keeping an eye on all the awesome fun being had at the big hill behind our house today… snowy days off = win!
Turning thirty and revisiting the {30x30} list.
Today I turn thirty.
A little less than a year ago, I had a minor freakout that it was approaching and I wasn’t ready. I hadn’t yet figured out my life. I was living in a city I didn’t appreciate working way too many hours at a job I didn’t love. I wasn’t married (not even remotely close), and didn’t have what some of my 30+ year old friends did (I didn’t own a home, I don’t have a master’s degree, etc.). Part of me wanted to go back to Texas, get away from all the things that weren’t happening here in Seattle, and start anew…again.
After many a conversation with people older and smarter than me, I realized that perhaps the reason stuff wasn’t happening is because I wasn’t living my life in such a way to make stuff happen. Sometimes you have to take life by the horns and just make shit happen, ya know? Obviously I probably couldn’t earn a master’s, buy a home or find a husband in a year, but I started thinking about what I could do.
So I made a list of 30 things I’d talked about wanting to do for awhile and I decided to start figuring out how to actually make them happen. Some things I’d done before (TCU football games, karaoke, etc.), some I’ve always thought sounded cool but never thought I could accomplish (half marathon - say what?, sabre a bottle of champagne - is it even really possible? - yes, yes it is.).
Over the last 11 months, I’ve made progress on my list, but it’s by no means finished, and that’s okay. Working my way through the list made me realize that it’s not about checking things off, it’s about living life in an edge-of-your-seat kind of way. Moreso than what I’ve done on my list, I’m most excited about all the stuff that came out of nowhere. I’ve been absolutely blown away by the last year. A few highlights that I never saw coming:
- I found my dream job.
- I ran in a Ragnar Relay (187 miles, baby) because with the right pair of shoes, some amazing friends and a van full of supplies, is there reason enough not to?
- I started (and then stopped) online dating again. :)
- I fired a number of weapons and made some really great new friends.
- I got to hire and create a team.
- I painted myself green and went to a stranger’s party for halloween.
- I went to Tokyo (and survived my first earthquake), New York City and London all in the first 6 months of my dream job, vacayed in Mexico with the fam, made 2 trips to Texas, wine tasted in Napa and am headed to ATL for Christmas. All contributed significantly to my newly established airline elite status.
The above alone makes for a very action packed and fulfilling year. Add it to what I checked off my 30x30 and I’m heading into this new season full of some amazing experiences and eagerly anticipating what’s to come. I’ll keep working on the list too, but if you’re interested, here’s an update on where things stand today:
- Learn to snowboard
- Run a half marathon (update: i’m registered and I’m done!!)
- Learn how to make soufflé (done)
- Stick to my budget for 3 months straight (done)
- Pay off credit cards completely (done, still owe dad some $, but no more credit cards)
- Read 12 books (read 9 out of 12: Skinny Bitch, The Shack, Blue Like Jazz, The Non-Runner’s Guide to Running for Women, Humility: True Greatness, Decision Points, The Dukan Diet, A Million Miles in A Thousand Years, Money)
- Write thank you notes for everything I want to thank people for (pretty much)
- Read the Bible all the way through (waaaaay behind)
- Learn to sabre a bottle of champagne
- Crash a party (done. crashed the JCPR Christmas Lunch after party when I was in London.)
- Karaoke! (done, more than a couple times)
- Re-learn CPR (forgot to get dad to recertify me when I was in Texas)
- Swim in the ocean (and not panic) (done)
- Get a physical
- Learn to change a flat tire; oil (flat tire - done; oil - not so much)
- Midnight trip to the beach; watch the sunrise (watched the sunrise, no midnight trips to the beach just yet)
- Learn to sail (for reals) (I’m well on my way…i know what a beam reach is and i know when the wind is pushing or pulling the boat through the water. and i’m pretty good manning the sheets and the helm.)
- Climb a mountain (or really big hill). aka hike in the PNW (Done a couple - could do more: Hoh Rainforest, Cape Flattery (which isn’t really a hike as much as a nature walk), etc.)
- Return to TCU for a football game (went back to TCU for a party, pre-football season)
- Drive the Pacific Coast Highway (It’s been brought to my attention that Hwy 101 in the PNW is technically part of the Pacific Coast Highway, so I’m halfway there. I want to drive it with the windows down in California though. That’s still TBD)
- Watch sunset at Cannon Beach (went to Cannon Beach, it was cloudy, so I have to go back)
- Wine taste in Napa (ticket booked, and done and have a stocked wine rack to prove it)
- Blog One for Humanity
- No turning down invites to do things – just say YES! (done)
- Find and watch the whales (done)
- Learn to rock climb
- Get freelance design/photog business up and going. (in progress)
- Host a locally grown/made dinner party
- Attend/participate in 12 local festivals (i hit 9: Chocolate Festival in Ocean Shores, Tulipfest, Pridefest, Rock and Roll Marathon fest, Ragnar Finishline Party, St. Edwards Beerfest, Taste of Sonoma, Fremont Oktoberfest, Tokyo Game Show)
- Buy a killer little black dress
More to come.
Mission Accomplished {30x30}: Learn to sabre a bottle of champagne.
It wasn’t nearly as hard as I thought and I mastered it on my first try. Also, you can count on me to bring a bottle of champagne to the next 10 parties I attend, not because I want to show off my new party trick (although I do) but because I thought it might take a case-worth of bubbles to master this.
Little did I know the underlying lesson of this little trick would be applicable to the lot of things on my list:
It’s easier than it looks. Just do it.
{30x30} mission: say yes when asked to do things
Some things in life (and on my 30x30 list) just aren’t checkoffable. When I lived in London for 6 months back in 2002, one of the things I set my mind to was trying every new experience that came my way. I wanted to make sure I lived every bit of life there was to live while I was abroad. Whether it was something new to eat/drink, someplace new to travel, a new museum, a theatre invite, a walk through the city, whatever - my answer was always yes. During those 6 months I really did have the time of my life; it opened my eyes to a world I otherwise probably wouldn’t have seen. I found myself laughing, dancing, drinking and experiencing more than I ever did back at home in the States.
So when I made my list of 30 things to do before turning 30, it really was an exercise in setting out to accomplish things I’ve always wanted to do. Living that “yes, yes, of course, yes” mindset seemed an ideal thing to add to the list. It’s not something I can check off the list after doing one thing though - it’s a mindset for the whole year. And to be honest, it’s opened my eyes to a whole new world of things I’ve never thought possible. Here’s what’s happened so far:
{30x30} #24: No turning down invites to do things - Just say YES!
- I went to see Dave Ramsey Live - something I’ve been avoiding for seriously 5 years. I knew my debt was getting bad but it was something (perhaps a little like my health) that I was hell bent on ignoring.
- I took an interview with the largest independent PR firm in the world and subsequently accepted the job offer.
- I went out on a date with a guy I met online.
- I agreed to run the 190 mile Northwest Passage Ragnar Relay race from the Canadian border to the south tip of Whidbey Island, WA. And it actually happened. Run. Eat. Sleep. Repeat x3. Super fun.
My whole “just say yes” attitude also took me to Texas last week for a friend’s post-Bar celebration. So. Much. Fun.
Can’t wait to see what comes of this over the next five months.
Mission Accomplished {30x30}: Learn how to bake souffle
I think it was reinforced by that movie Because I Said So, but a girl just has to know how to bake a souffle, right? I’d never had souffle before yesterday and I’d certainly never tried to make it, but I’ve also thought that a souffle would be something worth knowing how to bake. So when I made my 30 by 30 list back in December, souffle was right near the top.
Thanks to a super simple recipe (via Smiling Fork) and a tiny bit of inspiration from theflightrisk, last night I learned baked souffle. I used 1/2 milk and 1/2 super dark chocolate as it’s all I had in the pantry. And it was delicious. So delicious.
Mission accomplished. Souffle. Bam.
Mission Accomplished {30x30}: Run a Half Marathon
Last Saturday was the Seattle Rock and Roll Half Marathon. And I finished it! I have a medal and everything to prove it!
Signing up for this race prompted me to start running. Back in January when I signed up, I figured I’d better practice getting my ass off the couch and moving in a forward direction before I had to do it for 13.1 miles all at a time. So I did. Training went well for awhile and I got up to about 7 miles before my training took an abrupt halt (quitting my job, getting a new job, having to take the bus and walk 1.75 miles to/from work everyday and getting home past 8pm really doesn’t inspire one to then go run 6+ training miles, yada yada).
Anyway - in true Spence family style, we made team shirts (No Spence left behind) and the whole fam came to town in support. Both my sisters (+one boyfriend) even came ready to race alongside me, which was a bonus. They didn’t run their race, they ran mine. Having my sisters there to support me, to document the journey, to teach me about gu, to tell me to take shorter strides, to convince me that i should port-a-potty before we start, to make me laugh, to slap my ass, and ultimately keep me motivated and moving in a forward direction for 13.1 miles was really one of the nicest things anyone’s ever done for me.
The first 5 miles flew by and while I walked a bit more than I wanted, I enjoyed the run. The people, the music, the energy was all awesome. Mile 6 and 7 were like the longest miles of my life and after the first 5 just few by I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why they weren’t doing the same. It occurs to me now that during training, I never made it (consistently) for more than 6.5 miles - most of my runs were around 4-5 miles (since I skipped out of the last 2 months of consistent training/mileage building - okay yeah bad idea - i know). 
Running along Lake Washington along Seward Park was so beautiful and we even saw two bald eagles, one of which swooped down and caught a fish. We ran through a memorial stretch lined with American flags and photos of soldiers who’d been killed in Iraq/Afghanistan. It was all I could to do maintain my composure and keep moving forward. My iPhone died at mile 9 (wtf?) so the last 4 miles were without my little Nike+ woman telling me how much further I had to go (tragic). Good thing I had my sisters to mileage check and serenade me between mile markers/bands. Running through the I-90 tunnel was pretty awesome and the downhill stretch into Seattle was long but beautiful. I couldn’t have asked for better weather, better sisters or a better way to accomplish such a feat.
3 hours and 20 minutes after we started, praise the Lord, we finished. I will run another. Maybe even another one this year. But next up, a 200 mile Ragnar relay race from Canada to the south tip of Whidbey Island. It’s next month (July 22) and I can’t wait to be stuck in a sweaty van for 2 days with 5 of my closest friends while we and 6 other crazy people relay 200 miles.
So, I’m halfway through my 29th year and I’m slowly but surely marking things off my {30x30} list. Run a half marathon — done.
Where's Waldman: Swings: Los Angeles Swings: Bolivia
yay for a Kickstarter project coming to life! Can’t wait to see the impact of these swings in Bolivia!
To those that haven’t been following what I’ve been up to lately, here is a break down:
Edit: Here’s a nice local news piece by the CBS affiliate.
Last year friends and I hung swings across San Francisco and the reception was incredible. I went on to install more in the…
Source: jeffwaldman
outdoor movie season is upon us!!
and since its easier to check one place rather than 5, here’s the running list of what’s showing when and where on the eastside of Seattle. Kirkland, Redmond, Woodinville, etc.
July 13: Wizard of Oz | at Marymoor
July 14: Strange Brew | at Redhook
July 17: Star Trek | Carillon Point
July 20: Dodgeball | at Marymoor
July 21: Revenge of the Nerds (21+) | at Redhook
July 24: Moulin Rouge | Carillon Point
July 27: Ghostbusters | at Marymoor
July 28: Predator | at Redhook
July 31: Monsters Vs Aliens | Carillon Point
Aug 3: Mamma Mia | at Marymoor
Aug 4: Stripes | at Redhook
Aug 7: Overboard | Carillon Point
Aug 10: Toy Story 3 | at Marymoor
Aug 11: The Fighter (21+) | at Redhook
Aug 14: The Twilight Saga: New Moon | Carillon Point
Aug 17: True Grit | at Marymoor
Aug 18: The Blues Brothers | at Redhook
Aug 21: Up | Carillon Point
Aug 24: E.T. The Extra Terrestrial | at Marymoor
Aug 31: Up | at Marymoor
Marymoor Park | Wednesdays, Admission $5
Doors open at 7 pm at MacNair Field in King County’s Marymoor Park. Family, friends, blankets, dogs and lawn chairs welcome. There will be trivia contests, games and prizes. Movie starts at dusk.
Redhook | Thursdays, Admission $5.
Redhook Beers, wine, soda and BBQ food will be available in the Beer Garden until the movie starts. Gates and taps open at 6 pm; movie starts at dusk. Lawn chairs, blankets and picnics allowed. No pets, BBQs or outside alcohol.
Carillon Point | Saturdays, Admission $5 (benefits Hopelink)
Venue opens one hour before dusk. Lawn chairs ideal as the seating is on concrete. Some chairs provided. $5 admission will benefit Hopelink along with concessions sales.
AN OPEN LETTER TO HOLLYWOOD:
Live action Beauty and the Beast movie. Anne Hathaway as Belle, Javier Bardem as the Beast, Meryl (only one name needed) as Mrs Potts, Coco O’Brian as Lumiere, Danny Devito as the clock, Ryan Reynolds as Gaston, and Zach Galifinakis as his silly little bff. THANKS SO MUCH.
Source: runlikeella
back in the habit
5/31 MILEAGE: 2mi, 12 min pace probably… and a PR for the mile
ROUTE: Apt down 68th to State Street, down a ways, down to the waterfront, up the huge hill on 5th, back along State, back up 68th and back to apt
Hello my name is Carey and it’s been 30 days since my last run. I know, I know. I think it’s been mostly mental, but I’ve had a lot of excuses work-wise, allergy wise, etc. Busted out 2 miles though. And a new personal best for the mile. Yes it was all downhill, but it matters not. In 24 days I will run a half marathon. It would be great if it was almost entirely downhilll. Who do I talk to about making that happen?
