40 by 40 Bucket List

A year ago, we visited family in the U.S. and while we were staying with Ken's sister, their family had a goal-setting meeting. My brother-in-law led the discussion, handing out a few worksheets for each of us, to help us think about what we wanted to do, and decide where to put our focus. One of the worksheets encouraged us to make a list of 50 things we wanted to do in the next 5 years. We were encouraged to write quickly and not make judgments about whether we could actually accomplish the things we wrote. We kept our lists and reviewed them as a family last week and then we updated them with a few new goals, marking off the ones we had already accomplished.

Photo by Ariana Del Mundo

Shortly after reviewing my own list, I saw a post by one of the bloggers I follow, who published a "40 by 40" bucket list of things she wants to accomplish before her 40th birthday this year. I realized that just over 5 years from when we wrote our first lists of 50 things, I will turn 40 (just over 4 years to go!). I'm posting my own "40 by 40 Bucket List" here, to keep track of which things happen. I'm trying not to limit myself by writing things down whether I know how I would accomplish them or not.

Some of the things I put on my list a year ago have already been accomplished and help remind me that even when you feel like you're dreaming of something impossible, if you just allow yourself to believe that it's possible, you just might find a way to make it happen!

In part, it's an experiment. I've been amazed as I have started making goals for my blog, at what I've been able to accomplish when I write down a goal or step out of my comfort zone to try to make something happen. I'm excited to see what I can do!

My 40 by 40 Bucket List

1. Travel to Hawaii
2. Visit the Polynesian Cultural Centre
3. Go to Disney again & see Pandora It's happening in February 2018! 
4. Go to Universal Studios
5. Travel to France/other parts of Europe
6. Travel to the Netherlands (specifically)
7. Visit Mexico again Our Family Trip to Cancun! December 2019
8. Visit Nauvoo as a family Driving from Ontario to Utah (we stopped in Nauvoo on our way!)
9. Go to Prince Edward Island East Coast Road Trip Summer 2017
1. See red sand beaches Favourite Photos from our Trip
2. See Green Gables Charlottetown & Cavendish Beach
10. Visit Western Canada We went to Alberta in Fall 2018 (now we need to see B.C... I'm adding that to the end of the bucket list!)
11. Go on a couple's trip (at least a week long) for our 15th anniversary... didn't happen, and then the pandemic hit but we managed to get away for a couple of nights in December 2021
12. Go on a cruise It's happening in February 2018! 
13. Go to a conference or blogger event & meet other bloggers did this several times in Utah
14. See the Nutcracker ballet with my girls
15. Go as a family to see the musical Wicked We went in Feb. 2018. It was a Christmas gift from my parents.
16. See a new play or musical with Ken
17. Declutter the basement This happened, but not the way I expected!
18. Declutter the house- be brutal! I'm getting a start this month How ironic that I used the word "brutal"... the smoke incident forced that!
19. Go to a spa with Katrina We did it for her 9th birthday!
20. Go on an overnight mommy daughter getaway with Talia
21. Get family photos done every year 2017... didn't happen in 2018 or 2019. We had plans for it 2020 but the pandemic got in the way! We did get some done in 2021
22. Get a macro lens (not yet, but I did get a new camera & lens in December 2019!)
23. Do more photography projects out of interest
24. Get equipment to make better videos, etc. including:
1. better video editing software (just bought, now need to learn!)
2. overhead tripod (I got one for Christmas 2018!)
3. video lights (bought a light, stand, & lightbox in December 2019)
4. stabilizer (bought one in December 2019 but decided to take it back because I had too many other things I wanted to focus on, before diving deeper into video) Bought one in summer of 2021.
25. Get a bike so we can go on family bike rides We did this when we moved back to Ontario- all 4 of us got new bikes
26. Catch up on photo yearbooks (I made one in 2017, then decided I need a more specific goal in order to catch up, so I want to make at least 2 per year until I'm caught up! I think I'm 5 years behind now) 
27. Move somewhere with a bigger backyard (We did the opposite of this in May of 2018... we had NO backyard in Utah, then we moved to Ontario & have a small backyard, so we're back on track. We hope to rent for 2 years, and I won't be 40 yet, so we'll see what's next!) <--we sure knocked this one out of the park when we moved in September 2021!
28. Get a trampoline in backyard 
29. Buy a house we love
30. Go to Couples Resort with Ken We did it in June 2017!
31. Visit Ste. Anne's Spa again Accomplished in February, 2018!
32. Journal more (weekly blog posts?)
33. Go on a "girlcation"
34. Visit British Columbia
35. Learn how to Water Colour (I'm taking monthly classes online in 2020 and really enjoying it!)
36. Visit Utah (see my sister & her new house, Ken's sister's family & his cousin's family & new house, and friends we left behind there... 2020 had us waiting for the pandemic to simmer down... still waiting for that!)
37. Come up with 4 more things I'd like to do before I turn 40!  haha

I have a few more personal goals that I'm not going to post publicly on the blog, which leaves me with less than 40 right now, but I plan to add to the list as I think of things, until I've got a list of 40. I'll come back and mark when I've completed something.

What would you put on your 5-year bucket list?  

Are there any items on my list that would be on yours too?

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