10 before 30 list

Last May, I posted a '30 before 30' list - a list of 30 goals I wanted to accomplish before my 30th birthday (December 2012). I went back and re-read my goals and they were all pretty unlikely to happen before the end of this year. lol. So I'm paring down to 10 realistic goals/resolutions that I hope to really make happen before December 20th, 2012.

1. Volunteer at a homeless shelter.

2. Save enough money (at least $1,500) to extend my maternity leave 4 weeks. (I'll have 2 weeks of paid vacation and hopefully 2 weeks of paid sick time, but that's it. The longer I can stay home, the better!)

3. Photograph 2 weddings.

4. Make one new lifelong friend.

5. Take our dog Maggie for more walks; at least 3 a week. I'm a bad dog mom, I know :(

6. Plan one last weekend trip for my husband & I before the baby comes. Somewhere cheap (but fun) and within driving distance is the goal.

7. Trade in our queen for a king size bed.

8. Continue with my 365 project, taking a photo every single day until the end of the year.

9. Take an overnight trip out of town with our baby boy later this year.

10. Sell my current car and get a 4-door without spending much money.

We'll see where this year takes us and how close I'll get to reaching these goals :)

A successful 4 day weekend

First of all, thank you to all the soldiers (past and present) that have put their life on the line for us. I could never have the courage to do that and really admire those that can.

Because of Memorial Day, I have today off and also took Friday off just because I wanted a nice long weekend. The weather was mostly rainy and gloomy, but I still found plenty to do indoors.

On Friday, we headed up to Portland with my little sister and my husband's two younger brothers to have a little adventure. First up: Powell's Books. You may recall this was an item on my 30 before 30 list and I'm embarrassed to admit I've lived here 12 years and this is my first time there. It lived up to my expectations and was just massive; it takes up a whole block! They claim to be the biggest independent bookstore in the world and I believe that. It was amazing! I wanted to buy so many books, but only left with 2. I plan on coming back soon :)

We headed to lunch afterwards at probably the coolest place I've ever eaten at: McMenamins - Kennedy School. The restaurant was in an old elementary school building and also had a move theater, a brewery and a hotel. So cool!! The hotel rooms are in the old classrooms and the whole place just had such a fun vibe. The food was amazing too. I know where I'll be taking out of town guests in the future :)

Saturday was a big day for me as I booked a haircut at a new salon and crossed my fingers that it would turn out ok. A brief hair history: The majority of my life, I've had long, straight hair parted down the middle. I'm very low maintenance and value my sleep too much to wake up any earlier to do my hair each morning. lol. Despite my simple hair, I would estimate that 75% of my haircuts have ended badly. For some reason, everyone has trouble cutting my hair straight and I usually go home with lopsided hair without realizing it until a few days later. Because of that, I avoid getting a haircut at all costs and usually only get one a year, if that.

I have gotten a little bolder the last few years, going shorter than ever and trying to incorporate a little style, but usually go back to the straight, parted down the middle that I'm used to. So getting back to Saturday... I bit the bullet and decided to go to one of the best salons in town and see what they could do for me. I was tired of having a bad hair day every. single. day. I didn't have a plan of what I wanted, but told the stylist I need more body for my fine hair. She worked her magic and even make a remark about my previous stylist not cutting my hair even in the back (what a surprise!). I walked out of the salon feeling better about my hair than I have in years and feeling so relieved that I found someone that knows what they're doing. I know where I'm going next time I need a cut :) And it won't be a year from now either.

My husband loved it and was so thrilled that I didn't end up with the same boring, flat hair. I think he cares about my hair more than I do. lol. I can't find a suitable before photo to compare to, but just picture flat, limp, boring hair. (Now the trick will be to figure out how to style it on my own since I am so used to just washing/drying & being's done with it). Here is the after:

Sunday and today were spent cleaning the house, doing some yard work, laundry, baking cookies, watching lots of Netflix (currently hooked on Roswell) and cleaning out my inbox, among other things. It was great to have 4 days off in a row and get some things accomplished that I've been wanting to do. Hopefully I'll continue on this getting-stuff-done kick that I'm on and can cross some more things off my to-do list. Wish me luck!