30 Before 30 Project Recap

Well, today is my birthday which means my 30 Before 30 Project is over.

I originally set these goals in April and gave an update on how the project was going in July. Overall, I think the project was a good idea because it kept me mindful of short and long term goals that were really important to me. I do think it was too much to try to accomplish all of these things in less than a year though. Still, having this list kept me much more focused than I would if I didn’t have it. I like the idea of having an ongoing list of goals that are revisited often – not just resolutions made in January and forgotten about by May. I may try and post a list like that here on my blog quarterly.

Here is the full recap of my 30 Before 30 Project:

1. Donate to two non-profit organizations – I made donations to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (very dear to my family) and to the Somerville Public Library (our local library that is fabulous).
2. Have a TV free week – Didn’t happen though I do still aspire to do this.
3. Swim in open water – This never happened; it ended up being too cold for swimming every time the opportunity arose.
4. Plant something (and hopefully not kill it) – We really enjoyed having a thriving garden this summer! We’ll definitely do this again next year.
5. Visit my sister, bro-in-law, and nephews in Richmond, Virginia – Done!
6. Plan an entire surprise date day for my husband – Done!.
7. Buy new chef’s knives – Done!
8. Organize my memory box and create scrapbooks for the last several years – Done! With an Adventures in Scrapbooking post to boot.
9. Fully clean out my closet and donate clothes – Done twice! (no link/pics though)
10. Advance my career – Done, new job acquired!
11. Express true gratitude to 10 people (friends, family, or strangers) in a meaningful way (visit, phone call, letter, email, card, etc.) – I hadn’t been counting, per se, but having this goal on here made me increasingly grateful in my daily life and I’ve been much more vocal about it in general.
12. Read 5 classics from the Modern Library Association’s 100 Best Novels list – Didn’t happen, I wish there were more interesting sounding books on this list.
13. Buy 3 different vegetables I’ve never had before at the farmer’s market, create an original recipe using them, and post it on my blog – Really regret not being able to get this one done. I did go to the Union Square Farmers Market a few weeks back and have a few recipe blogs for things I bought there but I haven’t posted them yet.
14. Make 5 crafty things I’ve seen on Pinterest – Done!
15. Play 5 board games I’ve never played – Done! No specific pics but a lot of this took place at our annual camping trip.
16. Visit 3 museums – This was was easy and finished completely on our cross country road trip: Henry Ford Museum in Michigan, Chicago Museum of Science and Industry, and the Old Prison Museum/Montana Auto Museum in Deer Lodge, Montana.
17. Watch 5 documentaries – This may have been my favorite goal to complete.
18. Eat 1,400 healthy calories per day for one week – I realize now this goal was too low but I like the idea of having a daily calorie goal.
19. Exercise every day for one week (really exercise, like with an elevated heart rate) – I got up to 4 out of 7 days, I think that was pretty good for me.
20. Combine the previous two for one week – I’m going to work on this one for the future with goals that make better sense for me.
21. Sew a dress – This ended up being too big of a project in too short a time frame. But I have been sewing a lot of other projects that I’m really proud of.
22. Host a Ladies Only dinner party – Not enough time for this one either but it’s still a goal!
23. Take a cross stitch/embroidery class – Done!
24. Clean out our basement – Doing this next weekend.
25. Install a backsplash in our kitchen – Wasn’t able to get this completed but I plan to do this by the end of the year.
26. Compile my own personal Best of Boston list – Done!
27. Listen to all of my favorite band’s albums, with intent not just in the background, start to finish (it’s R.E.M. and they have 15 full studio albums) – Only got a few done but I did sit down with many of my favorite albums for a focused listen and rediscovered so many gems. Such a good feeling!
28. Hike at The Fells 10 times – I went twice. I wanted to go more but didn’t have enough time. I do plan to continue to go here when I’m able to.
29. Reorganize the Recipes page on my blog – Done!
30. Take pictures of as many of these 30×30 projects as I complete them and post them on my blog – I think I did a pretty good job of doing this for the ones I was able to complete.