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

Recap

Happy July!! We are now closer to Christmas 2014 than we are to Christmas 2013. Isn’t that crazy?

It was requested I give a year to date update, so here goes!!

My list of 30 is as follows:

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

I’m signed up for the Run Elevated half marathon on August 23 and training is underway. I completed the Ghost Town Tri on April 26 with a time of 1:47 and I did the Dirty Dash in Soldier Hollow on June 7. This goal will be complete on August 23 by 9 in the morning!

2. Run or bike 30 miles every month
Year to date- I ride my bike or turn 30 miles every month. Especially since I discovered road biking. i bike almost 15 miles every morning. Guess I should have made this goal a little more difficult.

View from a morning bike ride

3. Get in the best shape of my life
This has proved to be a very interesting goal. Next post about this one! Coming in the next week so stay tuned.

4. Hike a long hike I’ve wanted to do
I have decided I am going to hike the back side of Timp. I was talking about it with some of my family this past week and we are going to do it before August 6. Within a month I will have this one checked off.

5. Go snow skiing again
Since it is 96° outside, I think I’m going to have to wait until the upcoming winter to check this one off the list.

6. Have a sleepover with all my nieces and nephews
This hasn’t happened yet but it will. No doubt about it. I’ve been on quite a few trips with my family but I haven’t had them all to my house. Soon, no doubt, very very soon.

7. Write letters to the 30 most important people in my life
Only 4 of my letters are complete. This is a good time to rededicate myself to this goal.

8. Have a girls weekend with Mom, Kolbi and Holly
Between both of my sisters-in-law moving into new houses, a new baby, a pregnancy and my schedule this has yet to happen. I’m sure it will.

9. Go to lunch at least once a month with Kristen
Kristen and I haven’t made lunch in 2 months but we made sure we had dinner together when lunch wasn’t going to happen. It’s a meal together so I am counting it.

10. Complete 30 acts of random kindness
Done. The more I looked to serve, the more opportunities are presented to me. I’m hoping to be at least double the original goal by the end of the year.

11. Sample all 31 flavors of Baskin Robbins ice cream
Anyone want to go to Baskin Robbins? 

12. Read 30 books in a year
Done. I read ALL.THE.TIME. Didn’t realize how many books I actually read. I’ll probably double the number of books by the end of the year too.

13. Throw myself a birthday party
Done- and it was AWESOME!

14. Spa Day
Oh my, it was fantastic. Jana and I had the most amazing day at the spa. Maybe there needs to be a do again.

15. Draw closer to God through worship, prayer and scripture study
This is obviously an ongoing goal but I have implemented some different things in my life to increase my ability to hear Heavenly Father and feel more in tune than I ever have before. It is enlightening to actively pursue a relationship with God. The more you give, the more you receive. 

16. Splurge on something I’ve wanted for years
I bought me a Mac. I love me my Mac. Best purchase in a long time.

17. Write a letter to myself for when I turn 40
It’s on the list. Hasn’t happened yet but it will.

18. Change something in my house
I just ordered what I’m changing! It should be here next week. I can’t wait! Pictures to come!

19. Donate 30 pieces of clothes to DI
My closet is cleaned out but I haven’t taken everything to DI yet. There are piles of clothes to be donated. 

20. See a psychic
Still to do

21. Buy an entire outfit in one shopping trip
Done and done. Shopping on my birthday was extremely productive. :)

22. Learn a new hobby (painting, boxing, photography, guitar etc)
I’m in the middle of a photography class and I’ve started yoga classes too!

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

24. Visit a new international city
Anyone want to go on vacation? My plans with other people keep getting nipped in the bud. I was thinking Aruba in two weeks. Anyone? Takers?

25. Do something that scares me
I cut off 8 inches of my hair in April. It terrified me. I’m so glad I cut it all off after but it was SO scary!

26. Karaoke in public (this terrifies me!)
Still in the works.

27. Skydive or bungee jump
The original plans for skydiving fell through. I’ve been looking into some bungee jumping options in September. I’ll be sure to keep you in the loop.

28. Get scuba certified and go diving
Certified in January, diving in February. Need to go again. 

29. Go to Disneyland and ride the rides at least 30 times
My family spent a week in Disneyland in May. See previous post for details but needless to say, this one is in the bag.

30. Spend an entire week at Lake Powell or the cabin
Working on this one. No date set yet but it is coming soon.




Total count- 11 completed, 10 in the process, 9 still to plan. That is not too shabby! Well on my way to complete this list!

So, how are you doing? How are your New Years Resolutions? Have you given up on your goals or are your goals still intact? if you’ve given up on them, maybe it is time to reevaluate and start again! After all, tomorrow is a new day and there is no day like it!!

Want to know the best part of the last 6 months? Adventure has presented itself non-stop! My life is so extraordinary and I’m extraordinarily grateful and blessed.

Much love to you all and happy 30 to me!
~Stef