It’s birthday weekend and I’m celebrating entering a new decade – here comes 30!

Last year, for my 29th birthday I made a list of 30 things I’d like to do before turning 30 and I’d like to revisit that today to see how much I was able to do. Feels like this year went so fast!

So, here we go! Here’s the list from last year:

1. Visit a new state – I actually visited FOUR new states this year! Tennessee, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona.
2. Learn to play a new sport or game – I learned how to play pickle ball this summer!
3. Get a tattoo!? (Sorry dad lol) – Dad, you’ll be happy to know this one didn’t happen. 😂
4. Do something that scares me – When we went to Zion earlier this year, there was this trail that was on the edge of a cliff and I don’t do well with heights. But everyone else was doing it, and I wasn’t about to be left behind. It was terrifying, but I’m proud of myself for doing it and not dying!
5. Stop holding grudges – Still working on this one, but I’m getting a lot better at letting things go and not letting them bother me.
6. Spend less time on social media – This one did not go well lol. It’ll be a new goal for this year!
7. Plant a tree – This one didn’t happen either. But I did plant a flower and kept it alive, so we’re working our way up to a tree!
8. Learn to drive a combine or work ground – I haven’t done either of these, but I’ve spent more time with Dan while he prepares for planting and harvest, and I’m learning more about the process. This one was probably a long shot anyway lol.
9. Do more house projects – We have started making progress on our projects! We’ve purged a lot of stuff we don’t need, we’ve painted a few rooms, a few more to go, and the basement is in its early stages of being put back together.
10. Make more time for writing – I’d say I started off year 29 doing well with this one, but priorities have changed and it’s been quite a while since I’ve worked on my book. I do still journal daily though.
11. Finish my third novel – This is still a goal of mine, but it’ll most likely take more than a year yet to get there.  
12. Take a spontaneous trip – I’ve accepted that Dan and I just aren’t very spontaneous lol. Every trip we take requires hours of research first. 😂
13. Journal more – I make a habit to do this every day!
14. Try at least 10 new recipes – I’ve lost track of how many new recipes I’ve tried this year, but I can guarantee it’s more than 10. 👩🏻‍🍳😎
15. Learn how to make a pie – I kind of forgot about this one. New goal for this year!
16. Be more positive – I noticed that I have a habit of looking for something negative in a lot of things instead of the positive. Still working on it, but this is something I’ve been really focusing on this year.
17. Give less time and energy to things that don’t matter – Dan still has to remind me of this one, but I’m slowly getting better at this too.
18. Slow down and enjoy the little things – I’m definitely getting better at this. Being a pretty anxious person, typically if I don’t hurry up and get something done, I freak out. But I’ve started asking myself “what’s the worst that’ll happen if this doesn’t get done right this second?” And it’s really helped me relax more.
19. Read more!! – Started off well with this one, but haven’t been able to stay awake long enough to read lately. 🙈
20. Spend more time with my niece and nephew – I spend as much time with them as possible!
21. Shoot my first buck! – Missed the mark on this one. Dan and I both have antlerless tags this year, so it won’t happen this year either. But I might still get a deer! 🤞🏻
22. Convince Dan to take me coyote hunting with him lol – This one didn’t work either. 😂
23. Complain less – I think I might be getting better at this one, but you should ask Dan for a second opinion lol.
24. Run more races and get faster – I did get some more races in this year, and I definitely got faster! Got a couple new PR’s this year and even got one overall female win. 💪🏻
25. Swim again! – I didn’t do this, but I want to!!! Got to make a point to do it this year.
26. Excel at my job – I personally think I’m doing pretty well!
27. Be more confident – I continue to work on this all the time.
28. Spend more time outside – I love being outside! We go on daily walks, run outside several days a week, and I even have a hammock now where I’ve spent quite a bit of time chilling too.
29. Plan a wedding – Done and done! 🥰🥰
30. Marry the love of my life! – This was the highlight of year 29 and I’m so excited to see what year 30 brings for us!

I didn’t get to everything on my list in year 29, but I did check off almost 2/3 of it this year, so that’s not too shabby.

I’m excited to turn 30 tomorrow, and even more excited to see what this year brings. I’m so ready for it!

Until next time! 🙂

Megan Nelson