So today I turn the big 2-8 which means I am officially in my late twenties and 30 is just around the corner. While I’ve done a ton of cool things in my twenties, I wanted to take a moment to create a bucket list of what else I’d like to accomplish before I begin the next decade of my life.

1. Visit at least three continents – Since I live in North America and have been to Europe a few times, I’m looking at you Africa, South America, Australia, & Asia.
2. Complete the 30 Things to Cook before you turn 30 Challenge – I’ve already knocked one item off this list, so only 29 things to cook in the next 24 months!
3. Visit at least 25 States – I’ve made it to 20 so far, so I just need to make it to 5 more! I’m definitely hoping to add Maine, Oregon, & Nevada! 
4. Complete a Whole 30 Challenge – As much as I love dairy, I really think the Whole 30 Challenge will really force me to learn how to balance cooking healthy with my busy work schedule.
5. Take a Trip to the Caribbean and Stay at an All Inclusive
6. Go to (or host) a Clam Bake on the Beach – Ina Garten’s to blame for this one, it just looks like such a good time!
7. Visit the Statue of Liberty & Walk Across the Brooklyn Bridge – I’m ashamed to say that after over 3 years of living in the greater NYC area I still haven’t done either of these, so they are definitely a must in the next 2 years!
8. Take a Wine Tour of the Finger Lakes – My parents used to go every year with their friends and it always sounded like so much fun, plus I really like Lake Glenora Reisling and it’s hard to find in PA and NJ.
9. See the Play, “Book of Mormon”
10. See the Northern Lights – This is probably one of the hardest items to accomplish on this list since it involves a vacation that’s strategically planned for a time when the Northern Lights are visibile, but I’m really hoping I can pull it off.
11. Take Surf Lessons – I have wanted to learn how to surf since the movie Blue Crush came out and I always end up putting it off, so it’s time to finally give it a shot!
12. Write an eBook About Cooking or Entertaining
13. Visit 10 Countries – I’m currently at 6 (US, Italy, Vatican City, France, Belgium, & The Netherlands), but I’ll probably go to Mexico for work in the next few months and so that would mean only 3 more to go! 
14. Visit at least 10 of the 50 Best Craft Breweries in America – So far I’ve only been to three:  Brooklyn Brewery, Yuengling, & Abita so I definitely need to step up my game.
15. Visit NASA in Houston – With my brother living in Houston and a conference coming up there next Spring this should be an easy one to cross of the list.
16. Learn How to Make Bagels From Scratch
17. Master the Art of Homemade Pasta – My time in Italy has me becoming a total pasta snob so I really am going to need to learn to make it myself.
18. Find a Workout Routine That I Love and Stick To It 
19. Splurge on an Amazing Dinner at a Famous Restaurant – It will be tough to decide which one I’ll splurge on, but between travel and living so close to NYC there are plenty of options!
20. Learn to make Fancy Cocktails by taking a Mixology Class
21. Go to the NY Food and Wine Festival (or another major food festival)
22. Play a Table Game at a Casino – I’ve always been super intimidated by table games, so it will be good to push myself out of my comfort zone a bit.
23. Visit 10 of the cities on CN Travel’s Top 25 Cities Reader’s Choice Award (2014) – In the past week alone I’ve visited two: Florence & Sienna! Overall I’ve seen 7 so far: Florence, Charleston, Rome, Sienna, Chicago, San Francisco, & New Orleans. So while 3 more in the next 2 years may be a bit difficult I think it’s doable!
24. Take a Cooking Class in a Foreign Country
25. Host a Formal Dinner Party
26. Visit the World Expo –  I can check this one off already, since we checked out the Expo in Milan last weekend!
27. Go to a Live filming of a TV Show
28. Learn Another Language (or at least complete all the levels of Duolingo) – While between grade school, high school, and college I’ve dabbled in Spanish, Italian, Latin, & French, I’ve never stuck to a language long enough to actually be able to really get to know it and put my skills to use when travelling. Hopefully in the next two years, I can change that and really work hard at learning Italian since I know I’ll be back to Italy to visit family and explore more regions sooner rather than later.
29. Have a Good Idea of My Career Plan – Ideally I’d love to put buy a house on the list, but while I’ve come a long way in figuring out what I want to be when I grow up what steps I’m going to take to get there in the next few years still need a bit more work.
30. Create a List of 40 Things To Do Before 40 – This list would have been a lot easier to accomplish if I had started a few years ago, so since I’m sure my list is only going to get more ambitious I’ll definitely want to give myself all the time I can to complete it!