In true Virgo fashion (admittedly Type-A lol), here is my completed 30 before 30 list!
1. Collect all the National Parks Quarters. This was not easy, and although I almost collected them all from quarters in circulation, there were a few that I wasn’t able to round up, so I ended up purchasing a collection to complete this goal!!
2. Grow out my natural hair color. The last time I highlighted my hair was April of 2024! Maybe I will highlight it again soon? Maybe I won’t? TBD!
3. Read the ACOTAR book series. I honestly didn’t love this series, but I did read them all to complete this goal. There were parts of each that I enjoyed, but overall, I don’t think this is my genre of preference!
4. Go to Bear Lake. Nothing like reading at the lake!!
5. Wake surf in Island Park. After this summer of being on the water 24/7, we might officially be boat people.
6. Hike Red Rock Canyon. I can’t believe I live right next to this! So much in Nevada to explore.
7. Eat at the Hell’s Kitchen. Way way way overrated.. There wasn’t even a pleasant ambiance. However, the octopus salad was really good.
8. Update scrapbook. I always find myself getting really emotional when I update my scrapbook. I have been doing this since 2014, so there are so many fun memories to look back on.
9. Road bike to dinner. This was a very funny experience. How did I even come up with this one haha.
10. Go to the movie theater. As a millennial, this movie was a must-see! I loved every second, and especially loved seeing it with my sister!
11. Solve a Rubik’s Cube 30 times. I already knew how to solve these, but I hadn’t done it in a while, so this was great practice to keep up the skill. It takes me a couple of minutes each time to solve.
12. Cheer on Gray at Iron Man 70.2. He did amazing! That’s a lot of work to do in the brutal sun, so I was very very proud.
13. Watch Vegas Golden Knights Hockey. Are you even a Las Vegas resident if you aren’t a fan of VGK!?
14. Crochet baby booties. I probably did around 10 pair total for various friends and family. My grandma did this for us as babies, so it is fun to pass on the tradition!
15. Get a professional headshot. I organized professional headshots for our entire Finance department! It was a huge hit!
16. Visit a farmer’s market. Weekly sugar-free cookies and fresh coffee are my go-to’s at the market.
17. Mini golf. Pop Stroke is Tiger Wood’s mini golf course, complete with dinner and entertainment for an entire day! Will be going again!!
18. Gamble in Vegas. I can finally say that I have gambled in Vegas. Blackjack was my favorite.
19. Watch the sunrise. Watched this sunrise during my 10-mile run one morning. I can’t think of a better start to a day!
20. Help sisters with newborns. Two of my sisters had babies this year!! It was such an honor to be there. My sisters amaze me.
21. Move into new house. We closed on our first home together!
22. Finish yard. Complete with xeriscape 😉
23. Hike Mt Charleston. All I can say is, WOW.
24. Go to Disneyland. When Gray has a layover across the street, we go to Disneyland!
25. Fly on plane Gray is piloting. This was the morning after our Disneyland layover 😉 being in the cockpit of where Gray works never gets old!
26. Have a coffee date. We went on SO many coffee dates. Our favorite Saturday activity.
27. Drive a golf cart. Golfing is even more fun when no one keeps score and you can move your ball wherever you want. Who knew!
28. Go on 30 runs. I went on more than 30 😉
29. Watch all Harry Potter movies. I can’t believe I hadn’t watched this whole series before. I read all the books when I was little, but wow. These movies really are iconic!!
30. See the Colosseum. Completed this one on my 30th birthday!!!
I had such an amazing year, and I am so ready for my 30’s.
Eliza Shippen 