Mount Trente

I am the middle sister of two beautiful ladies who are both in completely different stages of life from me. My younger sister is in her budding twenties; my older sister is... well, she's older than me. I'll just say she's looking phenomenal. I've lately been considering my cool factor; do I look older than I am or younger? Or just right? Do I wear too much brown and black? Was that bitching, hip dance move my sister tried to show me called the "stinky leg?" Or was it the "swanky leg..." I don't know why it matters, but lately it's been creeping into my mind... because I'll be 30 soon. I mean, very soon. But I have decided that 30 is going to kick ass.

As I've said before, I'm okay with the genes I was bestowed but with this new decade opening up for me, I've decided to make my resolutions fall into that time frame instead of on January 1st:

• Take better care of my skin.
• As I've said before, I'm a cheapy-cheaperton out of necessity, habit and intrigue. I've been reading lately about all kinds of wonder products that will help "reverse" aging or at least slow it down, but they are crazy expensive! So I've found some old-fashioned (natural and cheap!) alternatives such as using baking soda as a gentle and natural exfoliant. According to RealBeauty.com, just dip your fingertips into baking soda after foaming them up with your favorite cleanser. Work it into your face and neck. Do this everyday. I subscribe to Goop's newsletter (written by Gwyneth Paltrow), and a recent one had an obvious tip: put facial moisturizer on the back of your neck, too. This keeps the skin on your neck tighter, making your neck look younger.
• Don't give up on grad school.
• I love being a student. If it was up to me, I'd be a lifetime student. I worked on the upper portion of my undergraduate degree as a distance student with the University of Colorado, so I know I have the self discipline for that kind of program again. I just have to keep looking for the right program...
• Better organization for my sewing.
• I am notorious for forgetting what kinds of materials I have or forgetting that I used something up, only to get home all excited to start something and find that I'm missing that one crucial thing. We are moving into a new house in about a month that will hopefully allow some extra room for me to have a project room. I would really like to find an old card catalog like this one:

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  Sigh... I wouldn't mind that dress form either...

• Pay better attention to everyone who loves me.
• Now, I know that sounds kind of corny. But whatever. I mean it. I used to be so good about sending birthday cards, calling people, writing letters, making post cards. My good friend, Maggie, and I used to send this one box back and forth to each other, and would just add something to the outside of the box. The mail carriers knew who it was going to (benefit of a small town), and would comment on the newest additions to the box. I also have some really important kids that are growing up too fast, both in Nebraska and in the U.K. that deserve more of my attention.
• Climb a 14er with my husband.
• Now, this will by far be the hardest of my personal challenges for Year #30. Rob has climbed several of the 14,000'+ mountains in Colorado, and every time he comes back he talks about how difficult it was and how he'll never climb another one... but then the itch creeps back in, I guess, and the next thing I know I'm dropping him off at yet another trail head at 4:00 am. I'm sure I'll huff and puff my way up, but it will be pretty incredible to do not only for myself, but to do with my husband. Here's a snap shot he sent from this summer from the top of Mount Democrat, while we were apart for a month:

[And just because I'm on the subject of said husband... here's a good one to share:]

So, these resolutions aren't really about feeling better about turning 30 on the outside or about being "older," but are instead about getting to a place of more calm, with more enjoyment and more results.

How are you all going to handle this next year??