When you decide you’re going to work toward something, you should probably figure out what you have to start with. Think about what resources you have available and how far you actually have to go to reach that goal. The Starting Point posts will be about just that, taking stock.
Seven and I were discussing our upcoming trip to Idaho to visit my parents. She mentioned that it’ll be another place she’s never been before and so we started discussing the places we’ve visited. It reminded me that one of the goals on The List is to visit all 50 states. I’m not talking about just driving through or killing an airport layover on the way to somewhere else, I’m talking about making a point to have at least one destination within each state.
After our conversation, I compiled the list of states I’ve legitimately visited after being old enough to have clear memories of the visits. It ended up being more than I thought it was going to be, which is pretty exciting. In alphabetical order:
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Kentucky
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- New Jersey
- New York
- Ohio
- Oregon (Dec. 2011)
- Pennsylvania
- Tennessee
- Washington D.C. (ok, so not exactly a state)
- Vermont
- Virginia
(Note: I’ve driven through or had layovers in West Virginia, Missouri, Minnesota, and Arizona. I’m told I’ve visited California and Rhode Island as well but I was entirely too young to remember those. These aren’t on the official list but it feels like I should record them here just for posterity.)
Speaking of that visit to Idaho, I’m also looking at destinations that can take us to either Oregon or Nevada to expand my list. If I can work incremental progress into something I’m already doing, I will. Go synergy!
