Once upon a time in 2014, I turned 30.
It felt like it would never happen. In fact, I thought for sure I would be in my 20s forever (I know a lot of people who turn 29 every year) but believe it or not, I hit a new decade.
It feels kind of strange; most birthdays lately swim by without notice, but this one feels different. As if my biological clock is suddenly ticking and I am struck by the notion that I'm supposed to have my life figured out. Little by little I'm realizing that I may never truly have my life "figured out." And that's okay. To be honest, I would rather live adventure to adventure my whole life than work a 9-5 job for fifty years. I don't want to wait until I retire to go exploring - I would rather reach it thinking, "damn, what a good life!"
So far I think I'm doing pretty well. I've done a lot of cool things in my life, which now includes the Pacific Crest Trail, something that is on a LOT of people's bucket list. Check! And now I'm growing up and getting married and it's all an adventure in some way or another.
To keep things fun and interesting, I'm trying something inspired by Wit and Whistle. Each year she makes an annual "bucket list" of things she wants to do before the following year. It's a list as long as you are old, and you have one year to complete these things, big and small. I'm a little behind (since my birthday was in March) but then again, I've already started on a few of these. It was surprisingly hard to think of 30 things! (I didn't want to make them all "huge" accomplishments, but sometimes it's the little things that are the most difficult, after all.)
So without further ado... here it is:
30 by 31:
1. Get married
2. Take a class on a topic that fascinates me - done!
3. Expand the product selection in my shop - done!
4. Create an easy house-cleaning schedule
5. Designate one "technology free" day each month
6. Actually print some of my photos... and fill my wall frames with them - done!
7. Finish the last 80 miles of the PCT - done!
8. Write 6 gratitude letters - 1/6
9. Practice French more frequently - done!
10. Host a party/ game night/ dinner - done! Bi-weekly now!
11. Try 6 new restaurants - 6/6
- Podnah's
- Tabor Tavern
- Screendoor
- Russell Street BBQ
- Southland Whiskey Kitchen
- Pok Pok
(As you can tell, Tanner likes BBQ, so that's where we ended up going, more often than not. My personal favorite was Screendoor. Amaaaazing.)
12. Travel somewhere new - done! Hell's Canyon/ Idaho - a new state for me!
13. Learn Adobe Illustrator - done! I took a class. :)
14. Volunteer somewhere
15. Learn a new hobby/ instrument
16. Do yoga once a week - done! We joined a fancy gym.
17. Make the ultimate playlist (of songs Tanner and I both like)
18. Create a complete emergency kit - in progress!
19. Stick with a workout routine! - done!
20. Apply to a craft show - done! But not accepted. I'll keep trying...
21. Buy a plant. Keep it alive.
22. Organize my pantry once and for all - done!
23. Get a job I adore. If I don't adore it, find something else. - done!
24. Do at least 6 new hikes - done!
25. Find new dinner meals that Tanner and I will BOTH eat - done! We took a cooking class!
26. Return all phone calls and emails within a day
27. Write a letter to an old friend
28. Do Trail Magic on the PCT this summer
29. Create 5 new DIY projects
30. Go on a true date night once a month
What are your goals this year?