Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. -Ferris Bueller

In addition to being one of my all-time favorite movies, Ferris Bueller had a lot of insight for a high school student!  As I anticipate turning 29 and beginning the last year of my 20's, it feels like time is passing by quicker each year.  Additionally, I find myself in an 'in-between' of sorts, settled in some aspects of my life and yet anticipating and waiting for other parts of my life to fall into place the way Ryan and I want.  Living in this space makes me sometimes overlook the time and opportunities in front of me because I am too focused on the future and what I hope the future will hold.  As a result, I've decided to undertake this blogging adventure... to live with intention and embrace each moment.  Although there are some things about the future that I can't control, there are many things I can.  So I hope to use this year to take control in my life, and embrace the things that give me great joy and meaning instead of spending time wishing I had something else (insert any of the following here: financial independence, a set career path, a house, etc).
The motivation for the blog comes out of a few different experiences over the last several months.  First and foremost, I've joined an amazing faith sharing group with several other women in totally diverse life situations... and yet we are all experiencing the pangs of transition, 'growing up' and trying to figure out what life is all about.  Our gatherings provide an arena to share and learn from each other, and also to find comfort in knowing I'm not (or Ryan and I aren't) the only one(s) coping with transition and trying to find fulfillment and meaning in the midst of it all... and realizing we don't have complete control!  Journeying with these women has also empowered me to not only name how I'm feeling but more importantly being proactive and looking at life through a new lens.  Another motivation for the blog comes from a recent conversation with friends from college I've recently re-connected with who are bloggers and were discussing the concept of '30 before 30' blogs... I loved the idea and decided to make it my own as well.  Hopefully this blog will help to be an opportunity to learn and grow for myself and the readers (if anyone is out there)?!
I suppose I will wrap up this inaugural post with a sneak preview of a few items on my 'list' of thirty... the rest will be in place by Thursday, the official start of my last year as a 20-something!
Goal #1:  Blog
Okay, maybe that's a cop-out for the first goal... but I think that keeping this blog will be a good way for me to stay accountable to my goals.  Also, I am able to get my thoughts organized through writing, and I like the idea of sharing my thoughts with people and learning from each other rather than keeping a private journal.  (though the blog is semi-private) 

Goal #2:  Camp... a bunch
Starting this summer, Ryan, Annie and I will load up the car and head to New England for our first of (hopefully) many camping trips this year.  We already have another tentative camping date with friends Chris and Liz in the fall, and I plan to coordinate several more camping excursions!  I mean, really, what's not to love:  s'mores, hiking, campfires, all the glory of nature, inexpensive means of travel and accommodations, the list goes on!  Anyone interested, let me know!
Goal #3:  Learn to bake healthily
I love love love to bake, but my waist line resents this passion.  I realize there are ways to healthily do this (though the only time I've used something like applesauce instead of oil in a recipe was because I was out of oil), but I've never delved into the possibilities.  Instead, I've stopped baking.  But, that doesn't work because I really miss baking (and so do my neighbors) so I'd like to educate myself and experiment in the world of healthy baking.
Goal #4:  Explore water sports in the Delaware Valley
One of my greatest frustrations about living in the Philadelphia area (and not in Massachusetts...) is that I miss the ocean and all that it has to offer.  I find being near the water to be very calming, and have many memories of driving myself to the harbor while in high school to relax, contemplate or just be.  I also love the water for the adventures it offers, be it swimming, sailing, canoeing or kayaking.  The idea of swimming in the Schuylkill River frightens me, but there are many ponds, lakes and creeks that I've never explored in the Delaware Valley.  It's still not the ocean, but I think it'll do for now!
Goal #5: Run 
Running has become trendy (even in Philadelphia, dubbed the fattest city in 2000), and last year I got my rear in gear to run the infamous Broad Street Run.  A ten-mile race that runs from North Philadelphia through Center City into South Philadelphia and draws 30,000 runners, BSR taught me that I am capable of reaching my goals if I actually set them, and as long as I commit myself to the steps necessary to obtain the goals (a rigorous training program) nothing will prevent me from accomplishing what I set out to do.  I'd never run more than 2 miles at a time, and within a couple of months I was able to do 10.  Since then, I've only run a 5k mud run... which was awesome, and hilariously how Ryan and I spent our first anniversary- with my brother too!  This year, I'd like to do the mud run again, 10K this time around, and ideally a half marathon (13.1 miles) will be on the docket.
Goal #6: Facebook in moderation

This has been on my to-do list of the last few months, and I hope to continue my commitment to use Facebook in a good way.  It's the ultimate time-suck (did I really just spend 30 minutes looking at 200 pictures from a professional photo shoot of my friends baby?!?) and makes me feel like I am connected with 700 people who I haven't talked to in 15 (or more) years and probably never will talk to again, even if I lived near them.  At the same time, I love FB in that it enables me to be in touch with friends and family that I don't see or talk to every day but like to know what's going on in their lives.  There's gotta be a balance, so hopefully I can find it!
Goal #7: Send (more) cards in the mail
I love getting and sending mail, but it seems like most often my mail contains bills and credit card offers, with an occasional envelope from my dad (with a much appreciated Kohl's gift card!) or a magazine.  I used to send cards and notes like it was my job, but it's been years and years since I've done it.  I can't say it's the cost (I have a huge box full of cards) but I think it's that I just don't think of it.  If I am thinking of someone, I can email, call, text, or send a FB message.  But the feeling of logging onto FB and seeing you have an inbox message is just not the same as gathering your mail and seeing your hand-written address with a familiar friend or family member's address in the return spot.  In addition, I have some great friends and family who don't live nearby anymore, and I am just not the best at keeping in touch with people.  It's time to change that.
Goal #8: Simplify
Ryan and I moved into a larger, 2 bedroom house last year.  I was so excited to have the extra space from our shoe box apartment that we spent our first year of marriage in, but now I realize that I've filled the space with stuff I don't use (or store stuff I've been carrying with me for 10 years that I haven't used since college).  I hope to be intentional about my 'stuff' and streamline my life so that I only have 'stuff' that I need and use... the space fillers need to go (and stay 'gone')!
Goal #9: Network
I joined LinkedIn a few years ago and have never finished my profile.  In addition, I have loads of former classmates and colleagues doing fascinating work in various settings and locations.  I have been blessed to be at my job as a high school teacher for six years now.  I am not looking to network to find a new job necessarily, but perhaps to be inspired and learn ways to enrich my job and school community.  People are doing such amazing things in their ministry and professions, so I'd like to tap into that creative, passionate energy!  Share the love, please!
Goal #10: Read more (turn off the TV)
I've fallen into the bad habit of getting into bed and turning on the TV...  Ryan will be reading or doing a crossword puzzle, and I am trying to get in one last episode of Law and Order (SVU) or anything Food Network.  Though I think watching TV is an okay way to veg out, I also love to read.  I use the excuse that during school, I am constantly reading papers and articles, etc. and so I don't want to read when I'm done at work.  I think it's time to challenge that statement, primarily because I really love getting lost in a book.... I think it's laziness or something.  The summer is a good time to get the momentum going and ignite my passion for reading!  So far, I can't put down James Martin's My Life with the Saints!