It’s my thirtieth birthday and I’m feeling a little strange. Like I’m wearing a new pair of pants and they don’t quite fit quite. I need a tailor or a time machine, or both. Feels like every time I blink three years go by. Blink. There’s another six months….blink, blink, blink.

Today it feels like I finished a good book and I want to read it again, sort of. My twenties were probably a lot like everyone else’s; full of high highs and low lows, countless addresses, sad goodbyes, moments of extreme joy, a hangover or two, lots of wonderful friends, a wedding day, a family I wouldn’t trade for all the money in the world.  Did I mention fear? Fear was the leading act in my twenties. The fear of falling in love. The quiet and prolonged fear of falling out of love. The fear of -$29 in your bank account, plus the $35 bank fee, so that’s -$64. The fear of a big opportunity. The fear of fucking it up. Did I mention packing up all your things, boarding a plane (exactly twice), with a new life on the other end? The latter is fear personified but I would recommend it, at least once. In my twenties, I also had several dates with delusions of grandeur and a long-term relationship with a lack of self confidence. I’m planning on breaking up with both, starting today.

So anyway, now that I’m saying all this it sounds like I actually had very little to be fearful of and that’s one of the lessons I’m making myself learn in my thirties. There is not much to fear. Maybe just yourself and maybe your government, but I digress. Below are 30 things I want to take with me into my thirties. I tried to avoid the words “believe” and “dream”, but cliches are cliches for a reason.

Thirty things to remember at thirty (note the efficient bullet points, my attention span has dwindled):

1) There’s nothing to be afraid of, really there isn’t
2) It’s not all about you (I obviously still need to learn this one)
3) Say yes to most things
4) Life is short (someone may have covered this one already)
5) Be (selectively) impulsive
6) Love with everything you’ve got
7) Shut up and say thank you (grandma C.C. told me this many years ago but I continually have to remind myself)
8)Surprise yourself
9) Nostalgia is healthy in small doses
10) Communicate better, exaggerate less (unless you’re at a bar and people are laughing)
11) Be more responsible (you’re an adult, Sarah)
12) Read the directions (most of the time), it’s not all pretty pictures
13) Work more, make more, be more efficient
14) Do good things
15) Smile, keep chin up
16) Be young at heart
17) Being shy is stupid
18) Stop dropping expensive things; cameras, iphones, etc.
19) Believe that 30 is the new 20 (and then when you’re 40 believe it is the new 30 and so on…)
20) Dream, big and then dream bigger than that
21) Be so thankful it hurts
22) Believe in yourself
23) Believe in everyone around you
24) Be a better wife, friend, sister, daughter
25) Don’t be so hard on yourself
26) Did I say, “It’s not all about you?” (I really need to hammer that one in)
27) Don’t waste time worrying about grey hair and wrinkles; personality wins out in the end
28) Do. Make mistakes and adjust as you go
29) Stop apologizing (unless you were a real jerk - sorry Dustin)
30) Be more positive, there are so many incredible things to look forward to

p.s. Mom, Dad, and especially Joe, I want you to know how much I love you today. I want to thank you for everything you’ve given me. Most notably a profound and distinct lack of fear in most things.

xo,
Sarah

To start, I have some bad news. House & Fig is really just House now. The fig tree was leveled last weekend by my adept husband. He’s great with power tools. Before you protest 1. the fig tree was really just a fig bush that was slowly overtaking the north side of our yard (the original was cut down many, many years before we arrived) and 2. the figs weren’t really that good. So alas, we’ll still be known as House & Fig but the latter is only figuratively. Here’s a photo to prove it.

Check back sometime. I might post something new.

Below are a few of my favs. See them all at domestic.fr.

Grassrootsmodern is hosting a pretty awesome affordable kitchen contest. It’s a great idea and will certainly be a great resource for those of us who are mid-project. Enter your kitchen for a chance to win $100 and be featured on their site.

Check out all of the details and prizes right here.

And no, the dog and the cowskin are not included. See the ad here.

:)

If you’re in the Chicago area, I would highly recommend attending one. Lucky for you, there’s a modern design auction tomorrow, October 7th. It’s kind of like seeing a museum show before everything makes it to the museum. Also, some pieces may never see the light of day again as they end up in private collections around the country. Also, you never know, you could find a deal.

Check out their latest auction catalog here.

Most importantly, compared to the tons of plastic dishes and plates coveted by moms everywhere, these will undoubtedly be passed down.

Get them at Heath here.

Ok, this is not really house&fig relevant; unless you count the fact that there are 50 things I should be doing with the house today (Joe is outta town) and instead I’m watching short films on the internet. But if you have ever procrastinated even you over-achievers out there, watch this. It’s a really beautiful, creative, silly, and spot-on ode to the art of procrastination. I relate most to “doing 8 things at once and not getting any of them done and making lists.” I wish I was more of a sock-drawer procrastinator because at least that’s getting something done.

Nonetheless, watch this video. While you’re doing that I’m going to make a list of what I should be doing to the house:

• cleaning up dead plants in yard

• weeding the garden

• removing blackberry bushes that seem to sprout up daily with vicious force

• sweet stairs, clean, re-arrange storage space (sell crap on ebay to make room for more stuff)

• research kitchen appliances, counters, and storage

• hose down garage door

• clean fridge.

Ugh…

$1 each

vintage locker, $375, The Apartment

tall wood case, $325, The Apartment

abstract painting, $148, The Apartment

Vintage children’s desk, $675, The Apartment

If this isn’t on your radar already, perhaps it should be. The AIA Chapter of San Francisco is hosting the 5th annual Architecture and the City Festival. Lots of great programs have passed but there are still plenty to attend, including this weekend’s (hugely popular) home tours.

Joe and I went last year and enjoyed it despite the teaming crowds. We’ll likely skip this year and opt for the free gallery exhibition and cocktail hour (figures…). However, I do see a few lectures that are relevant to our project (Building Green in San Francisco, Sept. 30) and tons of family programs that look like fun.

Learn more on the AIA website, click here.