Thirty Will Be Coming Round the Corner...

*Note that I was singing "She'll be coming round the mountain she she comes" when I made the title. It is one of the songs on Vander's little playhouse*

I had my birthday this week and I turned 26! I am one of the few people I know who still loves my birthday. That birthday glow hasn't slowed down yet, but maybe it will as I continue to get older.

I definitely take the point of view of everything that I have accomplished in the last year and last 26 years. I keep myself pretty busy, so I tend to feel pretty good about each year.

It is always interesting to consider the "milestone years" i.e. turing thirty in four years. I don't think I really thought much about thirty being on the horizon this last year, but now that I am on the downhill side of my twenties (not that they are less exciting or will slow down, just that there are less years to thirty than twenty), I have thought more about the next four years.

I also had a friend post a list of things they wanted to do by the age of thirty, and it got me thinking about what all I wanted to do by the time I was thirty.

In no particular order...

1. Go to a beach.  I have been to beaches before, but now it has been 6 years since I went to an actual beach with an ocean. Lake McConaughy doesn't count (but does make me feel a little better in the mean time). If I make it more than four more years without a beach that will be beyond depressing
2. Pop out another baby or two. I don't think that is surprising to anyone :) But I do want to be done with having kids by or around the time I am thirty.
3. Learn to sew. I got an old sewing machine from my aunt last year and when I tried to use it I pretty well got the thread all kinds of tangled. I think a new machine might help and definitely a class to learn to sew. 
4. Learn to play piano. Not with any significant skill but actually be able read music and play some basic songs.  Enough to justify our piano and help make our kids interested in music.
5. Get into a work out routine. I tried some barre classes at the end of last year and really enjoyed them, but it has been hard to make it to the classes. I also got new running shoes for my birthday so I want to get back into running as well. One of my girlfriends mentioned wanting to work towards a half marathon in the next couple years. Maybe that will unofficially be our goal by 30. 
6. Get new curtains in my house. Maybe even accomplish this with the learning to sew part.  The curtains on our main level and in our bedroom came with the house and absolutely do not suffice. I feel like my house would feel more complete with curtains that match.
7. Travel to new states. I am not going to put a number on it, but I definitely want to get more states under my belt. I have pretty much all of the east and south open. 
8. Travel to new countries. We are getting set going to to Germany this year so that will help with this one!
9. Reconnect with former friends. I really miss some of my friends from college and high school and would love to reconnect with some of them. Dylan and I are making new friends via Vander's existence, but I think it is important to appreciate your past as well. 
10. Spend more time with my friends. They have been with me through a lot and I definitely need to recommit to them. 
11. Hang more pictures. I have tens of thousands of pictures of Vander (I am not joking), let alone the rest of life, so I really want to hang more pictures up in my house. I still have plenty of wall space to do it too!

I feel like it isn't too ambitious, but does challenge me! Any goals for you by your next milestone year?