Today marks 30 days until I will be home for special home leave for a month! I will get to spend quality time with friends and family before I return to complete a 3rd year with Peace Corps in Moldova. In honor of this occasion, I have made a list of the top 30 things I want to do while I am home for 30 days.

Naturally, the #1 thing I want to do while I am home is to spend time with loved ones. That goes without listing it in this list. However, if you’re not from the State College, PA area, a lot of these things may not make much sense to you.

So here goes, the top 30 things (in no particular order) that I want to do while I am back home in Central PA for a month… who wants to join me!?

1. Attend a Calvary service (preferably more than once)
2. Visit Harvest Fields during sunset or sunrise
3. Make waffles and eat them with friends!
4. Eat at all the local restaurants I miss (yes, there is a list)
5. Visit the crew at the Central PA Visitors Center (where I used to work)
6. Get my drivers license renewed
7. Go to the Arboretum at Penn State and play in the new children’s garden
8. Visit one of the many local farmer’s markets
9. Eat ice cream from the PSU Creamery
10. Walk around downtown State College and drink bubble tea
11. Start running again
12. Game night at a friends house
13. Go for a hike at Mt. Nittany or Shingletown
14. Get a haircut (Recommendations? My favorite hair stylist is booked already)
15. Have a cookout/BBQ with friends and/or family
16. Roadtrip!
17. Share Moldovan wine with local cheese with friends and/or family
18. Journal and do some writing while at a local coffee shop
19. Listen to live music
20. Sit around a campfire with friends and/or family
21. Attend a local community event
22. Do some shopping
23. Read while enjoying the outdoors (even better if in a porch swing or in a hammock)
24. Go on a picnic at the University duck pond
25. Surprise someone (or multiple people)
26. Eat ice cream from Meyer Dairy
27. Take a lot of photos
28. Run errands with a friend or two
29. Play outside in the rain
30. Prepare Moldovan food and share the culture with friends and family

I’m anxious to see how many of these things can be accomplished while visiting with family and friends. Until then, I have a bit of a whirlwind month of July ahead. More to come on that soon!