fidget smile wave

I’ve recently had a birthday.  I’m dealing with it.

That’s not true, there is nothing to deal with, I’m 34 and I’m just fine with it.  I’m in a good spot is I guess is how you could say it.  I like my view from here.

I like where I’ve been and I’m excited for what could be coming.  What I make happen.  I’m gonna be brave.  I want to learn and have fun.  You get to tag along, I’ll make cake.  (In my head those last few lines were in the voice of Cameron from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.)   Lists are fun right?  I love a good to do list.  Everyone seems to like them, it’s so satisfying to whittle them down.  So In honor of my 34th I’ve been compiling my 35 LIST.  I’ve got a year, so I better get going.

There is nothing earth shattering on this just stuff I want and for some, have wanted to do for a long while.  Some are silly, some are simple, one is a life lesson that has been the hardest for me to overcome.  This will help because there is a built-in failsafe, Bill Murray!  So I’ll keep you posted as I go, I even started one with my birthday cake.  (I’ll post the recipe very soon, it was from honey and jam and very good.)  So here it is:

THE 35 List

1. Learn to and go clamming
2. Get a massage-have a spa day
3. Knit a sweater or cardigan or both
4. Go apple picking
5. Take a kickboxing or boxing class
6. Volunteer-soup kitchen? Family Pantry?
7. Have a fall getaway with Adam
8. Learn to make jam and can. (I’ve signed up for the jam exchange so I’ve started this too)
9. Practice your sewing.  Make this Eliza Bennet
10. Purge clothes closet for real   66 items of clothing donated to The Red Cross!
11. Finally design/decorate my office
12. Get a bicycle, use it!
13. Read the entire Sherlock Holmes series
14. Make fancy caramel and candy apples
15. Ferry to Martha’s Vineyard or Nantucket for a photo day, with my new bike?
16. Go vegetarian for a week
17. Make homemade dog treats
18. Make New England Clam Chowder from scratch
19. Make a savory & sweet souffle
20. Throw Adam a birthday party, guests optional!
21. Fit more yoga into my weekly schedule
22. Fail more and be o.k. with it, just try (why is this so hard to do?)
23. Personalized holiday cards and more homemade gifts
24. Make a quilt
25. Start putting that story in you head on paper, if it stinks see #22 and just go roller skating
26. Be a tourist, go to 2 places on the Cape visitors go but you never have despite living here
27. Go to the heritage gardens holiday light display
28. Go BIG for fall decorating, I want pumpkins everywhere!
29. Make a gingerbread house from scratch
30. Make this Trellis and rework my veggie and herb garden design.
31. Make homemade mozzarella
32. Make fancy candies/candied fruit
33. Meet Bill Murray (I adore him, maybe he would like to learn clamming or go on a bike ride on the islands with me?  Whatever he would like, I will bring lunch and cake.  Just putting this out there as a failsafe.  I can be o.k. with not meeting him and thus didn’t finish my list, but if it happened, oh my, I’m giddy just at the thought!)
34. Figure out a recipe for sicilian pizza
35. More time with Adam and the boys and less time at work

That’s it, that’s the list. So thanks for being here and hopefully soon you’ll see me and Bill Murray riding our bikes through Martha’s Vineyard on our way to go harvest some clams or maybe apple picking.  It may be true love, Adam will just have to understand.  It’s Bill Murray, Geez!