Well my 30th birthday came and went yesterday (July 14) and it was relatively low-key, but just was what I had asked for. Despite not making any big plans, I did receive a lot of love from friends and family near and far. Every birthday I’m surprised and overwhelmed with the nice notes of birthday well wishes. It makes me feel so special and grateful for those I’m surrounded by. I always look forward to speaking with my mom, obviously, and yesterday called her to say thank you for the beautiful Flowers for Dreams bouquet she and my father sent me. I got off our call thinking about year 30 and how I plan to make it the best year it can be.
I love setting goals for my next year on the blog. I recently looked back at what I shared for age 29 and was pleased that I hit almost everything I was looking forward to. (Except decluttering the apartment, that ebbs and flows!) My mom asked me on the phone yesterday what my goals were for the coming 12 months and I actually had nothing prepared. So today I decided to put some things in writing.
My goals for age 30:
- Go to workout classes I enjoy. I’ve had a gym membership for the last two years, but within the last year I think I only went a handful of times. I still worked out at home, but it became more of a task then a fun stress-reliever. Last month I started going to the gym again and found two classes I really like that help my back pain. Two is a very manageable number per week so I’m trying to hold myself to leaving work on time to make it to class. I know in the end I always feel better having gone.
- Stop eating crap. I’m very aware of nutritional information for most foods, but that doesn’t always stop me from putting sugary or fatty foods into my body. It wasn’t until I recently read that after you’re 30 you should “stop eating crap” that it hit me: I should. Simple as that. Sure, I’m still going to treat myself from time to time (see that glass of prosecco in my hand?), but I can improve what I eat day-to-day. Which brings me to my next goal…
- Cook more. Cooking is very therapeutic for me, but it takes the back burner (ha, ha) when my weeks get busy. I’m trying to make more of an effort to slow down, test new recipes and use all of the fun cooking items we asked for on our wedding registry. So far I’ve made skillet meals and soups, will report back later with my favorites!
- Get involved in a service project. After the wedding, my schedule seemed to open up. I’ve been so enjoying this “extra time,” but now I want to fill it with something meaningful. Steve and I both mentioned in our vows that we want to do good together, so this should be the year we start. Let me know if you have any volunteer suggestions in the Chicago area!
- Keep the spark with Steve. This will be Steve’s and my fifth year of dating, second year of living together, and first of marriage. So far we love being married (as I’d hoped, ha), but I can already see it’s going to be easy to let life get in the way of our courtship. I want to set the stage for our marriage by making an effort to put down the phone when we’re together, clearing my afternoons so we can just hang, and simply doing nice things for him just because.
There are so many other things I’m planning for this year – I hope a blog redesign is included – but those are my big goals for age 30. Would love to hear your thoughts on what you experienced in your 30s and how I can make this year awesome!
Rent the Runway – pink black tie dress | Forever 21 – Happy Birthday headband | Kate Spade champagne flute | Photos by Sarah