Thirty Before Thirty

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In just a little over three years, I will be... 30 years old.  Boy is that hard to type.  Or even think about for that matter.  I remember when I was younger and thinking 30 was old (I know, I know, cliche).  Of course now that I'm knock, knock, knocking at 30 years old, I think that's not that old.  Except that I kinda do.  I thought that by the time I was 30, I would be married and have a child.  Actually 2.  Actually I wanted to be done, having children.  Oh boy, what was I thinking?  In truth, I have a husband, but no babies yet.  Nature is making that a bit more difficult than it should be.  So in looking at my goals and realizing I might not make it, I decided to re-write some goals.  Thus the 30 Before 30 Project.  It's pretty easy.  30 things I wish to accomplish before October 25, 2013.  In order to make myself accountable - I'm putting my list out there for all the world to see:

1. Make a full dinner - all components, no help (yes, in my three years of being a wife, I have not made a total dinner by myself.  This is the Undomestic Goddess, remember??)
2. Start and maintain a blog.  (Clearly I have started, but the goal is to keep it going)
3. Travel to Washington D.C.
4. Travel to New York City again.
5. Teach a full year of PREP
6. Go to a fertility specialist.
7. Finish our basement.
8. Get a new job.
9. Got to Gatlinburg on a family trip.
10. Buy a really expensive purse (by really expensive I mean over $200 - that's expensive to me)
11. Organize the entire house
12. Read a "classic" novel I didn't read in high school.
13. Research adoption options.
14. Get another dog.
15. Keep and maintain a coupon system.
16. Payoff both credit cards.
17. Visit the Florida Panhandle again.
18. Get my wisdom teeth pulled (yeah still haven't done that).
19. Refinish our bedroom furniture.
20. Make and meet a blog friend (won't you be my friend??)
21. Have a specialty party at my house.
22. Walk three nights a week for a month.
23. Clean and dust every Saturday for a month.
24. Make my bed everyday for a month.
25. Pack lunch everyday for a month.
26. Go to the doctor for a physical.
27. Start and maintain a Flickr account.
28. Start and maintain a journal full of thoughts, quotes, etc.
29. Vote in the next presidential election.
30.  Read two books a month for a year.

So that's the list!  There are some things on there that will hopefully help to domesticate me a bit more.  There are things that I hope will make me a better person. There are things that can be done in conjunction with one another.  There are things that will cost lots' o money.

But I'm willing to give it all a shot and I'm planning on documenting my progress here.

What are your 30 before 30?

Bundle of Nerves!

Right now, I should be working on my lesson plan for tomorrow... but I'm not.  Wait, let me stop right here before I go any further.  I'm sure that by using the term "lesson plan" you are thinking that I am a teacher, but I'm not.  True, my degree is in elementary education, but I don't teach (are you scratching your head yet???).  I have plenty of reasons why I don't teach, but that's another story for another day.  So what's this mysterious lesson plan for???

I decided earlier this year to volunteer at my church to teach PREP class.  For those of you non-Catholics out there, this is basically just religion class for Public School students.  I decided this would be a great opportunity to actually teach, but not have to deal with the craziness of actually teaching.  In some ways I have been right and in some ways I've been totally wrong.  Don't get me wrong, I am totally excited for this opportunity, but it reminds me a little of why I'm not teaching.

Biggest thing?  I'm indecisive when it comes to teaching.  Remember the big teacher's book your teacher always carried around?  If you were like me, you always wanted to just catch a glimpse of that book as it held all the answers and "secrets" of being a teacher.  Well let me tell you - I have now seen several teacher's textbooks and they are overwhelming.  So.much.information!!!  I think it would be better sometimes to do without.  What are these books thinking!?  No teacher has the time to carry out all of these lessons and in the ways they suggest.  It's impossible!  Then I start to think that maybe the problem is me.  What if I'm just the terrible one that can't get it all in?  Ugh, I just totally stress myself out!  And I'm having all this anxiety over one, one hour class.  Can you imagine if I taught seven subjects?? 

Me thinks that I would get it to come together if I did have seven subjects, because tomorrow is our first class and I pretty much have everything planned out, I just need to get it all together.  Our time together is limited so I hope that I am able to teach the important things, but really?  There hasn't been any guidelines on what to teach (which I think is why I'm so anxious).  I'm just going to do the best I can.  I have the training.  I just need the confidence.  I can do this!