After the initial shock of turning 40 wore off. I figured I would create bucket list of things I wanted to do/accomplish before I turn 50! It was really hard to come up with these bucket list ideas. I have already been blessed with a great 40 years and gotten to do/see so many places/things.
That gives me till October 20, 2031, to complete the following items:
1. Have a great 40th Birthday Party! ✅
Had a blast celebrating my 40th Birthday with some great friends!
2. Start a new hobby. ✅
I joined a tennis team. I've played sports my whole life, but never tennis. I had a friend get me involved and here I am on my first league team where my sister is a co-captain with me. I not great but have met so many great people. Looking forward to seeing how we progress.
3. Travel solo. ✅
I have always found someone to tag along with all of my travels, usually it's my sisters or my husband. When I decided I wanted to visit Antarctica, I received no takers. So, I decided to go anyways. I follow so many solo travelers on social media and have always been amazed by their courage! I booked a 17-day trip to Antarctica/Argentina and made so many friends. Can't wait to meet up with some of these people in other parts of the world.
4. Take a cooking class.
5. Fly somewhere for lunch/dinner. ✅
For Mike's 49th Birthday (9/18/21) we flew to Chicago for deep dish pizza at Giordano's!
6. Go on a picnic.
7. Try a new cuisine. ✅
I am a very picky eater. So it take a lot for me to try new foods, hence the reason its on my list. I attended a Diwali celebration and tried different types of Indian food. Some I enjoyed, some I didn't. The celebration featured music, dancing and henna tattoos. 
8. Upgrade a flight.
9. Go to a drive-in movie.
10. Visit all 7 continents. ✅
I did it...visited my final continent, Antarctica in February 2022!
11. Read a classic book.
12. Recreate our first date.
13. See all 7 wonders of the world.
2/7 complete
14. Try acupuncture.
15. Go camping.
16. Ride in a helicopter.
17. Take the polar plunge. ✅
During my trip to Antarctica, we were given the opportunity to take the polar plunge. Out of 130 people, 64 of us decided to jump into the freezing cold waters surrounded by icebergs. We all lined up in the mudroom and jumped one after the other. I didn't really have time to back out because it was so cold standing on the zodiac waiting to jump. After they tied me off, I quickly jumped...the water was so cold it took my breath away. I quickly swam back to the zodiac and one of the crew members handed out shots of vodka to help warm us up. I then headed straight to the hot tub to enjoy another drink (or two)!
18. Enjoy an "expensive" (to me) bottle of champagne.
19. Fly a kite.
20. Stand on a surfboard while surfing.
21. Go on a safari.
22. Swim with sharks/cage dive.
23. Ride in a hot air balloon.
24. Float in the Dead Sea.
25. Visit a distillery/winery. ✅
We visited and toured the Jack Daniels Distillery in Lynchburg, TN on January 8, 2022 with our cousins Dawn and Brian.
26. Learn to make a balloon animal. ✅
With the help of my nephews and friend's kiddos, we were able to make several different balloons. We started easy with a dog, then a sword. Then moved on to some trickier animals, such as hats, parrots in a cage and swans.
27. Stay in a unique Air BnB.
28. Learn to juggle.
29. Dance in the rain.
30. Try skeet shooting.
31. Stay in a camper van while traveling.
32. Try a new workout class.
33. Visit all 50 states.
21/50 complete34. Attend a festival in another state.
35. Learn a new recipe. ✅
When I first wrote this list, I imagined this would be a new food recipe. However, my friend, Marsha and I went to a Tiki cocktails drink making class at Sugarfield Spirits. When I thought of "tiki" before, I just thought of beach drinks. We learned the history of Tiki drinks can be traced back to the 1930s, at the end of the prohibition, when a man named Don Beach opened the first Tiki bar in Hollywood, California. Don was inspired by the Polynesian culture that he had experienced while travelling in the South Pacific. To recreate the flavors that he experienced in Hawaii, Don mixed rum with fresh fruits, such as pineapple and guava. We got to make several tiki drinks, but our favorite was the Painkiller.
- 1 oz Coconut Cream
- 1/2 oz Lime Juice
- 1 oz Cinnamon Syrup
- 1 oz Pineapple Juice
- 1 oz Orange Juice
- 1/4 oz Grenadine
- 2 oz Spiced Rum
- Nutmeg
36. Attend a theme party. ✅
I attended my best friend's daughter's bachelorette party in Nashville. We had several theme nights. Disco Cowgirl on the first night and Wiggin' Out the second night. I had so much fun, but a hard time keeping up with the 25-year olds. Can't wait for her wedding in November 2022. #saddleupsavoy
37. Go kayaking/canoeing. ✅
Kayaked around Couverville Island on the Antarctica Peninsula. My buddy was also my roommate on the ship. We saw two Humpback whales and lots of Gentoo penguins.
38. Have a boozy brunch with friends. ✅
My brother-in-law is on the board for Kid's Orchestra, a non-profit organization in East Baton Rouge parish that provides elementary school students the opportunity to study music, learn an instrument and practice the art of performance. He invited us to sit at his table for their fundraising event, the Bluezzy Brunch. The event featured students as well as blues singer, Quiana Lynell. We had a great time and enjoyed the entertainment, company and bottomless mimosas.
39. See a glacier.
40. Attend a sporting event. ✅
My brother-in-law and sister got some great tickets to the Saints vs. Carolina game on January 3, 2022. We sat on the 11th row and even had a parking pass to make the day even easier for us. Crazy that this was my FIRST Saints game ever! We had so much fun, drank plenty of beer and the icing on the cake was a win for the Saints!
41. Volunteer more. ✅
I volunteered to walk the dogs at CARA House Animal Shelter. On this particular day, they had 65 dogs at the shelter. Three of my favorites are pictured below (Liam, Rosie and Russett). The dogs get walked twice a day (at 8am and 2pm). There are usually just two workers to walk each of these dogs, unless they have volunteers (meaning more time for each dog to be out of its kennel). The dogs enjoyed being outside (even though it rained). I walked dogs for almost 3 hours, one at a time. Such sweet pups and great exercise for me. I will be back to do this as often as I can.
42. Watch a movie from the year I was born (1981).
43. Create a highlight reel from our wedding video.
44. Participate in a Trivia Night. ✅
On our trip to Tennessee with our cousins we happened to wander into Hank's Corner Grille in Tracy City, TN. We were just looking for a bite to eat... turns out it was Trivia Night. We played trivia that was hosted by the owner's Doug and Kaylene. We came out a disappointing 5th/7th place, but we had fun and learned somethings. Team WMD-dat had a blast.
45. Anonymously pay for someone else's meal.
46. Attend an opera or ballet.
47. Hold a handstand for 10 seconds.
48. Take an outdoor shower. ✅
During a trip to stay with our cousins Brian and Dawn in Covington, we stayed in their cute little Bijou for the night and was able to enjoy its outdoor shower! We had a great weekend with them, and Brian even treated us to a crawfish boil and Dawn her fancy drinks. They built this on their beautiful property next to a pond. Dawn is such a host she even walked over coffee for us that morning, so it was on the deck when we woke up.
49. Stay in a hostel.
50. TBD.