32 Birthdays & 32 things

So today marks the day I’ve been on this Earth for 32 years… How crazy right?
**No one believes I’m 32, everyone guesses about 25-28. Guess I’m aging gracefully…like a fine wine… haha**

This year, I wanted to do something special. My birthday (2/17) is always a weird time:

– 3 days after Valentine’s Day (but yay for discounted candy!)
– tax prep season
– usually freaking cold
– everyone is sick/getting over being sick

So since it’s 2020 + something different + it’s another birthday + turning 32 (oddly inspired by 32 flavors of ice cream haha), I wanted to do a Birthday Year bucket list. I’ve been struggling with a 2020 bucket list.  I realized lately that every day I’m alive is a really birthday and worthy of being celebrated. This year I’m gonna try something different – instead of CRAMMING everything into one month, I will spread out the fun throughout the year. I want to do 32 things, but I am stuck with 27/32 items so I need your help to finish my list!

Here’s what I have so far:

1) Go to the College of Charleston Astronomy telescope tower when {officially?} open (they have open houses, but the telescope isn’t available?)

2) Go to one of their [usually] monthly rooftop star open houses

3) Eat at Metro Diner – it looks cute and when I do UberEat pick ups, it smells sooo good and portions look HUGE

4) Get a donut from Krispy Kreme when the red “Hot and Fresh” sign is on – I’ve never had one WHEN the sign is on

5) Sign up to be registered under Clan Bell North America (Scottish Clan) – it’s only $25 for the year!

6) Sign up to be under the Charleston Scottish Society – they host the Scottish Games I love going to every year

7) Go to Medieval Times (closest castle in Myrtle Beach, so short daytrip) – I went ON my birthday back in 6th grade and it was a lot of fun!

8) Go to Brookgreen Gardens (also in Myrtle Beach, so maybe a LONG daytrip) to see the gardens during the day and go back during Christmas to see the Night of a Thousand Candles

9) Try out 32 different flavors of ice cream – not at all once of course!

10) Reread all Patricia Brigg’s Mercy Thompson series (she has the 12th book in the series coming out in March, so it fits perfectly to read 1 book a month!)

11) Try out 10 new recipes this year (since we’re already in February, this leaves 1 new recipe a month for the rest of the year)

12) Lose 50 lbs this year – I’m currently running (or not so much haha) at 248.6 lbs – the heaviest that I’ve been. Between MAJOR stress, lack of time to exercise (not an excuse, I literally don’t have the time), the eating out when it was bad days, food allergies messing things up and possibly a hormone imbalance – weight loss has been incredibly hard. I’ll lose 5 lbs, then gain back 7. Constant yo-yo’ing makes my head spin. Once I get insurance again (April), I’ll go get the blood work done to see what is going on or if it’s you-just-need-to-exercise thing.

13) Have $1,000 in the savings account by 12/31/2020 – right now I have NO emergency fund and it’s super stressful. The new job pays more so I’ll be able to focus on some things and decrease others + living costs (Ex: car gas) will go down, so I am confident I can pay bills and deposit $100/month comfortably (since it’s almost March).

14) Drink 100 oz of water daily – I am SO bad about drinking (soda, water, anything) and I know that I drink a lot of Dr. Pepper’s (I swear crack is one of the 23 flavors). I have a water bottle with time slots and that’s 64 oz, leaving me to somehow find a way to get in 36 oz somewhere else).

15) Go play real bingo – I like playing on my apps and I’ve played bingo at Pounce Cat Cafe‘s Drag Bingo night, but I want to play once in a real bingo “hall”

16) Use my Urban Nirvana giftcard I won from a previous year’s holiday party to get a much deserved massage

17) Try to get a massage at least every other month – a friend of many years is a massage therapist and he knows the areas where I hurt the most/keep the most stress + I’ll help keep him busy/employed/raking in the dough

18) Start a snail mail program for Crescent Moon & Stars – Mary England over at Uncustomary and Kelli Pease at Happsters are my creative Muses inspiration

19) Go to the Charleston Tea Plantation – the only tea plantation in American + local and I’ve never been #badlocal

20) Go to the Chinese Lantern Festival held at Magnolia Plantation – they came to town about Mid November and here til about Mid March so I gotta get cracking on this one!

21) Visit the Pounce Cat Cafe at least 4 times this year to get in some major kitty cuddles

22) Learn how to meal prep properly – since I no longer have an employee cafeteria/dining area, I now have the chance to make healthy meals and without aggravating my food allergies/intolerances

23) Archery – I’ve always wanted to shoot a bow and arrow (blame my Cherokee Indian roots haha). The Charleston County Recreation & Parks hosts a day (usually in March or April) for an Outdoor Recreation day where you get to try out different things. I’ve always had to work in the past before, so hopefully this year will be my year to go 🙂

24) Go to a waterfall within the state – My best friend celebrated obtaining her Doctorate’s by a weekend trip in Bryson City, NC (shortly west of Asheville) and it was one of the most gorgeous nature things I’ve ever experienced. The Universe must be hinting at me that I’ll have more time this year because I keep seeing the Only In Your State posts on Facebook and there are several areas to see waterfalls and other gorgeous parks. I have some Facebook friends who are pretty nature active (and with their dogs!), so maybe we could all take a trip together…

25) Go see Fred Symmes Chapel (aka Pretty Place or Pretty Chapel) in Greenville, SC – I nearly cry everytime I see a beautiful picture of it, so I want to go have my breath taken away

26) There’s an astronomy club in the local area that has telescopes and the venue changes a little – usually hosts on Wednesdays or Thursday so this is something I could totally do after work!

27) Go to the Charleston Mac Off – Mac n Cheese festival, uh yes?!

 

So this is a pretty hard-core list, but I think everything will be obtainable throughout the year. However, I need your help to fill out the next 5 things:

28)

29)

30)

31)

32)

 

What are your recommendations? I’d LOVE to hear them!!!

Happy Birthday to me and Happy Popped-You-Out-Day to my Mom 🙂