I did it! I crossed off all my 30 for 30 items by the end of my birthday month (the 30th!). I wasn't sure when I initiated it whether it would end up being fun or overwhelming, but it turned out perfectly. August and September have been so full of celebration and sweetness, I feel absolutely spoiled by it all. The only time I felt rushed or forced was when I convinced myself to make the mac and cheese in grueling heat because I knew it was the last weekend of September, and I couldn't envision having time to do it on the few remaining weekdays. Other than that, I was able to make plans AND be spontaneous to make this truly the best birthday ever.
It wasn't just the actual things or activities that made this list fun to fulfill; it was the people. I spent time with friends I made in high school, college, my first years in SF, friends I met through Curtis, through my work and volunteerism, all the way up to friends I've just recently met through being Holly's mom. I feel full and grateful to be ushered into 30 with a diversity of friends, each who know different parts of me and my life, and of course the one person who knows them all. I hope in another 30 years, I will still be this rich in relationships.
I don't imagine anyone will want to read ALL of this, but here is a brief recap of #MaiLe30for30:
1. Finally hit the 30th hike of our 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles of San Francisco mission. We started doing hikes from this book four years ago. We never thought it would take this long to get through them all, but here we are... Our 30th hike was at Castle Rock State Park in Los Gatos. We have to modify our routes now because hiking is WAY more strenuous with a baby on your back or front, but we're pretty pleased that we managed to hike over 3 miles this time.
2. Have a craft day with friends. This was really fun! My friends Grace and Kim and I used an indigo blue dye kit and shibori techniques to dye some napkins, clothes, and swaddles. We really didn't know what we were doing, but that was sort of the fun of it. Unwrapping each item was like opening a gift. Many of the items didn't quite turn out as hoped, but that potential for greatness was so close, it made us really excited to try our hand at it again!
3. Go back to yoga. I know from past experience how good yoga can make me feel physically and mentally, but somehow I have not been too excited about it since having the baby. But I ripped the Band-Aid off and went. It was... okay. I was surprised at how strong I felt after so much time off, but my body just felt different. Laying prone and trying to do locust pose felt so strange on my lactating breasts and recently cut open abdomen. I was sad to find that I couldn't enjoy traditional savasana due to lingering pelvic girdle pain, though with some modification it was tolerable. All in all, I'm glad I went and hope to ease back into it again.
4. Buy some fun birthday candles. My friend Amy from high school reached out to me when I published the original list and offered to buy some candles for me! I appreciated not only the generous gesture, but also the surprise of seeing what candles she would send! They were perfect. Thanks again, Amy!
6. Make the perfect mac and cheese. I made Martha Stewart's "Perfect Macaroni and Cheese" once, years ago, and found that it indeed was perfect! It's rich, creamy, cheesy... and perfectly birthday-worthy. I waited until the end of my birthday month to make it though, and it just so happened to be the hottest weekend ever. There was a heat advisory, and I was stirring hot milk on the stove, with the oven on, in our not air-conditioned apartment. Awful idea. But at least it was delicious, and I have plenty left in the freezer for the chilly fall nights that are bound to come soon.
7. Get a frame-worthy photo with Holly. I am so into Target's new Cat & Jack clothing line for kids. The fun patterns and bold colors are right up my alley, and when I saw that they had coordinated items for babies and bigger kids, I was eager to find "bigger kid" items that would fit the big kid in me! I found a couple outfits, and knew Holly and I would have do a photo sesh with them. Holly was not in a smiley mood that day, but we still got a few frame-worthy photos. Many thanks to Curtis for making this happen!
8. Meet my step goal every day for a week. Since Holly's birth, I've decreased my step goal to just 5,000 steps a day and I still have a hard time meeting it most of the time. This summer I had some great walking partners to keep me motivated, but still, I was only able to meet my step goal seven days in a row just once. A little disappointed by that, but once still counts.
9. Splurge on a sundae. We met up with our friends Linda and Peter at Boba Bar in San Diego. Check out the photos on Yelp and you'll see that these sundaes are impressive. Egg puffs, soft serve, cereal, mochi, marshmallows, fruit, chocolate sauce, Pocky sticks, oh my!
10. Finish coloring something from my coloring book. I don't know if the coloring book trend is still trending, but I love it! I still use my beloved set of Prismacolor pencils from high school (my mom should be happy to know they were a good investment), and it reminds me of how much I used to enjoy making art. I had my friend Karen over to color with me, because the truth is it's hard to make time or find motivation to do anything, even fun things, unless I calendar it with someone.
Ingredients:
It wasn't just the actual things or activities that made this list fun to fulfill; it was the people. I spent time with friends I made in high school, college, my first years in SF, friends I met through Curtis, through my work and volunteerism, all the way up to friends I've just recently met through being Holly's mom. I feel full and grateful to be ushered into 30 with a diversity of friends, each who know different parts of me and my life, and of course the one person who knows them all. I hope in another 30 years, I will still be this rich in relationships.
I don't imagine anyone will want to read ALL of this, but here is a brief recap of #MaiLe30for30:
2. Have a craft day with friends. This was really fun! My friends Grace and Kim and I used an indigo blue dye kit and shibori techniques to dye some napkins, clothes, and swaddles. We really didn't know what we were doing, but that was sort of the fun of it. Unwrapping each item was like opening a gift. Many of the items didn't quite turn out as hoped, but that potential for greatness was so close, it made us really excited to try our hand at it again!
3. Go back to yoga. I know from past experience how good yoga can make me feel physically and mentally, but somehow I have not been too excited about it since having the baby. But I ripped the Band-Aid off and went. It was... okay. I was surprised at how strong I felt after so much time off, but my body just felt different. Laying prone and trying to do locust pose felt so strange on my lactating breasts and recently cut open abdomen. I was sad to find that I couldn't enjoy traditional savasana due to lingering pelvic girdle pain, though with some modification it was tolerable. All in all, I'm glad I went and hope to ease back into it again.
4. Buy some fun birthday candles. My friend Amy from high school reached out to me when I published the original list and offered to buy some candles for me! I appreciated not only the generous gesture, but also the surprise of seeing what candles she would send! They were perfect. Thanks again, Amy!
5. Get a birthday cake, with sprinkles. Since I haven't had a proper birthday party in a while, I haven't had a proper birthday cake in a while either. We usually go out to dessert somewhere or just get something tiny to share. But this year, I got a delicious quarter sheet tres leches cake from Whole Foods, pepped it up with some rainbow sprinkles, lit my candles, and enjoyed the leftovers for days.
6. Make the perfect mac and cheese. I made Martha Stewart's "Perfect Macaroni and Cheese" once, years ago, and found that it indeed was perfect! It's rich, creamy, cheesy... and perfectly birthday-worthy. I waited until the end of my birthday month to make it though, and it just so happened to be the hottest weekend ever. There was a heat advisory, and I was stirring hot milk on the stove, with the oven on, in our not air-conditioned apartment. Awful idea. But at least it was delicious, and I have plenty left in the freezer for the chilly fall nights that are bound to come soon.
7. Get a frame-worthy photo with Holly. I am so into Target's new Cat & Jack clothing line for kids. The fun patterns and bold colors are right up my alley, and when I saw that they had coordinated items for babies and bigger kids, I was eager to find "bigger kid" items that would fit the big kid in me! I found a couple outfits, and knew Holly and I would have do a photo sesh with them. Holly was not in a smiley mood that day, but we still got a few frame-worthy photos. Many thanks to Curtis for making this happen!
8. Meet my step goal every day for a week. Since Holly's birth, I've decreased my step goal to just 5,000 steps a day and I still have a hard time meeting it most of the time. This summer I had some great walking partners to keep me motivated, but still, I was only able to meet my step goal seven days in a row just once. A little disappointed by that, but once still counts.
9. Splurge on a sundae. We met up with our friends Linda and Peter at Boba Bar in San Diego. Check out the photos on Yelp and you'll see that these sundaes are impressive. Egg puffs, soft serve, cereal, mochi, marshmallows, fruit, chocolate sauce, Pocky sticks, oh my!
10. Finish coloring something from my coloring book. I don't know if the coloring book trend is still trending, but I love it! I still use my beloved set of Prismacolor pencils from high school (my mom should be happy to know they were a good investment), and it reminds me of how much I used to enjoy making art. I had my friend Karen over to color with me, because the truth is it's hard to make time or find motivation to do anything, even fun things, unless I calendar it with someone.
11. Have an evening out alone with Curtis. The term "date night" makes me cringe a little because it just doesn't feel genuine to our relationship at all, but spending time alone together is definitely something I treasure now. It's a rare treat to go out in something that's nursing UNfriendly, to wear a little lipstick (I don't use any with Holly because then I can't kiss her!), and to take our sweet time eating. We went to Mokutanya, a local yakitori restaurant where you take your shoes off and are seated on the floor in a glass enclosed booth. It was a lot of fun and I relish any opportunity to eat grilled meats! We had Curtis' parents over to babysit for the first time, which went well, so hopefully there will be more nights out in our future.
12. Go out for dinner or drinks with friends, no baby. A few friends and I went to Stem Kitchen and Garden in SF for a celebratory dinner. What a beautiful space! They have a rooftop garden overlooking the Bay, with fire pits, bocce, and outdoor seating. The food was so fresh and delicious (especially the patatas bravas!), and the woman who helped me plan the menu did a great job of making sure we'd be stuffed. It felt luxurious to be out for an evening with friends, with no baby on my lap or curfew to worry about. I am really thankful Curtis is supportive of my need to be alone or with friends, and that he loves his one-on-one time with Holly.
13. Go to the farmer's market. I don't know why I waited so long to visit the farmers market at College of San Mateo, since it's the biggest one in the area, but it is wonderful! If you live in the Peninsula, it's worth a visit on Saturday morning. In the past few weeks we've picked up corn, tomatoes, strawberries, peaches, Asian pears, cauliflower, and of course, yummy food from the food trucks. Now that I'm making baby food, we will definitely be going there more often.
14. Make sangria. We actually made this twice because it was SO good with the fresh fruit from the farmer's market. In case you're interested:
1 pint strawberries
1 white nectarine
1 lemon
2 Tbs. white sugar (more or less to taste)
1/2 c. peach schnapps (more or less to taste)
1 bottle sweet white wine
Seltzer water, plain or flavored
Directions: Slice strawberries. Combine them with the sugar in your pitcher and let set for 5-10 minutes (or the time it takes to wash and slice the lemons and nectarines). Add lemon slices, pressing them a bit with your spoon or ladle to extract the juices. Add nectarine slices, peach schnapps, and white wine. Stir it up and refrigerate for at least 6 hours. When ready to serve, scoop some fruit into each glass, fill halfway with sangria, and top off with seltzer water. Sip and enjoy the boozy fruit!
18. Sort out my retirement savings. All I've really needed to do is to merge two different retirement accounts and reset my online password to access my info, but it's taken me YEARS to do it. Embarrassing. Even extra embarrassing after I made a phone call and answered some security questions and literally got it all done in 15 minutes. But better late than never. My focus for the next decade needs to be on putting more away! I read that by 30 you should have the equivalent of one year's salary put away. Let's just say I'm nowhere near that, and my salary is pretty low to begin with! Once I am back to work, I am committed to making up for lost time.
19. Get a beautiful flower arrangement. I was all ready to pick out some flowers at the farmer's market, but during our craft day, my friends Grace and Kim each surprised me with a bouquet. Even better! Thank you, ladies.
20. Find a vintage photo booth and take some family photos. I love a good old-fashioned photo booth. They are a dying breed, as many are being replaced by modern, digital ones. Years ago, Curtis and I took pictures together in a vintage photo booth at the Ace Hotel in Portland, and they are still my favorite pics on our fridge. I tried to think of where we could go around here, and found this great website that has a photo booth locator (which sadly also shows that many have disappeared or been replaced with digital). We ended up going to the Musée Mécanique at the Fisherman's Wharf, which I had completely forgotten about. What a gem it is.
23. Find a cute new swimsuit. I am treating my post-pregnancy body with love and compassion, but dang... low rise anything just does NOT work anymore. Good thing I have a hookup on some of the cutest swimsuits around, thanks to my BFF Rachel at Modcloth! They have tons of high-waisted styles and vintage-inspired designs. I ended up getting this one, but in a pineapple print. Thank you Rachel!
24. Go swimming. This summer I had the joy of swimming in the beautiful, idyllic Tenaya Lake in Yosemite National Park with Curtis, my mom, her partner, and Holly. Even thinking about it makes me feel calm inside. I love being in the water, and there is no greater peace than being cradled amidst majestic mountains and wrapped in warm sunshine (and knowing that Holly's having fun with grandma).
28. Get a new house plant. I don't have a green thumb at all. Our only plant, lovingly referred to as Fern, did not do so well in our bathroom's climate and we had to get rid of her. So I did my research and found a new low maintenance plant that can endure sun and infrequent watering: a neon pothos. After I bought it, I saw on one of the pamphlets from our doctor that it's poisonous for kids and pets. So good thing it's well out of Holly's reach.
30. Catch the sunset. September has been incredible. The sun has been setting by 7:30, giving me the chance to see it go down again. I've never before wished for shorter days, and in a few weeks I may be complaining about it, but I've sure missed those glowing, cotton candy skies. I'm a West Coast girl; I love my sunsets.
1 white nectarine
1 lemon
2 Tbs. white sugar (more or less to taste)
1/2 c. peach schnapps (more or less to taste)
1 bottle sweet white wine
Seltzer water, plain or flavored
Directions: Slice strawberries. Combine them with the sugar in your pitcher and let set for 5-10 minutes (or the time it takes to wash and slice the lemons and nectarines). Add lemon slices, pressing them a bit with your spoon or ladle to extract the juices. Add nectarine slices, peach schnapps, and white wine. Stir it up and refrigerate for at least 6 hours. When ready to serve, scoop some fruit into each glass, fill halfway with sangria, and top off with seltzer water. Sip and enjoy the boozy fruit!
15. Paint my nails. Nothing special here, just wanted to do something I don't really make time for now with the baby. I went with bright white to try something different!
16. Try a new restaurant. I was able to do this more than a few times. We tried a handful of fun places in San Diego, plus the ones mentioned in #11 and #12. I'm sure there are more, I've just forgotten because we still eat out waayyy too much.
17. Get ’30’ balloons, or 30 balloons. My friend Amy who sent me the candles also sent me gold mylar "3" and "0" balloons! I also picked up a few regular balloons for myself because there is no such thing as too many balloons. Just ask Bill Clinton.
18. Sort out my retirement savings. All I've really needed to do is to merge two different retirement accounts and reset my online password to access my info, but it's taken me YEARS to do it. Embarrassing. Even extra embarrassing after I made a phone call and answered some security questions and literally got it all done in 15 minutes. But better late than never. My focus for the next decade needs to be on putting more away! I read that by 30 you should have the equivalent of one year's salary put away. Let's just say I'm nowhere near that, and my salary is pretty low to begin with! Once I am back to work, I am committed to making up for lost time.
19. Get a beautiful flower arrangement. I was all ready to pick out some flowers at the farmer's market, but during our craft day, my friends Grace and Kim each surprised me with a bouquet. Even better! Thank you, ladies.
21. Get in touch with an old friend. My college roommate and bestie Nghi got in touch with me last minute that she was coming to SF! I have admittedly been pretty poor at keeping in touch over the years. Living in different cities makes it hard to spend time together, and I pretty much never call anyone except for my mom or sister. So I was thrilled to have a chance to see Nghi and her family in person and catch up over dumplings and noodles in Chinatown. There is a deep, comfortable familiarity between us that I think will always endure. I also made a point to get in touch with my old mentor Heather, who I mentioned in my birthday post. (She's doing great!)
22. Connect with a new friend. A few months ago Curtis mentioned to me that someone he knew from high school was having a baby. He suggested we bring her family some food, since that helped us out so much in the first months after Holly was born. I was impressed by his thoughtfulness, so of course said yes, and made a quiche to bring over. Amy and I clicked and later made plans to meet up for a walk with our girls. It's so nice to meet another mom friend, especially one who also loves crafts, cookies, and making 30 for 30 lists too!
23. Find a cute new swimsuit. I am treating my post-pregnancy body with love and compassion, but dang... low rise anything just does NOT work anymore. Good thing I have a hookup on some of the cutest swimsuits around, thanks to my BFF Rachel at Modcloth! They have tons of high-waisted styles and vintage-inspired designs. I ended up getting this one, but in a pineapple print. Thank you Rachel!
24. Go swimming. This summer I had the joy of swimming in the beautiful, idyllic Tenaya Lake in Yosemite National Park with Curtis, my mom, her partner, and Holly. Even thinking about it makes me feel calm inside. I love being in the water, and there is no greater peace than being cradled amidst majestic mountains and wrapped in warm sunshine (and knowing that Holly's having fun with grandma).
25. Have some oysters. I missed oysters so much during my pregnancy. Rachel and I went to Farallon for their oyster happy hour, which is the best deal in town (at least for the quality and relative ease of getting a seat)! We made up for lost time by getting a dozen each, plus drinks and other delights. It was incredibly indulgent, and sooo worth it.
26. Go bowling. We went bowling with "the group" at Bel Mateo Bowl. This crew, which started as Curtis and a few of his high school buddies, has growing bigger and bigger each year with the addition of wives and kids. I guess they used to drink and bowl on College Night, but now it's Family Pizza Night for us! We overloaded on cheap pizza and soda, had an appropriate amount of beer, and pulled out the ramps and bumpers for the little ones. It was wonderful family fun.
27. Give my face some TLC. I wanted to get a professional facial, but since that is not really in the budget right, I opted to just do it at home. My sister got me a wonderfully luxurious Fresh mask set, plus I had all the other ingredients to follow this DIY guide to a spa-level facial. It was amazing! My skin felt remarkably cleansed, softened, and renewed afterwards. I will definitely be making time to do this more often. Here's what I used to cleanse, exfoliate, purify, hydrate and tone, and moisturize.
28. Get a new house plant. I don't have a green thumb at all. Our only plant, lovingly referred to as Fern, did not do so well in our bathroom's climate and we had to get rid of her. So I did my research and found a new low maintenance plant that can endure sun and infrequent watering: a neon pothos. After I bought it, I saw on one of the pamphlets from our doctor that it's poisonous for kids and pets. So good thing it's well out of Holly's reach.
29. Have a picnic. My sweet friend Holly offered to plan a picnic for me and baby Holly. She brought sandwiches, salads and wild strawberries, all in a classic picnic basket, for us to enjoy at the park. Even little Holly got to join in, eating (solid food) al fresco and without a high chair for the first time. It was windy at first, then turned hot, but still a fun change of pace. Thank you again, Holly!
30. Catch the sunset. September has been incredible. The sun has been setting by 7:30, giving me the chance to see it go down again. I've never before wished for shorter days, and in a few weeks I may be complaining about it, but I've sure missed those glowing, cotton candy skies. I'm a West Coast girl; I love my sunsets.
Awww amazing. I'm so glad this decade is starting out to be so great for you Mai. As the cliche says, the best is yet to come!
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