In just over a year, I will turn 40. Hold the phone. WHAT?! When I say that out loud, I hear the lyrics “how did we get here, how the hell?” from the musical RENT. Granted completely different story, but still… (my life, dear readers, is often like a musical.)

So I’m sitting her tonight, diving deep into the bowels of Pinterest looking at party ideas. My husband turns 40 this year; my mom turns 70 this year; I turn 40 next year. So many big birthdays within the next year. While scrolling through Pinterest for ideas for DH’s birthday, I see a smash cake photoshoot for a “sweet 30th” and think to myself – hey…I should do that next year. Plan a photoshoot with an awesome photographer in San Antonio, get all dressed up and fancy, and take some seriously fun photos involving cake and champagne. Or wine. Or all of it. I’m totally here for this.

But now I want to take it one step further. Right now, I don’t love how I look in photos. I’m incredibly self conscious. So if I’m going to take a series of awesome photos for my 40th birthday, I want to look good – happy, healthy…all of it. Which brings me to this blog.

40 things I want to accomplish by my 40th birthday. As this is just entering my brain, I will be adding things as they come to me, so bear with me. Some of my goals will be vague (travel somewhere special vs. go to this specific location); some will be more specific (take 40th birthday smash cake photos).

Those of you who know me can help with some of these things. If it’s health or fitness-related – encourage me. For real. I mean, don’t beat me up if I slip up, but if you see me making smart choices, say something. If you notice I’ve lost weight, I wanna hear it. But also, if you can, don’t tempt me to take missteps. (No cookies or cakes just because. No unhealthy appetizers.)

So as you can tell, goal one in my 40 things by 40 – LOSE WEIGHT. Like serious weight. Not an unhealthy amount, but reach my goal. Maybe not my final goal (although, why not??), but for sure reach a milestone goal. I can do this. I KNOW I can.

I want to make this less “New Year’s resolution-y” and more “me goals for a healthier, happier, better life” things. Here are my first ten (the photos will be #40):

1. Reach a goal weight (# to lose to be announced later).
2. Travel somewhere fun in the next year.
3. Focus my energy on the positive things happening in my life and around me. There is so much good!
4. Meal prep lunches like a boss. Contributes to #1. The more I meal prep, the healthier I eat. The healthier I eat, the more weight I can lose.
5. One meal a day = a good, healthy, hearty salad. (Y’all – right now, I am OBSESSED with Green Vegetarian’s amazing kale salad. It is basically one of the best salads I’ve ever had and I am fairly certain I could eat it for every. single. meal.)
6. WORK THE EFF OUT. I have a free membership to a fitness center because of where I work. And I never go down there. Why? Because when I’m done with work, I wanna go home. I’m tired and worn out and excuse, excuse, excuse. So I either need to make a conscious effort to get my lazy butt out of bed early so I can workout before I start my day, or I need to bite the bullet and stay an extra hour after work. Also an option – walking with our dog in the evening. It’s good bonding for DH and me, and it’s beneficial to everyone’s health. As Jedi Master Yoda would say, “Try not. Do or do not. There is no try.”
7. Write more. On the blog. Letters. Cards. Journal. I just need to write. It’s another one of my gifts that I need to use.
8. Pay off a good chunk of my debt. This might mean taking some odd jobs here and there, and it may mean sacrificing some things at times, but it will be worth it in the end. As of now, I know of at least one thing that will be paid off by October. Once that is done, I’m planning to up the payments on another thing. If we want to buy a house soon – and we do – we need to get out from under some of the debt holding us down. It’s hard to pick up odd jobs when your main job is one that often includes extra hours into the evenings for events, but there are opportunities out there – stage managing, photography, baking…just a few ways I know I can contribute my skills while making a few extra dolla’ bills.
9. Stage manage another show or a few! Again, not always easy because of work, but there are some times out of the year when I can stage manage. Know of a show looking for a stage manager? Hit me up! I may not be available, but I’m always interested in being asked. Who knows? It might be the perfect timing!
10. Perform. Somewhere. Some how. Some way. Maybe even periodically recored & share a video of myself singing something. I’m getting to that point where I’m growing more and more nervous at the idea of performing in front of people. I need to get my confidence back and this is one way to do that.

Dear readers, thank you for sticking with me through this bumbling, long blog. I’ll think of more things and do another post with those soon. (If anything – this keeps me active in using my blog and contributes to #7.)

Until then…

Thanks for joining me! I was inspired by my BFF to take pen to paper – or hands to keyboard – to start a blog. So, here we are. 

I am undecided exactly how or what this blog will feature. As of now, my plan is to use it to share our fertility journey, or as I like to call it – our journey to parenthood. I also plan to use this as a platform to just share aspects of life – from the absolute mundane to travel excursions, photography, and just about everything in between. I may post daily, or weekly. My goal is to post semi-regularly, and to keep it going for at least this year.

So welcome one and welcome all. I hope you stay around, and I hope you enjoy! Feel free to subscribe, if your heart desires, so you’ll know when I’ve shared something new. 

Oh! And take a stroll on over to Tennille’s new blog, Ten Has Spoken. She’s got a good one over there!

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit. – Aristotle