Mid-Life Inventory

This evening I'm heading to a 30th birthday party for a girlfriend I've known more than 15 years. Last week went to a 30th birthday party... and  one-year-old's party (Circle of Life, am I right? Also, we know too many people born in May).  And my own 30th is coming up.

ugh. Thus, a minor self-reflection below. I'm sure I've overlooked a million things.

Including but absolutely not limited to, and in no particular order:


Things I Regret:

1. Not taking better care of my skin starting when I was like 10-11 like my mom told me...
2. Basically every beauty product I used and decision I made in like, freshman year of high school (Sun-In, mauve lip liner, starting to pluck my eyebrows when I didn't know what I was doing...).  
3. Taking high school perhaps a bit too seriously sometimes...the last semester of senior year when I stopped caring as much was so fun :)

   

   See below Section 4, Number 5

4. Not somehow being alive to see The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix or Jim Morrison perform live in their heyday. 
5. Not sticking with my junior high instincts of pursuing a career in occupational therapy or nursing.
6. Not being a teeny bit more demanding on my wedding day because it would have helped with keeping other people on time and making sure that I had a few pictures that we didn't get and I now wish I had :| (but in the end I'm married and that's all that really matters)
   
7. Not going snorkeling or hiking on our Hawaii trip...but I guess that means we'll just have to go back!
8. Not being more outgoing at networking events and other such opportunities I've had/attended. I mean, that's pretty much the point, right? I still have wallflower tendencies sometimes (not the best for someone working in public relations) and I need to work on that. 
9. The realllly strong Malibu-and-DietPepsiLime that Heather mixed in the back of her car at a Lambda Chi party and then chugging it because it had started to overflow our Disney Princess sippy cups. Also, every other libation I consumed that night. Also, every time I've had vodka (thankfully not many).

   

   You win, Bartles&Jaymes.

Things I Don't Regret:

1. Accutane.
2. Working hard in high school because I ended up with a great scholarship to my first-choice college and had a wonderful time there and came out with a real education that prepared me for actual careers I wanted to obtain (Of course I've since kinda' changed my mind, but nevertheless).
3. Spending two relaxing days just eating a long breakfast with my grandparents and laying on the beach right outside our hotel in Hawaii instead of driving to the touristy hiking and snorkeling destinations and fighting the crowds.
4. Chocolate or coffee. ever.
5. Haircuts. It grows back.
6. Late night and ridciulous adventures with Heather, Jackie and AGDs in college. Every midnight trip to get ice cream at Rite-Aid, every all-nighter to work on Recuitment or GreekWeek, the time we made a batch of Rice Krispies Treats in the middle of the night at Heather's and just ate them out of a bowl (They never made it into a pan to become squares), Sisterhood Retreats ("We're sleeping on Effing linoluem, bitches!!") is a great memory.

Things I Want to Do More Of:

1. Botox
2. Recording and/or documenting my parents' and grandparents' and other family members' memories, histories, and advice.

   

   NanaAnn and Papa

3. Help people, animals and the environment. Make a difference. Promote positive, sustainable change. 
4. Camping (E and I are planning our first--of many, hopefully--trip in June!). 
5. Traveling in general. If possible.
6. Lean In.
7. Find unique and thoughtful ways to support and encourage my husband and show him that he is loved in creative ways... little things that remind him that I'm always thinking about him.
8. On that note, I should do the same for everyone I care about. 
9. On that note, I should do more nice things even for people I don't care about or even like.
10. Reading all the books. I started a list here and I'm wanting to work my way through Rory Gilmore's reading list and this one.
11. Getting news on world affairs and current events from many different sources. I don't want to be that person that relies solely on one outlet (especially when so many for their news.)
12. Shopping for clothes based on quality, not quantity and/or whim. I'm getting better at this (not buying things I'm lukewarm about); and it doesn't mean I want to only shop at high-end places, just that I have usually gotten by a lot of the time with pants that are not quite the right fit and sometimes just pinned up instead of hemmed... or kept shirts that didn't quite work with anything else I owned...or tried to wear a dress three times and each time I'm like "Eww," but each time I hang it back in my closet. Life is too short, my disposable income is too valuable (and limited and needed elsewhere) and my closet space is too lacking to have stuff I don't really like, especially when I have a much better idea of what I do like and looks decent as I've gotten older. Kind of that "Dress for the job you want, not the job you have," thing... I want to dress as the competent, put-together person (but not stuffy or snobby or overly fancy) person I'd like to be.
13. Seeing live music. It doesn't have to be big ol' fancy concerts (San Diego has many great free summer concerts in the parks and such), but I always enjoy live music. 
14. Work on better food prep and menu planning. I’d like to be one of those people that has a freezer full of prepped meals that are ready to go into the crockpot, and who has their pantry organized (ours is a living nightmare to keep clean and organized due to the fact that it’s too narrow for how incredibly deep it is, so I have the hardest time keeping things in order and easy to reach.  Anyways, I’d like to do a much better job of planning our meals because it would help us to eat healthier, cheaper and waste less. All good things.
    

Things I Miss:

1. Mattie. My grandparents and Uncle Jimmy. 

   

   My Grandma Carol and Grandpa Jim

    



2. Not having to pay for rent, most bills, a general lack of being an adult.
3. On that note, road trips with the family when we were kids.
4. Volleyball (I know a few people who would be interested in a semi-competitive indoor league that isn't too expensive and isn't in North County, if anyone knows of something or has access to a gym)
5. In general, being in shape without having to really work on it because I played sports for fun pretty much year-round. ughhhh mid-life and extra-curricular activities.
6. Boy Meets World. Mostly this guy (yay reruns).
   
7. The Padres brown uniforms. 
8. The tan I had the summer that I was  lifeguard.

   

   I wish this came close to conveying how brown I was. #WhiteGirlProblems

Things I Want to Learn:

1. Spanish (more fluently... I'm understanding it a bit better, but I don't think I'll ever really be comfortable speaking it... :|  )
2. How to surf...at least enough to get out there and enjoy myself.
3. Better personal financial management.
4. Occupational therapy (career change coming as part of my 5-year plan if I can get into school and figure out how to pay for it!)
5. How to play tennis...because now that I understand it I really enjoy it and because I have come to realize that tennis players have the best-looking bods out there. 
6. Better mindfulness... my attention span is getting shorter and shorter, I swear.
7. How to do more basic maintenance and repairs around the home, yard and for my vehicle.

Things I Want to Try:

1. A Lifestyle Lift (or, as my brother more realistically suggested, change my outlook instead)
2. Adopting a dog... like the first family dog for E and me.
3. Stand-up paddleboarding. It looks relaxing and I've heard it's great for your core.
4. Being a homeowner :\
5. Being a mom :\
1. Re: #4-5, the disgruntled face is because neither has happened yet and I feel like I'm way behind.. in life.
6. Really dark hair. Like this-ish. Darker than I've gone before:

   

   Go darker, yes?

7. Possibly opening an Etsy store or somehow having an independent, creative teensy business....? I don't know what I'd do though, since I don't have a specific "thing" and anything I can do someone else can do better and I'm not a savvy businessperson at. all.
8. Being a Padres season ticket holder someday in life.
9. New places...like restaurants, day trips, museums, etc. As much as our time and budget will allow. I get stuck with the same old activities and there's so much more out there, ya' know?
10. Host a fondue party. Sounds fun, right? Also, when we one day have a big enough house and yard (see #4) I'd love to host a kick-ass Halloween party, New Year's Eve party, and have outdoor movie nights with themed food and beverages to go with the movie.
11. To do something awesome for my parents... like send them on a trip or buy them a house awesome. I don't know anyone who deserves it more.

Good Choices I've Made:

1. Marrying this guy. Absolutely.
   
2. Alpha Gamma Delta--Greek Life isn't for everyone but it offered me great learning and engagement opportunities on campus and became my home-away-from-home while in school. I gained confidence and a wonderful network of women I am proud to call sisters today.

   

   Just a few of my Littles and Grand-Littles. Amazing.

3. Our Lafawnduh-the-Honda Element. Awesome little car. I'd totes get another.
4. The arugula-pear-prosciutto pizza my sister and I shared on my Dad's birthday.

Anyone else with a birthday coming up? Anyone hate the number 30? Got something I should add to my list (hopefully not a regret)?

Carpe the eff outta' the Diem! Viva your vida to the fullest. Share your Blessings. Remember to let her into your heart, then you can start to make it better.