40 before FORTY!

I am 36 years old. There, I said it. As much as I would like to think I am cool about gracefully getting older, I am not. Just trying to be authentic (as Marsha would say...). But it was when I was taking a road trip (in April) with the Cheerios and my childhood friend Kimmie to see another childhood friend and bestie, Danielle, that I realized I need to live! I may have mentioned in a previous post (or maybe not), that the end of 2011 was devastating. So many loved ones lost and I really started to look at my life. Then, there was this episode of "The Middle". I LOVE this show! Anyway, this episode was about the family attending a "different" church. It was an African-American church (still funny!). The wife, Frankie, was so enthusiastic about what was going on at the church. The singing, the worship, and the story the pastor told. He told this story about how one of his members was on their death bed and the pastor asked him, "Did you get your business done?" That became the theme of the episode, Frankie trying to figure out how to get her business done! I guess this could be interpreted many ways, but when I saw the episode I took as, I need to live and don't look back! So, on the road trip to Tampa I said it out loud to Kimmie, "...I want to ... before 40. Yeah, I want to have this list. Forty things I do before I turn 40 years old". At that moment it started and I haven't looked back. When we got to Tampa we mentioned it to Dani and it became something. Dani a couple of weeks later mentioned it to Lisa and they have started a list. So there it is. I am not the first, nor will I be the last to have "a list", I am so excited to even have one. And I must say anything in writing is POWERFUL! Which is why it was important to me to get these things out of my head and written down.

40 before FORTY!

1.       Go to the Hamptons and/ or Martha’s Vineyard

2.       Run a half marathon

3.       Drive across from coast to coast in a RV (or maybe just anywhere in a RV)

4.       Brazilian wax

5.       Go to Paris

6.       Lose 60 lbs per Dr.’s orders. (not kidding about this one!)

7.       Go ziplining

8.       Visit the Statue of Liberty, go to the top and sing the theme song from the movie, “Working Girl”. “Let the River Run” by Carly Simon

9.       Meet Martha Stewart

10.   Blog for 365 days ( hopefully consecutively)

11.   Set up website for Izzy Pops, Custom Cake Pops

12.   Organize my home as if it was being featured in somebody’s magazine

13.   Go to Seattle, WA

14.   Make beef wellington

15.   Go to Hawaii (trip planned for 2012, yay!)

16.   Plant and grow tomatoes

17.   Visit and stay at a Bed and Breakfast

18.   Participate in a flash mob

19.   Finish my first “Project Life” scrapbook. (started in 2010!)

20.   Go back to Mirival Resort and Spa

21.   Take a tour of the White House

22.   Visit the Musee du Louvre

23.   Be a contestant on Jeopardy

24.   Go to “The View”

25.   Read a classic novel (like the ones they used to make you read in high school English class)

26.   Write a memoir

27.   Learn how to roller skate (AGAIN!)

28.   Go to the Kentucky Derby (well, maybe just a party so I can wear a big hat!)

29.   Have a Pinterest party

30.   Make and sew an outfit for the Cheerios

31.   Learn how to knit

32.   Make cake pops and send them to someone famous

33.   Find a job (full time) which I can do from home (and let’s hope I enjoy it!)

34.   Do an exercise routine for 21 consecutive days ( I learned that if you do something for 21 days, it becomes a habit)

35.   Organize my junk drawer (starting small!)

36.   Have lunch with my girlfriends (near and far) at least once during a calendar year.

37.   Bake an apple pie completely from scratch. (This would include the pie crust as well.)

38.   Have a birthday party. (The last one I had is when I turned 21! It was amazing!)

39.   Win the lottery

40.   Make a quilt (or finish the one I started over 15 years ago!)

Now, these are the first 40 things that came to mind and I kept debating if I should delete and add to keep the number to 40, but I have allowed myself to add to this list anytime. Why should limit myself?! But I think this is a good starting place.

As I finish an item on the list I will post it here. Also, if I add to the list, I will post it here. I am looking forward to conquering this list and sharing my experiences with you. Hugs!