Because I love me a good list, it got me thinking about my own milestone year, with seven years before turning 40. I started thinking about the ultimate bucket list - things I daydream about and would love to do with Adam(I will have been with him for half of my life!), or the kids (they'll be 14 & 15!!!), other people I love, or for myself. And who knows if I'll still be writing on this blog, but I think it'd be fun to document my progress and write about the things I've experienced. I'm sure I won't cross off all of these things and I'm even more sure this list will evolve and change as the years go by by, but the simple act of dreaming and defining them is maybe more important than the act of doing them.
Here goes...
40 Before 40:
1. See Amos Lee at Red Rocks
2. Learn to play the piano
3. Renovate the kitchen
4. Catch up on the kids' photobooks
5. Ride RAGBRAI
6. Have less than $100k left on the house loan
7. Travel internationally with Adam
8. Teach the kids to drive a stick-shift car
9. Go to Napa with Adam
10. Donate blood
11. Take the kids on an all-inclusive beach vacation
12. Read the entire bible
13. Host a family reunion
14. Start a New Years Eve Tradition
15. Take the kids on a missions trip
16. Go to Niagra Falls
17. Buy a buffet for the living room
18. Create an outdoor space off our bedroom
19. Start a book club
20. Get t-shirt quilts made for the kids
21. Travel to 10 new states with the kids
22. Take an RV trip out West
23. See the Grand Canyon
24. Go hunting with Adam
25. Take a hot air balloon ride
26. Try scuba diving
27. Have a meal at a 3 star restaurant with Adam
28. Fly first class
29. Go to the Kentucky Derby
30. Visit Hawaii
31. Take the kids to a Cubs game
32. Try Scuba diving
33. Buy a hot tub
34. Print and hang family photos
35. Complete a big project at work {alley art, dog park, splash pad?}
36. Organize my digital photos!
37. Become licensed in public finance
38. Take the kids on their first all-inclusive resort vacation
39. Pay cash for a car
"You settle in. These kids, this husband, this little life you're building...you say amen. You are slower to tell everyone how wrong they are and quicker to gather your folks and breathe gratitude. This is your place. These are your people. This is your beautiful, precious life."
-Jen Hatmaker, on getting older
