The End of Project 41

Today is the end of my yearlong celebration of being 41.  When I started Project 41 last March, I wasn't sure what to expect.  I knew I'd be getting ice cream with friends each month (which is, in itself, pretty cool) but what I didn't anticipate is how meaningful the experience would be. Some of my companions were people I see often, but most were people I don't see regularly.  In a few cases, it had been years.  The scheduling was sometimes difficult and often one or both of us had to go out of our way, but it was always worth it.  I truly appreciate each of the twelve people who joined me this year.

I had such fun putting together this layout with all 12 pictures.  What an amazing group of people and such wonderful memories.

A lot of people have asked me about the twelve ice cream flavors I tried.  There were some clear winners (like Oreo Nutty Salted Caramel), some clear losers (Gingerbread Junction - ugh), some pleasant surprises (Movie Theater Popcorn), and some that never should have been awarded Flavor-of-the-Month status (I'm still wondering who thought up Triple Vanilla).  It's REALLY hard to do, but if I had to rank the flavors, this would be my order:

1. Oreo Nutty Salted Caramel
2. Oreo and Chocolate
3. Reese's Buzzer Beater
4. Peppermint Bark in the Dark
5. Love Potion #31 Dark
6. Trick Oreo Treat
7. German Chocolate Cake
8. Movie Theater Popcorn
9. Jamocha Heath
10. Triple Vanilla
11. Blueberry Shortbread
12. Gingerbread Junction

Of course, the flavors are no reflection on my companions, who were all fantastic.

Over the twelve months, I visited six different Baskin-Robbins locations (Fairfield, Suisun, Vacaville, Martinez, Pleasanton, and Livermore).  No reason to rank those, as all of them were fine except for the one that didn't honor my coupon, couldn't take a gift card, had filthy tables, and featured stacks of beer and chips as decor.

Thanks again to Steve, Maria, Sara, Justin, Colleen, Susan, Amanda, Trevor, Natalie, Larry, Jennifer and Amber for making my 41st birthday stretch into a year of fun!