28 Things Before 28

One week and one day ago, I turned 27 years old. I'm now closer to thirty than I am to twenty five. I feel like my years as a teenager are very far away now. My immaturities from that time in my life are only a small flicker in my life now. My past is my past. I don't think I've ever looked so forward to the future like I am now. Being pregnant puts everything into perspective and I'm scared to death about becoming a parent. This will happen while I am 27. 

Last year's list looks a tad sad. A lot of the things on here involved me doing things not pregnant. Oh well. I also didn't blog for a good chunk of last year and I had forgotten many things on the list. 

This was last year.....

1. Finish writing 5 songs. That’s a big deal. ( I finished four whole songs. I'm crossing this off.) 

2. Rock a two piece swimming suit with confidence.

3. Treat myself to a massage

4. Camp in a tent

5. Get another tattoo

6. Learn to knit (I will put this on my lists until I do it!)

7. Record another music project

8. Work through a few e-courses that have piled up.

9. Gain financial peace. Get out of debt once and for all.

10. Get pregnant.

11. Paint some walls

12. Not kill my garden (Big negative. I got pregnant and created a pile of weeds.) 

13. Have a picnic

14. Sew something. Anything.

15. Fly in a plane

16. Repurpose a piece of furniture

17. See a concert at Red Rocks

18. Go on a wine or beer tasting tour (Prego, no go.) 

19. Eat at 5 places we have never tried before.

20. Bake often. 

21. Have a girls night

22. Make breakfast for dinner

23. Finish reading the Dark Tower Series by Stephen King (This was my man’s idea)

24. Have a dinner party

25. Read 12 novels (I probably made it about half way on this one.) 

26. Re-grow out my hair (Definite no. I really chopped all of my hair off in April.) 

27. Take a road trip

Here's to a new year and a new list. It doesn't feel quite as ambitious, but I'm sure with a little one around, this will be more than enough. 

1. Buy more vinyl

2. Have a baby (Duh) 

3. Continue the great yard makeover on our pathetic lawn

4. Pay off all credit card debt (we are well on our way!) 

5. Go to the Drive-In or to a movie all by myself 

6. Bake a pie

7. Have a garage sale

8.  Rejoin a gym/New workout regime 

9. Read the Dark Tower Series

10. Lose the baby weight

11. Decorate the nursery 

12. Photo booth pics with my honey

13. Hang out with other moms

14. Go to the Roller Derby

15. Have a weekend away

16. IKEA Trip

17. 3 Day Juice Cleanse

18. Have breakfast at midnight

19. Make a bunch of frozen meals before baby's arrival

20. Try 12 new recipes

21. Project Life 

22. Do the Whole 30

23. Sip and Paint

24. Send out Christmas cards

25. Write a letter to an old friend

26. Make a photography website

27. Take better care of my skin- new routine 

28.  See a concert. (not including any gig we are involved in.) 

I am excited for this year and all that it brings. 

The Art of Letting Go

I've been starting to sift through room by room in our little home. The piles have become mounds and I have picked them down to just lint in the carpet. Neat piles surround me every where I look and I can't help but wonder why we have all of this stuff in the first place. What significance does it hold? Where along our journey did we gain this item or that item and why must it still reside in our lives? Does it have meaning or is it just gathering dust? 

I've been spring cleaning for what seems like forever. I've also been thinking about what that means in my own life. What spider webs have I allowed to wreak havoc upon my heart's own closets and what blocks have I left in my own pathway to the door? 

I don't feel much of a need for most of the items in our home. Much of my past is very much the same. I have my decisions, my dreams, my dreams lost, and those moments that I hold on to far too tightly at times. In my quest for a clean home, I also desire a clear mind and spirit. How often do we walk through life with too many piles at our side? How many oversized bags have I drug behind me in hope of finding a new fork in the road? 

I think of these piles today. I think of my college days. I think of the friends I lost and the friends I gained. I think of moving home and meeting my husband in a whirlwind of an entirely unexpected moment. I hold onto things and moments for far too long. I must let many of them go. Maybe those songs aren't meant to be sung anymore. Maybe the rain will never fall upon my life like it once did. This process is an art form, a picking away at the piles and a sorting through of feelings and mistakes. Letting go is tough. But, in the long run, a clean slate is so much better. 

I desire a clean slate today, one I can fill up with new experiences and new moments.