Goals, Detours, and New Beginnings: My 50 Before 50 List

So, once upon a time I had a blog called Live, Love, and Be Single. I have since taken that blog down, but on there I had decided to undertake a 40 before 40 list. Well, needless to say, life threw me some huge unexpected curve balls and I did not come close to finishing that list.

I was able to knock a few things off of my 40 before 40 list like visiting a beach on the Pacific Coast (which, btw, I highly recommend!), seeing the Cardinals play a baseball game in person again, actually going apple-picking, and visiting Canada. I even made quite a bit of progress on my goal to watch all of the movies on the original AFI Top 100 list.

But with my dad passing and moving back to Florida and then it taking about 8 months for me to find a new job (can’t do things if you don’t have money), that list pretty much went dormant.

So, now that I am 45, now is the perfect time to share with you my 50 before 50 list!. I did make this list a little while back, so some of these I have already done and have crossed off my list, but it is still fun to share and have you along on the journey.

So without further ado, here is my list:

50 Before 50

1. See Wicked the play (finally!) 
2. Finish watching the movies on the AFI Top 100 Films – I have seen 48 so far
3. Get a tattoo
4. Read through the whole Bible
5. Visit Italy (specifically Senigallia where my family is from)
6. Learn to speak Italian
7. Buy a Louis Vuitton bag
8. Start my own design/photography business
9. Roadtrip to Amelia Island
10. Watch the sunrise on the East Coast of FL and set on the West Coast in one day
11. Start a Christian-based support group for single Christian women
12. Participate in art shows again
13. Go ziplining
14. Attend an opera performance
15. See a show on Broadway in NY
16. Visit South Dakota National Parks – Black Hills and Badlands
17. Visit Joshua Tree National Park
18. Explore the Neon Museum in Las Vegas
19. Visit the Grand Canyon
20. Visit Antelope Canyon
21. Go on a train ride up the East or West coast of the US
22. Get my body into shape
23. Buy a bicycle
24. Learn to make pasta from scratch
25. Learn to make tiramisu
26. Learn to make homemade marinara sauce
27. Master sourdough bread-making
28. Pay off credit card debt
29. Go back to Ellis Island and do rubbings of my family’s names on the wall of immigrants
30. Publish my photography
31. Start doing printmaking
32. Create an artist’s book
33. Start to make pottery again
34. Create a line of greeting cards
35. Learn to make crème brûlée
36. Take the Tampa Mafia Tour
37. Either start a podcast or be a guest on one
38. Go Snowshoeing
39. Knit a giant chunky blanket
40. Visit Germany
41. See Chanel in Paris
42. Roud trip Route 66 (or at least part of it)
43. Take a glass-blowing class
44. See The Lion King
45. Create a cozy backyard space
46. Get my first mammogram
47. Create a welcoming home for friends and family
48. See the giant pandas at the National Zoo
49. Take drawing classes
50. Get married (???)

Now granted, I cannot guarantee all of these will happen, but they at least give me something to work towards. And let’s be honest, I have zero control over whether or not number 50 will actually happen or not. Dating is not for the faint of heart these days and gets even worse the older you get. But that story is for another day.