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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!
Camelback Mountain + 8 Scottsdale restaurants in 24 hours
Tomorrow I have an exam at 8:00am, so naturally I am trying to relive my incredible weekend by sharing pictures with you rather than cram study. ;)
I celebrated my birthday from Thursday night clear through Monday morning and there isn’t any moment that sticks out as my favorite. Friends, family, food, drinks, sunshine, hiking, and good music = one blur of happiness.
Camelback Mountain is the highest point in Phoenix, and my parents and I love to hike! This was described as an intense climb, but only 1.2 miles to the top. We each only brought a small bottle of water, no snacks. Figured we’d be up and down in an hour.
WRONG.
The “intense climb” is no joke, literal climbing up and over large rocks. This is not a dirt trail. It’s a rock-covered obstacle course. Which was kind of a blast! We just should have come prepared with a backpack for more water and snacks.
As soon as we started, sirens came blaring in and a dozen firemen unloaded rescue gear. They started the hike with us, on a mission to assist an injured hiker. We watched as the hiker, who injured his ankle (hmmm that sounds familiar), was helicoptered from the mountain. According to one of the firemen, this is completely typical. An every weekend activity.
We had a clear view of Phoenix from the top, the grid of neighborhoods and downtown buildings. We were suprised by how crowded the mountain was the entire time, considering it was Valentine’s Day.
Time to jump into the pool again! We had clemetines, apple slices and yogurt to tide us over before another dinner and night downtown. I decided to hop on the treadmill for 4 miles and mini core workout too. Help offset all the splurges over our four days. Dinner was at the crazy-crowded and super loud (we take that as a good sign!) restaurant RNR. I ordered the Ahi Tuna tacos which came on jicama instead of a tortilla.
They were delicious…but tiny. Like a baby appetizer. Good thing we were heading to Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row, next!
Country-themed bars are my favorite. The atmosphere and the crowds at these bars are typically more relaxed, less formal, plus the music is the best. And I’d rather two-step than bump-and-grind any day. ;)
Also, cocktails taste 67% better when served in a mason jar.
Scottsdale, Arizona is a part of Phoenix. Our hotel was just a block away from Old Town Scottsdale with dozens of restaurants and bars with outdoor seating and adorable decorations. So on Sunday (after another couple hours by the pool…. I told you I was craving the sun!), we decided to make an entire day and night out of walking through all of the shops, restaurants and bars.
We started at Sip, which is an ecclectic mix of coffee and beer.
I would love to say I loved this place. Anywhere with a unique menu or funky mix automatically has my attention. I thought the beer handles next to the espresso maker was hilarious. But I have to admit….I threw away my Americano after two sips. And if you know me, you know it has to be baaaaad to not finish a coffee drink. So our first stop = fail.
Right next door was Brathaus, infinitely better experience than at the previous bar. We got appetizers and enjoyed sitting outside. There was jumbo-sized jenga, cornhole, and other games. It was the type of outdoor area I would love to have as a backyard.
Before long we were walking along again, through the art distict and the jewelry district.
(I wanted to kiss the statue but I’m also afraid of germs.)
Next up – Italian Grotto. We sat outside here again because it was nearly sunset, that perfect golden lighting. This place had great music too and really cool sports memorabilia decorations.
The next bar was my FAVORITE from the weekend. Old Town Tavern. This bar was very small, but it had indoor, outdoor, and upstairs seating. We started at the outdoor bar, moved to the bar inside, then moved back outside to a table. There was a live band playing great covers and the bartender made fantastic cocktails. If I were a local, I’d be here all the time for the atmosphere! We spent the most amount of time here.
Even though my birthday was Thursday, I hadn’t gotten a birthday dessert yet. (Yes, there was banana pudding on Thursday. But I mean, that’s pudding…) I’m an ice cream girl! Sugar Bowl was a 50’s themed diner, decced out in pink. My kinda place! We sat up at the bar and I ordered a banana split with coffee and cookies n’ cream ice cream. This day had already been all about eating and drinking, and I’d spent a month eating healthfully in anticipation of birthday splurges. GO BIG OR GO HOME. (I went big.)
Our 7-hour food fest finally came to an end Sunday night. It was so abnormal for our usual healthy habits and routines, which made it all the more special to me! We were carefree for the weekend, ignoring calories and treadmillls for a few hours which were replaced by so much laughter and fun. Definitely not an every-weekend type of outting but definitely a well-earned treat. Although I’m sure my stomach and my skinny jeans are happy that the weekend is over and normal eating/exercise has returned.
Also I told myself that I would be done blogging and back to studying by 9pm, and it’s now 9:27. So I shall wrap this up.
P.S. This song came on at Whiskey Row, the first time I’ve ever heard of this singer. I like it!
Goodnight XOXO!
Throwback Thursday: Week II
The TBT instagram trend makes it’s second appearance on the blog ;)
Today’s blast from the past comes from last year’s summer roadtrip to the stunning Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. You might be squeezing in one last summer get-away before August ends, and I’ve often commented on my thoughts that fitness should still be a part of vacation-ing.
I posted this a year ago, but it doesn’t seem like it’s been that long since our amazing stay in Boise, ID. Every day started with a long run along the Boise River Greenbelt (with SO MANY friendly runners/bikers.) We floated in tubes down the river. We spent an evening at the horse races (my first gambling experience and I WON!). We adored downtown, the cute shops, and the restaurants. We toured Boise State University. I could 100% picture myself living in the beautiful city after college. :)
(July 15, 2013)
Know what’s great about hotel fitness rooms? They are almost always empty! A personal training room :) There is nothing about this workout that makes it specific to hotel gyms so feel free to complete in the comfort of your living room, dorm room, or even at the gym.
We’ve been staying at a hotel in Boise and of course the exercise room was the first thing I checked out when I got here. It’s the best hotel fitness room I’ve seen, not claustrophobic and has a decent amount of equipment! Two treadmills, stationary bike, elliptical, three strength machines, full set of dumbbells, mats and medicine balls plus open space, surround sound, tv and air conditioning. Can’t really ask for much more, can we? It was empty after we first arrived and I had been sitting in the car/airplane for a few hours so I got right to making up my own circuit.
You will need:
- A timer
- Set of weights (I used 10-lb. dumbbells)
Complete 5 sets of Circuit One and then move on to 5 sets of Circuit Two.
A little explanation for circuit one: On sets 1/3/5 do 12 x bicep curls; On sets 2/4 do 12 x tricep extensions. Circuit workouts are designed to go straight from one exercise to the next, keeping the rest time to a minimum. Your heart rate will stay elevated that way!
I know some people like to think of the motto “I’m on vacation” as a guilt-free excuse to indulge in extra foods and take a break from working out. Honestly, staying fit is easier on vacation because there’s no tight schedule to squeeze it into, you’re not exhausted from work or school, and it’s a great way to sight-see if you’re getting active outside. Plus you will feel better about any extra snacking you do, knowing it’s being somewhat counteracted by physical activity. And exercise keeps me happy and feeling good, so vacation and exercise go together like peanut butter & bananas if you ask me :)
Back to the Boise River for us, we have an afternoon of rafting. Catch ya on the flip side!
