20 Things

I recently came across an article that listed 20 things that each woman should do before they get married. I not only printed out the list, but it inspired me to create my own of things that I would like to accomplish before I make the plunge.

20 Things Each Woman Should Do before They get Married:

1. Live by herself for at least 1 year.

2. Live with someone else for at least a year.

3. Recover from a broken heart.

4. Have a vacation fling.

5. Take a road trip with girlfriends.

6. Relish sleeping in a queen-sized bed by herself.

7. Get her finances in order.

8. Learn to love her body.

9. Have sex with at least 1 person she'd never want to marry (or introduce to her mom).

10. Find a reliable birth control.

11. Pay off as much credit card debt and student loans as possible.

12. Spend way too much on something frivolous.

13. Exorcise all past relationship demons.

14. Travel somewhere exotic.

15. Establish a strong circle of friends.

16. Forgive her parents for not being perfect.

17. Have at least one night she can't remember.

18. Experience some really bad first dates.

19. Find hobbies that fulfill her.

20. Celebrate her 25th birthday.

I sent this list to a few of my friends and their responses to the list made me laugh. Each woman's response to how many things she had already completed was directly proportional to how ready they were for marriage, or in some cases, how much they wanted to be ready for it. Some said they had accomplished all the items, some said they completed most, and others, like myself, started to over analyze and think about what constitutes an "exotic vacation" - I went to Costa Rica a few years ago, but that just didn't seem exotic enough for me. Ironically, and to no surprise to a lot of my friends, this list wasn't enough for me, I needed to add on my own things. I guess I just felt like this list wasn't going to give me enough time. So, here are the 10 additional items that I came up with. What things would you add to the list, if anything? Here's my additions, if you need some inspiration :)

1. Move out of Philadelphia.

2. Be happy on my own (without a boyfriend).

3. Get a job outside my current industry.

4. Live in Chile for an extended period of time.

5. Learn Spanish.

6. Learn love my faults and learn from them.

7. Go to Bikram Yoga instructor training school.

8. Go on a bike tour throughout Greece.

9. Be my own best friend.

10. Be able to make a teapot in my pottery class.

*11. Celebrate my 27th Birthday.

Granted a lot of these things I can do when I'm married or have a serious boyfriend, but for some reason these seem like things I'd like to accomplish on my own. I added an eleventh item just for good luck. Enjoy reading the list and thinking of your own!