For my 29th birthday, things have been a bit more ordinary - and that is totally OK with me. Olivia wanted to be the first to wish me a happy birthday, and she did so at 3am, and again at 5:30. But that 5:30 time was time spent snuggled up in bed, all 3 of us, drifting in and out of sleep. And I opened my eyes at one point to see my little girl gazing up at me. When our eyes locked, her face broke into a giant smile. How could my birthday start off any better than that?
Rob made me breakfast before work, and I got "Happy Birthdays" from so many people. My students made me hand made cards and brought me chocolates (am I really that transparent?!), and my mom sent me flowers at work, like she does every year. Rob brought cookies to my students at the end of the day, and so of course Olivia came too, and loved meeting my students. Who, by the way, were adorable about seeing her, and they were so sweet to her I may have cried a tiny bit.
As I think about my birthday and what the last year has brought me, I think about the many ways I am blessed. Although year 28 was amazing, I know that year 29 can be as well. So I want to start planning to make this year a great one. As it happens, I have been inspired, and plan to unashamedly steal an idea from a friend. My friend Carolyn had her birthday a few days ago, and posted 35 Things to Do Before I Turn 35. I loved it! So I've decided to post my own list. I may not get to all of them, and some are easier to accomplish than others, and others may simply be wishes more than goals. But here goes:
30 Things to do by the time I Turn 30
1. Run a half-marathon. Here is the one I have picked out!
2. Plant vegetables in my garden and grow food for my family
3. Drink wine. And beer. And really, really enjoy it.
4. Read at least 2 books, all the way through. This may sound easy, but I have a child under age 1! I'm starting small and realistic.
5. Take, and (finally) pass, the Spanish ORELA. That test is terrible.
6. Sleep in.
7. Take Olivia to the park
8. Cook from scratch once a month. As in, nothing from a can, bottle, jar, or freezer - nothing pre-made. Right now, Trader Joe's and Costco rule our kitchen. I will slowly try to take it back...
9. Go camping. Or maybe Yurting. Is "yurting" a word?
10. Hike Mt. Pisgah and Spencer's Butte
11. Run the Butte to Butte
12. Go to Itty Bitty Bible Study with Olivia at Saint Mary's
13. Learn to sew something - anything
14. Write all the Thank You notes I should. Not just think about them. *winces in shame*
15. Date night with my husband once a month.
16. Take a class for credit that will add to my teaching license.
17. Write a blog post at least once a month.
18. Bake something from scratch - not from a box!
19. Make something to decorate or improve my house.
20. Go on a vacation out of the U.S... Or at least to Hawaii.
21. Draw, doodle, sketch. I used to love it. I need to do it more often.
22. Dance. Take a Zumba class, or play my Kinect "Dance Central," or Wii "Just Dance." I love dancing.
23. Do yoga once a week. More if possible.
24. Put my feet in the ocean.
25. Go Snow-shoeing. Coupled with this goal is getting over my fear of driving over the snowy pass. I'm an Oregonian for Pete's sake!
26. Vacation Oregon: Portland, Bend, the coast, Belknap, Silver Falls, Hood River
27. Paint my nails.
28. Find a mirror to go above my mantle, and hang it.
29. Learn more about the bible
30. Think a kind thought about my body every day.
So there it is. Thank you Carolyn for the inspiration to make the list. Thank you to all my friends and family who made today a wonderful day, and who make all my days a lot more wonderful. I am so blessed by you all.
Here's to year 29. And here are a few moments from my day today!
No comments:
Post a Comment