40 before I'm 40

It's taken me a while to make my 40 things I'd like to do before I turn 40 list, but I finally wrapped it up today. I was inspired by my husband's sister who did the same thing a few years ago. In some ways it was hard for me to come up with 40 things. I feel pretty good about the things I've done and the experiences I've had in my life. I've done a lot. I've been overly blessed with opportunities.

But there's more living to do. More jumping at the sun.

So here's my list:

X 1- run a marathon DONE

2- take a girl's weekend with friends

3- celebrate my 10th wedding anniversary with Bearden

4- eat Indian Dosas in Jackson Heights, Queens

5- learn to cook injera (Ethiopian flat bread)

6- cook an Ethiopian meal for Ethiopian friends using what I learned in my Ethiopian cooking class

X 7- go to Thailand DONE

8- knit Konjit a sweater

9- do 50 push ups in a row

10- do 100 sit ups in a row

11- run a 1/2 marathon in 2 hours

12- write thank you letters to 5 people who have greatly impacted my life

13- set up an Adoption Home Study website

14- finish and defend my dissertation proposal

15- start collecting data for my dissertation research

16- take my dog on a hike: just she and i-outside of NYC, but if not, in Central Park

17- try snowshoeing

18- help my daughter make her handprint in clay and bake it

19- run the Miami 1/2 marathon

20- decorate my house for Valentines Day

21- host a girl's lunch in my home

22- enjoy a picnic with my family in Central Park

23- teach an online social work class

24- finish Konjit's lifebook

25- go to the Leica gallery on Broadway, the one I always pass by and never check out

26- make kale apple juice with my juicer

27- eat sushi, not just a california roll (i'm scared!)

28- take my dog to Bloomingdales, like all the other Upper Eastside dog owners

29- speed work: increase my 1 mile pace from 7:40-something to less than 7 mins mile

30- speed work: run a 10K in less than 1 hour

31- speed work training once a week with a professional coach

32- anonymously give away $100 on a bus, or at a grocery store, or on a street corner to someone who looks like they need it.

33- set goals for the next 5 and 10 years.

34- make a quilt for Konjit

35- re-read To Kill A Mockingbird

36- read a book on the Ethiopian Orthodox Church

37- make 3 things I've bookmarked on Pinterest

38- nurture 10 long distance friends with really awesome care packages

39- nurture 3 local friends with a visit & a freezer meal for their freezer

40- write my daughter a letter about what I've learned in 40 years

I've got just over 6 months to get it all done.