30x30, Personal Project

30 x 30: #16 – Reach 525 blog posts

2014 10-01 525 PostsWith my last blog post (back-dated to Monday), I’ve officially surpassed 50% of my 30×30 list! I may only be at 53%, but dammit I’m over 50% and that’s what matters!

I added this post to my list as I knew I would reach 500 not long after I kicked off my 30×30 list, but I also knew I wouldn’t make it to 1000 by December 21st and I wanted something blog related that wasn’t reading. Honestly, I’m still shocked I’ve reached 525 posts (over 550 if you include my posts on Now Entering Adulthood) and I’m really proud of it. As proud as I am about the post count, I’m more proud of what I’ve written about.

In the 525 posts I’ve written about over 300 books (304) and apparently 225 posts about random stuff including my 30×30 List, a couple of personal projects, Culture Corners, Workout Wednesdays and myriad other subjects I’m sure. Seriously, there’s no telling what I wrote about back in the days… Want to have fun, click this link and it will bring up a random post I’ve written since this blog started.

30x30, Personal Project

30 x 30: #5 – Run the Thompson Island 4k Trail Run

2014 09-18 Thompson Island Sibling SelfieMy 30×30 list is now 50% complete. BOOM! I’m definitely behind schedule, but I’ve got this.

I replaced the original #5 and #6 after I injured my ankle in late June and couldn’t run or work out for almost two months. So instead of running a 10k and a half marathon, hello first two items on my future 40×40 list, I added Run the Thompson Island 4k Trail Run and Bike 10 miles on the harbor walk.

My sister and I, sibling selfie above, agreed ages ago to do this trail run as it’s what first brought me to work for Thompson Island Outward Bound Education Center (TIOBEC) I joined TIOBEC as a temp to help process data and they eventually found room in their budget to higher me full-time. While employed there I worked three trail runs and loved how much fun everyone had, but never got the chance to run one. Last year I had a conflict with my current job, but this year we were going to do it!

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30x30, Personal Project

30 x 30: #9 – Get up solely to see the sunrise and watch the sunset on the same day

2014 09-13 Sunrise SelfieI love the sunrise, but I rarely get up JUST to see the sunrise, so I knew this would go on my list from the beginning. There’s something so peaceful about the sunrise and when you think about how there are so many more people who see the sunset than the sunrise, it’s a bit of a treat to see one.

As soon as I found out I was going to spend three days in Acadia I knew that it would be an excellent place to see the sunrise and I was NOT wrong! After we were up there, I found out that Acadia, and specifically Cadillac Mountain, is, according to them, the first place the sun hits on the east coast and it certainly felt like it. Although we were freezing (it was in the 40s), it was definitely worth getting up and if you’re EVER up there you should check it out.

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30x30, Personal Project

30 x 30: #10 – Lie in a park and relax or read and have no other plans for the day

2014 09-12 Acadia National Park - Sleepy GeoffreyAs promised in my post about my day with no technology, I conquered another list item that day: lie in a park and relax or read and have no other plans for the day.

My proof of said item’s completion is to the right. “Tex,” if you read Now Entering Adulthood you’ll get it, took these two photos. I sat down and enjoyed the beautiful view and just nodded off. I was close enough to people to hear them, but far enough away that it was just background noise. What made this item count is that we had NO plans for the day other than to explore the park.

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30x30, Personal Project

30 x 30: #12 – Spend a day with no technology

2014 09-12 Acadia National Park - Cadillac SummitThis might be my favorite 30 x 30 list item so far. It is the twelfth item I have completed and is one of THREE I did this past weekend while visiting Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor in Maine.

I added this to my list for the same reason I deleted Facebook from my phone. Some days you just spend too much time staring at a screen (eight plus hours a day five days a week) and that doesn’t even include your phone time!

When I first added this to the list, I should’ve clarified the primary intention was no internet or social media, but I did my best to stick to no technology in general. It became difficult as I realized how beautiful Acadia was and I stole a phone a few times to snap a photo (like the above and below), but I didn’t once check in on social media or email. I was, however, VERY glad I saved my sunrise and sunset experience for the next day so that I could document it with my camera and not feel guilty!

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