The List: Year 5 Progress
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| We had so much fun in Dubrovnik, Croatia this year! |
The first HALF of my 30s are now documented below on my 35th birthday! So far, I've completed 32 of the original 40 items plus an additional 14 bonus items. I'm 50% through the timeline, and I've already accomplished 85%! This year's 7 achieved items - as well as relevant progress updates - are highlighted in green for easy finding.
I switched jobs this year, returning to work on climate change for the State Department after 4 years away. It was amazing how much I remembered about every process and project, and I loved (re)joining a passionate team in an auspicious time. I continued to explore gems in the DC area, such as the Glenstone modern art museum and kayaking among the Ghost Fleet of Mallows Bay.
We also had some amazing vacations to gorilla trek and safari in Uganda, soak in the coastal towns and mountains of Croatia/Montenegro/Slovenia, snorkel alongside whale sharks in Mexico, and meet up with our French side of the family in Dublin, Ireland! I can't wait to plan next year's trips to Alaska, California, Egypt, French Polynesia, Thailand, and/or Antarctica ;)
The 8 original items left to complete - not many more to go! - are highlighted in blue to help me plan next year's adventures. I've also plugged in a few more bonus ideas...
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| My green raincoat originally bought for a scrapped 2020 Ireland trip finally made it - at the Deck of Cards street in Cobh |
Books
1. Read 5 books in French: Completed 8/29/22
2. Read Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl: Completed 12/24/19
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| Kayaking Mallows Bay WWI shipwrecks with a bunch of friends in June! |
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: Completed 7/15/22
BONUS 53. Glenstone Museum: Made a day of it with PA and my friend Lauren last fall, visiting this outdoor/indoor art gallery in the Maryland suburbs of DC. Completed 10/15/22 - read all about it!
BONUS 54. Kayaking among WWI shipwrecks in Mallows Bay, MD: I finally pulled a group of friends together for a fun weekend activity on the Potomac to see shipwrecks and nature! Completed 6/19/23 - read all about it!
Bonus DC Area Ideas:
- Anacostia Community Museum
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| First stop in my 50th country - Perast, Montenegro |
Travel
In total, I've been to 52 countries as of August 2023. New countries this year were Uganda, Croatia, Montenegro, Slovenia, and Ireland. A repeat country was Mexico.
17. NYC with Pierre-Antoine: Completed July 13-16, 2019
18. Quebec: Completed June 17-20, 2022
19. Galapagos
20. Marrakech: Completed November 9-19, 2018
21. Alaska
22. Japan: Completed November 6-19, 2019
23. Scotland/Ireland: I will cross this one off since I made it to Ireland this year. My French in-laws planned a trip to Dublin, so we decided to join them for a few days and spend a little extra time exploring the coastal Cork area too. I loved connecting with our Celtic roots! Completed 8/17-21/23 - read all about it!
24. Bali/Cambodia/Thailand/Somewhere in SE Asia
BONUS 51. Bonaire: Completed September 4-11, 2021
Bonus Travel Ideas:
- New Zealand for lupine flowers and glow worms
- Arizona/New Mexico for desert landscapes and spas
- Egypt for the pyramids and scuba
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| Baby gorilla we saw on our Ugandan trek |
Animals
25. Swim with a whale shark: Ever since I first saw them in the Atlanta aquarium, I've wanted to see a school bus-sized whale shark in the wild. I saw a summer flight sale to Cancun around our 9th Disney wedding anniversary, and we decided to make my shark dreams come true! Completed 7/9/23 - read all about it!
26. Gorilla trek: I planned this in as our big trip for the year around our 9th courthouse wedding anniversary! We ended up doing both a gorilla trek and a chimpanzee trek during our 10-day safari in Uganda. Completed 1/21/23 - read all about it!
27. See wild lemurs/visit the Duke Lemur Center
28. Meet a sloth: Completed 4/7/22
Bonus Animal Ideas:
- Kayak or swim with manatees
- Hang with capybaras
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| I cannot believe we found these giraffes laying down to frame this photo! On safari at Lake Mburo National Park in Uganda. |
Experiences
29. See the Northern Lights: Completed 10/31/21
30. Safari with PA: I took PA on an incredible 10-day safari in Uganda for gorillas, chimps, and the Big 5 for our 9th anniversary. Completed January 14-23, 2023 - read all about it!
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: Completed 11/2/21
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:
- Take an improv class
- Visit the geode of Pulpí in Spain
- Ride on a superyacht
- Live abroad again
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