35 Things To Do Before Turning 35
I’m going to be 35… in 5 months.
How did that happen?
35 is one of those milestone years and it scares me a little. I mean, aren’t 35 year olds supposed to be grown-up and have life figured out?
Yeah, that’s so not me.
And I don’t know if I’m going to somehow magically figure my life out in the next 5 months (I’m guessing I won’t) but I would still like to ring in 35 by doing something that I’ve never done before.
So I took a cue from the blogosphere and put together a list of 35 things to do before turning 35.
I’ve been working on this list all weekend long - adding and crossing off items - and you know what I realized?
35 things is a lot.
And no matter how you look at it, 5 months or 20 weeks is just not that much time.
Still, I’m determined to make it happen, so I made sure to keep all my items as realistic as possible.
I kept everything limited to the Pacific Northwest (for this time - 36 Before 36 is going to be different) and included a mix of easy tasks, like writing a fan letter to a celebrity, and more difficult ones like actually meeting a celebrity or reading the Bible in 90 days.
I have a feeling the next 5 months are going to be very, very interesting.
So without any further ado, here’s my 35 Before 35 list:
1. Volunteer at a soup kitchen.
Pretty self-explanatory. Tacoma is a big city and there is no shortage of soup kitchens or homeless shelters here, so this one should be pretty easy. Except for having to wear a hairnet.
2. Go to a play or live performance.
I love plays, but other than traveling to Portland with my high school French class to see Les Miserables, I haven’t gone to many (or any?) others.
3. Spend a day in Portland, OR.
Ideally I’d like to spend the day hitting up some cool Portland hangout spots and stay overnight at hotel to get the full Portland(ia) experience.
4. Attend a business conference.
I already have one in mind (Spark & Hustle in Seattle on April 22nd), but there are a couple others I’m considering as well.
5. Watch Gone with the Wind.
This is a four hour movie. Four. Hours. But it’s my Mom’s favorite movie and I know it would make her day to have one of her kid’s watch this with her.
6. Write a fan letter to a celebrity.
I haven’t done this since I was a kid, but I think it might be kind of fun. Now to figure out which celebrity I should write to.
7. Explore the Seattle Public Library.
Libraries are one of my favorite places and this library in particular is AH-mazing - think 11-story glass & steel architectural marvel - and I’ve never been.
8. Read Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier.
Modern classic and the title is Rebecca. ‘Nuff said.
9. Raise $500 for The Christmas Project.
My goal is to raise a total of $1000 by Christmas - so I need to be at $500 by this summer to be on schedule.
10. Go to a book signing.
I consider myself a bookworm, yet I’ve never been to a book signing. Kind of strange, considering that Seattle is the 2nd most literate city in the U.S.
11. Write a letter to a stranger.
The World Needs More Love Letters is the inspiration for this one.
12. Visit all 6 Tacoma museums.
I’ve lived in Tacoma for about 10 years and have never even visited one museum here.
13. Make a DIY project from Pinterest.
So many pins, so little time.
14. Take a cooking class.
This one scares me to death because I’m afraid of messing up and being the laughingstock of the class. But that’s not going to happen… right?
15. Meet a celebrity in person.
Notice I didn’t say which celebrity I plan to meet. At this point I’ll settle for pretty much any one.
16. Book a tour in Downtown Seattle.
I’ve been to downtown Seattle lots of times, but have never done a tour. There are lots to choose from though - ghost tours, food tours, walking tours, etc.
17. Reconnect with an old friend.
Is it just me or does this one get harder the older you get?
18. Attend a taping of a TV show.
As far as I know, this is the only show in Seattle that tapes in front of a live audience. I’ll have to do some more research though.
19. Interview someone famous on my blog.
No idea.
20. Go to a rodeo.
This is not an event I would normally go to, but I’m trying to be adventurous and open to new things.
21. Donate 35 things.
Again, pretty self-explanatory. 
22. Eat at a restaurant seen on the Food Network.
I live an hour away from Seattle and two hours away from Portland, so I know there has to be lots of restaurants to choose from.
23. Volunteer at the Broadway Center.
I chose this because the volunteer opportunities were different from the usual and I’d love to get a behind-the scenes look at the theater district.
24. Go on a murder mystery cruise.
I’ve never been on cruise or a murder mystery dinner — might as well kill two birds with one stone.
25. Spend a day with my Grandma.
This is one of those things that I keep telling myself I need to do and I just haven’t made the time to do it. I predict our day will be filled with shopping and Yahtzee. Lots of Yahtzee.
26. Create an e-course.
This is one I need to put into motion. Soon.
27. Tour a mansion.
This mansion is my first choice (I’m a huge Stephen King fan) but I’m not sure if they do tours, so I’ll have to research it a little more.
28. Visit Oregon State Capitol.
I grew up in Salem, so this wouldn’t be my first time, but I’ve never done the 121-step climb to the observation deck.
29. Take an online class.
Between Coursera and Codeacademy, I have no shortage of options for online classes.
30. Tour a famous NW company.
Seattle is home to Microsoft, Amazon, Starbucks, Jone’s Soda, Nordstrom, AllRecipes.com and more. Now to figure out which one will actually let me come and take a tour.
31. Redecorate my bedroom.
This one is long-overdue. I see a lot of Pinterest-browsing in my future.
32. Keep a gratitude journal for 30 days.
Another one that I’ve always wanted to do…
33. Volunteer at a food bank.
Same for this one.
34. Read the Bible in 90 days.
I’ve done Read the Bible in a Year programs before, but never in 90 days.
35. See New Kids On The Block in concert.
They’re coming to my city on my birthday. I think it’s a sign.
The list is in no particular order, although item #35 (Go to the NKOTB concert) will be my final task since it falls right on my birthday.
I’ll be posting updates and blogging about each task as I make my way through my list.
So, what’s something you would like to do before your next birthday?
These are all awesome. Great ideas for me too
I’m going to also have to say see NKOTB, I am getting my tickets tomorrow
Sadly, I have seen them about 5 times since I was 12.
Volunteer at a soup kitchen I wont do. I am usually the one that eats there LOL
Save money/buy car is what I’d like to do before I turn 53. Numerical dyslexia?
Go skydiving again. it has been almost 17 years since I went,