My 30 Before 30 List!

These are 30 Things I'd Like to Do Before I Turn 30.

(I will be 30 on Sunday, May 2, 2021)

• Graduate from College with a Bachelor's Degree.
• Fall in love and marry in the temple <3 (Bonus - Family pictures, every year! ^^)
• Be absolutely worthy of the blessings mentioned in my patriarchal blessing.
• Find a home (by which I mean an apartment/house/whatever where I could potentially live for a minimum of 4 years without having to pack up and move!)
• Go abroad (and take like a million pictures while traveling!)
• Get into the best physical shape of my life. (Not necessarily "Skinny" but definitely "Healthy!")
• Love My Job! (Whether I'm working as a photographer, designer, housewife, and/or mother, etc. etc.)
• Be able to speak at least 1 foreign language, fluently.
• Buy a car (one that I paid for, and not actually belonging to my parents :P)
• Scrapbook (or at the very least, find some way to efficiently organize and journal all the events of my life so I can look back on everything one day).
• Create a body of work (photography/design/art) that I can be truly proud of.
• Pay off my Student Loans. (At the very least, pay off 1/2 of the total amount upon graduation).
• Own my own firearm (but pray every day that I will never actually have to use it for protection).
• Learn to get prepared for emergencies without letting fear get the better of me (actually have food storage, emergency kits, etc. and be able to put them together without having a breakdown, freak out, or nightmares).
• Find a healthy and effective way to manage my stress.
• Memorize all the scripture mastery scriptures. (Bonus points - in 2 languages!)
• Learn how to do at least 1 ballroom dance (preferably tango).
• Teach others about something I'm passionate about (photography, design, etc.)
• Live in a big city.
• Receive a love letter.
• Go on a road trip with at least 3 other friends - record videos and take lots of pictures along the way.
• Learn to write thank you cards (and always do so when good manners calls for it!)
• Win a game of Risk
• Go to DIsneyLand AND DisneyWorld
• Express to my friends/family how much I love them and how much they mean to me!
• Make a difference in someone's life.
• Learn to manage my allergies so well that they don't affect my days at all.
• Find and buy a pair of CUTE and COMFORTABLE high heels :p (Bonus - Learn to walk in said high heels!)
• Learn to be more patient.
• Live to age 30 (...maybe this should have been the first thing on the list! :P)

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Solution Saturday...

I don't think this will be a weekly thing, but I like alliteration so I figured it'd be an acceptable post title! :P

So, first problem?
I've gotten a little *cough*a lot!*cough* outta shape since I left UT to visit family for 2 months. Prior to leaving UT, I had access to the community gym and was hitting the treadmills there about 5 days a week for 30-40 min.

The solution?

Once I return to UT, I will once again have access to treadmills and what-not since I'll be living on-campus and can get to the rec./fitness center *yay!*
Since I'm not so great about setting up fitness plans (generally I just wing it and then get upset when I'm not seeing any improvement) so...I've found a few simple ones that I think I could follow!

• The Starter's Exercise Plan
• Train for Long Distance Running (really I'd just like to eventually be able to run for a sustained amount of time)
• The 100 WorkOut
• 30 Minutes, No Equipment (just in case the gym is crowded!)

A Little Encouragement: (1) (2) (3)

Okay, Second problem?

I've never been much of a breakfast person. I don't know if it's because of hypoglycemia (my blood sugar drops so low while I sleep that I wake up feeling kinda sick pretty much every morning) or because I've never been particularly fond of breakfast foods at breakfast time (I'm very texture specific, and squishy eggs, mushy oatmeal, and soggy cereal just don't sound particularly pleasant to me - especially in the morning).

The Solution?

THIS amazing bowl. Isn't it brilliant!? I totally want one! :P

Third Problem?

Apparently there are lots of potholes in Paris. (There are lots of potholes in other places as well).

The Solution?

A Parisian Woman started to fill potholes with yarn! It's not a permanent or perfect solution, but it looks cool and maybe it'll lead to a more permanent solution by hinting to authorities that something needs to be done!

Last Problem?

Too much Facebook?

Solution?

Envision a world without Facebook (personally, I prefer a world WITH Facebook, it's easier to share things with friends).

Embracing the Transition

(I actually wrote this a few months ago, but seeing as how I haven't updated this blog in forever and need to start updating it a little more consistently, I figured I'd start by posting this :P )

Disclaimer: I tend to be pretty over dramatic, so when I say "all my friends" I generally just mean the 40% of them that are engaged/married/etc. - I DO have single friends too - but I was whining when I wrote this so I just HAD to be overdramatic and say "all" :P

My Food Recommendations...

I'm a total foodie and love to find new (really tasty) places to eat. I've decided to start documenting them all - so here's the list so far (it will keep growing as I remember/find new places!)

UTAH -

Sammy's Cafe

(Burgers, Amazing Sweet Potato Fries, and Pie Shakes!)

27 North 100 West

Provo, UT 84601

http://sammyscafe.blogspot.com/

(They also have a location in Rexburg, ID)

Cocoa Bean Cupcake Cafe

(Amazing cupcakes, tasty frappes made with cocoa beans instead of coffee beans, and hot chocolate!)

1774 North University Parkway

Provo, UT

http://thecocoabeancupcakecafe.blogspot.com/

(They also have locations in Idaho Falls and Rexburg, ID)

Roy's Burger Bar

(This place was featured on Diner's, Drive-Ins, and Dives on the Food Network - and for good reason!)

5291 S 1900 W

Roy, UT 84067

CALIFORNIA -

Little Italy Spaghetteria

(Fantastic Italian food - the Pizza, the Calamari, the Bread, Goat Cheese, and the Sausages are all great!)

1953 India St

San Diego, CA 92101

http://littleitalyspaghetti.com/

Pat & Oscar's

(Their breadsticks are famous as well as their House dressing. I can also recommend the Caesar Salad, the Pepperoni Pizza, and the the Pasta with Alfredo Sauce)

29375 Rancho California Rd.

Temecula CA 92590

http://www.breadstick.com/

(They have locations throughout San Diego, Orange County, Inland Empire, and one in LA!)

TEXAS -

Rudy's Bar-B-Q

(I've heard recommendations for just about everything there - but I can personally recommend the Smoked Turkey Sandwich and the Chocolate and Tres Leches Cake. Make sure you also try the Sauses <-NOT a mispelling! :p)

7970 Gateway East Blvd.

El Paso, TX 79907

http://rudys.com/

(They have locations all over TX, as well as one in Norman, OK; Albuquerque, NM; and Colorado Springs, CO)

Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!

This year, I decided to be my own valentine!

So I wrote a little letter of kind encouragement to myself!

(Image found on Pinterest.com)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Me,

Happy Valentine's Day, Beautiful!

Just some important things to keep in mind as you find new ways to accept and love yourself…

You've been clinging to a crappy past because you're scared of the future. You need to stop, it's affecting your friendships and relationships, and keeps you from being comfortable around people who care about you and who want to know you better. Just because bad things have happened, doesn't mean they will continue to happen. You need to let go, learn to trust people again, and stay positive - everything is going to be okay.

You've only recently learned that you're worth so much more than you thought before.

Don't let catty girls get to you, and unkind guys take advantage.

You're worth a healthy relationship, stop letting guys get away with stupid stuff and stop making excuses for them. You are worthy of a kind, smart, righteous guy who is willing to put forth the time and effort of getting to know you, and who makes you happy.

You're worth good friendships, ones in which your friends make you happy and comfortable with who you are. Avoid people who are manipulative, who turn you into a negative person, who upset and bother you, and who take advantage of you.

(Remember, there's a level of discomfort that's acceptable because you're stepping out of your comfort zone and learning something new. But there's also a level of discomfort that says that something is wrong. Know the difference and follow your instincts and intuition.)

You've become aware of how attractive you are, but you still sometimes struggle to keep it in mind.

Continue to come to terms with your natural and beautiful figure, your bright smile, and your pretty eyes. Learn to see God's mastery of creation in every part of you and learn to truly appreciate it.

Finally, don't forget your intelligence and your determination. You're smart, and you're always learning new things about the world and everything in it. Don't ignore your intelligence, remember to learn something new everyday and find ways of using your intelligence to help others. And don't allow your determination to become dormant, even if you're not entirely sure where you want to go in life, you know that you're bound to become something amazing so at the very least, maintain a determination to always be moving forward.

Stay Positive!

Love ALWAYS,

Me

Skipping a Few Chapters...

I know I haven't posted on here in forever but I figured I'd try to make a return to this blog...

So just a review of everything that's happened since my last post:

In 2010 I...

• Dated long distance, and naturally - it ended
• Dated a new guy for a while - he was super awesome (best guy so far), but that ended as well
• Dated a few others but they were really nothing special
• Did okay academically over Spring and Summer semesters, bombed fall semester due to burnout
• Moved in with my best friend and, sadly, shortly thereafter found out why people say that it's a bad idea to live with your best friend (although it still confuses me how that doesn't work out when you ultimately wind up living with your spouse, who's supposed to be your best friend!)
• Moved back in with my parents...and subsequently reverted back to my hermitic, high school self (I have to force myself to hang out with friends and be social - not because I don't like my friends but because living at home makes me pretty anti-social)
• Had a lot of friends get engaged/married (thus destroying my own personal Provo version of Sex and the City with all my single friends :p )
• Re-friended a former ex-friend
• Played a lot of video games
• Got an awesome work study job at the UVU Woodbury Art Museum and learned about how museums work (and as much as I enjoyed it...ruled out Museum studies as a potential major - I prefer making art vs. procuring and displaying it, but it was a fantastic learning opportunity and I enjoyed getting to know my co-workers!)

So far in 2011, I have/am...

• Taking spring semester off (by the end of Fall semester I'd decided that having gone to school non-stop for 2 years straight, I desperately needed a break)
• I went on a date with a good friend of mine, we went shooting - long story short, I shot his truck...and will forever feel bad for it (side note: the truck thing was an accident - I'd never used a scope before. I'm actually pretty good with a gun, I promise)
• Transferring schools and changing majors! I withdrew from UVU and transferred to UofU, now I'm trying to decide on a major
• Working on some photography/illustration/design projects and a professional website

...That's kind of it for now...more to come later!