Thursday, March 11, 2010

40 Things To Do By 40!

Recently I read a chick-lit fiction book called "The Next Thing On My List" by Jill Smolinski. Great chick lit book, I highly recommend it, if you're into that sort of thing. The gist of the story is that the main character gets into a car accident and her passenger dies. The main character ends up finding a list in the girl's purse of 25 things she wanted to do before she turned 25. The main character feels horrible about this girl's death from a car accident where she was the driver (even though the accident wasn't her fault), so she decides to complete the activities on the list for the girl before it would have been her 25th birthday. Great story, so good, in fact, that I am inspired to write my own list.

So clearly 25 things by 25 isn't going to work, since I'd be almost 4 years late on that, and 30 by 30 wouldn't work cause I don't know that I could get 30 major life goals down in a year and a half, so my goal is 40 things by the time I turn 40. 40 is such a major milestone, why not set it as my deadline. Then maybe I can start a new list when I am 40.

OK so I couldn't come up with 40 things right now. All I got up to was 30, but never fear, I will come back with 10 more things later, but let me throw these 30 things out there for now, in no particular order:

1.) Get married
2.) Still be married to the same person
3.) Have at least 1 kid
4.) Buy a house
5.) Finish my master's degree

OK so that is all the boring milestone stuff out of the way that everybody does. Here are the things more specific to Michelle Duquette:

6.) Ride in a hot air ballon
7.) Go to Vegas (no, I've never been)
8.) Go on an air boat ride in the Everglades
9.) Take fiddle lessons (I'm so serious, bluegrass rocks)
10.) FINISH a knitting project that is more complicated than a scarf, i.e. hat, sweater, something with a little challenge to it, and finish be the key word

11.) Walk a half marathon. (Yes walk, not run. I don't believe in running unless I am in fear of my life. I have bad knees)
12.) Be a weekly regular at a yoga class
13.) Go anywhere in Europe. (I've been to the U.K., but there is still so much to see!)
14.) Go to Seattle
15.) See the Grand Canyon

Now I could easily turn this into a list of 40 places to see before 40, but I'm trying not to make this too much of a travel list, so I am trying not to fill it all up with destinations. I also don't know how much money I'll be making, so I might have to save most of the international destinations for after 40.

16.) Hike part of the Appalachian Trail. ( I used to want to do the whole thing but I think that's a bit to ambitious for me now. Let's start with baby steps)
17.) Hike to Len Foote Inn (This is an inn in Georgia where the only way to get to it is by hiking to it, no driving)
18.) Participate in Relay for Life (anyone want to join me next year?)
19.) Own an English bulldog (this has nothing to do with a UGA obsession)
20.) Go to wine tastings in Napa Valley

21.) Learn to swing dance
22.) Try tap dancing
23.) See Niagara Falls
24.) See the St. Louis Arch
25.) Drive down the infamous Route 66 that you see in movies around the desert part

26.) Go skiing
27.) Go snow tubing
28.) Throw an '80's costume party
29.) See a concert at the Red Rocks Amphitheater
30.) See a Sublime cover band concert

OK so I thought of 6 more while I was typing

31.) Go to Costa Rica
32.) Take a surfing lesson
33.) Go to the Chateau Ste. Michelle winery in Washington State ( cause it's named after me)
34.) Go camping at a beach
35.) See a Redwood tree (you know, those huge ass trees)
36.) Ride in a helicopter (I'm pretty sure I've never done this)

I really want to finish this list now at 40, so screw it, I might have to add some more traveling items

37.) Go to Philadelphia
38.) Take a random, unplanned road trip to nowhere and back
39.) Visit every Georgia State Park once (crap, there's a lot of them, but I've already started)
40.) Be living a life that I would be proud of and doing my best (hard, and maybe a little cheesy, but probably the most important)

OK so that's that. I have 12 years (AGH, only 12?!) to complete these items. I'll try my best to get them done by 40, but I'll forgive myself if I can't get to everything by then.

I know one goal I'm going to set for after 40, buy an RV! I so want one of those, but my husband will have to do most of the driving till I stop being too chicken to drive it!

So let me know what ya'll think, and count this as your invitation to join me on any of these adventures!





4 comments:

  1. #6 is definitely on my list too! & I can't wait for your 80's costume party; I'll be there with slap bracelets on!

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  2. I like it! I have made a little list of my own and since you have the forum, I'm gonna share! Dance tango....in S. America - real dirty. Heli-Ski. Learn French Go to Paris with such knowledge. Proceed to rub it the stuck up Parisian faces that they are - after spending weeks in the city and wrecking there highfalutin' culture. Ahhhh, the Aurora Borealis, from either Alaska or Norway is fine. Stand at the South Pole - and look at my compass. Part the Red Sea. Make love on a train, albeit in India, Africa or Montenegro. Look into my child's eyes when they fail for the first time and realize it. Direct a movie. Invade area 51. Jerusalem, I'd love to walk the road he did. Fix the Balkans (Solomon himself couldn't do that!) Look into my child's eyes the first time they accomplish something, and realize it.
    I have a bunch more, but your list is much, much cooler. Love the blog, keep up the great work.

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  3. That's a lot of stuff. I'll do any of the dancing with you. I'm surprised that you haven't camped on the beach yet. You really need to come with me to A-Town Funk. Are you available tomorrow? Why do you want to go to Philadelphia? I highly recommend seeing the Grand Canyon. It is probably the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. Don't rush into those 6 first things : ) They're a lot of work. Enjoy your freedom while you can : )

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  4. Wow, we have so many things in common this list. I LOVE that going to Philadelphia is on this list. It's truly one of the best places in the country - in my top 5, for sure (and I say that completely objectively). I've also never been to Vegas, and on my list is playing in the World Series of Poker. I don't know many people who have Red Rocks on their list, but Bryan and I talked about it a long time ago that'd we like to go there for a show, so that is also on our list. Too funny, I love it!!!

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