i turned 29 last month.  29.  i don't really feel much older but i know i am, you know what i mean?  like i keep finding myself thinking about how i can be more of an "adult" and make decisions that will benefit me in the long run.  i'm even instinctively going to bed earlier .... what the heck?  does your body just know that at a certain age it's time to start acting old?  its weird.  part of me likes it and part of me wishes i was still 22 and running around town like there would never be any consequences to acting that way.  ahhhh, the good ol days.  anyways, 29 is off to a good start and i'm actually, secretly, a little excited to be one year closer to 30.  because, you know, being 29 means i'm one year closer to being a responsible adult, and that just comes naturally at 30, right? (please say yes!)  ha!

to celebrate 29, i've put together a list of 29 things i want to do during my 29th year of life.  i'll try to keep the list updated and cross things off as i do them, and of course share some stories along the way!  

let's do this, 29!

1. go camping at the beach

2. pay off my credit cards

3. go to knots berry farm

4. go to a dodgers baseball game

5. join a wine club

6. get a massage

7. go to the snow

8. roast a whole chicken

9. throw a dinner party

10. send a friend a goodie package

11. go to san francisco

12. take more pictures

13. plant a garden

14. drive up the 101 

15. follow my dietary restrictions more closely

16. see family more

17. save 10% of every paycheck

18. get a promotion

19. get a gym membership & use it

20. go to vegas

21. blog more

22. go to the beach more this summer

23. buy a new computer

24. visit seattle

25. fix up the trailer

26. move in with dylan

27. brush up on my spanish

28. take more time for my girlfriends

29. be happy

23 things i've never done

I saw this post over on Rachel's blog and thought it seemed like a lot of fun so I decided to try to come up with 23 things that I've never done - one for each year of my life!  

I've never ...  

1.   gone skydiving

2.   been to south america

3.   been to a haunted trail / theme park / house

4.   died my hair dark

5.   gotten a professional massage

6.   lived anywhere other than southern cali

7.   gone skinny dipping in the ocean

8.   seen titanic the whole way through

9.   owned a pair of jeans that cost more than $30

10. baked a cake from scratch

11. eaten a whole orange (i only suck out the juice)

12. done a true outfit post on the blog

13. drank and enjoyed straight whiskey on the rocks

14. had my belly button pierced

15. been baptized

16. eaten a shrimp cocktail

17. been in a wedding

18. been scuba diving

19. wiggled my ears

20. gotten my eyebrows waxed

21. spent a nye away from my mom & dad

22. been to niagara falls

23. read a whole harry potter or twilight book

a bucket list to end the year

Hey guys, happy Monday!  Can you believe September is already half-way over?  I can't.  I feel like summer just started and now it's already fall.  Don't get me wrong, fall is my favorite season and I wish it could last forever, but I just feel like this year is flying by, and that's so not okay.  I want to be able to enjoy the seasons (or what we have of them here in so cal) and really take advantage of everything they have to offer.  So here you go, my "goodbye 2011" bucket list.

1. Read at least one book each month
2. Go to the movies by myself
3. Visit San Diego once a month
4. Find something free to-do in Orange County twice a month
5. Dates with dad once a month 
6. Meet my weight loss goal
7. Get an "A" in my class
8. Purchase a new camera with the money I'm saving
9. Save 80% of every pay check
10. Go snowboarding at least once
11. Buy my grandparents Christmas gifts that are meaningful
12. Take my parents out to dinner for their birthdays
13. Plan a girls' night with old high school friends
14. Spend time with my cousin 
15. Explore a new part of Orange County once a month
16. Drive around looking at Christmas lights
17. Go to the lighting of the Christmas Tree at the Ritz Carlton
18. Watch the sunset from the pier
19. Bake something from scratch
20. Learn photoshop
21. Go wine tasting
22. Visit at least two breweries in Orange County
23. Try a new sushi roll
24. Find a second job
25. Get bangs

I'm excited to start crossing things off the list; wonder where I should start??  Have you thought about what you want to do before the end of the year?  There's only about 3 months left! 

Link up your bucket lists and let's all end the year with some fun!

Update: Summer Bucket List v.2

via

Hey hey hey!  I can't believe it's already half way through September, where has this month gone?  Although technically it is fall, the weather here is still trying to hold on to summer, death grip style.  This summer was a bit of a whirlwind for me and although it was fun, it was stressful and full of to-do lists.  Which got me thinking of my Summer Bucket List and hoping that I was able to complete most of the things I put on there.  Anything I didn't can roll-over to the fall, right?

As of August 1st, I had crossed off 11 out of 30 things on my list.  Now I'm at 20 out of 30 - not too bad for a crazy productive summer I had.  And some of the things weren't even possible, so I don't feel so bad not getting to cross them off.

Plus, I'm starting a new one for the rest of the year.  A "Goodbye 2011 Bucket List" - everything you want to accomplish before the year is over.  Wanna join?  Start thinking of your bucket list this weekend and I'll have a link up ready on Monday!!

My Summer Bucket List (as of 9/15/11)

1. Host a cocktail and hor d'oeuvres night at my apartment for my girl friends.
2. Meet up with a friend at least once a week for lunch. (reunited with old friends when I moved back home, good times)
3. Find a full time job. (6.7.11 - have 3 jobs which equals a full time job!)  (8.1.11 - no job since I moved home) (as of 8.23 i've been working full time - for target!)
4. Take a summer school class. (enrolled in classes for the fall, to me that counts!)
5. Get back into photography. (& currently saving for a new fancy cam!)
6. Go camping.
7. Go to a Padres game and buy the cheap seats & bring dinner.
8. Day trip to LA.
9. Weekend trip to Santa Barbara.
10. Find a class at the gym I love and never miss it.
11. Go for a bike ride on the beach. (my bikes gone, so walking will have to do!)
12. Clean out my room and get rid of things I don't use / need.
13. Go for a picnic in Balboa Park. (picnic @ a park back home, since I'm not in SD!)
14. Explore the San Diego neighborhoods.
15. Have a movie night full of chick flicks.
16. Learn to cook a new favorite meal.
17. Use my crock pot.
18. Buy a blender and make delicious fresh fruit smoothies.
19. Get a tan.
20. Enjoy being single & minglin'.
21. Visit at least one museum in Balboa Park.
22. See a play or musical.
23. Paint my nails every week. (painted them almost every week)
24. Visit my parents twice a month. (moved home so I see them every day!)
25. Explore a new brewery (or two). (didn't go to a new one, but went to one I hadn't been to in a long time, good enough!)
26. Go see a concert. (Doobie Brothers, Young the Giant)
27. Go to the beach and get in the water.
28. Go line dancing at Incahoots.
29. Take a trip to Laguna Beach with my mom and go to the Sawdust Festival.
30. Visit my family in Redlands and Long Beach for a weekend.


Did you cross off everything on your Summer Bucket List?
What kinds of things would you put on your Goodbye 2011 Bucket List?  
Be ready to link-up on Monday!!