This weekend, two of my best friends from childhood and their significant others came down to visit us (hooray!). Most of our time was spent in general relaxation (eating, taking walks, eating, playing board games, eating, and chatting), but we did plan one big activity – canoeing down the Haw River! It’s something I’ve wanted to do for over a year now, and we figured special visitors were a good enough excuse to make it happen.

Our rental was through Haw River Canoe & Kayak Company, based in Saxapahaw, and we chose the “half day” Bynum Upriver Paddle. It was $50 per couple, and they’re really flexible about what time you want to head out and come back (the whole experience took about three hours). We completely lucked out with our weather – mid 70’s and sunny!! We’d love to try a few other trips they offer in other seasons, so I doubt this will be our last canoe trip, but we’re glad to have one under our belt!

See my full 60 Before 30 list here!

Oh my, March. You started out with a gorgeous 70 degree day yesterday, but today’s low is supposed to be 18!! I’m hoping you have much more of the former rather than the latter in store for us in the coming weeks…

In addition to the garlands I made for some faraway friends, I made raspberry whoopie pie valentines for my coworkers!

To recap, my February goals:
Finalize “Before 30″ list and post. Here! Thank you so much for your comments! I’ve already checked off three items!!
Celebrate Valentine’s Day with friends and husband. Check!
Plan something fun with CT friends in the Triangle. Yes! We have dinner plans for next weekend.
Work on guest accommodations before March visitors. Yes! Lots of progress here. Fabric for curtains was ordered, arrived, and delivered to the seamstress. We (unexpectedly, but you have to strike when the opportunity arises!) bought a bed frame at the flea market on Saturday, so I’m hoping to have that refurbished before they arrive! And we assembled our twin spindle bed and bought a mattress for it.
Plant jasmine around mailbox Yes!

March goals:
— Practice new calligraphy techniques (picked up from my time with Lauren!)
— Plant peony in backyard, as long as danger of frost passes
— Plan a really happy trip to NC for two dear friends and their gents
— Set an appointment with an allergist
— Help launch a new service/community at our church – First on Chatham! If you’re interested, we meet at The Cary at 9:45!
— Plant the first round in our vegetable beds

What do you have planned for this month? If you’ve written a post about it, feel free to leave the link below, because I’d love to take a look!

With my birthday, this project has concluded! Go here to see my full recap.

Happy birthday to me! 27 is the first year, I think, that has felt “older.” Not “old,” and not older in a bad way, just… older. It seems like I’m closer to late-twenties than mid-twenties now. I see 30 on the horizon, and I want to be ready for it. So, instead of launching a third 101 in 1001 list, I’m trying a 60 Before 30 list! Some of these “goals” are silly, some are serious, some will be really hard, and some are already well on their way to completion. More than anything, I hope writing these things down and working toward them will help me become the person I want to be — strong in mind, body, and spirit; capable and adventurous; encouraging and kind; grateful and generous — when I reach a new decade.

Start: February 28, 2014
End: February 27, 2017
Items completed: 43

1. Cultivate a lemon tree and/or blueberry bush (blueberry bush planted April 2015 and I am so excited!!)
2. Post a guide to the Triangle on EFM
3. Support a friend in something he or she is doing (Kollin’s Kickstarter!)
4. Expand on my very minimal eye makeup techniques (thanks to my personal consult with Sam in December 2016!)
5. Host a themed party
6. Go on a missions trip
7. Plant something pretty around our mailbox (March 2014)
8. Order an heirloom-quality wedding album for our home (January 2015 – post here)
9. Make a watercolor, oil, or acrylic painting
10. Develop a repertoire of at least 12 plant-strong meals we love (post here)
11. Make an appointment with an allergist and consider treatment plan options (June 2014)
12. Pay off the Mariner car loan (February 2014 – post here)
13. Pay off the Focus car loan (June 2014)
14. Fully fund a savings account for our next car purchase (completed December 2015)
15. Host a favorite things party (February 2017)
16. Make our porch a comfy place to gather (in progress)
17. Learn to French braid
18. Celebrate our two year anniversary (September 2014)
19. …and our three year! (September 2015)
20. …and our four year! (September 2016)
21. Hang a giant wedding canvas in our living room (February 2014)
22. Barter a skill in exchange for family photos (January 2015, for June’s newborn session in January 2016! :)
23. Become a morning person (a.k.a. a person who has a habit of waking up at 7am or earlier) with a consistent morning routine
24. Buy a headboard/frame for our bedroom (I’m marking this complete in September 2016 with the addition of decorative pillows after deciding the headboard we want is not in the budget right now!)
25. Develop a consistent and fulfilling prayer life
26. Make a square newel post for our stairs
27. Extravagantly and unexpectedly give to someone else (December 2016, to Nancy’s Dressember)
28. Renovate our backyard so it’s more private and a great place to gather (in progress!)
29. Explore the California coast (May 2014 – posts here, here, here, here, here, and here)
30. Film and edit a video for our church (February 2017 – didn’t film or edit it ourself, but chose the team and helped facilitate it!)
31. Convince Nancy to give me a hair tutorial
32. Open a Fidelity Giving Account (April 2014)
33. Grow a cutting garden with dahlias, roses, and peonies
34. Send out a Christmas card that conveys what Christmas means to us (December 2014 – post here)
35. Pay off at least 35% of our outstanding mortgage
36. Arrive at a compatible bike situation with John (road bike bought on Craigslist September 2014!)
37. Weed through my shoes and remove/sell the ones I don’t wear and decide on storage for the ones I do (September 2015)
38. Go antiquing at Brimfield, Round Top, Scott’s, Alameda, Brooklyn Flea, or another famous market
39. Start a luminaria tradition in our neighborhood (February 2017 – found out there kind of already is a luminaria tradition, so I started a Favorite Things party tradition instead!)
40. Replace my everyday bag (June 2015 – new Longchamp purchased while in Paris!)
41. Expand our family (here she is!)
42. Run a Chick-fil-a 5k
43. Make a will
44. Create a drop zone near our garage door
45. Go to Europe (Paris, Provence, Cassis, and the Cote d’Azur in June 2015)
46. Give away as much as we spend on Christmas gifts in 2014
47. …and 2015
48. …and 2016
49. Canoe down the Haw River (March 2014 – post here)
50. Follow a year-long Bible reading plan with John
51. Send my mom flowers out of the blue (December 2016, for her handbell concert)
52. Rehabilitate luggage rack passed down from my grandmother (April 2015)
53. Increase yearly giving until we are tithing
54. Learn some flower arranging skills (January 2015 – post here)
55. Post a full house tour on EFM (downstairs + upstairs in 2014)
56. Make at least one friend in our neighborhood (Hi, Ally!)
57. Write an article for our church’s newsletter on something we’re passionate about (December 2014 – see it here!)
58. Start Life Handbooks for Tegan, Wes, Maisie, and June
59. Buy a new Bible for the long haul – one I love and can scribble in (February 2017 – ESV Study Bible)
60. Make a quilt

There you have it! I’d love to hear your thoughts, if we share any goals, or if there are any goals you’d like to help me tackle! Here’s to a marvelous three years!!

February! The month of my birth and the birth of seemingly half of my friends — lots to celebrate for the next few weeks! :)

To recap, my January goals:
Make toffee. YES! All the recipes I looked at in advance looked intimidating (you have to stir THIS fast and pour it at THIS temperature), but I finally settled on this one and jumped in. It was a little finicky, but my first ever batch turned out delicious, so I have confidence you, too, could conquer it!
Install our new kitchen pendant lights. Check! We actually installed another new light fixture, as well!
Write another Marvelous Money post. Check! The most popular one to date.
Deep clean our refrigerator. Check! No post on that one :)
Donate our miscellaneous technology to Kramden. (When we went to gather everything up we realized we didn’t have what they’re looking for, so I skipped this one.)

My February goals:
— Finalize “Before 30” list and post.
— Celebrate Valentine’s Day with friends and husband
— Plan something fun with CT friends in the Triangle
— Work on guest accommodations before March visitors
— Plant jasmine around mailbox (likely – unless the garden center tells me it’s not the right month to plant! :)

What do you have planned for this month? If you’ve written a post about it, feel free to leave the link below, because I’d love to take a look!