Thirty Before Thirty 1/2 Birthday Check-In
Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each. (Henry David Thoreau)
My half-birthday was last Monday, September 29. I didn’t do anything specific to celebrate, although we did arrive in Paris that day and ended up with some great memories to mark the occasion! When I created my thirty before thirty list 3 months ago, I only included things that were exciting, possible, and felt like a celebration. Now that I have reached the half-way mark, I am more excited than ever about this project.
Here are the items I have crossed off my thirty before thirty list so far:
- Plan a great 30th birthday for my Mister - We had a wonderful time celebrating in Charlotte with his buddies from college.
- Have a picnic in the park - We went to Blues on the Green in Zilker Park earlier this summer with my Mister and a group of our friends. We packed a picnic dinner and sat under the Austin sky hanging out and listening to music.
- Buy a pair of designer jeans - Before we left for Europe, I went to Nordstrom and picked up a pair of Paige Denim jeans along with a few other items for our trip. Love the way these feel!
- Travel to at least 1 new country - With our Europe trip, I was able to check Germany and Austria off the list!
- Run in a race - I ran a 10K last month, and finished much quicker than I was expecting! While I would love to set my sights on another half marathon, I’m sticking with shorter races for now. I just registered for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure 5K in Austin the weekend before our wedding.
- Go paddle boarding - My friend Jen took me out on Town Lake for my first paddle boarding experience this summer. I also went out a few times on Lake Norman when we were visiting family in Charlotte. I was always nervous about paddle boarding, but it’s much less scary and way more relaxing than I thought it would be!
- Have a makeover for the first time - When I went to Nordstrom for the shopping trip mentioned earlier, I also booked a makeup lesson at the Bobbi Brown counter. It was a great experience! Special thanks to Chelsea Bea for encouraging me to give this a try.
- Drink all of my tea before buying more - I’m going to consider this done even though I didn’t technically drink all of my tea. Instead, I gave some away and threw the rest out. Many of the teas I owned had sugar and other ingredients that are not Whole30 approved. Instead of forcing myself to drink them, I have decided to start with a clean slate and be more conscious about the teas I buy moving forward.
- Learn how to curl my hair - I purchased my first curling iron and brought it with me to Europe. Forcing myself into the new habit while on our trip turned out to be a great plan (since it was my only hair styling option). It took some practice, but it was was easier than I thought it would be to style and I love the way it looks curled!
So, that’s 9 things down and 21 to go in these last six months before my 30th birthday. Looking at the items that are complete, it’s interesting that several of them were things that I was nervous about, but really wanted to do. The lesson here is that I need to go for it more often… no matter what "it" is!
Looking ahead, there are a few items already in the works, like a mini-moon in Vegas just after our wedding and a trip to New Orleans for Mardi Gras! There are also other items like cultivating a daily meditation practice that I need to spend some time on. I’m excited about what's left on the list, and I am looking forward to sharing another update in 3 months!
Image via Death to the Stock Photo
