Turning 28 - 28 Things To Do In My 28th Year!

*Sigh*
Another day, another year older. 
At some point these birthday's have to start slowing down, right... right?! 
I've been so unmotivated to celebrate my birthday this year, much to the annoyance of my husband. He's been pestering me since last year to decide what gift I want this year and the best that I could come up with was a puppy.
I can categorically state that I won't be receiving a puppy.
*Insert crying/distressed/dramatic face emoji*
Anyway, I have an IOU for when I can decide what I actually want and tonight, Scott and I will be going for a romantic dinner somewhere in town - and by romantic, I mean stuffing my face with all the food and cocktails until I'm uncomfortably round. Yay!
So, waffle aside, to mark my 28th birthday, I thought I would create a bucket list of 28 things I would like to do/achieve before my next birthday. No, develop the ability to reverse years isn't one of them, sadly.

Super old, drunk photo - check!
1. Eat fish. Okay, we're kicking off with a really random one here but I really don't like fish. Like, hate the stuff, apart from tinned tuna but does that even count? I'm determined to find a bland as hell, non-fishy fish that I actually enjoy because ordering steak every time I go out is starting to wear a little thin.
2. Read five books. Yes, I know that may seem like a pathetic amount but as much as I love reading, I just haven't made the time for it that I should. I think that five is very much an achievable number so wish me luck! If you have any great book suggestions, fire them my way.
3. Do a pull-up. I have the upper body strength of a dandelion and although I've been training regularly with my personal trainer, I'm a long way from mastering a true pull-up. I have a whole year to work on it though so here's hoping.
4. Visit Oman. And we're not just talking a border run. I mean a proper, weekend vacay or short mini-break. Scott and I don't have many holiday plans this year and with Oman being just a short hop and a skip away, it would be rude not to.
5. Get into Yoga. I participated in my first yoga class whilst I was a fresh-faced, uni student and then I've never taken a class since. I suffer from lower-back pain quite a lot, weak backs really run in our family and so I'd love to work on my posture and strengthen my core muscles with yoga.
6. DIY something. I'm not sure what. Maybe a piece of home decor?
7. Write a poem. Hark at me. I'm sure I can come up with something deep and meaningful if pushed... I may even publish it on my blog. There's a first time for everything I guess.
8. Go paddleboarding. I'm not very adventurous, which seems contradictory seeing as I've moved to several places around the world, over the last few years. Water sports just aren't my jam but I feel like paddleboarding is a level of 'thrill-seeking' activity that I could get on board with - read, not thrill-seeking in the slightest, but fun all the same.
9. Drive in the UAE, This one feels me with the fear. Urgh, driving isn't my strongest skill to begin with, teamed with the unpredictability of the roads here, it's no wonder I've been putting it off. 
10. Cook my husband a three course dinner. Okay, pretending it's for my husband but really it's for me. We all know how it is. I love cooking but I can't even remember the last time I cooked a full, three courses. This one needs to happen soon!
11. Donate a bunch of clothes to charity. I did the same thing last year when I left Finland and it was really nice to de-clutter my wardrobe, as well as give something back to those less fortunate. 
12. Get up early to watch the sun rise. Okay, the chance of this one actually happening is pretty slim, but, I'm gonna stick it in there and see what happens. You never know, miracles can occur!
13. Keep a small journal. For the longest time, I've wanted to keep a small journal of all of my favourite quotes and sayings. I want a pretty notepad and to hand write the quotes myself in some snazzy penmanship. Perhaps this can double up as my DIY piece?
14. Have a wedding album made. Scott and I still haven't had any of our wedding photos printed off, they're just lurking away on my laptop in an unmarked folder. 
15. Eat pancakes on pancake day. I feel like I miss out on pancake day every year, either because we forget or it falls on an inconvenient day. This year I really want to eat pancakes on official pancake day!
16. Climb the stairs in my apartment building. Scott and I live on the 62nd floor of our building and there's a shit tonne of stairs to get to our floor. We've walked down them a few times but we've never made it any where near half-way when climbing up them. Anyone else just tired thinking about this?
17. Use an entire tube of lipstick. This one may be slightly more difficult to achieve. I don't think I've ever used an entire lipstick before. I always flit from one shade to the next, adding more to my collection and never using up old ones. Has anyone else actually ever finished a full tube of lipstick?
18. Have a phone-free day! Yup, 24 solid hours sans mobile telephone. I feel like my phone has truly become an extension of my arms and just for one day, I'd like to switch it off and leave it out of sight.
19. Appear in a newspaper or magazine. 10 points to anyone who can come up with the funniest headline. Okay, I'm not sure how I could pull this off or under what circumstances I'd be likely to appear, but the weirder the better.
20. Learn to write my name in Arabic. I'm hoping that I'll have learnt considerably more Arabic by this time next year but being able to write my name, (without it looking like a spider has scuffled across my notepad) would be a nice touch. 
21. Train one of my guinea pigs to do a trick. I'll give you a minute to pick yourself up off the floor. So if I'm being totally honest, I did try to teach Hamish to 'jump' through a hoop when she was much younger, but being the total diva that she is, she was having none of it. Ralph is probably my more likely bet. Britain's Got Talent 2017, make sure you're watching!
22. Cook using a recipe I've pinned on Pinterest. Hands up, who else is guilty of pinning a whole bunch of recipes and then never setting eyes on them again? 
23. Grow a vegetable. Right, as you can probably guess, I'm starting to scrape the barrel here. My horticultural history leaves little to be desired so if anything, growing, or failing to grow a vegetable might make for a funny blog post. 
24. Beat my husband at FIFA. I'm going to take one for the team and kick his arse at his favourite computer game. 
25. Eat at a Michelin Starred restaurant. As far as I'm aware, I don't think I've ever eaten at a Michelin starred restaurant. I'm typically quite fussy with my food and I know some of the menus at these sorts of places can be alternative but I'd love to give one a try. 
26. Attend an Iftar. I will be living in Abu Dhabi during Ramadan this year and as I never got chance to attend an Iftar when I lived in Qatar, I really hope to experience one this year. For those that don't know what an Iftar is, it's the meal that Muslims use to break their fast after the sun has set during Ramadan - they are typically extravagant affairs.
27. Convince a stranger that I'm 21 years old. Am I being too optimistic?
28. Learn a song, word for word. And no, nothing by Justin Bieber. I don't care how many people claim to be a recent 'Belieber' I'm not having any of it!
So there we have it guys, 28 things to tick off my bucket list by the time I'm done being 28 years old. I will post an update halfway through the year so that you can check on my progress.
Wish me luck!
Have you ever created a bucket list? What are some of your top things to do before you reach a certain age?