30!

In just a few days I am going to turn 30 years old. Yikes! I don’t think it has even hit me that I will be that old and I will no longer be in my 20’s. It’s crazy how time goes by. Is this supposed to be a momentous occasion in my life? I’m not sure, but I want to make my 30^th year a very momentous year. I’ve never been one to push myself. I do what I want to do and if it’s scary, weird, or hard--I just don’t do it. So this year, in honor of being 30, I am going to do 30 things throughout the year. I’ve sat down and made a list of things—some I want to do, others are things I think I should do. So I plan on tackling two of these a month, or at least trying. I am going to randomly draw them out of a bowl and do them. A few of these are travel related so I may have to plan for them. The point of all this is to make my 30^th year of life the best one ever. I want it to be memorable and I really want to grow this year. So here is my list, in no particular order.

1. Go to a movie alone

2. Pay off my credit card

3. Make a cake from scratch

4. Build a savings account to $5,000

5. See my favorite sports team play

6. Have one month where I only spend money on bills & essentials

7. Dance in the rain

8. Have one weekend free from electronics

9. Take a cooking class

10. Publish a poem

11. Sing with a band

12. Go to New Orleans

13. See a sunrise

14. Take a hot air balloon ride

15. Do 50 pushups consecutively

16. Start a small company

17. Learn a new language

18. Stop watching tv for one week

19. Make a new friend

20. Go to a restaurant and have dessert first

21. Stay overnight at a bed and breakfast

22. Skinny dip

23. Take a photography class

24. Learn to salsa dance

25. Don’t talk for 24 hours

26. Participate in a charity walk

27. Stay in bed all day

28. Workout everyday for one month

29. Get a hot stone massage

30. Drive at the speed limit for one day

So there’s the list! Some of these will be much easier than others, and some may take so time (learn a new language), but I would like to give each one a fair shot.

As I look back on my 20’s I see someone that has grown tremendously. I really KNOW who I am. I know what makes me tick. A few years ago, I don’t think I had truly defined Andrea. I am confident now that I know what I am all about and what I want out of life and I won’t take no for an answer. So watch out 30 here I come!

Oh, The Places You'll Go!

Of all the places I've been and all the places I will visit, there is still no place like home (ok I stole that line!). But it's true. I consider Charlotte my home now, this is where I intend to settle and put down my roots, but Oswego will always be HOME. As boring as it has become, as shabby as it looks, it holds fond memories and of course, my family still resides there.

My most recent trip home was one where I began to see it through new eyes and almost had a lump in my throat when I thought of the way things used to be. Showing my boyfriend around, I felt embarrassed that this was where I grew up. I found myself continually saying "It never used to be like this". It's like finding your childhood teddy bear as an adult. Wow, teddy really does look that bad! I wouldn't trade where I grew up for the world however. There is nothing like growing up next door to your aunts, uncles, cousins, and both sets of grandparents. My family is tight like no other and we have each other's back no matter how long it's been since we've seen each other, but I digress.

I think my open-mind, and my travels have made me appreciate home all the more. I would never move back but I see it for what it is now, but the Oswego I hold in my heart is the one of yesteryear. I don't necessarily enjoy returning, it looks duller and duller with each trip and I swear the people I see are paused in time when I leave because I always find them in the same places when I return. But it's home. and I know that I will always be welcome there.

I haven't forgotten my gratefulness project! I am grateful for growing up in a small town!