30 before 30

So my 28th birthday is tomorrow! I came up with a list of 30 things to do before I turn 30. These are all things that I have been wanting to do, but I feel like I'll never get to them if I don't have someone to hold me accountable!

1. Go to confession - it's been a long time people...like 8th grade long time...like last time I was forced to go long time.
2. Take a real family vacation...besides our Honeymoon and memorial day weekend at Table Rock with friends one year, we have never taken a vacation on our own that we planned. The past couple of years have been spent visiting my family in NC and now Chicago. While we've had a great time on each trip, we want to start making some memories with our little family and see places we've never seen.
3. Complete both kids baby books...I never bought a baby book for Brody because I was determined that I was going to scrapbook his babybook. I mean, I was a scrapbooker, why would I settle for a pre-made layout. Well...here we are 3 years later, and Brody has nothing. There are sheets of paper with things jotted down. I have a blog that had 16 posts in his first 3 years. I have been HORRIBLE! I'm so thankful that I discovered digital scrapbooking because there is hope that both kids will have a completely custom babybook.
4. Get a sewing machine...I don't know if I am detailed or patient enough, but I want to make some of the cool things I see online.
5. Learn to sew...my experience goes as far as 7th grade home ec.
6. Volunteer at the food kitchen...our church does it twice a month and I always want to do it, but I never have. Heath won't do it with me...any volunteers?
7. Lose 10 lbs...sigh. I lost 5 so far in my first 2 weeks of substituting the gym for going home and eating at lunch!
8. Grow my own herbs...I love the idea of walking out to the back yard to grab some of my home-grown herbs. I have the perfect pots for them, too.
9. Finish decorating Madelyn's room...budget constraints have kept me from getting too far in here. She needs curtains, and fun stuff on the walls. And I *may* be second guessing the Pepto pink paint I chose for her room. (Heath...are you seeing this?)
10. Finish decorating Brody's room...his is ok, but I have these baseball mats that I need to get frames for. And I *might* want to paint the walls in here too. (I mean, it's going to have to be done before we put the house on the market anyways...)
11. Re-decorate our room...it's been 5 years and I'm just sick of it. Ready for a change. That's all.
12. Put back splash in the kitchen...I have wanted this for a long time. It just doesn't look right without it.
13. Have a garage sale. Come look at our basement and you'll understand.
14. Have Heath build some long floating shelves for the dining room so that we can display more stuff. Our house is really lacking surfaces and there is no room for a hutch or buffet, so these will help. And I really like the way it looks.
15. IF we stay in the house...FINISH THE BASEMENT. We need a space for all of these toys and guests when they come to visit. And now that I just saw that a 4-bedroom house in our neighborhood dropped to $150,000 we won't be putting ours on the market any time soon!
16. Read at least 4 books. I know it's not much, but I cannot find the time to keep up with my magazine subscriptions. I will wait for months on the waiting list at the library for a book to come out and then it will take me a week to pick it up and then I will have to return it before I've had a chance to read it. And then I have to return it because it has other holds. I think I need a Nook.
17. Do the once a month cooking thing. At least try it to see if it works for us.
18. Pay off my car. This will happen...just like to see it in writing!
19. Take an adult ballet class.
20. Get all of my photos backed up on CDs!
21. Make Maddy some bows.
22. Go visit at least 3 friends who don't live here. They are always coming to see me and I am never going to see them. Not fair.
23. Start and stick to my daily cleaning to do list that I put on the cork board in the kitchen a month ago.
24. Start a chore chart and commission for Brody (a la Dave Ramsey, bien sur)
25. Redo deck.
26. Make and hang wreaths on my front door for every holiday/season.
27. Keep up with monthly date night (we've been slacking).
28. Make an effort to support only local businesses (when budget allows...sometimes Price Chopper can't compete with Aldi, Walmart and Target. And we're getting Trader Joe's soon)
29. Jar some salsa.
30. Take a cake decorating class.

There you (I) have it! I'm going to try to revisit this about once every couple of months to keep myself on task. If I have learned anything since having kids, time flies...and I'll be 30 before I know it!