Hiii everyone!

So much has been going on. I’m behind online but not really. Sorry for my early year absence. I highly doubt it will be like this from here on out. I don’t even know where to start.

Besides my usual thinking about too much all of the time thing that I tend to do always, I’ve been getting life stuff done. I wanted to stop by on Friday and write a post, but I’ve had zero time. On Saturday, I turned the big 3-0! I’m 30 yall!!! OWWW! I was and still am so excited. I’ve been excited for maybe the last quarter of 29 and now that it’s here, and we’re fully in Aquarius I just feel like I’m exploding with happiness over and over again. I will attempt to recap the past few weeks over the next couple of days.

What does this mean for my 29 at 29 project? Technically it is over and I’m still trying to figure out everything I’d like to see accomplished this year personally. I don’t know that it will be 30 things. I don’t really know what form it will take, but I’ll have something put together by February to share. Goals never really go away until they are done. Everything I didn’t fully accomplish last year will be carried over. I realized much later than some relied on the completion of others and with a general lack of funds for personal pleasure, they just never happened. All that is changing this year though.

Outside of my glorious, grown up and beautiful new age, I’ve also got a bit of work news: I got a freelance job as a copywriter! Another thing ticked off the list! After all these years, after paying my student loan month after month without fail, I will finally get to use my degree for profit outside of myself. I am SO HAPPY! After getting the news, I got registered with the Chamber of Commerce here and I’m legit. It feels so good to know that I’ll be a functioning part of this society. I really need that to make living here a solid reality.

Now I know it’s Tuesday, and I haven’t mentioned one thing business related all year yet, but please bear with me. I’m working on something with two lovely ladies and that will debut next month some time. It’ll be about business and it’s the next chapter to my biz talk series. Here’s something else I’d LOVE to start but I need your participation for it to work. I’d love to start doing Q&A Tuesday as well for the biz talk series. Any and all business related questions can be sent to me here and I’ll answer them in some sort of order on the blog.

Let’s see…what else?

Oh yeah! I started working out yesterday. I coincidentally also got on my bike and rode around Amsterdam for about an hour total so naturally I’m super sore right now. I have to work out today, but I’m going to do it later this afternoon instead. I refuse to slack off right at the start.

So I’ll wrap this up now. Tomorrow there will be a new happiness post up so look out for that and on Thursday I’ll revisit what I wanted to talk about last week Tuesday: writing your future letter to yourself. As long as we have breath, we have time.

Yay to newness and thanks for hanging in there!

While having a chat with a friend on Saturday, it really started to dawn on me that I have exactly 7 weeks until my 30th birthday.

Somehow, that feels a bit daunting because I’m not sure how many things I can get done before then. On the other hand, I’m so insanely excited about turning 30, that I don’t even care. I am going to work on a new list and transfer some of what I don’t get done this time around to that list.

So let’s see what’s been going on since the last 29 at 29 update.

Knitting:

I did mention that I bought needles and that I started knitting again. Since then, I’ve bought a new set of needles and some fancy yarn that I’m afraid to touch because I don’t want to destroy it. I did start knitting, but I haven’t actually made anything yet. I’m giving myself the rest of December to make a simple scarf.

Dutch:

While I don’t speak an expansive amount of Dutch, I understand so much now that I’m happy with my progress. I am going to put myself through a small bootcamp and see just how much I can learn in the next 7 weeks. But I don’t seem to have a terrible time getting around on my own without a translator. I only can’t follow extremely fast (or normal) conversation when it goes back and forth quickly.

Bible:

I was doing a really really good job at first with reading the bible in a year. I am so far behind it’s pathetic. But I can start up again any time. I’ll see what I can finish before I’m 30.

Photoshop:

I have become SO much better at handling PS now. I am super proud of myself. Over the weekend, I started reading Pugly Pixel (um, how come I never really sat and read this site before?) As of right now, she is my go-to for learning how to make all the things I’ve been dreaming. I am going to be totally self sufficient over the next few months.

Camera:

I didn’t learn how to use a manual SLR, but I did learn how to use D’s DSLR pretty decently. With time, I’ll get much better. But now I’m not a point and shoot and hope I get lucky. I understand the parts of the camera now. I still plan on learning how to use a manual SLR though.

Sewing:

All sewing projects are on hold until I get a machine. Still haven’t gotten one, so if I get one for Christmas that would be rad. I highly doubt it though.

Day Job:

Things were on hold for so long because I was waiting for government stuff to go through. Now that that’s all clear, I’ve been looking for a job. I’ve got all these ideas and my 30s are going to be fantastic. It all comes down to finding a job I absolutely love.

Scrapbooks:

I started working on Blurb last week and I’m hoping to finish my first book in the next two weeks. I’ll talk about it more when I actually have stuff to show.

Short Stories:

I mentioned before that I wanted to start a Saturday Morning Stories section and I am hoping to have at least one up before this month is done. I’ve been working on a few story ideas, but haven’t truly devoted time to writing like I want to. Discipline is the name of the game.

Exercise:

Since I haven’t formally exercised in such a long time, I can more than count bike riding as my exercise. I have been taking longer rides and feeling so much toner. Ever since my four-hour ride through the woods, riding has been a bit of a breeze. That was a major boot camp if I’ve ever had one. I actually love bike riding now and miss it when I don’t do it enough. I even ride to the grocery now and that’s only 3 blocks away.

This weekend, we just so happened to pass a game shop and I found the Wii game I used to get slim and trim for my wedding so we got it right away. I finally get to be in shape in a way I enjoy. Yay!

Business:

Everything on the business front has changed quite considerably although it might not seem like it on the outside. I’ve become much more fine tuned on what it is that I want from this business and where I want it to grow so I’m confident it will all start to show in the next few months. Also, the last shop update for this year will be this week.

Howdy ho boys and girls!

Isn’t this clip from SNL completely hilarious? Have a really magical weekend my loves. The weather is looking nice and crisp. A true fall weekend. I’ll be busy making jewelry all weekend long in between checking out different events at Amsterdam Dance Event. Should be crazy fun times. Do you have anything planned for the weekend?
Here are some links from around the web you might like:

◊ I am loving the knitted goods over at Primoeza.

◊ This week I bought some knitting needles and some yarn to start knitting again. I got right back into it like 19 years hadn’t passed. Life is just like riding a bike sometimes. Hopefully I can have a proper scarf knitted before the blistering winter arrives. Are you on Ravelry? Follow me here.

◊ I think lace up boots are on everyone’s wishlist. Alyson put a list together of some nice ones.

◊ Loved Bhavna’s picks from Norwegian online magazine Klikk.

◊ I want to live in each of these rooms. via squirrel hobbies

◊ If there is something I would want in my home and studio, it would definitely be a giant polaroid. via hooray blog