30 Before 30 Update, v.25.5

Today is my half birthday. I'm the only one who ever celebrates it. Well, Sam did one year too. But mainly it's just me. But I thought today would be a great day to do an update on my "30 Before 30" journey! I picked a few specific goals to comment on... I haven't finished anything yet but I'm only six months in. Here's to the next 4.5 years!

1. Finish my Master's degree. Not done yet, but I made solid progress this summer. I knocked out 9 credits and will be working on 6 more this fall!
2. Knock out Baby Steps 2 & 3. I'm making some progress here. I actually took a little bit of a hit back on Baby Step 1, so I'm back to building that back up while still hitting Baby Step 2 as hard as possible.
3. Visit at least 15 states.
4. Serve at a soup kitchen in each of those visited states.
5. Take an international vacation... alone. I've been brainstorming ideas... Any suggestions?
6. Coach in a state basketball tournament. I watched one this spring but that doesn't count.
7. Buy a nice camera to document life's adventures. Not yet, but I'm getting more excited to make a purchase!
8. Read and notate through the Bible five different times, in four translations (NIV, NKJV, ESV, NASB). (0/5) I need to get my rear in gear on this one.
9. Run a marathon.
10. Hit my goal weight (160 pounds... Dream weight is 145 pounds). Not yet, but numbers are heading in the right direction.
11. Do something really nice for somebody... something I never thought I'd be able to do... somewhere, at sometime. Still not sure what this will look like.
12. Go an entire year being gluten-, dairy- and soy-free. I need to get myself organized to make it through this!
13. Read 100 new (never before read) books. (10/100) I've made a decent amount of progress here! So far, I have read 1Fat Angie. 2Single Infertile Female: Adventures in Life, Love, and Infertility. 3Sparkly Green Earrings: Catching the Light at Every Turn. 4The Help. 5Monster. 6The Book Thief. 7Eat, Pray, Love. 8Same Kind of Different as Me. 9Winning Balance. 10Thirteen Reasons Why.
14. Try at least 30 new recipes. (0/30)
15. Write 500 notes of encouragement to those around me. (0/500)
16. Go skydiving.
17. Crochet a baby afghan.
18. Have a photo shoot done of myself... Insecurities set aside.
19. Go on another missions trip.
20. Complete a semester of calculus.
21. Earn my permit to carry a concealed weapon.
22. Sleep a night under the stars.
23. Get three stamps in my passport. (1/3) I received my first stamp in Thailand this summer!
24. Make a kite and fly it.
25. Achieve complete financial independence.
26. Take a dance class.
27. Tear a phone book in half.
28. Solve a Rubik's cube.
29. Learn to swim. Amy taught me one stroke this summer!
30. Visit New York City... Perhaps for a 30th birthday celebration?

Start date: February 15, 2013
End date: February 15, 2018