Yep, still alive

Wow, so this month has been crazy busy.  But yes, I am still here.  And VERY behind on my 30 Before 30 list.  So let's just jump right in.


16.  Have at least one baby.  Maybe even two.
Well, this is pretty self explanatory.  Any questions?


17. Find a hobby.
I have been trying to find a hobby my whole life.  I am hobby-less.  I am also not very good at hobby-like things.  I am going to see how many times I can write hobby in a paragraph.  I know that not all hobbies are crafty or artsy, but I feel like they are.  And trust me, I am no good at anything that is either crafty or artsy.  Somehow I missed that gene since most of my family is gifted in that direction.  I am taking recommendations for a hobby.  Hobby hobby hobby.  Ok, done now.

18. Read the Bible all the way through (even the lineage).
I have read all of the New Testament, but maybe only a third of the Old.  Probably because I get bored at the lineage.  I really would like to read the whole thing.  Even if it is in bits and pieces over the next 4 years.

19. Witness a flash mob or be part of one.
Ok, so I don't think that I will be able to plan the witness part.  Maybe I will just get lucky.  If all else fails, you will see me on Halloween 2014 doing Thriller in the streets of downtown Macon trying to accomplish this goal before I am 30.

20. Watch all 100 movies on Time's All Time 100 Movies.
7 down, 93 to go.  Apparently, I am severely uncultured. Movie night, anyone?

I will be quicker about putting up my next section.  Especially since one of my previous items was putting up a list for every year and my 26th birthday is in two days.  Hmmmm.  #21-#30 may come next week.  Hopefully you will get 27 before 27 this weekend.

Things that are good: birthday week and tag-a-long cookies.  They are even better together.

Let it be known...

Let it be known that I have the best parents in the whole wide world!  They came to my rescue today when they didn't have to and I am exceedingly grateful.  They are the best, seriously.

Ok, back to my 30 Before 30.  Apparently, there are a lot of places that I want to visit in my next 4 years.  So we are finishing up that and then moving onward.  I now present #s 11-15.

11. Go to Harry Potter World.
Does this even need any explanation?  Growing up near Orlando has given me a healthy dislike for theme parks, but I will make an exception for this one.  I need a wand and I want to drink butterbeer.  Don't judge. Accio broomstick!

12. Vegas.
I don't have a lot of interest in gambling although I am sure I could make the slot machine amateur circuit.  I just think I need to experience Las Vegas.  Is it bad that I primarily want to go for the people watching??

13. Go see 5 MLB teams play in their home stadiums.
Disclaimer: other than the Atlanta Braves.  I have been to Turner Field more times than I can count, but I have never been to any other field or stadium.  My plan is to combine this with visiting new states or my RV trip.  Justin is hoping that Yankee Stadium is part of this adventure.

Ok, done with the travel portion of this list. Moving on.

14. Create a list every year with smaller goals.
So, on February 26th (my birthday) expect to see a 27 Before 27 list with smaller goals.  I think I have a list problem.  I might need an intervention.  Or at least a 12 step program.

15. Plant a veggie garden.
This is going to be a big one.  Currently, I hold the title of Botany Angel of Death.  Part of what I do as the B.A.D. is wither and destroy any plant-like thing I come in contact with.  Or not even contact.  I just look at a plant and it turns brown.  However, I like veggies, especially fresh ones.  So, dangit, I will plant a veggie garden and it will live.  I am hoping positive thinking will help it grow; sort of like mind fertilizer if you will.  


#s 16-20 Coming Soon!

It's G-Nome, the G is not silent

It has been a long time (3 years to be precise) since I have come home exhausted and fulfilled by a weekend or week at Young Life camp.  A whole weekend full of crazy highschoolers, funny characters (like the G-Nomes), and so much fun.  This was the first time that I have been to Sharp Top Cove (or any YL camp for that matter) as an adult guest.  I think that makes me officially old.  We had an absolutely amazing time, and it was really incredible to watch my husband finally "get" YoungLife, what it does and what it means to me.  We are now talking about how we as a couple will support YoungLife here in Macon.  Amazing how things keep coming back to my One Word for the year ("invest").  Right now we invest in YL Macon financially as a couple but we are looking at how we can invest ourselves.  I am excited to do this with Justin.  I love the way my journey with YL has evolved since my friends dragged me to my first camp in 1997.

So, I have 5 more items on my 30 before 30 list to share with you.  This is the "go see" part of the list.  I mentioned that I wanted to travel outside the country before 30, but there are a lot of things I want to do in the USA in the next four years.  See my previous post for #'s 1-5.

6. See the Pacific Ocean.
I thought about this one for a while and wasn't sure whether or not to include it.  Now, I have been to the Seattle area and seen the Puget Sound, which I guess if you want to get technical could be considered the Pacific Ocean.  I am choosing not to count the Puget Sound for this experience.  I want to see the Pacific Ocean in all its wave crashing glory.  Cue Phantom Planet and the OC theme song... Californiaaaaa, Californiaaaaa, Here we commmmeee!!

7. Visit at least five new states.
I have had the opportunity to travel some within the US, but there are still a lot of states to go (30 to be exact).  I am placing on my list of "unvisited" states anywhere that I do not have a specific memory.  So, some of these states I have physically been in, but it just doesn't count if all I did was drive through it or have an airport lay over.  States left to visit: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Wisconsin, Wyoming.


8. Visit New Orleans again post-Katrina.
I visited New Orleans in the winter of my junior year of high school.  It was an incredible vacation.  I traveled out there with my friend Jamie and we stayed with several girls that we met while working at YoungLife camp.  We did all kinds of fun things and ate until we almost exploded.  I know that so many things have changed after Hurricane Katrina hit, but on the other hand, the spirit of NOLA has remained.  I would love to go back and compare the city and my experiences before and after the storm.

9. Go to the Kentucky Derby.
I have visited Louisville my entire life.  About once a year growing up, we would jump in the minivan and head to Kentucky to visit all of the aunts and grandparents.  I would look forward to that trip every year.  It was always so much fun to go and visit Churchill Downs and go through the museum.  It was a special memory I had as a little girl.  When I was older, I got the special memory of being able to take my little cousins through the museum.  Before, I am 30, I want to dress up in my fancy hat and go see the big race that I have dreamed about since I was a kid.

10. Go on a trip in an RV.
I don't know why this appeals to me.  Not a clue.  But I really want to rent an RV and hit the open road.  Maybe I can combine this with visiting some of those states I mentioned in #6!

#s 11-15 coming soon! 

Who has a list for everything? Me! Me!

Confession: I will never stop being a planner.  I may be trying to live life a little fuller but that does not mean that I am going to give up my lists and spreadsheets.  Ask my husband, I have an unhealthy obsession with spreadsheets.  They make me happy.  I like agendas and lists and color coding things.  I am getting all worked up just thinking about it.

So it makes sense that I would create a list of things that I want to accomplish before I turn 30.  Which, strangely enough, I am on the downhill slope to.  I will be 26 at the end of this month, so that gives me about 4 years to accomplish what's on this list.  Some of these are serious, get-your-life together things.  Others are experiences outside of my comfort zone that I need to be pushed to achieve.  Others are some of my deepest hopes and dreams.  I am going to blog about them 5 at a time (in no particular order) so I can explain each a little bit.

Without further ado: my 30 Before 30 (#'s 1-5)

1. Travel outside the country.
I have been out of the country before: England when I was 10, and the Bahamas in 2008.  If I won the lottery, I would donate to charities and take care of all my debts as well as help out some family and friends, but I wouldn't buy anything material for myself.  I would pack up and travel the world.  I have the traveling bug but not enough money to pursue it.  So before I am 30, I want to travel outside the country again.  My top 10 places to go visit? Uganda (reason why coming in a future blog post), Greece, Italy, Spain, South Africa, Australia, Scotland, Norway, Brazil, Canada.


2. Interview my Grandmother and record her stories.
Have you met my Grandmother?  She is probably the coolest grandmother on the planet.  She taught me how to walk on stilts when I was ten and counts dirty words as double points in Scrabble.  She has traveled and lived all over the world.  She makes up stories for her grandchildren and then she even illustrates them.  She is whip smart and even at 80 she still studies because she doesn't think that you are too old to quit learning. Her house looks like a library and she organizes her shelves by putting authors next to each other that she thinks would have interesting conversations in real life.  Most of all, she has truly lived.  And her stories are amazing.  I have enjoyed listening to them for years and it would do the world a disservice not to have them recorded.

3. Fist pump at the Jersey Shore and meet a Guido.
You didn't think that all of these would be serious did you?  Actually, Justin is from Jersey and grew up relatively near "the shore" as he calls it.  He swears that he was not a Guido, but I don't know if I believe him.  Anyway, he has not been back up to Jersey since he moved away 6 or so years ago.  I would love to see where he grew up and what his life looked like before I was in it.  If we happen to take a detour by Seaside Heights, whatever. . .  GTL my friends.

4. See a musical on Broadway.
After all of my fist pumping in Jersey, I think I am going to need some culture. I have been to NYC twice, but never got to experience Broadway.  This is such a shame and needs to be fixed.  I will be looking to my friend Jenn W. for expertise and recommendations while accomplishing this task!

5. Run a 5K.
Time to get off my butt and move.  There was a point in my life (after a career ending tennis injury) that it hurt to walk and running was not even an option.  Lots and lots of conditioning and many years later, I was able to be active again although I will never be back to that pre-injury level.  However, I used the old injury as an excuse most of the time.  Time to suck it up, realize that I need to get active and be healthier.  Sure I have a weight loss goal, but I think I also need a fitness goal.  So, sometime in the next 4 years, I will run a 5K.  Without having someone chase me :)

Five more coming soon!