1. Do a homestay to improve my language skills. [August 2010]
2. Walk on the Great Wall of China. [March 2010]
3. Edit one NaNoWriMo novel.
4. Wear a kimono.
5. Buy a new Mac. [February 2011]
6. Read five books from Random House’s Best Novels list. [5/5]
7. Visit Hokkaido.
8. Travel to at least two countries. [2/2]
9. Own a pair of knee-high boots. [October 2010]
10. Make a curtain of snowflakes.
11. Make homemade bread. [June 2010]
12. Try yoga.
13. Submit a piece of writing for publication. [July 2010]
14. Take a piano lesson. [July 2010]
15. Embellish a sweater. [August 2010]
16. Start a dream journal. [May 2010]
17. Do at least one design tutorial each month. [3/12]
18. Complete the 100 Pushups training program.
19. Buy or make handmade birthday presents.
20. Add three new samples to my portfolio. [2/3]
21. Apply to grad school. [September 2010]
22. Watch Star Trek: The Original Series. [1/3 seasons]
23. Get my wedding ring resized.
24. Make marshmallow fondant.
25. Track all the books I read. [January 2011]

I like to make lists. To-do lists, shopping lists, wish lists. I suppose this is why I’m the proud owner of the Listography Journal (thanks Pam). Last year, I started to think about making a birthday to-do list — one big list of things that I wanted to cross off before my next birthday.

I was first inspired by fellow list lover Andrea of hula seventy. Each year, Andrea makes a list of X number of things, with the number being one less than the age she will be next. I liked the idea. A lot. But as a girl who has a hard time making a single New Year’s resolution, I wasn’t sure that upping the ante each year was the best option for me.

The next list project I heard about was the Day Zero Project, where you try to do 101 things in 1001 days (a little under three years). My friend Kristen was taking the challenge, and I liked the idea of having nearly three years to get everything done. But truth be told, I have no idea where I’ll be or what I’ll be doing in three years, and I decided I wanted my list to have more of a focus on the now.

So that brought me to making my own list, the “Twenty-five To-dos” list. I made the first one last year. Here’s how I’m doing so far, with about a month and a half to go.

Twenty-five To-dos (Year 27)

1. Confront my fear of the ocean and learn how to dive. [March 2009]
2. Travel to a new country. [December 2009]
3. Visit Kyoto. [August 2009]
4. Make a traditional Japanese dinner. [March 2010]
5. Learn how to crochet. [February 2010]
6. Eat taco rice in Okinawa.
7. Give a professional presentation. [November 2009]
8. Have a picnic during hanami. [May 2009]
9. Pay off at least one student loan. [September 2009]
10. Paint with oils.
11. Update the content for my online portfolio and convert to WordPress. [October 2009]
12. Get a Thai massage. [December 2009]
13. Visit an onsen. [August 2009]
14. Write a letter to my father. [July 2009]
15. Climb Mt. Fuji. [August 2009]
16. Grow herbs. [May 2010]
17. Take a cooking class. [December 2009]
18. Participate in NaNoWriMo again. [November 2009]
19. Overcome my flying anxiety. [December 2009]
20. Start a new physical hobby. [March 2009]
21. Visit an aquarium. [November 2010]
22. Watch The Seven Samurai. [January 2012]
23. See a traditional music performance in Japan. [November 2009]
24. Own a great pillow. [July 2009]
25. Take the Japanese Language Proficiency Test. [December 2009]

I didn’t have my personal blog when I started last year’s list, so I am looking forward to tracking my progress for the next list. In the meantime, I have 46 days to cross off more to-dos…and to think of what will be on the list for Year 28.