30 Before 30... With 1 Week to Spare!

Well, the time has officially come. I can't believe I started this list 5 years ago right after my 25th birthday and now here I am, one week away from 30. It has been a wonderful, crazy, exciting, memorable 5 years and I could not be more thankful or grateful for all of the blessings in my life. I know, even on my worst days, that I am one of the luckiest people in the world to be surrounded by amazing family & friends, have a wonderful career, be married to my best friend, have the most awesome parents on the planet, and a bright future ahead in our new home. I can't say I am exactly thrilled at the prospect of kissing my 20's goodbye, but I have decided to embrace it and look forward to the many great things to come. 30 just feels big for some reason and as I become a true "adult", my new inspiration is:

"Do not regret growing older. It is a privilege denied to many"

1. Get married! Goal complete! Andy and I will celebrate our 3 year anniversary this July :)
2. Climb Old Rag mountain Andy, his friend Charlie, and myself all hiked Old Rag last summer. Hoping to do it again this year!
3. Coach a high school sports team, preferably girls soccer or girls volleyball. Complete! I coached volleyball at Centreville HS for 2 seasons.
4. Go camping for a weekend
5. Rent an RV and travel to a Virginia Tech football game.
6. Go to Europe for the second time
7. Swim with dolphins. Andy and I got to hang with some dolphins when we went to the Bahamas in 2011.
8. Drive across the United States
9. Cut my hair short even though it terrifies me. Done in the fall of 2010 and I am doubting it will ever happen again :)
10. Go to Australia and see the koala bears
11. Eat Sushi for the first time. Complete.
12. Get a dog (or two!) that is me and Andy's pet and not our parents'.
13. Watch my friends fall as happily in love as I am and attend their weddings- In progress. Andy and I continue to celebrate the love of our good friends with weddings throughout the years!
14. Watch all of the movies currently in my Netflix queue- Let's be honest, this is never going to happen. I just keep adding more!
15. Learn to cook well, not just make dinner.  Shout out to Pinterest for my inspiration in the kitchen... most of the time.
16. Visit Mikaela in Maine and eat a real Maine lobster. 
17. Go to an NFL Super Bowl 
18. Go to a National Championship Game in college football
19. Run an official 5k. I completed my first official 5K in May 2011 and just set a personal record at one in April of this year.
20. Learn how to not kill plants
21. Send a photo Christmas card. Done.
22. Buy a townhouse or single-family home. Done! Andy and I moved into our new home in September 2013.
23. Save enough money to keep our condo and rent it. Done! Although this whole landlord business is pretttty overrated.
24. Buy a new car.
25. Go on a winery tour bus with my best friends- Did a winery for my 28th birthday.
26. Get involved with the Girls On The Run program at the elementary school I work at
27. Give a toast at a special event. I made a brief toast at my Dad's 60th birthday celebration.
28. Continue to take trips with my amazing parents. Crossing this off the list as we plan yet another vacay this summer!
29. Host a formal family dinner at my home
30. Begin the journey of becoming a mom

I only accomplished half of my list, but I'm guessing I was a litttttttle ambitious with all those trips. Besides, now I have 15 things to add to my "35 before 35" list?! Ha! Cheers to 30 Years!

Back Deck Reno

When we bought our home last summer, one of our favorite things about it was the awesome, fenced-in backyard with a deck. We had visions of hosting barbeques and throwing back cold ones outside in the warm spring and summer months. We got by with some lovely VT and Clemson tailgating chairs throughout the end of the fall. But as soon as the weather turned warm, I was researching patio furniture. I didn't even care if it wasn't technically in our budget at the time. In fact, I postponed the reno of our 1/2 bath for the back deck furniture. Apparently owning a house is all about prioritizing projects.... so let's consider this project #2 in a LONG line of projects (I will share more on project #1: photowalls in the entryway and mancave, another time). (As a sidenote: Andy does frequently have to remind me that all of our my projects don't have to be done right away. And he likes to tell me that it is "fun" to have a list of projects for the future. Ha- I'd rather be rich and pay someone to just get them all done immediately, but apparently my teacher salary ain't helping much on that front!)

During my research, I wanted to find something that we really liked and wasn't waaaaaaay out of our realm of a budget. I was shopping in Target one day and saw their patio furniture set-up in the store. I really liked the options they had for their wicker patio set. The cushions were all very diverse, I liked their throw pillow options and outdoor carpet selection. And nothing was crazy expensive. I continued to look for a few weeks until I stumbled upon a huge sale at Target. The patio set I had seen was all on sale. The minute I saw it, I jumped. We ended up saving about $300 with the sale and free shipping promotions. And we LOVE the new look! Everyone is definitely welcome to come help us break in the new furniture anytime!