Saturday, March 5, 2016

30 before 30: How'd I do?

Tomorrow I turn 30, and last year I made a list of 30 things I want to do before I turn 30. I dreamed big on a lot of them, but some things I finished. I thought it would be fun to look back on my year and see what I've been up to.

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! - I did this one! I ran the Holiday Half in December to support Ophelia's Place in Eugene.
2. Plant vegetables in my garden and grow food for my family - I did this one too! And I learned a lot, and I'm excited to expand our garden this year. I've already been hard at work this spring.
3. Drink wine. And beer. And really, really enjoy it. YES.
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. This, disappointingly, didn't happen. I started several books, but haven't finished any of them.
5. Take, and (finally) pass, the Spanish ORELA. That test is terrible. Haven't taken it. However, this is the first time I've thought about the test and thought I *might* be able to pass it. Perhaps this summer?
6. Sleep in. Today I woke up at 8:07, the latest I've woken up since Olivia was born. Does this count? I think yes.
7. Take Olivia to the park This was a gimme, but yes, we go to the park often. We spent the summer going to a different park every week with our church play group, and have gone many times as a family as well.
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... I think I did this. I didn't keep track enough, but have cooked many home cooked meals in the past year and it is so nice.
9. Go camping. Or maybe Yurting. Is "yurting" a word? Sadly, no. But we have a 2 week camping trip planned for this summer, which we are hoping will be "easier" now that Olivia is a bit older.
10. Hike Mt. Pisgah and Spencer's Butte I didn't do either of these! How can I even call myself a Eugene-ian?
11. Run the Butte to Butte Yep! And I PR'ed too! Apparently there was also a small earthquake during the race, but my own legs were shaking so badly I didn't notice...
12. Go to Itty Bitty Bible Study with Olivia at Saint Mary's Yes, as often as possible. During all the breaks. I love our church and what they do for families.
13. Learn to sew something - anything Hm... not yet. Although I did knit and crochet several new projects to completion, and learned some new stitches along the way. Maybe this could be a half win?
14. Write all the Thank You notes I should. Not just think about them. *winces in shame* Uh...no. Sorry everyone.
15. Date night with my husband once a month. Once a month? Not exactly. But we have spent a lot of great evenings and day dates together. Certainly more than some young parents I know. We have a great support system that allows us to spend lots of time together, child-free!
16. Take a class for credit that will add to my teaching license. I did this! I took a GREAT math instruction course through my district, learned a lot, and changed my teaching. Oh, and I will get credit toward my license when the time comes.
17. Write a blog post at least once a month. Missed a month or two, but made up for it with multiples in other months. That sort of counts, right? In any case, I've enjoyed expressing myself in writing and photos through the blog.
18. Bake something from scratch - not from a box! Unless you count baking potatoes and chicken, the answer is no. Well, I baked salt dough ornaments at Christmastime... But nothing edible.
19. Make something to decorate or improve my house. Not yet. Well, I'm close. I have nearly finished an address sign that will go at the end of our driveway, I have a rag bunting in the works for our mantle, and I have all the materials for a succulent arrangement to go above the mantle as well. So if I finish the succulents by tomorrow, I'll have done it!
20. Go on a vacation out of the U.S... Or at least to Hawaii. It sure is nice to dream... But we're going to Portland for a 3 day mini-vacay in a couple of weeks!
21. Draw, doodle, sketch. I used to love it. I need to do it more often. I did do this. For a few days, I did a sketch-a-day challenge because a friend inspired me, and I've gotten a coloring book that I work in regularly as well. It helps me relax.
22. Dance. Take a Zumba class, or play my Kinect "Dance Central," or Wii "Just Dance." I love dancing. Yes! I did "Dance Central" on our XBOX once or twice, and Olivia loves dancing, so we have dance parties often.
23. Do yoga once a week. More if possible. Haha, no. But I have recently been doing a bit more yoga, and I remember how much I love it.
24. Put my feet in the ocean. I think it still counts if they were clothed in boots because it was in January! But Olivia and I both did this together and it was so fun playing in the waves with her. I love the beach, even when it's cold.
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! Nope. But at least this year we talked about it...
26. Vacation Oregon: Portland, Bend, the coast, Belknap, Silver Falls, Hood River We made it to the coast. And we road-tripped across Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, and Utah to vacation in Park City. So we did a little of this. More this summer!
27. Paint my nails. Yep, and let it chip like mad for weeks before taking it off, every time I polished them.
28. Find a mirror to go above my mantle, and hang it. Yes! I love our mantle mirror!
29. Learn more about the bible I think I have. I've signed up to read during church services in the past year, and have learned a great deal from listening and focusing on the sermons, especially those which help me understand the meaning behind the readings.
30. Think a kind thought about my body every day. Oh... This was hard. I definitely did not. I am coming back around to loving more about my body and making healthier choices, but I think this is something I will struggle with for a long time.

Well, 17/30. That's at least over half! I think if I had checked in with the list a bit more often perhaps I would have gotten at least a couple more done, like hiking, baking, yoga, and blogging. But I had a fun year.

This year, I don't think I'll do a list of 31 things before 31, but I am thinking about what I'd like to do heading into my next year of life. It's good to have some intention in life, I think, beyond the day-to-day. And it's fun to think about what is possible in a year. Year 30 has been good to me, and very hard for me, but I'm ready to meet year 31 with open arms.

Here's to another year!

Last year on my birthday


Last week - see, lots can change in a year!