40 by 40 – Updated!

by | Nov 9, 2015 | My Kids, My Life | 0 comments

keep-calm-be-fabulous-at-40UPDATED (again): I started this list back in late 2012. A friend of mine did this a few years ago, setting out 40 things she wanted to accomplish before she turned 40. I loved the idea, so I started my own list.
Today is my 40th birthday. As I’ve inched closer to this deadline it’s become clear that not everything on this list TRULY matters to me. In fact, this is a running theme with this birthday. I want to spend time with those that matter most. I want to pursue activities that matter and have purpose. So why am I killing myself to get things done just because they’re on a list? I have removed some things from the original list, and kept ones that I really want to accomplish because they will bring richness to my life. I have also shortened the list because although 40 feels like a big deal in my life, it’s just an arbitrary number for this list. And, as my birthday present to myself, I am extending my deadline to the end of this year.  
Not all of these are new activities for me, I may have already tried them years ago but I’ve added them here because I want to face a fear or make it a part of my life again.

In no particular order, with notes if they’ve already been completed:

  1. Take my kids each on a one on one date at least once a month
  2. Take a cooking class
  3. Volunteer for a race event
  4. Tell my friends how much they mean to me
  5. Donate blood
  6. Cook a turkey (Olga, I’m looking at you)
  7. Complete my certification as a personal health and wellness coach
  8. Still be at the goal weight I reached on July 30, 2010
  9. See a drive-in movie
  10. Take a ballet class
  11. Take a ballroom dancing class
  12. Try a circus class/fly on a trapeze
  13. Achieve Diamond rank as a Beachbody coach
  14. Try curling
  15. Try snowboarding
  16. Take a kick boxing class
  17. See a ballet 
  18. Go rock climbing again (haven’t gone for about 10 years). Indoor climbing counts.
  19. Try an ethnic cuisine I’ve never tried before – DONE! Cuban, November 8, 2015
  20. Go ice skating on the Rideau Canal in Ottawa – DONE! March 3, 2015
  21. Try a barre fitness class – DONE! Monday, February 9, 2015
  22. Do the Grouse Grind – DONE! Friday, May 17, 2013
  23. Go ziplining (I did this years ago, pre weight loss and totally freaked out. I want to try it with less fear!) DONE! May 2, 2014 as part of a departmental retreat and team building! 
  24. Go to a resort & spa – DONE! Kingfisher Oct 25-27, 2012
  25. Try paddle boarding – DONE! August 2013
  26. See more theatre – DONE, although this is an ongoing one as “more” is a relative term.
  27. Take a Zumba class – DONE! February 27, 2014. SO much fun, I will be going again!
  28. Go canoeing – DONE! This is now a regular part of our family time.
  29. Do more snowshoeing – DONE! Much like canoeing, this has become a fairly regular activity for our family since we got our own snowshoes!
  30. Japan – July 2015
  31. Run a half marathon – DONE! 4 so far, and counting:
    1. Tinker Bell Half Marathon, Disneyland, January 20, 2013.
    2. BMO Vancouver Half Marathon, May 5, 3013.
    3. Scotiabank Vancouver Half Marathon, June 23, 2013.
    4. The Biggest Loser Half Marathon, Seattle, October 13, 2013.
    5. Scotiabank Vancouver Half Marathon, June 22, 2014.
    6. Star Wars Half Marathon, January 18, 2015.
  32. Have a monthly (or more) date night with Mr. Awesome. DONE! This is ongoing but so far so good on keeping to it! We try and go out for dinner just the two of us at least once a month.
  33. Join a board off directors – DONE! I am on the board of the New Year’s Eve Festival Society in Vancouver.
  34. Volunteer for a charity – DONE! volunteered for the CBCF Wild Lilies Gala February 26, 2015.
  35. Get a Coast to Coast medal for completing a Disneyland & DisneyWorld half marathon in one year – DONE!  November 7, 2015
  36. Try hot yoga – DONE! April 29, infrared hot yoga. Read the review here.
  37. Ride a tandem bike – DONE! May 9, 2015. It was hilarious.
 For future completion:
  1. See the Grand Canyon
  2. Take a girls’ trip somewhere fun like Vegas
  3. Do a hike-in camping trip

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