30 Things for Year 30: A Bucket List

I quietly slipped into my 30's earlier this year. It wasn't because 30 seemed to be so big or even super old to me. Although, it is a bit weird that I've been on this earth for multiple decades now. Other than that, It just seemed like another day on the calendar.As we drew closer to that year though, I started to wonder about all of the things I want to do - all of the things I want to accomplish and how a bunch of those haven't been achieved yet or are even truly on my to do list even.

30 Things for Year 30

COOK

1. Make sushi.I didn't grow up eating sushi. I'm a huge texture person and several textures in the world of sushi do not jive well in my mouth. I have fallen in love with sushi over the past few years though, and I'd love to try to make my own. Do you know about a good sushi class in Houston? Please let me know in the comments!

2. Make my own ravioli.Rick got a pasta maker as I was making this list. Instant obsession. I'm dreaming of a meal with some homemade marinara or pesto mixed with homemade alfredo, perfectly seasoned chicken smothering a plate of cheese ravioli with a glass of red wine. It'll be a date night for sure.

3. Bake my own bread.I've always been a bit curious and let's face it, homemade bread just tastes so comforting. I'm currently thinking of baking a baguette but we'll see what fancies my attention when I go to actually bake bread.

HOME

1. Unpack every single thing in our house.We moved in over a year ago. We still have stacks of boxes in some places. Honestly, even when we get everything unpacked, we may still have some boxes of old family things and collections. They will be labeled and consolidated so that we're not living with rooms of boxes.

2. Declutter and make our house into a home.We have already started this! We had a a garage sale a few weeks ago. We're hoping for another one later this year. In the meantime, we're evaluating what we need and what we want versus what we have space for in our life and in our home. Part of this is making our home functional so that if we have several of something and have needs in different areas of our home, we'll have the extras where they're needed.

3. Set up a functional home office.This is obviously a part of us making our house into a home. Our office is currently more of a storage room now, but I'd love to set it up to be easy to pay bills, write, and a cozy place to craft.

4. Get our poker table fixed.We got it fixed! It's been broken since we first married, so we've never been able to use it. It's the perfect game table and makes me so happy to actually have it set up in our home.

5. Plant a garden.Zucchini, cilantro, blueberries... this one speaks for itself.

6. Build an avocado tree.Yes, build. The phrasing of this is an inside joke. We'd love to have an avocado tree though that we create from our own scraps.

DO

1. Read 30 Books (Audiobooks count!)Yes, 30 books. This is a lot, but with audiobooks it seems very doable. I've got a few under my belt already this year.

2. Make memory books out of all of my mementos... (or at least get it organized.)I have several boxes of old memories that I want to go through this year from poems written in first grade to passed notes from high school. I want to go through these boxes, categorize them and get some books made with all of the memories in them.

3. Take a photography class.Anyone have any great places for in person photography classes in the Houston area?

4. Do family photos.Hire a photographer. Get some photos of us in this current life stage possibly surrounded by cacti and the desert.

5. Print out my photos.This means we'll finally print out wedding photos! I've wanted some of them in our home for a few years, so I'm ready to have them adorn our walls.

6. Do a Lent study.I've been doing the She Reads Truth Job Study for Lent this year. I got a few days behind so it lasted me longer into Lent than the study was intended, but I finished before Easter.

7. Read the Bible in a year.I'm still trying to decide exactly how I'm planning on doing this. I may go mostly chronological with jumping to a few different spots along the way. I started this a bit after my birthday, so I'm not doing a 365 plan. If you have any good ways to tackle this, I'd love to hear them in the comments below!

CHANGE

1. Get a grown up wardrobe and donate the rest.I'm not entirely sure what constitutes a grown up wardrobe, but I do know that I need to get rid of some clothes that don't fit or that I don't wear anymore.

2. Get a skincare routine.I am far too guilty of going to bed with makeup still on my face and heading out on a walk without sunscreen. I'm going to need some MAJOR help with this one, so please spill your secrets to me below. I have started looking into this a little bit, but it's overwhelming with words like serum and not knowing which brands are good. I also want a simple routine if I can find one for my skincare.

3. Give myself grace and forgiveness.Honestly, this is probably the hardest one on this list.

4. Lose 30 pounds.Since officially being diagnosed with Chron's Disease and going on medication, I have gained a lot of weight. I want to shed that weight and reclaim my body back.

EXPERIENCE

1. Go to the Houston Science Museum.The Houston Science Museum is a sentimental place for me from going with my dad when I was younger. I haven't been back in years, and I'm ready to go and explore.

2. Do a winery tour in Texas.Anyone have any favorite Texas wineries they'd like to suggest for this adventure?

3. Worship Jam + Paint Session with Rick.Rick plays guitar while I paint.

4. Throw a themed party and go all out.We'll finally be celebrating Rick's and my combined birthday party this summer. We've got a theme, and we're so excited to (finally!) welcome a bunch of our people into our home.

5. Go to New York City.The last time I was in NYC was when I was four years old. Needless to say, I don't remember a whole lot about the trip. I've been trying to go for years, so I'm excited that it's on this list and will finally happen. I haven't started planning yet, but I know we'll hit up Broadway, get an everything bagel (mainly because I've been craving one lately), and experience true New York pizza. If you've got some tips or things we've got to see or eat, please let me know in the comments!

6. Go to a bluegrass concert.I'm not a huge concert fan, although I love live music. I also love bluegrass music. There's something very comforting about it to me.

7. Host a Murder Mystery Dinner.I've owned a murder mystery game for years, and I've never opened it. I'd love to make a nice dinner, invite some friends over and see how the night plays out...

8. Visit a wolf sanctuary.Wolves are my favorite animal. I'm excited to see them up close and learn more about them. Who knew there was a wolf sanctuary close to Houston?

9. Go on a Mother/Daughter Trip.We're doing it! A few days away to explore somewhere. We're still deciding on when, where and what we want to do, but I'm excited about this trip.

10. Take a class just because.I'm not sure what kind of class this will be, but the goal is that it's something that won't necessarily "get me ahead" in life but will be something I enjoy.

That totals to 30! It's going to be a good year! My birthday is in February and since I'm just now posting this, I've already started the process on some of these things. A few are even completely checked off or partially checked off already which feels so incredibly good. I'm so excited to see what this year has in store. 30, you're going to be great!