The End....or maybe just a new beginning...

Holy moly...is it really March 21 again?!? Where did the year go?!


I'm sitting here looking at the clock as it ticks to midnight, realizing my 30th year is officially complete. I'm in shock...and awe...and feel so extraordinarily blessed I don't even know where to start.


First an apology- I realize I went MIA last September but I promise it was for a good reason. Even though he wasn't in my plan for 30, Mike has added more laughter, light and depth to my life than anyone I have ever been associated with. He is the best "distraction" to ever cross my path.

Without further delay, an update. Here it goes:

1. Run a half marathon, a triathlon, and a dirty dash

2. Run or bike 30 miles every month

I seriously bike all the time. 30 miles is one ride these days.

3. Get in the best shape of my life

July 2014. I'm in even better shape these days.

4. Hike a long hike I’ve wanted to do

Angels Landing, Zion National Park

5. Go snow skiing again

Ski School, Snowbird

6. Have a sleepover with all my nieces and nephews- This one never happened

7. Write letters to the 30 most important people in my life- I only wrote 5

8. Have a girls weekend with Mom, Kolbi and Holly

9. Go to lunch at least once a month with Kristen

She is my best friend for good reason

10. Complete 30 acts of random kindness- done and done

11. Sample all 31 flavors of Baskin Robbins ice cream- I tried 20 different flavors...almost made it...Cherry Jubilee was my favorite (as a side note, did you know you can only try 4 flavors at a time and there are WAY more than 31 flavors now! Who knew!)

12. Read 30 books in a year- Like biking/running, this was simple. I finished 30 books in the first 4 months of 2014.

13. Throw myself a birthday party

Classic Skating was rad

14. Spa Day- it was amazing. Must repeat soon.

15. Draw closer to God through worship, prayer and scripture study- Spiritual growth is a hard thing to quantify but I have learned to hear more and to feel more precisely. 

16. Splurge on something I’ve wanted for years

and I've loved every second of it.

17. Write a letter to myself for when I turn 40- on my computer. Saved and done.

18. Change something in my house

My new bedspread makes me happy.

19. Donate 30 pieces of clothes to DI- it was WAY more than 30 pieces. DI loved me this year.

20. See a psychic- Unfortunately, this never happened. It is more difficult to find a psychic than you think! 

21. Buy an entire outfit in one shopping trip

22. Learn a new hobby (painting, boxing, photography, guitar etc)

It's more of an obsession now.

23. Watch the sunrise and sun set on a beach I’ve never been too

Waikiki, Oahu, HI

24. Visit a new international city

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

25. Do something that scares me

26. Karaoke in public (this terrifies me!)

27. Skydive or bungee jump- planned twice and fell through both times. :/

28. Get scuba certified and go diving

29. Go to Disneyland and ride the rides at least 30 times

My greatest blessings call me Aunt

30. Spend an entire week at Lake Powell or the cabin

View from a hike at the cabin

So there you have it. I completed 25 of the things on my list and I have to say, the year was EPIC. It turned out even better than I thought it would! I laughed, I cried, I felt lonely and I felt loved. I learned new things and replaced fear with faith. I tried to love more deeply, be more optimistic and continuously look for the adventure in every situation I was in. 

I made a plan for my 30th. Not everything turned out exactly how I expected yet it has been my best year to date. I can hardly wait to see what 31 has in store!!

Much love to you all and happy 31 to me!

~Stef

Dirty Dash 2014

This is my first attempt at making any kind of video on my computer. A movie does so much more justice than words for a race like the Dirty Dash!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReO9lOCk8Xw&feature=youtu.be

Enjoy!

Much love to you all and happy 30 to me-

~Stef

The Happiest Place on Earth

There are very few things which bring more happiness to my life then spending time with my favorite people. Add those 14 people to The Happiest Place on Earth and you almost have paradise.

Disneyland is seriously one of my very favorite places. Walking away from “real life” into fantasy and childhood is truly magical. It is made even better when you have little kids holding onto each hand, jumping with excitement, barely able to contain the awe and wonder of such a place. 

Vacation started on Sunday. I had been in Boston for work and flew directly to LAX. I beat my family's arrival by a couple of hours and was able to get us all checked into the hotel so we could start playing as soon as everyone arrived.

I won’t go into every detail because it is redundant. We spent Monday and Tuesday and Disneyland and California Adventure, Wednesday we took a break and hung out at Laguna Beach. Thursday and Friday were back to the parks and we finished the vacation at Newport.

I’m not sure it really matters where we are- for me, the happiest place on earth is wherever these 14 people are. 

I was snuggled and cuddled. I never walked anywhere without at least one of my hands being held. I had kids wanting to sleep with me every night. Our days were filled with laughter and love. 

It was exactly what my heart needed. I’ve felt extraordinarily lonely leading to this trip and it was an amazing reminder of how loved I am. There is something magical about experiencing Disneyland through the eyes of a child. 

Our tradition to finish the trip is always Space Mountain. We filled 2 cars full. As we all threw our hands in the air and hollered with joy, I was overwhelmed with gratitude to call these people mine. They are by far my greatest blessing. 

30 rides were ridden in the 4 days at Disneyland. I can check that one off the list.

I hope you all feel loved today. If you don’t, call me and I will remind you how amazing and wonderful you are! There is magic all around each of us and will bring happiness and beauty to even the most difficult of circumstances.

Much love to you all and happy 30 to me-

~Stef

The Shadow of The Wind

I just finished the BEST book and couldn’t wait to write a review. Have any of you heard of, The Shadows of The Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon? No you say? Well, now you have!

 

This book is well written, easy to read, great character development and I didn’t figure it out in the first 30 pages. There is love, intrigue, murder, the angst of childhood, passion and mystery.

 

The story is a coming of age tale following a boy named Daniel. His father takes him to a secret location called The Cemetery of Books to pick one to belong to him. He searches and finds the perfect book, The Shadow of the Wind, written by an author he has never heard of. The story follows his attempt to uncover the lost story of the mysterious writer.

 

I don’t want to give anymore away about this story but I will note there are 2 “big” cuss words in it and a moment that made me gasp with surprise.

 

Read it. You will love it. (If you don’t, I will give you a different one to try!)

 

Much love to you all and happy 30 to me!

 

~Stef

Why does this scare me so much?!?

Haircuts should not be scary but it totally stressed me out! I have been contemplating this cut for a year and finally got the push I needed from the amazing and beautfiul Camille Garrison. She just cut all of hers off and was the final push I needed. Thanks Camille!

I text my fabulous cousin Lexie who does hair and asked her opinion. She was so encouraging and I couldn't think of anyone I would want to cut it besides her! I definitely made the right decision going to her!

Pictures are better than anything else so here they are:

The Salon

Before

8 inches later

Side View of the A-Line

Lexie is the BEST hairdresser ever!!

Holy crap that is a lot of hair



I love it! Change is amazing!