It’s my birthday on Sunday and I’m turning 23. Woo hoo! Hurray!
Actually, I’m not quite as excited as I used to be about birthdays and that sucks. I used to hear people complain that it’s all down hill after 21 when it comes to birthdays. I used to think, “That’s never going to be something I say.” Maybe I’m just feeling that way because my birthday is the same day as the Superbowl this year and some of my favorite people have plans. Oh well. I’ll get over it.
So, I’ve been seeing these lists of X before X, so I thought I would do my own. I wrote the list in a journal a few days ago and thought I would share it on here.
I need more adventure in my life and perhaps this is one way to add it in. It’s not entirely spontaneous and it is a little forced, but I think I’m okay with that.
1. Try sake. (Did it!)
2. Read 14 books. (Books 1-3 are done.)
3. Have a mentor.
4. Redesign my blog.
5. Go on a double date. (Did it!)
6. Watch all of Titanic.
7. Make something knitted.
8. Do a photo scavenger hunt.
9. Learn how to make latte art.
10. Take a horse back riding lesson.
11. Make apple pie with my mom’s recipe.
12. Organize my room and get rid of stuff.
13. Take a trip with friends. (Possibly a road trip)
14. Dye at least some of my hair a crazy color. (pink or blue, perhaps?)
15. Complete an internship and officially graduate college.
16. Join a professional organization.
17. Correspond with a pen pal.
18. Go past Tijuana in Mexico.
19. Go to a batting cage.
20. Go on a 10 mile hike.
21. Go to a karaoke bar.
22. See a UCB show.
23. Make tamales.
24. Go to Vegas.
I wrote them in a different order, but then had some fun making them into a triangle shape. The order doesn’t matter, really.
These are all things I’ve never done before. Some are easy and odd, while others will be more of a big deal. After I complete something, I’ll be sure to post about it.
Modern Notebook 
Oooh I did one of these lists too before I turned 30. In fact, I accomplished maybe 10 of the items (don’t really remember) and was able to post some of it to my blog when I first started a tumblr account.
In any case, I feel that a lot of my birthday parties in my 20s were getting to be very tiring. It’s only been these last few ones where I’ve felt very satisfied having friends over for dinner or meeting with them somewhere to celebrate my special day rather than doing too much. And I do feel they’ve gotten better, mainly because I don’t go into anything with major expectations. Rather, I soak up the moments as much as I can and laugh as much as possible. The only thing I regret about my 20s is that I was a serial girlfriend and I didn’t know anything about just casual dating, which I’m only now getting the hang of. :)
Have I ever told you you’re one of my favorite writers? Well you are. I’m sorry I took so long to respond. With my birthday and finding an internship, I haven’t had much time. This birthday mainly felt very tiring because some people were too busy to hang out, especially with it being the Superbowl the same day. A lot of restaurants were either closed or busy, but I found a good one and ate with good people, so it was nice. I need to just let go of expectations and enjoy it, like you said. That makes everything better. Dating makes for good dating stories, that’s for sure!
I am??? That’s super flattering!
Good food and good people are a huge theme in my 30s now and I’m glad that’s how I got to spend my 32nd birthday. Letting go of expectations isn’t easy at first since we all imagine scenarios as they would most please us, but a huge weight is lifted when you go into things with a “naked” mindset. ;)
Woohooo HAPPY 23RD!!! Birthdays should always be exciting!! My birthday is always a big deal – to me, which in turn makes it a big deal for everyone else lol. My birthday is like a week long celebration drawn out and next year it will be bigger haha it’s fun because its not abuot my birthday but reconnecting with others that i don’t usually get to see or talk to because life happens. It’s the perfect excuse and a happy one :) Make it special, get dolled up, its the one time of the year where you can be self-centered and it’s OK :P Happy Birthday and happy Friday Erin! -Iva