On November 10, 2012, my KISA (Knight In Shining Armor) and I were driving home from running errands when he mentioned the date. As I was racking my brain, convinced it was someone’s birthday, I realized it was my half birthday. He innocently joked with me and said, “You know you’re only going to be in your 20’s for 6 more months.” I kept myself composed until I walked in the house…and proceeded to start crying like a baby. Alarmed, he grabbed me and wanted to know what was wrong. I admitted that I didn’t understand why I was crying, but assumed it was the realization that I would 30 in 6 months and there were so many things I always thought I’d do by 30.

In growing up in a very small town in the Midwest you typically get married young. All my life I was convinced that I would be married before I was 25 and be done having kids by the time I was 30. I was close to fulfilling that and was engaged to my high school sweetheart. That is until college woke me up to the possibility of a life outside of my hometown. Those were my only aspirations of what I wanted to do by 30 and deep down I guess I never let go of that.

At this point in time is when I should quote Robert Frost’s, “The Road Not Taken”. As cliché as it sounds, that’s really what my 20’s became, and I chose the road less traveled. I’m now 29 years and 50 weeks old and still not married nor do I have children. But, since I took a different path than most of my family and hometown, in place of that I have other life experiences. I decided to outline for myself and now for all of you, the 30 other things I’ve accomplished by the time I was 30.

1. I’m the first in my family to get a bachelor’s degree. Beyond that, I also got my MBA.
2. I’ve lived in three states and studied in five countries.
3. I’ve jumped off a cliff, off a bridge, off a platform (bungee), and out of a plane.
4. I’ve gone on my honeymoon to Australia without getting married and made out with four different guys from four different countries.
5. I’ve never allowed for my life to become complacent – I continually find new things to challenge me.
6. I try to make every person feel important on their birthday, even if it means taking an international flight to visit them, planning a day that involves visiting three countries and spending the day in Paris, or surprising them with a trip and friends…twice.
7. I’ve traveled alone, eaten alone, and seen a movie alone. And, I feel comfortable with all three.
8. I’ve completed four half marathons, four triathlons, and many other 5K+ races.
9. I’ve been a Big Sister and mentor to an incredible ten year old and helped her and her teachers realize her dyslexia.
10. I’ve had my heart broken more times than can fit on one hand, yet I’ve never been afraid to love again.
11. I’ve learned how to meditate and pray.
12. I’ve traveled to about 30 different countries, five continents, and 37 states.
13. I’ve been surfing, wake boarding, stand-up paddle boarding, and snowboarding.
14. I’ve learned to like vegetables and seafood (which I’ve always assumed was impossible) and have become open-minded to trying new foods at least once. Beyond that, I’ve also learned how to cook healthy foods.
15. I’ve learned how to crochet and sew and made my prom dress in high school (in addition to many other outfits for myself and others).
16. I was the reigning Grant County Pork Queen for two years in a row.

    

    Just in case you didn’t believe me on the whole Pork Queen thing.

17. I’ve overcome depression and anxiety.
18. I’ve owned and sold three homes.
19. I have a strong relationship with each of my siblings and my mother.
20. I’ve climbed a mountain over 14,000’ and a rock over 1,000’ (Uluru).
21. I’m financially secure and have made a decent dent in my retirement savings to be able to retire early.
22. I’ve seen a psycho-analyst and had every horrible part of me discovered so that I can work to fix them.
23. I’ve changed jobs four times since graduating from college, each time for a better opportunity.
24. I’ve been white-water rafting three times and went scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef.
25. I’ve rehabilitated my knee and wrist after surgery to be stronger than before my surgery.
26. I take care of my skin and my body to make sure I look younger than 30.
27. I try really hard to keep in touch with all of my family and close friends, even though that number of people keeps growing.
28. I strive to make every year of my life better than the last and have succeed thus far.
29. I can bake food with the best of them. (And, I make a pretty good fried chicken as well.)
30. I can do a pull-up.*

*Ok, I’m still working at that one, but I have two weeks left.