40 Before 41: Less Than 5 Months Left!

 Slow & steady wins the race???

1. Read 50 books in one calendar year. DONE! See here.


2. Finish my master’s degree. DONE!

3. Lose 25 lbs. Oh so close!!! According to the "official" Weight Watchers' scale, I've lost 19lbs. According to the unofficial home scale, I've lost 22 lbs.

4. Take an advanced calligraphy class. This is a tough one. I check community college offerings and adult education centers. I'll keep trying.

5. Post at least eight times per month on my blog. Good thing I left this one purposely vague. I DID in fact post MORE than eight times in January of this year. The months before and February? Not so much.

6. Complete the Couch to 5K program. DONE! See here.

7. Hang out with my friends more often (or talk more often to those I can’t hang out with more due to geography.) I'm only half crossing this one out. I've been doing A LOT more with my friends since the start of 2012 and I'm really happy about that. I still need to work on calling those I can't see that often.

8. Have one room in our basement finished. We have moved things from the basement to the attic (while sorting out at the same time.) We've gotten some recommendations for electricians. We're moving...s..l..o..w..l..y.

9. Revisit horseback riding (which I haven’t done some since summer camp in elementary school). DONE! I took four lessons.

10. Go on vacation again to Rehoboth Beach, DE. DONE- twice!

11. Buy a houseplant and nurture it so that it will live for at least one month. (I’m setting my sights low.) Read the book I got out the library. Got overwhelmed. Set a goal to purchase the plant within the next month.

12. Watch Netflix movies within two weeks. Hmm. I stopped the whole "get a movie by mail" from Netflix after they raised their prices. Is it worth another $8/month?

13. Have a gathering of friends at our house. Um, no. This fall?

14. Drink only one soda per day. DONE! I have maybe 4-5 per week, and it's diet/caffeine-free.

15. Go on a vacation with my mom. Someday. Mom?

16. Play tennis with my husband at least twice. We have agreed to play at least once the weekend after this one.

17. Go parasailing. Hopefully next summer (yes, which will be after I turn 41) in Aruba. Looked into it in Delaware, but it wasn't spectacular weather.

18. Join the technology revolution and get an iPhone. Check!

19. Go through the plastic tubs of photos from my grandparents’ house and scan the ones I want to have copies of. Sort of did this when my Granddad passed away, but didn't do a thorough job.

20. Create a photo wall of family pics in the front entryway. I've been collecting ideas for this on Pinterest.

21. Take a cooking class. Again, checking community colleges and adult ed.

22. Finish an entire game of Monopoly. Maybe when my stepson comes home. He likes that game and is very competitive, which will force me to finish.

23. Get up early on Black Friday and go shopping. Went last year, but did not get up early.

24. Go to a Bon Jovi concert. This WILL happen (if Bon Jovi cooperates with me.)

25. Follow through with my cleaning schedule for an entire month. Um, not yet. Printed it out and plan on starting next weekend.

26. If #3 is not accomplished, at least go down one pant size. DONE!

27. Exercise enough so that I do not have to take pills for high cholesterol anymore. Still running, losing weight, and have a physical in October -- let's hope I can cross this off then.

28. Go to a professional development event, i.e., ALA. Hmmm...Seattle or Anaheim? Probably not. However, in 2016, ALA will be back in Boston.

29. Turn in a school assignment a whole day before it’s due. DONE!

30. Try downhill skiing. Thinking about it.

31. Go out for tapas. Need to find a local Tapas restaurant.

32. Put money into savings each month. Working on.

33. Get the entire “Bones” series from Netflix and watch them all! Have watched the first two episodes of Season 1. Getting there.

34. Join a book club. Help me out peeps! Anyone know of one near me???

35. Do SOMETHING with my wedding dress. Help me out again peeps! Anyone know of a talented seamstress near me??? I have an idea in mind.

36. Revisit crocheting. This might change to knitting. I've had an offer to teach me!

37. Try 5 new restaurants. DONE! #1: Agave Mexican Bistro. See review here. #2: Wang's Table: Local yocal Chinese restaurant that's actually pretty good. #3: FINS Fish House & Raw Bar: A to-die-for Pear Pomegranate Martini and delectable Swordfish. #4: Birches Bar & Grill at Mohegan Sun. Had a lovely Pomegranate Martini there. #5: Margaritas: OK chain Mexican.

38. Try yoga. We have a yoga class at work that I'm eyeing.

39. Pay off at least one credit card. DONE!

40. A wild card item—my choice. Still mulling over.