30 in 30

My good friend Tasha (link goes to her awesome cooking blog) embarked on a meaningful personal quest on the eve of her 30th birthday. She has made a list of 30 things she wants to accomplish in her 30th year*, and I think it's a great idea and I'll be cheering her on the whole way. I want to try setting some of my own goals for the year, even though I've already had three months of "30" go by... do you think it would be cheating if I use some things I did in those months and count them as already crossed off? I could transform it into a New Years resolutions list, but given my history with those, I feel that giving a project such a label is dooming it to failure.

What are my 30 goals? I've never been good at goal-setting, so this is very hard. What's realistic? Do I want to be unrealistic and list some crazy stuff?

1. Learn to hem pants and sew on buttons.
2. Figure out how to French braid my hair.
3. Make homemade pasta from scratch.
4. Bake homemade bread from scratch. The real stuff. With yeast!
5. Start my retirement savings.
6. Paint the red room yellow.
7. Plant a tree in the yard.
8. Drive on 95.
9. Get my body into good enough shape to start growing a baby in it. This includes the loss of 20 pounds, but is mostly about feeling healthier.
10. Related to #9 - Find a GYN and stop stalling about it!
    
11. Blog at least once a week - and blog about everything I accomplish off the list!
12. Get a filing system set up so I stop having to hunt for all my important paperwork.
13. Speak up for myself at my annual review at work and tell them I'm awesome.
14. Read 50 books, or about one a week, this year.
15. Participate in Thing-a-day in February.
16. Take a yoga class.
17. Go through all our STUFF and have a yard sale to get rid of what we don't need (or give it to charity). I want to keep what we need, and what matters.
18. Learn how to identify different trees by their leaves/needles/bark/whatever. I used to know this and forgot everything, so I'm going to read up on it and put it back in my head.
19. Learn to change a tire.
20. See the night sky from somewhere dark enough that I can see the stripe of the Milky Way.
21. Find out how to get tuition reimbursement from work, and then apply for an online class.
22. Go on a wonderful anniversary trip with my husband.
23. Drink 8 cups of water EVERY DAY.
24. Do one of the FlyLady challenges weekly.
25. Try to relax and be less critical of myself (and others).
26. Celebrate getting my green card with a party or fancy night out.
27. Visit the Museum of American History and see every part of it (and read as much as I can handle of the info posted beside everything). I've been but the visit was so hurried and I need to go back.
    
28. Wear my face moisturizer with SPF so I don't get wrinkly.
29. Cook things from the family cookbook Mom gave me.
30. Write. More than just blogs. Start a writing notebook, fill it up, get another.
    

Looking at my list now, I guess it's a blend of resolutions and dreams and a to-do list, and that's ok. As long as I manage to accomplish some from each category, it'll balance out in the end. And I think balance is probably what I need most.

*Yes, I realize that this is actually her 31st year, but that doesn't matter and stop being picky.