Remember last year on my 38th birthday when I decided to publish a forty before forty bucket list? Yeah, maybe I was a little too ambitious… I mean, how does one master and perform the Footloose dance annnnnd get bangs in only two short years?

Perhaps I should change it to fifty before fifty and add ten more items to the list? Regardless, I am trying, slowly plugging away at my list and since today is my 39th birthday, I thought it’d be fun for a little update on progress.

1. Take piano lessons (I quit after one year – my sisters are beautiful players, and I’ve come to regret dropping out).
2. See Hawaii – it has been my dream to take David to Hawaii for his 10th birthday since the day he was born. He will turn 10 less than two months before my 40th, so the timing will be tight, but I am sure Mike can make this happen.
3. Make some pottery – take a class.
   YES! And it was so much fun. I really want to find the time and go back and make more bowls. One can never have too many deformed bowls.
   
   
4. Visit all of the National Parks in Atlantic Canada. There are 10, I’ve seen 5 (can you go to Sable Island?)
5. Get a tattoo. Hah! Where the heck did that come from?
   YES! Thanks to Jodie, I actually got a real tattoo! It may be the smallest tattoo, but still, it’s legit, and I love it.
   
   
6. Make a move. Not sure if it will be career or school or a move to the country, but I like the idea.
7. Sail away – even if it’s just around the Armdale.
8. WALLPAPER my itty bitty bathroom.
9. Bangs. Try them out.
10. Rent a cottage with some lady-friends for +2 nights and drink way too much wine.
    Can I count Savannah? My lady-friends and I rented an Airbnb and tried a variety of southern drinks. Please weigh in.
    
    
11. Scuba dive. Ideally off the Florida Keys. With Kyle Chandler.
12. Win something.
13. Buy a silk blouse. I’m thinking a nice deep midnight blue button down.
14. Try Whole 30. It’s just 30 days… how terrible can it be?
    YES! I am not going to sugarcoat it (because sugar is not allowed), it was terrible, but I did it. See the full recap here.
    
    
15. Sip sweet tea in the South like a Georgia Peach.
    YES! Y’all, sweet tea is SWEEET (dare I say too sweet), but Savannah is amazing. I highly recommend it for a girl’s weekend getaway. We had the most wonderful time, and we also had a lot of fried green tomatoes.
    
16. Take tennis lessons.
17. Sign up for a Yoga session.
18. Get eyelash extensions.
19. Make a batch of wine. I promise, it won’t be low class, and I promise I will not force you to drink it.
20. Run a Spring marathon (I’ve run September, October and Novembers only)
21. Get a new personal best in a marathon (which would be sub 3:56:00)
    YES! 3:45:45 – bam. I ran the Wineglass Marathon in the fall and can’t say enough good things about this race. Actually, I did say a lot, you can read all about it here.
    
    
22. Learn and perform the full Footloose dance.
    Currently in training. 
23. Try snowboarding *again.
24. Buy watercolours. Watercolour.
    YES! I bought watercolours, and they’ve been sitting in my desk drawer for months, but I was determined to get one painting done before this week. Just like art school, all the best work happens right before the deadline. 
    
25. Attend an epic festival, concert or event (like Mardi Gras, The Beach Boys in California, Running of the Bulls, etc.)
26. Donate plasma.
    I should have done this before the tattoo. 
27. Ride in a helicopter (ideally while visiting #2)
28. Volunteer.
    YES! I joined the Youth Running Series board this year, and it’s been fun. Getting kids active is something I am pretty passionate about.
    
    
29. Get a reading done by a psychic medium.
30. Go to a drive-in movie.
31. Explore a new country.
32. Read a novel in one weekend.
33. Take a solo vacation.
34. Host a holiday dinner or a murder mystery party.
35. Change a tire. Change the oil. Learn these skills.
36. Scoot around on a scooter and end up at the ocean.
37. Attend a retreat or workshop of some sort.
    YES! Amanda, my mom and me attended a macrame workshop last June. It was a great time and much to Mike’s distaste, we now have a happy fern hanging in our living room.
    
    
38. Watch all of the movies on the AFI’s 100 Greatest American Films of All Time (I’ve seen about 40 so far).
39. Dip my toes in Lake Louise.
40. Party like it’s 1979.

As you can see, that’s 8 out of 40. I’m no mathematician, but I don’t think that’s great. Like I said, I am not giving up and even have the following 8 items on this year’s 100 Day of Summer list:

• Buy a silk blouse
• change a tire. Change the oil. Learn these skills.
• visit Kouchibouguac National Park
• get bangs
• go to a drive-in
• explore a new country
• learn and perform the full Footloose dance
• go sailing

So wish me luck! Forty is coming.