40 things to do in my 40th year

I am turning 40 today. Here's little girl me {far left} with 2 of my sisters & 2 of my cousins:

{ full of giggles }

And here's me now:

{ big smiles in the sun }

I am blessed with a belly full of baby, a best friend for a husband who still gives me goosebumps {in a good way!} & 2 children who bring joy & light & craziness into what could otherwise be a much too well-ordered life. I am lucky enough to have 4 sisters who are my besties & confidantes no matter how many miles separate us. I have parents who encourage me & challenge me & support me no matter what. I have a gaggle of friends I can laugh & cry with and a bunch of wonderful in-laws who I'd be friends with even if I weren't "married in".

{ the big four-oh }

I enjoy where I live, what I do & how I feel when I wake up in the morning. Most days. The days I don't make me grateful for the days I do.

So, because I'm waiting on this lil' babes to arrive & can't go out for dinner & have too much vino or spend the week surfing in Costa Rica like a friend is doing for his 40th {jealous much??!} I've decided to create a list of 40 things I want to do this coming year.

Ready? Here goes......

1. plant flowers

2. get more smile lines

3. run a race {5k - 10k}

4. buy myself some jewellery {not the costume kind}

5. stretch daily

6. take a dance class

7. take dj lessons

8. go to a music festival {would love to go to Coachella or Mali's Festival Au Desert}

9. fly first class somewhere

10. eat an ice cream cone with more than one scoop of full fat ice cream

11. plant some veggies

12. hang up more art in my house

13. do a girls' shopping trip

14. read my devotional & Bible daily

15. walk more

16. drive less

17. visit one of my sisters in their home

18. have a baby

19. do a guest blog

20. have someone guest blog for me

21. have more patience

22. take a cooking course with Craig

23. go on a wine tour

24. make a really fantastic sand castle with the kids

25. find more beach glass

26. set up a cozy guest room in our basement

27. get our final occupancy permit

28. vote

29. volunteer

30. wear sunscreen

31. bike ride around the seawall with the family

32. learn to skate

33. take swimming lessons

34. snowshoe

35. get chairs for our master bedroom deck & enjoy a morning & an evening out there with my love

36. get more comfortable driving the Mastercraft X2

37. sew something for the new baby

38. speak kindly more often {especially to my kids}

39. put up hooks in mud room

40. make fresh-squeezed lemonade

Some of these are highly ambitious. Some are easy-peasy. Truth be told, it's a little intimidating to put these out there in case I don't stroke them all off within the year. But they say {whoever "they" are} that if you want to do something you need to be held accountable. So, I figure blog world is as good a place as any to be held accountable, right?!

{ Happy 40th to me!!!! }