The 30 Before 30 Project

adventures of a 29 year old

[juliemjacob]

Race 1/12 #bestdamnrace #irunjax (at Metropolitan Park)

[juliemjacob]

Golfing

Well, hello there! You thought I forgot about this blog, didn't you? It turns out that finishing all of the things on my list were very time consuming and left little down time, let alone time for blogging about them. For those keeping track, I turned 30 on July 8th and I was very happy with the number of things I was able to cross off my list in a year. Now I just have to get caught up on blogging about them!

Last September (yes, almost a year ago now), Hyatt held a golf tournament and I was lucky to be a part of the cater-sales team, complete with fancy golf shirts with not so fancy colors...that's what you get for letting some Gator fans design your shirt. (Love you Susan and Brian!)  I was excited about riding around in a golf cart, drinking, and hopefully not injuring any people or damaging personal property in the process. Unfortunately, but also fortunately Melissa had to back out at the last minute and Brian joined Susan, Kim and I to round out our team as our leader/coach. The expectations of our performance from all involved were pretty low, so we started last as to not hold up the rest of the teams who actually knew what they were doing. We played in a scramble format so that it wouldn't take one million hours to finish the game, and this means that we all we tee off (?) and then play off the best ball, or captain's choice. I'm sure there were some other rules involved with this, but I just did what Brian told me to do. Brian was an excellent coach and we had so much fun...we may have been a little too belligerent so I was glad there weren't really any other non-Hyatt teams out there for us to disturb. In the end, we didn't do as terribly as everyone, including ourselves, had expected and we came out with a strong third place finish! Jeff, who helped organized the tournament, was so sure that we were going to place last that he even had a special trophy made for us. In an ironic twist of events, Jeff's team came in last and brought home said trophy, which is shown below. I definitely enjoyed golfing much more than I expected, but I imagine it had mostly to do with the company I played with. Toodles 'til next time!

[juliemjacob]

Black Diamond Skiing

Our annual ski trip brought us to the lovely city of Park City, Utah with the hopes of crossing another item off my 30 before 30 list: doing a black diamond run. For those of you who aren't familiar with winter sports, the difficulty of a slope is graded from green, double green, blue, double blue, black diamond and double black diamond (expert only). I was able to get comfortable with blue runs on our last ski trip and decided that a black diamond was the next logical step, and Park City would be my one and only chance to conquer this challenge. 

We arrived early afternoon into Salt Lake City, stopped for some yummy banh mi's at Oh Mai and checked into our beautiful two bedroom condo at the Hyatt Escala Lodge overlooking the Canyons Resort. Working in hospitality has its perks sometimes! I could write a whole separate post about all the details of our trip to Park City, but for the sake of time I will just share that if you are planning a trip, you have to visit High West Distillery and get a pretzel and a Mexican hot chocolate...you can thank me later.

The next day Clinton and I hit the slopes solo for a bit and felt pretty good after a rocky start. On our third day out, Clinton took a pretty bad fall and, unbeknownst to him at the time, he fractured his collar bone. He continued to snowboard (probably not a fantastic idea) and fell again in the exact same spot. We took a day off from skiing and went snowshoeing instead in hopes that he just needed some rest. The large, green bruise in the shape of Texas that was starting to develop on his shoulder should've been an indication that something else was going on, but we were eager to use our lift tickets and went out again the next day anyway.  

I should tell you that ordinarily Clinton is a much better snow boarder than I am a skier. He's already been down a black diamond run before, so I was counting on him to be there with me for my first black diamond. After his falls, it became clear that he probably shouldn't attempt a black diamond, let alone continue boarding at all. After taking a day off in the middle of the trip,  I started to feel really wobbly on the blue runs. I was also pretty freaked out by the number of injured people we saw being hauled off the mountain during the trip. I was lacking confidence and decided this was not the right (or smart) time for me to try a black diamond. I was feeling pretty defeated, but we still had an AMAZING trip.

Which leads me to the next point of this particular entry, I had a panic attack of sorts around March...my 30th birthday was quickly approaching and I was running out of time (and money) to finish everything on this dang list. I started questioning myself for setting such high goals, criticizing myself, and started to feel like a failure. Luckily, I have a pretty amazing, down to earth husband who manages to keep me sane somehow. I think I was in the middle of a sob fest about something stupid like how I was never going to make it to Schlitterbahn Water Park before July, when Clinton gave me a much needed wake up call. I sounded absolutely crazy, and he was absolutely right. He reminded me that most people never get to experience in their entire lives, all of the things that I had done in the last nine months.

So, this isn't me waving the white flag of defeat, but I have come to terms with the fact that I will not finish everything on this list and I am at peace with that. The list has still brought me many new experiences that I otherwise never would've had, and I'm truly grateful for that. The list has taught me a very important life lesson; that I should live in the present and appreciate what I have, and not always long for things or experiences that I don't. 

I still plan on doing everything on my list eventually, but let's just say I've extended my deadline. Stay tuned...

[juliemjacob]

Downtown cleanup and green up! #ilovejax #dtjax #hemmingplaza (at Hemming Plaza)

[juliemjacob]

Yes, I Canvas!

Some of my favorite ladies joined me for my next adventure on my 30 before 30 list: take a painting class...and drink wine while doing so. Let it be known that I can't remember the last time I painted an actual picture (maybe 5th grade art?) and I don't consider myself especially creative or artistic, so I was a little nervous about this one. We went to Yes, You Canvas! and the class was only $35 and you can bring your own food and wine. To my delight, the class was surprisingly easy and lots of fun! If you've ever considered doing one of these classes, but think you're not cut out for it, I would highly encourage you to give it a try.

Thanks for reading! 

[juliemjacob]

Lobstering

Clinton and I celebrated our one year anniversary with a trip to Key Largo to use our new scuba skills and try our hand at the wonderful sport of lobstering. We set off with our newly minted certification cards in hand, picked us up some nets, gloves and tickle sticks, and booked a lobster charter with a local scuba company. Leading up to our trip, I had a picked up a cold, nothing serious but I was feeling congested and I was nervous about diving. I felt a little better the morning of our dive and decided to give it a go - it would be my one and only chance to catch some lobster after all. We got geared up, took the plunge and I made it about 10' under water before I realized my ears weren't clearing like they should. I kept pinching my nose and blowing, and moving my jaw around to no avail. I kept bobbing up to the surface for relief, but I was bound and determined to get this dive in. I tried for about 30 minutes to get down and on my last trip to the surface, Clinton met me there and noticed I had a bloody nose. I was on the verge of tears when I decided to call it quits. No lobster for us this time.

We were supposed to dive the next day as well, but we canceled that one just to be safe and went SUPing instead, which was still a great time. We made it out to the ocean and our guide pointed out some antennae sticking out of some rocks. Clinton and I tried to catch the suckers without any equipment, but they are way too fast and spiny. I got really excited when I saw one moving kind of slowly, so I snatched him up real quick, only to discover it was just a lobster carcass. Still counts, right? 

I remember during our scuba certification course I asked our instructor about lobstering and he gave me this advice: "save yourself the time and money and go buy yourself some lobster from the grocery store." Well, that sounded like zero fun at all. In hindsight, he may have had a point.

[juliemjacob]

No matter how good or bad you think life is, wake up each day and be thankful for life. Someone somewhere else is fighting to survive.

[juliemjacob]

6+3 = 9 but so does 5+4. The way you do things isn't always the only way to do them. Respect other people's way of thinking.

[juliemjacob]

Wounded Warrior 8k

This wasn't on my list, but here's a little race recap for your Monday morning reading pleasure. My sister in law signed up for her first race EVER so I decided to join in too, plus the race benefits Wounded Warrior Project - obviously a very worthy cause.

My hip had been bothering me for about a week or so, and I was pretty nervous to run this race since the pain had gotten worse. I went to yoga on Friday night, and I felt much better, but I was still thinking that I would end up walking most of it and didn't go in with high expectations. I decided to just listen to my body and do what I felt I was capable of. I started and kept waiting for the pain in my hip to start, and it never did! The course was challenging with two bridges, but also very beautiful...watching the sunrise from the Acosta bridge was breathtaking. I ran the entire course without stopping once and clocked in at 46:26...about a 9:17 pace. I came in 14/98 for my age group, which I'm pretty proud of considering I expected it to be one of my not so great races. I felt great the entire time, and I definitely surprised myself...it's always fun when that happens! It was just one of those races that reminds me why I run in the first place, and gives me the drive to do more, faster!

Jennifer did awesome too and I'm so glad I was there to experience it with her. Now maybe I'll have a new running buddy?! I'm pretty sure Clinton is sick of me asking him to go running with me!

[juliemjacob]

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do, so throw off the bowlines, sail away from safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore, Dream, Discover.

Mark Twain

[juliemjacob]

Three down, twenty seven to go!

Well, I'm less than 30 days in and I've already accomplished three things on my list. First was stand up paddle boarding at All Wet Sports which I had a Groupon for. It was a lot of fun and much easier than I expected, but we were in a creek so it was really calm. Next time, I'll definitely be trying it in the ocean....and maybe I'll throw in some yoga poses!

Next up, we hosted an oyster roast which was a ton of fun! Contrary to popular belief, it is safe to eat oysters year round thanks to modern refrigeration practices. Gone are the days of only eating oysters in months that end in "R". The actual roasting was fairly easy...you just need a roasting plate, cinder blocks, a fire pit, a clean shovel and some burlap. Find a reputable place to purchase your oysters from and then pack them in a cooler with a ton of ice. Get your roasting plate nice and hot, then shovel the suckers on, cover them with a piece of burlap that's been soaked in water, and roast them for about 3-5 minutes. You'll know they're done when the shells start to open a little bit on their own. Make sure you have plenty of oyster knives, rags, buckets for shells, fresh horseradish, cocktail sauce, saltines, lemon and lots of hot sauce...and beer. I had also made a champagne punch since oysters taste good with champagne, and I just like drinking champagne. I think it was a three way tie for first place in the unofficial oyster eating contest. I'm pretty sure our friends Mike, Brett and Matt polished off at least 40 oysters each.... 

Finally, Clinton and I along with our friends, Mike and Penny, got scuba certified the weekend before my birthday through Scuba Lessons Jax . A group of us camped out at Devil's Den in Williston, FL, which was a ton of fun. I was a little nervous about diving at first...it's a very strange feeling and it takes a bit to get used to, but we had great instructors and I was completely comfortable by the end of everything. Devil's Den was a great place to learn, but I can't wait to do an open ocean dive in warm water! Don't we look bad ass?

Our next adventure is taking us to Key Largo on Labor Day Weekend for our one year wedding anniversary, where we'll do some open water diving and LOBSTERING! Stay tuned...

[juliemjacob]

“The trouble with not having a goal is that you can spend your life running up and down the field and never score.”

Bill Copeland

[juliemjacob]

Here we go...

Welcome to my little nook in cyberspace! I've started this blog for a few reasons.

First, I have ever increasing panic attacks that I'm not going to be able to do/see/try everything that I would like to before I die/am too old to do things. I know, I'm crazy, and I'm fully aware of this. I'm a big list person, so I made up a list of 30 things I'd like to accomplish before I turn 30 next July. Sounds like fun, right?

Second, as I near the ripe old age of 30, it seems my memory has already started to go. I've noticed this for a while now, and I find that writing things down helps me retain information. Hopefully this blog will be here to remind me of all the awesome things I've done once I reach full blown Alzheimer's...you've seen The Notebook, right? I'm only half joking about this by the way.

Now, let's get on to the fun stuff. Here's my 30 before 30 list (not listed in any particular order). I'll be blogging again soon about some things that I've already crossed off. Woo hoo, go me!

1. Richard Petty Driving Experience (I should note that I don't know how to drive a stick shift)

2. Go to Italy

3. Take cooking classes

4. Get back into horseback riding in some way

5. Get back into swimming (join a masters team)

6. Enjoy a spa day at the Ponte Vedra Inn & Spa (supposedly the best spa in Jacksonville, and I just LOVE spa days...who doesn't?)

7. Purchase a REAL Michael Kors purse

8. Go scalloping

9. Complete a sprint triathalon

10. Complete Tour de Pain (3 races in 24 hours, 10k Friday, Half Marathon Saturday AM, 5k Saturday PM)

11. Do one of those neat painting classes where you get to drink wine too. 

12. Sommelier - not really get a certification or anything, just learn more about wine.

13. Learn French

14. Learn to golf

15. Take college courses - I may need to think of a replacement for this one. Tuition is crazy expensive! 

16. Go lobstering in the Keys

17. Host an oyster roast

18. Get scuba certified

19. Take a wind surfing lesson

20. Learn to surf

21. Float down a river (Ginnie Springs style)

22. See the Weeki Watchi mermaid show

23. Go snow skiing down a black diamond run

24. Try stand up paddle boarding

25. Nike Women's Half Marathon in DC

26. Attend the Players Championship 

27. Rent an RV and take a road trip

28. Go to Schlitterbahn Water Park

29. Go paint balling

30. Tough Mudder

Well, that's it for now! Check back for updates as I cross things off the list. This is a lot to do within a year, so your support and encouragement is appreciated.

Let's do this!