Forty by Forty

They say thirty is the most dreaded birthday out there.  And alas, today is my thirtieth birthday.  The big Three Oh.  It is kind of surreal to think about, seeing as I sort of feel like a kid at times.  I think this year is going to really make me grow and mature however, something about the changes I'm going through would probably do that to anybody. 

So anyway, a going trend for people going into their thirtieth year is to select thirty things they want to accomplish by the time they turn thirty.  They range from taking a trip to reading a book every month to whatever, and it's posted on their twenty ninth birthday to be reflected on the following year. 

Well, I hadn't heard about this little challenge when I turned 29, and then I saw my cousin post it and I thought 'What a brilliant idea!', it's kind of like a bucket list without the death involved, so it gives you a little more of a timeframe to work with.  But seeing as I learned about this seven months to late, I decided that I am going to use an entire decade and make a list of things I want to accomplish by my fortieth birthday.  So, here are forty things I want to do before I turn forty.

1. Go Heli-skiing
2. Publish a book
3. Get a scuba diving certificate
4. See all fifty states
5. Set foot on six continents
6. Get my bachelor's
7. Go Zorbing
8. Run a Marathon
9. Show jump on a horse in competition
10. Get a motor cycle license
11. Learn to play Guitar
12. Climb Mt Rainier (I'll be satisfied with that, no need to put Killamanjaro or Everest on there, but if the opportunity arises, I'll take it :)
13. Play an extra (with an on screen appearance, no matter how small or brief) in a movie
14. Break a horse from start to finish
15. Ride and Tie
16. Learn to Sail (lookin at my sis in law here)
17. Enter my art in a gallery
18. Take up Archery
19. Become fluent in another language (likely german if any)
20. Hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
21. Participate in an Improve Everywhere event or something of the like
22. Ride in a Hot Air Balloon
23. Bungee Jump
24. Bungee Jump out of a Hot Air Balloon?  (ok, I jest, though I'll knock 22 and 23 together if the opportunity arises)
24 for Reals.  Go on a Safari
25. Sky dive solo
26. Compete in a triathlon (and by this I mean really compete)
27. Own my own business
28. Visit the Louvre
29. Witness a total eclipse
30. Ski (or rather, snowboard) the Alps
31. Learn a martial Art (and stick with it!)
32. Learn to dance
33. Sit in a studio audience at a live TV Show
34. Have a fully functional Zombie Plan
35. Plant and maintain a garden
36. Join a book club
37. The Price is Right, need I say more?
38. Purchase a wheel and kiln, and make pottery with it
39. Be 100% debt free
40. Become a mom

Another list I saw recently (courtesy of Instapundit) was a list of 30 things I wish I had done before I turned 30, and I was tempted to do a list about this too, but then I got to thinking, you know, I've had a pretty good life thus far.  There has been some regrets, but I can't really say I regret where I am now.  I look at a lot of these kinds of lists and I'm amazed by how many items these other people put on there that I knocked off in the last few years or so.

And I've still got ten good years to get all of the things I wanted to get done by now to get these things accomplished.

Note, it is difficult to come up with 40 things, and if I don't get half of these done, I think I'll be ok with that. a lot of these are things younger people do anyway, and I'm good with what I've accomplished so far.  Also, not a single item on my list is military related.