Thursday, March 6, 2014

29th Birthday Reflections and 30 by 30

So yesterday was my 29th birthday.



(My "baby" brother turned 22 the 3rd - we're probably 8 and 1 in the first picture, maybe 1993?)

It wasn't a terribly exciting day, and I have a tendency to really build up my birthday (my parents make a HUGE deal out of my and my brother's birthdays, so this has always been a thing), so I was a little disappointed with some things, like having to go to campus and deal with the constant ineptitude of other people, but Kirby and I had some fantastic pizza and a Muddy's cupcake so all is well in the universe.

And she got me Mastering the Art of French Cooking, so expect delicious food coming soon!

In the spirit of birthdays, and of only having a year (minus one day!) until I turn 30, I've decided to do a 30 by 30 list.

I'm not freaked out by turning 30, but it is a turning point, so I want to use this list to both reflect and make the next 29 even better.

(Although thanks to this Buzzfeed article, I feel pretty okay about 29!)

1. Go to 3 new American cities.
(I should be going, at least, to Boston, New Haven, DC, and New York this summer.)

2. Travel to another country, bringing my total to 6 in the past 3 years.
(Might have to make a pit stop in Canada for this one!)

3. Eat something green (that's not gummy and shaped like a bear) every day.
(Or that's covered in cheese...)

4. Really pare down my closet.

(This shit is bananas.)

5. Write 3 chapters of my dissertation.

6. Start a savings account.

7. Go to the gym regularly. For me, that's 3-4 times a week, no excuses!

8. Volunteer for a charity/charitable organization. Anyone have any ideas?

9. "Run" a 5K. I am NOT a runner, so maybe just do a 5K?

(That's how Petunia actually looks.)

10. Get an article published in a peer-reviewed journal.

11. Be better at writing thank you notes and follow-up letters.
(And Tiny Prints has thank you cards 40% off today!)

12. Learn to accept a compliment.

(Also I was 19 when Mean Girls came out. Wrap your minds around that.)

13. Go a week without complaining about anyone/anything.

14. Eat breakfast regularly.

15. Read 25 new books. I have a bad habit of rereading my favorites and not trying anything new. Time to change that!

(Maybe I'll do the Rory Gilmore book challenge!)

16. Get my French back to conversational level.

17. Learn enough German to have rough conversational skills.

18. Make schnitzel.

19. Make magenflasters like my gramma's.

(Basically just cook all of the things like this woman.)

20. Finally figure out how to use my "grown up" camera.

21. Take a spa day - massage, mani, pedi, facial - and just enjoy it, no phone, no conversation.

22. Visit all the museums in Memphis.
(I've been to the Brooks and the Pink Palace, but there are a ton more!)

23. Blog at least twice a week.

24. Work on my faith.
(Which is vague, but I'm really private about my beliefs.)


25. Take a trip to the Gulf Coast.

26. Try a new hair color.

27. Find the perfect pair of jeans.

28. Make at least 3 projects for myself with my sewing machine.

29. Start (and maintain) a book club.

30. Stop letting people take advantage of my kindness, just because I'm afraid of being alone.



I'll keep everyone updated on how they go!



3 comments:

  1. We have a lot of the same interests, start with skirts on sewing. Good luck!

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    Replies
    1. That's a good idea! I was thinking skirts for sure (especially since that's basically all I wear in spring and summer!).

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  2. I'd be down for a book club--I feel like I need some not-school, not-crazy time. And it'll help you get to the 25 new book mark for the year.

    And, in the nerdiest thing I've done/said all day: Wenn wir ein Besprechung fuer unsere Buchgemeinschaft haben, koennen wir Deutsch sprechen! (See? Nerdy.)

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