A List | 31 Things Before 31

I entered into a new decade on Wednesday. I am no longer in my twenties and I still haven't quite grasped that. A lot happened in my twenties. Heartbreak. Living in the northwest. Going to college. Playing lots of music. Moving home. Meeting Ryan. Marrying Ryan. A few different jobs: coffee houses, churches, a dental office. Playing more music. We bought our first home. We had our first kid. 

Many things can happen in the span of a decade. Now I find myself in a fresh one, untouched and totally unknown. The idea of being in my thirties is actually pretty appealing. I'm ready for a fresh start, a clean slate. In some ways, I feel like I need to be a real adult now. In other ways I feel like I never will be and that's totally alright. 

Every year for the past few years, I've written a list around my birthday. This list consists of many things that I want to accomplish in the new year in front of me. Last year, I did alright with my list but didn't accomplish quite a few of them. You can see the list here....30 Things Before 30.  It's no secret that I love making lists and I love making this list every single year. I'm excited for what 30 holds. So many things in our lives feel like they are currently in transition. I'm sure I will move into 31 in a totally different place. 

Below is my brand new list. Fresh and new. 31 things before I turn 31.....

1. Read 31 books.

2. Start blogging again.

3. Get pregnant with #2.

4. Paint the outside of our house.

5. Embrace a side hustle.

6. Play a show.

7. See the ocean.

8. Make a big purchase with cash.

9. Get another tattoo.

10. Get a facial.

11. Grow Hollen Photography.

12. Get a deep tissue massage.

13. Redo our basement: paint everything, new flooring, doors, etc. 

14. Finish a song. 

15. Go to a drive-in movie. 

16. Start writing a book. 

17. Thrift more. 

18. Increase our curb appeal.

19. Travel somewhere new. 

20. Build up an emergency fund. 

21. Meal plan and decrease our grocery budget. 

22. Purge the entire house, every room!

23. Develop a product or new venture.  

24. Get family pictures taken. 

25. Complete another Jazzercise attendance challenge. 

26. Have a No-Spend Month. 

27. Read the Dark Tower Series, Harry Potter Series, and Anne of Green Gables Series. 

28. Take a class. 

29. Seasonal Fun: pumpkin patch, picking strawberries, the zoo, parades, the fair, etc. 

30. See a show at Red Rocks. 

31. Splurge on the perfect pair of jeans. 

Life Lately | September Update

I blinked and we are halfway through September. Life has been changing swiftly and constantly this past month. I've added a multitude of job responsibilities at work, along with being able to cross #18 off of this list. 

I've been really focusing on keeping an hour or so every morning just for myself. Quiet time. No working. No sending emails. I've been working through this devotional this month and it's so great. I highly recommend it.

I've finish a few books this month, which also gets me closer to my goal for my 30 Things List. Since I created my list I've finished: #1, #2, #3. 

I've been trying new recipes and some meal planning throughout the week. So far we have tried: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6. I really liked the Baked Tacos and Baked Spaghetti. 

We celebrated my nephew's 1st birthday this past weekend. He's adorable and I love watching him grow up. 

I finally had the hubby bring down some of the fall decor from the garage attic. I didn't go too nuts this year but it is nice to have a bit of new color. I am also still in love with our new light fixture over the kitchen table. I am also still trying to figure out when in the world I'm going to repaint the kitchen cabinets and paint pretty much the entire inside of my house. I need a week off with no interruptions just to accomplish all of it. 

I'm longing for a small vacation. I would go anywhere at this point. I just want to unplug and unwind. 

September is flying by but everyday I come to the end of my day and feel accomplished. Life is good right now. Family is important. My BIL was in a car accident last week and it just makes you stop and think about life and family. He is going to be ok but the road is not short. Rest is also important. I love that fall is pretty much here and I'm ready to welcome to it. 

30 Things Before 30

Every year, I make a list of things that I want to accomplish by my next birthday. Here's to a new year and a new list. Some of these are big and seem lofty, some are fairly easy to accomplish. Check back every once in a while. I will have a tab at the top of this blog. If I mark something off, I usually will have a link with it. This year, I had too many things on my list which usually doesn't happen. I guess I'm ready to ring in 30 next summer with a bang. Let's do this. 

1. Read 30 books. With my love for the library now, this should be easy. 
2. 30 Recipes, meal plan for dinner. 
3. Try Blue Apron or something like it. 
4. Go on a family vacation. 
5. Work on getting through Baby Step #2 (Dave Ramsey.) 
6. Paint living room and hallways. Repaint kitchen cabinets. Paint trim and doors white. Lots of painting. Pretty much paint the entire inside of our house. 
7. Try Cize. 
8. Do another Whole 30. 
9. Get prego, round 2. 
10. Yoga Headstand
11. Work through this book. 
12. Reach my goal weight and keep moving (30 minutes, 10,000 steps, or C25k per day)
13. Have a meal at The Kitchen. 
14. Get a facial at She She.
15. Take family photos
16. Create some physical photo albums, not digital. 
17. Be able to park the Dodge Journey in the garage. i.e....Clean it out! Dump trip. 
18. Increase our income. Make it happen. 
19. Potty Train Marin.
20. Spend a lot more time outside. 
21. Write some songs. 
22. Breakup with online shopping and go thrifting more often. 
23. Join a CSA or Bountiful Baskets. Buy veggies/fruits from a roadside stand. 
24. Drink more wine.
25. Get a blowout at a salon. 
26. Help Marin not be such a picky eater. Expand her palate.  
27. Capsule Wardrobe or Project 333
28. Go to a concert at Red Rocks. 
29. Eat like a French Woman.  
30. Paint the outside of our house. 

28 Things Before 28: A Revisit

Every year I begin with a new list of things I want to accomplish for the next year. I am a list maker and love stuff like this. I pretty much eat it up. This year was no different. Granted, I didn't cross off as many as I would have hoped, but I knew that throwing in a pregnancy and a baby would probably make life interesting. Oh boy, it has been interesting! The highlighted points are what I didn't fully accomplish. I have been working on my new list and will be posting it tomorrow on my birthday. 28 was a good year. A lot of changes occurred when I was 28. I still can't believe how quickly I am making my way to 30. 

1. Buy more vinyl: #1   We bought one record. At least we bought one. 

2. Have a baby (Duh) 

3. Become reacquainted with my camera. 

4. Pay off all credit card debt (we are well on our way!) 3 down. 

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

6. Bake a pie

7. Have a garage sale  We bought a new AC unit for our window with our earnings. Hallelujah. 

8. Rejoin a gym/New workout regime 

9. Read the Dark Tower Series

10. Lose the baby weight...slowly getting there. 

11. Decorate the nursery 

12. Photo booth pics with my honey

13. Hang out with other moms  Not as much as I would like, but I haven't done really bad with this. 

14. Hire someone to clean my house for a change.  I did, for one glorious month and then realized we are way too poor. 

15. Have a weekend away. Ha ha ha ha. That's laughable. 

16. IKEA Trip

17. 3 Day Juice Cleanse

18. Splurge on a package of bliss appointment here. 

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

20. Cook a recipe from a new cookbook. 

21. Try taking a class and incorporating Doterra Oils into our life

22. Do the Whole 30

23. Sip and Paint  See the post HERE. 

24. Send out Christmas cards

25. Take an online course of some sort.   I took this one and am in the process of taking this one. So great. 

26. Make a photography website

27. Take better care of my skin- new routine  I've been using these products since I became prego. I just switched over to these in June....Doterra's Skin Line. I am in love. 

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

Currently Clicking #20

Pardon the language, but this is perfect. 

Each and every week, I gather links of all of the places I have been perusing in the great, grand internet. There are plenty of people out there doing big things and small things. Some of these are practical, some are inspiring. This week I am delving into the world of Paleo, realizing how important good real estate photography is, wanting to not sleep as much as do, hoping that I am a good mother that feels good about who I am, daydreaming about another garage sale, and drooling over the new IKEA catalog. 

1. I am slowly trying to remove dairy/grains/legumes from my diet in an attempt to get my skin to calm down after pregnancy and to fit back into my old jeans again. I have been experimenting with Paleo meals and approaches. I want to try these breakfast muffins and these apple cinnamon muffins. I love these Paleo Lunchbox ideas. I want to make cauliflower rice. Also, if anyone needs another birthday idea....I could use one of these.
2. I am a real estate photographer on the side. I am always amazed at the photographs some people place on the internet of their home in order to sell it or not sell it. Here are some absolutely terrible real estate photos.  So many wrongs. 
3. Back in my college days, which are further away from me than I realize at times, I didn't sleep very much. Now I try to sleep as much as possible with a 5 month old baby in the room next to us. Did you know though that intelligent people have one thing in common? They sleep less than the rest of us. Interesting read. It makes me want to stay up later and get stuff done like I used to. 
4. Nowadays, the simple thought of getting into a bathing suit is pretty terrifying after having a baby. Everything has shifted. Everything. Sometimes we lose sight of what really matters. A Mom's Kids Exposed What She 'Really' Looks Like, And Her Reaction Is PERFECT.
5. I've been on a kick lately again of getting rid of a lot of our stuff. We just accumulate so much stuff. Here are some tips of getting the most out a garage sale, not annoying your neighbors in the process, and getting rid of your stuff. 
6. IKEA just released their 2015 catalog. Per usual, I could buy the whole store. But on the other side of things, anything you buy from IKEA usually needs to be assembled. Here are the (humorous, yet truthful) emotional stages of IKEA furniture assembly. 

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. 

Goals for June

We find ourselves in another new month already. Time goes much faster once you hit adulthood. Everyday, you're made to be an adult, pay your bills, wash your dishes, and bring home your paycheck. I find more and more everyday how important it is to just take some time and rest. To breathe. Truthfully, I'm absolutely horrible at that and hate feeling like I'm wasting time. But, as I get older, I find that taking those times to rest isn't in itself wasting time. Those sabbaths allow for more time in the grand scheme of things. When one is at the end of their rope and exhausted, nothing of worth can really get done. I must remember that. 

As I look back on May and the goals I presented, I am filled with satisfaction. It was a good month. I even survived my garage sale. Hallelujah. My goals were: 

Continue the Great Garage Sale preparation. I've only made a small dent in a big, stuff-we-don't-really-need-anymore world. 

A success. I even have any empty room to prove it. Blank walls envelope my house. Now I can make them new. 

Go to the Farmer's Market. 

See here. 

Schedule a massage. Even for next month. I need it. 

Scheduled for the end of June. Yes, please. 

Plan a getaway for our anniversary in June. 

The hotel is booked and it's only a little over a week away! 

Do an outfit post!! No more procrastination. 

See here. 

Now onto June......

Try Hot Yoga at the Gym

Bake something yummy: Maybe this? 

Drink tea once a day

Sit back and read a novel. (Maybe I can find one here.) 

Work on the front yard. Yard Crashers 2012 is coming.