31 Days of Youth

Since I only have 31 days left in my youth, I figured I better make the most of it (okay, technically it’s 29 days as of today, but when I began this challenge two days ago, it was 31 days).  So, I am doing one youthful and/or adventurous thing per day as a countdown to my 30th birthday in mid-September.  I’m not going to make this a major blog project or anything, but enough people have asked me about it that I thought I’d post quick updates here so folks who are interested can follow along!

This will be the only page about it; I’ll just edit it every couple of days.  So save the link and check back in at your leisure!

Also, even if you’re still a young pup or have already crossed over to the other side, feel free to play along!  You’re only as old as you feel, so post fun and/or adventurous things you’ve done in the comments section!  🙂  And, of course, I’m accepting ideas, so feel free to send suggestions…

Day 1. Slide down the slides at the park with my little girl:

Day 2. Pick huckleberries in the mountains and eat a chocolate ice cream cone.

Day 3. Play “throw the keys above the bed and jump from the hallway to catch them.”  Best game ever.  My brother and I invented it when we were kids.   I will try to post a video so you can play at home.

Day 4. Go to the city pool, ride the water slide, and eat a blue raspberry snow cone.

Day 5. Drive down the highway late at night singing along to “Stay” by Lisa Loeb at the top of my lungs.
EDIT: Smooch my dreamy boyfriend (a.k.a. hubby) in the car after a date.
(NOTE: Both are true.  There’s no law that says you can do only ONE youthful and/or adventurous thing per day.  Let’s listen to “Stay,” shall we, just for fun?)

Day 6. Climb into a fort at night and watch the first stars appear.

Day 7. Go through my library of dramatic lovesick songs I wrote when I was 19-years-old and play them for myself on the piano.

Day 8. Saved by the Bell marathon!  Including everyone’s favorite episode:

Day 9. Purchase The Art of Kissing from Amazon.com.

Day 10. Stay up WAY too late discussing life, the universe, and everything with a dear friend.

Day 11. Wade in a kiddie pool and splash around a bit.

Day 12. Dip in the skins.  In broad daylight:

Pre-dip prep

Day 13. Jump on the bed.

Day 14. Attempt a prank call, then get freaked out and hang up really quick when the voicemail answers.

Day 15. Play the Oregon Trail online.  (I am sorry to report that my sister Jenny and I were the only ones to survive.  Everyone else drowned crossing the Columbia.  I’m not sure what Jenny and I will do in the Willamette Valley, destitute and without a man to protect us.  Become freelance seamstresses?  Dowse for wells?  Open a brothel?   Suggestions?)

Day 16. Eat a big, multi-layered pile of convenience store nachos and a Hostess chocolate cupcake.

Day 17. Declare that K + L = TLA in the dust on a water tower.

Day 18. Practice a trick or two from that Art of Kissing book.

Day 19. Go bowling, dance in the lanes, and lose to my 4-year-old daughter:

Day 20. Play a game of Boggle online.

Day 21. Pick blackberries on steep, rocky terrain and RISK MY LIFE!

Day 22. Make a homemade milkshake and watch a chick flick while cuddled up by myself in bed.

Day 23. Watch High School Musical 3 with the kiddo and make real stove-popped popcorn.

Day 24. Sing this song to audition for a musical:

Day 25. Participate in a 24 Hour Theatre Festival — and learn a 15-minute musical, complete with original songs and dance numbers — in a single day.  (My character had an inexplicable fear of blackened prime rib.)

Day 26. Play freeze tag in the park with husband, daughter, and random park children.

Day 27. Fall asleep on the couch with the TV blaring and all the lights on, then wake up at 3:00 a.m. and stumble to bed without brushing my teeth (if that’s not a throwback to my youth, nothing is — right, Mom?).

Day 28. Swing as high as possible, then jump off the swings.

Day 29. Impromptu Lady Gaga dance party in the living room (I danced to the real song on Pandora, but in searching for the music video on YouTube for this post, I discovered that it is YUCK!  So we shall listen to this delightful cover instead):

Day 30. Go on this ride at the County Fair with my new young and spry friends, Heidi and Macy (whom I met on the ride and will likely never see again — but we totally shared A BOND):

Day 31: Have a wonderful and delightful 30th birthday, thanks to awesome friends and family!!!!  Love y’all!