30 by 30... Part 2

Background: I recently decided to set some realistic goals. Inspired by a friend's blog, I am setting 30 goals to accomplish by the age of 30. I am setting out to achieve everything on my list by my 30th birthday, January 2, 2014. Some are measurable goals, some are more of lifestyle changes or habits I would like to create. Some are simply things I've always wanted to do.

It's interesting to see that many of my goals are connected: If I accomplish one goal, I'm setting myself up to accomplish another.

To keep it interesting, I am going to break this into 2 posts... 30 is a lot of things! Click here to see part 1.

Here part 2 of my list (in no particular order):

16. Visit Europe. I would absolutely LOVE to visit Europe. I don't care if I only see one country at a time, I just want to go! This is something that Matt and I will have to save up for... hopefully we can make it by 30!

 

 

So many cute ideas!

17. Host an amazing backyard BBQ party for our close friends and family at our new house. I have so many cute ideas for this. All I need is the space (and the grill!)... Matt and I think that this would be a perfect way to celebrate our 1st anniversary if we have a house by then.



18. Get organized. Ugh... I make messes. Then they stress me out. I need organization in my life. It is my goal to get over this and get organized!!





19. Visit family atleast once every other month. I have an awesome family. My grandparents are the absolute best and my cousins are growing up more each time I see them. I don't want to miss out! Also, it would be nice to alternate between Matt's family and mine, visiting family once a month between the two of them.

 

20. Plan a surprise party for someone special... and really surprise them! Who? I'm not telling. It will ruin the surprise.

21. Take a Yoga class. I took a yoga class in college and absolutely loved it! There are so many healthy and mental benefits to yoga, and I'd love to really get into it!

I just don't know!

22. Advance my career. It's hard to elaborate upon this goal, because I'm still not 100% sure what I want to be when I grow up. So maybe it's as simple as that: realizing what I want to be when I grow up and take steps to achieve this career. I want to be doing something that makes me happy and allows time for my outside life.

23. Become more involved in my community through volunteerism. Something I really miss about my previous job is the many opportunities to help the community. Volunteer opportunities are everywhere if you look for them! Volunteering is a great way to pursue a passion, meet people and make connections, and just help your community. I get excited just thinking about it. Visit www.volunteermatch.org to find opportunities yourself!

 

24. Take a trip to Washington, DC with my husband. I've been to DC three times now and I've enjoyed it each time. There are still plenty of things I haven't seen or done. Matt has never been and really wants to go. I know he will love it; he's very into history. I can't wait to see him experiencing this city! Plus we have multiple friends in the area to visit...

25. Maintain atleast a 3.5 GPA throughout grad school. My GPA from undergrad sucked. I had my reasons for being unfocused throughout college, but now I'm ready to focus and show what I can do. It's really more about proving to myself that I am capable of this.

Fact

26. Maintain the close friendships I have and strive to be a better friend. I have some of the best friends anyone could ask for. Really. So far, we've done a great job maintaining our friendships for the most part, but I know that as time passes and life progresses, people often lost touch and stop making friendship a priority. I don't want this to happen. Ever. Also, I'd like to work at being the best friend I can be by visiting/communicating more and showing appreciation and support.

Did I mention Matt & I like to cook together?

 27. Plan meals ahead & try new recipes. I have tons of recipes that I would like to try. Recipes in cookbooks and recipes I've collected online. But I rarely plan ahead when cooking, so I rarely try them. Instead I rush to find something quick and easy, usually reverting to the same old standby's. It is my goal to plan the week's meals before heading to the grocery store and only buy the ingredients needed. Doing this will cut costs and keep dinner interesting among other things.



Kids get cancer too.

28. Raise money to fight childhood cancer. Two of my best friends were devastated about a year and a half ago when their one-year-old daughter, Caroline, was diagnosed with a rare cancer called hepatoblastoma. Caroline had amazing doctors and parents who took excellent care of her, and luckily after a scary surgery, lots of need pricks, chemo, and hospital stays, she is now healthy and cancer free. So many families are not so lucky. Just thinking of what Caroline's family went through brings me to tears. It was such a hard time for them (and everyone who loves them). It is heartbreaking to think about what children with cancer and their families go through. I'm not sure what to do yet, but I want to do something.

 



 29. To continue to grow as a couple. To laugh together, be there for one another, and remember why we chose to get married. To have fun adventures. To not take one another for granted. To love each other even more! At each stage in our relationship, Matt and I have thought we were so close, knew each other so well and were so in love. Then a couple years pass and we look back and think "wow! we've grown so much. we didn't know anything back then." It is my goal that at 30 I can look back to now, to our wedding even, and see how much we've grown.

30. To write, write, write, blog, blog, blog. For so long I stopped expressing myself through written word and now that I'm doing it again, I love it! Maybe some day I'll do something worthwhile with my writing, maybe not. I really don't know or care. It's just something for me.