A few days after my 48th birthday, the world shut down to the Covid-19 pandemic. To say the least, it's been a challenging year for everyone. We've done work and school from home in ways that we've never imagined. We put our life on hold, not going to restaurants to be with friends, movie theaters shuttered and live events a distant memory. In the Fall, we reopened schools with very stringent protocols in place, but much of our social life remained at a standstill. As 2020 turned into 2021, the promise of a vaccine buoyed our spirits with the thought that there was a light at the end of the tunnel. Shortly before my 49th birthday, I was fortunate enough to receive my second vaccine. This past year has given me plenty of time to be reflective about past and thoughtful of the future. Since 50 is considered a milestone birthday and we seem to be at the end of the pandemic, I want to make the year leading up to 50 a year of new experiences and adventures. My goal is to have 50 new experiences over the next year and a half. I don't want to got to my 50th birthday in March and be like ok, that's it. I want this year leading up to and the months following this monumental occasion to be full of adventures and new things in my life. I'm still working on my list, but here's what I've got so far.
Let's start with Fort Worth. I've lived here for 5 years and have yet to really explore Cowtown. It's a great city with so many fun things to do. It seems like the perfect time to learn what all it has to offer.
I am from DFW. I grew up in Farmers Branch and have always considered myself a Dallasite. But there are a few things I'm embarrassed to admit I have yet to do on that side of the Metroplex either.
And all around DFW there are interesting things to see and do:
Beyond DFW, there are some other things I've told myself will happen over the next year.
- Visit the Bush Presidential Library at Texas A&M and the LBJ Library at UT (actually I'd like to go to all of the presidential libraries, but let's start small)
- Visit a part of Texas I've never been to, so this summer, I'm headed to West Texas! And I've got a lot of new experiences planned for that trip. I can't wait to share it with you.
I'd also like to visit a state AND a country I've never been to. I'm thinking that will be in 2022. Let me know if you've got any suggestions.
- Headed to the Dominican Republic in June 2022 with my college roomies
- Going to Cabo for Spring Break 2022
But I also want to do & learn new things, not just visit a new place.
- Make a pie from scratch, including the crust
- Knit or crochet
- Different lettering styles
- Heartwork Journaling
- Volunteer Deputy Registrar
- Walk a 5K
A part of my new experiences include going to new restaurants (that is one thing I have really missed during the pandemic . . . Door Dash just isn't the same). The are so many phenomenal restaurants out there . . . DFW is home to some amazing chefs! So I'm going to try really hard to avoid chains this year and eat at local restaurants that are new to me. I've got a list started if you want to check it out. And if you've got some ideas for me, let me know here.
I'm also continuing on my journey to be healthier. In October, I started my Lose 50 lbs. by 50 journey and I'm excited to say I'm almost there. I've lost 35 pounds and have 15 to go. Once I hit the milestone, I'll decide how I feel and if that's a good place for me to be.
I've already done a couple of these things; be looking for an update soon. If you have an idea for me that you think I would like, or maybe even something that will challenge me and help me grow, I hope you'll share your ideas with me.
I love a good food truck! So why wouldn't I want to attend Decatur's 5th Annual Eighter Food Truck Challenge with Cindy? And it was such a fabulous day! Temps in the low 80s with just the right amount of cloud cover to keep things cool. There were probably about 12 trucks at the Wise County Fairgrounds each with a signature dish. After buying our tickets, we walked the line of trucks to consider our options and come up with a game plan. Here's what I finally settled on.
