40 X 40 ~ I’d like a re-do!

Why even start this now?
After a crappy week of feeling like I don’t have control over anything in my life, I decided to follow in my friend’s footsteps and make “The List”.  Some call it a Bucket List but I feel like that’s for the “older” crowd that doesn’t want to disclose their age.

I decided I’d start this journey on September 1, 2011 and continue until I turn 40…in January 2014.  This gives me 28 months to do these 40 things!

My 40X40 List

(in no particular order)

1.  Visit 40 Parks (National, State, and County)

VISITED 4 OF 40

2.  Visit 2 other Countries

Yikes!  Better renew my passport!!

3.  Run a 10k in under an hour

Completed my first 10k on July 4, 2012 at 1:00:21.  Next year I’ll shave off that extra 21 seconds.

4.  Do an obstacle run (i.e. Warrior Dash) ~ COMPLETED

5.  Go on a boat in the ocean

I’ve got the mindset that I won’t be sick…but I wouldn’t bet money on it!

6.  Bake the perfect Souffle!

7.  Make EVERY recipe in the Grand Central Baking Book, by Piper Davis and Ellen Jackson

Yup!  That’s 112 recipes of yummy goodness.

MADE 14 OF 112

8.  Take a cement sculpting class

9.  Learn to fuse glass

10.  Wear the blue strappy dress for….something…anything

11.  Participate in A Team in Training event

12.  Build my private garden–complete with cement sculptures

IN PROGRESS ~ garden is cleaned out and re-planted.

13.  Go duck hunting–just once

14.  Find something to be passionate about

This is long term passion I’m speaking of…but I need to limit how many things I’ve got passion for so that I don’t overwhelm my schedule.  No more then 3 long term passions!

15.  Teach someone to swim

I know I should base my items on me but I feel so strongly about the safety of knowing the basics.

16.  Host a BBQ at my house

Seems simple but it’s not!  This is an area of deep resentment for me and I hope I’ll be able to move forward now that it’s on this list.

17.  Do 8 classes of Hot Yoga

COMPLETED 6 OF 8 CLASSES

18.  Take a 10 day vacation

19.  Improve my 5k mile pace each year

I will gauge this on my first 5k I ran and improve each year.

IMPROVED MY NEXTGEN 5K TIME BY 1:02.

20.  Go whitewater rafting or kayaking in a river or bay

21.  Bungee Jump

22.  8-Ball Adventure Weekend

I plan EVERYTHING…so if I take the 8-ball, a die, and a coin, all of the decisions will be spontaneous.

23.  Dine at Cyrus in Healdsburg

24.  Get our wedding video and pictures transferred to DVD’s and into digital formats

25.  Shop at a local farm stand or Farmer’s Market at least once a month!

26.  Mentor another person to work out regularly and improve their fitness

27.  Bake 3 recipes out of each cookbook I own…wait a minute…

OK, we’ll have to cap this at 25 cookbooks…there’s just too many!

28.  Start a blog and maintain it for 3 months ~COMPLETED

Yes, I’m getting a jump start on this one.

29.  Buy furniture for my Living room

NEW SOFA & LOVESEAT ARE MOVED IN.

30.  Do 8 classes of some kind of dancing

31.  Ride in a helicopter

32.  Pay off my vehicle loans (2) AND large Vet bill

PAID OFF ONE LOAN…ONE MORE TO GO!!

33.  Read 40 books

Some will be new books and some I’ll re-visit, with a great mixture of modern and classics.

34.  Knit something larger then a scarf

35.  Learn to crochet

I’m left handed so this should be a challenge.

36.  Reconnect with my faith

37.  Go to a real Art Musuem

38.  Perform a random act of kindness each month

39.  Attend a performance at a local theater

40.  Do something profound!

Check back soon to view and give suggestions on my “sub” lists…because I’m a spreadsheet geek, I’ll have a list of Parks, Books, and Recipes.

You are the Adventure!