Nicole in D.C.

Last night I had one of those conversations you can only have with your best friend after three glasses of sangria, a delicious mojito, and a Blue Moon. It’s always refreshing to come home and see the one person you don’t have to put a happy face on for… but you do anyway because they’re your best friend and you’re so happy to see them.

We’ve been through a lot — together and individually — since we first met in our second semester of college. We were talking about what we’re doing in life, where we want to go. Since she’s getting married and is on the baby track, her path is a little more clear cut than mine at the moment but she recommended making a “30 Before 30″ list… something a coworker recently recommended to her.

Here’s my stab at it (in no particular order):

1. Attend trapeze school
2. Write a collection of short stories
3. Go back to school
4. Own property
5. Lose 20 pounds and keep it off, permanently
6. Go vegetarian
7. Start business to sell my crafts
8. Read the Strand 80
9. Knit a wearable sweater
10. Visit more museums
11. Have a subscription to The Atlantic Monthly and read it cover to cover every month
12. Volunteer regularly
13. Learn to sew
14. Stop drinking soda
15. Become involved in a recreational sports league
16. Attend each of the four tennis grand slams
17. Write a treatment for a TV sitcom
18. Watch both the Godfather trilogy and Star Wars episodes 1-6
19. Get an arm sleeve tattoo
20. Take self-defense classes
21. Take a cruise around the Mediterranean
22. Visit every state (I’ve visited 18/50 states thus far)
23. Visit Central and South America
24. Get published
25. Start my own consulting service or firm for nonprofits; and/or
26. Own a coffee/yarn shop
27. Take cooking classes
28. Go on a month-long writer’s retreat
29. Get married
30. Have one kid

Some short-term goals I have: stop watching Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, say “yes” to more things, eat more leafy greens, get a job, and blog more.

We’ll see how I do…