check and check

A little update on the 30 before 30 list 30 while 30 list.

#9: Go on a hike
On a beautiful morning in August some friends and I ventured to Mt. Airy Forest for a quick hike. We had a blast trekking through the woods and getting away from the noise. The best part was finding a treehouse at our turnaround point.

#10: Go on a blind date
Surprise. So, this was kind of unexpected and it wasn't the typical blind date, but I'm counting it. A longtime family friend randomly texted me to ask if I was dating anyone. I wasn't. So, she said that she had a single guy friend in my age range that she'd like me to meet. My response, "sure, why not." Seriously, people.

How'd it go, you ask? It was fine. Fine is being nice. While he's a guy with some good qualities I definitely felt like we would never work.

I'm marking this off my list, but I'd still be up for giving this another shot.

rubber meets the road...

It's official: I'm thirty. Three-oh. XXX. Three decades.

How am I feeling, you ask? Well, to be honest, there have been a roller coaster of emotions lately but when I stop to think about the life I have I sense how incredibly blessed I am. "Blessed" is sometimes a hokey word, but it really is the word that describes what I'm feeling.

I'm guessing you're wondering about how I did on my list. Funny thing...I stopped caring along the way, or at least stopped caring as much, probably because I knew there was no way I could get done everything I had planned to do.

Anyway, here's the updated list, with updates in bold and/or crossed off:
1. Take a spontaneous road trip.
2. Pass the Series 7 Exam.
3. Lose 30 additional pounds.
4. Grow some of my own food.
5. Splurge on myself by buying something solely because I love it.
6. Host a game night.
7. Learn to bake bread from scratch.
8. Take some modeling photos.
9. Go on a hike.
10. Go on a blind date.
11. Invest in creating community.
12. Put pen to paper and express my love for someone. Mail the letter.
13. Be kind to someone that has caused me pain.
14. Grow in my forgiveness of x. Somehow, without warning or effort, this has happened.
15. Take my nieces and nephew somewhere fun.
16. Commit to reading my Bible often.
17. Volunteer with an organization that I care about.
18. Create tree painting for my living room.
19. Take a dance class.
20. Cook an entire "from scratch" dinner.
21. Train Whisper. He's kind of trained.
22. Blog at least once a month. This barely happened. It felt like an obligation a few times, but I made it. I wish I put more effort in to blogging b/c I actually like writing down my thoughts and being able to go back to read them later.
23. Enjoy the sunrise over the Ohio, or somewhere more glamorous.
24. Travel somewhere new. Isle of Palms, SC! It was gorgeous. There's a whole post about it in my head...hopefully it will make it to this page sometime soon.
25. Jog a mile. I have fallen off the proverbial wagon...time to jump back on.
26. Finish CD gift for my brothers that I started a long time ago. Ooops.
27. Use the envelope system again. I have the best of intentions. I'm half-heartedly doing the envelope system.
28. Change the Game. Live it. Some days are better than others, but it's small steps in the right direction.
29. Get a tattoo. Maybe. I'm kind of a wimp when it comes to pain.
30. Celebrate my 30th birthday. Enjoy it. Live it out.

Eleven out of thirty. Not quite what I was shooting for, but I'll take it. I'm thinking about rolling over all the unfinished items into a new list.

I'm going to end with this quote because it makes me happy and helps me realize that success is not in the checking off of boxes but in the everyday moments. Goodbye twenties; hello thirties, I'm ready for you, this is going to be good...

"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children…to leave the world a better place…to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded." – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Take me out to the ball game

Ball game is apparently two separate words or one separated by a hyphen. Who knew!? I'm officially crossing #15 off my list since I finally have the pictures on my computer to prove it.

We had gorgeous weather for the game and the kids were so excited! It was their first MLB baseball game and I'm so glad I was able to take them. They were really good. Okay, there was a little melt down because I wouldn't let them get both cotton candy AND snow cones. I feel no guilt, though, since I told them the rules up front. I almost caved. I can now understand why parents do. Seriously....they have cute little faces and you love 'em to pieces and all they want is a snow cone to make them happy.

Ryleigh is a little cuddle bug and hung on me the whole time. I didn't mind...I'm treasuring these little hugs for as long as I can get them. Scottie tried to be all independent, especially since he was the only boy in our group. And, Makayla showed a little bit of some sassiness, but I think she really enjoyed herself. I'd be lying if I said that it's hard to realize how much they're growing up. It's the epitome of bittersweetness. I adore them, but I'm afraid they'll want me around less and less in their lives and the thought of that kind of breaks my heart. Ahem (pull yourself together, Dana).

I love this first photo. We saw Rosie Red and the kids were super excited about it and I wasn't about to miss a photo op. So, we ran over to greet Rosie and even though she was motioning that she had to go up the stairs I managed to snap two quick photos.

The next photo was not long after the snow cone melt down and on our way back to the car. See, no one's crying so I totally think that's a WIN (which is good considering we got totally stomped by the Pirates. Boo.)

#15 is officially crossed off. :)

Momma said...

...there'd be days like this.

Confessions of an almost 30 year old single woman:
Most of the time I enjoy my independence. I don’t have to check someone else’s schedule if I want to have an impromptu dinner with a friend or take a road trip on a whim or buy a cute pair of new shoes or eat the last of the ice cream. I have the freedom to quit my job and move to Africa right now (though, the planner side of me starts to freak out). Seriously, life is pretty good. But, I gotta be honest:

Some days are hard.

Today is one of those days for no particular reason. Or maybe there is a reason that’s been building up since the last time I let the confession reach the surface.

My checklist of the ideal mate has evolved over the last decade since I sure have learned a lot about life and about love, especially watching other couples navigate what is surely the most difficult and rewarding relationship one can have on earth.

Ultimately what it comes down to is I want someone to know me and to love me in spite of myself.

I want him to challenge me when I want to avoid the situation and run away. I want him to make me laugh as we dance through life together. I want him to hold me when things are hard and remind me that he isn’t going anywhere. I want him to give our kids piggyback rides through the house and make sand castles with them on the beach. I want him to see how hard I’m trying, how much I care. I want him to love people in an incredibly generous way with gentleness and gracefulness. I want him to build our family up in prayer knowing that Christ binds us together. I want to feel the warmth of his love. I want him to be full of integrity. I want him to seek justice and advocate for those that have no voice. I want him to know that this is a commitment, one that’s gonna involve some hard work and probably some slammed doors and tears every once in awhile. I want him to know that it’s worth it.

Oh, and I want him to kiss me. A lot.

ambitious, much?

This list thing is tougher than I thought it would be. Well, that and other things are getting in the way of life (*coughworkcough*). My birthday is just over four months away, so I better kick it into gear.

Here's the updated list, with updates in bold and/or crossed off:
1. Take a spontaneous road trip.
2. Pass the Series 7 Exam.
3. Lose 30 additional pounds.
4. Grow some of my own food. Last week I sent in my application for a CSA share. I'm so excited. My mom is also planning to garden quite a bit this summer, but since she lives an hour away it will be hard to be there every week.
5. Splurge on myself by buying something solely because I love it. I'm actually quite good at this. I am still very practical whenever I buy something though and that's what I was hoping for with this goal that I would just splurge without thinking about it much. I hosted a jewelry party last month and ended up getting a lot of gorgeous jewelry, so I'm crossing this one off the list.
6. Host a game night.
7. Learn to bake bread from scratch.
8. Take some modeling photos.
9. Go on a hike.
10. Go on a blind date.
11. Invest in creating community. Out of the blue I had this great little idea of hosting a monthly dinner at my house for friends, family, etc. to come together. Not everyone has to know everyone, but I wanted to have a time to build community. So, on a whim I did it. There were only four of us for dinner, but I had a great time hanging out and am looking forward to the next dinner. I also have been a part of a group that meets to learn more about poverty and we're planning to continue our journey. And I meet with two other women at least once a month for a small group (they're lovely). When I wrote this one down I said that it is ongoing and it is, but I know it's something I try to do so I'm crossing this one off.
12. Put pen to paper and express my love for someone. Mail the letter.
13. Be kind to someone that has caused me pain.
14. Grow in my forgiveness of x.
15. Take my nieces and nephew somewhere fun. I can't wait to cross this one off the list! Well, technically I could go ahead and cross it off b/c I took one of my nieces and my nephew to the park last week.
16. Commit to reading my Bible often.
17. Volunteer with an organization that I care about.
18. Create tree painting for my living room.
19. Take a dance class.
20. Cook an entire "from scratch" dinner.
21. Train Whisper. Oy. Yes, I'm crossing it off. He's not completely trained and I think this will be an ongoing thing for quite awhile, but he did "earn" his Beginner class certificate from training last week. I have a really cute picture I'll share later.
22. Blog at least once a month. I'm on track to make this one happen!
23. Enjoy the sunrise over the Ohio, or somewhere more glamorous.
24. Travel somewhere new.
25. Jog a mile. I have fallen off the proverbial wagon...time to jump back on.
26. Finish CD gift for my brothers that I started a long time ago.
27. Use the envelope system again. I'll wait until I'm at least two months in before I cross this one off, but I have started using the envelopes again.
28. Change the Game. Live it. Some days are better than others, but it's small steps in the right direction.
29. Get a tattoo. Maybe. I'm kind of a wimp when it comes to pain.
30. Celebrate my 30th birthday. Enjoy it. Live it out. Oh my gosh I'm so excited about my birthday party plans. I think it's going to be a blast. Details to come!

So, that's the update. Three crossed off, 6 in progress and a whole bunch more to start. I'll check back in later.

The whole "no facebook" thing is extremely difficult. I'm not doing so hot on that. I think there are some things in my life that I'm avoiding dealing with and spending a bunch of time online or doing other meaningless things helps me avoid them. *sigh* Guess I better try to figure out what those things are, huh? Sometimes being an adult kind of sucks. Sometimes it's fantastic! (like today when I ate a handful of chips with my PB&J whole wheat english muffin and no one could stop me.) ahem.

Update on #21: Train Whisper. Oy.

This is more of an update to the "Oy" part than the "train Whisper" bit.

I'm frustrated. Really the only one to blame is myself, but it's been a frustrating weekend with Whisper. I dearly love the little guy and the sentiment that I keep saying to him is, "it's a good thing you're so cute" but the cuteness factor is losing its luster. It's time to make some changes and follow through on what I've been saying for awhile now. He needs more play time than I can give him right now since it gets dark so early still. He needs some discipline and I need lots of help in setting up those boundaries and help with the follow through.

He pulls on his leash while going for a walk. He chews on everything. Seriously. He would put Tigger to shame with the bouncing. He's taken to barking frequently, and loudly. Generally, it's all part of having a puppy, but at some point he's got to grow up and that time, my friends, has arrived.

He doesn't know what he's in for (insert evil laugh).

By the end of February:
*Whisper will be joining Puppy Camp (doggy day care) for at least one day a week until Spring hits and we can get to the dog park during the week and more frequently.
*Whisper and I will be participating in some sort of structured training.

Oh, and while we're at it, let's do a quick rundown of Whisper related numbers:
3: number of people he has made bleed from "playing"
11: number of times he has pooped inside (most of this happened when I was sick and could barely function, let alone take a dog outside for extended periods of time)
6: number of leashes that have been chewed through
2: number of baseboards chewed
6: number pairs of ruined shoes
3: number pairs of gloves chewed

It doesn't end there, but for my sanity I should stop.


Donations accepted. Please make checks payable to me with "whisper fund" in the memo line.



p.s. I know you can't tell from this post, but I actually love the little guy. *sigh* Reminds me of Marley and Me and their "clearance puppy".

30 before 30

It's no secret that I heart lists. I've been cultivating my "Life List" for the last month or so, whenever I have time to think about it. This morning I came across a blog post of "30 before 30". It's pretty self explanatory, but the idea is to compile a list of 30 things to do before you turn 30 years old. I've got about six months until my 30th birthday, so I'm gonna give it a shot. It's actually making me re-think my Life List. I may ditch that and continue an annual birthday list (31 before 31, 32 before 32, and so on).

This list is pretty ambitious, but here goes:
1. Take a spontaneous road trip.
2. Pass the Series 7 Exam.
3. Lose 30 additional pounds. (my goal is actually higher than this, but 30 is more realistic and it goes with the theme.)
4. Grow some of my own food. I'm hoping to join a CSA this year, but we'll see. Anyone interested in sharing a CSA share?
5. Splurge on myself by buying something solely because I love it.
6. Host a game night.
7. Learn to bake bread from scratch.
8. Take some modeling photos; This isn't because I want to be a model, but b/c I think it will push me out of my comfort zone.
9. Go on a hike. I actually kind of dig hiking, but I haven't done it much. Here's to more hiking in 2011!
10. Go on a blind date. I've never been on a blind date and while the thought is somewhat frightening, it is also a little exciting. Alright, friends, I guess I need your help on this one...be nice to me.
11. Invest in creating community. This is ongoing, but it's worth a slot on the list.
12. Put pen to paper and express my love for someone. Mail the letter. One of my goals of my life has always been to make sure that the people I love never have to question that I love them. I want to express that love in both words and actions, and often.
13. Be kind to someone that has caused me pain.
14. Grow in my forgiveness of x.
15. Take my nieces and nephew somewhere fun.
16. Commit to reading my Bible often. I'm contemplating the idea of a "read through the Bible in a year" type of thing.
17. Volunteer with an organization that I care about.
18. Create tree painting for my living room.
19. Take a dance class. I've secretly always wanted to be a great dancer. I'm not very graceful and my rhythm could use a little (a lot of) help. I can't believe I'm actually admitting this right now. 2011 is my year to be bold.
20. Cook an entire "from scratch" dinner.
21. Train Whisper. Oy.
22. Blog at least once a month.
23. Enjoy the sunrise over the Ohio, or somewhere more glamorous.
24. Travel somewhere new.
25. Jog a mile. I don't care how long it takes at this point, I just want to be able to do it without dying.
26. Finish CD gift for my brothers that I started a long time ago.
27. Use the envelope system again.
28. Change the Game. Live it.
29. Get a tattoo. Maybe. I'm kind of a wimp when it comes to pain.
30. Celebrate my 30th birthday. Enjoy it. Live it out.

I'm really glad I took the time to make this list. It took some restraint to not copy some cool things that other bloggers wrote, but I think this list is very authentic to who I am or at least the person I am growing into. The list is also indicative of some of the things I am currently pursuing. Things like facing fear, living with boldness, growing in confidence, pursuing forgiveness, creating community, loving people, and loving the life God has given me.

Over the next six months I'll update the list and maybe even expand on a few of the more ambiguous ones. Here's me giving you permission to hold me accountable. This is gonna be a great end to my twenties!!!

"Who do you say that I am?"

That's the question that I'm asking now. I want to be intentional about how I spend my days; to live fully, with kindness and love and without fear and guilt. I want to learn what God has to say about the person that I am and how my passions and dreams can be lived out. It is going to take some time and effort to focus in on what those passions and dreams might be; but, I'm willing to do the hard work that is required.

I fully expected to post on this blog a lot more frequently and I want to commit to doing that very thing for the time I have left before leaving for Mamelodi. March 25th is only 45 days away now; I'm hopeful that I will be able to have a clearer focus now.

Since I'm a list-maker I'll go ahead and share a few of the things that I have planned to give the space in my life to make this growth possible. It's my way of showing up and having God meet me where I am being faithful to what He has for me. He won't love me any more or any less by what I am doing. This is more about me being able to take hold of the things He has for me, the things He wants to teach me, the things He wants me to do and be about. I'm letting go of my feeble attempt to control the things in my life.


*Read the Bible (I know, right?) I'm thinking I'll choose a topic each week and focus on that (beauty, freedom, grace, love, the poor, etc)
*Read "Godric" by Frederick Buechner
*Read "Free" by Brian Tome
*Listen to Dan Miller's podcast, 48 days to the Work You Love
*Journal my thoughts
*Be aware that my words and actions portray someone and is that someone the person I want to be
*Be active and intentional in participating in the all-church journey about Freedom

I fully believe and expect things to happen now that I am choosing to not sit and let the days continue with hardly a thought as to how I used my time. It's going to be great to look back and see the changes!

"Who can tell where days begin, when waking up means slowly caving in.
And still you haunt me through faded sheets, like the memory of what I used to be.
Give me back what I can feel
Give me something real"
~Something Real by Ashley Peacock