Countdown to Thirty

Last weekend, Stephen turned thirty years old. Much like everything else in life, he took it in stride, with grace and dignity. Despite his loving wife making “you’re old” jokes, he entered his thirty-first year of life readily. We had a small get together with friends and family to celebrate his thirtieth, as well as the thirtieth birthday of our good friend Jeff. Good food, good drinks, great friends.

According to the internet, which has only lied to me a couple of times, it is now 167 days until my thirtieth birthday. Maybe it’s a female thing, but turning thirty seems like a pretty darn big deal to me. Though I applaud my husband’s ability to so seamlessly transition into his thirties, I’m a bit more… emotional… about it. But honestly, when am I not more emotional about things than he is?

Thirty.

Remember when thirty was old?  Like, really old? I distinctly remember in high school, which seems both an eternity ago and  like it was just a few years ago, thinking a famous person was attractive and then finding out they were thirty (or over) and thinking how impossible it was that they could be that handsome and that old. Let’s take Brad Pitt for example. It’s pretty much universally accepted that he’s good looking. In 1999, when Fight Club came out, he was 36 years old. I was 15.  How on Earth could someone so handsome be that old? Yet, Stephen is doing it right now, so it can be done.

But here I am, quickly approaching thirty, and I don’t feel old at all. Well, maybe “at all” is a bit of a stretch. I do want to go to bed by like 9:30 every night. I think I had this assumption that by thirty I would be as grown up as I always thought that my parents were at that age. When my mom was thirty, I was five (turning six later that year). When you’re six, doesn’t it seem like your parents have everything under control? Life just runs the way it is supposed to all the time. It’s interesting to be on the other side of the coin now, making the decisions with my husband that affect our family’s future. All the behind the scenes things you never once thought about as a child are all of a sudden your job. Having realized all of this now, I’m even more grateful to my parents. Thanks Mom & Dad for doing all the heavy lifting so that CD and I could just be kids.

For those of you that have been reading my blog for a while, you might remember my 30 Before 30 List. Essentially a bucket list for my twenties, this list was composed of things that I hoped to accomplish before my thirtieth birthday. I’m happy to say I’ve crossed nine things off that list so far. Though nine things doesn’t seem like a big dent, I crossed off the first item (have a baby) and so I think that I’ve accomplished the most important thing. I honestly believe that I am feeling pretty okay with turning thirty because of this one thing. If I entered my thirties having not had a child yet, then I think I would feel old. No offense to those who choose to wait until their thirties to have children, but I always thought I’d start having kids in my mid-twenties, so this is really pushing it on my preconceived notions of an ideal life schedule.

That said, having 167 days to work with, I think I might be able to cross a few more things off of my list. Some are most likely not going to happen, but I am working on a few:

#13: Visit a new National Park: I’ve informed Stephen that I want to go to Grand Teton National Park. It’s in Wyoming, so it’s not too terribly far. We could probably make a long weekend of it. Cabins are not cheap, so we’d probably have to tent camp. With an infant. I’m a little hesitant about that part, but I’m sure people do it all the time (suggestions are welcome). Plus, it looks gorgeous.

#24: Make a pie from scratch: I’m thinking this is doable. I’m trying to eat healthier, so I’m going to need someone to eat the majority of said pie. I think I’m going to try this Whole Wheat Apple Pie. It’s sort of healthier, right? I think the little flowers on top are so cute, though the only cookie cutters I have are Star Wars, so mine might have little Yoda heads on top. Maybe we combine pie with a Star Wars marathon.

#26: Take a class of some sort: I’m actually in process on this one! I’m taking an online photography class through The Great Courses. It’s a series of 24 lectures by Joel Sartore, a professional photographer who works with National Geographic. At about a half-hour each, the lectures are something that I can fit in during Jonathan’s brief daily naps. I’m only four lectures in, but feel like I’m learning a lot already.

I’m actually already enrolled in two courses on Coursera for August and September, so I think I’ve definitely got this one in the bag. The Camera Never Lies and Sports and Society will be my first forays into free online education. I’m very excited to start and have a feeling that I’ll soon be a Coursera addict.

#25: Take a photo worthy of blowing up to decorate our home with: I have a couple possible contenders that I’ve taken over the years, but I’m not sure I have the right space in our home for them to work with. Perhaps #13 mixed with #26 will help me complete this one?

I’m hoping to make it to a few more of the things on this list, but we’ll see what I am able to pull off all while spending my days entertaining an inquisitive baby boy. The older he gets and the more capable he becomes, the more I don’t want to miss a moment of his exploration and discovery of the world around him. Seeing him learn is so incredible.

December will be here before we know it and so will the big 3-0. But really, I’m okay with that. I know my thirties will be filled with incredible things. Jonathan will grow and change in huge and amazing ways during my thirties. We will hopefully have more children in my thirties. We’ll celebrate five years of marriage when we’re thirty. Then ten years in our mid-thirties. I hope to have a home of our own in our thirties. Our thirties will be a time of adventure and I can’t wait to live those adventures with my favorite person.