A couple of friends and I have been working on our “30 Before 30″ lists.  The only rule is that the items have to be things that are within your control – winning the Lottery and marrying Clive Owen are, unfortunately, OUT of my control.  Below is my list of 30 things I need to do before January 20, 2013 – that averages to about one a month between now (8/31/2010) and my 3oth birthday.  I will be crossing out and posting about each item on my blog as I complete them, I’m pretty excited about this little challenge!

UPDATE: After discussing with the group, we’ve decided that we have until the eve of our 31st birthdays to complete the list. So now it needs to be completed by 11:59pm on 1/19/2014.

Here’s my list, in no specific order:

1. Road trip cross country with Essie
2. Go whale watching 9/7/12
3. Hike through the Grand Canyon
4. Complete a half marathon
5. Hike to Machu Picchu 4/21/11
6. Visit Patagonia 4/29/11
7. Learn how to snowboard 3/6/13
8. Fit into Tessa’s Kenya jeans
9. Attempt to get one of my travel stories published 8/12/11
10. Captain the Emma Rose
11. Plan for and leave on a spontaneous trip – all within the same week 3/4/13
12. Sing a solo Karaoke song
13. Become involved with a charity on this side of the pond
14. Learn to use a sewing machine 2/26/12
15. Participate in a Speed Date (wing man welcome!)
16. Visit an authentic Chicago Blues Bar 2/3/12
17. Get my SCUBA certification in a cool, exotic place 1/28/12
18. Read the unabridged version of Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
19. Take my parents out for a nice dinner
20. Take a Spanish refresher course 4/6/11
21. Take a trip with my high school girl friends to somewhere warm and beachy
22. Go to a Bears game at Soldier Field
23. Bike from Charlevoix to Harbor Springs on the Lakefront Trail
24. Host another arts show to highlight my work
25. Go on a Chicago River architecture tour 9/12/11
26. Pitch a photojournalism story to a local publication and see if they bite
27. Drive the Blue Ridge Parkway with no schedule – as many stops as I want
28. Go to Lollapalooza (perhaps with a press pass??) 8/5/11
29. Create and give a presentation about the IDP situation in Kenya in hopes of inspiring people to become involved 9/16/10
30. Visit my cousin in Denver