Looking over my list today I realized that most of the items force me to experience something new and often exciting.  The idea of the list is to push me to develop into the person I want to be and the person I see myself as; outgoing, adventurous, friendly, loving, with a passion for others.   

That being said I am thinking about changing number 15; Giving up Facebook for 1 month.  My reasoning behind this is one, I feel giving up Facebook can be easily done, especially once the raspberry season gets started, this being that I work like 90 hours a week and have no time for Facebook. The other reason is I want to find a goal that forces me out improve myself.  I feel giving up Facebook doesn’t force me towards my ultimate goal.

So this being said I am opening up item 15 to you.  I would like you all to give me suggestions.  Keep in mind items need to cost fewer than 200 dollars and needs to be able to be done within 8 hours of the Pullman area.  I will consider all suggestions and pick one to do.  Looking forward to all the ideas.  

7. Get into graduate school

7. Get into graduate school

3 down, 27 to go. So for those of you who don’t know, which most likely is the majority of you, I came to the conclusion late February that I needed to focus my education.  Seeing a dichotomy between educational development within public schools and community based knowledge I feel it is important to try to understand this separation and find ways to develop holistic curriculum that reunites schools with their communities.   

I also find it easier to stay in school.  Yes, there is a lot of truth to that joke.  But all joking aside I feel community oriented learning is vital for personal development.  Students, teachers, schools, community organizations need to see themselves as whole, working together to develop a positive environment where knowledge can flow freely.  I am looking forward to further understand the structure of education and how to go about creating positive change within public schools.

6. Beat my highest GPA

6. Beat my highest GPA

2 down, 28 to go. Looking back at past GPAs (including, college and high school) realized I would have to focus a large amount of energy this semester on my schoolwork.  So with a lot of work and a final push at the end I successfully accomplished goal number 6. 

Beating my highest GPA was not the “why” or the focus for doing well in my classes, rather it was the end result of aligning my passion with my educational development.  My passion for helping students who struggle in school pushed me to learn all that I could about the structure and method of education, which leads to my reason for pursuing a graduate degree. 

Day without shoes (April 10th)

1 down 29 to go.

As I stepped out of my house the first thing I noticed wasn’t the beautiful sunny sky, it was all the glass on the sidewalk. Yeah this is going to be a long day, I thought.  As I made my way to campus I moved off the sidewalk and onto the grass any chance I could. The feeling of earth on my feet instantly conjured up memories of summer days as a kid.  I remember those sunny days well.  Jumping out of the cow trough pool, running over cool soft grass, then onto the hot sidewalk, slowing down as I hit the rough gravel driveway, making my way to the ’54 chevy pickup that had been heated by the summer sun, creating a wonderful place to dry off.  I am quickly brought back to reality as I step onto the top of a sick and pain travels up my leg. 

As the day went on my feet began to feel the pain of going a whole day barefoot.  Now instead of enjoyable memories, I thought of the 300 million children worldwide who daily go without shoes.  Unlike the barefoot enthusiast in developed countries who walk around in their ‘vibram fivefinger’ shoes these children don’t have any protection from the ground and are highly at risk of contracting hookworm infections. 

I ended the day in serious pain barely able to walk the 30 feet from car to apartment.  Soaking my feet in a bucket of hot soapy water I reflected on the day.  Cody Lundin an outdoor minimalist has been going barefoot for over 20 years.  Lundin says going barefoot slows him down from the fast-paced culture of the U.S. allowing him to feel and think about every step he takes, making each on count.

Here are some WebPages on this topic:

            http://www.soles4souls.org/

            http://www.onedaywithoutshoes.com/

The Original List

This all began around February 2012, when the realization of turning 29 got me thinking about who I was and who I wanted to be. The classic pondering sense from Zoolander comes to mind, “Who am I.” The fast approaching 29th birthday quickly moved aside and my attention focused on that number you don’t thinking about until it is already upon you, yeah 30, I know. Now don’t get me wrong, I can’twait to be 30, but also realize I have much to do before I get there.


So this is where the “list” comes into play. I started to compile a list of things I wanted to do before I reached 30. Playing off of the title of the ESPN documentaries 30 for 30 I decide to create a list of 30 things to do by age 30. Thus creating the title 30 by 30. Fallow me in my adventure to 30, where I’ll be documenting every successful or non-successful attempt to check off everything from my list.