A few decades down and a handful more to go

I was reading through Elena's archives one night a few weeks back when I stumbled across her very first blog entry.  It was about turning 30.  I liked the premise of the post and seeing as I turn 30 this month I figured it would be fun to do something similar. 

I'm having more trouble letting go of my 20s then I had expected.  Saying that I am 30 (as of today) feels weird to me.  I don't necessarily know why.

Hopefully, after I am done writing this post I will feel a little better about this year's birthday (by looking back at some moments from my past and documenting some of the exciting milestones I still hope to accomplish in the years to come).

Accomplishments of note (to date) in no particular order:
- I have followed through on my education goals, earning a bachelor's (from NDSU in 2000) and a master's (from Hamline in 2005) degree
- I have a wonderful wife and have now been happily married for four years
- I have two amazing daughters
- I have a dog and he has a fenced in backyard (it's something I always wanted)
- I played one season of Division II college baseball at NDSU (my gaudy career stats were: 2 for 6 with a walk)
- I have known many of my closest friends for over half of my life
- I've attended five baseball games at Fenway Park (including two vs the Yankees) and I have seen both the Twins and Red Sox win World Series Championships
- I've seen many of the bands/artists I've always wanted to see in concert (> 60 in total)
- I have been to twenty-four states (including Washington D.C.)
- I have a hole-in-one on my golf resume

*Future hopes of note in no particular order:
- Take and extended vacation later in life, with Gina, to Europe (at a minimum spending time in Italy and Switzerland)
- Become lower then a ten handicap in golf (when I stopped playing regularly five or six years ago I was an eleven).  If I start playing more when I get older I hope to get under a five.
- Bowl a 300 game (I've had twelve strikes in a row before, but not all in the same game...eleven is the most I've had)
- Learn to play the guitar (it's been a goal of mine for years and will likely never happen...but it's nice to dream)
- To see my girls become women

*I was surprised at how hard it was for me to come up with future hopes.  Thinking about it more, I am quite alright with that.  I think it means that I haven't decided exactly what I am hoping my life becomes (as most of my future hopes I've had since I was a kid).  My preference is to just let life take it's course and try to figure things out as I go.  I fully expect plenty of exciting things to happen along the way.

P.S. Happy birthday Mo!