A Year of 40 Things!

Today is my 41st birthday and I couldn't be happier.  I've spent the past year trying 40 things I've never done before and it has been one of the most incredible experiences I've ever had.  I can honestly say that this has been the best year of my life.  I've learned so much and had so much fun with so many different friends.  I truly have a lot to celebrate.

Naturally, a lot of people have asked me which of the 40 Things was my favorite.  What a difficult question!  The list is so diverse that it's truly like comparing apples and oranges. Perhaps if I break the 40 Things into categories it will be easier to decide.


Places I visited:

• 1.  Have a 40 Mile Adventure.  3/12/12
• 2.  Eat at Thomas Keller's famous restaurant.  3/12/12
• 4.  Visit the Grapecrusher Statue.  3/12/12
• 13.  Eat at the Oak Cafe.  3/30/12
• 17.  Visit the Conservatory of Flowers.  4/3/12
• 18.  Go to the San Francisco Flower Mart.  4/3/12
• 23.  Do a Planet Walk. 5/13/12
• 30.  Go to a drive-in movie.  11/3/12
• 32.  Tackle the World's Largest Maze.  11/17/12

All of these were really fun and places I'd happily visit again.  We had a great time at the Petrified Forest and at Bouchon.  The Conservatory of Flowers was awesome.  The drive-in movie experience was great.  But the two that stand out most to me are the Planet Walk and the Oak Cafe.  Despite being really sick that day, I absolutely loved doing the Planet Walk. There is truly no better way to really understand the scope of our solar system and Sugarloaf Ridge State Park is gorgeous.  As for the Oak Cafe, it's the only place on the list that we've made an effort to visit a second time within the year, which speaks volumes.


Foods/drinks I tried for the first time:

• 3.  Try a macaroon.  3/12/12
• 5.  Eat at an Afghan restaurant.  3/12/12
• 7.  Try a Shamrock Shake.  3/15/12
• 11.  Try an Egg Cream.  3/21/12
• 14.  Try cacao nibs.  3/30/12
• 24.  Try absinthe.  5/27/12
• 27.  Try Miracle Berries.  8/9/12
• 34.  Try chess pie.  12/6/12
• 33.  Eat the Top 10 Jewish Foods.  12/5/12

This is an interesting category.  Out of all the foods and drinks I tried, there isn't a single one I wouldn't eat again.  That said, I wouldn't go out of my way for a macaroon, Shamrock Shake, Egg Cream, or absinthe.  I'd eat them, but I wouldn't order them.  The chess pie was fine; I'll be trying the lemon version soon to see how that compares.  I really enjoyed the Afghan food and the cacao nibs; both are things I'd actively seek out.  I had a blast eating the Top 10 Jewish Foods.  Not only did I love the challenge, but the food was delicious.  So that leaves Miracle Berries as my favorite in this category.  Getting together with my former coworkers (who I dearly miss) for the world's weirdest luncheon was truly a highlight of my year.


Crafts I'd never done:

• 8.  Try spirelli.  3/15/12
• 20.  Try a craft I've never heard of.  4/25/12
• 21.  Try glasswork.  4/26/12
• 26.  Take a Jewelry 101 class.  7/24/12
• 37.  Try lapidary.  2/2/13
• 38.  Do metal stamping.  2/26/13

Once again, it's so hard to pick a favorite.  I had a fun time trying spirelli and have made it repeatedly throughout the year.  The copper etching was fascinating, but I won't be doing it again.  The metal stamping was cool.  That leaves the three in-person classes I took: glass flamework, beading, and lapidary.  I absolutely loved all of them and I think the class format is a huge part of that.  I love learning, but I especially love interacting with an expert teacher.  Of the three, I think the beading class was my favorite.  It didn't have the steep learning curve of the glasswork or lapidary; I went home with a bracelet I love that I'm proud to wear.


Foods I'd eaten before but never prepared myself:

• 6.  Make homemade tortillas.  3/14/12
• 9.  Make cottage cheese.  3/18/12
• 10.  Make ricotta cheese.  3/18/12
• 15.  Make risotto.  3/31/12
• 16.  Poach an egg and make hollandaise sauce.  4/2/12
• 19.  Flambe something.  4/13/12
• 25.  Make squeaky cheese.  6/23/12
• 28.  Make popovers.  8/22/12
• 31.  Make fortune cookies.  11/5/12

I have such good memories of making these foods.  Some I have made again and again (risotto, poached eggs, popovers).  By far, my favorite was flambeing.


Everything Else

• 12.  Cook from a mystery basket.  3/24/12
• 22.  Be a Mythbusters volunteer.  5/2/12
• 29.  Have a Cupcake Wars competition.  Part 1  Part 2  9/9/12
• 35.  Library Roulette.  Part 1  Part 2  Part 3  Part 4  1/19/13
• 36.  See the Harlem Globetrotters live.  1/21/13
• 39.  Teach a Scrapbook 101 class.  3/3/13
• 40.  Hide a geocache.  3/5/13

This might be the hardest category of all, since it isn't really a category.  I loved teaching the scrapbook class and it's been a lifelong goal to see the Harlem Globetrotters in person.  We've been planning to hide a geocache for about two years and am so glad we finally did.  The Library Roulette was awesome and I had an absolute blast with our family Cupcake Wars competition.  So that leaves two: cooking from a mystery basket and being a Mythbusters volunteer.  I can't believe how fun it was to cook from the mystery basket, but could anything top filming an episode (twice!) of a hugely popular show?  Nope.  Being a Mythbusters volunteer tops my list of the coolest of my 40 Things.

More than anything else, this year has been about trying new things with others.  The goals I accomplished alone were great, but they don't compare to the ones I shared with friends and family.  A huge thank you to everyone who joined me for one (or more) of my goals:  Mom, Dad, Brian, Kari, Timothy, Dave, Pat, Carl, Courteney, Kylinn, Jonna, Karl, Cathy, Rita, JoAnn, Stephanie, Lesley, Diana, Marcia, Rebecca, Kristen, Miriam, Rina, Kelly, Ken, Sheena, Devin, Diane, Suzzi, and Gayle.

The biggest thank you goes to Steve and Trevor, who joined me for an amazing 25 goals (Trevor) and 31 goals (Steve).  You truly made my 40th birthday something I will never, ever forget.  I love you.