I am 31 Years and Then Some…

I am a poster girl with no poster, fo sho.  Ok, so I guess it’s 32, and Baskin Robbins that has 31 flavors, but whatever.  You can see where I’m going with this.  Happy birthday to meeeee!

So 30 was scary as hell to approach.  I spent a lot of my 20’s fat.  I had convinced myself that 21 was about the best I would ever be, and it was all downhill from there.  Sure, I’m never going to make my debut on So You Think You Can Dance due to age requirements (and the fact that I’m about 15 years removed from doing any serious dancing), and I *might* have missed my ability to be America’s Next Top Model, but… what else am I limited to doing at 31?  I’m in the best shape of my life and busier than ever with good fun life stuff (notice the lack of posts lately).  I might not be completely done with weight loss, but I’m maintaining a healthy weight.

It definitely was a trying year in some aspects.  I had a lot of dues to pay at work, and things looked pretty grim for a while.  Financially, it was rough being a 1 income + unemployment household for half of it.  There was a lot of other stressors as well.  However, we are bouncing back nicely.  I’m coming into my own at work, good things are afoot.  We are now a 2-income family again and though it’s not what it was, but it’s getting there.  The iguana is healthy again.  Things are settling down.  I’m finding less days like this…

So let’s recap – some big things I did at 30:

–Got married.

-Ran 2 half marathons.

-Ran 4 other races – two 5ks, one 10k, and one 5 miler.

-Took 2 lovely vacations to Vegas, and visited New Orleans for the first time.  Much drinking ensued!

-Maintained 100+ lbs lost for an entire year.  I’ve stayed within about 10 lbs in my 30th year.

-Really learned to love being outside and active.  2 and a half hour run, bike ride, or hike?  Sounds like a great way to spend a sunny afternoon.

-Like, ate brains and stuff.

-Attempted to write a novel during NaNoWriMo.  Failed pretty horribly.  Trying to figure out WHAT is blocking me there but it is definitely not flowing.

–Worked through a lot of mental stuff.

-But realized that, hey, I’m pretty awesome.   Not as awesome as this guy, but still.

So what’s up for 31?

-Continue to work to achieve balance in my life.  That means making work more of a priority, but not enough that it eats my life like before.  That means fitting in marathon training, but sticking to a program that has me 3 time a week.  That means getting stuff done, but taking time for fun.  Also meaning having fun, but trying to not incapacitate myself the next day so much.  Spend as much time with my Zliten as possible.

-Run a marathon.  14 miles was tough.  I have to add 12 more.  This seems very daunting, but so did 13.1 last year.  And I’ve got 8 months to train.  I can do anything in 8 months, right?  After I do that, I want to think long and hard about what races I’ve enjoyed most and let that guide me in what to do next.  I don’t see myself becoming a marathon-ER, but I would love to do the distance at least once in my life.  But who knows?  Ultras next?  Qualifying for Boston?  The Olympics? …heh.  Most likely – triathalons or some sort of martial art.  But we shall see.

-Try to make the most of every beautiful weekend day possible.  Definitely continue the adventure races and outdoor fun when the weather is nice.  It’s funny, I used to be white as a ghost in San Diego (like, the  most beautiful weather ever) because I never went outside, and now it’s March 2nd and I already can’t help but have skin color cause I spend so much time outside.  Bikes and kayaks and canoes and windsurfing and scenic runs and hikes will not be able to run and hide from me once the weather gets nice again.

-Remove the 5 or so lbs I am over my maintenance range and hang there for a while.  Work on lowering fat and increasing muscle.  Really get comfortable here and see if I want to take the weight loss thing any further next year or if I can learn to be happy here.

-Three planned vacations – South Padre Island in early summer, Vegas in September with friends, and a cruise this winter with my parents.  No honeymoon in Europe just yet, probably late next spring/early fall.  Hey, we waited 2.5 years from getting engaged and 10 years to get married – we just don’t do things quickly!

-Try to figure out this writing thing.  I made the resolution to read and write more, but I just haven’t *done* it.  At all.  Like right now, Zliten is in bed reading and I just haven’t been able to do it.  I haven’t touched my novel.  I just can’t grasp in my head how to incorporate it in my life.  I’ll get there eventually.

-Do something with the house to improve it’s value.  Pick a big project like our drafty ass 1960’s windows or our white counter that stains on contact with a drop of crystal light.  For sure get our heater fixed/replaced.

…and I’m sure I’m missing something, but I’d like to be to bed while I’m still 30 tonight.  **grin**

So – what has been your favorite age so far?  How was your 31st year?  What do you want to accomplish by your next birthday?