In my 30th year…

In six months I’ll be turning 30.

I had mentioned last year that I was toying with the idea of making a list of 30 things I wanted to do before my 30th birthday. Well, that clearly didn’t happen. Life got busy and I just never sat down to write out those goals. And yet I keep dwelling on it, this idea of writing things down that I want to do and then actually doing them.

I know, I know. That’s what New Year’s resolutions are, right? And I abandoned resolutions in favor of a “word of the year” type attitude (see yesterday’s post). And I’m quite happy with that decision.

Still, I think I should challenge myself this year. I will be thirty this year, after all. That deserves some sort of special attention, right? What better way to remind myself that I’m finally figuring stuff out than by putting into action some of the things I know are good for me, or for others, or would just be really really fun.

So I did it. I made myself a list. Not a list of 30 things to do before I turn 30, but rather 30 things to do (or start working on, in many cases) in the year of my 30th birthday. It’s an eclectic list of goals. Some are inevitable (see #1 on the list), some are weirdly specific, some are merely to alleviate guilt, some are already being planned out, and some will continue to next year and beyond (I hope). A few of them will force me to be braver, which is extra great. Hooray for double-dipping.

Anyway, I grouped them into categories and will keep you updated on my progress as the year goes by.

Family

• Get baby #2 here safe and sound
• Go to the beach as a family
• Start regular family scripture study
• Take updated family photos
• Create a new family tradition (How’s that for ambiguous?)

Self

• Meditate daily
• Strengthen my core (post-baby)
• Get a library card (I haven’t gotten one since we moved to a new city)
• Wear sequins at least once
• Get SCUBA certified
• Learn to play something new on the piano

Home

• Plant a garden
• Make/acquire more holiday decorations
• Hang art and photos on the walls
• Paint my bookshelves
• Finish Mila’s bedroom
• Work out a cleaning schedule and stick to it

Food

• Incorporate more vegetarian meals into my repertoire
• Eat at 5 new-to-me restaurants
• Try 5 new-to-me foods
• Bake 30 cakes
• Learn to make really good bread

Social

• Send out our (belated) holiday cards
• Reconnect with some old friends
• Host 3 parties
• Attend some local events (festivals, parades, etc.)
• Make more play dates for Mila

Blog

• Finish my “15 Ways” series
• Take weekly photos of both babies
• Svithe once a month (at least)

Ready or not, list, here I come.