T - H - I - R - T - Y

What is it about that particular word that seems particularly ominous these days?

Oh... wait... I know...

It's because that is now how many years I have existed upon this fair planet we call earth.

That's right, I have forever left my 20's in the dust. It really freaked me out for a few days there, but I got over it. I still haven't had to write my age as "30" on any forms yet, so maybe all of the freak-outs haven't passed me by yet. We'll see. What day isn't made just a little more fun with a little bit of freakiness?

I'll make a post about the fantastic dinner I made to celebrate later. For now I want to make a list of some of the fun things I have done/experienced this past decade. The following are listed in no particular order...

I have:

• Hiked Mt. Timpanogos twice
• Watched the 4th of July fireworks from the Y
• Watched the sunset from Squaw Peak (don't get all excited, I was by myself)
• Seen Lionel Richie, Tina Turner, Diamond Rio, Gary Allen, Sawyer Brown, and several others in concert
• Been featured in the Daily Universe not once, but twice!
• Been interviewed for a story that aired on KSL (Allowing me to cross "be a TV star" off of the bucket list)
• Learned Castellano
• Spent 16 months in Argentina on a Mission for the LDS Church
• Been videoed walking around the Riverwoods dressed in a Penguin suit
• Grown my hair out to my elbows, cut it to my chin, then grown it out to my elbows again (current length. I really do look better with long hair)
  
• Known the glory that is laser surgery (both for correcting vision and the obliteration of hair follicles)
• Was told by a man that I am "more of a man than him." He came out of the closet years later. I'm still unsure how to take that particular statement.
  
• Fallen up stairs several times. Trust me, this is something to brag about. Plenty of people fall down stairs, but how many people fall up stairs. I have a scar on my shin from falling up the stairs in front of hundreds of people at the movies...
• Got both a BS and a PhD in Biochemistry
• Joined a Band (no, not a rock band... a british brass band. Trust me, its cool)
• Seen Loch Ness, Stonehenge, Tintagel Castle, the Blarney Castle, Mont San Michele, the David, Venice, the Coloseum, the Mona Lisa, the Eiffel Tower, and the cathedral at Notre Dame
• Discovered the tasty deliciousness that is gruyere cheese
• Bonded with my Mechanic (he's a catalyst, I'm just stuck in the bin)
• Became an Aunt several times over
• Won 5 radio contests in one year
• Published several articles in scientific journals
• Won the 2004 ABRF poster award and gave a presentation at the conference
• Leared how to crochet and knit
• Read hundreds upon hundreds of books
• Made more new friends than I can count
• Lived in 9 different Provo Apartments
• Learned how to type really fast
• Got to know my Great-grandpa Orson and great-grandma Lucinda by compiling a book about their life together
• Lost 20 lbs. in 4 months, and gained it back upon frequent exposure to funeral potatoes
• Got to hang out with "Majesty" - a Queen tribute band
• Tried on Miss Utah's crown
• Grown my own food in several different gardens
• Almost ODed on fresh cherries (is there anything tastier... mmmmmm...)
• Went on a California road-trip with little Huff
• Had several awkward conversations in which I found out I was not in the running for "more than friends" status
• On a related note, I have not been on cuddling terms with nearly enough guys in my 20s. Here's hoping to do better in that category in my 30s!
  
• Taken 7 dance classes. I'm still not very graceful, but I can hold my own on a ballroom floor with a decent lead.
• Learned the basics of Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign.

I'm sure I'll think of other things to add... The past decade has had its ups and downs, but its been fun! Here's looking forward to my 30s!