30 Things By My 30th Year: One Month Update
Hi peeps! How are you today? I want to hear all about it.
I'm feeling not-so-much admittedly. I've had a terrible cough and congestion all week and it seems to be culminating (I hope) yesterday and today. Between Cough Fest 2011 and the crazy Hurricane Irene talk, I'm cocooned up at home for the morning making a plan to ridding myself of this cough and making sure we have supplies should disaster strike. Later today Shaun and I are heading down to Delaware for his brother Steven's wedding tomorrow...congrats to Steve & Katy! Let's hope the weather holds for your big day!
Meanwhile, I realized that it's been well over a month since I turned 29 and gave you a list of my 30 things to accomplish by the time I turn 30.
How did the last 5 weeks or so go by so quickly? I have no idea. I was able to get started on a few things though...
30 by 30: 1 Month Update
1. Learn how to knit
2. Learn how to use a sewing machine
I’m on my way - my parents bought me a sewing machine for my birthday!
3. Start taking vitamins (for real. Not just buying them & stashing them under the sink)
4. Lose 10-15 pounds and maintain it (!!) I want to look like this again:
I lost 3 so far...though this week doesn't count :)
5. Be better about correspondence with friends; Skype with the friends I’m missing across the country!
6. Learn how to properly use my DSLR - the manual setting, white balance, the whole shebang!
I registered for a class in NYC in September. I literally cannot WAIT.
7. Get our entire home painted via professional painter and lit via professional electrician
I've already gotten a couple of quotes. I'm working on picking out colors & lighting fixtures! Yay!
8. Organize our den/office so that it is cute and inviting...not serving as a giant storage closet
9. Call my Dad once a week (I already talk to my Mom at least once per day)
I’ve actually been seeing my Dad about once a week, which is even better!
10. Call, Skype or email with my sister Christine at least once a week
She just left last week. We had a fun girls night to say buh-bye! (and the Boys II Men song, It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday just played in my head)
11. Find paid freelance assignments
12. Write a book
13. Meet my Dad for lunch or dinner in New York City (where we both work!)
14. Devise organizational system for my shoes (for the first time in my life)
15. Find a spot for my cookbooks where they will be easily accessible...and used!
16. Watch 10 classic films
17. Try bone marrow
Done! At BLT Steak, as a surprise addition to our shared rib-eye. I loved it!
18. Get my wedding album made (before our 4th anniversary)
19. Read 5 classic novels (suggestions? I recently read Jane Eyre and adored it)
20. Visit a new US city
21. Make a budget & stick to it, making it possible to grow our savings!
I started my spreadsheet. It's SO not easy to see where I spend my money, but it's definitely
enlightening!
22. Unplug - turn off my computer at a reasonable hour after work. Put the Blackberry on silence. Enjoy quality time with my husband that isn’t disrupted by Facebook, Twitter, the blog, work emails, etc, etc, etc.
I'm working on it...but I could be better!
23. Make things happen for myself, instead of waiting for them to happen to me.
24. Buy a piece of art. It doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive. But something Shaun and I like!
25. Learn how to make my mom’s famous tomato sauce & meatballs
26. Make at least one new recipe from each cookbook in my collection
Rocco DiSpirito's Now Eat This - Sloppy joes (and I will be making these again!)
America's Test Kitchen - Chewy sugar cookies (which turned into failed Golden Grahams cookies)
Betty Crocker Cooky Book - Trix cookies (morphed into Chocolate Glazed Golden Grahams cookies)
27. Host a girl’s night with all my best ladies
I’m working on planning a Fall cocktail party/hang out sesh.
28. Eat at 10 new restaurants in New York City
BLT Steak
Bodhi Tree
29. Make a Top 30 Of All Time playlist...what would your list include?
I started it!
Van Morrison - Days Like This
Jackson Browne - Stay/Roadie Song
Michael Jackson - Billie Jean
30. Take time to enjoy life, recognize how lucky I am and spend time with my husband, family and friends. At the end of the day, that's what matters, right?
This whole summer has been fantastic for friends and family time! We've seen a lot of them!
So there you have it. A little roundup of what I've been up to over the last month!
Questions of the Day:
How are you getting ready for the storm, if you're in its path? We'll be at a hotel, but bringing flashlights, candles, matches, water and food!
What are you doing this weekend? I'll be partying at my bro-in-law's wedding!
What have you been crossing off your list lately?
8 Comments | August 26, 2011 | Share Article | Email Article | tagged 30 by 30 | Print Article | Permalink
Reader Comments (8)
Have you ever heard of mint.com? I think it would help with #21. It tracks all your spending at one site and creates pie charts so you can quickly see what you're spending where. I've been using it for over a year and it is so helpful!
I'm flying to the coast on Monday so I'm hoping all of the hurricane craziness will be over! I have no idea how to prepare for a hurricane!!!
Kudos to you on getting your list started and well under way! Learning how to knit has always been on my life-to-do list. I think I'll need to let it go and watch you excel at i! :)
Great update, I'm so impressed that you have done so much already. I highly recommend Quicken for budgeting- it makes it SO much easier to see where you spend money.
I love lists like this---it puts things out there, and I look forward to seeing your progress!
I won't be in the path of the storm..in NY we're supposed to just get some rain from it on Sunday.
I haven't crossed off anything lately---but I'm really busy, so I have to wait until I have a breather, hopefully this spring!
Have a great time at the wedding!
What a fun list of things to do!! I need to adopt quite a few of those!
I love your list!! :)
what a cute idea! i turn 30 in 8 months so i may steal your idea + make a 30 by 30 list for myself, too!