30 Before 30: What I Did

A few years ago, nearly three to be exact, I made a list of 30 things I wanted to do before I turned 30. This weekend, I turned 30 (more on that later). I took a look back at my list and I'm pretty happy with the things I've accomplished.


1. Have at least one healthy, happy baby.
This hasn't happened, yet, but I'm very, very hopeful. It's definitely the only thing on my list that I wish I had accomplished by now, but I know that God is in control and in His time, it will happen.

2. Run a half marathon.
I'm really proud of the half marathon I ran. My time, without training, was 1:38:55. I'm really happy with that. I also know that I don't enjoy longer distances. My ideal race length is probably an 8K (5 miler) or a 10K.



3. Tithe each year.
I've done this and this is something I plan to continue to do. God has richly blessed me in so many ways and I just want to give back to him.

4. Take a trip with just Kevin each year.
We've done this. In 2013, we celebrated our first anniversary in Sapelo Island. In 2014, we went to Baltimore and Washington, D.C. Last year, we spent a week in Boston. I think it's so important to nurture your marriage continually. Taking time away from everything together is a great way to invest in your relationship and it's something I don't take for granted.

Sapelo

Baltimore

Boston and Maine


5. Take the boys to their first Braves game.
We haven't done this, but I'm sure this will happen sometime soon. The boys are really getting to the age now where they're enjoying sports. 

6. Take Kaden to his first Clemson game.
We've taken Kaden (and K.C.) to a few Clemson games at this point. They've had a blast!



7. Get started on that motivational project I've always thought of doing.
I haven't done this. I have so many ideas of things I want to do, but it's hard finding the time to do them.

8. Run 1,000 miles in a calendar year.
I'm not sure on this one. Sometimes, I do a really good job of tracking my mileage. Other times, I don't. I'm going to say I didn't complete this, but I came close. I know I run over 750/year.

9. Adopt a child/family each Christmas.
We always do something like this at Christmas. It's great giving back to others. This is something I hope the boys always remember and a tradition I hope they'll uphold when they have their own families some day.

10. Do some freelance writing.
I have done some freelance writing, but I'd love to do more.

11. Go to Biltmore at Christmas.
Nope, but one day!

12. Memorize two Bible verses a month.
I can't say I've memorized two Bible verses a month, but I've read my Bible a lot in the past three years since I made this list. There are some scriptures that I say to myself often. This is one thing I want to improve on in the next ten years.

13. Redo our master bedroom.
We did this. We painted our bedroom and bathroom and got new bedding. I'm addicted to Serena & Lilly!

14. Break 20 in a 5K.

When I made this list, I think I was running around 20:30 or so. Since then, I've shaved a good bit off of my race time. My 5K PR is 18:56.



15. Try one new recipe a month.
Negative. I do enjoy cooking though!

16. Get caught up on our photo books.

I think I'm always going to be behind on these. I have to start Kaden's 6-year-old book and K.C.'s 8-year-old book. I need to make a Disney album and a family album for last year (and start this year's!).

17. Memorize Bible verses with the boys. (I need to work on this one!)

This is something I need to be better about.

18. Take a class at the gym.

I've taken a class or two so that counts, right? I'm really more of a workout alone person. I like to run and do weights/yoga videos on my own. Classes are great for some people and keep them accountable, but they're not a "need" in my life at this point.

19. Learn how to make my grandma's biscuits, bread sticks and cakes.

I have not done this. I need to!

20. Take the boys to Disney World.

We went to Disney this January and had a blast!



21. Read 10 books a year.

Yes. I think I do this every year. I need to be better about keeping track of what I've read.

22. Visit Washington, D.C.

Kevin and I went to D.C. during the summer of 2014. We had an awesome time. It was the first trip there for both of us.

23. Learn how to use my Rebel and do better with editing photos.

I am going to pass on this one. I take tons of photos, but I'm not so great at going back and editing them.

24. Take a fun road trip with my husband.

We've taken a few road trips. We drove to Baltimore and D.C., Birmingham, and Orlando, plus we've taken many shorter trips.

25. Get more involved in our church.

We teach Sunday School and I've been involved in choir and handbells, but I'm taking a break from those in an effort to relax and have some free time. That sounds horrible when I type it out. Also, the times are really tough for me with work and the kids. 

26. Relax.

This one is hard. I am horrible at relaxing. When I first started medication for fertility, I started relaxing. We'd sit down at night and watch tv and chill. Then everything happened and I couldn't be active for a while, so I learned how to relax. Unfortunately, I'm not that good at it now.

27. Qualify as competitive for the Cooper River Bridge Run.

I qualified as competitive, but I haven't run the Bridge in years. It always seems to fall on a day that just won't work with my schedule (kids' soccer or a birthday party). It's fine though because I qualified as competitive. 

28. Put up some beans and corn.

I haven't done this.

29. Pay it forward.

I have done this a few times. I need to be more intentional about it though.

30. Go to some shows with my mom.

I've done this too. We've seen Mary Poppins, the symphony, and a few other things in the past three years.

I'm surprised at some of the things I accomplished and some of the things I didn't. While I don't try to live my life by "to-do" lists, it's always nice (I think) to have a list of things to accomplish to keep you on track. So now, do I make a 40 before 40 list?