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:  

  1. Learn to snowboard
  2. Run a half marathon (update: i’m registered and I’m done!!)
  3. Learn how to make soufflé (done)
  4. Stick to my budget for 3 months straight (done)
  5. Pay off credit cards completely (done, still owe dad some $, but no more credit cards)
  6. 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)
  7. Write thank you notes for everything I want to thank people for (pretty much)
  8. Read the Bible all the way through (waaaaay behind)
  9. Learn to sabre a bottle of champagne
  10. Crash a party (done. crashed the JCPR Christmas Lunch after party when I was in London.)
  11. Karaoke! (done, more than a couple times)
  12. Re-learn CPR (forgot to get dad to recertify me when I was in Texas)
  13. Swim in the ocean (and not panic) (done)
  14. Get a physical
  15. Learn to change a flat tire; oil (flat tire - done; oil - not so much)
  16. Midnight trip to the beach; watch the sunrise (watched the sunrise, no midnight trips to the beach just yet)
  17. 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.)
  18. 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.)
  19. Return to TCU for a football game (went back to TCU for a party, pre-football season)
  20. 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)
  21. Watch sunset at Cannon Beach (went to Cannon Beach, it was cloudy, so I have to go back)
  22. Wine taste in Napa (ticket booked, and done and have a stocked wine rack to prove it)
  23. Blog One for Humanity
  24. No turning down invites to do things – just say YES! (done)
  25. Find and watch the whales (done)
  26. Learn to rock climb
  27. Get freelance design/photog business up and going. (in progress)
  28. Host a locally grown/made dinner party
  29. 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)
  30. Buy a killer little black dress

More to come.

[Flash 10 is required to watch video]

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.

    Mission Accomplished {30x30}: Swim in the ocean

    …and not panic. done and done. 

    It was a warm super sunny day in Isla Mujeres, Mexico with the whole family…our Christmas vacation in January.  After 2 days of sunburn (err, sunshine) and 3 days of rain (read: movies and inland island adventures), I found myself standing at the edge of the beach with a mask and snorkel in my hand pondering whether or not I really could, in fact, swim in the ocean without panicking. 

    The white sand, the crystal clear (and warm) water, the tiny bit of a tan that i’m sporting and ultimately knowing that this is the warmest/cleanest water that i’m probably going come across this year gave me the confidence to jump right in and make this happen. Sister didn’t join me in the water so there’s no real proof, but it happened. Head underwater. Swimming ocean-style with a mask and a snorkel.

    I swam a few laps parallel to the beach for a few minutes letting myself get swept away, if only for a moment, by the undercurrent. I didn’t venture too far away from the aqua (shallow-ish) water, but I had plenty of seaweed and cool sandbars to admire. Completely submerged, it was quiet and peaceful. It was hard to think about why this was a big deal.

    It turns out that the only one who panicked, was my 2 year old nephew Evan who was screaming my name bloody-murder style while I waded out over the sandbar and began my 15 minutes of ocean swim time. Apparently he didn’t like it when I disappeared under the water. It turns out, I didn’t mind it.

    I’m definitely not signing up for a SCUBA class just yet, but I’m quite confident that next time I run across crystal clear, 70 degree, aqua-blue ocean, I won’t have a problem diving right in.

    1 down on my 30x30 list. 29 more to go. Making things happen feels good. 

    Officially registered…

    I currently can’t even run 2 miles without stopping, but I’m at least limitedly convinced that in June, I’ll be able to run 13.1. Today, I officially registered for the Seattle Rock and Roll Half Marathon.

    Who in their right mind thinks I’ll be able to run that far (at one time) six months from now?

    Dearest Jesus,
    Thank you for the swift kick in the a$s that led to this decision.
    I’m thankful for the encouragement of my dear, sweet friend Britt, who signed up for her first ever full marathon. Help us keep each other accountable in our respective training programs and please help me keep from cursing your name while trying to get ready physically. And please let it be sunny and glorious on June 25, 2011. That is all (for now).
    Amen.

    PS - the quest to conquer my 30 by 30 has officially reached a new level. 

    30 by 30

    last Thursday was my 29th birthday. it stirred up a wealth of emotions and got me thinking about what used to think my life would look like at 30. when i was a kid (or heck, even a high schooler), 30 seemed so old. Of course I’d be married and have kids by 30. I don’t have a master’s degree, don’t own any property, have never been in love, don’t know exactly what I want to do with my life, etc. It’s been a hard reality to compare myself to friends who’ve hit the mark already.

    Obviously, since that’s not the plan God has for me at the moment, I’ve stopped comparing. And I made a list of skills and experiences I want to live out during the last year of my 20s. And so it begins…

    1. Learn to snowboard
    2. Run a half marathon (update: i’m registered and I’m done!!)
    3. Learn how to make soufflé (done)
    4. Stick to my budget for 3 months straight
    5. Pay off credit cards completely (update: two down, one to go)
    6. Read 12 books (update: four down: Skinny Bitch, The Shack, Blue Like Jazz, The Non-Runner’s Guide to Running for Women, Humility: True Greatness)
    7. Write thank you notes for everything I want to thank people for (in progress)
    8. Read the Bible all the way through (waaaaay behind)
    9. Learn to sabre a bottle of champagne
    10. Crash a party
    11. Karaoke!
    12. Re-learn CPR
    13. Swim in the ocean (and not panic)
    14. Get a physical
    15. Learn to change a flat tire; oil
    16. Midnight trip to the beach; watch the sunrise
    17. Learn to sail (for reals) (Update: signed up for sailing lessons!)
    18. Climb a mountain (or really big hill). aka hike in the PNW (Update: Hoh Rainforest, Cape Flattery (which isn’t really a hike as much as a nature walk), etc.)
    19. Return to TCU for a football game (update: went back to TCU for a party, pre-football season)
    20. Drive the Pacific Coast Highway (Update: 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)
    21. Watch sunset at Cannon Beach (went to Cannon Beach, it was cloudy, so I have to go back)
    22. Wine taste in Napa (ticket booked: LABOR DAY WEEKEND, BABY)
    23. Blog One for Humanity
    24. No turning down invites to do things – just say YES! (YES! went and saw Dave Ramsey Live!, quit my job, got a new job, ran a 187 mile Ragnar Relay, Sounders game, fantasy football, etc)
    25. Find and watch the whales
    26. Learn to rock climb
    27. Get freelance design/photog business up and going. (in progress)
    28. Host a locally grown/made dinner party
    29. Attend/participate in 12 local festivals (8 down, 4 to go: Chocolate Festival in Ocean Shores, Tulipfest, Pridefest, Rock and Roll Marathon fest, Ragnar Finishline Party, St. Edwards Beerfest, Taste of Sonoma, Fremont Oktoberfest)
    30. Buy a killer little black dress