New Year, New Challenge, New Age

So.. a few months ago, I turned 30.  Eek didn't begin to cover it.  But instead of a total freak out, I decided the best way to handle it would be to challenge myself.  Do 30 things I always (or recently realized) I wanted to do.  The majority of them are self-serving if you will:  fitness goals, knowledge gain, you get the idea.  I did want to add in some new experiences as well.  I also wanted to do things that would be attainable.  While I'd LOVE to travel to Europe again, I knew with the likelihood of a move in my future, it just wouldn't be feasible.

So, with that, and with my final task of my 30 in 30 List realized, I present you:

Liz's 30 in 30 List

1.  take a pottery/glass class

2.  skydive

3.  learn to scuba dive

4.  learn more Italian/Japanese-edit Spanish

5.  run a half marathon

6.  run 15+ races-6 completed as of 1/4/15

7.  feel confident in 30 yoga poses

8.  take a guitar/piano class

9.  do 30 full push-ups

10.  read 30 books-5 read as of 1/4/15

11.  add to my tattoos-added to 11/21/14

12.  learn “Thriller”

13.  complete a half-marathon-FINISHED 09/20/14

14.  run a 10k in an hour or less

15.  do 15 pull-ups

16.  complete 2014 Grand Prix Series-COMPLETED 12/13/14

17.  see Coldplay live

18.  go ice-skating

19.  hike part of the AT

20.  learn to knit or crochet-learned to knit 12/10/14

21.  go on a bike ride and picnic

22.  travel somewhere new

23.  volunteer for something

24.  perfect 5 cooking staples

25.  learn to French braid my hair

26.  watch all 8 Harry Potters in 24 hours

27.  learn the Greek alphabet

28.  visit Harry Potter World-visited 11/18/14

29.  go horseback riding on the beach

30.  maintain my blog, at least one entry a month

30 Books to Read for my 30 in 30

1.  The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling

2.  Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

3.  The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

4.  Divergent by Veronica Roth-read, along with Insurgent and Allegiant

5.  The Electric Kool-aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe

6.  Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

7.  The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand

8.  The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

9.  Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn-read

10.  Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

11.  In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

12.  Interview with a Vampire by Anne Rice

13.  Just One Day by Gayle Foreman

14.  The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

15.  The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

16.  The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Steadman

17.  The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold-read

18.  The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks

19.  The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

20.  Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt-read

21.  The Monuments Men by Robert M. Edsel

22.  Night by Elie Wiesel

23.  Number of Stars by Lois Lowry

24.  On the Road by Jack Kerouac

25.  Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman

26.  The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

27.  Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard-read

28.  Slaughter House-Five by Kurt Vonnegut-currently reading

29.  Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe

30.  Wild by Cheryl Strayed

I'm clearly a bit behind, especially in the reading.  Though, if you want to get technical, I added a few books that weren't on the list.  I finished the Divergent series by Veronica Roth and I actually started my year reading finishing the Size 12 is not Fat series by Meg Cabot.  But, I'm a stickler for rules, and won't budge.  Also, I did belatedly realize that almost every single book I'm planning to read has either been turned into a movie or a tv series.  And thus far, with the exception of Practical Magic, every book is always better.

I have had to make a concession already-which is the language.  When I initially started in September, I was learning Italian.  But, now that my move is no longer likely, but impending, I found it necessary to switch to a language that would be useful in the area.  The silver lining of all of this is that I'll be able to learn Spanish-which I have studied on and off my entire life.  I'll also be able to cross off a few other items, like taking art classes, hopefully music lessons, and most importantly-travel somewhere new.

I'm definitely nervous about moving across the country-the logistics of it are driving me mad!  Come the end of March, my husband-J, our two dogs-Bella and Marley, and our belongings will be making the 2,600+ mile journey to Southern California.  It'll be a new place for me for sure, and clearly, Spanish will be helpful.

So, what are some of your goals, for the next year or so?  Any tips on driving cross-country?  Any must-do's in SOCAL or the surrounding area?