28 things before I turn 29: update #3

Always on my list: enjoying fresh flowers.

Finished items are crossed off; items begun are starred*.

1. Try the Project Life system to document either my time in Oxford or our first year in Boston (This one’s off. I am simply not a scrapbooker at this point in my life. Time to admit that.)
2. Go to New York to see Ben in The Lion King and visit friends (Fabulous weekend – and the show rocked!)
3. Plan a trip to Europe/Oxford
4. Hang out with my family in Texas (So. Much. Fun.)
5. Dig into some classics I’ve never read (so far, Murder on the Orient Express, Essays of E.B. White, Letters to a Young Poet, A Christmas Carol, The Witch of Blackbird Pond, The Great Gatsby, Northanger Abbey, The Writing Life, And Then There Were None)
6. Visit a place I’ve never been (Portland, ME; Marblehead, Amherst, Hingham, Newton, Newburyport & Northampton, MA)
7. Clean out my desk at home*
8. Visit my loves in Abilene (pure joy)
9. Go apple picking again (it was delectable)
10. Knit some swoon-worthy autumn accessories (Done.)
11. Buy a new pair of black high-heeled boots (Bought riding boots instead.)
12. Keep in better touch with far-away friends (stolen from Bethany’s list)*
13. Explore more of New England (see #6)
14. Try at least 2 new recipes a month* (averaging 3 or 4)
15. Visit half a dozen area bookstores I haven’t been to yet (Done! Longfellow Books, Porter Square Books, Artists & Authors, Spirit of ’76 Bookstore, Amherst Books, the New England Mobile Book Fair, Newtonville Books…)
16. Go see The Civil Wars in concert with my Jeremiah (a lovely evening)
17. Take another writing course (I took Alchemy Daily with Jenna)
18. Take a financial management course with J (we learned a lot)
19. Put together new outfits from pieces I already own
20. Schedule a checkup (it’s been far too long)
21. Start or join a book club (Julie and I gathered our friends, and we had our third meeting recently.)
22. Buy a sassy red handbag
23. Drive up to New Hampshire or Vermont to see the fall foliage (We drove to western Mass.)
24. Fill a new notebook with a super-secret writing project*
25. Get a Massachusetts driver’s license
26. Learn to pay attention to one thing at a time*
27. Send 28 handwritten letters* (About three-quarters there.)
28. Go to a literary festival/conference/event (Boston Book Fest, many author readings, Newburyport Literary Festival, headed to the Glen Workshop East soon)

As you can see, the list is coming along. I’m especially pleased with all the book events and bookshops, the new places I’ve visited, the black riding boots, and the finance course. And that sassy red handbag popped up when I wasn’t even looking for it.

Do you make lists like this? What’s on your life to-do list right now?