30 Before 30: #22 - Write a Children's Book

I just turned 29 in June and it felt a little weird.  I have no ill feelings about getting older, but 29 just sounds so close to 30 which sounds so much more adult.  By the time my Mom was 29 she was popping out me, child number two.  What have I accomplished?!  Since lists and projects have a way of getting my mind back in order I decided to make a bucket list of 30 things to do before I turn 30.  And it's working!  I'm motivated to explore and expand my horizons and seeing myself do all of these fun things makes the road to 30 more fun than scary.

In this new series, "30 Before 30," I will be taking you with me along my journey to cross each item off my list.  I'm hoping my list will give you an idea or two for activities because we should all get out there and do something.  Don't worry if you don't live in New York; only 1/3 of this list is NYC-centric.  Maybe this project will even inspire you to make a list of your own.

When I was struggling to flesh out my list, my friend Brad gave me the idea to write a children's book for my nephew who was, at the time, about a month away from joining us in this world.  (Turns out Brooks was born 15 days early, putting this specific item on the fast track.)  A new uncle himself, Brad knew that some of the best baby gifts are the personalized ones.  And since he knows I enjoy writing, he thought this would be a fun thing for me to do.  I spent hours writing out the perfect story incorporating family members and an inside joke or two as well as doing all of the illustrations myself.  I had to stay up late to complete it, but I am so proud of the finished product, especially when I saw how happy it made Mark and Allison.  We're even looking to get it published!  

This project was deeply personal and [I hope!] will be treasured for years to come.  I highly recommend doing something like this if you're going to be an aunt or uncle soon.  Or better yet, hire me to do it for you!

Date of Completion: 7/28/14