It was meant to be a list of 20 things but it kept growing and growing and growing...
So here it is:
Epic Stuff I Did In My Twenties:
1. Lived in a dorm at college.
Definitely, definitely something every person should do. A professor once told me that even if you flunk every class, you should live in a dorm just for the experience. (And Mixed Drink Thursdays.)
2. Became a volunteer.
Spent hours volunteering in college. (Ignoring the horrible experience recently.)
3. Had a one night stand.
Not the best experience of my life but something that should be on everyone's bucket list.
4. Dyed my hair.
And never stopped. I even dyed it blue recently which was a life-long ambition.
5. Peirced my belly button.
The best "Ow!" of my life. I can see why that shit gets addictive.
6. Became homeless.
When I decided that I was travelling to Britain over summer break during my Junior year of college to meet the man who would become my husband, my parents decided that the best way to cure me of the notion was to kick me out and disown me. I officially became a sofa hopper.
7. Dated someone I met online.
Wow. How scary is that? Needless to say... Jay did not turn out to be a crazy axe murder. (He has ocassionally driven me to consider it, though!)
8. Dropped out of college - and went back!
Being a student is way harder the second time around!
9. Moved to another country.
You have no idea how sheltered and small minded you really are until you've become an immigrant in someone else's country.
10. Got married.
Spent £200 in total on our wedding and had the time of our lives. I was so lucky to have a friend who could travel half way across the world to be there for me! :)
11. Joined the IT crowd.
Knew nothing about anything when I got my first tech support job. Turns out it's one of those learn-as-you-go things.
12. Visited a real life, honest to goodness castle.
And many, many more since. It's like Eddie Izzard says, "We're up to HERE in fucking castles."
13. Visited Stonehenge.
I thought it would feel really commercial and dead but it was AMAZING. The hair on the back of my neck totally stood up!
14. Got a tattoo.
A very mature and grown up tattoo... Of a neopet!
15. Did a nude photo shoot.
From both ends of the camera.
16. Became a proper FanGirl.
Hello, conventions! I can't believe I've been to so many - and met so many stars - but I know I'll never stop!
17. Discovered fanfiction.
And became obsessed! I never would have gotten any school work done if I knew this existed as a kid.
18. Took part in a World Record breaking attempt.
An embarrassingly bad attempt back in 2008 at London Film and Comic Con. We were trying to get the largest gathering of people dressed in Star Wars costumes together under the same roof. Didn't come anywhere near breaking the record but had a blast.
19. Met the main cast & crew of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
*squeal* Seriously. I'm only missing Will Wheaton.
20. Met The Shat.
Legend! (Also met Spock and Sulu.)
21. Met The Coreys.
Eeep! What child of the 80's didn't want to do that?
22. Watched The Monkees live.
For the second time. And I've met Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz, and Peter Tork.
23. Worked for two of the biggest companies in Britain.
Which taught me that big corporations are heartless, soulless monsters that will squash you like a bug as soon as congratulate you on a job well done.
24. Learned to knit, crochet, cross stitch, tat, and spin wool.
Yup... I'm a regular crafty girl now! It's strange to think that, ten years ago, I couldn't do any of these things!
25. Ran my own business.
Eventually I decided I just didn't have the time or ambition to keep my etsy shop going but it was great while it lasted.
26. Wrote a novel.
Four, actually. Still working on the whole editing/pitching/selling/publishing thing.
27. Kept (and bred) exotic animals.
Jay bought me my first bearded dragon back in 2003 and we have kept and bred them since. We've also had chinchillas and geckos - which are pretty exotic for someone who came from a dog household.
28. "Rescued" an animal.
Willow (our cat) was from a local animal shelter. Also, one of our geckos was rehomed because her owner couldn't keep her and we took on a very ill dragon who was mistreated by his former owner.
29. Gained 100 lbs.
Nothing in the world will teach you more about human nature than getting fat.
30. Broke the law.
I won't mention which ones, of course, but I have not always walked the straight and narrow.
31. Did drugs.
I say drugs but I've only tried pot. So far.
32. Went to an NFL game.
Lions v. Redskins. It was awesome!
33. Saw Wales play an international.
Wales v. Argentina. Amazing atmosphere!
34. Buried my father. And brother.
The bad comes with the good. Dad died of heart failure, Rocky died of cancer.
35. Went to my 10 year high school reunion.
It was... Um... Well... Not exactly what the movies make it out to be. (But I'm glad I went.)
36. Kept the same best friends I had in school.
Not many people can say that!
37. Became a carer for a terminally ill person.
My mother-in-law was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer around Christmas time in 2010. We brought her home and cared for her until her death in July 2011. It was a tough ride.
38. "Came out."
Not that I ever intended to! I always took for granted that people knew I was bisexual - until I made a smart ass comment about it on facebook.
39. Walked two of my best friends down the aisle.
I got to be a bridesmaid for two of my best friends in the last couple of years. It was both amazing and terrifying both times!
40. Won the lottery.
Not a lot - but it was enough to pay for me to get home for a couple of weeks.
41. Faced Depression and came out alive.
Well, still facing... But it gets better every day.
I guess a lot of these might not seem very epic to some people - but they all helped shaped me into the person I am today. I hope when I'm doing a similar post in ten years time, I have a list at least twice as long!
