The List: Year 4 Progress
 |
| Relaxing oceanside in Bonaire! |
The first four years of my 30s are now documented below on my 34th birthday! So far I've completed 26 of the original 40 items plus an additional 12 bonus items. I'm 40% through the timeline, and I've already accomplished 75%! This year's 7 achieved items - as well as relevant progress updates - are highlighted in green for easy finding.
I was so glad to travel again as vaccines and boosters allowed COVID restrictions to loosen up, starting with Bonaire for a week of scuba shortly after my 33rd birthday! I was so excited that we then quickly booked Iceland for more adventures in November and ended up joining my family for a Panama Canal Cruise in the spring which stopped in the Bahamas, Aruba, Curacao, Cartagena (Colombia), Panama, and Costa Rica. Finally, we planned a long weekend in Quebec City in June to soak up the francophone culture and so that PA could finally set foot in Canada. I then rounded out the summer with trips to Washington state and Florida to visit family.
Unexpectedly, we also spent two weeks in France with PA's family this year after the sudden stroke and passing of my mother-in-law. Moments like these always remind you of the importance of spending time with family and not putting off any of your dreams since you never know how much time you have left.
So what is left on my list? A lot of big, expensive trips-of-a-lifetime! But I'm still so very excited to continue checking items off this year, especially gorilla trekking and safari-ing with PA in Uganda next year.
Books
I got some good reading done this year - 38 books since my last birthday - including a number en français!
1. Read 5 books in French: Three were from the translated Harry Potter series and the others were Amelie Nothomb's Stupeur et tremblements and Hygiène de l'assassin. PA thinks I should only count books originally written in French, so I'll keep pushing for more - recommendations welcome! Completed 8/29/22 - read all about it!
2. Read Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl: Completed 12/24/19
 |
| So excited to go scuba diving in Bonaire and then Aruba! |
DC Area
3. Union Market: Completed 9/14/19
4. Smithsonian Postal Museum: Completed 9/8/18
5. Washington National Cathedral: Completed 6/22/19
6. Drag Brunch: Completed 12/22/19
7. Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture: Completed 6/15/19
8. Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens: Completed 7/5/19
9. Rock Creek Capitol Stones: Completed 7/11/20
10. Smokey Bear on the National Mall: Completed 8/9/19
11. National Park Service Obscure Memorials Tour: Completed 9/15/18
12. Belmont-Paul Women's Equality National Monument House and Museum: Completed 2/8/20
13. Lincoln's Cottage: Completed 7/11/21
14. Thomas Jefferson's Monticello: Completed 3/9/19
BONUS 46. Washington Monument: Completed 9/15/19
BONUS 49. ARTECHOUSE: Completed 11/11/20
BONUS 52. Heurich House Museum: I've been walking past the Heurich House Museum for over a decade and finally reserved a tour! Completed 7/15/22 - read all about it!
Bonus DC Area Ideas:
- Kayaking among WWI shipwrecks in Mallows Bay, Maryland
- Glenstone
- Anacostia Community Museum
 |
| A long weekend in Québec in June to soak up the history, food, and charm |
Travel
16. Visit Antarctica to reach all 7 continents: On the original list, this was a toss up between visiting 7 continents or 40 U.S. states. Given the reversal of Roe v. Wade this year, I no longer want to spend my tourism dollars in abortion ban states, ugh. I will instead save up for an Antarctic expedition and aim to complete all 7 continents! [Note: I'm counting my visits to Fiji/FSM as covering the Australia/Oceania continent.]
17. NYC with Pierre-Antoine: Completed July 13-16, 2019
18. Quebec: We took a long weekend trip to Québec City this summer to hear that Québécois French and eat some amazing food! Completed June 17-20, 2022 - read all about it!
19. Galapagos
20. Marrakech: Completed November 9-19, 2018
21. Alaska
22. Japan: Completed November 6-19, 2019
23. Scotland/Ireland
24. Bali/Cambodia/Thailand/Somewhere in SE Asia
BONUS 51. Bonaire: Our first pandemic international trip was a resounding success - sun, sea, and scuba! Completed September 4-11, 2021 - read all about it!
Bonus Travel Ideas:
- New Zealand for lupine flowers and glow worms
- Egypt for the pyramids and scuba
- Slovenia and Croatia for wine
 |
| I visited a Sloth Sanctuary in Costa Rica in April! |
Animals
25. Swim with whale sharks
26. Gorilla trek
27. See wild lemurs
28. Meet a sloth: A cruise excursion in Costa Rica to the Aviarios del Caribe Sloth Sanctuary checked off this item! Loved seeing some sweet two- and three-toed sloths up close. Completed 4/7/22 - read all about it!
 |
| We were lucky enough to catch the Northern Lights twice in Iceland in November. |
Experiences
29. See the Northern Lights: We took an amazing trip to Iceland and saw the lights outside Reykjavik and then again near Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon! Completed 10/31/21 - read all about it!
30. Safari with PA
31. Stay in an overwater bungalow
32. Meet Irish and/or Swiss relatives
33. Plant a tree: Completed 10/20/18
34. Tasting menu at a fancy (Michelin starred?) restaurant: Completed 1/13/19 and 2/8/19
35. See the redwoods
36. See a glacier: Also in Iceland, we saw numerous outlets of Vatnajökull, the largest glacier in Europe! The outlet of Fjallsarlon is where the dragon was killed by the Night King in Game of Thrones. Completed 11/2/21 - read all about it!
37. Make galettes from scratch: Completed 2/2/19
38. Make bread: Completed 3/29/20
39. Straighten my teeth (again): Completed on 5/15/20
40. Write a letter to my 40 year old self, then respond to it when I'm 40: Completed first stage 10/15/18.
BONUS 41. Perform a solo at a hafla: Completed 10/20/18
BONUS 42. Change jobs: Completed 11/26/18
BONUS 43. Adopt climate-smart behaviors: On-going process
BONUS 44. Do goat yoga: Completed 8/7/19
BONUS 45. Earn Project Management Professional (PMP) certification: Completed 9/4/19
BONUS 47. Get scuba certified: Completed 1/19/20
BONUS 48. Join a non-profit board: Completed 1/18/20
BONUS 50. Cook/bake "hard things" - Beef Wellington, Sausage Rolls, Pork Pies, Profiteroles, Eclairs, and Danishes: Completed 12/28/20
Bonus Experiences Ideas:
- Live abroad again
Comments
Post a Comment