31

Tomorrow I will be 31 years old.

That is so strange to type, but yet so not strange. I really do feel like a 30 year old. I loved my 20's and am also liking being 30 so that's all good.

A few weeks ago I came across this post about birthday lists on a blog I like to read every once in a while, A Beautiful Mess. I thought it'd be a fun idea for this list maker to do and maybe this will push me to check more things off my list that I usually don't end up having the time to do as they aren't in the "urgent" category, even though most of them I enjoy doing and need to be done at some point.

So, the birthday list. Write down 31 things (or however old you're turning) to accomplish in the next year, before your next birthday, and post about each one as you complete it.

 I decided to make them more everyday life type of things, not work or ministry related for the most part. Except that my everyday life is my ministry. hmmm. More so personal/family things I guess than having to do with other people's lives.

And some of these days are with the fact in mind that we'll be in Canada this year :-) and want to do those things while we're there.

Here goes.

Bold - Completed and Date Completed
Italics - In Process

1. Get rid of the baby clothes. There, I said it. Why is that hard to do when you have no babies? Completed on April 1, 2013.
2. Make (or get made) large canvas' of each of the boys as babies or toddlers.
3. Take a family photo of each of our families all together. Completed in June, 2013.
4. Go camping. Completed in July, 2013.
5. Finish the sappy letters from dating Dallas scrapbook. Completed on March 23, 2013.
6. Finish one digital scrapbook.
7. Take our boys on a canoe trip. Completed in July, 2013.
8. Go on a getaway with just Dallas. Completed in July, 2013.
9. Make more of my own coffee creamers or syrups. Completed on February 6, 2013.
10. Put up something on the guestroom walls (big map...). Completed on September 9, 2013.
11. Memorize a Scripture passage. Completed on May 11, 2013.
12. Go on a 24+hr road trip to BC and Alberta and make it fun for all (except for Dallas who doesn't think stopping for coffee every 2 hours is fun). Completed in July, 2013.
13. Learn where all the States of Mexico are located.
14. Learn how to make a new Mexican recipe. Completed on April 23, 2013.
15. Make family calendars for 2014. Completed in December, 2013.
16. Buy no junk food to keep in the house for one month. The theory is that when it's in the house, you will (and do) mindlessly eat it in the evenings or whenever and therefore eat that much more than if you just have a Coke, let's say, out at a restaurant once in a while. Completed on February 28, 2013.
17. Go through our stuff in storage in Canada. Completed in August, 2013.
18. Go down that steep waterslide at the West Edmonton Mall. I love waterslides but had a bad experience with this particular one many years ago... Completed in July, 2013.
19. Get a haircut by an actual hairdresser and not just by my own self.
20. On that note, attempt to get my hair (closer) to my natural hair color. Dallas is wondering what it is (as am I...!). Completed in August. 2013.
21. Have church presentations ready before we go on furlough and pass along there what God is doing in Gdl! Partially completed on May 11, 2013.
22. Buy some black sandals (I'm running out of ideas here. It'd hard when a large chunk of our life is our ministry and revolves around other people's lives!!).
23. Make at least one Mexican meal for our families or friends in Canada. Completed in June, 2013.
24. Go on a family holiday with just us and the boys. Completed December 2013.
25. Complete an Advent calendar with the boys for Christmas. Completed on December 3, 2013.
26. Practice piano weekly at least until finishing the adult lesson book that we have and then see where it goes from there.
27.  Make/decorate each of the boy's birthday cakes. Completed January 2014.
28. Teach the boys a new table game. Completed on October 6, 2013.
29. Have the boys give away the toys that they don't play with. Completed January 2014.
30. Give away the clothes that nobody in this house wears. Completed on February 11, 2013.
31. Pray through our prayer bulletin board with the boys in rotation so all pictures are prayed for regularly.