31 Things Before I Turn 31 on March 29th 2012

Happy Birthday to Me!! I'm officially 30 now, so it's time to review my 30 Things Before I Turn 30 list. Let's see how it turned out. I actually only had 5 months, instead of a full year as the project suggests. I completed 11 items from the list, have a few that no longer interest me, and the rest I'll roll over to my new list.  Click here to read about my progress on my 30 Things list. So what will I do this year?  

 

1. Learn to Knit; complete at least one project
2. Write my first book
3. Read complete works of Jane Austen
4.  Swim with the dolphins
5. Take voice lessons
6. Learn to make tiramisu
7. Take 5th Dimensional healing class
8. Attend an Opera
9. Visit the Harry Potter theme park
10. Complete a jigsaw puzzle on my own
11. Convert our family videos from VHS to DVD
12. Schedule myself a Spa Day
13.  Attend a Kansas City Storm Women Football game
14.  Study A Course in Miracles; attend a workshop
15.  Heal my cancer
16. Create a weekly yoga schedule
17.  Journal daily
18. Go on a Missouri weekend and see all historical landmarks
19. Go on a 7 day sugar cleanse
20. Heal my eczema
21. Do a gall bladder cleanse
22.  Read Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

23.Write myself a love letter
24. Take the "No TV for 30 Days" Challenge
25. Read something by Thich Nhat Hanh
26. Create a delicious gluten free, sugar free, banana bread recipe
27. Clear out basement; sell items on Craig's List
28. Organize all my photos
29. Watch "Black Swan"
30. Try Pole Dancing

31.Clean my house weekly

Any tips or suggestions to help me complete my list? What's on your list?

30 Things Before I Turn 30: #3 and 9 Watch Gone With the Wind and Create My Vision Board

Today I finally got out the Gone With the Wind DVD I received from the library, my magazine/internet pictures and poster board for my Vision Board and got cracking! I really think the Vision Board turned out beautifully, and I'm so glad to have it to inspire me as I turn 30 this week. Vision Boards are a great tool to attract abundance into your life. Take pictures that represent goals, people who inspire you, quotes, ideas, etc. and make a collage and post where you can see everyday. I remember one scene from The Secret where one of the speakers shared a story about purchasing his dream home. As he unpacked, he found the box with all his vision boards in it, and one of the boards from 3-4 years earlier had a picture of a house, the EXACT same house that he purchased! Do you have a Vision Board?

P.S. Not a fan of Gone With the Wind. Have you seen it?

30 Things Before I Turn 30: #13 Attend a Roller Derby

I've had a desire to attend the Roller Derby for a few years now, but somehow always missed the season. Saturday night some gals pals and I headed down to Municipal Auditorium for the opening game of the season! We have four local teams: Black-Eyed Susans, Dreadnought Dorothys, Knockouts and Victory Vixens. If you are not familiar with the derby, essential, it's kick-ass chicks on roller skates, speeding around a ring, trying to score points, and knocking down anyone who gets in the way. The game is simple, once you get the hang of it, but violence and incredible skating moves play a large part. It's wild, crazy fun, the audience is spirited, and the Kansas City Roller Warriors do an excellent job of making a real production out it. I will say that the particular match we saw, which was a double header, would have been more entertaining if the teams had been more even. The Black-Eyed Susans killed the Dreadnought Dorothys, winning by an 80 point spread.  The second game between the Knockouts and Victory Vixens turned into an even bigger slaughter, with the Vixens coming out ahead by 100 points! The season runs through August, so hopefully we will make another game, with teams more evenly matched. Otherwise, great experience and I hope to do it again!

30 Things Before I Turn 30: #21 Try Kimichi

I've been working on my list of 30 Things to accomplish before my birthday, and have completed one of the items from my list.  This week I decided to buy kimichi from Whole Foods.  They have four different flavors, and I read and re-read each item several times before choosing the spicy kimichi.  Two of the items had fennel in it, and I've discovered the fennel makes me nauseous, so it limited my choice.  I really didn't know how to eat it, so I purchased some delicious crackers and decided to make a lovely snack.  Delicious! It is similar to sauerkraut, but with more vegetables than just cabbage and seasoned differently.  This one is quite spicy, with red pepper flakes, but I did enjoy it. 

So why kimichi? Kimichi is a fermented food, filled with all the good bacteria your body needs for digestion.  It has tons of enzymes, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, vitamin C, helps you absorb B12 vitamins, and probiotics. 

Have you ever eaten Kimichi?  How do you like to eat it?  Do you have any favorite recipes you would like to share?

Ego-Trippin' Down Judgement Lane

Oh how fearful and ugly the Ego can be sometimes. As my Reiki cleanse ends (thank the Universe!), I've had some feelings come up that I haven't experience for quite awhile. A few day ago I started researching my 30 Things before my birthday, one of those being "go to a shooting range."  I googled shooting ranges and started doing some research and my Ego started screaming, judging, freaking out. All I could think about is "What was I thinking? Shooting range? Those places are filled with crazy NRA-er's, psychopaths the lot of them! Blech!!!"  After about an hour of this I stood back and just took it in. I was angry, scared, and just horrible. What the heck got into me? My ego, that's what, amplified and going nuts.

A few days later my Dad told me I needed to get started on our 2011 company budget, and we would be meeting with corporate office this week to do some planning. I immediately flashed back to last year, and how angry and disappointed I was with the fella from corporate that "helped" us with last years budget. The guy clearly just wanted to get his job done and make our budget look "pretty" for his superiors, rather than helping us make it accurate and useful, so I ended up redoing a lot of it. The same guy is supposed to be meeting with us again and all I can think of is; I WANT TO MAKE HIM WEEP!! Yes, I want to put on my stilettos, break out my leather whip, and bring this man to his knees. Just thinking of it gives me happy tingles all throughout my body. Where's the love and humanity and gratitude in this emotion? I admit, I used to relish the opportunity to put someone in their place; I enjoyed firing people and have literally made grown men cry. However, that's past Shanna, right?

This is the deal, we do all of this work, this development, but the fact is, that we are still human. We are spiritual beings having a human experience, and that doesn't mean ignoring the darker feelings, or necessarily not having them at all. It just means that as we do this work, focus on gratitude, create love lists, recognize that all living creatures are connected, we may have fewer moments where the Ego takes over, but we do not erase it completely. Also, learning to recognize those feelings when they arise, and rather than ignoring or pushing them down, experience them. Just let the feeling happen, then take a deep breath, do some gratitude statements, and realize that the fear is your Ego talking, not your inner guide.

So how am I dealing with my judgements and power trips? By recognizing them, blessing those NRA ladies and gents, blessing the budget man, and realizing that there is nothing wrong with having different perspectives.  By opening myself to the Universe, I know I will find a peaceful way to experience both situations.  By the way, being peaceful, doesn't mean being a doormat. It simply means going into a situation with openness, but you still have every right to stand up for yourself if the situation calls for it.  But entering a situation with fear and anger will ensure that it turns ugly.

30 New Things Before I Turn 30 on March 29th!

I've been following this lovely blog called Yes and Yes, and blog owner Sarah Vonbargen has this wonderful concept; to experience a certain number of new things before your next birthday. She's turning 32 this year, so she has 32 items on her list, one of her followers is turning 20, so she's posted 20 new items, and so I'm doing 30 in honor of my 30th birthday. I realize at this point I don't actually have a year, more like 5 months, but I feel I can do this and it sounds fun! Here's my list:

1. Learn to Knit; complete at least one project
2. Write my first e-book
3. Watch "Gone With the Wind"
4. Achieve Giant Squid status on Squidoo
5. Attend a service at Rime Buddhist center
6. Learn to make tiramisu
7. Take 5th Dimensional healing class
8. Attend an Opera
9. Create my Vision Book
10. Complete a jigsaw puzzle on my own
11. Convert our family videos from VHS to DVD
12. Schedule myself a Spa Day
13. Go to a Shooting Range
14. Go to the roller derby
15. Attend a hockey game
16. Read "To Kill a Mockingbird"
17. Meditate daily
18. Go on a Missouri weekend and see all historical landmarks
19. Send snail mail love letters to at least 10 friends/family
20. Clear out basement
21. Try Kimichi
22. Get a psychic reading
23. Buy lunch for a homeless person
24. Reconnect with my cousins Alex and Sloane
25. Watch the "Godfather" trilogy
26. Read "Siddhartha"
27. Find a mustard greens recipe I love
28. Write at least 5 letters to people who inspire me, who I don't know personally
29. Read Gala Darlings e-book "Love and Sequins"
30. Throw a slumber party (as an adult)

What are you going to experience before your birthday? Any suggestions to help me reach my goals? I am going to post them on the side of my blog, and update my progress as we approach my birthday. Post your list here and let me know how it goes!

Love and Gratitude,

Shanna ♥