34 before 34: Catching up...

As I shared in my last post, I've been a little off of blogging. It started with the holidays and just continued through a new job, a big move and some pretty major (awesome!) life changes. 

Back in December, I shared that a lovely friend of mine had written a "30 things to do before I turn 30" list. I was inspired and decided to write my own list. Some big things, some little things. Simple and a little random was the theme I was going for. I just started brainstorming and tried not to edit myself too much and came up with my "34 before 34" list (afterall, why should the 29-year-olds have all the fun?).

I'm just about 6 months away from my 34th birthday so it's about time I caught you up. 

#2. Watch It's a Wonderful Life
I can't believe I've gone my whole life and just never sat down to watch it. Well I did this past Christmas and it was lovely. At first I didn't get what all the fuss was about but the movie ended and I found myself crying like a baby and in the Christmas spirit!

#7. Attend a conference
In April I attended a regional conference for the National Association of Campus Activities. It was so wonderful getting to know my students better just a few weeks into my new job (I work with student activities at Bemidji State University). NACA was a fascinating conference--not as much education as I would have hoped but A LOT of entertainment as artists showcased their talents for campus activities board members.

#15. Take Curly Girl to a show and make it a special date night
We took Curly Girl to see the Nutcracker in December. We put her in her Christmas dress and took her out for dinner while GiGi stayed home with a babysitter. She loved the first half and had such a great time but a bit of a meltdown as we neared bedtime and tried to get through the second half. She talked about it for weeks afterward!

Okay, so not my best photography. ALL of my pictures turned out horribly so good thing I have the memories to sustain me. 

#17. Start the girls' savings accounts
A new house. A new mortgage. A new bank. This was an easy one. We just opened them right up with everything else. Now I need to log on and start an auto-transfer so I don't forget to fill them. (Added that to my to-do list today!)

#18. Buy something from Zulily
Man! Being a young mom, you know I see Zulily advertisements online EVERYWHERE! I had always been curious but never bothered to explore it. I finally started an account and have now made two purchases--a scarf, a tote bag and a set of curtains and now a second order of summer clothes. This could become addicting...

#21. Become a person who makes my bed every day {okay, most days}
Done! ... most days. So funny how you can just make a decision and spend a few weeks getting into a habit and accomplish something you've been thinking about your whole life. (If only giving up sweets could be so easy!)

And who wouldn't want to plop down in that bed every day?

   
#22. Do a 3 day juice fast
We did this after the holidays when we were all junked out after too much sugar and too many food-filled family gatherings. It was actually an awesome experience and one I think I'll repeat at some point. We did Joe Cross' 3 Day Juice Cleanse featured on the Dr. Oz show. We drank 2-3 juices a day (five was just way too much!) and ate a clean, vegan dinner. We both dropped 10 pounds within the week, which slowly crept it's way back when we returned to normal eating (not that weight loss was the goal). We both felt super energetic in the days that followed and felt so much cleaner and healthier.

#26. Explore Bemidji, Minnesota
I suppose moving there counts. I've done more exploring that I imagined when I wrote that list. Ha ha!

#30. Start wearing jackets
Jackets always look great but for some reason I always worried that they'd be too much in my day-to-day wardrobe. Wrong. They always look great! I purchased three to start with from my very favorite boutique and now I've always got my eye out for them. I probably slip one on at least once a week and never fail to get compliments.