Turning 30 and moving on

Officially two weeks into my 30s, and it's been a strange but wonderful ride so far.  Today marked the end of paramedic class.  As much time as it took, I should be a doctor instead of just a paramedic "candidate!"  Today also marked probably the last time I'll spend with some great people I've met along the way.  Well I guess there is always graduation on Monday, but today was the last day in class, and it won't ever quite feel the same after that.  

I've learned a lot over the course- a little about how to be a paramedic and a lot on how to reach out when times get hard or when I need a quick laugh.  I learned that I can come across as a jerk at first, but eventually people see beyond that and see me for who I really am...fun, goofy, generous, easy to talk with, and still a smartass, but a harmless one. 

Wrapping up the last 16 months of school made me realize I still have that 30 Before 30 list lingering.  As I look at it now, it seems like a whole world away from when I wrote it. Hard to imagine where I was in October of 2011!  So many things have changed...so many of my priorities have shifted. I didn't accomplish nearly what I thought I wanted (not even half!), but maybe that's not such a bad thing.

Don't think I'll be making a new list anytime soon other than to take some time for me...find my feet before jumping too far ahead.  I better tie my shoes extra tight if the rest of my 30s is anything like the first two weeks!  Just hope more amazing people continue to cross my path along the way...no matter how brief...no matter how bad their timing.  

So here's what I did accomplish from the list...

1. Take dogs camping to Carsbald (Condo on Dog beach totally counts)
2. Become a paramedic. (Need to pass Nat registry but still counting it)
3. Break the World Police & Fire Games Women's Open Hammer Record
4. Take a wine class
5. Be nicer to Thomas (you know you're my favorite German!)
6. Pay off one of my credit cards or student loans
7. Grow my own vegetables
8. Pick up a random person's tab
9. Do enough legit strict pull-ups so I can start kipping again at Crossfit Southwest
10. Go to Ireland
11. Perfect my Mandeltårta
12. Throw a theme party
13. Treat my parents to dinner

Embracing Perspective

I recently came across a post by Luminita over at Purpose Fairy. Reading through it, numbers 5, 10, and 11 really struck a cord with me. 

15 Things You Should Start Doing Today

5. Don’t settle for anything less than you’re worth

Dream boldly, act fearlessly. Build your life as if there were no limits to who you could be, do and have. Don’t settle for mediocrity. Don’t settle for anything less than you’re worth. The day will come when your whole life will flash before your eyes, and when that will happen, you will realize that you could’ve done it all, you could’ve achieved it all.

Live life fully. Dream boldly and act fearlessly. Make no room in your life for regrets.

“Do not worry if you have built your castles in the air. They are where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.” ~ Henry David Thoreau

10. By letting go it all gets done

Learn to laugh in the face of chaos. Stress less, live more. Detach from all the drama that your mind is constantly trying to create. Let go of all the to toxic thoughts, things, people and past experiences that are holding you back in life. Let go and be happy. 

“By letting it go it all gets done. The world is won by those who let it go. But when you try and try. The world is beyond the winning.” ~ Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

11. Surrender to what is 

Learn to be soft like water. Let go of fixed plans and concepts. Allow events to follow their natural course. Don’t fight life, don’t resist it. Surrender to what is. Accept whatever comes your way with grace and appreciation. Trust the wisdom of life. 

“Acceptance of one’s life has nothing to do with resignation; it does not mean running away from the struggle. On the contrary, it means accepting it as it comes, with all the handicaps of heredity, of suffering, of psychological complexes and injustices.” ~ Paul Tournier

I am about to face some major milestones in my life and have spent many sleepless nights anticipating what these changes may bring.  As I lie there watching the minutes turn into hours, it finally dawned on me: I have lost perspective.  I have lost sight of the present by fearing the uncertain road ahead and dwelling on what might have been under different circumstances. 

The past was beautiful, tragic, and at times, a bittersweet intermingling of love and loss.  In its true nature, however, the past is fleeting.  Today I am a woman molded by my past but not so rigidly defined by it.  I will grow stronger from both the love and conflict I endured but not give into self-pity for dreams dashed out of my control.  It is time, as she pointed out above, to let go and be happy. 

The future, as always, is unpredictable.  I can prepare and plan, but in the end, life is an adventure.  My best course is to live fearlessly and graciously.   Thanks to some persistent and friendly reminders that I am indeed wicked and worthy of happiness, I have found a renewed sense of hope and confidence.  My future is no longer bound by my own perceived limits. 

Time to focus on the present.  In this moment, as I sit here watching my fingers quickly peck away at the keys, I pause to breathe deeply and listen to sound of the air rushing in and out.  In this moment, I am healthy, I am happy, and I am loved.  Surrendering to and embracing change, I can find solace in my thoughts and sleep well tonight. 

Take a moment for yourself to check out a few suggestions that might help you approach every day with a better perspective. 

Holy crap it's already been two years and I'm almost frickin 30

It's hard to believe two years have passed since I initially started my 30 before 30 list. Even harder to believe that 30 is right around the corner. Not sure I'm ready for full-spinster mode.

On less depressing note...I've managed to knock some more stuff off the list! The new accomplishments are highlighted:

1. Finish an Olympic or Half-Iron Man Triathlon
2. Take the dogs and my HLP camping at Carlsbad in a vintage trailer--hint hint Dad!
3. Become a paramedic (working on it...will be done just after bday but I'm thinking it'll count!)
4. Break the World Police & Fire Games Women's Open Hammer Record.  done and done!
5. Put a glass mosaic back splash up in my kitchen without hiring anyone (offer to the lion tamer aka architect is still on the table)
6. Watch the Denver Broncos play at home
7. Go back to Italy
8. Backpack the Grand Canyon (overnight!)
9. Finish my associates in Nutrition and Personal Training
10. Take a wine class 
11. Finish a 5K under 24 minutes (Getting closer! Ran 24:42 in Ireland)
12. Take a short immersion class in Spanish or at least another Spanish class 
13. Be nicer to Thomas (you know you're my favorite German!)
14. Hike Camelback wearing a weighted vest 
15. Rent a ridiculously over-the-top and expensive car just for the weekend  
16. Pay off one of my credit cards or student loans 
17. Do a muscle-up 
18. Take an art class  
19. Trace back my dad's side of the family 
20. Grow my own vegetables Actually did this last spring but forgot to update. DIdn't last long thanks to dogs but goal was to grow not to create a self-sustaing farm.
    
21. Take dance lessons
22. Pick up a random person's tab (it's happened to me and made me smile the rest of the day)
23. Do enough legit strict pull-ups so I can start kipping again at Crossfit Southwest 
24. Make my own stepping stones
25. Visit Kartchner Caverns  
26. Go to Ireland Northern Ireland totally counts!
    
27. Scuba dive (what's the point of having a cert if I never use it!)
28. Perfect my Mandeltårta (naturally gluten-free Swedish almond cake) Maybe not perfect but delicious!
29. Throw a theme party Pretty sure our annual ugly sweater party counts! Keep December 18th open btw!!
30. Treat my parents to dinner

So for those keeping track...I still have 21 things to go. Ruh roh. Guess I better start cranking some of these out...

Oh and special thanks Jen, Ken, Erik, Lindsey, and everyone else who helped me train or support me in my efforts. Big shout out to those who helped Arizona Firefighter Athletics raise money not only for our trip but for Arizona Burn Camp and our fallen brothers, FF Harper & Ofc. Raetz.

Looking back at my older posts...think it's not only time to knock some stuff off the list but also get refocused and start living a healthier life...more on that next time.

Knockin things off the list

So last October I created a "30 before 30" list and am finally knocking some of those goals off the list!

In case you need a reminder...here's the list (the ones crossed out are the ones I've accomplished):

1. Finish an Olympic or Half-Iron Man Triathlon
2. Take the dogs and my HLP camping at Carlsbad in a vintage trailer--hint hint Dad!
3. Become a paramedic
4. Break the World Police & Fire Games Women's Open Hammer Record. Ireland 2013 is my last chance before I move into the Senior division
5. Put a glass mosaic back splash up in my kitchen without hiring anyone (unless a certain former lion tamer wants to lend a hand...in which case, I pay in wine)
6. Watch the Denver Broncos play at home
7. Go back to Italy
8. Backpack the Grand Canyon. Mom, I would love to do this with you since we couldn't at 13
9. Finish my associates in Nutrition and Personal Training
10. Take a wine class 
11. Finish a 5K under 24 minutes 
12. Take a short immersion class in Spanish (or at least another Spanish class) 
13. Be nicer to Thomas (you know you're my favorite German!) 
14. Hike Camelback wearing a weighted vest 
15. Rent a ridiculously over-the-top and expensive car just for the weekend  
16. Pay off one of my credit cards or student loans 
17. Do a muscle-up 
18. Take an art class  
19. Trace back my dad's side of the family 
20. Grow my own vegetables 
21. Take dance lessons
22. Pick up a random person's tab (it's happened to me and made me smile the rest of the day)
23. Do enough legit strict pull-ups so I can start kipping again at Crossfit Southwest 
24. Make my own stepping stones
25. Visit Kartchner Caverns  
26. Go to Ireland
27. Scuba dive (what's the point of having a cert if I never use it!)
28. Perfect my Mandeltårta (naturally gluten-free Swedish almond cake)
29. Throw a theme party
30. Treat my parents to dinner

The first thing I knocked off the list was #16...I paid off one of three student loans! I went from being $24K in debt to less than $10K! Well...at least as far as my student loans are concerned. My credit card is a different story and is pretty much holding steady at, "Holy Crap! We're about to max these babies out!" The goal, however, was to pay at least one thing off...which I did. The rest will follow...soon-ish.

Second accomplishment was #13...Be nicer to Thomas. I won't explain, but he knows.

The third and forth things were accomplished on my recent trip to San Diego with my family while my bro and I competed in the US Police and Fire Games...
#23- During the TCA (toughest competitor alive), I knocked out 11 strict pull-ups. These weren't Crossfit or firestation pull-ups...these were legit no-kip (thanks to the anti-kipping device 9" away from the bar) and from a dead-hang (thanks to the 3second count required for each pull-up). I had set a goal to hit 10, the magic number needed for guys at Crossfit Southwest and beat it by one! Needless to say, I now want to hit 15! Guess it's time to drop some lbs and get my ass back on the bar.  
#30- After I won the Women's Open Hammer throw and broke the old record by over 20ft, I took my parents out to eat at the Point Loma Cafe. It wasn't anything fancy but it was time spent with my loving and supportive family, which was what really mattered.

Hopefully I'll have some more goals crossed off the list shortly. Just wanted to thank everyone who has supported me and helped me reach my goals so far.

Finishing what I started...

As the hours tick down until the new year, it's about time that I finish my 30 Before 30 bucket list. 

The Final 10:

21. Take dance lessons

22. Pick up a random person's tab (it's happened to me and made me smile the rest of the day)

23. Do enough legit strict pull-ups so I can start kipping again at Crossfit Southwest

24. Make my own stepping stones

25. Visit Kartchner Caverns 

26. Go to Ireland

27. Scuba dive (what's the point of having a cert if I never use it!)

28. Perfect my Mandeltårta (naturally gluten-free Swedish almond cake)

29. Throw a theme party

30. Treat my parents to dinner

It's time to get ready for the big night. Hope everyone has a great New Year's!

Another 10 to the List

It has been a busy week, but I finally found some time to work on my 30 Before 30 list. So here are 11-20.

THE MIDDLE:

11. Finish a 5K under 24 minutes

12. Take a short immersion class in Spanish (or at least another Spanish class)

13. Be nicer to Thomas (you know you're my favorite German!)

14. Hike Camelback wearing a weighted vest

15. Rent a ridiculously over-the-top and expensive car just for the weekend 

16. Pay off one of my credit cards or student loans

17. Do a muscle-up

18. Take an art class 

19. Trace back my dad's side of the family

20. Grow my own vegetables

Ok...that's it for now.  I've got to get up early for the 6th Annual Ghosts and Goblins 5K tomorrow morning and I still need to figure out what costume, if any, I'm going to wear. There is still time to sign up tomorrow morning if anyone wants to join me. 0700 at 56th Street and Indian School.  Maybe I'll see you there.  

Wish me luck!!

30 before 30

With my HLP's birthday tomorrow, I've been thinking a lot about my own age.  At 27, there is a lot in my life that I have accomplished and experienced, but that bucket list just seems to keep getting longer.  In honor of his 27th birthday and thanks to Bird at livingwithhealthyhunger.com, I have decided to come up with my own 30 before 30 Bucket List.

Since this is kind of a random thought late at night, I'll start with the first 10 and come up with the rest over the next week or so.  These are things I want to make, accomplish, or experience sometime before I hit that next big milestone.  I have two and a half years until I'm 30 so bear with me ;p

The 1st 10: 

1. Finish an Olympic or Half-Iron Man Triathlon
2. Take the dogs and my HLP camping at Carlsbad in a vintage trailer--hint hint Dad!
3. Become a paramedic
4. Break the World Police & Fire Games Women's Open Hammer Record. Ireland 2013 is my last chance before I move into the Senior division
5. Put a glass mosaic back splash up in my kitchen without hiring anyone (unless a certain former lion tamer wants to lend a hand...in which case, I pay in wine)
6. Watch the Denver Broncos play at home
7. Go back to Italy
8. Backpack the Grand Canyon. Mom, I would love to do this with you since we couldn't at 13
9. Finish my associates in Nutrition and Personal Training
10. Take a wine class

Wow! This is quite a list already.  I better get to sleep so I have the energy to accomplish all this stuff...and finish the list!

So happy birthday Jesse! Lub you.