30 Before 30 | 6 Months to Go!

It's been two years since I first created my 30 Before 30 bucket list. A lot can happen in two years. Babies were born. Jobs were gained and lost. Priorities shifted. If I had to recreate my list today, I know it would look completely different. (But that's what 35 Before 35 bucket lists are for!)

With six months until my 30th birthday, here's what I've crossed off my bucket list:

30 Before 30: 6 Months To Go!

1. Take an international trip

2. READ FIFTY BOOKS IN A YEAR (September 10, 2016) Not only did I hit my reading goal for last year, but I surpassed it. In total, I read 60 BOOKS IN 2016! 

3. Submit a grant proposal (June 2017) I wrote and secured two grants for my Farmers' Market! We were able to kickstart some amazing new programs to outreach to low-income seniors and families in my community and it was the best experience ever!

4. Get my third (and fourth?) tattoo (October 8, 2016) As a birthday present to my younger sister, she and I got MATCHING MADELINE TATTOOS that we've been wanting for years. We knew we wanted to get some kind of tribute to our childhood, but it took us awhile to decide what we wanted. Our Madeline tattoos are a reference to a computer game that we loved to play as kids and have a whole bunch of inside jokes associated with. Six months later, I'm still in love with my tattoo and I love what it represents.

5. Take a kayak trip

6. Pay off a student loan

7. LIVE WITH MY SISTER (June-July 2016) By some kind of divine intervention, right when it looked like we would have no kind of childcare arrangements, my sister graduated from graduate school and lived with us for about a month while she job hunted for her first big girl position. That month was way too short lived and Charlie was still asking for her months after she moved out. We loved having her with us and miss her like crazy.

8. Visit a new state

9. Grow my blog (April 2017-present) I really should have set a concrete, measurable goal for this. I don't know exactly where that magical stopping point is that will make me feel satisfied. However, I will say that April 2017 was the best month in terms of total pageviews that my little blog has scene in its 8-year lifetime!

10. Volunteer more (February 2017-present) Beginning in February, I started volunteering as Campaign Treasurer for a local woman running for city council! It was one more thing that I added to my plate, but it's been such an incredible learning experience that I don't regret for a second.

11. Attend regular yoga classes

12. Finish designing and decorating one room in our house (May 2017) It didn't end up being one of the rooms I had originally planned, but I finished our dining room! One room down, several more to go! I still want to do CHARLIE'S FIRST BIG BOY BEDROOM, but that requires some minor construction (aka: money), so for now I'm sticking to the rooms that just need a cosmetic upgrade. 

13. Learn a new skill 

14. Baby Pep 2.0 (September 5, 2016) OUR SECOND LITTLE ONE joined the family back in September. This is obviously my proudest accomplishment. 

15. Do something BIG for our 5th anniversary FAIL.

16. Open up a college savings account for Charlie (July 2017) I finally did it! It's pathetic how long this took me, but I decided one day that I could bite the bullet and do it or keep procrastinating. We didn't have the funds to do it, but I was tired of putting it off, so I went to our local Savings Bank and opened an account for both boys. Hooray for being a semi-responsible parent!

17. HAVE A GIRLS' WEEKEND (June 17, 2016) Last summer, I made the haul to PA to visit with my college besties and enjoy some time on the Jersey shore. Unfortunately, no adult beverages were consumed on my part because I was 7 months pregnant with Crosby at the time. But it was an entire weekend of baby-free time, so I'm counting it!

18. Invest in a DSLR

19. Run a half marathon

20. Finish Charlie's baby book

21. Do a Wine & Canvas night

22. Attend a game 

23. Visit FRANKIE'S grave 

24. PLANT A BACKYARD GARDEN (March 23, 2017) I finally added the last of the cement blocks last month and now have spinach, kale and lettuce growing in our little plot!

25. Dye my hair a fun color

26. Go to King's Island

27. WEAR MY WEDDING DRESS AGAIN | (December 19, 2015) Two Christmases ago, my friends had a masquerade-themed birthday party where I went fully decked out in a Day of the Dead-inspired ensemble. 

28. Get promoted (June 2017) I don't know that this really counts as a promotion since I quit my full-time job in November 2016. However, I went from being a "coordinator" at my old job to a "Director" at my current position, so I like to think that counts as a promotion.

29. Attend a book signing (August 20, 2017) After I chickened out several years ago from attending her book signing when she came to my town, I refused to squander the opportunity a second time. In August, Glennon Doyle came to Columbus to speak, and though it wasn't a book signing, I'm totally counting it. Glennon has been and probably always will be my favorite blogger and author. Getting to see her "live" was such a gift.

30. Give my husband 3,000 kisses

With six months until my 30th birthday, I know it's not possible to check a lot of these off. So I want to try and prioritize the ones that I can. I still have time to dye my hair, to get myself a long-coveted DSLR camera, and of course, smother my sweet hubby in kisses. I better get crackin'!

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Do you have a milestone bucket list? What has been your favorite item to check off the list?