30, Flirty & Thriving
I turn 30 tomorrow.
THIRTY.
The big 3-0.
I’m not trying to be dramatic, but 30 feels like a big deal. The end of my 20s, an official official adult. I’m no longer a fun 20-something gal. I’m a (hopefully still) fun 30-year-old wife and mother. When did I become this person, and how did we get here?
I’ve had many thoughts about turning 30. I’m definitely a nostalgic person so wrapping up one of the most memorable and life-changing decades of my life seems blog post worthy.
At the end of this blog post, I’m also sharing the end results of my 30 Before 30 List that I shared last year.
It also might be a bit much, but today I’m not only sharing 30 things I wanted to complete before I turned 30, but I also thought it’d be fun to share some memorable moments from my 20s. Of course, this is a very short list in retrospect, because how do you accurately describe and reflect on a DECADE of lessons and memories? There are a lot of things that didn’t make this list, but you get the idea.
Goodbye, 20s. Here’s what I’ll remember.
(in no particular order)
Made amazing memories in college (e.g., member of Homecoming Court, internships, PRSSA, “Keri At the Game” sideline sports reporting, SMA).
Graduated college.
Landed an amazing job right out of college.
Dated, fell in love, got engaged, and married to Luke!
Pushed myself physically (e.g., ran my first 5K, completed Insanity, T25, and other intense workouts that I never thought I’d try).
Fell back in love with blogging and reading (two of my now-favorite hobbies!)
Bought a house.
Switched jobs and found my passion in higher ed marketing and communications.
Lady Lucy joined our fam.
Navigated a worldwide pandemic, which led to lots of baking, home projects, reading, finding creative ways to workout, and a newfound appreciation for quality time with friends and family.
Traveled to several “bucket list” places like Chicago (e.g., The Bean, Sears Tower), the top of the Empire State Building in NYC, The Friends Experience in NYC, Boston, Florida (where I finally got to pet a dolphin!) and Aruba.
Learned a lot about friendships (e.g., how to be one, what a good friend looks like, understanding some are only in your life for a season).
Gained 6 sisters-in-law (shout out to Paulina, Julie, Mazz, Ronnie, Alice, and Jenna!)
Watched my brothers graduate from high school, college, and grad school (proud big sis).
Became an Aunt to the two most adorable nieces in all the land.
Found out I was pregnant and spent most of 2022 getting ready for our daughter’s arrival.
Vienna Rose was born!
In all things, every day, I learned more about God’s faithfulness, grace, and sovereignty. I’m so thankful for all He did in my 20s — the prayers He answered (all of them, not just the ones he said “Yes” to), the lessons He taught me, and the love and grace He continues to give me every day, even though I do not deserve it.
And now… (drum roll please)… the final results of the 30 Before 30 List!
30 BEFORE 30 LIST (23/30 COMPLETED!)
Master cooking at least 5-10 meals. // Complete!
Read at least 3-5 classics. // Complete!
Frame my college degree. // Complete!
Run a 5K. // This did not happen because a) pregnancy and b) postpartum workouts look very different right now 😅
Find a dermatologist. // I sort of forgot about this one, whoops.
Meet with a nutritionist. // Not yet, but still something I want to do soon!
Find a primary care doctor. // Complete!
Make steps toward the backyard project. // Complete!
Complete a social media-free week. // This did not happen. I’ve definitely gone social media-free for a few days in a row, but not a full week.
Go on vacation. // Complete!
Send at least 12 snail-mail letters (at least one per month). // Complete!
Make an appointment with a makeup artist for tips and tricks. // Perfecting a makeup look isn’t as important to me these days, but maybe one day.
Learn more about the stock market, investments, etc. // Complete!
Complete a few home projects on our list. // Complete!
Surprise someone with a gift. // Complete!
Organize our photos and albums. // Complete!
Order a wedding album. // Complete!
Declutter and organize at least 3-5 places in our home. // Complete!
Get up at 6:30 a.m. for a week. // Complete! (This is my life now.)
Establish a good skincare routine. // Complete!
Create a new 101 in 1,001 Days list. // Complete! View it here.
Read at least 50 books. // Complete!
Increase my 401k contributions. // Complete!
Book a photo shoot. // I thought I’d book a newborn photoshoot, but time got away from me and it never happened.
Read a book in one sitting (or one day, whichever works). // Nope, but one can dream.
Throw a party (it doesn’t matter the occasion, for whom, etc.). // Complete!
See a beach sunrise or sunset (or both!) // Complete!
Go to a baseball game. // Complete!
Learn at least 5-10 new songs on the piano. // Complete!
Decide how to celebrate my 30th birthday. // Complete!
Here’s to the next decade of being “30 and flirty and thriving.”