30 in 30 Update.

So, for my 30th birthday, I made a list of things I wanted to complete/accomplish/do this year. That list is right here:

The List of 30:

1. Volunteer at a soup kitchen (probably in Pontiac)
2. Complete 3 "pay-it-forward" transactions in drive-thrus (paying for the person behind me)
3. Write a letter to someone I haven't talked to in awhile and post it
4. Learn to play bass guitar (fitting, as Matt refinished and gave me one as a present this year)
5. Take a sewing class
6. Crochet a new blanket for our bed
7. Get a tattoo
8. Cull my book collection
9. Lose 100 pounds (no, it's not unrealistic-I've lost 30 in about 3 months)
10. Celebrate 6 months of no pop (currently at 3 months)
11. Take my goddaughter to the zoo and spend a day spoiling her
12. Take a weekend vacation with Matt to someplace new
13. Go through all of my clothing and donate items to charity
14. Clean out our storage unit
15. Make homemade bread 
16. Learn 15 new, healthy recipes and share
17. Go camping
18. Finish our wedding scrapbook and albums
19. Read Clarissa
20. Send out holiday cards
21. Visit a farmer's market
22. Learn to can different fruits and make jams (and do so!-Apple butter in the fall?)
23. Mend a few friendships (I have people in mind....)
24. Compliment 5 strangers
25. Give a class a weird, unexpected, and much needed extra credit assignment
26. Finish writing my novel
27. Participate in NaNoWriMo 2015
28. Try 5 new restaurants
29. Learn how to meditate
30. Organize a surprise for someone

So let's talk about my progress so far!

Completed:

#7.

I got my very first tattoo on my 30th birthday. I have plans for 4 tattoos, and at first, I was getting something different. I changed my mind last minute and decided to get this quote on my right foot. I've wanted it for the longest time, and it felt fitting as a 30th birthday gift to myself. For anyone unfamiliar, it comes from Homer's The Odyssey, which inspired my blog. I think it's also inspiring this new decade and another chance at reinventing myself. 

Sometimes I look down and forget I have it. Other times I just like to stare. :) It fits me perfectly. And yes, there is another quote I want on my left foot, but it'll probably be awhile until I get it. 

#13.
This past month I made it a goal to clean out and toss things that I no longer need, including clothes. I tackled my closet before we left for Florida and my dresser when we returned. I think I donated 5 bags of clothes and 3 smaller bags of shoes. I also ended up with 5 boxes of books-some donated, some to sell back to a used bookstore, and some for school. I'm glad all of it is out of our apartment and I rediscovered some fun things in the process. It's also a good feeling to have everything organized going into the school year. 

And, I also convinced Matt to go through his things as well-he donated 3 bags of clothes-hurrah!

#11.

Before my sister, Torrie, went back to L.A., we took Zoey to the Detroit Zoo and spent the day looking at animals and doing fun things with her. The three of us had a blast, and I think we need to make it an annual trip. 

Zoey is at a really fun age (she turns 3 in October), so it's fun to hear her talk and chatter and say ridiculously funny things.

#8.
In addition to cleaning out the clothes in my closet, I also culled my book collection (I mentioned that above). I think I finally hit the point where, unless I REALLY want to read something, I'm good with mainly reading from my shelves. I have a lot of great books waiting to be read, so I'm okay with minimal collecting. I'm still not a library person, so this works for me.

In culling, I finally let go of a lot of things I know I'm just not going to read anymore. But since I do LOVE rereading, I still have a large collection. It works for me. :)

In progress:

#4.
I'm learning to play bass guitar slowly. It hurts the tips of my fingers still, since I need to form calluses on the strings, but it's easier than it was and I'm getting the gist of learning bass clef (I play the trumpet, which is in treble clef-big difference). I need to get back into regular practice, which will be much easier now that we're done traveling.

#10.
Still no pop. And rarely any caffeine. I'm telling you, I haven;t felt this good in who knows how long. 

#9.
I'm still making progress. Truthfully, August was a bust on the weightloss front-too much time out of town and in the car made for some poor food decisions, but at least I didn't gain any weight. I actually think that being busier with school will help keep me on track. I'm planning on going from school to the gym 4x during the week and once on weekends. My goal is to lose 10 in September, so here's to that!


So far, I think I'm doing pretty fabulous on this challenge I set for myself! I still have some pretty specific tasks left, but I know I can complete them all. :)