30 by 30 List: Month 7

"Live, travel, adventure, bless, and don't be sorry." ~ Jack Kerouac

This month was a bit slower for 30 by 30 List checkmarks.  But since it was spent galavanting all over Eastern Europe and the Pacific Northwest and settling into my new casa, I don't mind that at all.  Here is what I have to report

4.  Check 5 items off my bucket list (4/5 completed).

-- Go on a great 30th birthday trip.  You've read more than you probably wanted to about my Eastern European Adventure.  When I came up with the idea for a great 30th birthday trip, I had no idea how much fun this would be.  Happy Birthday to me!

--Visit Auschwitz.  This item had been on my list for a couple of years.  It was hard. Heartbreaking.  Horrific.  There are things that I saw there that are permanently etched into my brain.  Baby shoes that were similar to my own.  A room full of human hair.  The view inside a gas chamber.  And I will never in my life forget the feeling when I stepped off of the bus at this place of such suffering and tragedy.  It has hard, but I believe it is something everyone should do if they have the chance.  I pray that these memories and the lessons from them will stay with me forever.

7.  Read 24 more books (10/24 completed).

This month I read He Liked Tuesdays Best by Archbishop Mieczyslaw Mokrzycki, a book that caught my eye at the Pope John Paul II Center in Krakow, Poland.  Archbishop Mokrzycki was one of the papal secreteries of Bl. Pope John Paul II.  This book is all about Pope John Paul II and his every day life.  From conversations that they had, to jokes that he told, to his prayer schedule, this book is an amazing inside look at a great man (and soon-to-be saint!)  I loved reading about Pope John Paul II and felt that I learned a lot more about him while I was reading this book.  For any other JPII junkies out there, I'd highly recommend this book!

8.  Send little gifts to my friends once a month (7/12 completed)

Well those of you who read closely may have noticed mention of a certain boy named The Boy from Texas on my blog over the last couple of months.  Since I knew that I would not be able to talk to said The Boy from Texas for two weeks while I was in Europe, I decided to leave him a little gift while I was gone.  So I came up with the idea of leaving him a note to open each day that I was gone.  Some of them were just notes, while others included little gifts.  A couple of beers to open one Friday, a gift card to go get dinner...you get the idea.  I thought that they turned out super cute and I don't want to put words in his mouth, but I do think that The Boy from Texas appreciated my little gesture.

13.  Create a gallery wall.
  I was super excited to check this baby off as I was moving into my new house.  After thinking and figuring and trying to decide what to do and where to do it, I came up with the perfect plan.  I would do two of them.

The first (and larger):  OSU gallery wall in my home office.  All of the orange just makes my heart happy.  I think it turned out quite well!

The second is in my bedroom and includes some pictures of my favorite people and favorite memories.  It is a lot different than the OSU wall as far as design and layout, but I love it!

16.  Visit two new states (1/2 completed)

Thanks to College Roomie and her amazingly beautiful destination wedding (you will hear much more about this in a blog soon!), I was able to knock out a brand new state:  Washington!  I have to admit that the Pacific Northwest, or at least the San Juan Island area, is the most beautiful place I have seen in the US.  It is lush and green and quiet and pristine.  It was absolutely amazing and I am so glad I got the chance to visit!

American Camp, San Juan Islands, Washington

29.  Bring home a bouquet of flowers once a month (7/12 completed).

This month I went with a basket of flowers to hang on my back patio.  Which seemed like a good idea, until I left town for over a week and they died.  I'm back to tending to them now and hoping I can work some sort of miracle.  Stay tuned...