30 Before 30: #12 - Go Apple or Berry Picking

Apple picking is not much of a thing where I'm from.  As you creep closer to North Georgia you may find corn fields and hay rides, but in the Lowcountry that stuff is a bit harder to come by and apples are not one of our major crops...which would make picking them nearly impossible for a weekend activity.  But here in the Northeast it's all anyone does in the Fall.  I have become so jealous of all the cute Instagram pics that invade my feed in September/October.  All the girls look so great in their cozy flannel and I can't resist a small child standing next to an oversized pumpkin.  I had to get in on the action.  At this point the activity has become cliché but I don't care; I had a blast.

On a cool autum Saturday I headed to New Paltz, NY with some girls from book club.  I was a bit hungover but I could not miss my last chance to go apple picking before my 30th birthday so I grabbed a large iced coffee and a bacon egg and cheese and headed to Port Authority for the hour and a half ride upstate.  Side note: this was the first time I've ever gotten to use the phrase "I'm going Upstate" and I liked how it sounded.

A short cab ride from the bus station took us to Jenkins & Lueken Orchards and dropped us off at their general store.  Here, you can buy apples and pumpkins that you didn't pick yourself (but...why?) as well as local goodies like homemade peanut butter (I picked up some of the chunky monkey variety with chocolate chips for Matt), apple butter (got a jar of this for Matt's bday as well), jams, pies, sausages, and ciders.  We immediately grabbed some apple cider doughnuts (a specialty) to share.  Like everything else there, they were very inexpensive, just $1.25 for three.  They are the airiest cake doughnuts covered in cinnamon sugar.  We held of on the rest of the shopping until after the other activities.  Most people must drive up there on their own (vs. the bus/taxi method we used) because there were no paths to get to the orchards and fields.  We looked like silly city girls trying to cross the small highway.  We first walked through the corn maze (not much of a maze...more like...just...corn, but cool, nonetheless) and then took a little hayride.  It was finally time for the main event!  We went back to the store to pick up our apple bags and pickers and were warned that it was the end of the season so there wouldn't be much left on the trees.  We were not deterred.  We were mostly in it for the experience and only needed a couple bags to make a few pies.  It's not like we were stocking up for the winter.

After getting enough apples and some extra items from the store we had a taxi (that we called in advance) take us back into town.  New Paltz looked like a town right out of an ABC Family tv show.  Very quaint with a hippy skew.  I would definitely recommend an apple picking excursion combined with a bed and breakfast stay and a tour of a nearby vineyard.

Apple picking was a success and definitely something I would do again next fall!

Date of Completion: 10/18/14

30 Before 30: #27 - Take One Picture Each Day for a Month

Taking a picture every day may not seem like much of a challenge in the days where our cameras are our phones and our phones fit in our pockets.  But this project wasn't just about taking lots of selfies; it was an attempt for me to stop for one moment every single day and find something to appreciate.  It is all too easy to slip into the same routine day after day.  Walking the exact same streets to work and going home to the exact same apartment can get monotonous and boring.  But even in a routine, it's possible to find something new every day that can make you smile.  This project means discovery.  It means gratitude.

Some days were easy.  One Sunday there was the most gorgeous sunset and another day I found a school door to be stately and beautiful in its own way.  But then other days it would be 11 PM and I hadn't found a single thing interesting enough for a picture.  It was those days that I realized how great it was that I could see the greatness of NYC just by looking out my bedroom blinds.  Snap: that's picture worthy.  Or how snuggling under the covers with my Bella was one of my favorite things ever so that deserved a picture as well.

I managed to tag almost all of the pictures in the collection (27 of the 30) with #SeptemberSnaps on Instagram.  I also used #30picsin30days to follow my own journey.

Date of Completion: 9/30/14

30 Before 30: #3 - Run a 10K

My latest 30 Before 30 project was one of the more ambitious items on my list.  Running a 10K is not something that can be accomplished simply by coughing up some money.  It was only going to happen if I put the time and effort into training.  So I did.  I downloaded a training schedule and for five weeks I did exactly as it prescribed.  At the start of my training, my most intense run was 3 miles, and I am amazed that in just five weeks I was able to get my body into the condition to run the full 6.2 mile distance without keeling over.  

Once I put the goal of a 10K on my list, I knew it was only going to happen if I signed up and paid the entrance fee so there would be no turning back.  I chose the Women's Health Run 10 Feed 10 because the race was occurring in the time frame I wanted.  It was enough time for me to get my body into shape and the weather would be perfect for training outside.  There were a couple other benefits to this race.  For me, right up there at the top was the fact that the course was along the West Side Highway, which meant it was flat.  If I had to deal with hills I would have needed some extra training.  The other great thing about this race is that it is jointly produced by Women's Health and the FEED Foundation, which works to fight hunger.  Just by registering for the race, my fee provided 10 meals to people in my own metropolitan area.  It's nice to think that even though I was crossing an item off my bucket list, it wasn't all about me me me.

Things like this are so much better when you don't do it alone.  I was prepared to do it solo and did all my training alone, but last week Beth decided to sign up for the race.  We didn't run together, per se, but we kicked it off side by side and were able to congratulate each other when we both crossed the finish line at around the same time.  Having a friendly face there made all the difference.  It was also great to have Albert there.  I know he was not happy to wake up an hour before the sun even started to rise but seeing him there, holding some expertly made signs, kept me going.  There he was a quarter mile into the race with a poster that read "Tess - Run like you're chasing Ugga!"  The name of Uga, my famous college mascot, may have been misspelled but nobody else had a sign like it.  Then at the last quarter mile I was greeted with one that read "Tess - Hurry! This guy is waiting at the finish line!" with a picture of one of my celebrity crushes.  The celeb was motivation, but I was even happier to see the guy holding the sign as I pushed towards the end.

I set a goal for myself of completing the race in under an hour.  It felt ambitious knowing that the final distance was nearly a mile and a half more than I'd ever run before (so I would likely slow down towards the end) but still maybe do-able based on my pace during training.  By the day of the race I didn't care how I accomplished my goal; I could come in at 59:59 and be happy.  Honestly, just finishing would make me happy.  But I did it.  I owned it.  Not only did I come in under an hour, my final official time was 57:16.  That's almost three minutes under my goal.  It doesn't sound like much, but three minutes is a lot when it comes to running.  Is it braggy if I say I'm proud of myself?  Because I am.  I feel like I killed it out there.

Date of Completion: 9/21/14

30 Before 30: #4 - Get My Hair Done at the John Barrett Braid Bar

A few years ago, the fancy pants John Barrett Salon began offering braiding and ponytail services.  I always thought it would be a great way to do something different before a formal event and a great way to make something like a simple LBD stand out and command attention.  The problem was I didn't have too many local events that call for fun hairdos.  As a Southerner, most of the weddings I attend are out of town and the weddings that have actually been in the city are ones I was in and therefore had no control over my hairstyle.  Since I don't have too many any red carpet events, I figured this wasn't going to happen and I would just end up always wearing my hair down.  Boring!

Just before starting this list, I went to John Barrett for a blowout courtesy of a friend.  Though I knew I probably would not have the opportunity to ever utilize the service, I was still curious about the braid bar and started asking questions.  The receptionist told me that as long as I came to the salon with my hair already washed and dried the price was a set $50.  No matter what.  $50 for a basic side braid.  $50 for a milkmaid style updo.  $50.  That's just $10 more than a blowout from Drybar, which people must think is cheap based on Drybar's rapid expansion across the country.  And it can be way more intricate than a blowout!  How this exists in such an expensive salon, I don't know, but when I realized a fun hairdo was well within my price range, I decided I had to get this done, even if it meant creating an event just so I could get my hair done.

As luck would have it, I was not attending the rehearsal dinner for one of the weddings Albert and I had on the calendar and would be taking the train to Connecticut day-of.  This was my perfect chance!  I woke up on Saturday with a few ideas in mind but nothing set in stone.  The salon had an inspiration book that I flipped through as I spoke with the stylist about the kind of look I wanted.  If I'm going to be geting my hair done, I wanted to make the most of that $50 and wear it up because weddings are the few times you can get away with an updo (also I didn't want anything falling flat in transit).  I knew I didn't want it too tight or "done" because I didn't want to look like I was trying to be in the bridal party.  I had never had a fishtail braid so I said I'd like to incorporate that into the look, perhaps in the crown style, which I was gravitating toward.  I told the stylist I trusted her and to just do what she thought would look best with my hair type.

She totally got me.  Sue, the stylist, was incredible.  She created the whole phenomenal look in 20-25 minutes.  She understood that I wanted something slightly bohemian but needed structure so it would last all night.  Honestly, this could have lasted the whole next day, too.  It looked totally light and free, without a pin in sight, but I found out the next morning that there was enough hairspray and about 40 bobby pins holding it all in place.  If we weren't going to a cookout with all the other wedding guests on Sunday, I totally would have worn the hair again with a maxi skirt for a totally different look.

I loved how my hair looked so much that I may still just create an event so I have an excuse to do this again.  Also, a thanks to John Barrett Salon for setting me up with complimentary makeup touch-up upon realizing that I was heading to an event.  My eyes looked fabulous!

Date of Completion: 8/9/2014

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