5.03.2017

30 Before 30: Check-In

About 18 months ago, I decided I wanted to make a 30 Before 30 bucket list of things I hoped to accomplish before my thirtieth birthday. Since I officially turned 29 last week and have less than a year to go, I figured I would see what kind of progress I've made on my list so far.



1. Take an international trip

2. Read fifty books in a year (September 10, 2016) Not only did I hit my reading goal for last year, but I surpassed it. In total, I read 60 books in 2016

3. Submit a grant proposal (In progress) Though I haven't yet submitted a grant proposal, I actually have some in the works for the farmers' market I'm managing. I am hoping to cross this off my list in the next month or two!

4. Get my third (and fourth?) tattoo (October 8, 2016) As a birthday present to my younger sister, she and I got matching Madeline tattoos that we've been wanting for years. We knew we wanted to get some kind of tribute to our childhood, but it took us awhile to decide what we wanted. Our Madeline tattoos are a reference to a computer game that we loved to play as kids and have a whole bunch of inside jokes associated with. Six months later, I'm still in love with my tattoo and I love what it represents.

5. Take a kayak trip

6. Pay off a student loan

7. Live with my sister (June-July 2016) By some kind of divine intervention, right when it looked like we would have no kind of childcare arrangements, my sister graduated from graduate school and lived with us for about a month while she job hunted for her first big girl position. That month was way too short lived and Charlie was still asking for her months after she moved out. We loved having her with us and miss her like crazy.

8. Visit a new state

9. Grow my blog (In progress) I really should set a concrete, measurable goal for this. I don't know exactly where that magical stopping point is that will make me feel satisfied. However, I will say that April 2017 was the best month in terms of total pageviews that my little blog has scene in its 8-year lifetime!

10. Volunteer more (In progress) Beginning in February, I started volunteering as Campaign Treasurer for a local woman running for city council! It was one more thing that I added to my plate, but it's been such an incredible learning experience that I don't regret for a second.

11. Attend regular yoga classes

12. Finish designing and decorating one room in our house (In progress) Though it's been a painstakingly slow process, I've been working on transforming an upstairs spare room into Charlie's first big boy bedroom. So far, I've removed an ugly light fixture and wallpaper border, as well as some awful beadboard paneling. I have the paint to do the walls, but I'm waiting until we install a window and some barnwood siding on the back wall before I do any painting.

13. Learn a new skill (In progress) I was fortunate enough to get a scholarship through a local nonprofit that would allow me to take some online coding courses for free! I've been doing it very slowly as I've had time and energy in the evenings, but I'm picking up more and more as I work my way though! Who knows, maybe I''ll discover a secret talent for graphic design!

14. Baby Pep 2.0 (September 5, 2016) Obviously, our second little one joined the family back in September. This is obviously my proudest accomplishment. 

15. Do something BIG for our 5th anniversary (In progress) Our fifth wedding anniversary is coming up in September, and as of now, we have no plans (unless you count a concert in August). I don't know where we'll be financially in the Fall, so this one remains to be seen.

16. Open up a college savings account for Charlie

17. Have a girls' weekend (June 17, 2016) Last summer, I made the haul to PA to visit with my college besties and enjoy some time on the Jersey shore. Unfortunately, no adult beverages were consumed on my part because I was 7 months pregnant with Crosby at the time. But it was an entire weekend of baby-free time, so I'm counting it!

18. Invest in a DSLR

19. Run a half marathon

20. Finish Charlie's baby book

21. Do a Wine & Canvas night

22. Attend a game (In progress) Chuck scored some Dayton Dragons' (Minor league baseball) tickets from work so we'll be going at the end of the month!

23. Visit Frankie's grave (In progress) If the stars align and certain things go according to plan (cryptic much?), I may be taking a DC-bound trip during the summer and fully intend on taking a trip to Arlington to visit my friend Frankie who was KIA exactly four years ago. 

24. Plant a backyard garden (March 23, 2017) I finally added the last of the cement blocks last month and now have spinach, kale and lettuce growing in our little plot!

25. Dye my hair a fun color

26. Go to King's Island

27. Wear my wedding dress again | (December 19, 2015) Two Christmases ago, my friends had a masquerade-themed birthday party where I went fully decked out in Day of the Dead-inspired ensemble. 

28. Get promoted

29. Attend a book signing

30. Give my husband 3,000 kisses


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Do you have a milestone bucket list? What has been your favorite item to check off the list?

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