30 in my 30s Bucket List Update – Almost Halfway There

When I turned 30, I was determined to make it the best decade of my life. I created a bucket list to make it more exciting and intentional. I listed 30 things that I wanted to do or accomplish in my 30’s. Click here to view my original bucket list. I’ve been in the middle of accomplishing some big goals on the list so I haven’t done an update in a couple of years. Today I turn 34 and I thought it would be a good time to make another bucket list update.

Previous bucket list updates

• 30 in my 30’s Bucket List
• First Bucket List Update
• Year 31 Update

Bucket List Update – 30 Things to do in my 30s

Bucket list goals completed

Most of the goals I’ve completed and have been working on for the last couple of years are professional/educational. These goals take time and a lot of energy so they’ve been my sole focus you could say.

• Become a Fully Certified Family Life Educator – This goal is one I’m most proud of! I graduated from an FLE accredited program in 2016. I waited to apply for provisional certification until 2018. Then I started a job in the field two years later. My graduate program began in 2020, and I have been working my way toward full certification the entire time. Full certification requires 3200 work hours in the field. I hit my work hours at the end of August and applied for full certification. I received my upgrade to Certified Family Life Educator last month.
• Become a Gottman Certified Educator – They no longer call educators “certified” in the Gottman program. But what I did is what I set a goal to do. For one of my elective credits this summer, I attended a two-day online training to become a Gottman Trained Leader for the Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work curriculum. Now I just need to start teaching it!

Bonus goals added and completed

• Become PREP Certified – PREP 8.0 is not a curriculum that was on my radar to become certified to teach. Last fall I had the opportunity to do a social media internship with PREP. In exchange for my time, I was allowed to take the training and become certified. I loved the curriculum and would like to teach it at some point as well.
• Became a Chick-fil-a Signature Member – This one might seem silly. It means I spent a lot of money, but also that I ate a lot of good food. It was an exciting moment for me, so I added it to my list of accomplishments. My most ordered food is the Egg White Grill Muffin and Frosted Strawberry Lemonade. I highly recommend both, together, for breakfast.

Plans for year 34 of life

After reviewing my bucket list to write this update, I have a few plans for the goals I want to accomplish this coming year.

• Graduate with my Master’s Degree – I’m one semester and my project/paper/defense away from this. The plan is to graduate in two months. Depending on the timeline of my project completion, I may walk in December and finish my project a couple of months after.
• Become a Bringing Baby Home Leader – The Gottman Institute has a curriculum specifically for couples who are entering the parenting stage of life. It is a training I planned to tack onto my Seven Principles training if/when I did that in person. With lots of things being offered virtually now,
• Play/Sing through the Hymnbook – I’ve started this goal a few times and have yet to complete it. If I sit down for 15 – 30 minutes each Sunday and sing hymns, I should be able to complete it quickly.
• Learn Quick Hairstyles for my Hair – I’ve saved TikTok tutorials and pins for this one. I just need to take the time to do something other than curl or pull my hair up in a bun. My hair is a good length for a variety of hairstyles so I’m going to pick a new one every couple of weeks to try out.
• Hike the Trails in Davis County – I’m not a big hiker, I like to walk on flat, paved paths. I’ve started to really enjoy basic hikes! I just made a list of the trails near where we live, their length and difficulty, and plan to start hiking one each week in the spring. This goal isn’t on my original bucket list, so I’m adding it as a bonus!

I encourage everyone to do something like this! Maybe you make a list of 25 things to do in your 25th year or 30 things to do before you turn 30. Focus on different areas of your life, the things that interest you, and what feels successful to you. These are all things I would have worked towards, but having an intentional goal has motivated me more. I’ve already started creating a list for 40 in my 40s!