Sunday, May 10, 2009

30 things in my 30th year

1) started the year by holding a baby chimpanzee
2) ate caterpillars
3) swam with a whale shark off the coast of Mozambique
4) drank coffee in a village in the Doi Sutep Mountains in Thailand
5) received a marriage proposal from a prince in Lesotho
6) sobbed and sobbed as I left the continent of Africa
7) sung Christmas Carols on Park Avenue at Christmas time
8) was “sharing” in my nephew’s kindergarten class
9) baptized a baby for the first time and 30th time
10) read my first book published by a friend
11) tried my hand at documentary filmmaking
12) personal guest of the organist at the Messiah at Carnegie Hall
13) chatted with the ambassador to Malawi and the former ambassador to Greece in the same day at church
14) road on the back of a motorcycle in Bali
15) mastered NYC transit system.... mostly
16) stayed in a 5 star hotel for the first time in my life
17) fell in love
18) began a yoga fettish
19) spent my first Christmas alone
20) played Settler’s of Catan on two continents and 4 countries
21) went on a date with an opera singer
22) had malaria
23) became addicted to facebook
24) learned to appreciate hot showers, fast internet, and clean running water
25) returned to consumer-land with far too much ease
26) hung out on a beach with penguins
27) watched the world’s economies falter from South Africa
28) discovered the genius of the haiku
29) smoked cloves with my good friends from Princeton again
30) realized at 11:55 p.m. May 10th that year 30 may have been the best year of my life thus far

12 comments:

Peg said...

Not to be a downer at all - and only because I was reminded of this on my 49th -- you were in your 31st year! We count at the end...so you're entering your 32nd my friend! And yes, this means that I have entered my 50th - yikes.
And...may I just say -- you DID have a pretty amazing year -- no matter which one it was!

Cheryl Smith said...

Hey Gorgeous Birthday Girl! What an amazing year! I'm glad we were part of it.

Unknown said...

HOT DOG CARMEN! You are living life. So many great and sucky things all in one year, my my how we fill our days here.

Rochelle said...

Wow. This is really quite impressive! Can't wait what year 31 brings! Happy freakin' birthday my friend!

Doanz said...

Happy Birthday, Carmen! What a fantastic list- keeping living big for Him, girlie! What adventures He brings...

Alissa Maxwell said...

I absolutley LOVE #8, #9, and, well all of this amazing year except for #22 (may you never have malaria again!). What a way to celebrate your birthday - we all should publish such a list each year, though this one may be impossible to top. Wishing you a Joyous year!

Kathleen said...

What a beautiful way to recap your year. I am so glad you reflect upon it with such joy. Here's to you, Carmen!

Brett & Shelly Faucett said...

May I just say what a beautiful woman you are! You look stunning in this picture. What a magical year you had. So many diverse things happening in your life. Keep on going sister.

Love you muchly
Brett

sandy said...

I love following your blog! You are such an amazing young woman. As always, a privilege to know you.
Sandy

amy said...

What an amazing year! We have a lot in common...with 24 and 25 being where I am right now. I'm ready for those cloves in Princeton. Can't wait to see what this next year has in store for you.

Sarah said...

This list is truly amazing. I've only done 4 of them. hahaha You've really been living the life. Enjoy every second, my friend.

garrett said...

Wow, you are old! Okay, so am I. You always catch up to me one day after I have a birthday. Happy (late) Birthday my old friend.