M-I-C-K-E-Y...

M-O-U-S-E!

That's right, folks. I am just crossing things off my list left and right! I recently booked my flight and hotel for that magical place in Orlando, Florida.

I have been to Disney five times now and it is seriously one of my favorite places in the world. I have always considered Mickey my buddy, probably because we share a birthday and I can't wait to see him again! Unfortunately Jason won't be able to join me due to time off restrictions, but he does really want to go one day so maybe I can actually sneak in two trips before I turn 30. (Do I smell an anniversary trip...?)

Instead, myself and four other friends will be jetting down to fabulous Florida in February for four nights and five days (have I mentioned how much I love alliteration?). I am super stoked and have really enjoyed planning out this trip. I swear I was a travel agent in a past life because I have loved scoping out deals and getting this done for as cheap as possible (which is the goal).

Thanksgiving

One of the items on my 30 before 30 list was to host a holiday dinner or something similar.

This year Jason and I hosted our first Thanksgiving. Yea, I'm just going to let that one sink in for a while. We currently live in an itty-bitty apartment, but there were only 8 of us and I was determined to make it work. As a true Type-A lady I made multiple lists and took the Wednesday before the holiday off to prepare. Unfortunately, in what I can only describe as controlled chaos, I only stopped to snap a few photos so I hope my words will be able to paint an accurate picture of how this year's lovely holiday all went down.

Simplify: One of Thirty

One of the things on my list is to get rid of 30 things I don't need anymore. This is mostly because Jason and I live in a tiny apartment with too many things. There is so much clutter and not enough closet space. I know so many people who function just fine in a much smaller living space so I think we're doing something totally and completely wrong. When I first put this on my list I meant to get rid of physical "stuff" to make our apartment a more comfortable place to live. But then I did something that felt very freeing and thought, why can't I put this toward my list?

A few weeks ago I got rid of my gym membership! The truth is, I hadn't gone in months and every month when that statement came in I was flushing good money down the toilet. My husband is a runner and absolutely refuses to pay for a gym membership. The world is his gym and if he can brave the elements for a quick run then so can I! I'm very nervous about joining him for outside runs, but it will be fun to have a running buddy for once.

I am so used to running in a controlled environment so I will probably have to invest in new sportswear. Any tips on cold climate running gear? My Guiness sweatshirt, although warm and fuzzy, just isn't cutting it!

My beloved Guiness hoodie. Great for a Friday night, not so great for a winter run.

Turning 30

Okay, I am not turning 30 (yet)... I just turned 27, but I'm starting to feel the pressure! It's hard to find yourself creeping closer to a milestone like 30 and reflecting on the things that you did/did not do. Obviously I've done some pretty fantastic things like graduate college, find my first "real" job and get married (!), but there are so many other things that I just tell myself I don't have time to do and instead sit down to watch yet another rerun of "The Office" and chow down on some chips. It's just pure laziness. In order to motivate myself I put together my very own "30 Before 30" lists and I am kinda excited to start working on it.

I tried to make the list as varied as possible and to include a little bit of everything. Some things will require a bit more planning than others (trip to Disney!), some are for my health (things like hiking and running to get myself on a better workout schedule) some are just for fun (cherry blossoms in DC!) and some are for the benefit of others (pay it forward, volunteering). I am not going to beat myself if I don't get to each and every one of these things (that trip to Italy is looking like the most difficult one right now), but I tried to make it as manageable as possible so I don't completely give up and hate myself after two months.

I've actually already started on a few of the things on my list and can't wait to share my progress!

30 Before 30

Welcome!

Hello all and welcome to Pecorino Romano! Some of you know me very well and some of you don't know me at all so I suppose introductions are in order.

My name is Cristina and I am a recently married 20-something. I spent way too much time writing about my wedding over on Weddingbee and now it's time to move on to blabbering about wifely duties. Y'know, like baking pies and finding the best ways to scrub a toilet.

Just kidding. I hate cooking and I super hate cleaning.

I actually joke that my wires were crossed at some point because I love sports and beer more than any respectable lady should. I will be blabbering about how I spend too much money at Starbucks,

how I'm too obsessed with my cat,

and how I have a fear of missing out on life. Join me I stumble through the rest of my 20s and discover the joys (and hardships) of being married, finding happiness and achieving my goals.