Back in January, I posted a bucket list that used my 22nd birthday as a deadline (#RCG22todo). Many of you were there along the way as I checked things off, and we made some lovely memories! Most I achieved, some were bumped to 23 To Do Before I'm 23, and a few are in progress. Here's my check-in:
- Eat at Lucky 13 (because I'm 21 and they'll let me in now...)
- They really do make a dang good burger. I want to try every single one.
- Take a spin class
- I took a few at the student life center at school and loved it!
- Buy some cowboy boots
- I have a pair picked out and plan to have them by the end of the month!
- Create a gallery wall in my room
- I have a designated pile of things I want on the gallery wall, I just haven't
framed and hung them all yet. I do, though, have two friends who are
basically expert gallery wall creators, who are coming up to help me
assemble it. I'm so excited to see it come together!
- Run a 5k race
- While I have run 3.1 miles in the last seven months, I haven't paid to do so in a race setting.
- Get a manicure
- "Hmm, I wanna keep to that list...twist my arm, I'll get a manicure." ;) I
got pretty white gel and it was just perfect for the wedding I attended.
It felt luxurious and fancy to have nice nails.
- Take a road trip
- My road trip buddy and I left at 2:30am on a Friday for the 11 hour
drive to California for our friend's wedding. We explored Vegas a little,
jammed to Styx and Billy Joel, and had pillow fights in the gas station
parking lot. Some of my favorite summer memories.
- Go sledding
- I went with a bunch of friends around February, including a gal from
Guatemala who was sledding for the first time ever! It was adorable, and
she was a natural.
- Practice basic calligraphy
- I have a friend that shares this interest, and she has graciously
offered to share her cool supplies with me soon and teach me the basics. My snail mail is about to get prettier.
- Meet my new niece
- Correction: obsess over my new niece! I finally met her at 3 months old and she's perfect.
- Go on a hike
- We hiked along the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and it was so beautiful.
- Eat at a new restaurant (Lucky 13 excluded)
- Art City Trolley in Springville. Delicious food and a cool set up.
- Go camping
- I had never been on a proper camping trip, and I thought it was about time
to try. We camped for 4 days and 3 nights in West Yellowstone and
Grand Teton National Park. I loved it so much more than I thought I would and look forward to going again. (We went canoeing, too; see photo.)
- Visit home
- I went home to Idaho to see my youngest brother graduate high school. In
true big sister fashion, I squealed about 10 times over how cute and
grown up he was in that cap and gown.
- Read 2 books (NOT textbooks!)
- Edenbrooke and Blackmoore by Julianne Donaldson, and My Story by Elizabeth Smart.
- Buy the order behind me in a drive-thru
- I bought the Dr. Pepper for the woman behind me at McDonald's one afternoon. :)
- Volunteer somewhere
- I always ended up being out of town for the events I had in mind, so I plan to make up for it in the next year.
- Go stargazing
- A favorite summer memory contender: we gals talked late into the night around the fire at our Jenny Lake campground, slouched back in our chairs to look at the stars, and listened to R&B. We hadn't a care in the world and that was beautiful.
- Go to a drive-in movie
- Well, this didn't happen, so it's bumped to the next list!
- Go to a ballet
- By the time I had a free enough schedule and money to go, the Ballet West season was over. This year, though, I'll be prepared!
- Shadow an attorney
- I went to court alongside the three attorneys I work for and geeked out the whole time. Very cool and informative.
- Go to a Jazz game
- This was the first thing I accomplished after posting the list. We played the Lakers that night, so I saw Kobe play!
All in all, I loved having this list as a guide. It gave me purpose and pushed me to explore the world that awaited me outside of my comfort zone (looking at you, camping). Taking the time to write down what I wanted to do and see, even simple things like getting a manicure, made them real and held me accountable. As a result, I had a really fun 7 months of new experiences, big and small, that made me feel alive. To cap it all off, I enjoyed the most wonderful backyard birthday party (gingham-themed, of course) with sweet friends who spoiled me. I felt like the coolest girl in the world and was so so happy. Thanks for following along. Now let's go crush the next list together!
Here's to being 22!
