52 things before I turn 52

On my last birthday I had this grand idea to list 52 things I wanted to do before my next birthday. We were on the road traveling and a lot of this list were places I wanted to visit and things I wanted to do. Once we settled back in a sticks and bricks, I knew I could still accomplish some of them. Well, life takes over (living life to the fullest #52) and most of what was remaining didn't get done. But I'm proud of the things I did do! If I hadn't thoughtfully made out this list I probably wouldn't have done half of what I did do!

Am I doing another list of 53 things I want to do before I turn 53? No, not quite. We are revising our bucket list but I doubt there will be 53 things. But maybe there will be!

1. See a live starfish in its natural habitat. Hold one if I can?
2. Try stand up paddle-boarding
3. Kayak a river or lake
4. Run a 5k race once a month at least for the rest of our travels, if we can find a race that works for us. (I did run a 5k distance in September but nothing that far since then… I’ve lost my enthusiasm for running!)
5. Visit Washington, DC
6. Visit Asheville, NC
7. Visit Charleston SC
8. Visit Savannah GA
9. Visit as many "homies" as I can (Kristen, Crystal)
10. Get a tattoo
11. Make a supper and invite any "late-arriving" camper that is close to us to share it with us.
12. Make soap in our RV (in our home)
13. Spend the day in Central Park in NY
14. Highlight my hair with a wild color
15. Buy coffee for the person behind me at a drive thru Starbucks
16. Finish my granny square quilt ( my goal for September 2013)

    

    The last "square"

17. Finish my scrap knitted scarf
18. Bake treats for grumpy campground hosts (or friendly ones if we don't encounter any grumpy ones) How about pumpkin bread for the guys at the Collision Shop we lived at for almost a week?
19. One month of primal/paleo eating
20. Swim/wade in the Atlantic Ocean
21. Lie on a beach and read
22. Run on the beach
23. Recover the valances in our RV
24. Make covers for the dinette benches
25. Figure out some kinda cover for the loveseat
26. Buy fresh eggs from a roadside stand or have our own chickens!
    
27. Eat New York pizza
28. Eat shrimp and grits
29. Eat vegetarian for a month
30. Sit by a fire on the beach
31. Cook a meal over a fire
32. Go to a drive-in movie theater
33. Walk barefoot in the rain
34. Knit a pair of socks
35. Drive the truck pulling the RV!
36. Switch "jobs" with D for an arrival/departure day
37. Go on a dinner cruise
38. Try a new-to-me kinda food/restaurant (Indian, Thai, etc.)
39. Take a cooking class
40. Hike a portion of the Appalachian Trail
41. Attend a yoga class or two
42. Read 52 books (40* read)
43. Be a work camper somewhere
44. Volunteer at a food bank
45. Make a patchwork skirt
46. Hoop every day for a month (happening this month)
    
47. Make a dream catcher
48. Refashion 12 clothing items (I've done 2)
49. Allow D to pick a challenge for me and do it! YIKES!
50. Spend Christmas in Florida Texas with my kids
51. Go to an art exhibit or art museum
52. Live every day like the adventure it is! Wherever we are!

 *books read:

1. The Gutter – Where Life is Meant to be Lived, Craig Goss
2. A Watershed Year, Susan Schoenberger
3. Practical Theology for Women, Wendy Horger Alsup
4. Crazy Love, Francis Chan
5. The Reunion, Dan Walsh
6. The Power of Half, Kevin Salwen
7. Hollywood Nobody, Lisa Samson
8. The Best of Me, Nicholas Sparks
9. Touching Wonder, Jon Blasé
10. Finding Joy, Charlotte Davis Kasl
11. Hold Love Strong, Matthew Aaron Goodman
12. The Trouble with Angels, Debbie Macomber
13. Finding Hollywood Nobody, Lisa Samson
14. The Power of a Praying Wife, Stormie Omartian
15. Far From Home, Anne Degrace
16. Quiet, The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, Susan Cain
17. Something More: Excavating Your Authentic Self, Sarah Ban Breathnach
18. The Rest of God: Restoring Your Soul by Restoring Sabbath, Mark Buchanan
19. 1000 Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are, Ann Voskamp
20. The Happiness Project, Gretchen Rubin
21. 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess, Jen Hatmaker
22. Imperfect Birds, Anne Lamott
23. Bread & Wine: Readings for Lent and Easter, N.T. Wrights
24. The Next Always, Nora Roberts
25. Cherry Cheesecake Murder, Joanne Fluke
26. Vintage Veronica, Erica S. Perl
27. My One Word: Change Your Life with Just One Word, Mike Ashcraft
28. Trailersteading: Voluntary Simplicity in a Mobile Home, Anna Hess
29. Mourning Gloria, Susan Wittig Albert
30. Cat's Claw, Susan Wittig Albert
31. The Darling Dahlias and the Cucumber Tree, Susan Wittig Albert
32. The Last Boyfriend, Nora Roberts
33. Summer on Blossom Street, Debbie Macomber
34. On the Island, Tracey Garvis-Graves
35. Firefly Lane, Kristin Hannah
36. What the Bible Says About Healthy Living, Rex Russell
37. Simply From Scratch, Alicia Bessette
38. The Accidental Mother, Rowan Coleman
39. The Middlesteins, Jami Attenberg
40. Going Gray, Anne Kreamer