30 For 30: Celebrating Turning 30!
For whatever reason, I have been excited for my 30th birthday for a number of years now. It feels like a new beginning. My 20s were a compilation of growth, discovering who I really am, pure joy, heartache, deep love, and more. While I’m incredibly grateful for all of those experiences because they got me to where I am today, I’m looking forward to a chance to really hone in on a handful of things, rather than having my attention and energy scattered across the winds.
For the next few years, I’m going to focus on:
My relationship with myself and personal growth
My marriage
My businesses (KLEM Studios, KLEM + Co., and Wild Klementine)
Deepening friendships
There’s so much that I want to do in this big, beautiful world with the years that lie ahead of me. It’s incredible to think that in the 30 years I’ve been on this planet, I’ve only lived about a third of my life (Universe willing), and now that I’ve got the fundamentals of walking and talking down, I can put some power elsewhere ;)
I’ve seen a growing trend of creating a bucket list of 30 things to do before/when you turn 30, and I wanted to hop on that train. I’m not sure how committed I am to all 30, but it was fun to brainstorm some ideas. However, I found that there’s already SO much I’ve done in my young life, I was struggling to find 30 things I wanted to accomplish in the next 365 days. So, I decided to also make a list of 30 things I’m proud of. Below are my thought gatherings.
As always, I’m so grateful for YOU – taking the time to feast your eyes upon this blog, or leaving comments on social media, or however our paths have crossed. Thanks for being on this journey with me.
Cheers to another trip around the sun!
30 for 30 Bucket List
Buy our dream house
Get a tattoo – sorry, not sorry, Mom!
Harvest a deer
Visit Alaska – will be completed in 2021 for our honeymoon!
Take my mom on vacation
Visit Dogfish Head Brewery
Go to a drive-in movie
Visit five new National Parks
Triple my income
Read 30 books
Get a facial
Get three massages
Try 30 new recipes
Spa day at Lodge Kohler
Get a new car – okay, this one is kind of cheating because we already got the new car, but I had said I wanted a new vehicle before my birthday!
Run a 10k in under an hour
Go horseback riding – I used to ride as a kid and haven’t been on a horse for six or seven years
Continue to inspire people to travel and create the life of their dreams
Complete another Whole30
Volunteer my time
Buy a cute fashion hat
Photograph an Out West mountain elopement
Meditate daily
Rearrange my studio space in Vickery Village
Visit the Green Bay Farmer’s Market – I didn’t get there at all in 2020 with the pandemic!
Book a Reiki session
Live more sustainably
Grow a garden
Drink my Big Bad Baptist vertical from Epic Brewing – I have five years worth of BBB plus a number of varietals. They’ve been calling my name, but I need a group to drink this with #pandemicproblems
Be unapologetically me
30 Things I’m Proud Of
My marriage – I had a long and winding road to finding my soulmate. Three weeks after our first date, I knew he was the one. We eloped in the mountains, and now we’re searching for our dream house. Love you, Andy!
My relationship with my parents – I know this isn’t everyone’s experience, but my parents are two of my closest friends. I love being an only child, I feel like it made our relationship deeper.
Buying and selling my first home – I didn’t quite know what I was doing, but at 24, I knew in my soul that it was right for me. That home was my castle, my refuge that sheltered me at the time I needed it most, and it rewarded me as an investment when the time came to sell.
Getting my bachelor’s degree in 2.5 years – five semesters, in and out. It wasn’t your typically college experience, but it’s where my first business, KLEM Studios, was born!
Placing in the top 15 in two Miss Wisconsin pageants – I didn’t grow up competing in pageants, I filled out an application for the Miss Wisconsin Teen pageant on a whim my senior year of high school. I placed in the top 15, caught a bit of the bug and tried again the next year, placing Top 15 once more. This was when I first started to focus on building a healthy body!
Being a Certified Cicerone Beer Server – I love craft beer and look forward to growing my knowledge base even more in the years to come.
My three businesses – wow. Knowing where I started with these babies, to where they’ve grown to today. I’m building my KLEMpire, one day at a time. I tend to keep my head down, work quietly, and speak boldly when it’s called for. There’s so much more you’re going to see from this gal, watch me work ;)
My beautiful studio space – an extension of the point above, but I love my studio! It was a dream of mine when I first started my business, and I had no idea how it would transpire. Divine timing brought it all together, and there’s more expansion to come!
My four fur babies – these little (and not-so-little) fluffballs fill my days with joy. Their personalities, love, and devotion are incredibly moving. I rescued three of them and “adopted” Andy’s dog as my own. We have a robo-vacuum that handles the fur, and we’ll take all the snuggles we can get!
My commitment to my mental and physical health – coaching, journaling, meditating, moving my body, eating well - it all makes me a better person. First, I take care of myself. Then, I can take care of everyone else.
Completing a Whole30 – I had stomach issues on and off for years, never really exploring nutrition or knowing what my body wanted. I was turned on to the Whole30 program by a few friends, enrolled Andy in the journey, and WOW, what a life changer! I was able to figure out what my body does and doesn’t like (gluten, dairy, and sugar, I’m lookin’ at you!) and completely turn my nutrition habits around.
My commitment to personal growth – coaching is one of the best investments I’ve made. Not only does working with Kaela and Lisa of Rise Leadership Circle support me with my business, it first looks at who I am and who I get to be to fulfill my purpose. My self-worth journey is only just beginning.
Surviving two pandemics/outbreaks – for real, kids. I got swine flu in college, and then COVID in 2020. Not sure what that says about my immune system, but I’m alive and kickin’, folks!
Loving traveling by myself – nowadays, I mostly travel for work, which is typically a solo venture. I’m very comfortable in my own company (my inner dialogue is STRONG, idk how people without that voice in their head get through the day 🤪), so while there are definitely times I wish my husband was adventuring with me, I know that I’m awesome enough to travel solo.
Believing in myself, even when others haven’t – this is a stand I still get to take at times. I know what I’m capable of and what I’m building, and I get to be my biggest supporter and #1 fan.
Investing in life insurance and my retirement at a young age – I don’t know a ton about the world of finance, but I do know that these decisions afforded me some smart financial moves in my 20s, including the downpayment I put on my first house!
My mad cooking skills – seriously, I’m a damn good cook, my dad taught me!
My epic fire building skills
Making six figures in my business two years into being truly full-time with photography
My capacity to listen, empathize, and be compassionate
Having visited 45 states – only Alaska, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Oklahoma to go!
My epic travel planning skills
My willingness to try new things
Speaking about topics I’m passionate about in front of multiple groups of people
Giving the eulogy at my grandpa’s funeral
Being a guest on a podcast I admire – LOVE the Bokeh podcast!
My ability to drive in the mountains – I had a panic attack the first time my dad taught me, but practice makes perfect! Now, I don’t even think twice about it when I’m traveling (except when it’s snowing. Then I get nervous.).
My bartending and serving skills – I worked in the hospitality industry for ten years before “retiring”. Quite honestly, I was pretty damn good at it, and I’m still proud of that.
I’m really great at Flip Cup – they called me the Ringer in college ;)
I can say the alphabet backwards
