30 Things I Want To Do Before I'm 30

I was in two minds about writing a post like this, because thinking about turning 30 seems absolutely bonkers to me. I turned 20 last week, and managed to fry an egg for the first time yesterday. I don't really feel qualified to be talking about turning 30. However, this post was promised in my last one (which is 20 Things I've Learned at 20 Years Old - check it out if you haven't already), and it has been fun - if a bit daunting - to think about all the crazy and cool things I could do and accomplish in my next decade. So I decided to do one of my favourite things - write a list. Here are 30 things I'd love to do before I probably will have to admit I am an adult.

1. Pass my driving test . Lots of people have obviously done this even before they hit 20, but learning to drive has always scared the bejeesus out of me. I've had a few lessons and very slowly I'm starting to relax into it a little more. I know when I eventually pass my test I'll be beyond proud of myself. 

2. Get a car. And passing my test probably means getting my own car. A Mini Cooper will do nicely, thank you very much (or, you know, something about £10,000 cheaper).

3. Graduate from Uni. Hopefully around this time next year, I'll be throwing my graduate cap into the air alongside some of my bestest friends. And then drinking lots of champagne. 

4. Travel more. I think it's so important to travel the world as much as you can while you're young. New Zealand, Amsterdam and New Orleans are top of my list. 

5. Settle into a job. It is my absolute dream to work in the journalism or PR world, and settling into a job within either of these fields will make my three years of stressing, crying and scrunching up pages of article ideas all worth it.

6. Move out. Probably one of the more difficult things to achieve on this list with current house prices, but I don't think Mum will be wanting to cook me Quorn chicken burgers and halloumi fries every week right up until I'm 30. Plus I would so so love the opportunity to live and work in London - I'm warming to city life. 

7. Be able to wear heels for longer than an hour. Every time I wear heels, something bad happens. And I need to get good at wearing them quickly as I'm on bridesmaid duty in September, and my gorgeous sparkly heels don't deserve this headless chicken falling around in them.

8. Start freelancing. Whatever field I end up working in, and even before I find a job, I'd love to be able to to continue to pursue my love of writing and try and earn from it as much as I can. Pitching article ideas to publications left, right and centre might be a good place to start. 

9. Go to a festival. Being the major music fan that I am, even I'm shocked I haven't done this one yet. I have my eyes on Glastonbury, Latitude - or even a day fest, like Community in Finsbury Park. 

10. Learn time and money management skills. I'm hoping this will all come with experience, but really, I need to look myself in the mirror and tell myself that £28 is a lot of money to be spending on a lipstick. Also, when I get a job, I hope a good work/life balance is something I figure out pretty quickly.

11. Watch more classic films. I apologise to everyone who is offended over how few movies I've actually seen. I can't help that every time I'm in the mood for a movie it just so happens to be Harry Potter. ET, Love Actually, Legally Blonde...the list is lengthy and I've only got 10 years. 

12. Have a groovy 21st birthday party. Now that I've hit 20 I'm so excited for my 21st. I'm not quite sure what it will entail, but I can probably promise some questionable dance moves and a lot of cheese. 

13. Host a party. On the subject of parties, I wanna host one. Maybe a dinner party, maybe a housewarming party, or a surprise party for a friend. Either way, I just want it to go better than my 18th birthday party - if you know, you know.

14. Learn at least the basics of a new language. I'll forever be in awe of people who can speak multiple languages, and those that can make me want to do the same. 

15. Get a cat. Sorry to all the dog parents out there, I'm a crazy cat lady. Unless you count unofficially adopting a neighbour's cat as your own, I've never actually had one, so when I do move out, I'm gonna pick the perfect room mate up from the animal shelter. 

16. Complete at least 1 more novel by F Scott Fitzgerald. In my last post I said how much of a bookworm I am, and one of my favourite novels of all time is The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald. His writing style and depiction of the Roaring 20s is fascinating.  I've had Tender is the Night sat on my desk at uni for two years but never sat down and read it. Hopefully I'll find time in the next 10 years.

17. Go to Disney World again. For someone who doesn't watch a lot of movies, I am huuuuuge lover of all-things Disney. I've been to Walt Disney World in Florida twice, and since my last trip in 2017, all I have thought about is going back. 

18. Get a fitness regime going properly/stop being so afraid of the gym. While I am slowly getting my head around this whole 'exercise' malarkey, I don't think I can use the 'I'm still a growing girl' excuse when tucking into a second dessert for much longer. 

19. Get a professional massage. And after all this house-moving, cat-adopting and walking-in-heels-practising, I'm gonna need it.

20. See Lana del Rey live. I've been so lucky to be able to see pretty much all of my favourite artists live, but tickets to see Lana have always escaped my grasp. NOT gonna happen again. 

21. Start challenging negative mindsets and turn them into positive thoughts. Example A.) Stop thinking of driving lessons as "ohmigod scary I'm gonna crash I can't do it", and start thinking "By continuing my lessons, I'm improving constantly and doing something that will really help in the long run. And if so many other people can do it, so can I."

22. Get another tattoo. I am quite content with my little shooting star at the moment, but a bunch of sweet peas on my ribs or a rose above my achilles heel are definitely not off the table.

23. Get a Polaroid camera and start documenting things in places other than online. Getting a Polaroid may seem soooo 2016, but I'd love to be able to treasure all the special moments that happen in my 20s and keep them in a scrapbook or photo album to look back on in years to come. 

24. Get better at cooking. As I said in my intro, I only learned how to fry an egg yesterday. I think this one is pretty self-explanatory. 

25. Eat at a Michelin Star restaurant.  Even if the cooking works out, I would looove to indulge at a Michelin Star restaurant one day. If it can compare to the after-Oceana-Maccies, I'll be satisfied.

26. Continue writing for and running this blog. Seeing my blog and my writing go from strength to strength has definitely been a highlight of the past 10 years, and I'm so excited to see how this little baby grows through my 20s. 

27. Improve my shorthand and take more speed tests. Learning and improving on my shorthand has not been a walk in the park, but I've managed to get my 60 words a minute down, and writing Friends dialogue in shorthand while I watch it again and again will hopefully help me nail those higher speeds in no time. 

28. Climb over the O2 Arena. I've done The Shard, I've done the London Eye, and I've always been desperate to see the sights from one of my favourite landmarks - The O2 Arena. I love this place so much, just because of all the lovely memories I have from trips there - like when I cried watching The Wanted perform Glad You Came on their 'The Code' tour. 

29. Go stargazing/see a meteor shower. I love all-things stars - hence the tattoo - but have never laid back on the grass on a clear summer's night and stargazed. And if on the night I do that a meteor shower could be arranged, that would be cool too. 

30. See my friends and family thrive. While I do all this stuff, many of my friends and family will also be doing amazing things, finding their dream jobs and travelling the world. I'm excited for all of us. 

So, 29-year-old Ellie, if you're reading this and haven't done all these things, you better get your skates on.