25 Before 25

I'm not big on the whole "New Year's Resolution" thing. Why should I set myself up with goals that I know I will not meet. I'm done with the weigh less, look prettier, finally find love crap that I always set myself up with.

That being said, I do have things that I would like to do over the next few years. Jon Acuff, the writer of the Stuff Christians Like book as well as the blog by the same name, recently posted his "40 before 40 list". It inspired me to do the same thing. Instead of doing 40 though, I am focusing on a closer birthday. My 25th birthday. That gives me a little over 3 years to accomplish the things on my list. So without further ado, here is my 25 before 25 list.

My 25 Before 25
1. Graduate from college
2. Run a 5k
3. Start my own business
4. Go to Time Square for the New Year's Eve ball drop
5. Become better at slowing down and enjoying the moment
6. Weigh less so I have more energy and get off the sidelines.
7. Learn biblical Hebrew and Greek
8. Take dancing lessons
9. Learn to play the guitar better
10. Visit Martha in Buffalo
11. Go on a mission trip to Haiti
12. Move out of my parents' house
13. Buy my first car
14. Go geocaching and actually find something
15. Help (at least) one person to become more compassionate toward the world outside of the USA
16. Spend less time angry with God, and more time in praise-filled prayer
17. Go on a cross-country road trip
18. Spend time in Seattle
19. Help build a house (with Habitat or another group)
20. Go back to New Orleans to help with the rebuilding
21. Visit Ground Zero in New York
22. Go to Daytona for the Student Life at the Beach youth conference.
23. Go back to DC for a little while
24.Try Deep Fried Kool-Aid
25. Pay off all or most of my student loans (this one may be a stretch, but a girl can dream)

As I accomplish things on this list I will cross them off right here. That way, by my 25th birthday I will have a totally crossed off list. That day will be such a good day; one truly worth celebrating. :)

BTW: If you want to buy Acuff's book (which I would highly suggest), you can do that here.
Or you can check out his blog here.
And here is a link to his "40 before 40 list", just for good measure.

Why did the kid throw a clock?

Because he wanted to see time fly...

It is nearly the end of Spring Break of my Junior year. Where has all of this time gone??? For real. I feel like just last week I was sitting with my housemates behind our house just chillin' and enjoying the weather. Then I blinked and I only have a month and a half left in the school year. It is crazy how time works.

I turn 21 in approximately 4 days. I don't feel this old, but apparently I am. When I drove Sarah to school today I heard an Usher song that came out when I was in High School on the radio. That wouldn't have been a big deal but it was on the "retro music" segment of the morning show. When did 2004 become retro??? A little bit more understandable was when later in the day they called "All-Star" by Smash Mouth a blast from the past. I think it was released in like 1999, so like Elementary School. But dear God! I feel like an old fart. Music I grew up hearing debut on the radio is being called retro and old... what does that make me?

Anyways, yes. The big 2 1 is coming up. I know I should be really excited, but I don't really care that much. I mean, cool, I'll be able to legally drink with my friends, but my life won't really change that much. I don't see me being one of those people who turns 21 and goes wild and crazy. But only time will tell I guess.

23.5 hours and counting down...

In just under 24 hours I am going to be 20 and am so not OK with that.

What have I done with my life?

-Other than the year I was four I've never lived outside of Ohio.
-I've never been farther West than Chicago, further South than the Boarder of North and South Carolina, or further East than DC.
-I've never gone on a mission trip (I know... a shock.)
-I was a Girl Scout from Kindergarten through graduation, but never really camped (the rest of my troop was scared of bugs or raccoons or something stupid like that)
-I've never fully learned an instrument, but have a defined my taste in music (It's eclectic if you were wondering)
-I've never dated.
-I've never gotten straight A's
-I've never seen many movies (if you knew how many times I've gotten by on pop-culture references you would all be appalled.)
-I've never been to another country.

But I'm not the sum of all the things I've never done, am I? I mean, I have:

-played Softball, Soccer, Basketball, and Volleyball
-helped raise my baby brother
-gotten my picture taken in front of the Wiener-Mobile (with my mother of course)
-been through 3 (soon to be 4) semesters of college
-been to 6 or 7 Relient K concerts.
-taught VBS for 3 years
-worked in a Subway
-worked concessions at softball games

I'm sure there are more things of note that I have done, but I don't remember any of them.

Anyways, I'm not entirely satisfied with my life up to now. I am not one to regret things that have happened to me, but I do regret things I never did. I realize that if I had done more things like take a road trip out west, or gone on a mission trip to another country I would be a totally different person. I know that people are made up of experiences they have had and the experiences they never had. I just hope I have more to report after then next 20 years, but the way I'm going it's going to take damn near a miracle to make that happen.

Well, in 23 hours and 30 minutes I'm going to kiss my teen years goodbye... I hate this part.