Bring out the firecrackers, because it’s my birthday! While I spent most of the day at work, I’m very happy with how this birthday went. It was nice to come home to a dinner with my family, knowing that we’re all safe, healthy, and pretty happy.
It’s also so easy to slip into the mindset of how this birthday is so different from all of my other birthdays. There are so many things to do in the world, and I was happiest having dinner with my family. I think that says something about how I’m coping with quarantine.
Anyway, in honor of turning 23, today’s blog post is a list of 23 things I want to do once quarantine is over.
1. A Restaurant Dining Experience
I’m so tired of cooking at home, and I’m tired of take-out. Someone open the restaurants so that I can enjoy a meal where someone is taking care of me.
2. Have a Wild Night Out
It’s been mentioned before that I’m not the late-night-out type of girl. However, I am ready to hit the streets, and endeavor on an adventure that I may or may not forget.
3. Plan a Weekend Getaway
St. Augustine is an hour away, and I still haven’t explored it as much as I would like. How lame is that?
4. A Couple’s Massage
Officially hooked. I didn’t think I would like it very much, but now I love a massage. Or maybe it’s the effect my boyfriend has on me, because I always relax best around him.
5. Go to a Movie
There’s too much Netflixing and Huluing and watching Disney+ for me. I miss going to the movies. But I also like that some people have started doing the drive-in movies, because that was something I didn’t do the first time.
6. Shopping
Do you know how much I miss trying things on at the store? Or just walking through the store and not feeling stressed? I miss shopping as a coping mechanism.
7. Plan a Road Trip
There are places I feel like it would be fun to road trip to. For example, Seattle has been top of mind for a while, and how cool would it be to road trip across the entire country? You would see so much. I want that.
8. A Girl’s Night
It’s hard not seeing everyone on a regular basis, but it’s harder not seeing my girls. I miss the chit-chats at Chili’s, getting ice cream on a whim, and Bachelor Mondays together. I yearn for these nights.
9. Attend a Festival
In this case, I mean a music festival, something I never thought I would do before. But this quarantine makes me want to take on the world once all is said and done. If I can handle being stuck in a house with family for this long, I can handle a music festival weekend, especially if it’s a country one.
10. Go to Disney
Is this one really a surprise at this point?
11. See a Comedy Show
Before 2019 ended, I got to see John Mulaney live. I have to say that there’s something about the energy in the room of a comedy show. Everyone’s so ready to either laugh or pull a pitchfork on a comedian. It’s an interesting tension.
12. Spend Time with My Friends
I miss you. I miss them. I miss everything we used to do together.
13. Meet New People
Here’s the truth: I don’t like small talk, but I like getting to know people. I love learning about them, listening to their stories. I get a sort of high every time I meet a new person. Social distancing doesn’t allow for it in the same way I’m used to.
14. Go To a Bar
Being in quarantine wanting to go to the bar is like being a teenager waiting to have sex: it can’t seem to come soon enough. I want to get dolled up so that I can go to a bar and order a drink.
15. Paddle Board at the Beach
While it’s a workout, there’s a serenity that comes with it. Maybe its the feeling of being in nature, or the sound of the water, but while my muscles beg for a break, I feel totally at peace with the world.
16. Get My Hair Redone
I had a hair appointment, and then quarantine happened. Now I feel like my hair is all dead and needs help. I also miss talking to my hairstylist about life, so there’s that.
17. Plan a Trip Abroad
Iceland, Italy, Ireland, there is so much world I have yet to explore.
18. Drink Around the World
I’m starting to think this is one of those things that the world doesn’t want me to do. That’s because I’ve been saying it for years, and the one year I thought I would, COVID-19 hits. Now I’m itching for it.
19. Run a Half-Marathon
Something out of character that I started to do was workout on a more regular basis. I also hopped on one of those “Train for a Half-Marathon” schedules. Wouldn’t it be cool to say I ran a half-marathon? I’m going to look into doing one of the cool ones, probably hosted by Disney.
20. Relax at a Coffee Shop
It’s the simple things you miss, right? I miss the atmosphere and how I would procrastinate my homework while sitting and procrastinating.
21. Visit a Museum
My boyfriend and I love museums, love sharing thoughts with each other on what we’re looking at. It’s an experience you have to try one day with your significant other. I think how your mental processes work says a lot about the person you are. Aren’t you curious?
22. Work
I can’t really say this, because technically I am working. But I feel like I should include it, because I really am greatful to be back at work.
23. Sense of Normalcy
Because I feel like COVID-19 has triggered a sense of constant stress in many areas of life, and I just want it to be over. In the time of quarantine when I was supposed to be handling my “self-care,” I was also probably inherently worried about my job, school, and family. I feel like everyone truly needs to calm down.
What are you most excited to do once quarantine is over? How have you handled the situation? In what ways has quarantine made you better? Tell me in the comments below!
As always, thanks so much for taking the time to read my blog. If you enjoyed what you read, feel free to like this post and share it with your friends. You can also make my day by subscribing to the blog, which notifies you every time I share something new. While today is the last day of my blog challenge, I can promise this won’t be the last time you hear from me.
Love always,
Kristi My
Kristi My Dao 