First off, I would like to thank you for the sweet birthday wishes and the lovely gifts I received:
These mean the world to me, thank you so much!! It's hard to believe I'm 25 already!
Allow me to update you on my "30 before 30" project next:
1. Do something nice for myself once in a while.
2. Try 20 new baking recipes. 2 down, 18 to go
3. Find a sport I enjoy and work out regularly. Last November, my sister and I decided for the first time that we wanted to try Bulgarian folk dancing. It's something that's always been everywhere around us, but never looked very appealing... Thankfully that's changed now, as we absolutely fell in love with it! I'm now working out 3 times a week!
4. Go hiking at least once a year.
5. Volunteer at a local shelter. I'm afraid I'll have to change this one, since there isn't a shelter nearby my hometown where I moved back a couple of years ago...
6. Adopt a dog from a shelter. This is definitely happening in the next year or two.
7. Learn to play guitar. I'm finally starting to learn how to play guitar! Only took me over a year.
8. Go abroad to at least 5 different countries (aiming for Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, the Netherlands). I've visited England, Switzerland, Romania and Greece so far, so 4/5! I'm embarrassed to say that it took me 3 years to realize that I've actually been to France... <da:thumb id="533527595"/> Yup, back in May 2015 when I visited Switzerland, we also went around Strasbourg. So I consider this as complete, although I've not had the chance yet to visit one of my top 5.
9. Learn Japanese. This is very much on hiatus at the moment.
10. Visit Japan during the cherry blossom season.
11. Meet as many of my online friends as possible in person.
12. Plant more trees (the last ones I planted died in a flood). I find it weird that I haven't made time for this... I think it's time to get around to it already. Guess I need a little nudge.
13. Grow a plant (and try not to kill it).
14. See wildlife in its natural habitat.
15. Read at least 10 books per year. Done 4 years in a row! My sister recently bought some more books. If we don't buy new books over the next few years, we still won't run out. That's how many we have waiting for their turn.
16. See my favourite band/performer live in concert (whoever it is at the time).
17. See my favourite actor live on stage. I was hoping for this to happen last year, but alas. 😭
18. Attend a convention (maybe cosplay?).
19. Do something for my parents’ 30th wedding anniversary in 2017. I baked them their favourite cake. My sister and I sent them on a trip to Plitvice lakes in Croatia!
21. Take a dance class. I basically killed two birds with one stone with the folk dancing.
22. Take archery/shooting lessons (I have no explanation for this).
23. Go to 20 places I've never been in my own country. - 8/20 so far! I know my parents take pictures everywhere we go, but somehow I can't find photos from these trips. They're more for myself, to keep track of the numbers. I don't really care for the "pics or it didn't happen" BS.
24. Help a stranger (already doing it whenever I can).
25. Get the bluebird tattoo I’ve wanted for a while.
26. Kiss in the rain. I'm not sure if this is ever happening, so might have to change it as well... But I don't have any more ideas so far.
27. Overcome at least one of my fears (heights being more probable than fire). This is going alright for now.
28. Learn to NOT be a picky eater again (I really used to eat everything, I don’t know what happened). This is going alright, not sure how far I can go with it though.
29. TRY to go vegetarian at least for a month every year, if not permanently. This will have to go at some point, but I don't have any ideas what to change it with right now.
Thank you for yet another lovely year! I can't believe I'm halfway through this project! Time sure does fly... Some other points to make from the past year:
I changed my job in September last year. Although I loved working in tourism, I felt mistreated and underappreciated. I wasn't sure if I should dive into the unknown waters of logistics, but now I'm happy I did. It makes a world of difference to have a kind and understanding boss.
This is possibly the highlight of 2017 for me... I should start by explaining that I've always had a fascination with "The Nutcracker" for some reason. I just think the music is so beautiful, the story is lovely and magical. I'd wanted to see it for AGES. Well, in December I finally saw "The Nutcracker" live on stage, thanks to St Petersburg State Ballet on Ice coming to Bulgaria!!! No regrets! 😊
I've had a driver's license since I was 18, but I've barely driven since then. This past November I finally put in the effort to start driving again. It's a slow process because I really don't like driving, but it's a start.
dA is being a jerk and won't let me include more than 5 photos in this journal... So I'll try to post the photos I wanted to share with you all in the comments below!
I'm sorry for my recent inactivity, but I've been very busy in my personal life, that I haven't had time to create art. I'll try and upload some photos at least, I have a couple from last year that I really like!
I wish all the best to you and yours, and I hope you know I truly appreciate your support over the years! It's bonkers that I'll be celebrating my 10th anniversary on dA later this year, at the end of August, I think! 😱 I'll try to be around for that!