A while back, I wrote this post about my 26 in 26 goals for life between my 26th and 27th birthdays.  Now that we are just passed the halfway point, I thought I’d share the list in its entirety and check in with how I’ve progressed through it so far.  The 26 tasks are either things that I have always wanted to do but haven’t made the time for yet, or things I’ve gotten started but want to improve upon.  I have until December 4 (when I will turn 27, ugh) to complete everything, but I still have quite a few things left to do.  Here’s where I’m at:

1. Finish all the books I currently have on my shelf: This is a work in progress!  I’ve read 15 books so far this year thanks to my daily commute and my inability to sleep on planes.  Most of them have been by Mr. Stephen King, who dominates three out of the twelve shelves in my library.
2. Go camping: The camping trip is booked!  For early next month.  I haven’t camped since I was really young, so this will be a baby step back into the world of sleeping in tents and peeing in the woods.  We’re planning on camping near Matthiessen State Park, just south of Chicago.
3. Take an Amtrak train somewhere: I have romanticized taking an Amtrak trip for years, and I so want to do this sometime soon.  I just don’t know if it will happen this year.  The problem with train travel is it just takes so long and I’m running low on vacation days :(.
4. Have something I wrote published again: Last year, I was lucky enough to have a short story published in Sheriff Nottingham (a literary journal).  It hasn’t happen yet this year, but I would like to have something else published, either fiction or non, online or in print.
5. Master a new recipe: Done! I have officially mastered the bibimbap recipe, but I am always looking for more to learn!
6. Host a costume party: This has not happened yet either, but I am hoping to host an all out 70’s disco party.  BEFORE Halloween though, so the holiday doesn’t steal my thunder.
7. Paint a picture: Done!  I can’t vouch for how well it’s been done, but I did enjoy making it!  Painting is so relaxing, I wouldn’t mind adding it to my growing list of hobbies.  Here’s a photo of my “beautiful” painting from Instagram:
   
8. Learn to play the ukulele: Do I get a half point for owning the ukulele? I need to sit down to watch some youtube videos so I can check this one off the list.
9. Write more short stories: Done!  Perhaps this is what I can get published. 🙂
10. Learn French: I started learning on DuoLingo and lost touch with it. I need to get back on this though because it’s been something I’ve wanted to do for a long time.
11. Invest in a good pair of shoes: They haven’t been purchased yet, but I have my eyes on these.
12. Take a fitness class: I’ve been getting by with Sadie Nardini’s yoga videos, but there are tons of options in our neighborhood to complete this one for real.  I can’t wait to try one out.
13. Get a start on that novel I’ve been meaning to write: Done! It’s something that I’ve been chipping away at in my spare time.  As much as I love writing about this blog and real life adventures, I love writing fiction just as much.
14. Find/Create an additional source of income: Still working on this one!  I’ve put some things out there, we’ll see if anything comes back.  I’m feeling pretty hopeful about it!
15. Have a spa day: Done!  I went to the Mario Tricoci Spa on Michigan Ave and wrote about my experience here.
16. Travel to Canada: This trip had been planned for April, however plans changed and we ended up doing a smaller trip instead.  I haven’t lost all hope for this trip, so maybe we can fit it in on a weekend before the end of the year.
    
17. Start running again: I know, I know.  I’ve had seven months to do this simple thing, and I haven’t yet.  That’s not to say I haven’t been working out, I just haven’t done this.
18. Join Trover: Done! If you don’t know what Trover is, it’s a website to share travel pictures and tips for different destinations.  You can find my Trover profile here.
19. Reorganize my wardrobe: Not quite done.  I would really like to get rid of most of my clothes and create a more grown-up, capsule wardrobe.  It’s a work in progress.
20. Pay off my loan: Done!  Simple as that.
21. Start treating this blog like a business instead of a hobby: This is another work in progress and goes with #15.  I’m trying though!
22. Go on a Chicago Boat Tour: Last year, this was on my list and I waited until it was too late.  This year, I will book this even if I have to go by myself.  I’m thinking of booking this one.
23. Sell clothes, books and movies I don’t use anymore: Halfway done!  I’ve done quite a few rounds of selling things I don’t use and donating a lot of other things, but there’s still more I could get rid of.
24. Have a Woody Allen Movie Marathon: Done!  The only reason this is on the list is that I love Woody Allen Movies, and wanted an excuse to watch more of them.
25. Attend a new music festival: Almost Done!  I’ll be going to Pitchfork Music Festival next weekend!
26. Take a class: There was a writing class at the Newberry Library I wanted to take, but I would have missed the first two classes due to travel.  Hopefully, I’ll find another one!

Status: 11/26 done! Here’s to five more months!