This Almost-30-Year-Old's Third Decade Bucket List

30 is just days away...tick tock, tick tock haha Honestly, I'm not all that thrilled as it just sounds...older...but if I'm being truly honest, I'm not all that sad about leaving my 20's behind. Although there were some very wonderful moments in time sprinkled throughout my second decade (college graduation, our beautiful wedding and honeymoon, first job, some lovely experiences as an Indiana resident {snow!}, etc), my twenties have been challenging years, all in all. That being said, I have high hopes for this decade, very high hopes indeed. I have things I want to do and places I want to visit as I press on through my thirties. In no particular order, I present to you my third decade "large item" bucket list:

1) Travel abroad -- with the exception of traveling very briefly to Canada to catch a cruise-ship to Alaska for our Alaskan honeymoon adventure, I have never set foot outside of this beautiful country of ours. And I would love to! There are so many places I'd just love to visit - Italy, Greece, Ireland, Egypt (always been a dream of mine to see the pyramids in person), Korea (to finally see and experience first-hand where Jason's family is from), Paris, the list could go on and on. Someday it'll happen. Hopefully it'll be in my 30's :)

2) Travel more -- when we can find the time and have the funds, I'd love to see just what else the US of A has to offer. I'd love to do a cross-country road trip, for instance (and no, our drive from CA to IN most certainly did NOT count, as we weren't able to make any unscheduled stops due to the animals, and pretty much made a beeline for our new destination). I've always wanted to visit Connecticut in the Fall, and we have a few friends sprinkled around in other states {*cough* Washington, Wyoming, Texas, New York *cough*} who we would really enjoy seeing, so hopefully this next 10 year span will allow us to visit a few other states we haven't yet spent a lot of time in.

3) Purchase a home -- this renting stuff is annoying. I don't particularly like not having any control over how the house looks or what we can do to it/with it. I don't like being at someone else's mercy when it comes to repairs or rent increases or how long we can stay somewhere. I don't like being told I can't have more than the animals we've already got. Renting is essentially flushing money down the toilet every month but our situation up until now has not allowed for us to do anything but. We've lived a few years here, a few years there, and are planning another move next year, where we will hopefully be living for longer than just a 2 or 3 year stretch of time. So this will be the decade for putting down some roots and that is exciting.

4) Little Nams -- That's all I'm going to say on that one :)

5) Write my heart book -- I need to do this. I need to do it for me, and I need to do it for the other young folks out there - and their families - who may be in search of a story similar to theirs. I need to share my experiences so that other people don't feel so alone, as I did. I have the tools and the skills, I just need to take the time.

6) More pets -- Something that comes along with owning our own home is the fact that we can build upon our furry kid family. I want a rabbit really, really badly. But it would have to have its own space as I know two fur babies who would just LOVE to get better acquainted with it should we ever bring one in to our home. Also, Jason and I have a list of "must have at some point in our lives" dogs (which includes everything from a Bichon to a St. Bernard) but we shall see, as our current pets are both "only children" in their respective species, if you catch my drift.

7) Keep up with my photography -- I am so glad that I have discovered my passion for photography. I know 'passion' is a strong word, but I get so much joy out of the process. I love how it allows my mind to clear and I love the creative aspects of it. I need to start a web page if only to just display my photographs gallery-style, but I haven't gotten around to doing it. I think the main reason is fear: am I good enough? Would anyone really be interested in what I'm doing? I've also toyed around with opening an Etsy shop. These ideas scare me but I need to push past that fear and use it as fuel to encourage myself to do something that maybe I ordinarily wouldn't. I think it would be really rewarding.

8) Worry less, enjoy more -- yes, I realize that this one is different from the rest of the list as it is emotion based rather than action based but for me, it is an action and it is important and it IS something I desperately need and want to do. I worry. A lot. Too much. About my health (real and imagined or feared), about the future, about the past and how it will affect and impact the future, about other people, about what people think about me. I worry to the point where it can and has gotten in the way of my life, of enjoyment, of LIVING. I want do be better and for me, it will require real work and a conscious effort. I found a quote by Benjamin Franklin that I really like that touches on this subject: "How few there are who have courage enough to own their faults, or resolution enough to mend them." Worrying is a fault of mine, a weakness. It is a problem, I freely admit and own that fact, and I intend to work on mending it.

9) Plant another garden -- no matter where we live next,  I want a garden. Whether it's a container garden, a raised bed garden, a plot in a community garden, or one in our own backyard, I must have it. I can't tell you how much joy I got from growing our own produce. Planting those seeds, tending and caring for them as they grew, and then enjoying and sharing the spoils of our hard work was something that has stuck with me since our first and last garden venture in Redlands...and it must happen again.

10) Flesh out my wardrobe -- this might seem like an odd thing to have on a bucket list but I'm a practical person and if I'm being really honest about what I'd like to do this decade, this item has to be on my to-do list. I want to buy some classic, nice pieces that will last a long time. Read: quality. Our budget has been tight these last several years and while I always try my best to look nice and put together, I can't usually afford things that are of good quality. I hit the sales, or allow myself a tiny splurge now and again, but most of my shopping is done at Outlet malls and the vast majority of my staple clothing items (jeans/pants, dresses/skirts, cardigans, shoes) are from years ago. I try to take good care of them so they don't wear out too soon and I try to buy things that aren't screaming "I'm from {insert year here}" but I get sick of what my closet has to offer, and I'd really love to put together a nice age appropriate wardrobe for myself.

11) Learn something new -- I don't care if it's a new language or a new skill, but I think it's important to keep learning new things. I've thought about learning how to use a sewing machine, learning how to speak Italian, and learning how to throw pottery so maybe this decade will be the one where I actually do one of those things and stop talking about it.

12) Volunteer -- I want to give back. I have really enjoyed working with the other volunteers on organizing the Congenital Heart Walk this coming May and donating my time for that cause. I would like to spend part of a holiday serving food at a shelter; I would like to be a Big Sister to a child in need; I would like to visit with the elderly or kids at hospitals or retirement homes; I would like to be a foster home for dogs or cats awaiting their forever families. It's always important to give.

So there you have it. I'm sure that if I gave it more thought, I could come up with more items to add to my list but off the top of my head, these are the biggies. I hope to add to this list in the coming years and I hope to cross of each and every item by the time I reach the big 4-0. This life is a gift -- I'm excited to see what the next decade has in store!