Item #37 - Attend an Outdoor Movie Event

A few years ago, something previously unheard of started taking place in Regina - outdoor movie events. It was something I had only previously seen in the movies, and although I had a desire to go and watch a movie on a big screen outdoors, I never went... until last night.

My friend Debra and I went to see Despicable Me being shown outdoors in downtown Regina. It was such a fun movie and we had many opportunities to chuckle and laugh out loud. The hero of the story was an unsuccessful villain named Gru (pronounced 'grew'), and he learned that relationships are more important than achievements through the help of three orphan girls that just happened to need someone to love them too.

Here are some fun lines from Despicable Me:

• Gru: It's like my heart is a tooth, and it's got a cavity that can only be filled with children. 
• Edith: When we got adopted by a bald guy, I thought this would be more like Annie.
• Gru: [reading the book he wrote] One big unicorn, strong and free, thought he was happy as he could be. Then three little kittens came around and turned his whole life upside down. They made him laugh, they made him cry. He never should have said goodbye. And now he knows he can never part from those three little kittens that changed his heart.

Actually, the movie reminds me of The Grinch Who Stole Christmas and how the Grinch's heart grew three sizes that day... And I highly recommend both!

Item #5 - Plan My Dream 40th Birthday Trip

A couple of years ago I had the idea of going on a trip to celebrate my 40th birthday, and since last fall I've been thinking and dreaming and planning... Where to go? What do I want to see? What would be a special way to celebrate a birthday ending in a zero?

I decided I wanted to see Italy and Paris the most, and that's what I shall do! My good friend Melinda and I will be traveling to Europe this fall for a whole month!

Our adventure begins in Rome where we will do a tour of Italy for two weeks (see itinerary picture below), then we have a few days off to see a bit more of Italy that isn't on our tour, up next we're doing a one-week tour of Slovenia and Croatia (neighbouring countries), and finally we'll have a couple of days to sight see in Paris.

It truly will be a dream come true for me!

The List is Complete!

Ta-da! Here we have it... the complete '40 Things' List!

I'm not sure when all of these 40 things are going to get done, but I will definitely try my best in the remaining four months. Now, which item should I tackle next?

The '40 Things' List

1. Go snowshoeing.
2. Serve a meal in a soup kitchen.
3. Eat something I've never tried before.
4. Visit a town in Saskatchewan that I've never been to before.
5. Plan my dream 40th birthday trip.
6. Start running again.
7. Visit a US state I haven't been to before.
8. Read a classic novel.
9. Create and complete a scrapbook for one of the trips I've taken in my 30s.
10. Do up a will.
11. Complete one of my cross-stitch projects.
12. Go kayaking.
13. Get my website business off the ground.
14. Take a self-defense class/course.
15. Go horseback riding.
16. Visit a museum or historic site in Saskatchewan that I haven't been to before.
17. Give blood regularly.
18. Attend a Victorian Tea.
19. Ride my bike in the city.
20. Stop and smell the flowers at a garden I haven't been to before.
21. Try an activity that's new to me.
22. Walk a portion of the Trans Canada Trail that I haven't been on before.
23. Learn more about my family history.
24. Visit a park in Regina I haven't been to before.
25. Participate in a fundraiser that involves a physical activity.
26. Simplify some area of my life that needs simplifying.
27. Learn how to change a tire on a vehicle.
28. Explore Regina's backyard - see what's just outside the city limits.
29. Learn more about Canadian history.
30. Visit a natural site in Saskatchewan I haven't been to before.
31. Learn to play the guitar.
32. Visit a Canadian National Park I haven't been to before.
33. Climb Wascana Hill in Douglas Park and watch a sunset.
34. Visit the observatory at the Science Centre.
35. Attend Mosaic - a multicultural festival held annually.
36. Play my first solo concert on the bells.
37. Attend an outdoor movie event.
38. Go fly a kite!
39. Play a mini golf course I haven't been on before.
40. Go on dream 40th birthday trip!

Item #18 - Attend a Victorian Tea

This afternoon my friend Liberty and I attended a Victorian Tea at Government House.

We had a lovely time as dining on finger sandwiches, scones and strawberry butter, the dessert of our choice: strawberry shortcake, and all the tea we could drink. We were serenaded by some piano playing and enjoyed our time in the ballroom of one of the oldest buildings in Regina.

Did we enjoy it? Yes! We're already planning to go again...

Item #35 - Attend Mosaic

I traveled around the world this weekend at the 46th Annual Mosaic - a multicultural festival.

The journey (http://www.reginamulticulturalcouncil.ca/uploads/files/general/11//2013-mosaic-pavilion-map-%28mosaic-transpo-centre%29.pdf) began after work on Friday with my boss/coworker/friend Carissa). Our first stop was at an Ukrainian pavilion where one of Carissa's family members was part of a dancing group. There I had perogies that melted in my mouth and Carissa had cabbage rolls.

Our next stop was at the Greek pavilion where we tried dolmades and loukoumades (Google them!) and enjoyed more dancing entertainment.

Next up was the Philippine pavilion. Here I was quite enthralled with the dancing rhythms and patterns with four people moving long bamboo poles in patterns and another four people dancing/stepping in between those moving poles. Man, one wrong move and everyone would go crashing! The dance steps were detailed, precise and amazing all at the same time. It kind of reminded me of Chinese skipping (for those who know what that is - it was popular in the 80s). At this pavilion we tried empanadas and a banana roll - yum!

Then off we went to the Italian pavilion... Note to self: start here next time - the plate of spaghetti and meatballs looked amazing! It was hard not to try more than one dish here, but we decided on splitting a slice of Mediterranean vegetarian pizza. Mmm... the crust was so unlike anything we have in North America - I could cut it in half with a plastic knife - wow! The entire half slice was delectable. Should I still be thinking about it and salivating???

From Italy we went to Ireland and found out the Irish pavilion is quite a popular one! Live music, Irish pubs, food catered by a local restaurant (Brewster's) - it was packed. We looked around, I became a leprechaun for a short time, and onto our next stop...

Korea! This was the friendliest pavilion we went to - everyone wanted us to "have a great time in Korea." There was singing and dancing, lots of food and fun frozen treats like my melon yogurt-type popsicle, and I even dressed up for a postcard-like photograph.

Our last stop for the evening was Brazil and was it ever energetic! We were glued to our seats watching the drum playing, dancing that involved gymnastics-type moves and roundhouse kicks, and the amazing choreography evident in every step. It was a definite wow and I'm glad we stopped in to check out Brazil.

On Saturday, I continued touring with stops at the Hungarian, Polish, Romanian, Scottish, Francophone (French-speaking nations), and Austrian pavilions. It was a whirlwind trip, but one I'm glad I took. It was definitely an experience I'd recommend to others.

Happy Travels!

It's My Un-birthday!

Today is May 28th and that marks the halfway point to my 40th birthday on November 28th!

I've realized that some of my '40 things' aren't as realistic as I thought, so I've been editing and tweaking the list a bit lately. For example, my goal of creating one website a month isn't happening, so I've changed it. My goal now is to get my website business off the ground, which may still be a lofty goal but does seem a tad more doable.

I've also taken the pressure off myself to get everything done before my 40th birthday. This whole list is meant to be a fun lead-up to the next decade, and if it takes me a bit longer than I planned on, that's all right.

It's also been a challenge to come up with the last five 'things' so I will keep you in suspense for a little while longer. In the meantime, here's an update on the list:

The '40 Things' List

1. Go snowshoeing.
2. Serve a meal in a soup kitchen.
3. Eat something I've never tried before.
4. Visit a town in Saskatchewan that I've never been to before.
5. Plan my dream 40th birthday trip.
6. Start running again.
7. Visit a US state I haven't been to before.
8. Read a classic novel.
9. Create and complete a scrapbook for one of the trips I've taken in my 30s.
10. Do up a will.
11. Complete one of my cross-stitch projects.
12. Go kayaking.
13. Get my website business off the ground.
14. Take a self-defense class/course.
15. Go horseback riding.
16. Visit a museum or historic site in Saskatchewan that I haven't been to before.
17. Give blood regularly.
18. Attend a Victorian Tea.
19. Ride my bike in the city.
20. Stop and smell the flowers at a garden I haven't been to before.
21. Try an activity that's new to me.
22. Walk a portion of the Trans Canada Trail that I haven't been on before.
23. Learn more about my family history.
24. Visit a park in Regina I haven't been to before.
25. Participate in a fundraiser that involves a physical activity.
26. Simplify some area of my life that needs simplifying.
27. Learn how to change a tire on a vehicle.
28. Explore Regina's backyard - see what's just outside the city limits.
29. Learn more about Canadian history.
30. Visit a natural site in Saskatchewan I haven't been to before.
31. Learn to play the guitar.
32. Visit a Canadian National Park I haven't been to before.
33. Climb Wascana Hill in Douglas Park and watch a sunset.
34. Visit the observatory at the Science Centre.
35. Attend Mosaic - a multicultural festival held annually.

Item #9 - Create and complete a scrapbook for one of the trips I've taken in my 30s

Well, way back in mid-April, I went to National Scrapbook Day - an annual event put on by Creative Memories consultants here in the city.

I was able to get some one-on-one time with my consultant Cindy, who helped me with my first-ever digital scrapbook. She got me and my project going and was available to help when I needed some 'tech support'. Amazingly, I was able to get most of the album together that weekend.

Then life got busier and the journaling needed to complete the album got pushed down the priority list. About a month later, I finally finished the journaling, reviewed everything, and submitted the file.

I didn't have to wait long... The album was processed the next day and was on its way back to me a day later. Within a week I had my album and I love it!

Now, what should I scrapbook next?