Yesterday was my 32nd birthday. It was not the birthday I envisioned- I wasn't able to enjoy the typical warm, sunny April weather I've become accustomed to. And of course, throwing Ohio's stay-at-home order into the mix added a whole other unprecedented dynamic. But all-in-all it was a good day. This isolation life has been exhausting and my sweet hubby treated me to a day of relaxing and recuperating.
He brought me my morning coffee, locked my bedroom door and kept the boys at bay all day while I read to my bookworm heart's content. I emerged just long enough to eat, shower and do a quick 30-minute yoga class via the Peloton app before I retreated back to my hermit cave and proceeded to continue reading. After nearly a decade together, what can I say? My man knows what I like!
My sister and Mom both called in the morning and we had a nice little video chat. My mom hilariously asked "So, how old are you?" and when I responded she replied, "Oh my God, you're old! I thought you were only 30." I pretty much feel the same way. Thirty two feels very...thirties?
Despite my weird thing with odd numbers, thirty-one was a good year for me. I passed my second registration exam and earned a professional designation. Not to mention, our family really got our debt snowball rolling! I'm hoping thirty-two brings with it more financial stability and professional accomplishment. But being that we're in the midst of a global pandemic, I'm keeping my expectations low.
Thirty-two will also be the year that Charlie goes to Kindergarten and Crosby will head to his first year in Pre-K. I'm honestly really excited for the next season of parenthood. I'm rarely the Mom who laments about the passing years (I'm sure that will change when they're 18). I love watching my kiddos grow into their personalities. Quality time is my love language so I feel at my most fulfilled as a Mommy when I can spend one-on-one time with them sharing a mutual interest- whether it's running, reading, yoga, etc. That is significantly easier with older kids than it is with babies and toddlers!
Since yesterday was the day I turned the big 3-2, I figured it was a good time to check in on my 32 Before 32 goals and see how I did. I started this bucket list around my 30th birthday and my last check-in was this time last year so there's a lot of ground to make up!
1. Take an international trip | INCOMPLETE
2. Host a foreign exchange student | INCOMPLETE
3. Pay off a student loan | | INCOMPLETE And to think, if my stimulus check had come a week or two earlier I could have crossed this one off!
4. Return to work full-time | COMPLETE! (June 4, 2018) This goal feels silly now, but was heavy on my mind as a 30-year old stay-at-home/part-time working Mama.
5. Visit a new state | INCOMPLETE Clearly, no travel goals were met as we focused on paying down our debt
6. Convert attic to a fourth bedroom | IN PROGRESS It is legitimately insane how long this project is taking us. Although the bulk of the room is done- window, new lighting, and shiplap wall have been installed by our friend. I still need to paint and we need to install a closet to make it a real bedroom.
7. Take an anniversary trip | COMPLETE! (September 1, 2018) Chuck and I took a quick, overnight trip to Louisville, KY. It wasn't the best experience- we couldn't get into the distillery tour we were hoping to and our hotel wasn't the best. But we still enjoyed a kid-free evening together at a dueling piano bar.
8. Adopt a four-legged friend | COMPLETE! (December 21, 2019) Of all the items on my list, this one honestly surprises me the most! Chuck and I knew we wanted to get a family dog, but since we both work full-time and commute we just didn't feel like the timing was right. Then in a sleep-deprived haze shortly before Christmas I submitted an adoption application and the next day, Reggie was ours!
9. Run a half marathon | INCOMPLETE And of all the items on my list, this one disappoints me the most! I trained in 2018 and 2019, but due to work obligations and a heat advisory, my Half never happened. I have two scheduled in 2020- in August and October. They're far enough out that I still have time to train, but running definitely hasn't been a top priority during lockdown.
10. Replace our back porch | INCOMPLETE
11. Visit Frankie's grave | INCOMPLETE We were actually supposed to be headed to DC this week on a family trip en route to a friend's Maryland wedding. I had planned to visit Arlington National Cemetery while we were in the area. Of course, her wedding has been postponed to later in the year so this one hasn't happened yet, but I wouldn't have made the cutoff date anyway.
12. Attend a cooking class | INCOMPLETE This is definitely one I'd like to rollover to my next bucket list!
13. Pay off all credit cards (3/3) | COMPLETE! (May 2019) All I can say is- WOOHOOOOO!!!
14. Renovate our kitchen | INCOMPLETE
15. Get a fourth tattoo | INCOMPLETE
16. Take a family camping trip | INCOMPLETE
17. Update my wardrobe | IN PROGRESS Since starting at my current job back in June of 2018, I've slowly been building up my professional wardrobe primarily through ThredUp with the occasional Stitch Fix thrown in when I can justify the splurge. There are still things I could use- new jeans and more shoes, but my closet is in better shape than it's ever been.
18. Add a railing to our front porch | COMPLETE! (October 23, 2018)
19. Try 10 new restaurants (2/10) | INCOMPLETE I didn't do a very good job of tracking this so I'm not positive what the final tally is. But I know it's not 10. We tried maybe 2 or 3 new restaurants, but typically stuck to more local places on our rare date nights since we never felt like driving and wanted to be close to the kids.
20. Enroll Charlie in preschool | COMPLETE! (June 2018) He "graduates" next month and will head to Kindergarten in the Fall!
21. Landscape our front yard | IN PROGRESS I'm going to call this one "in progress" even though it's been ages since we last did anything to our front yard and won't be doing anything in the foreseeable future. In November of 2018 while we were out of town enjoying Pre-Thanksgiving, Ohio was hit with a huge ice storm and we lost both our beautiful trees. After having hideously unattractive stumps for almost a year, we had a landscaping company come out and grind them and lay down grass seed. It fixed the stump problem but our yard still leaves much to be desired.
22. Meet a blogging friend | INCOMPLETE #MomLife?
23. Plan something for Chuck's 30th birthday | COMPLETE! (April 15, 2019) Chuck celebrated his 30th birthday last week by taking a weekend trip to visit his sister in Kansas City, MO. It required very little planning on my part, but it was what he wanted, so we were both happy. On his actual birthday, I picked up a Chocolate Peanut Butter cake from a cute little bakery that recently opened in our town and had pizza delivered. It was a low-key, simple way to celebrate my low-key, simple man!
24. Purchase a minivan | INCOMPLETE We paid off my car in February 2020, so right now I'm enjoying having no car payments for as long as possible before we take the plunge into minivan ownership.
25. Take a photography class | COMPLETE! (January 2019) Our family photographer offered an Intro to Photography class and I was so excited to kick off the new year by completing an item on my bucket list. It wound up being just the two of us and I was so appreciative of the time we spent together.
26. Pay off all medical bills from Crosby's birth (3/3) | COMPLETE! (June 2019) We made the final payment on our outstanding medical bills from Crosby's birth just months before his third birthday. Ugh!
27. Run a race in 3 different states (1/3) | INCOMPLETE Just in my home state of Ohio!
28. Visit the American Sign Museum | INCOMPLETE
29. Paint and finish decorating our master bedroom | COMPLETE! (January 2020) I have no recollection of when I was finished with our master bedroom so I'm going off of the date I rearranged it to its current setup when I was stir crazy this past winter.
30. Take the boys to an amusement park | INCOMPLETE
31. Visit Old Man's Cave in Hocking Hills | INCOMPLETE
32. Attend a concert | COMPLETE! (July 13, 2018) My sister-in-law and I have made a tradition out of an annual country concert. In 2018 we saw Miranda Lambert and Little Big Town. Last year we attended Outlaw Music Festival which included Willie Nelson, Bonnie Raitt and Luke Combs (who I was unfamiliar with, but she adores).
TOTAL GOALS ACCOMPLISHED: 11/32
My batting average wasn't great the last two years, but I'm proud of the things I did accomplish and look forward to rolling several of these into my 35 Before 35 list. Stay tuned!
He brought me my morning coffee, locked my bedroom door and kept the boys at bay all day while I read to my bookworm heart's content. I emerged just long enough to eat, shower and do a quick 30-minute yoga class via the Peloton app before I retreated back to my hermit cave and proceeded to continue reading. After nearly a decade together, what can I say? My man knows what I like!
My sister and Mom both called in the morning and we had a nice little video chat. My mom hilariously asked "So, how old are you?" and when I responded she replied, "Oh my God, you're old! I thought you were only 30." I pretty much feel the same way. Thirty two feels very...thirties?
Despite my weird thing with odd numbers, thirty-one was a good year for me. I passed my second registration exam and earned a professional designation. Not to mention, our family really got our debt snowball rolling! I'm hoping thirty-two brings with it more financial stability and professional accomplishment. But being that we're in the midst of a global pandemic, I'm keeping my expectations low.
Thirty-two will also be the year that Charlie goes to Kindergarten and Crosby will head to his first year in Pre-K. I'm honestly really excited for the next season of parenthood. I'm rarely the Mom who laments about the passing years (I'm sure that will change when they're 18). I love watching my kiddos grow into their personalities. Quality time is my love language so I feel at my most fulfilled as a Mommy when I can spend one-on-one time with them sharing a mutual interest- whether it's running, reading, yoga, etc. That is significantly easier with older kids than it is with babies and toddlers!
Since yesterday was the day I turned the big 3-2, I figured it was a good time to check in on my 32 Before 32 goals and see how I did. I started this bucket list around my 30th birthday and my last check-in was this time last year so there's a lot of ground to make up!
32 Before 32: A 2-Year Bucket List
1. Take an international trip | INCOMPLETE
2. Host a foreign exchange student | INCOMPLETE
3. Pay off a student loan | | INCOMPLETE And to think, if my stimulus check had come a week or two earlier I could have crossed this one off!
5. Visit a new state | INCOMPLETE Clearly, no travel goals were met as we focused on paying down our debt
6. Convert attic to a fourth bedroom | IN PROGRESS It is legitimately insane how long this project is taking us. Although the bulk of the room is done- window, new lighting, and shiplap wall have been installed by our friend. I still need to paint and we need to install a closet to make it a real bedroom.
7
9. Run a half marathon | INCOMPLETE And of all the items on my list, this one disappoints me the most! I trained in 2018 and 2019, but due to work obligations and a heat advisory, my Half never happened. I have two scheduled in 2020- in August and October. They're far enough out that I still have time to train, but running definitely hasn't been a top priority during lockdown.
10. Replace our back porch | INCOMPLETE
11. Visit Frankie's grave | INCOMPLETE We were actually supposed to be headed to DC this week on a family trip en route to a friend's Maryland wedding. I had planned to visit Arlington National Cemetery while we were in the area. Of course, her wedding has been postponed to later in the year so this one hasn't happened yet, but I wouldn't have made the cutoff date anyway.
12. Attend a cooking class | INCOMPLETE This is definitely one I'd like to rollover to my next bucket list!
14. Renovate our kitchen | INCOMPLETE
15. Get a fourth tattoo | INCOMPLETE
16. Take a family camping trip | INCOMPLETE
17. Update my wardrobe | IN PROGRESS Since starting at my current job back in June of 2018, I've slowly been building up my professional wardrobe primarily through ThredUp with the occasional Stitch Fix thrown in when I can justify the splurge. There are still things I could use- new jeans and more shoes, but my closet is in better shape than it's ever been.
19. Try 10 new restaurants (2/10) | INCOMPLETE I didn't do a very good job of tracking this so I'm not positive what the final tally is. But I know it's not 10. We tried maybe 2 or 3 new restaurants, but typically stuck to more local places on our rare date nights since we never felt like driving and wanted to be close to the kids.
21. Landscape our front yard | IN PROGRESS I'm going to call this one "in progress" even though it's been ages since we last did anything to our front yard and won't be doing anything in the foreseeable future. In November of 2018 while we were out of town enjoying Pre-Thanksgiving, Ohio was hit with a huge ice storm and we lost both our beautiful trees. After having hideously unattractive stumps for almost a year, we had a landscaping company come out and grind them and lay down grass seed. It fixed the stump problem but our yard still leaves much to be desired.
22. Meet a blogging friend | INCOMPLETE #MomLife?
24. Purchase a minivan | INCOMPLETE We paid off my car in February 2020, so right now I'm enjoying having no car payments for as long as possible before we take the plunge into minivan ownership.
27. Run a race in 3 different states (1/3) | INCOMPLETE Just in my home state of Ohio!
28. Visit the American Sign Museum | INCOMPLETE
30. Take the boys to an amusement park | INCOMPLETE
31. Visit Old Man's Cave in Hocking Hills | INCOMPLETE
TOTAL GOALS ACCOMPLISHED: 11/32
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