Saturday, March 16, 2013

30 Before 30

Today is my birthday!  I'm 26!  It's not a super exciting birthday, but I'm still happy about it.  I don't really mind getting older and can't imagine that I'll ever be upset about aging, although I suppose it might happen someday.

Birthdays are a big time for retrospection. I don't ever want to reach a birthday and think back over the previous year and not have anything to show for myself.  Since I'm a natural list maker (Is there anything more satisfying than crossing something off a list? I think not!), I thought I would jump on the bandwagon and make 30 goals to achieve before my next milestone birthday (the big THREE-OH):

1. Give Lucia (at least one) little sibling - 11/11/2015
2. Go (tent) camping as a family
3. Go on a weekend getaway, just David and me - 7/17/2015-7/19/2015 (Estes Park)
4. Write a book, even if it's never published and no one but me ever reads it
5. Take David on a trip outside the country
6. Go on a road trip that does not involve moving - June/July 2014 (Colorado & Chicago)
7. Knit a baby blanket - March 2015
8. Sew a dress for Lucia
9. Make BIG plans for New Year's Eve (and follow through with them)
10. Get a DSLR camera and take photography lessons
11. Sponsor a child in an impoverished country
12. Visit a National Park outside of Colorado
13. Read 40 books (20 fiction) {40/40 and 20/20}
          Fiction:
          (1) A Hunger in the Heart
          (2) The Great Gatsby (re-read)
          (3) Ender's Game 
          (4) The Hobbit 
          (5) Exiles: A Novel 
          (6) The Cana Mystery
          (7) Silence
          (8) Pride and Prejudice (re-read)
          (9) Mansfield Park
          (10) Falling for Your Madness 
          (11) Persuasion (re-read)
          (12) Out of the Silent Planet
          (13) Anne of Green Gables
          (14) Anne of Avonlea
          (15) Anne of the Island
          (16) Anne of Windy Poplars
          (17) No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency
          (18) The Help
          (19) Anne's House of Dreams
          (20) Perelandra
          Non-fiction:
          (11) Angels in My Heart: A Journey of Love and Loss
          (12) Coming to Term: Uncovering the Truth About Miscarriage  
          (13) Catherine of Siena: A Biography
          (14) The Mother of the Little Flower: Zelie Martin 1831-1977 
          (15) My So-Called Life as a Proverbs 31 Wife 
          (16) Trying Again
          (17) Something Other Than God
          (18) Rome Sweet Home
          (19) Live-Giving Love: Embracing God's Beautiful Design for Marriage
          (20) A Grief Unveiled
          (21) Outliers 
          (22) Amazing Grace for Mothers 
          (23) Running for My Life: One Lost Boy's Journey from the Killing Fields of Sudan to the Olympic Games
14. Consolidate/organize/pare down all my childhood mementos so they fit into my hope chest
15. Turn Lulu's monthly posts into a baby book
16. Give something away to a stranger I see in need of exactly what I happen to have
17. Buy a house
18. Donate to my alma mater
19. Host a dinner party with at least ten other people in attendance
20. Pray in front of an abortion clinic
21. Go to a concert
22. Complete 48 crafts (one per month) {6/48}
          (1) DIY earring holder 
          (2) DIY hair accessories organizer
          (3) DIY elastic hair ties
          (4) Father's Day "I Love Daddy" canvas
          (5) St. Lucia crown
          (6) melted old crayon pieces into multi-colored star crayons
          (7) frame & chicken wire displays 
23. Light a candle in five Catholic cathedrals {0/5}
24. Take piano lessons
25. Start an etsy shop and sell at least one item
26. See all the Best Picture nominees before the Oscars
27. Watch twenty movies made before 1960 {1/20}
          (1) Funny Face (1957)
28. Run a 5k
29. Take my family to pick fruit and make a homemade dessert with it
30. Join a "group" of some kind: book club, mom's group, etc. and participate enough times to be able to really call myself a member


Do you have a list like this?  I'd love to see it!
Don't have a list? Maybe it's time to make one!




11 comments:

  1. Oh, I love it! I have a 101 in 1001 list with hardly a month left, and a few of these are on there. I laughed at your #6.

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  2. Cat, I actually used your list for some inspiration, so the common ones aren't coincidences! I knew which one you were talking about without even looking at what #6 was. It is funny, but a serious dream of mine!

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  3. This is so great!! I love reading your blog, you have beautiful mothering helpful advise. Cant wait to see what you come up with till the next birthday! My family and I sponsor a child through a wonderful organization (couldn't help but pull for them, I used to work there before becoming a stay a home mom). :) They are The Christian Foundation for Children and Aging. Hopeforafamily.org They do good stuff and they're Catholic!!! God bless, happy birthday!

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  4. I need to create a list like this but haven't decided what things I'd like to accomplish in the next 3 years.

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  5. Great List. I found you on I <3 my blog hop. I would love for you to stop by my blog and say sometime http://bit.ly/Xw8EkE

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  6. Hopping over here from For Love of Cupcakes. This is an ambitious list, but you have a lot of time to accomplish everything. Best of luck!

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  7. I just checked out that link and I definitely want to sponsor an elderly person! I'm thinking of using some of my birthday money for it. Thanks for sharing the organization!

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  8. I thought it would be really hard to do, but it ended up easier than I thought it would be!

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  9. Here's a great movie for you to enjoy!
    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047296/

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