Task 7: The Final Task = Y Dasg Derfynol

I truly cannot believe that this day has arrived- who knew my 23^rd birthday would mean so much? Its hard to be imagine now that this all began because I so desperately did not want to turn 23. The number 23 has always been associated with such heartache, losing my brother Oliver at the age of 23 on the 23^rd March 2006. I was only 16 years old when we lost my big brother and to imagine where he would be in his life now is extremely difficult, but it always so comforting to think of everything he achieved in such short time. He is the sole inspiration behind everything I have done these past 8 months and without doubt it has been equally the most amazing and emotional experience of my life. I cannot pinpoint the highlight as they have all been so special in their own way. Scotland will always have a special place in my heart as it was the most daunting and meant so much to me, I never dreamt that is how I would be completing that task. The list in general has brought so many wonderful opportunities I never thought I could achieve and I genuinely don’t know how I am going to get used to know thinking about the next task I have to do.

Oliver on his 23rd birthday..

Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all those who have helped me with tasks along the way. To my family- for having to put up with my constant nerves. To my friends ‘the girls’ who have had to hear about me talking about the same thing for the past 8 months, and also for helping me to complete tasks. You all played such a big part. To everyone who donated and helped me achieve my target for the amazing charity CRY.  And finally to everyone who has read the blog and learnt something. This was the whole point, for you to appreciate how short life is and the importance to live it to the full. I beg you all to do make sure you do everything you have always wanted to do.

Remember you can still donate at www.justgiving.com/23b423 and my new blog page www.lifeafthelist.blogspot.com will be live soon- just let me have a few days break first.

Some of you may have realised that there is still one task left to complete- learning welsh. So please prepare yourself for my final words in my favourite language. (apologies to anyone I offend with my horrific welsh)..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPadu9P-Wk8
 

1. Go to New York
2. Get a tattoo
3. Appear on a TV programme
4. Run a charity race
5. Buy a pair of designer shoes
6. Start a blog
7. Learn Welsh
8. Hold a tarantula
9. Go to a music festival
10. Bet £100 on red or black at the casino
11. Climb Snowdon
12. Watch the sunrise on New Years Day
13. Get a piercing- not ears!!
14. Go on a blind date
15. Volunteer for a day
16. Write the first chapter of my book
17. Go to Paris
18. Streak
19. Ride a motorbike
20. Appear on the radio
21. Go to Scotland
22. Learn to do the splits
23. Do a bungee jump


Thank you for reading,

Grace xx

Task 22: Act Your Age

From an early age my Saturday mornings involved putting on my pale blue leotard and walking to my weekly gymnastic lesson with my Nan. Even though I hated being deprived from Saturday morning cartoons I did love it once I was there. I would spend the Saturday afternoons showing everyone who would watch what I learnt that day. From what I am told I wasn’t half bad and touching my head with my toes and handstands. My friend Amy still reminds me how I fell into a bush at school whilst doing a headstand and showed my knickers to the whole playground! I always wish I had continued but unfortunately my interests soon turned to make-up and boys instead of gambols and cartwheels.

I thought that learning to do the splits again would be a great way to re-live my youth and perhaps kick start a new hobby....I couldn’t have been more wrong. I should of left my leotard where it belonged- back in 1997! I tried every stretch possible and even got a few injuries just from practising but I gave it my best shot....

Having a practice

Completing.....

...Failing

I think it was a fair attempt but sometimes you can’t act a kid forever...so I am rather glad I spent my last night of 22 thinking I have the flexibility of an Olympic gymnast and maybe tomorrow at the grand age of 23 I will start acting my age..............................Nah! ;-)

 One last task to go everybody!

Grace xx

Task 16: The Next Carrie Bradshaw

I have always, always wanted to write an autobiography and see my name on the front of a hardback book. I know I am only 22 but I believe you only get out of life what you put in so I know I will make my life worth writing about. In the words of Benjamin Franklin ‘Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing’. Ever since my friend Rachel introduced me to this quote it has stayed in my mind and I will endeavour to live my life that very way. Prior to this blog my writing finished as my education did and like everyone else my English A-level has come into very little use! But now, through documenting every task as I completed it, writing has become more than just a hobby. I have always struggled with talking about my emotions so being able to write about them instead has proved a much successful medium. Not having to see people’s reactions as I talk about things I have never said before has actually given me the confidence to say them. 

I have thought about many ways to begin the first chapter of my book and everything that has brought me to this stage in my life...and then I thought why write just one chapter? Let’s write a whole book! So that is exactly what I have started to do. Through the technology of Apple and the assistance of some very knowledgeable family members my first book is well on its way to being complete. Working my way through this list has took me on such a journey I felt it deserved a book all to itself. Whilst the first chapter aptly named ’17 Hill Top Walk’ (the house that brought my brothers and me together as a family) the rest of the book discusses the reason behind the list and how it came about. Each chapter documents each task in more detail showing all the preparation up until its completion, extra pictures and all the messages, comments and tweets I received afterwards. The beauty of an e-book is that you can make it as interactive as you wish including video footage, music and links directing you straight to the blog in question. My vision of the book is to make it into a modern scrapbook with notes and doodles showing how ideas came together. I cannot wait to present it to you through iTunes. It is a working process but below is a sneak preview of the front cover. The book will not only be dedicated to Oliver- the reason behind it all- but to YOU. All of you that have took the time to read each task and give me the encouragement I needed when times got tough.

Working progress of the front cover by Adam Collins

 I cannot thank you all enough, and I think it is only fair that I prove to you that finishing the list doesn’t mean I will now live a life of boredom. Everything I try to encourage in others I will continue to do so myself and to prove it I had set up another blog - www.lifeafterthelist.blogspot.com. Whilst there will be no set tasks or deadline I will continue to write about the achievements and special moments throughout my life...and I have to admit- I think I would of missed blogging a little bit too! I will post the pictures of my trips to Paris and New York and most importantly my 23^rd birthday (just 2 days away!) You will also be able to hear about when the book is published. I am not the best writer in the world but if Katie Price can have a bestseller Im willing to give it my best shot!

If you would like any messages or comments published in the book please get in touch at grace.collins@live.co.uk or ‘like’ the facebook page 23 things to do before 23, alternatively you can tweet @thegracecollins

Thank you so much for reading as always,

Grace xx

Task 9: Defeated by Download

When I envisioned going to my first festival I pictured myself at V -but when I was offered guest tickets for Download I couldn't refuse. Whilst its no secret that my taste is music is 'varied' I like to think I can appreciate a good band and everyone was so jealous when I told them I was going. Although I had barely heard of any of the bands I was lucky enough to know one- No Americana, my friends band that you should ALL start to follow now as they're going to be huge! Just remember who told you about them ;-)

http://www.downloadfestival.co.uk/line-up/artist/no_americana

Make sure you visit their website http://www.noamericana.com/ and you can follow them on twitter #noamericana

Its safe to say that I had done no preparation for a festival AT ALL and with the whole week up until Saturday being filled with rain I thought it was about time I got some wellies. So the night before I frantically made a visit to my nearest shopping centre and text round all my friends for the possibility of some size 5 wellies. Luckily my friends Emily and Eve own more practical shoes than me and came up with the goods!

On Saturday morning I woke up and peered my head round the blind to see NO RAIN! I could not of been thankful. I heard horror stories of disastrous festivals where people are covered head to toe in mud and although I'm not a girlie girl I didn't fancy that at all. My brother was kind enough to give my friend Emily and I a lift and we began the long walk to the stages. Once we were allowed in we soon realised the need for waterproofs and wellies, the mud was thick and it was a work out in itself just getting through it. We went to the Pepsi max stage first and saw some bands we really enjoyed including personal favourite 'The YoYo's'. Even though it wasn't our usual scene we were really enjoying ourselves and even braced the toilets which slowly got more and more unhygienic throughout the day. Luckily Emily- who is a self confessed OCD- had her hand sanitiser out at every opportunity and practically a whole toilet roll in her bag (at least one of us was prepared!)

It wouldnt be a festival without mud

After a meat feast pizza which had very questionable 'meat' we made our way to the main stage and in true festival style got right in the thick of it to watch Tenacious D- who were amazing! Emily and I both knew who they were which was a first and even though we could barely see and saw more boobs on the screen than Jack Black it was all going well till we got covered in what we hope was water (were taking the fact it was cold as a good sign). After that incident we decided to stand a bit further way for Biffy Clyro and that is when the aches and pains started to kick in. I longed for a cup of tea but knew I had to 'man-up' and stick around to see Metallica. We decided donuts were the answer- which I'm pleased to say were alot more enjoyable than the pizza- even at £5! They seemed to do the trick and we were ready to watch a piece of history. Ive never seen such crowds and the atmosphere was amazing.

Proof I was actually there!

I am so so pleased that I had the opportunity to go and spend the day with my favourite people. I always think its good to do something out your comfort zone and I know I will be going back next year...a bit more prepared! Thank you so much to Emily for surviving the experience- I know it wasn't easy for you, but I think you got your own back making me go on that ride! Ha ha! Last but not least thank you to Sue for arranging the tickets and making it possible for me to go :-)

The ride Emily made me go on!

Thank you to everyone for reading, and make sure you check out No Americana!

Grace xx

Task 1 & 19: J'adore New York!

Task 19: Paris

Paris was definitely one of the tasks I have been most looking forward to and it seems perfect that it has been arranged for Saturday 16th June- the perfect birthday treat! I have always wanted to go back to Paris after I cycled there in 2008. Cycling to Paris was my first major charity event and my poor friend Sophie was roped into coming along with me. It was soon apparent after the first few hours on day 1 that we had not done nearly enough training and we were soon trailing the pack. After having a little cry at the side of a road in Croydon, we picked ourselves back up and continued on our journey. As we woke up on the second day in a very rainy Dieppe we were hit with overwhelming fear that we would never get to Paris. Thinking of all the people we could possibly let down we continued and by the end of day 2- cramp and potential pneumonia set in and we were not looking forward to day 3 at all- which just happened to be my 19th birthday. Fortunately the 3rd day had (some) sunshine and our spirits were lifted, age was on our side as we began to near the front of the pack and finally found some stamina! We reached our peak at the best time with day 4 being a shorter day as we made our way from Vernon to Paris. We woke up early with excitement and once again were lucky enough for sunshine. Our legs were ready to give in and covered in cuts and bruises but the end was now in sight. Cycling the last mile into Paris was magical, our 100 strong group filled Paris streets and everyone cheered as we rang our bells all the way. As soon as we reached the Eiffel tower we threw down our bikes and shared an emotional moment of celebration (and some well deserved Champagne). It was an experience I will never forget and one- at the earlier part in the challenge- I never thought I would achieve. I will always be so appreciative of my friend Sophie for agreeing (she had little choice) to complete this with me and it seems only fitting that we return together exactly 4 years later. I am sure this trip will be slightly different to our last and if anybody has any recommendations of places to visit on our 3 day visit please get in touch! Hopefully we can recreate the picture below...

June 2008- London to Paris cycle ride

Task 1: New York

As you can tell as soon as I made the my list the first task I wrote down was to go to New York. Ever since I went in June 2005 it has been my goal to return. It holds such amazing memories with my brother Oliver- whom this blog is inspired and dedicated to- and is such a beautiful city. Oliver went to New York in May 2005 after falling in love with the city on his previous holidays. He saved up all his money, sold his car and temporarily left his job to live the dream in the big apple. It was a very bold move to do all on his own. I am so so proud of him for what he achieved and when people ask me about Oliver its a story I always tell. He not only experienced the city as local, but he also allowed family and friends to share it with him and had a flurry of lodgers fly in and out throughout his stay. My cousin Charlotte and I were lucky enough to go out after I finished my GCSEs, the picture below is from the Empire State Building..

Myself and my cousin Charlotte

I will be returning to New York with my best friend Emily on the 19th October- what would of been Oliver's 30th Birthday. I cannot say how Oliver would of been celebrating if he was here but I am sure his love for the city that never sleeps would of continued to grow- who knows, I could of been going out there to celebrate with him? I am so excited to go again but I know when I am at the top of the Empire State Building again I will remember the last time I was there with fond memories and think about the amazing journey that has brought me here.

Postcard from Oliver to his Father Shaun June 2005- note the handwriting!

I would really appreciate if you could have a little look at Oliver's website www.oliverhewitt.co.uk you will be able to read all about his New York adventure and see more pictures. Once again, if you have any recommendations for places to visit it will be greatly appreciated. I want to make this a trip I will never forget.

That's another 2 tasks ticked off the list, keep reading over the next 10 days to see me finish the rest.

Thank you for reading,

Grace xx

Task 5: If The Shoe Fits....

I challenge you to find any girl who wouldn’t want a pair of designer shoes-even a converted tomboy like me knows shoes can make or break an outfit! I thought that buying a pair of coveted Christian Louboutin's would be a well deserved treat after the more challenging tasks. The way I saw it you only live once and in regards to the £800 price tag- I can spend my money how I wish. However, as I completed more tasks and in turn learnt more lessons about life than I could imagine, my view started to change. Yes a pair of designer shoes would be lovely- but did I really need them? Quite frankly no. Could I genuinely afford to pay £800 on some shoes I would be too scared to wear? No again. I soon began to realise a pair of black studded stiletto's wouldn’t make my life any better, but one pair of shoes to somebody else could.

Quite wrongly, I have sometimes been quite dubious in donating money to charities in Africa, but as soon as I came across the charity Shoe4Africa I knew this was a cause more worthy of any pair of designer shoes I could buy.

When I found out that I could donate shoes to those who really need them I instantly knew I wanted to do this as part of my challenges. I have been lucky enough to be in contact with Toby Tanser the founder of Shoe4Africa who had this to say...

 "The world is pretty unfair. In the West we are lucky to live in a zone of excess and for most of us this has been the story of our lives. We grew up expecting to get an education, to have healthcare, and to be able to choose even what we wear.

But for a large part of the world this is not so, and it is all decided at your birth; before you get a chance to have a say. Imagine if every day begun with a 6-mile walk to a water hole to bring home a bucket of water, if instead of school you had to work the farm and watch the goats.

By sharing what we have in the West with those who do not have in the less fortunate parts of the world we can be active in change; and it is a nice thought to give something to some one who is not in a position to help themselves."

So on the 11th June 2012 I am going to organise a box(es) of old/new trainers and socks to Kenya for those who really need it. This is a great way for you to get involved too; any donations of old trainers would be hugely welcomed. I am happy to come and collect them from anywhere for you or you can post them, just get in touch with me at grace.collins@live.co.uk and get involved!

You can read all about the amazing things shoe4africa do at their website-

http://www.shoe4africa.org/

Please ensure you read the section 'how you can help' to see other ways you can make a difference. I speak so much in my blog about living your life once but it’s also really important to remember how much of a difference you can make to others too. We are all so lucky in the world we get to live in and sometimes we need to remember that.

I would really really really appreciate as I am now in the last 2 weeks of my challenge if you could share my blog in any way possible. I have worked so hard and learnt so much I want to share it with as many people as possible so please tell your friends and family/share it on facebook and twitter.

Thank you as always for continuing to read,

Grace Xx