2 ago, I disliked running. And with my tastes it seems my activity styles have changed. I like running, er, jogging is more accurate, now but hadn't ventured off the treadmill. So I did. And I liked it.

5. Sunrise at the orchard - for being the lover of sunrise that I am, I hadn't made my way to the orchard for sunrise at camp in my 2+ years here. I can see it from my kitchen, so I guess I thought that was good enough. I thought wrong. It was beautiful from the hill and well worth the cold.
 

6. Watch a foreign film - as far as I could remember, I had not seen one, but then I remembered I saw Amelie years ago, but it was on the list, so I did it. I wanted an artsy subtitled flick, but couldn't get my hands on one in a reasonable amount of time. So I watched The Gods Must be Crazy. It was an enjoyable film.

7. Get a pet - I bought a beta fish. It died in 3 days. It was sad. I bought a new one 2 days ago. He is still alive. His name is Franklin.
 

8. Drive thru – pay behind you - Did this at Starbucks, and we had purchased the same drink.

9. Get rid of 28 things in my house - I cheated on this one. The recycling was overflowing so I took it out and I am certain it consisted of plenty more than 28 things.

10. Sleep in my hammock - I also cheated on this one. Sleep in the hammock happened, yes, for about an hour, but there was a light shining in and a dog barking and I was in a basement hanging from rafters and decided this was silly and I wanted a good nights sleep.

11. Hike table rock - and in record time! 2 hours and 45 minutes hike time. We enjoyed the top for an hour or so. I got terrible blisters from new shoes. It was possibly the most enjoyable hike I have ever been on.
 

 

12. Write a poem - limerick to be exact. See below:

 

13. Write 28 notes - mailed off this week.

14. Finish an unfinished project - moved a bench to the campfire ring and straightened it for a more functional and enjoyable evening gathering.

15. Buy something you don’t need - Willy Wonka was the choice. I have been picking it up in the $5 movie bin every visit to Walmart for the past month and putting it down and saying, I don't need this. So I bought it.

 

16. Finish a book - The Happiness Project was the book of choice. Great read. And I think I might be happier because of it.

17. Drink a whole cup of black coffee - why I want to do this, people ask. To be more socially adept is the answer. And I have now had 3 whole cups of black coffee. Disliking it less and less with each sip.
 

18. Complete a painting - with not having an art room currently, I haven't been painting. So I painted.

 

19 - 21. 3 things off Pinterest boards - Granola, Zucchini Chips, and Skinny Peanut Butter Pie. All were delish! (except the first batch of granola that burned.)

22. Work out 28 miles - With the hike to Table Rock and the new joy in running, this was pretty easy actually. I went well over.
 

23. Talk to a friend - I caught up with a friend that I hadn't spoken to in 5 years. It was great.

24. Help a friend - This one morphed from the original list. I helped the rooms with her wedding invites.

25. Write a letter to the editor - I wrote one. I didn't send it. Cheating? maybe.

26. Eat at the Hungry Drover - a lovely little establishment about 10 minutes from camp. The food is super good and not super over priced.

27. Complete a playlist for my phone - I did not accomplish this one before the deadline, and haven't fully yet. I did however make a running mix for the phone, so that was a start.

28. Find a new band to like - thanks to Kevin and Mitchell for their recommendations. I now like Black Prairie and Run River North.


* next up, 30 things by 30. I hope to complete the list this weekend. Apparently this is a popular thing to do and I have found some fun resources via Google search. Suggestions still welcome.