Date: April 28th
Event: Heather turns 28
Reason to Party like a Blog-star: It’s Heather’s GOLDEN BIRTHDAY!
What does “Golden Birthday” mean, you ask?
I’ve come to learn it may be a bit of a mid-western thing, as so many of my Southern and East-coast friends look at me blankly when I mention it. Your Golden Birthday takes place when your age is the same as the date of the month of your birth.
Therefore; Born on April 28 + Turning 28 = GOLDEN BIRTHDAY!
Last year, I tried to avoid celebrating my birthday as much as possible. I was in a much different place in my life, and in my journey to self-love. This year is much different. I’ve already shared that this month has been a month of endless C.E.L.E.B.R.A.T.I.O.N. I’ve declared that 2011 is MY YEAR, and I have big things in store for my 28th year, my GOLDEN YEAR.
In honor of my golden year, my endless desire to make a list, check it twice, and chase my dreams, I’ve made a new goal list in my journal titled 28th Year: Golden Lists.
That’s right – I’ve decided to go big or go home, and have made a list of 28 lists I hope to complete before my 29th year.
In the next year, I hope to:
- Read 28 books. [I’ve already started a list!]
- Make 28 new recipes from the cookbooks I own [There are many I’ve yet to cook from!]
- Make 28 new recipes from blogs
- Write 28 guest posts
- Write 28 poems [File this under: stepping outside of my comfort zone]
- Watch 28 movies I’ve not seen before
- Post 28 original recipes on THS [SGITK!]
- Send Baby A 28 letters
- Taste 28 new wines
- Order 28 drinks I’ve not had before [I don’t want to get in a drink ordering rut! I want to try new things this year!]
- Give 28 items I own away to people who would enjoy and appreciate them. [de-cluttering my life one hand-me-down at a time!]
- Lose 28 Kilos [12.7 lbs]
**UPDATE: a reader informed me that I am ridiculous with conversions and 28 kilos ACTUALLY equals about 61 pounds. oops….. - Finish 28 Projects I start. [My craft room is overflowing with projects I started one day and never took the time to complete.]
- Send 18 TIMELY Birthday Cards [note: TIMELY]
- Write 28 Sounding Board Pieces [the sounding board is a group of friends that read my non-blog writing and give me advice along the way.]
- Share 28 dishes/batches/containers of food with people I love
- Learn 28 new yoga poses. [I am only confident in a handful of poses but I’d love to learn more this year!
- Post 28 Operation Beautiful notes
- Submit 28 Little Things photos and notes.
- Keep 28 blogs or less in my Google Reader. [In an effort to not have reader guilt, I’ve cleared my list of daily reads to 28 blogs. If I find a new blog I want to add to my daily reads, I will remove one of the current blogs on the list.]
- Run a 5K in 28 minutes or less.
- Eat 28 different pizza topping combinations
- Donate 28 items to those in need.
- De-friend 28 people on Facebook. [The de-cluttering continues on the internet!]
- Download 28 new songs. [as most of my music is via 2001]
- Visit 28 locations I’ve yet to see in CDNY
- Listen to episodes from 28 podcasts I’ve not yet tried
- Print 28 photos to display in my apartment
It may appear that I’ve over done it with the goal setting here, but I’m pretty stoked to see what I accomplish in the next 365 days. Some of the items on the list I’ve chosen to challenge myself, and some I’ve chosen to assure that I continue to make the things I love a priority in my life. I love that I’m not dreading one item on this list.
I’ll no doubt be tracking my progress in one form or another throughout the course of completion, and I can’t wait to look back in the future and think about all the life I was living my 28th year. Happy Golden Birthday YEAR!
28 kilos is 61 pounds!
Thank you! I swear I looked this up when I wrote the list (clearly I just googled something WRONG!)
Happy birthday my love!
Jessica @ How Sweet recently posted..Mango Colada Muffins
I guess I missed celebrating my Golden Birthday – it was my fifth!
Happy birthday! I checked out your book list and you have some good ones on it.
Britney recently posted..Needs and Wants
happy birthday!
i missed my golden birthday . . . I was 4!
hope you have a great day!
ps- you can guest post for me anytime
That is an awesome list!
Have a fantastic 28th (the day and the year!), and happy birthday!
LindseyAnn recently posted..8 days a week
Happy birthday! Your list is so exciting and inspirational… as usual
healthy ashley recently posted..Two Months To Go!
Happy golden birthday Heather! I love your goals list – all wonderful, fun things! And I firmly believe in celebrating birthdays for an entire month. You deserve it!
Happy Golden Birth-year Heather! I can’t wait to read about the fruits of these lists!
Ashley @ Simply Creative Things recently posted..Grungy Grout
Thanks
Keep me accountable to reporting back on them throughout the year!!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I sent you a card last week – I hope it made it to the right address!! I hope you have a fabulous birthday!
Colleen @ The Lunchbox Diaries recently posted..To Assume
IT DID! I love it and have a post coming up soon about it
(i mentioned it in one of my posts from yesterday, too – not specifically but that I have a fun presidential card to share soon!!! that was the one from you!!! THANK YOU SWEET GIRL!!!)
Oh, I must have missed that!! SO glad you got it!!!
Colleen @ The Lunchbox Diaries recently posted..To Assume
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Julie @SavvyEats recently posted..The Purple Onion Cafe
I love this
Great, great list! I wish I would have done this for my golden birthday 4 years ago! 
brandi@BranAppetit recently posted..Snapshots of a Windy Wednesday
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! Exciting list! Particularly the 28 original THS recipes!
Kelly recently posted..Wordless Wednesday – April 27- 2011
two VERY fun ones have already been scheduled
get excited. (one of which I know you will hate and another you MAY consider trying 
)
Happy Birthday Heather. Mine is April 30th but I am sure not 30 boo hoo (61)
Happy birthday!!! I love, love, love your list!
mindy @ just a one girl revolution. recently posted..april showers
Happy happy happy birthday Heather!!!!!!!! Great list!
Beth @ Beth’s Journey to Thin recently posted..When One Changes
happy birthday heather!
it sounds like you have plans to make this an awesome year, which is wonderful because you’re so worth it!!!
p.s. i really love the de-friend 28 ppl goal. i just did that with about 100 ppl and it is very refreshing!!
sarah (sarah learns) recently posted..i feel the love
a few months after the break up I went through a MAJOR facebook clense were I deleted A LOT (and I mean A LOT) of “friends.” ahem. I think I went from 1700 to like 450 or something drastic like that.
I felt SO GOOD afterwards.
of course, since then, when some of those old friends I deleted because we hadn’t EVER communicated on facebook asked me to be friends again, I have accepted their requests
(but i am no where near the amount of FB friends I had before – it was ridiculous)
and of course, SOME OF those v. friends have left me “happy birthday” comments on my wall today. HA! love how that all comes around, right?
Happy Golden Birthday Heather,I’ve never heard of this before and that’s pretty cool. I guess I missed mine, 8 yrs ago. I love your list of things to do!
Happy Birthday!!
That is a great list! Happy Birthday Chica!
HAPPY GOLDEN BIRTHDAY!
Looking forward to those 28 letters for Baby A
Maybe a few will have to come to Baby B too 
Danielle recently posted..As 1st Birthday Party
Happy birthday!
Happy birthday! What an awesome list! Have an incredible year!
Happy birthday!!! Hope you have a wonderful day
This is such a fabulous list, by the way!
Michelle recently posted..Working Girl Wednesday- Write a Better Resume
Happy Birthday Heather!! You deserve an incredible birthday and an incredible year!
I might have to borrow your ‘lists’ idea for my 25th birthday… I think it would do me some good.
Sarah @ Long Legs Healthy Life recently posted..Three Things Thursday
Happy Golden Birthday, Heather! Unfortunately, I have to wait until I’m 30 for my Golden Birthday…
I think your list is absolutely incredible. So many of these things I would never have thought to try. I’m definitely going to be keeping these in mind for myself.
Courtney @ Sweet Tooth, Sweet Life recently posted..My Bad Habit
Happy golden birthday!! My golden birthday is also the 28th! I have 2 years and 2 months from today for mine, so I’ll live it up every day until then
Hope you have a fantastic day!
Hooray for us golden 28-ers
Happy Golden Birthday!!! I love your love of lists and how detailed they are.
Now show us what’s in the golden presents!!!
I Love Love Love this! Lists and goals make me majorly happy!
Lacey Q recently posted..Mail Love!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! I’m drooling over your lists, I love them! Have a great day, weekend, week, month, year….
Michelle recently posted..Its hip to be square
Happy Birthday, my beautiful friend!! (BTW you are lookin’ super fine! Your hard work is paying off!)
1. Unfriending on facebook is liberating and fun.
(As long as you don’t unfriend me – I’d still find ways to stalk you). 
2. What’s your goal weight? If you have 28 lbs to lose, why not shoot for that in a year? Totally do-able, much more so than 61 lbs.
3. I’d love to help with yoga poses! I’m thinking of making May a month of doing yoga every single day, whether at a studio or at home…maybe we can pick one pose a day we can each practice together?
4. You’re super inspirational. I’m inspired to check in with my goals again.
xo my love!
Lindsey @ SoundEats recently posted..Mexican Chicken Cobb Salad
i have LESS than 28 lbs to lose!
otherwise that would have been on the list 
yes! let us yoga!
Happy Birthday! I’m in MN and we do celebrate golden birthdays here. I still remember mine, although I was only 8.
What a fun list of goals! I have a friend in her 50s who does something associated with her age every year – swim 50 laps on her 50th birthday, bike 51 miles on her 51st birthday, etc. I really should get more amitious with my birthdays than “eat cake.”
Enjoy your day!
Melissa @ Be Not Simply Good recently posted..Dressed Up Leftovers
Happy birthday Heather! I love all your goals – if you ever need help tasting 28 different wines, let me know! Can’t wait to celebrate with you more this weekend =)
Happiest of all Happy Birthdays in the world to you, beautiful Heather!!!!!!! xoxo
Love this list! Except you definitely don’t need to lose 28 pounds!
Happy Birthday! Enjoy your golden year!
[...] The list of things that Heather is doing for her 28th year (I especially like keeping the number of blogs in your Google Reader to your age – I need to work on this!) @ ThenHeatherSaid [...]
what a GREAT list! happy belated birthday
and 28 blogs in your reader — WOW – inspiring!
sarah (the SHU box) recently posted..good morning
Thanks, Sarah!
I started publicly tracking my 28 in 28 goals as well- i made a master page and subpages for each of the items on the 28 list! http://www.thenheathersaid.com/about/this-years-goals-28-in-28/
as for the google reader: http://www.thenheathersaid.com/about/this-years-goals-28-in-28/reader/
Heather recently posted..Simply Saturday
wow – that is incredibly flattering
so glad to be included on your 28 list!
sarah (the SHU box) recently posted..good morning
[...] mentioned that she’s reducing the number of blogs she subscribes to via Google Reader to 28. Mind=blown. There was no way I could reduce my Reader to that few. But then I was [...]
[...] and therefore my golden year, I’ve decided to go big or go home, and have made a list of 28 lists I hope to complete before my 29th year. Yesterday marked EXACTLY four months to go until I turn 29 [not that I'm counting or anything [...]
[...] I turned 28, almost one year ago, in a ridiculous nod to “celebrating” my Golden Year, I set off on a quest to complete 28 [...]