Last year (on my 39th birthday), I realized I only had one year left in my 30s. That was an extremely scary thought for me! Turning 20, and even 30, didn't seem to phase me, but 40 felt different. I remember when my parents turned 40. I remember thinking they were so old! I now realize that I am in that position...and I'm not old! Still, this birthday is different so I decided to start a #40by40 quest! I wanted to have 40 new experiences before I turned 40. This could be new foods to try, new places to visit, new activities to do, etc. To be honest, I started with a small list and wondered how I could possibly fit in 40 new experiences to my already busy, slightly demanding schedule. As the year progressed, I added to my list when new ideas came to me, and I subtracted experiences that I had included but didn't necessarily desire to experience (e.g., running a 5K, skiing, etc.). It has been an exhilarating year as I've tried new things. Some have been simple and silly. Some have been more meaningful and complex. Some were spontaneous and some were planned out. Through it all, I have learned that life doesn't have to be routine. It's not hard to have new experiences. I have learned to be courageous in those experiences. Don't let moments pass you by! Find fun in the small experiences. It doesn't have to be big to be meaningful and fun, but, most importantly, take people with you on your journey! As I enter the last week of my 30s, I have had time to reflect on this past year and the past nearly 4 decades of my life. I have felt extremely blessed with what I have accomplished, not just my #40by40 quest, but everything I've done, everywhere I've been, and, most especially, everyone I've known. I am made up of all these individual pieces. There were successes and failures, magical moments and times I would rather forget, people who have instilled smiles and those who have inflicted scars; yet, each of these life experiences has contributed to who I am today. I'm not going to lie, 40 still scares me...not because of the advance in age, but because of the unknown adventures that will define this next decade of life. My 20s were focused on education, career, and travel. My 30s brought adventures in marriage and family. While my 40s may have a mixture of what has defined past decades, it is still largely unknown. So bring it on!
Here's a summarized recap of my #40by40 experiences: (This list is not in chronological order. Instead, I tried to break it down into themes, but even in the themes, the pictures aren't necessarily in chronological order.)
New things I learned:
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| I learned how to play You Are My Sunshine on the ukulele at girls camp! |
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| I learned how to take a pumpkin I had grown and make a pumpkin puree to make pumpkin cookies! That was a stretch for me! I am not a domestic diva!! |
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| I grafted two apple trees! Now I just hope to keep them alive to produce fruit! |
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| I got to make a candy dish out of blown glass. |
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| Jeff and I took a cooking class to learn how to make sushi! I really loved this activity with him. Super fun date night! |
New food experiences
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| Formal tea at the Grand America with Kaia, Kate and Mom. Such a fun, girly afternoon (with albeit semi strange food and tea.) |
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| Trying weird fruits! Horned melon, star fruit, and dragon fruit. |
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| Some were a little sour! |
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| Random lunch with a friend! She served her mission in Korea and suggested a Korean BBQ. It was my first time trying this experience and having kimchi and squid! |
New local places to visit
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| In all fairness, this isn't a new place I visited, but it was the first time I got to experience the holiday window displays and GIGANTIC gingerbread house at the Grand America hotel. |
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| I have lived in Payson for over 5 years and never visited this cool, old school. Now I have! |
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| We went to Ogden to have lunch with Laurin on her birthday and decided to go check out the Aerospace museum. |
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| This is a surreal place. There's really nothing to do here other than stare out at a vast ocean of white salt. |
New activities I experienced
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| This one was kind of a big one for me. I am extremely unsure of my self on anything motorized, but in one week I rode a Bird Scooter (a rental scooter) and a one wheel. I liked the Bird Scooter better. It helped that I could hold on to something. Balance & coordination have never been my strong suit! |
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| Monster Truck Rally with my redneck bros!! |
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| Demolition Derby with the boys. |
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| An escape room with neighbors. |
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| This was a Mother's Day gift surprise (that we did around Jeff's birthday)! I loved this experience! Especially because it was unexpected and it was with my favorite person, Jeff. |
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| Riding a camel! This was my first #40by40 experience. Kate and Jonas joined me on the ride at the Phoenix Zoo. |
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| Axe throwing with crazy friends! |
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| Getting a pie smashed in my face. It was surprisingly cold and creamy! |
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| My first 3D movie! It was cool, but I'm ok sticking with the 2D versions. |
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| Snowmobiling in Yellowstone! This was another surprise. Jeff gave me this at Christmas and we went for our anniversary. Yellowstone is truly a winter wonderland! |
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| Driving a golf ball at Top Golf with friends. I am HORRIBLE at it!! |
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| An airboat ride to see alligators in the Florida Everglades. This was my last #40by40 experience. |
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| Getting a facial...by far the most relaxing experience. |
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| Gambling in Reno! I have never gambled before. We couldn't even figure out how the machine worked. Luckily, two nice ladies helped me lose all my $5.00. Haha! |
New travel experiences
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| Visiting Alaska with Jeff and my parents. We took a cruise and stopped in Juneau, Sitka, and Ketchikan. |
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| On the cruise, I got to see a glacier cav. This was an awesome experience! It was surreal to hear this wall of ice creak and crack then watch massive chunks fall off creating significant waves. |
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| I also finally got to see a totem pole...several of them actually. I remember studying Native American tribes in elementary school and being fascinated with the totem poles. |
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| While in Ketchikan, I also got to see a bald eagle and several whales in the wild! |
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| This was one of my favorite trips...and it wasn't planned. I literally had a few days to throw a cross country road trip together with Dallin. We flew to NJ, bought a new car, and drove back to Utah. This picture depicts the free flight upgrade we got with more leg room! I've never had a free upgrade. While on this trip, we also got a free hotel room upgrade! We went from a room with two queen beds to a suite with two separate rooms, a kitchenette, and a living room. The best part was it was discounted even more than the original 2 queen bed room! Dallin must be my lucky charm. |
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| While on this trip, we visited several church history sites. Kirtland was one area I had never been to. |
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| Touchdown Jesus at Notre Dame. |
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| Our last church history sites were Winter Quarters and Kanesville. Two sites I had never been to. |
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| Another unplanned trip took Jeff and me to the west coast...and we flew first class! I could get used to that. We flew to Oregon to buy a couple new work vehicles that we drove back to Utah. I can literally say I drove coast to coast this summer! |
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| My first stay at a B&B. It was a beautiful old home. Even Jeff enjoyed it! |
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| I drove the entire Oregon coast! |
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| We visited the Redwoods. This is a magical place! |
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| These are some of the last places I hit on my #40by40 journey. This is Jonas and I in St. Maarten. |
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| Maho Beach at St. Maarten. |
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| Puerto Rico! I fell in love with this place! |
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| Labadee, Haiti...Royal Caribbean's own private beach resort. |
There it is! My 40 new experiences. There were actually several other experiences that happened this year that I either didn't document in pictures or didn't include in my list: taking an Uber ride, eating Irish tacos, eating quail eggs, seeing otters and a black bear in the wild, having someone pump my gas in Oregon, visiting Lake Tahoe and Victoria British Colombia (which is a gorgeous city I want to go back to explore!), seeing a movie in an IMAX theater, going to a David Archuleta concert, and attending a Jim Gaffigan comedy show. I'm sure there were still others that I never even bothered to list. The bottom line is: there is still so much to experience! Bring on the 40s!! I'm ready for new adventures!
