24 things for my 24th year, 1-8.

This year I turn the big ol' 2-4. I'll be honest, I'm excited for it, but a little terrified. My mid-twenties, y'all. That's exciting and scary and amazing and incredible all at the same time. While I like where I'm at with my life, I'm not where I thought I'd be at 24. Which is okay. If I've learned anything in the last 4 or 5 years, it's that I have to trust Heavenly Father and believe that He's got a bigger plan for me. Because He does.

I'm an avid reader of C.Jane's blog, and she's doing a series of posts about the 36 things she wants to do the year she turns 36. Something about that really inspired me, so I'm jumping on that bandwagon. This took a lot of thought, because I've got so many things I want to do and it's a little overwhelming to narrow them down. But I'm going to try my darndest.

1. Read a book a month. In high school I was the girl who picked a good book over a lot of other things, and once I got to college I lost that drive because reading for fun made me feel guilty when I had homework to do. But as a post-grad, we know I've got time. On my list for this year: "Les Miserables" again, all of Malcom Gladwell's books, and most of the books on this list that I haven't read yet.

2. Spend a week in a big city. New York, Philadelphia, Boston, and Seattle are a few cities on my list that I'd like to explore.

3. Learn to play the ukulele. This one is a little silly, but I have a friend who plays it when she sings to her little kids, and I love that. Plus there's something about listening to it that throws me onto a beach in Hawaii, and you can't beat that.

4. Watch more foreign films and documentaries. I want to come away from movies feeling more educated and cultured. The International Cinema was one of my favorite things about BYU, and I miss it a little bit. And Netflix is full of some interesting documentaries that I'm dying to see.

5. Get my French back. Studying that language was one of my favorite things in high school and college, and I want to be fluent. And maybe for my 25th year I'll take a trip to Paris or Nice and use it. ;)

6. Run a half marathon. I'm not a runner. I wish I was, but I've just never latched onto it. I've made the goal to do a half-marathon almost every year for a long time, but I've always given up. Not this time!

7. Go to more concerts. Seeing Coldplay last year was one of the most amazing experiences EVER {sounds cliché, I know}, but there's something about seeing and hearing the music you love up close and personal.

8. Mentor someone. I have a list of people in my life who I would consider mentors, whether they know it or not. I know how much their examples have helped me, and I'd give anything to do that for someone else.

9-16 coming tomorrow!