thirty, nerdy, dirty, purdy, sturdy, wordy

Thirty.

3-0.

3 decades.

29 and holding. But not really.

I, Evelyn, am now 30 years old.

I just got goose bumps.

That could be a result of...

fear.
excitement.
the chill in the air.

Maybe I need a shawl. I suppose I better learn how to knit now that I'm practically ancient.

Somehow I never thought this day would come. But here it is. And it's time to accept that I am now an adult...ish.

No sense in giving up and reserving my spot in my local Bridge Club just yet. There's still a lot of life to live and I hope I can make the next decade even better than the last one. (Thanks Leah at The Dog's a Boy Too for the inspiration. I only hope I can be as ambitious as you are!)

Thirty Things to Do in Order to Thrive Through My Thirties
(I just can't resist alliteration. Gets me every time.)

1. Run a half marathon, as well as a bunch of 5Ks and 10Ks in preparation.

2. Hike something big, but not too big.

3. Learn to not care what anyone else thinks about me, except me and God.

4. Build up a stellar food storage and emergency preparedness stash.

5. Travel internationally, preferably Europe. And eat cheese the entire time.

6. Lose 100 pounds and keep it off. (I could see how some of these might contradict each other...We'll work out the details later.)

7. Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other gold.

8. Sing more. Especially in front of other people.

9. Learn to sew something that requires more than straight lines. At least what are supposed to be straight lines.

10. Go on a real family vacation. One with lots of detours, sight seeing, cultural experiences, potty stops, and whining.

11. Pay off debts. Dare I say, become completely and 100% debt-free?

12. Surprise my husband with a trip to Cancun to revisit his mission.

13. Buy a truck...for me.

14. Grow a garden. Minus the weeds.

15. Buy a house.

16. Then paint the house, knock down a wall, remodel a bathroom or a kitchen or something. And pretend to be hosting a HGTV episode the entire time.

17. Finally buy a fancy schmancy camera and learn how to put my fancy schmancy camera to good use by taking some decent fancy schmancy pictures.

18. Visit some famous United States' sites like the Anasazi cliff ruins, the Redwoods, the East and West Coasts, Mt. Rushmore, Lady Liberty, Washington DC, maybe even the Ellen Show.

19. Attend a family reunion for my dad's side of the family. Even if I have to plan one myself.

20. Read more books.

21. Help my children develop into amazing, genuine, successful, and caring young adults.

22. Learn how to make a killer fresh spaghetti sauce, among other things.

23. Write something profound, inspiring, captivating, thrilling, life-changing.

24. Learn to finally forgive myself and others.

25. Water ski.

26. Keep my marriage healthy and lively.

27. Learn how to hula, pop and lock, and waltz.

28. Get over my fear of killer whales.

29. Become consistent at being consistent.

30. Be more. More adventurous. More mature. More fun. More capable. More willing. More loving. More me. More you. More brilliant. More selfless. More reserved. More honest. More generous. More aware. More brave. Just...more.

Ta-Ta Twenties

Tomorrow is my birthday.

My *gulp* 30th birthday.

I declare that I have yet to settle on how to come to terms with this fact.

Do I handle it gracefully? Do I fight it? Do I act nonchalant? Do I allow myself to grow melancholy?

Probably a bit of everything and more.

Well, ready or not Evelyn...Here comes 30.

Before I let go of my younger years, allow me the chance to reminisce a bit on what I accomplished in the last decade of my life. The list maker in me just couldn't resist.

Twenty Things I Did in My Twenties

1. Learned that you don't know what you have until it's gone.

2. Went to college. Dropped out of college. Went back to college. Dropped out. Went back. Dropped out again. Made plans to go back...someday.

3. Learned how to drive a stick shift...AFTER I bought a car with a manual transmission.

4. Landed my early dream job as an Emergency Department Technician where I worked 5 years of night shifts and saw some of the craziest things I have (or ever will) seen.

5. Lived in the House of Dreams with the most incredible roommates a girl could have.

6. Met and married Joe.

7. Made four pretty babies with Joe.

8. Bought our first house. Sold it only a year and a half later.

9. Moved away from my hometown, just one move in the line of ten moves (seven of those times as a married person).

10. Discovered I was actually not too shabby at playing basketball.

11. Finally learned how to make scrambled eggs the "right" way. Low and slow.

12. Ran the entire 3.2 miles of my first 5K.

13. Started blogging.

14. Received my EMT license.

15. Tried sushi.

16. Worked as a freelance writer.

17. Experienced a miscarriage.

18. Made new friends from all over the United States and beyond.

19. Chopped my hair short. Let it grow. Chopped my hair off again. Let it grow again. Chop. Grow. Chop. Grow. Chop?

20. Learned there is no one "right" way to do something. Except when making scrambled eggs.

Ta-Ta 29.