30 Things Before 30!!!

Saw this on another blog I read, and thought it was neat. Figured it was a good idea to start working on such a list for myself since I will be turning 26 this year.. not getting any younger! So here is my list of 3o Things Id like to accomplish before 30.

1. Throw my husband an awesome 30th birthday party. This is actually coming up soon, seeing as how Arnold is 3 1/2 years older than me! I am already thinking up ideas in my head and I hope I will be able to plan something amazing.

2. Save up the money to take an awesome family vacation. We've only taken the kids on one real trip before, and that was to the beach. Rachel also wasnt here yet.. so she didnt go. We recently started a Vacation fund, so maybe this will become a reality!

3. See all 3 of my kids off to Kindergarten, without totally losing my cool. I am starting this year with Brooke. I cant believe that in a few years ALL Of my kids will be in school. I dont know what I'll do with myself then! Man, i feel old!

4. Take a trip with my best friends. How awesome would that be? just a few days or weekend of nothing but girl time, laid-back dinners, shopping, relaxing, and bonding! You guys here me? We need to make this happen!!!

5. Cook a totally drool-worthy dinner, good enough to impress my parents. Both my parents are awesome cooks. I grew up with home-cooked dinners on the table EVERY night. I was very blessed (not to mention I miss it soo badly) If my mom looked at me and seriously told me that she liked a dinner I cooked, I would be so proud of myself :)

6. Start volunteering at the Pregnancy Care Center or a similar place. I have always thought about it, but not got around to it yet. Id love to help out girls who have unplanned pregnancies. My ultimate fantasy would be to able to help these girls, through talking/counseling, whether it be lead them to adoption or encourage them to be good mothers. I was a young mother.. and I know what its like.

7. Read through the Bible. I have read bits and pieces of it throughout my life. I really want to read all of it though, and discover everything it has to offer. Arnold got an awesome study Bible recently and we have started going through some day-by-day Bible lessons they have in there.

8. Lose 40-50 pounds. Get back to a place where I really like my body. Ive learned to accept it after having kids, but I really need to shape up. I know losing the weight will help me become healthier too, and who couldnt use that? I especially need to protect my heart!!

9. Meet Lynyrd Skynyrd. Everyone knows how much I love them. Ive been to so many of their concerts already Im surprised I havent met them already! I would be totally star-struck if I did though! And i WILL make it happen!

10. Run a marathon. This one is pretty funny. Ask anyone in my family. I never was athletic and never ran. I would however like to do this, just to prove to them that I could ;)

11. Meet my biological parents. Ive thought about it for years. Putting the plans into action is another story. I know it will be a long and emotional process. I think ive been looking out for my feelings, because I know theres the small possibility that they won't want to meet me, or even that they might not be alive anymore. But id like to meet them, if just to say thank you for giving me life, to see what they look like, and let them meet my family.

12. Finish College. Yeah I got side-tracked for quite awhile while having the kids. They have become my whole world. But i want to get back and finish up my degree. Hopefully this year or next will be my starting point, even if I have to start slow.

13. Get an amazing job that I love. Not totally sure what that is yet. When I was a little kid I wanted to be a doctor. When I was in highschool I wanted to be a write. When I was actually in college I was majoring in elementary education. After that I wanted to be a therapist. And after that I wanted to be a social worker and deal with adoptions. Lately Ive even thought about nursing. I have NO idea right now, but I know I want it to be a full-filling job.

14. Move into my dream home. I dont know if this will become a reality that soon, but I can dream! I want a bigger space where ideally all my kids could have their own bedrooms. I want a big kitchen with beautiful counter-tops. A bathroom with a HUGE whirlpool tub that I can relax in at night. A dining room where I can entertain if I ever get good at the cooking thing. A porch.

15. Pay off the van. Yeah.. that will be soon. and it will free up a lot of extra money!!!

16. Wean completely off Ativan. And get back to the "real me" or as close to that as I can get. These past 2 yrs have been whirlwind of ups, downs, highs, lows, sadness, joy... I have become so much stronger. I want to be able to land on my own two feet again, without the help of any medication.

17. Buy a really awesome too-expensive bag or pair of shoes. Ill admit it, I can be cheap! I LOVE nice things, but now that Im married, with kids, and on a budget, I never buy things for myself.. much less really NICE things. But just to say I owned one, would be awesome. I know I shouldnt be into status symbols, but what girl doesnt dream of nice things?!

18. Speak my mind about SOMETHING. I am shy.. crazy crazy shy. (unless I REALLY know you, then you cant get me to shup up) So.. Id like for once to just speak the heck out of whatevers on my mind, and not care about what anyone thinks.

19. Buy a really nice camera and learn to use it. With all the pictures I take, I need one, badly. i want to have nice pictures of the kids for us to look back on. I see my friends with their awesome pictures and I have camera envy!!!!

20. Go on a vacation with just ARNOLD. Oh yes. Just us.. maybe to a tropical location somewhere. No kids. No whining, or yelling, or begging, or demanding, or crying. Sleeping in. Strolls on the beach. Lots of alone time. A way to re-discover ourselves.

21. Start writing a book. Its always been my major dream. I dont know what id write about yet.. But i know it would be about my life. Arnold says I have a lot of good material to pull from, from this very blog. We will see...

22. Drive somewhere all by myself one day. Ok dont laugh. But I have HORRIBLE sense of direction. If i am going anywhere at all, that I am not comfortable with, I have Arnold, a parent, or friend drive me. I once got lost in Greensboro, and cried trying to find my way home. There, its out! But yeah.. im that bad..

23. Finally find a bathing suit that flatters me. Is this impossible?! Because it surely has been for me! And of course it will be a one-piece because.. I love my kids and everything, but having them just wreaked havoc on my body. And any chance of it being smooth, tight, and stretch-mark free again is a joke.

24. Visit all 50 states. Not sure why I think this is important. I just think it would be neat. I already visited a lot of them, thanks to my parents, and all the trips we took back in my childhood (that at the time I thought were lame!!)

25. Watch my cousin get married. This will be happening this coming September, actually! My cousin is a year older than me. I am very happy for her!!

26. Do something that really scares me. Not sure what. I just want to do something I was always afraid of.. conquer it, and be able to say I did it. I want that sense of pride!

27. See Stephen Kellog, Rascal Flats, and Darius Rucker in concert. I love concerts. I have gone to several with Arnold. These 3 bands/people are some of my favorites, and I want to go.

28. Find my dream ring. Arnold is going to be getting me my very own awesome wedding ring. Yes I have one already, but it was his moms. When we got married, it was quick and we were on a tight budget, so Ive just had hers all this time. But when we are able, I will have a brand-new sparkling ring of my very own! All the time I am window-shopping for it!

29. My blog to become semi-famous. Haha, im so just joking. But id seriously love for it to become more popular and me do more with it. I see these girls with absolutely amazing blogs. I love to read them, and look at their pictures, and they have thousands of followers. Arnold just laughs at me. I already have 41 followers, thats a start, right?!

30. Celebrate my 10-year anniversary with my wonderful Husband!!! If my calculations are right (and I couldnt promise that-- I am horrible at math) We will be celebrating our 10-year anniversary a few months before I turn 30! What a great year that will be. Every year that goes by I just love Arnold more and more. He has been there for me through some MAJOR things.. we have gone through more in our 5 years of marriage already than some people might go through in their WHOLE marriage. He is amazing, and I love him so much :)




**SO there ya go. My list. What do you think about it? What would be on your list?? (If you are under 30.. or if not, your "Before you Die List"??