Another year older...

So it is official.  I have turned 30.  This weekend ushered in a new era of me.  It was filled with some of the best friends I could ask for, supportive family, and the realization that turning 30 meant nothing other than another year of experiences to learn from.

My weekend started out with my paraprofessional, Pam surprising me on Friday.  When I came into work (after a much appreciated 2 hour delay), she had my classroom decorated in balloons an this was hanging outside my door.

She had secretly gotten my mom to give her pictures of me growing up and made a beautiful 30-shaped collage.  It was pretty awesome seeing how far I've come.  

Saturday night some of my friends came by to celebrate.  That celebration eventually ended in a game of darts around 2:30am that included Tim and I going against my brother and mom.  Good stuff.  

Sunday was my actual birthday, and actually ended up being the most low key.  Most of the day was spent lounging around, which was briefly interrupted by my involvement in a pretty epic picture for Tough Mudder (more on that a different time).  Finally my mom made my favorite meal and I finished out the day with my family.  

I found it pretty awesome that on my special day, this was in our newspaper.

Yep, that's me and some of the ladies of Team Adrenaline gracing the cover of this month's Her Times (part of our local newspaper).  They had put a call out for local ladies to share how they get fit and fellow TA member, Jen Kelly, wrote a beautiful response recognizing the importance of camraderie.  Read hers, and the other responses here.

As I turned the page into the next chapter of my life, I recognized how much my goals have changed.  Since the last list was so much fun, I decided to come up with another list of things I want to accomplish.  This time, I'm giving myself 10 years.  I figured coming up with 40 things I want to do before I turn 40 wouldn't be too difficult.  Still, I found myself short.  I have already accomplished so much, and I'm still figuring out where I want to go from here.  So, I took the items from my 30 before 30 life that I still wanted and went from there.  Recognizing how much change can occur, I also left a few spots at the end so that I can ambitions as they come up. 

Bri's 40 Before 40 List

1. Run a marathon - Already registered!  Wineglass Marathon - October 2014.

2. Visit Ireland

3. Get a tattoo

4. Ride on a motorcycle

5. Travel further west than Toledo

6. Attend an NFL football game, preferably Steelers

7. Completely refinish one room of the house

8. Have the equivalent of one month's salary in savings

9. Golf a full 18 holes, and keep score

10. Pay off all my credit card debt

11. Take M to Disney

12. Swim with dolphins

13. Complete a triathlon

14. Earn my Ed.D in Special Education or at least start on my coursework

15. Become a Health Coach

16. Go ziplining

17. Ride a horse

18. Hug a koala bear

19. Take pictures of my feet in the ocean on both the Atlantic and Pacific coast

20. Host a holiday meal

21. Learn to drive a stick shift

22. Have a conversation in Spanish

23. Be able to complete a pull up

24. Volunteer

25. Attend an even that requires formal attire

26. Write letters to the five people who have most impacted my life

27. Ride in a helicopter

28. Run in the Disney Princess Half Marathon

29. Go on a cruise

30. Donate my hair (again)

31. Go wine tasting in a limo or party bus

32. Completely unplug for a week, write about the experience

33. Make something and sell it

34. Repeat our honeymoon, only this time bigger and better

35. Go for a day sail on the Niagara

36. To be added when I'm 32

37. To be added when I'm 34

38. To be added when I'm 36

39. To be added when I'm 38

40. To be added when I'm 39

Looks like I have some work to do, but I'm excited to get started.  Getting to 30 has been quite the journey, and I can't wait to see what is coming up next!