30 by 30

Dear 30 Year Old Me,

I'll meet you in about 2 1/2 years (...actually 2 years, 11 weeks, 6 days as of Sunday). Here's a list of things I hope to have accomplished by that point.

1. Graduate with my Master's Degree.
2. Receive my Certified Minister's Status with the A/G.
3. Receive my Licensed Minister's Status with the A/G.
4. Teach ESL.
5. Pay off (or drastically reduce) my student loan debt.
6. Lose ___ pounds. Yes, I left the blank there for a reason. I know how much I want to lose. But I don't feel the need to post the actual number for the world (...or whoever reads my blog) to see :)
7. Wear a size ___ or smaller. And yes, I realize I left the blank here. I did so for the same reasons as #4 :)
8. Run a 5K (...as in, not jogging/walking like before).
9. Run a 10K.
10. Visit New York City.
11. Visit Washington, D.C.
12. Go on a road trip with my mom.
13. Go to Disney World.
14. Visit New Orleans. (...well, as an adult, I mean. I really don't remember a lot of our time living there when I was a kid.)
15. Spend Christmas Break in Africa.
16. Experience a real winter, complete with snow (and lots of it). :)
17. Start driving in Dakar. It's not that I can't. I have just chosen not to drive here. 
18. Read more books for fun. I read a lot for my job (both parts - missions and teaching). I read for my own schooling. I just don't read a lot for fun.
19. Start being willing to say "no" more. Stop saying "yes" so much. I agree to do/help with a lot. And usually I don't mind. But sometimes, I agree to it even when I know I don't have the time to do so. Then something else ends up suffering. I've got to realize that it's sometimes okay to say "no."
20. Do better at meal planning/grocery shopping. Why? It'll help me save money and time. Plus it'll help me with reaching #6 and #7 on this list.
21. Invite people over more. Since living by myself, I've been able to do this more often. I love hosting dinners at my apartment. I love cooking for people. I love spending time with people. However, in the hustle and bustle of work and life in general, I've gotten where I don't do this as often. I need to fix that.
22. Read the entire Bible twice (once a year). I've done this a few times already, but it's always fun to see how God teaches me something new through passages I've read many times before.
23. Journal through the entire Bible twice (once a year). 
24. Teach a class, lead a devotion, Bible Study (something...) totally in French.
25. Make homemade bread.
26. Get re-certified in CPR/1st Aid. I had this, but let it lapse. I need to get it again.
27. Take a sign language class.
28. Try at least 30 new recipes (and blog about them).
29. Get rid of clothes that are too old/faded (thanks to the harsh sun and dust here) or are too big. Quit keeping things thinking I'll want them one day.
30. Blog my 30 by 30 achievements.

Of course, I'd love to be able to add "get married" and "have a baby" to the list, but those are pretty much out of my control at this point in my life. I can't really make those happen like I can the others. But ideally, they'd be pretty close to the top of my list :)

30 Year Old Me, The most important thing is to live a life that glorifies God. And if you've accomplished the 30 items on this list, that's just a bonus :)

Sincerely, 

27 Year Old Me