Today I’m hungry for accomplishment.
I am 28-years old. 28 and 11/12 to be exact. One month from today, I will wake up in a hotel room in Spain and be freshly 29.
That leaves me 13 months until my 30th birthday.
I have no fears about about turning 30. Each year that passes brings about a greater knowledge and perception of the world and a much healthier, honest relationship with myself. Besides, I took Billy to New Orleans when he turned 30 last February so it can’t be that bad, right?
I decided it’s time to come up with a list of things I’d like to do, see, eat, cook, accomplish before October 3, 2011. I know this isn’t a new idea. I’ve seen 30 before 30 lists floating around the internet. I’m a teensy bit limited on time so I was thoughtful in my choices and hope to find the motivation to get it all done.
Here’s the 1st 10:
- Bake bread
- Buy a bike (and a helmet??)
- Host a dinner party with everything made from scratch
- Meet Kristina, aka Spabettie!
- Finish my Rosetta Stone Spanish
- Complete a half marathon
- Make homemade pasta
- Road trip with Billy 10+ hours
- No alcohol for 1 month
- Call my grandmother (at least) once a week
I’ll post the rest over the next couple of weeks…
Billy and I pulled into Austin yesterday evening and unpacked for our 4-night stay. We are staying at his brother’s fabulous place in downtown Austin while he’s on vacation in Brazil.
The view from his balcony overlooking Lake Austin.
I snacked all afternoon – it’s my favorite part of a road trip – so I wasn’t too hungry for dinner but we set out into the drizzling rain to find a bite to eat.
We came upon La Condesa and the pretty lights lured us inside.
A bit of a wait = a drink at the bar.
I ordered the Mixta salad – arugula, cabbage, iceberg, green beans, jícama, radish, corn, grape tomato, avocado and mustard vinaigrette. And a side of black beans.
Billy had the Panza de Puerco – sort of like a pork belly Mexican crispy flat bread and an elote – Mexican street corn.
Then we headed to Antone’s, an Austin staple music-venue to see The Original Wailers. Billy is a huge Bob Marley fan.
It’s a good night when you have a wristband and a stamp in the live music capital of the world. 
On the walk home, I spotted my favorite, and most-likely overused word, DELISH.
What else would it be but a Cupcake Shop.
It’s cloudy and sprinkling outside this morning but we hope to do something outdoors later today. I’m trying to convince Billy to rent a tandem bicycle. 
A very special “Happy Birthday” shout out to one of my very best friends. I’m just 1 month behind you! xoxo
Do you/Did you have a 30 before 30 list? Regardless of age, what’s one thing you’d like to accomplish in the next year?
Today I’m hungry for awesome.
I received so many sweet comments on my Beautifully Engaged post and I’m thankful for each one! I’ve focused a lot on my relationship with Billy the past few weeks. He will always be a part of the blog, especially in the coming weeks as we count down to our wedding and embark on a European travel adventure. (awesome)
I mentioned last week that I’ve been having pain in my right heel. (not awesome)
Last Friday, I went to Luke’s Locker, where I purchased my Brooks Launch running shoes earlier in the summer, to see about getting some inserts. I found a good fit and the salesperson also informed me that every Wednesday, a Podiatrist comes to Luke’s Locker for free consultations. I ran 4 miles on Saturday with my new inserts and felt good. (awesome)
I took Sunday and Monday off, icing and resting. I set out Tuesday morning but my heel started hurting around mile 2 so I headed home, running just over 3 miles. By Tuesday afternoon the pain was so bad I was limping. (not awesome)
I went back to Luke’s Locker yesterday for a consultation with the Podiatrist. I had terribly dramatic thoughts on the way there that the doctor would inform me that I just didn’t have the right feet for running and my plans to run a half marathon would have to be erased from my life’s dreams right then and there. (not awesome)
I met Dr. Allan Sherman and he asked me questions, studied my walk, my run and my foot structure. I have narrow feet, high arches and I severely underpronate so my feet do not evenly absorb the forces associated with running. I showed him my shoes with the inserts and he told me that I’m simply running in the wrong shoes which caused a pulled tendon in my heel. No. big. deal. What?? I’m not defective? There’s still hope for me to run? (awesome…end dramatic bout)
He went to fetch a pair of the perfect shoes for my foot and returned with the Mizuno Wave Rider 13. They come in AA – narrow size for my bird feet! I tried them on and my feet simultaneously thanked me for their new, comfortable home. (awesome)
Then Dr. Sherman taped my ankle which lessened the pain significantly. (awesome)
I went to checkout, planning to return my inserts, purchase the new Mizunos and keep my Brooks Launch for a rainy day. The employees at Luke’s are passionate about fitness, knowledgeable and friendly. As they started my return/purchase process, I glanced through some pamphlets about upcoming races in Dallas. Then they informed me that I could exchange my used Brooks for the new Mizunos and return my inserts, refunding me the difference of about $20. (SO awesome)
The fabulous customer service experience and my new lease on running thanks to Dr. Sherman and Luke’s Locker has inspired me to sign up for my first 5K next Thursday, September 9th! If you knew my ridiculously hectic schedule for the next 11 days leading up to our departure to Europe, you’d probably call me crazy for throwing this into the mix, but it was serendipitous and could not be stopped. (awesome)
The Freedom Run, benefiting the Assist the Officer Foundation.
I’ve never run a race before and this will be the perfect opportunity to see what a race is all about before running the White Rock Half Marathon in December.
I had the opportunity to guest post yesterday at the fabulous blog, Then Heather Said. Please click here if you want to check it out.
I ask: Do you have any advice for running my first 5K? Also, what is something awesome that has happened to you this week?
