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30 Things To Do Before Turning 30
For Christmas, one of my stocking stuffers from my husband Zeb (oh yeah, I’m married! I suppose we do have a lot to catch up from since my last blogging phase from 2011-2018!) was a cute rom-com fiction book called “Love, Lists and Fancy Ships.” The main character is a 29-year old yacht stewardess who created a list of 30 things to accomplish before she turned 30. While reading the book, I was 28 and about to turn 29 myself. The number “30” startles my gag reflex. It’s an age that sounds so much farther in the distance for me than it really is. I feel like I just finished college still. I know I’ve hit the major adult milestones in my 20s – bought a house, got married, and found out I was pregnant with my first baby. But I still don’t feel “adult” enough to qualify for the 30s club just yet.
To make the new decade more palatable, I decided to copy the main character from this novel and write my own bucket list to make the most of the rest of my 20s.
The morning of my 29th birthday, Zeb and I went to brunch together at a local spot here in Idaho. I started a new note in my phone and began listing activities I hoped to do before my next birthday. By the end of our brunch, I had 17 items I would commit to doing over the next 365 days. We brought the note back out at dinner with my parents that night and rounded out the 30 items.
And here it is:
30 Things To Do Before Turning 30
- Visit a National Park
- Stand-Up Paddle Board
- Run a Half Marathon
- Visit a Museum
- Sing Karaoke at a Bar
- Do 30 Push-ups in a Row
- Officiate a Wedding
- Read ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’
- Try Caviar
- Fit Back into my Wedding Dress
- Volunteer at an Event
- Plant a Garden
- Catch a Fish
- Practice Calligraphy
- Watch All of the Harry Potter Movies
- Give Birth
- Make Homemade Bread
- Sled Down the Bruneau Sand Dunes
- Attend a Concert
- Swim in an Ocean
- Learn New Winter Sport
- Hike a New Trail in Idaho
- Visit a New Country
- Make a Coffee Table Scrapbook
- Ride a Roller Coaster
- Take a Dance Class
- Play 18 Holes of Disc Golf
- Jump in a Pool with all my Clothes On
- Go Tent Camping
- Travel to 3 Different States
Zeb says its cheating to add “give birth” since I’m nine months pregnant as I wrote this list (oh yeah, another catch-up moment for those blog readers that haven’t heard from me in 3 years. Surprise!) but I think it’s a pretty momentous occasion during my 20s that I should get some kind of credit for on this list of activities!
I plan to create a journal/blog entry for every item on this list as I cross it off and document the year through the photos and stories this brings up. So stay tuned to see how we work our way through this list before I turn the big 3-0 on February 12, 2023!
What Would You Do…?
Good afternoon! :) How has your week been? Mine is dragging a little, but I have so many fun things on my agenda for the next few days that I think it will turn around! Tomorrow night, The Band Perry is coming to my school (!!!) and my friends and I are excited for one last college concert together.
Speaking of “lasts”……there are only 15 days left of college so I have a feeling everything is going to be a “last” pretty soon.
Last college weekend.
Last night downtown.
Last study session in the library.
Last spontaneous froyo trip (which will likely be followed by “okay now THIS is the last time for real”)
Last drive out to Lake Mary.
Last college sports game as a student (the Spring Football game this weekend, yay!)
Last paper/presentation/lecture/exam/homework/quiz EVER.
Last (hopefully) time I have to coordinate a group project assignment at the midnight hour.
Last opportunity to blame being a “broke college student” for my mismatched dish collection or cheerios-for-dinner nights (which actually has nothing to do with being broke, I just like Cheerios.)
Last time ever living with roommates (my next roommate will be my future husband I hope! haha)
Laaaaaaaaast chance to change my major? Just kidding ;)
SO this brings me to my very important question for you. Right now I am in such a unique situation that leaves such so much opportunity open to take advantage of. I am leaving this town for good. I am moving to another state. I will likely not see 99.73% of my peers from here again. It feels like I just have to do something wild/silly/ridiculous/spontaneous (the fact that I’m asking for help negates the spontaneity here, I understand)/embarrassing/memorable*.
*Fine print: NO tattoos, illegal activities, or permanent alterations to the body please. ;)
So what would you do!? Tell that boy how you’ve been crushing on him for a solid two months? Carve your initials somewhere? Finally stand up to that loud-mouth diva and say what everyone’s been thinking? Wear the outfit you’ve had in your closet for two years but always been too self-conscious to wear?
I was talking about this with a friend and we struggled to come up with two ideas. One is semi-legitimate and the other is just sad. First, I would sing karaoke downtown. I know this isn’t super embarrassing, but you’ve not heard me sing. Right before I leave town would probably be the most appropriate time for this particular night out ;) And the second is wear ponytails/messy buns in public. Yep, I blow dry, straighten, or curl my hair every single day that I leave my apartment or see people other than my roommates or family. My poor, poor split ends. I just don’t feel comfortable wearing up-do’s (unless I’m working out) so when I have just 15 days left, I am more likely to care less about my appearance. (Not so much less that I’ll consider wearing leggings as pants or slippers to class though…..don’t be ridiculous ;) ) 
CLEARLY I need some guidance in the “final days of college” department. I mean I already have some pretty spectacular college memories but now it’s time to go out with a BANG :)
XOXO Kenz
That time I randomly won a Warrior Dash entry…
Good morning friends! So this is the end of spring break….10 wonderfully carefree days where I did less blogging/homework/social media and spent much more time outdoors. No appointments or schedules….except one little thing that recently popped up on my calendar…
I told you I read tons of other blogs, including fellow marathoners. The week before spring break, Run Eat Repeat hosted a giveaway on her blog for two entries for the Warrior Dash 2015. It’s a big muddy obstacle course, kind of like the challenges on Survivor! Guess who won one? ;)
Southern California was between 70-90 degrees all week so I ended up staying for 9 days. Saturday was the race day, and I opted to stay through Sunday morning to do my long run at sea-level.
The atmosphere at the race was awesome! People always come in cute or crazy outfits for these big events, so there were lots of tie-dyes and tutu’s. The Warrior Nation Stage was huge with live music, Shock Top had a full bar (free beer for racers which I gladly donated haha), Rockin’ Refuel was giving out all their chocolate milk. There was a giant rock wall and other vendors, and we even played some corn hole while waiting for my start wave.
I was first on the start line, and we were sent off with two fiery blasts.
Only thing I would do differently is wear sunscreen. I didn’t know what the course was like (noooo shade) and I’m sporting a nice red nose to school today. Spring break souvenir? The path winded around some trails for about a mile before we hit the first obstacle, which was crawling under several barbed wire lines. Next we went through some trenches, climbed wooden ladders, traversed beams, scrambled over nets, pulled ourselves up with ropes, sludged through mud, crossed a stream, and slid down the utlimate muddy water slide.
My favorite obstacle was called High Tension: you balance and walk across a rope while holding onto another rope above your head while water rains down. So much going on! And the GRAND FINALE of it all:
Can we take a moment to notice the girl on the far left taking a selfie? Hope she has a LifeProof!
My expression doesn’t quite capture my thoughts at that moment, which were “Point me to the showers!” I knew it would be muddy, but wasn’t expected to fully submerge in the pit. Pretty sure I had some mud in my mouth and a nest in my hair. That outfit is now in the trash and after two long showers, I finally feel clean again!
I had fun doing this unexpected last-minute race, though I think from now on I’ll stick to mud-less marathons :)
