Tuesday, August 09, 2011

30 by 30 Wrap Up (sort of)

Well, as yesterday was my 30th birthday, the deadline has passed; the window is closed; 30 by 30 is over.

In case you were counting? I got 25 out of 30. Not 30 by 30. FAIL.

In all fairness, it was a daunting list. There were a lot of things on there that I knew I'd have a hard time completing. Would you like a recap of the things I didn't get done?

#10: Find a family name to take to the temple.
  • It turns out my family has done a lot of family history. I have no idea where to even begin on finding a family name to take to the temple. Granted, I didn't try too hard on this one, but only because I have tried in the past and had absolutely zero success. Also, with 2 small children, finding time is a tricky task. Lack of time, lack of direction.
#21: Learn to play all the hymns on the organ.
  • I have 88 hymns left on this one (I didn't count the men's or women's hymns at the back of the book, in case you were wondering). I tried my best to steadily cross hymns off, but in the end it wasn't quite enough. It turns out practicing the organ is hard with, once again, 2 small children. Julia is content to play in the chapel (irreverent? maybe.), but I simply can't let Ella run around because she doesn't navigate stairs well. So after about 15 minutes of practice time, Ella has had it. Generally this means I only practice what I'm going to play in the upcoming Sacrament Meeting. Which is usually not something that needs to be crossed off my list.
#22: Learn to play a new song on the guitar.
  • I made the rookie mistake of learning my ukulele song first. The ukulele is much easier than the guitar. Much, MUCH easier. So I figured I could whip out a guitar song in a day or two, only to discover that it hurts my fingers, and there are all these extra strings to worry about, and I couldn't do it in time for my birthday.
#25: Learn to play the William Tell Overture.
  • Remember how our piano is not in our house? And remember that whole small children thing? This did not lend itself to practice time. Enough said.
#26: Visit Chicago.
  • I really really hoped we could squeeze this one in, but it wasn't meant to be. I kept telling Clark that we had to take this trip before we went to Utah, because after Utah it just wouldn't happen. And he kept saying that he felt like we just couldn't do it before, it would have to be after. But it turns out no one wants to go on vacation the week after they got back from vacation (especially when you'd have to plan the whole thing in 4 days), so this one will have to wait a while longer.
I found it somewhat disappointing that I didn't finish all the musical tasks. I thought they were going to be some of the easiest ones. It all came down to time. There is never enough of it!

I am hopeful that I can finish these up sometime in the next month or so. I should probably give myself a deadline, because if I don't have one, I don't do it. The music ones I know I can do within the month. The other two are a little more out of my control. I'll post it when I complete them.

9 comments:

Company EIGHT said...

Happy Birthday to you!!! I'm impressed that you accomplished 25 out of 30, especially with two little ones.

I think you should keeping working on your list, and finish by the end of the year. You should get at least 3 extra months per child. :)

Sabrina said...

You are impressive! Congrats on all you were able to finish.

Sabrina said...

Shans, you're awesome! You accomplished a lot. I just don't even bother with most goals :)

Happy birthday! I am sorry I didn't get to acknowledge it in person yesterday, but I think you can understand why. Enjoy 30!

Karen said...

Happy Birthday really late...and you are freakin' AMAZING! I set goals to be showered by noon these days. You freakin' rock. :)

Kay Hinton said...

Impressed is the word of the day. Good work!

Lindsey Montague said...

NO failure. This was a fantastic idea and list, in a time when goal-making just isn't done unless one is getting paid or incentives. So YOU are amazing for just doing what you did!! (especially with the 2 small kids!)

Happy Birthday! I would say that you made quite an entrance in to your 30's!

Soper Family said...

You are an inspiration! Thanks for sharing! - Ashley

Celeste said...

All I can say is that you inspire me. You had a HUGE list my friend! It would be amazing to finish that list at all let alone from start to finish in less than a year! So I say NO to failure you are amazing. Way to go!

Mimi said...

I want to see the things you DID accomplish! I totally understand how the music goals are hard to reach with kids. Josh does NOT let me play the piano unless he gets to decide the songs, and I bet you can guess how familiar and excited he is with the classical pieces. The other kid just cries because I'm not holding him.

Seriously though, you are awesome. I want to see the whole list. It's about time I made one for myself so I can have something to say about my life by the time I'm 30 too.