I’ve enjoyed all the “Never Have I Ever…” posts that have been floating around blogland lately, and I thought it was beyond time for me to do one of my own. I also remembered that I have done these posts before – November 2011 (I was nearly 24) and August 2016 (I was 28). And now it’s been a whole THIRTEEN YEARS since that original post. It was really fun to look back on those lists and see everything that I’ve accomplished in the years since.
So, I’m going to break this post into a few parts: my current Never Have I Ever’s, “And Now I Have…” (those “nevers” that I’ve accomplished), “Still Haven’t… and Probably Never Will” (“nevers” that will probably stay that way), and “Never Say Never” (“nevers” that I’d like to accomplish at some point in my life).
Let’s dive in!
My Current “Never Have I Ever’s”…
- Hosted a dinner party
Even thinking about hosting a dinner party gives me anxiety. First, there’s the whole ordeal of cooking food and planning a menu and making sure everything comes out at the same time. LOL, NO. Then, there’s the idea of being a hostess and greeting people and making sure they have a drink and a place to sit and whatever else they need. I am not good at that! And lastly, the mess that would be left behind! The mess! After spending all of my mental energy thinking about the logistics of the dinner party and then having to be “on” during the party and then afterward I have to clean??? Absolutely not.
- Traveled further west than Chicago
This feels WILD to me, but it’s true! I really have not explored the western part of my country as much as I should. I would love to do a Grand Canyon vacation at some point and explore Arizona. I want to visit Seattle and Portland and Los Angeles and Austin. Of course, it is my dream to do an Alaskan cruise and spend some time in Hawaii. It’s hard to fit in all of the travel I’d like to do while also being a single person who also needs to make rent. Bah.
- Sang karaoke
I really want to do this! And there have been two specific times (on cruise ships, no less!) where I have nearly gone for it, but I’ve always chickened out. We have a place here where you can rent out a room to do karaoke with friends, which is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. I think that would ease me into real karaoke!
- Been on a jury
I’ve only been called for jury duty one time, and while I did go through the whole jury selection process, I ultimately wasn’t selected, so I got to leave early. Sometimes I think it would be interesting to be part of a jury, but other times, I don’t know if I could stomach the whole process of sending someone to prison.
- Joined Snapchat
I was in my mid-to-late twenties when Snapchat took off, so the craze definitely missed me. I have never had a Snapchat account and think I would get very overwhelmed by how it all works.
- Had braces
We didn’t have the money for braces when I was growing up, even though I desperately wanted them so I could be “cool” like all my friends. These days, I feel very self-conscious about my teeth and my smile as a whole. I often smile without my teeth because my teeth are small and I think I look weird when I smile with them. I’ve considered some sort of veneer option to improve my smile, but the cost is fairly high.
And now I have…
- Owned a car – Three, in fact. (Laila, my xB; Gladys, my Soul that was flooded during a hurricane; and Ruby, my current car)
- Kissed a boy – And some women. 😉
- Painted a room – I helped my mom paint her office when she moved into her home.
- Owned a cat – I’m a proud cat mom of two!
- Gone parasailing – My mom and I did this in the Bahamas on one of our cruises, and it was SO MUCH FUN.
- Gotten a tattoo – I have five and want more.
- Flown on a plane – So many times, but I didn’t take my first plane trip until I was 24.
- Been inside a Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods – I’ve only been inside Whole Foods once, but TJ’s is one of my fave places.
- Been drunk – My favorite experience being Bri’s wedding where book club shut down the dance floor.
- Met a celebrity – Does Taylor Jenkins Reid count? I’ve also met some NFL players.
- Been completely financially independent – Young Steph would be really impressed with Current Steph who is not only financially independent but lives alone.
- Been to Chicago – I’ve been twice now!
- Read anything by Jodi Picoult – Surprisingly, the only Jodi Picoult book I’ve read is The Storyteller.
- Cut my own hair – I cut my own bangs regularly when I had them. Does that count?
- Played the lottery – Before 2020, when I went to an office full-time, I participated in a big lottery pool with coworkers. Sadly, we never won.
- Swam with dolphins – Did this on a cruise excursion and it was a lot of fun!
- Been to a wine tasting – Only once and it was fine. Wine isn’t my drink of choice so I can take or leave it.
- Flown internationally – I’ve only flown once internationally (to Ireland), but will be making that twice in a few weeks.
- Gone to a bachelorette party – Bri’s bachelorette was a lot of fun!
- Gotten a facial – Lots of them!
Still haven’t… and probably never will:
- Watched Game of Thrones – Too graphic for this highly sensitive person!
- Gotten a spray tan – I just don’t see the point.
- Participated in Black Friday – Now that we can do Black Friday online, why would I ever do it in-person?
- Run a marathon – HAHAHAHAHA no way.
- Gone bungee jumping or sky diving – I don’t think I’m brave enough for either of these thrill-seeking adventures.
- Been a Maid-of-Honor – I’m in my late thirties. I don’t think this is happening for me.
- Climbed a tree – I am way too risk-averse for this.
- Smoked a cigarette – Just ew.
Never say never…
- Traveled solo – It’s something I want to do, but right now, I’m perfectly happy traveling with other people.
- Gone to a professional basketball game – I think this would be fun! But I’m just not into pro basketball, so it’s not something I would seek out myself.
- Used a moving company – I will hopefully mark this one as complete in October!
- Eaten ribs – I’m not opposed to them, but they don’t appeal to me on a menu.
- Watched an episode of Seinfeld – I should definitely watch this series at some point.
- Been to Washington D.C., New York City, or L.A. – I’d love to visit all three of these destinations!
- Lived in another state but Florida – Listen, I want to get out of here. This state sucks. And with the way climate change is progressing, I don’t think there will be all that much left of Florida in another few decades. I should probably get out when I can!
- Been in a long-term relationship – I very much desire this, but I also very much hate dating.
Have you ever been on a jury? Is there something on this list that surprised you?
I’ve never been on a jury but have been summoned a few times forcing me to wait around just in case I was wanted. You’ve never been a Maid-of-Honor? It’s less fun than you might think. Yet this surprises me and should I ever re-marry I promise to call on you to fulfill that role.
I think I would be a very bad maid-of-honor, lol. I get stressed out very easily and am way too much of a people pleaser to handle all of the tasks well! It’s probably a good thing I’ve never been a MOH, but I am HONORED to be yours, should you ever re-marry. 😉
This is fascinating! I don’t know if I can say that I’ve “hosted a dinner party” – that doesn’t feel like the right description for our family get togethers and having friends over. But it’s a lot of fun so I recommend it.
Yes to traveling west! Speaking as someone who grew up in the midwest it’s a wonderful new world, and I’ll be spending more time out there in the next few years.
I feel safe in saying that watching GOT and bungee jumping/skydiving is on the never list. A few years ago I thought I would run a marathon “someday” and would be surprised to learn that that I am not a runner now and don’t see ever being one again.
I count “hosting a dinner party” anytime you have people over and feed them, so I think your family get-togethers count!
There is so much more of the U.S. to see!
I was on a jury once. It was a case about an overflowing toilet causing damage to a condo underneath. It was lame and a waste of everybody’s time. That’s what I think about when I think about the judicial system now.
I have definitely hosted a dinner party (many!), traveled from sea to shining sea in this great (?) country, and sang karaoke. I LOVE karaoke. It is my jam.
I’m surprised you’d never climb a tree. It’s fun! And you don’t have to climb a giant tree or anything!
I’ve broken my ankle on every hike I’ve done, big and small, so I do not trust these weak ankles to successfully climb a tree without injuring myself. Ha!
That case sounds so BORING. Ugh. I would have been falling asleep in the jury box!
I feel compelled to URGE you to watch Seinfeld, but also I don’t know if you’ll like it?!?!?
I have never been a maid of honor either. A bridesmaid, once. But my three closest living friends (for whom I might be a candidate for MoH?) are single, divorced, and separated. As we are all in our 40s/50s, I don’t see it happening for me, either.
Ribs are one of my favorite foods. I hope you get a chance to try them, without undue pressure to like them.
One thing that surprised me was that “traveling alone” would be a goal! Clearly, it’s not a goal of mine. Although I do admire people like Kyria and Birchie who are confident enough in their travel skills to do it! I have traveled alone for work on several occasions and that was plenty.
I should try Seinfeld! I just have never given it a shot, maybe because it came out when I was so young, lol.
I’d like to try traveling alone at least once, but I’m not sure how much I’d like it. I admire people who do a lot of solo travel like Kyria and Birchie, too!
There’s so much to comment on but you’ve never seen Seinfeld? I mean, there are lots of things I haven’t seen, and probably you were a baby when it came out, whereas it was a very formative show for me.
I’ve smoked lots, watched Game of Thrones, been a bridesmaid a few times, sang karaoke a ton, given many many many dinner parties, and, well, I LIVE west of Chicago but I have also travelled to Maui which is west even to me!
I looked it up – I WAS a baby when it came out, so it’s just a cultural phenonemon that missed me!
I’ve been a bridesmaid, but never a maid-of-honor! But I don’t think I’d be a very good MOH, lol.
Yes, we need to get out of Florida! I’ll find us a nice place in Tennessee/North Carolina/South Carolina with Indie bookstores and cat cafes, and we can all move together. Sigh…
I’ve definitely been farther west than Chicago, but not nearly as much as I would like. I’ve never seen the Grand Canyon, never been to the National parks in Utah, etc etc. So many places I want to see!!!
I also never had braces- I think mine was the last generation where EVERYONE didn’t get braces. My teeth were considered “good enough” not to need them, but sometimes now I’m self conscious because I don’t have the perfect smile most people seem to have nowadays.
Yes, please! I will follow you to wherever you end up next so we can enjoy better weather and hopefully a lower COL? Maybe.
I think you have a beautiful smile, for what it’s worth! I wish I could smile with my teeth but I just look weird. Ah, well.
Well, you know if you ever came to Washington D.C., I would be so happy to meet up!
Re: professional movers – Right before we got married, my Husband and I bought a house and for that move, we finally hired movers. I told my Husband in no uncertain terms we were too old to just call our friends and buy them pizza and beer in exchange for help moving. There’s a nice moving company here called Bookstore Movers – it’s a bunch of guys who wanted to buy a Bookstore, so they started a moving company to raise the funds. We’ve used them our last two moves. I do hope you check that one off your list! You are so worth it!
Reading your past “Never Have I Ever” posts must be such a time capsule. I found it really fun to read.
BOOKSTORE MOVERS WHAT. Can they come to Florida to move me?? That’s a purpose I can definitely get behind!
And yes, when I come to Washington D.C., I will reach out to you! I’ll wait for the National Guard to leave, lol.
I’ve never been on a jury and hope to never have to! But chances are I will get called up at some point. It just sounds so monotonous. I would be fine doing it if I am not working anymore!
Solo travel is really wonderful so if you get to a point where you don’t have a travel partner, I promise solo travel is great! I did a ton of it before I met Phil.
It does sound really monotonous! Especially if it’s a really boring case. But I also wouldn’t want to be part of a murder case or something high-profile because those take SO long!
You know I love these posts. And I love how you split it up and did a check in.
Lots has changed indeed.
I have never been a maid of honor either I don’t think this will happen for me either.
I agree also with never smoking, bungee jumping, parasailing or marathon. Just No.
You gave me some ideas for my next posts.