31 and Counting

I turned 31 today.  It's one of those birthdays that doesn't have any real pomp or circumstance.  Nobody ever says to you, "You're turning the BIG 3-1 this year!"  After 25 it seems those 'checkpoint' birthdays don't happen very often.  12, 16, 18, 20, 21, 25, and 30 are all checkpoint birthdays; after that it's really just every decade.  That's kind of a shame, because it feels like it's the checkpoint birthdays that really make you evaluate where you're at.

I was thinking about that this morning and realized that even though today wasn't really a checkpoint birthday, last year was.  The road to 30 is full of natural milestones.  High school, college, mission, marriage, job.  Check, check, check check, check.  At 30, I had a couple degrees, a good job, and best of all a smart, beautiful, loving wife.  Not bad.    

The 30th birthday made me wonder what was next.  All of a sudden the preset milestones disappear and it's on you to pave the path.  Things like "Advance my career", "Serve in the church, "Be a good husband", "Save for retirement", "Stay in shape", etc.,  come to mind, but none of those are very specific.

I decided I needed something to work toward... a goal.  That was when I decided to run a marathon.  Looking back on the year, the marathon is certainly the most challenging thing I accomplished.  The decision to run it kicked off a 6 month training regiment that had me running nearly every day, around Agilent, at the fitness center, on the Los Gatos Creek Trail, on the beach at 17 Mile Drive, and even in 30 degree weather in Utah on Christmas Eve.  

But thinking about the year past, the marathon wasn't the only thing I did this year.  I actually got a lot done.  

• Ran the Bakersfield Half Marathon
• Ran the Salt Lake Marathon
• Went skydiving
• Ate garlic ice cream
• Biked over the Golden Gate Bridge
• Went backpacking in Yosemite
• Trained for and finished the Tough Mudder
• Drove down Highway 1 through Big Sur
• Did the Color Run at Candlestick Park
• Went to a Giants game and an A's game
• Served as the Ward Mission Leader
• Hired and managed an intern
• Hiked a mountain with my little brother
• Did a flashlight tour of Alcatraz
• Shot a legitimate 93 on a difficult golf course
• Lost 10 pounds (w/ at least 10 to go)
• Hung shelves on the wall for Adria
• Wrote in my blog (today)

I feel pretty good about that list.

Still, there were a few things I wanted to do/accomplish this past year but didn't:

• Build a model car (only because I don't have the time, space, or money to rebuild a real one)
• Hike Half Dome
• Ride the roller coasters at Six Flags Magic Mountain
• Visit San Louis Obispo
• Deep sea fishing
• Mountain biking
• Whale watching (although we did see a whale while at the beach once)
• Surfing
• P90X / Insanity
• Wash my car

That looks like a good list for year 32.