Last year I started a list of 26 things I wanted to complete before my 26th birthday. I thought if I had a finite list of things, I’d be motivated to cross the items off one by one. In the middle few months, life and work got crazy and I lost focus. However, I still was able to complete items I certainly wouldn’t have otherwise. With my 26th birthday come and gone, here’s a retrospective on my progress and how I plan to continue with my venture.

Things I completed:

Took a weekend trip to Sedona -- link
Read and returned all borrowed books -- link
Got a record player -- link
Saw Fountains of Wayne in concert -- link
Reconnected with an old friend -- link
Replaced master bathroom shower -- link
Watched The Godfather -- link
Organized the garage -- link
Digitally organized and archived all photos -- link
Lost 15 pounds -- link
Learned to properly cook a steak -- link
Created wedding books for my parents and in-laws -- link

Things in progress:

Replace guest bathtub -- Materials purchased and ready to be installed in May.
Host a poker night -- Poker chips and table are ready, interest has been shown, date to be set soon.
Reduce my private debt by one fourth -- I’ve set up a timeline and payment plan and have already made my first payment. I should be debt-free in a couple years.
Refresh and customize an old piece of furniture -- I have the piece already, but have been agonizing over what paint color to use.

Things I still plan on completing:

Paint the kitchen cabinets -- Just waiting for a long weekend so I can do it all at once. I may try the bathroom cabinets first as a test run.
Have a smores party -- We plan to put in some grass, a fire pit, and a nice seating area in the backyard. Then, smores for everyone.
Paint a picture for myself -- I have a few commissions lined up, but will soon after begin painting more for myself.
Learn how to change a tire -- Someday...
Take a city tour of Phoenix -- Of all the tours I researched, the Town Lake segway tour sounds the most fun. May have to wait till fall for the best weather.

Things I don’t plan on completing:

Build a piece of furniture -- Too many tools to buy and too much work. I’d much rather spend time browsing antique stores!
Try snowboarding again -- Last time I was in snowy climate, I found every excuse not to go snowboarding. Too expensive, too scary, and too much prep. I’ll stick to wakeboarding and warm weather.
Take a pottery class -- My dad and I are going to take a printmaking class instead. Fun!
Stay up all night and watch the sun rise -- I’m just too old for this, ha!
Buy a nice set of dishes and flatware -- I actually shopped around for these, priced everything, and then decided I’d rather spend my money on other things. Our IKEA plates and Target flatware are good enough for us.

While I didn’t complete most of my list, I still feel great about it. One of my resolutions this year was to complete more projects I start. I loved the process and now am considering some larger, more difficult items for my 30 before 30 list.

Last night I was able to complete one more item on my 26 before 26 list. I’d been working on it slowly over the last few months and can finally cross off #17: Organize the garage.

While our little house has plenty of closets, there wasn’t much outdoor storage for larger items and those not needed in the house. For the first couple years, we used an old storage shelf I had bought for an installation art piece during college. It had been painted so many times that the pieces no longer fit together properly. So I decided it was time to get things in order.

Here’s our garage before:

While this is nothing compared to the clutter most people have in their garages, it made the organizer in me cringe. Stacked chairs, sports equipment, Christmas decorations, and much more just sat where they wanted, occasionally falling over when we accidentally bumped against them. Not a great situation.

I had Clay help me remove the useless cabinet from the garage wall. Doesn’t he look excited to be here?

Then, I put together two new storage shelf units from Home Depot to fill the space. They were $70 each and much cheaper than any other cabinet option we considered.

And here’s the after with all of our boxes and things on the shelves. The organizer in me wanted to get all matching containers, but the thrift shopper in me said to make do with what we have.

The last step was to get some Elfa wall hooks and hangers from The Container Store to get the rest of the stuff up off the ground and out of the way. It seems like such a small change, moving the items 5 feet above where they original sat, but it makes such a difference. These items are the ones we only use once in a while or seasonally, so having them on the wall clears up walking space and keeps them out of harm’s way until we need them.

(Disregard the pile of building materials. These are simply waiting to be installed in our guest bathroom and will be gone soon!)

When we moved in, we had made it a point to always be able to park inside our garage (especially during the hot summer months). It’s easy to start packing and stacking items in there and soon your garage is overflowing with things you don’t even care about. This new system will hopefully make it quick and easy to keep things organized.

Summer of 2003 - San Diego California

This item on my 26 before 26 list was difficult for me. I technically only completed half of it, but I’m still crossing off #4: Read and return all borrowed books.

source

For the past year, I’ve discovered my inability to read books. Don’t get me wrong, I love reading. I used to read a book a week and couldn’t get enough. Lately though, with work, family, and house, I just can’t seem to focus long enough to get through a decent number of pages. I read a chapter, but can’t remember most of it. My mind is a wanderer. So as I work towards getting my reading groove back, I decided to return any borrowed books from friends and family anyway.

I was surprised to feel a weight lifted. The pile of borrowed books on my to-do list was always in the back of my mind and it was a relief to clear them from my space. I’ve resolved to first read any books I own that I have yet to enjoy and, in the future, to only borrow one book at a time.