30 before 30

Photo by Kaitlin Scott Photography

I turned 29 today, on January 3rd. In one year I will turn 30...which seems slightly unbelievable. Last year on my birthday I quipped that I "have accomplished more than I thought I would, and less than I had hoped".  There is very little about my life that I have any right to complain about. I have worked hard and been blessed. And still I am not satisfied to stay as I am. 

Every year I feel myself pushing forward, pulsing with a renewal of focus and purpose, even if I don't know which direction I'm headed. I have moved to a different state every year for the past 4. In 2012 I moved from Illinois to North Carolina, in 2014 I moved to South Carolina, in 2015 I moved to Kansas briefly, then back to Charleston, then back to North Carolina. In 2016 I moved permanently (as permanently as the Army allows) to Kansas, and in 2017 we moved to Missouri. This summer 2018 we will move yet again, and we don't know where that will be yet. Frankly, I'm tired of defining my life by the constant moving. Its redundant. I want to focus my life instead by the experiences that enrich my time, and spirit in which they are done. 

My word for 2018 is Whole. The things in this list are meant to help me in the pursuit of wholeness. Some of them will challenge me, some will excite me, some will be very hard to pull off while others are meant to soothe and inspire me. If I can do these things, even half of them in the next year, I expect I will feel much more Whole. And that will be a triumph.

So here are 30 things I want to do by the time I turn 30:

1. Take a girls trip

2. Start my YouTube channel "This Full Life with Kelly"

3. Read a new book each month (nonfiction)

4. Attend one workshop for counselors/therapists

5. Get my LPC license

6. Run a 5K

7. Practice piano and voice regularly

8. Get better at yoga, look into certification

Yoga has healed my body is many ways!

9. Read the Bible in a year (again)

10. Visit more museums, art galleries, national parks, monuments

11. Sponsor a child or missionary

12. Adopt a charity/non-profit for the year

13. Take a trip to another country

14. See a Broadway show (maybe Hamilton?)

15. Do a 3^rd wedding anniversary trip

16. Expand Horwood Homes LLC (investment real estate)

17. Start a flower garden/grow my garden

18. Share Jesus with a stranger

19. Start a collection from my travels

20. Pay off all student loans

21. Attend a music festival

22. Fast something for 1 day each week (food, electronics, negativity etc)

23. Learn how to use my DSLR camera

24. Go camping or skiing or some other outdoor adventure

25. Master macaroons

26. Attend more random events for culture (auction, shows, sporting events)

27. Plan a family vacation

28. Invite someone to church

29. Start journaling again

30. Take horseback riding lessons regularly

Owning horses and riding was a dream that I hope comes true again someday!

Girls trip fun from 2017 with my college basketball team!