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30 for 30 Bucket List

Hello, friends!

I welcomed myself to the 30 and over club last month, and I thought it was a good time to re-evaluate my bucket list. After all, I’m a girl with a long bucket list, which was obviously part of the inspiration behind this blog.

In the reader survey, a large number of you mentioned liking the day in the life and personal style posts. So, here’s a little insight into some of my proudest personal accomplishments and bucket list “check offs.”

And insight into what I still want to see, do, and accomplish! I want to get to know YOU better too, so please leave a comment below and share something on your bucket list. 

Bucket List

Also, thank goodness for Facebook. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have so many of these old gems available. But, some of these experiences are before Facebook was available, and now I’m motivated to find the original copies of some of these older memories.

30 Things I’m Proud Of (And Crossed Off My Bucket List)

1.  Snorkled in the Great Barrier Reef

2. Explored the Italian wine country and ate pasta in Italy (a must do!)

Italy

3. Completed 4 half marathons

running, bucket list

4. Carried the Olympic Torch through Providence, RI in 2002 (wish I had a picture!)

5. Was an All American High School Athlete

6. Went to the Indy 500

Indy 500

7. Explored Yellowstone National Park

8. Bought a house!

9. Got a graduate degree from UNC Chapel Hill

thesis

10.  Won a Division I Conference Championship in softball (this was at Fordham University, in New York)

UMass

11. Been on tv! (in commercials)

12. Won a high school state championship

13. Married the man of my dreams

wedding

14. Had recipes published in Fitness Magazine and have also done some local write-ups in the Charlotte Agenda 

15. Was the first ball girl for the Pawtucket Red Sox (AAA of the Boston Red Sox)

16. Been a big sister to three amazing, highly accomplished siblings

family siblings

16. Moved 1,000+ miles away by myself on two occasions (RI to SC, where I would later meet Ed, and NC to Portland, OR)

17. Talked to Roger Clemmons on the phone

18. Worked onsite at Nike for 3 months

nike campus

19. Met Ken Griffey Jr! (My athletic idol)

Griffey

20. Sold a car (from the dealership lot)

21. Donated hair to Locks of Love

22. Busted out a surprise, you-tube worthy breakout father-daughter dance

father-daughter-dance

23. Learned to surf in Australia (circa 2007)

surfing

24. Threw a hundred person surprise 25th Anniversary party for the rents

25. Ran races in Nashville, Massachusetts, Virginia, NC, SC, and soon I can add Georgia to that list

26. Hiked two 14-ers (14,000 foot mountains) in Colorado

colorado

27. Been to major league ballparks in Boston, New York, Houston, Cincinnati, Detroit, Florida, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Arizona, San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles

philliy redsox

28. Been to 7 James Taylor concerts, including a memorable one at Fenway (hoping for a few more!)

29. Started this blog. It has evolved so much and I know it will continue to evolve. THANK YOU for reading!

30. Had a picnic in the park (everyone needs to do this!)

picnic

30 Things Still on My Bucket List

1. Run a marathon (SCHEDULED November 5th)

2. Start my own Private Practice

3. Go sky diving

4. Hike part of the Appalachian Trail

5. Go on a 50 mile bike ride

6. Host an epic dinner party

7. Start a garden

8. Try cross country skiing

9. Do a sprint triathalon

10. Brew my own kombucha 

11. Stay in a bed and breakfast in Maine and explore Acadia National Park

Acadia, Bucket List

12. Take a hot air balloon ride (over somewhere pretty, like here)

13. Drive across the country

14. Make pasta from scratch. Gotta do it once, right?

15. Go deep sea fishing

16. Have kids

17. Make my own sushi

18. Adopt a rescue dog

19. Food tour in Charlotte (crazy to think I haven’t done this yet)

20. Visit Alaska, Bora Bora, New Zealond, Switzerland, Ireland, Greece (and many more).

21. Do a marathon in another country (perhaps this one).

22. Visit a farm and interview a farmer (hope to do this for the blog soon!)

23. Say YES for an entire week (Isn’t this a challenge, but fun to think about?)

24. Go sailing

25. Improve my photography

26. Take a cooking class

27. Learn more about wine (We should all have some appreciation, right?)

28. Reteach myself to play the piano (I used to perform in recitals when I was younger)

29. Be a mentor to someone

30. See the Northern Lights

northern-lights

Some of my favorite life lessons:

Don’t take anything (or anyone) for granted.

Don’t push things back, in case you never get a chance to travel or experience them. Live it up while you can now!

live your life

Write down your goals. It really makes them so much more real.

Enjoy good food (OBVIOUSLY). Focus less on the day to day “diet” mindset, and more on the big picture. If you have a chance to eat a great steak or a homemade cheesecake, do it! And, don’t do cheat days. 

Get out of your comfort zone.

Don’t take your health for granted. To be able to experience things on your bucket list, you’ll want to be healthy, and diet is one thing you have control over!

blueberries

Challenge yourself. Don’t settle.

Do what makes YOU happy (I switched careers three times before I found nutrition).

The squeaky wheel gets the grease. Be proactive more than you are reactive.

So, tell me. What are you proud of doing and accomplishing, and what’s still on your bucket list?

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  1. It is perfect time to make some plans for the future and it’s time to be happy. I’ve read this post and if I could I wish to suggest you few interesting things or suggestions. Perhaps you can write next articles referring to this article. I wish to read even more things about it!

  2. I love Acadia! My husband and I are teachers here in NC, so we did a “northern US” road trip last summer during our break. We stopped in Mystic, Provincetown, Martha’s Vineyard, Bar Harbor and Springfield, MA. We looooved Maine the most, so we flew back this year and spent 5 days in Acadia/Bar Harbor. Acadia is gorgeous and there are so many beautiful trails to explore.

    If you’re looking for a GREAT bed and breakfast near Acadia, look into the Coach Stop Inn. The innkeepers are phenomenal and the food is beyond delicious. My husband and I have already decided we’re going back for our third trip next summer. πŸ™‚

    1. Thanks, Hannah! That is all so helpful. I will definitely keep this in mind! So, have you mainly gone in the summers? Have you had any trouble booking reservations?

  3. I have a crazy long bucket list that I’ve basically divided up into my every-3-ish-years 101 in 1001 lists. πŸ˜› That’s so awesome that you’ve already done so many amazing things!

    I’d love to hike in Colorado and also do part of the Appalachian Trail…+ explore Maine and pretty much all your travel ones, haha. Also hoping to adopt a rescue dog someday too! <3

  4. I also turned 30 this year! I was able to celebrate that milestone in Greece with family so it was amazing. Sounds like we have some similar goals and bucket list items. The Great Ocean Road marathon would be awesome! I studied abroad in Australia and that was one of my favorite places!

  5. I love this idea of making a bucket list and celebrating accomplishments. I will be over 30 in a year and half, so I should really start thinking about these. I would love to travel a bit more before I’m 30 and learn more about health and fitness, maybe change careers.

    1. YES! No better time like the present. I find that having this list to look back and pat myself on the back is great for confidence and motivation to accomplish more!

  6. Such a good reminder of how empowering and exciting it is to get goals down on paper!! Can’t believe how much you’ve done and love your list of ‘to-dos’. Hope you’re feeling awesome about the marathon! xo

  7. Love this!! You have really done so much! I lived and taught English in South Korea it was an experience of a lifetime! I’m still hoping to go to many places but I’d especially love to travel to Hawaii with my husband!

  8. I LOVE ALL OF THESE Sarah! I love how you looked back on the blessings that you’ve had over 30 years, and you’re looking forward with anticipation to the future. And I can tell you; skydiving is AMAZING!!! I can’t wait to hear about when you go. πŸ™‚ And amen, we should never take anything for granted. I admit that I still do sometimes, but this reminded me again that every moment, every thing, little and big is a blessing. And I can’t wait to see you interview a farmer, and if you go to see the Northern Lights, maybe I’ll sneak into your suitcase? πŸ˜€

    1. I will save you room in my suitcase, Emily! That’s so cool that you went skydiving – were you scared? What was it like seeing the world from above like that?

  9. I LOVED this post <3 You are such an inspiration for living a full life and relishing the moments.The picture of you holding the berries is lovely,
    You make me want to do more things and travel more. I'm so excited for that post grad life. I think your adventures in Portland are especially cool. You're going accomplish all the 30 things and more!