"41 before 42" — the first 30 days

Museum of International Folk Art Santa Fe credit Kirsten Akens April 2015

One month in on my new birthday list. Not too much to say except I did check a couple biggies off the list thanks to traveling. I know this year will fly by, as they all seem to now, but I'm still excited about where this journey will take me.

• 41 Before 42 • 

  1. Choreograph a country line dance (and see if Barb will teach it at Cowboys)
  2. Plant and grow garlic
  3. Watch every episode of MASH — G's watching with me, and we're seven episodes in to the first season.
  4. Try aerial yoga and/or aerial silks — Done! Blog post to come. 
  5. Plan my next trip to France (perhaps running a retreat at Little French Retreat)
  6. Attend a Switchbacks match
  7. Try kayaking — Done. Not just once, but twice. Blog post to come.
  8. Learn barista basics
  9. Plant flower bulbs this fall
  10. Take a birding and/or bird banding class
  11. Continue to reduce my wardrobe, a la Project 333
  12. Take French language lessons
  13. Read at least 75 books — Read five books, re-read one, and in progress on eight.
  14. Take classes on how to use the manual functions on my DSLR camera
  15. Have at least one item of clothing tailored to fit
  16. Learn to bake croissants
  17. Get will and living will in order
  18. Have a bouquet of flowers in the house, fresh once a month — Had a bouquet here in April. Yay!
  19. Attend a fest in Telluride
  20. Take performance driving lessons
  21. Add a piece of original art to my collection from an artist I have not yet met
  22. Stay up once all night until sunrise
  23. Perform at a poetry slam/open mic
  24. Learn to bake French macarons
  25. Attend the Santa Fe Opera
  26. Be involved with a stage show in some way
  27. Bake a fruit pie, with homemade crust, from scratch
  28. Visit at least one new-to-me museum — Visited Taliesan West in Scottsdale. Absolutely beautiful. Also, visited the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe, where the photo above came from.
  29. Watch one new-to-me movie and one classic film a month — Saw Pitch Perfect 2! (Laughed and cried.) Haven't watched a classic this month though.
  30. Play Settlers of Catan — Found friends who have the game and want to play.
  31. Stay at the Beaumont Hotel in Ouray
  32. Take an oracle card-making class
  33. Research and read more about walking the Camino de Santiago
  34. Travel (again) with a girlfriend — Travelled to Santa Fe with two girlfriends. So much fun. 
  35. Fly a kite
  36. Send postcards to friends once a month just because — Sent a handful in April. 
  37. Try fly fishing
  38. Visit Shambhala Mountain Center
  39. Do a Georgia O'Keeffe tour around New Mexico (Ghost Ranch, Abiquiu, etc.)
  40. Do a not-just-head-shot photo shoot (with Becky)
  41. Get off my ass already and pitch the nun story to Oprah Magazine