40 B4 40: 9 Month Progress

40 is fast approaching. I have three months left of sweet, sweet youth. My sister is visiting at the end of the month and accompanying me on a few of my adventures.

1. Get old timey photos of our family - Done!

2. Skydive or hanglide - Done!

3. Take a Napa wine tour - Done!

4. Hike Half Dome - I missed the preseason lottery for one of the 225 daily permits to hike Half Dome. Now, I’ve got to enter the daily lotteries and hope for a win. My best chances are on a weekday, but my schedule restricts me to a Monday, Thursday, or Friday. Time to start applying! The first date I’m trying for is 8/14.

5. Stand-up paddleboard - Done!

6. Snowshoe - Done!

7. Camp with the dogs - Scheduled for mid-August, but with Jasper only. Jackson isn’t ready for this adventure.

8. Skateboard at a skate park - I haven’t been on my skateboard more than a couple of times since starting my 40 B4 40. After listening to the Skate Like a Girl episodes of Stuff Mom Never Told You, I think I’ll just show up at the skate park and see what happens.

9. Compete in an agility competition - Done!

10. Renew my passport - All materials are gathered and in an envelope. I continue to procrastinate the visit to the post office.

11. Pose for a photo with Mickey Mouse - Done!

12. Attend a Comicon - Done!

13. Dye my hair pink - It came out less pink and more red. Try, try again.

14. Teach Jasper to walk nicely on a leash - He’s improving.

15. Do a 365 Photo project - Daily picture success! Find my photos here.

16. Sew a garment - I started a skirt on Memorial Day. It has sat, zipper-less, waistband-less, and hem-less ever since.

17. Take a sewing class - I postponed my class. I need to reschedule.

18. Meditate - I found the copy of 8 Minute Meditation I bought for Beefy and will start the 8 week course on Monday.

19. See a live concert - I have a ticket for a piano concert this month.

20. Go to a hot air balloon festival - Done!

21. Learn to 2-finger whistle - Done!

22. Do the splits - I’m afraid I’ve lost some progress here. I started T25 and it leaves me with less time for my stretching routine and is building inflexible muscles.

23. Show Dan my old Bridgeport haunts - scheduled for late September!

24. Finish making all the burgers in Veggie Burgers Every Which Way - Done!

25. Write one special content blog post per month - Done.

26. Sail - I’m taking my sister sailing in early September. I’m hoping for wind!

27. Wallpaper a wall - Maybe my sister will help me find something quirky.

28. Participate in Toastmasters - I’ve given seven speeches and won “best speech” five times! (Beefy says my last speech was the best one, yet!) I’ve also served as toastmaster, evaluator, general evaluator, jokemaster, grammarian, and pledge/inspiration at meetings.

29. Ride a horse - I have a Bodega Bay beach ride reserved for August 31.

30. Have a birthday party - Beefy and his cousin have begun planning my first birthday party!

31. See local theater - Beefy and I have checked the listings a few times, but nothing excited me. Are you in a Sacramento-area show? Let me know and I’ll just come and see you!

32. Practice ambidexterity - My left hand activities: throw a frisbee, sling a ball, make checkmarks.

33. Learn a new piano song - I’m working on my song. I have extra motivation since I decided I would perform it (singing and playing) at my birthday party.

34. Raft down a river - I’ll be white-water rafting down the American River on September 1st.

35. See a drive-in movie - Done!

36. Take a historical home tour - Tickets bought for the Preservation Sacramento 2015 Historic Home Tour, featuring Richmond Grove on 9/20!

37. Practice lucid dreaming - I need to give this another go. I got a few days into one program and sort of got “stuck.”

38. Gaze at the stars - I’ll be watching the Perseids Meteor Shower in mid-August.

39. Send out holiday cards - Done!

40. Guest appear on a podcast - Done!