My 28th birthday is less than a month away, and it has me thinking of how close the big 3-0 is getting. Not that life ends at 30, but it seems like a big mile marker, like the age where you are officially considered "old" by kids. So, being the "type A personality" that I am, I decided to make a 30 before 30 list of things I want to accomplish during my last two years of my twenties. Having this list will help me stay focused on accomplishing my goals, and sharing it here will hold me accountable. So stay tuned for future posts sharing items that have been completed. Here's my 30 before 30:
1. Have another baby.
2. Experience natural childbirth.
3. Take a photography class to learn how to use my camera and improve my technique.
4. Give up Diet Coke, completely.
5. Revisit Northern California, but travel north instead of south to see the Redwoods and visit Portland and Seattle.
6. Run another half marathon, and finish in 2:15 or less.
7. Read the entire Bible from cover to cover.
8. Buy bikes and spend sunny Saturdays exploring the many bike trails in Little Rock as a family.
9. Become disciplined in following and recording our monthly budget.
10. Learn the art of becoming a morning person: early to bed, early to rise.
11. Take Gary to a game at Cowboy's Stadium.
12. Take a mom and tot swim class with Elliott.
13. Catch up on printing and organizing all of our photos.
14. Give the salon a mini facelift.
15. Rework our laundry closet so Maggie's food and litter can move out of our guest room.
16. Transition to a "mom car" (not a van!).
17. Attend my 10 year high school reunion and reconnect with old classmates.
18. Obtain life insurance and create a will that ensures Elliott is taken care of in the event that something tragic happens. (I know, Debbie Downer, right? But, it will make me feel better.)
19. Learn to sew on my sewing machine.
20. Find a new opportunity to serve others either through the giving of my time or money.
21. Host a Bible study in our home for my coworkers and their spouses.
22. Take Elliott back to the beach when he can walk.
23. Cook more, eat out less, with a goal of actually cooking (not just heating leftovers, an oven pizza or microwavable burrito) 3 nights a week.
24. Make it a priority to meet with the Lord every morning before I start my day.
25. Pursue a new friendship.
26. Plant a small garden and grow a few veggies and herbs.
27. Learn to compost.
28. Become a card maker, and send cards to friends and family to brighten their days.
29. Make date night a weekly priority, even if its just something at home after E goes to bed.
30. Become a person who "pray[s] without ceasing." Instead of just saying I'll pray for someone, I want to become a person who drops what I'm doing and prays for them on the spot. I want to pray all day as I go about my normal daily tasks, that everything I'm doing is to bring glory to God, be it changing diapers, washing dishes, or applying hair color.
Look out 30, here i come, and when I reach you, I won't look back and say "I wish I had done blank in my twenties."
