Four Months. . . But Who's Counting?!?

Well, it's official. Four months from now (actually yesterday) I will turn 40.

I'm not sure what to expect. People make such a big deal about mid life crisis, over the hill, etc., etc. This made me start to wonder. Will I wake up a different person when I turn 40? Will I suddenly start acting like a teenager? (Heaven forbid! I already have 3 and who wants to act like them?!)

Will I suddenly be completely unhappy with my zippy Honda Accord and NEED a fast Harley motorcycle so I can cruise around with booty shorts, some chaps and a tube top?!

I've seen several blogs with lists of 40 things to do before you turn 40. Most of these have been posted by my much younger (read plenty of time to complete the list) friends. This started me thinking about things I wanted to accomplish before I turned 40 and decided that since I did NOT want to set myself up for failure I would narrow it down to 4 things to do before I turned 40.

Actually as a disclaimer, I started thinking about some of these things long before 40 was pounding on my back door, breathing down my neck and trying to muscle me out of my thirties. So here you go:

1. Loose Weight. OK before you click out of my blog because this is the OLDEST goal known to womankind. Let me be more specific and explain. My specific goal is to weigh 140 lbs. by 40. This is what I weighed before I got cancer and was given the lovely hormone / steroid cocktail that made me gain 9 lbs in 10 days and 25 lbs overall. THEN having 2 kids in 2 years AFTER 35 didn't really help matters either. So there you have it.

2. Do some cool physical feat - like run a marathon, do a triathlon, ride a century (100 mi.) bike ride, etc. Well, I discovered that I am "Special Ed Sally" in the pool, so that cancels out the triathlon. Running for 26 miles didn't really appeal to me, so that leaves the bike ride.

I have signed up for the Utah Lake Epic Ride (111 miles - - but who's counting?!?) on August 9th. If I make it (live) I will let you know how it goes.

3. Add some culture and learn a new skill.

I decided to learn to play the violin this year. I have been taking lessons from my friend Mari since January. It has been slow going and sometimes humbling to realize that I'm on the same level as some snot nosed 8 year old. However, Mari is an excellent teacher and the true test will come in December when I have to play a Christmas ensemble with a group (probably some 8 year olds) during Sacrament Meeting.

4. Don't sweat the small stuff in life - learn to have fun with my kids.

For some of you this may seem like a no brainer. However I am all about "The List" and getting it done. As I look back at my "first batch" of kids I realized that sometimes I would pass up an opportunity to do something that would have been fun because there was laundry to do, or the garden to weed or floors to mop, or whatever was on my list. Now, I am not saying that my older kids were deprived by any means, (they might tell you different) but I think I lost some great opportunities for something that was not as important in the long run.

This goal is not something that can be accomplished by the time I am 40, however I have been trying really hard to work on it, especially this summer. My two little ones are getting to the age where I can do a few things with them and so I have been trying to take advantage of that.

We have instituted "Pool Monday" and "Pool Wednesday" with some of my friends in the neighborhood and we go to the pool on those afternoons - sometimes on Friday as well. The kids really love it and it forces me to let some of the little things go, and you know what? It doesn't really make a difference! My house has not fallen down yet because the floors didn't get vacuumed every day - you may just have to wear flip flops when walking through the kitchen, but the POOL was great that day!

Stay tuned to see if I REALLY make it to FORTY. Will I turn all warty? Will I get the Harley complete with chaps and tube top?! (Chilly in November) Or will I just throw in another load of laundry, kiss my husband and babies and be grateful that I made it this far?

To be continued. . . . .