34 Before 34 – Part One

It’s time to admit it – I’m not as young as I think I am. I mean not that I think 33 is hugely old but it’s finally starting to dawn on me that I’m not exactly a youngster anymore. I know I only actually turned 33 on Saturday but I’m starting to realise that this grown up thing kind of creeped up on me.

Anyway, a rambling post about where my life is going is not what this post is supposed to be. It is the first half of the list of goals I’m setting myself to try to complete by this time next year. I thought I should break this down into a couple of posts to try to stop it being the loooooongest post ever.

1. Move house – ok, so this is kind of a cheat. Line how I like to add one thing I’ve already done to the top of my to do list so I can mark it off and give myself a head start. We need to move out of our current flat by March really so this is something we have to do as well as something I’m very keen to do.
2. Pass my roller derby minimums – I have this massive mental block when it comes to skating and although I know I’ve come on leaps and bounds from where I started I seem to refuse to allow myself to take my feet off the floor. I don’t know why. The rational part of me knows the worst I can do is fall over, and I do that a lot so I’m certainly not scared of it but my head will not allow me to do it.
3. Go ice skating – I love going ice skating at Christmas, even though I’m bad at it. I couldn’t go last year because I was pregnant and was scared of falling on my belly. This year though I’m hoping my derby practice might help me be a bit more confident on ice skates too.
4. Visit Cambridge – I’ve hardly been anywhere in the UK, I know, how odd. I definitely want to change that and Cambridge is one of the first on my list to visit. Also high up on my list are Norfolk and Bath but I’ll just limit it to the one trip for now I’m the hope I can get it ticked off.
5. Lose two stone – As I mentioned in a previous post I’ve kind of lost my way a little bit since having Cece and I’ve let myself go. I’ve certainly not been looking after myself the way I was before I was pregnant and that is why this is here. I’m the heaviest I’ve ever been at the moment and it’s really taking its toll on my confidence. I know that it shouldn’t be dictated by a number on a scale but this is something that matters a lot to me.
6. Bake at least once a month – I get a lot of pleasure from baking and I used to do it regularly. Now I cling to that old adage of never having enough time. I need to make time for the things I like to do, even if that is only an hour or so once a month. I’d love to do more than this but I’m trying to make these achievable!
7. Get a new tattoo – I’ve got a handful of tattoo ideas that I’ve wanted for a while but I think the next one I want to get is for Cece.
8. Go on the London Eye – I know it’s super cheesy but every time I walk past it or see it in the distance I wonder what it’s like to be on it. I’ve lived in London for about six years now and never been on it, hopefully this year I’ll actually get round to it.
9. Go on a spa weekend/day – I’ve never been to a spa and I’d love an excuse just to unwind for a whole day. All I’m asking for is a massage, a facial and a mani/pedi, is that too much?
10. Get a new job – this is another one that’s a bit of a cheat. I definitely need to do it but I’ll be honest it was something I was thinking about doing soon anyway.
11. Be the host – I hate hosting things. I hate throwing parties for myself (that sounds sad but you know what I mean) I can’t cope with the anxiety of waiting to see if people will show up and I never invite people round to our house for drinks, dinner, whatever. This year I’m determined to put my big girl pants on and give it a go. I don’t know why I hate it so much, I guess it’s because I put everyone having a nice time in my hands if I’m the host and that kind of pressure is a killer! I need to try to just let it go.
12. Get some event experience – last year I completed a couple of courses with a view to becoming a wedding and events planner. This year I want to follow-up on that by shadowing and assisting some experienced planners to build my confidence and experience.
13. No fast food for a month – Tom and I eat far too many takeaways and this absolutely has to stop. Not just to help me achieve my weight loss goal but also because the amount of salt and fat we’re consuming through them is definitely not good for us.
14. Read 12 books – I’ve set myself a Goodbooks reading challenge every year for the past few and never managed to achieve it. Now that I’ve decided to take on the Rory Gilmore challenge I need to get reading. I’m aiming for one a month in the hopes that I can actually do it.
15. Complete a monthly Instagram challenge – I try to complete one of these every month and never get more than 10 days into them. I’ve tried Tattooed Tealady’s mama challenges and Fat Mum Slim’s photo a day here’s hoping I’ll get through one this year. – Done
16. Go away overnight – This is also a bit of a cheat because I booked it the other day. I haven’t yet left Cece overnight so this is pretty big news for me. I bought Tom and I a stay at The Crazy Bear for our wedding anniversary in September and we’re finally taking it in January.
17. Visit Hampton Court – This is a bit like the London Eye goal. There are a few places in and around London that I’ve never been to and I’d really like to. The fact that they wouldn’t take too much effort to get to helps too.

I’ll leave it there for this post and put the other 17 in part two…