The List: Year 8 Progress
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| Assimilating into Dutch culture by visiting Keukenhof in tulip season |
It's my 38th birthday! So far, I've completed 36 of the original 40 items plus an additional 18 bonus items. I'm 80% through the timeline, and I've already accomplished 93%! This year's 2 achieved items - as well as relevant progress updates - are highlighted in green for easy finding.
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| Glacier National Park in Alaska was amazingly beautiful |
After a last family vacation to Alaska in September and Emily's wedding in early October, it was wheels up to the Netherlands with our two cats and four suitcases. The last night and day in our apartment was tearful - most of our things sold and gone, just an Airbnb and PA's job waiting for us on the other side of the Atlantic. What had we gotten ourselves into?!
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| Grateful my parents have visited three times already! |
Of course there are the tough moments - finding an apartment (and furnishing it from scratch), dealing with government bureaucracy and health insurance, realizing you have no friends or support group nearby, job hunting in a new country with no network and no Dutch skills - but as a little family, we persevered and in under a year have built a home here.
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| Hosted a beach brunch with Girl Gone International |
I found Girl Gone International for book club and social events as well as a powerlifting coach and yoga studio. We explored dozens of Dutch towns and enjoyed our Museumkaart to the fullest. I started hosting a monthly After Work Drinks and international cuisine dinners for other international women. After shaking off the grey winter, we enjoyed glorious sunny days at the beach (and a few killer heat waves!). And we started traveling to Austria, Belgium, Jersey to meet PA's family, South Africa/ Botswana/ Zimbabwe, and Norway! I also found a job back in the climate space that feels exciting and rewarding.
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| We lost our dear Swelly this year, miss him so much |
The lowest point of the year, however, was losing our dear Swelly. He had health issues for many months but was his silly, bold self cuddling me until the very end. We miss his warm, sassy energy bossing us around for food or lap time. Going from our family of four to three has been an adjustment, but Gouki is such a sweet baby and has adapted very well to being a solo cat with all the attention he could possibly want. I'm so grateful for the time we all spent together across three apartments in the US and this new home in the Netherlands.
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| Enjoying my first Dutch King's Day with new friends Beige and Lauren |
It's fun to look at the 58 completed and 4 original items left (highlighted in blue) and think about how I made up this list in the wake of my "30 year old crisis" of not knowing what else to do with my life because I already felt so settled. Now considering how far in I've come *in only 8 years* checking off these experiences, having so many more great adventures, and literally becoming French to move abroad and start a new chapter of life since then, it almost seems like I dreamed too small! I'm genuinely so pleased that I made this list, that I have kept it up all these years because it's a gentle way of checking in with myself and asking if I'm making the most of life or not. Am I putting myself out there? Am I prepared so that when an opportunity comes along I can seize it with no hesitation?
I don't know if I'll prioritize the exact last 4 items in these next two years or not (Galapagos, redwoods, overwater bungalow, meet European relatives), but I will continue to search and do fantastic things all along the way. I've learned that the only person keeping me from doing anything is me!
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| Book Club had a fantastic time at Emily's wedding |
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
Bonus Books Ideas:
- Read The Count of Monte Cristo in French
- Write a novel
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| Said goodbye to dear friends in DC last fall |
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: Completed 10/15/22
BONUS 54. Kayaking among WWI shipwrecks in Mallows Bay, MD: Completed 6/19/23
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| Met my DC friend Lauren in Norway! |
Travel
See my update post about visiting my 60th country! In total, I've been to 63 countries as of August 2026. New countries this year were Slovakia, Jersey, Zimbabwe, and Norway. Repeat countries were Canada, Netherlands, Austria, Belgium, South Africa, and Botswana.
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: Loved exploring both nature and history on land and sea here, especially seeing so many humpback whales! Completed 9/9-18/2025 - read all about it!
22. Japan: Completed November 6-19, 2019
23. Scotland/Ireland: Completed 8/17-21/23
24.Thailand: Completed December 5-17, 2024
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
- Seychelles
- Azores
- Many more European countries to explore!
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| Found elephants and so many leopards, cheetahs, and lions in Botswana |
Animals
25. Swim with a whale shark: Completed 7/9/23
26. Gorilla trek: Completed 1/21/23
27. See wild lemurs: Completed 7/23/2024
28. Meet a sloth: Completed 4/7/22
BONUS 57. Hang with capybaras (and jaguars!): Completed August 16, 2025
Bonus Animal Ideas:
- Kayak or swim with manatees
- Dive with megafauna - manta rays, sharks, etc.
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| Loved rediscovering Cape Town and vineyards with Kristina |
Experiences
29. See the Northern Lights: Completed 10/31/21
30. Safari with PA: Completed January 14-23, 2023
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 55. Eat at a 2 Star Michelin Restaurant: Completed 1/13/24
BONUS 56. Eat at Belcanto, 25th best restaurant in the world: Completed 4/10/24
BONUS 58. Live abroad again: We moved to The Hague, Netherlands in October! Completed 10/9/2025 - read all about it!
Bonus Experiences Ideas:
- Visit the geode of Pulpí in Spain
- Ride on a superyacht
- Visit a salt mine - heading to one outside Krakow in September
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