3 Years to 30: My Milestone Birthday Bucket List

Ah, birthdays…now such a bittersweet day. As kids, you looked forward to the all the milestones: hitting double digits, becoming a teenager, getting your driver’s license, getting into R-rated movies, becoming an ADULT, drinking. Then it seems like everyone switches gears and suddenly hates their birthdays and the milestones that remain.

Me, personally? September 1 marked my 27th birthday, and all of a sudden I can see 30 creeping up on the horizon. And I CANNOT WAIT. I get called crazy anytime I say this. “Why on earth would you want to be 30?” they ask. Well, maybe it’s because I’ve always felt older than my actual age. Maybe it’s because I would much rather spend the evening at home with my family or with a cup of coffee and a good book instead of being out partying like a twenty-something. Maybe it’s because the Jennifer Garner movie, 13 Going On 30, came out the year I turned 13 and I’ve been patiently waiting for my turn to be 30, flirty, and thriving.

I can’t really explain why I want to be 30. But, when it comes down to it, I don’t quite feel ready for it yet. I want to enter this next milestone being better than I currently am. I want the Thirties Me to be my best version yet. So, over the next three years, I’m going to chip away at my version of a milestone birthday bucket list.

My 3 Years to 30 Bucket List

Travel more – Before coming to Texas, I spent 24 years in the same place. My honeymoon was in Hawaii and that’s the only traveling I can really say I’ve done. I want to visit Disney! I want to get a stamp in my passport! Heck, I want to GET a passport!

Try new foods – I have so many cookbooks getting dusty on the shelf and recipes saved on Pinterest that I’ve never attempted. I’m also that person that goes to a new restaurant and immediately looks for chicken strips. I want to get out of my comfort zone and try some new things!

Attend more events – Concerts, sporting events, plays, all of it!

Take up a new hobby – Maybe learn how to knit or crochet. Maybe finally figure out how to use my sewing machine sitting in the closet. Maybe take a cake decorating class. Something to expand my craft knowledge and give me more reasons to frequent Hobby Lobby.

Learn to pamper myself – Confession time. I’ve never spent more than $20 on a haircut and the few times I dyed my hair it came from a box. Especially after having kids, it is hard for me to imagine spending money on myself. I need to learn that it is okay occasionally!

Take better care of myself – I want to read more, run more, drink more water, start a bullet journal. All those simple, simple things that somehow get swept away in the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

Be more present with my family – Thinking about three years from now, it seems so far away. But it’s really not. My oldest is turning three in just a couple months. It goes by like a blur. I want to make sure I actually see these precious moments of our family and not just through the camera of a smart phone.

I am looking forward to my thirties, but I am also looking forward to these next three years of improving myself and enjoying life with my husband and our boys. Do you have a milestone birthday bucket list? What’s on it?

Jennifer Schnell
Jennifer is an Oregon native, transplanted to Princeton, TX in June of 2016 with her “high school sweetheart turned husband”, Stephen. She worked as a Certified Pharmacy Technician for just over 6 years before taking on the role of stay at home mom. She has two boys: Wyatt (October 2015) and their little Texan, Henry (May 2017). She loves a good book, crafting, coffee, playing video games with her hubby and, of course, snuggles from her boys. She is still adapting to the heat, humidity, traffic and everything else that is different from back home, but enjoys all the storm watching and exploring new areas!

1 COMMENT

  1. I absolutely love this… you are an amazing writer… maybe another option to pursue.
    It brought a tear to my eye reading this article.
    You’ve a blessed heart. You have a way to help and touch others…. thank you for sharing your words. Truly inspiring.

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