30 Before Thirty: How I did

Now that I've hit the big 3-0, it's time to see how I did on my 30 Before Thirty list, starting with what I've accomplished since my last update (you can check out all of my past updates here).


#2 - Our house is small. Parts of it are unfinished, or ugly, or just not what I want them to be. Yet. If I waited until our house was "perfect" to invite family and friends over, I wouldn't see them for at least a few years. And that would be silly, right? Still, I needed a little push and that's what this goal gave me. It also raised the question of what, exactly, constitutes a dinner party. Multiple courses? Candles? A particular number of guests? We had friends over for dinner. And brunch. We threw a birthday party for my mom. We hosted Adam's entire family on Christmas Eve. We entertained again on New Year's Eve. We cooked, we baked, we drank, we laughed. We invited people into our less-than-perfect home and we had fun. Done!

#8 - Hannah decided to enter the world a little early, which meant I stopped working sooner than planned and Adam had to miss out on a couple of well-paying opportunities (when you're self-employed, timing is everything). We paid off our credit cards, but then we had to break them out again. The good news is that we're very close to paying them off again, so this one won't be on my 2013 list for very long.

#10 - I finished my first knitting project - a cowl - in the nick of time. It's full of mistakes, but I'm excited to start my next project (probably another scarf ha). I'm determined to knit something I can wear without embarrassment.

#12 - This goal wasn't about exercise (although it's a nice bonus), it was about taking some time each day to enjoy the outdoors and appreciate the city where I live. It's turned into something we do as a family, so it's also time for Adam and I to connect and talk about whatever's going on in our lives. Dare I call it a new, awesome habit?

#13 - Photos have been combed through, curated (too much?), printed and organized into albums. A big, big thanks to my friends Chelle and Adam for taking care of the printing (they even delivered them)! I probably would've dragged my feet on this one forever if not for the list. The list works, people.

#14 - As I mentioned before, our financial plans got a little derailed with Hannah's birth. We ended up having to use our emergency savings fund (and then some), but we've started to build it back up again and we're making it a priority again this year.

#20 - I started with the journal, but I found that whenever an 'I'm grateful' moment struck, I'd think about how I was going to write it down in my journal instead of just living in it. So, I started focusing on stopping, in the moment, to really savour it instead. This goal was about being more purposeful about gratefulness and, journal or not, I think I'm succeeding.

#21 - OK, technically I haven't signed up yet, but I know exactly which half-marathon I'm going to run and I promise to sign up as soon as it's actually possible to do so (it's in the fall). This year, run a half-marathon is on my list.

#24 - I'm pretty sure sunrise was at 10 to eight when I did this, but still. The rest of the house was sleeping and I had this lovely, quiet moment to myself, looking out our kitchen window. I was inspired to bake muffins afterwards, so you know I was feeling good!

#29 - Hannah and I have been going to mom and baby yoga classes once a week since early January. I've been to a few yoga classes here and there before, but I'd never done a workshop and obviously not with a baby. I was really nervous about how Hannah would react at first (I'm strangely paranoid about her losing it in public), but she seems to love it and so do I. I look forward to it each week.

#30 - I donated money to The Shoebox Project, we put together a box of food and household items for Feed NS, I gave a gift through Plan Canada, I donated money to an awesome fundraiser organized by a friend and at the end of the month, I'm walking 10K to raise money to fight poverty and homelessness. I used to make excuses not to give (mostly with the ridiculous justification - to myself - that I needed all my money), but I've finally learned that giving is easy (so easy!) and it feels really, really good.

And here's what I didn't check off the list...

#3 - We never got around to this one, but finishing the entryway is on my list of home goals this year so it won't be long before this project is done.

#4 - Why do I hate flossing my teeth so much?! I swear I love my teeth and I definitely don't want them to rot out of my head. Must. floss. regularly.

#16 - I think I forgot that my birthday is in February and that Hannah would be, at most, 6 months old when I added this one to the list. I tried to think of a winter vacation that I would want to take with an infant, but in the end I decided, list be damned, I would rather just wait. We're headed to York Beach, ME in July for a friend's wedding, so until July!

#17 - Leave it to me to wait until the dead of winter to remember that I put a picnic on my list. I considered an indoor picnic, but I really had my heart set on a blanket-on-the-grass-enjoying-the-sunshine-while-we-eat kind of picnic. It happens this year. I already know which blanket I'm using.

#25 - The timing didn't work out for this one, so it stays on the list for 2013.

#27 - Did I tell you that I used to play the piano and Adam bought me a really, really nice keyboard while we were dating in the hopes that I would take it up again? He may have to live his dreams through Hannah on this one. Just saying.

#28 - We went on plenty of walks this year. Walks on the beach, walks in the woods, walks that some people would probably consider hikes, but not the kind of hike I had in mind. We tried to check this one off the list before my birthday, but the weather didn't cooperate. I have no doubt that it will happen this year, especially since I won't be hugely pregnant or caring for a newborn during prime hiking weather :)

I'm officially hooked on life lists! They may not be for everyone, but I find them motivating. I feel compelled to complete things once I've written them down. Especially on the Internet. I'm working on this year's list now, so stay tuned.