I’ve alluded to the fact that I’m exhilarated to see the days, weeks and months unfold as the big 4-0 approaches. I truly, truly feel so deeply blessed to be at the place that I am at 39+2 days. I’m married to the man of my dreams. I have the most beautiful boys that challenge me and teach me and inspire me every single day. I have a family that steadfastly loves me and loves each other, on both my side and Honey’s side. I have an amazing, irreplaceable job that I’ve never ever uttered a word of here before now (but will one day soon…maybe…cue stunned silence). And I have true friends that span the decades of my lifetime. I don’t desire a bigger, better house in a trendier neighborhood, I don’t dream of a second home, I don’t have any desire for a luxury car and I don’t ogle fancy jewelry. Rather, I sit here at the brink of mid-life and I crave adventure and memories and experiences that I’ll carry with me for the rest of my lifetime. So, over the last few weeks, I’ve been jotting down things that I’d like to do over the course of my 39th and 40th years.
- Ride a horse (I’ve been terrified of them ever since Sister fell off of one as a child…meanwhile she got right back on)
- COMPLETE 3/8/15: Hike Kennesaw Mountain
- IN PROGRESS: Plant a flower cutting garden (because I have a black thumb and have always wanted one)
- COMPLETE 7/4/15: Finish the Peachtree Road Race (it’s an Atlanta tradition)
- Do something fabulous with the house’s old original wrought iron porch rails (I love this house so much and treasure every original feature)
- See the Nutcracker at the Fox from incredible seats (I haven’t been since my parents took me in college)
- Do it all at Stone Mountain (just because I never have… hike the mountain, see the laser show, etc.)
- COMPLETE 6/20/15: Adopt a puppy (did I just write that?)
- Take a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Disneyland (John is also begging to do this for his 10th birthday)
- Master pancake making (I cannot for the life of me make a pancake)
- Write a real love letter to Honey (so he can always, always have it)
- Become a Eucharistic Minister or Reader (I’ve wanted to since I was a little girl)
- Try one more time to eat food on the bone and like it (because it seems decidedly un-southern to not eat fried chicken on the bone)
- Learn to make one AMAZING dish and hone a recipe that I can pass down for generations (kind of like a signature dish)
- Finish a half marathon with Honey (just to finish it, not to win it but not to get kicked out for being so slow)
- Do something super useful with our coat closet (it is so underused that my type A+ personality is actually annoyed by it)
- Get my hair blown out (most days I leave the house with it wet)
- Have a fancy Christmas Party (I have wanted to for years but never have)
- Become a regular somewhere (a place where I will go every week and they know me and I will go there for years and years)
- Take an epic vacation to Hawaii (big big dream)
- Spend Christmas Eve doing random acts of kindness (I have talked about this for three years)
- Reread and rewatch Gone with the Wind (because it’s my all time favorite and I haven’t seen it for at least 10 years)
- Attend an event at the Botanical Gardens (I’ve never been)
- Take a dance class (with Honey, of course)
- Give blood (I’m terrified)
- See the sunrise and sunset at the beach in the same day (never seen a sun rise in my life and always too busy/hyperactive to soak in a sunset)
- Go to an art exhibit and enjoy it (I’ve been to some amazing museums in my life but didn’t really enjoy it… probably because I was always too anxious to move on to the next thing)
- Take another Disney Cruise with the extended fam (every single member of my family agrees it’s the best vacation)
- Finish the garage organization project (I hate unfinished things and Honey hates finishing things)
- COMPLETE 5/15/15: Celebrate Honey’s 40th in a big way (I love this man dearly and want it to be one he never forgets) Surprise 40 yEARS Disney Trip + Birthday Party
- COMPLETE 4/16/15: Camp out at Disney (because I love my boys and this is totally outside of my comfort zone)
- Take a party bike or surrey bike ride (every time I see one the people look like they are having an immense amount of fun)
- COMPLETE 6/13: Indulge in a luxurious spa day (I haven’t since before I had kids and only did a truly nice one once)
- Take amazing family portraits (that will last a lifetime)
- Adopt a family at Christmas (every year I want to but then I tell myself I’m too busy)
- COMPLETE 6/16/15: Date night at the Starlight Drive In (in the Jeep with the top down)
- Explore the beltline (I don’t even know what it is but I want to see it)
- Become a Sunday afternoon porch napper (I did this once. ONE TIME. And that was because I hurt my ankle and was on pain meds.)
- COMPLETE 6/17/15: Shoot the Hooch (I always bring this up and anyone I tell looks at me suspiciously and asks WHY?)
- NOT HAPPENING... MUST EDIT! Trip to San Francisco I shared last month (because we have a family wedding, might as well make it memorable)
I thought about not sharing any of this because it’s raw for me. It started out as my heart’s desires in a journal I expressly prohibit anyone else from peeking in, and now it’s here for the world to read and judge. (I realize that’s completely laughable coming from a gal that over-shares daily on her blog.) For me, these are dreams, challenges, fears and just plain (sometimes silly) fun.
Adventure is out there and I CAN’T WAIT!
xoxo
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