The end is near for me, folks.  It's already happened to so many of my friends, and it's been hard to watch for those who it's just about to happen to.  If you can't tell by my use of the word "folks" I'll be turning 30 later this year.  We all know that when you turn 30 you spontaneously combust and that's all there is.  Your 20s are everything, the only time when you get to blame anything on being young and stupid.  If you excel before you're 30 its looked upon as you're a diamond in the rough and a shining example compared to your counterparts.  Nope - when you turn 30 you inevitably fall off a cliff, never to be heard from again, and your ideas aren't as great as when you were young. You're old. Out of touch. Irrelevant. You've done all you can. I should buy myself a pair of mom jeans and stop wearing makeup, because once you're 30 you're no longer cool.

All kidding aside, you're as old as you feel and a recent trip back to my alma matter, Syracuse University, for a weekend proved to me that I still look and feel like I'm 24.  I've done more in my 20s than most people do their whole lives.  And yes, I have been waiting about 5 years to say that line.  I made it my goal to take life by the horns when I turned 18 knowing that post-30 society expects you to be an established adult.  I've traveled extensively, I've loved and lost, I'm in a successful career, and I have the greatest coworkers, friends and family.  The hardest part about life at the moment is coming up with new goals and figuring out how to dream bigger.  I could kick the bucket tomorrow, and be a happy girl.  But I want...no I need... more.

I found a list recently and realized while I may have accomplished a lot, I have not accomplished everything I've set out to do. My philosophy on life is that I should be expecting constant improvement of myself while being thoroughly entertained by my actions and of those around me.

Here's a list of the 150 things one should do before turning 30.  It's arbitrary and 50 more things could be added to it, but I feel pretty good having done 103 of these things, and wanting to do almost all of the rest.  How many have you done?  What's left on your list before?

Bold are things I've done.
Italics are things I have yet to do and will someday, if not this year.

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with dolphins 
03. Climbed a mountain 
04. Taken a sports car (Porsche, Lambo, Ferrari, etc.) for a test drive 
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid 
06. Held a tarantula 
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said “I love you” and meant it 
09. Hugged a tree 
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris or Italy or Greece other romantic European location
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea 
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise 
14. Seen the Northern Lights 
15. Gone to a huge sports game (South Korea / North Korea World Cup Qualifier!)
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables 
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars (Camping during Chusok in Seoul)

20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon 
22. Watched a meteor shower 
23. Gotten drunk on champagne 
24. Given more than you can afford to charity 
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment 
27. Had a food fight 
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger 
30. Had a snowball fight 
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Be considered an expert resource on something
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster 
35. Hit a home run 
36. Danced like a fool and didn’t care who was looking 
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day 
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Driven a motorcycle/scooter abroad  (...and maybe I crashed one..shhh)
40. Visited all 50 states 
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk 
42. Had amazing friends 
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country 
44. Watched whales 
45. Stolen a sign 
46. Backpacked in Europe 
47. Taken a road-trip 
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Taken a midnight walk on the beach 
50. Gone sky diving  (THIS YEAR!!!)

51. Backpacked in Asia
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them 
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs/computer music files
57. Pretended to be a superhero 
58. Sung karaoke 
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Played touch football 
61. Gone scuba diving (but I want to be certified)

62. Kissed in the rain 
63. Played in the mud (Mudfest 2008!!)

64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theatre 
66. Visited the Great Wall of China  (10k hike in January baby)

67. Started a business  (Thecommunitymanager.com)

68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites 
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Seen Niagara Falls
72. Gotten married 
73. Been in a movie 
74. Crashed a party
75. Camped outside & slept on the ground
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo  (3...w/ #4 coming soon)

81. Gone White Water Rafting
82. Been on a news program or in a newspaper as an “expert” 
83. Gotten flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas 
86. Recorded music 
87. Eaten shark
88. Kissed on the first date 
89. Lived in another city internationally
90. Bought a house
91. Gone strip club hopping
92.  Ridden a camel.
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95.  Watched 25 of the top 500 movies out there
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour 
98. Passed out cold 
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign county (Multiple times in China)

100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over 
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge 
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking with the windows open 
103.Had a One Night Stand
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived 
105. Wrote articles for a large publication 
106. Lost over 100 pounds 
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback 
108. Piloted an airplane (thanks Hans!)
109. Touched a stingray 
110. Broken up with someone who wasn't the one
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a TV game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears (eyebrow AND tongue)

116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol 
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild 
118. Ridden a horse 
119. Been on a plane longer than 8 hours
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for a full day
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. States
124. Visited all 7 continents 
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi (Found out I was allergic)

128. Had your picture in the newspaper 
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school 
131. Parasailed 
132. Touched a cockroach (UNFORTUNATELY.)
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes  (Dinosaur BBQ baby)
134. Read The Iliad and The Odyssey
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read on your own
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions 
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Write a book
140. Built or played in an Igloo
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Gone skiing/snowboarding
143. Gone Surfing
144. Done something nice for someone just because
145. Compete in a sports competition
146. Dyed your hair 
147. Been a DJ  (WERW!  Z89!  K-Rock!)

148. Shaved your head/donate your hair to charity (Locks 4 Love)
149. Excel at public speaking in front of a large crowd  (LOVE IT!)
150. Saved someone’s life