I turned thirty in April.  Since my birthday, I have been reflecting on this whole aging thing quite a bit. I don’t really have a problem with getting older and I certainly  do not feel different than I did at 29. However, as I reflect on the first 30 years of my life, particularly my twenties, I do wish I had done some things differently. Don’t get me wrong. There are a lot of things about my twenties that I wouldn’t change.  That decade gave me ten beautiful years of marriage to my best friend, five amazing children, two college degrees, and a lifetime of memories. However, if I could change anything in my twenties, I would have traveled more. I would have spent more quality time with my husband pouring into our relationship. I would have held my children a bit closer and a bit longer. I would have saved more money and spent less.

Turning thirty makes me feel as if I have a brand new start ahead of me.  I have a new clean and fresh decade to devote more time to the things that I neglected during my twenties.  That feels both exhilarating and daunting to me.

During this fourth decade of my life I want to travel more alone, with my kids, and with my husband.  Fun fact, Daniel and I have never stayed more than three hours away from our home together without kids and that has only happened once in the almost fifteen years we have been together.  We spent a weekend away at a spa in  2014 after Daniel graduated with his master’s degree. We didn’t even go on a honeymoon when we were married. I hope to change that soon. I want to see the world with Daniel and I also want to show the world to my children so I hope to spend more time traveling with them. So far, we haven’t taken them very far from home but now that most of them are getting older, Daniel and I have been talking a lot about the places where we would like to take them.

In addition to traveling, there are so many other things I hope to accomplish over the next ten years. I have goals concerning everything thing from paying off debt to participating in a triathlon. I’ve always been a goal-setter and a fan of lists so I have created a list of things I plan to accomplish before I turn forty. I had a lot of fun creating this list and I am seriously considering creating a lifetime bucket list.  I hope to document it here on the blog every time I cross one item off my lists! So, without further ado, here are the forty things I want to do before I turn forty!

40 Before 40

1. Pay off our debt. I’m looking at you student loans!
2. Become my own boss.
3. Buy myself a “fun” car that all my kids won’t fit in. (Camaro, please!)
4. Start swimming again. Maybe competitively.
5. Participate in a triathlon at least once.
6. Visit all 50 states. I’ve been to 25. 25 more to go!
7. Save a substantial amount of money.
8. Visit London and Paris with Daniel.
9. Go to Disney World.
10. Take my kids to the beach for the first time.
11. Visit Las Vegas with Daniel.
12. Go on an African safari.
13. See the pyramids in Egypt.
14. Visit forty countries.
15. See an active volcano.
16. See Pompeii.
17. Spend New Years in Times Square at least once.
18. Read 750 books.
19. Write a book.
20. Host an exchange student.
21. Go on a cruise.
22. Ride in a hot air balloon.
23. Go hiking in a rain forest.
24. Indoor sky dive.
25. Face my fear of open water and learn to scuba dive.
26. Eat at a Michelin 3-star restaurant.
27. Visit Moulin Rouge.
28. See the northern lights.
29. Go zip lining.
30. Go kayaking.
31. Diversify my income.
32. Get my nose pierced again.
33. Get a tattoo for each of my children.
34. Hike the Grand Canyon.
35. See a musical on Broadway and in West End.
36. Hold a sloth.
37. Bathe an elephant.
38. Learn to meditate and practice yoga effectively.
39. Learn a second language.
40. Say only yes to my kids for a whole day.  Keep ‘no’ out of my vocabulary.

What else should I aim to accomplish over the next decade? I’m open to suggestions! Shoot me a comment below!