40 before 40 update 1 (I did things!)

So here is my 40 before 40 list and I am actually sort of surprised by how many things I have accomplished so far. I find these kinds of lists help me to motivate myself to actually get out there and get things done. Plus I like to see how my goals change and develop over time. 

 1. Buy a house (We are currently house hunting since it seems like we are quickly outgrowing our three bedroom apartment. I love my place now but would also really like to have some outdoor space for the girls. We aren´t in a rush but we have been out there visiting houses and have seen some we really liked. The area where we live is absolutely blowing up so we will probably stick pretty close to where we are now, just looking to get into to something bigger. Wish us luck because international house hunting isn´t what you see on TV).
2. Go back to school (This is also in my plans for next school year after Carla is a bit bigger).
3. Grow our family  Done and done! With our latest addition, Carla, we now feel we have the perfect sized family and after our struggles to even have children at all, I feel blessed.

4. Go on a cruise (In the plans for our tenth anniversary and we are already socking away money to have a great vacation!)
5. Go to Ireland
6. Restart my Italian
7. Walk part of the Camino de Santiago
8. Visit our family in France This was something we actually did over the past summer 2018. We had a great trip up to visit my sister-in-law and niece, complete with a trip to Disney with the girls!

9. Explore more of the north of Spain
10. Go back to Italy
11. Go to Nashville
12. Read at least ten books a year
13. Continue my blog (Here´s to hoping I can get this going again!)
14. Take the girls to a show
15. Go see snow with our kiddos We did this when we went to Michigan this fall for a visit until after Christmas

 16. Have another bird as a pet
17. Learn how to make homemade bread
18. Join a book club (Supposed to be starting a book club in October, so hope all goes well).
19. Donate my hair again
20. Start going back to church We started attending a new church which is very close to our house and it´s actually something I look forward to each Sunday. It is full of young families like us, there is a daycare for the girls and I find it is relaxing and a time to reconnect.

21. Find/create a mom tribe here in Spain I can´t even say how important this has been to me over the past few years and I love my group of mom friends. They are mostly all expats and can relate to having a family far from family. I love our weekly coffees, mom dates out and that we celebrate birthdays and holidays together. I am blessed to have them!

22. Create a new holiday tradition at Christmas
23. See a big Broadway-esque show
24. Get my Spanish driver´s license This past year while heavily pregnant I decided to finally go ahead and get my Spanish license. I had to take both written and driving exams but I passed! 
25. Take an official Spanish language exam I also prepared my C1 Spanish exam last fall just in case I need it for future studies.
26. Start a business
27. Get chickens
28. Visit a new country
29. Spend the day at the spa
30. Go camping
31. Go to a concert
32. Get a flamenca dress
33. Continue my Christmas ornament collection
34. Introduce the girls to another language
35. Be debt free
36. Learn to dance for the feria
37. Got to Disney again
38. Finish the Game of Thrones series (show and books) The GofT series finally ended and of course I was up at 3am to catch every episode at its release time. I have to say I was disappointed with the character that finally ended up on the Iron Throne but was otherwise happy with the ending (not that it ended).
39. Go on a road trip vacation
40. Go to a paint and pour class

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Simple Spanish recipe: Chipirones a la plancha

Image
Ok so I know this picture is a bit blurry and I apologize but it is the final result of my having cooked chipirones a la plancha for the first time. Let me explain, chipirones are small squid and a la plancha means grilled. They are served in an olive oil, parsley and garlic sauce. At first I wasn't sold on the idea of this recipe but believe me, it is pretty awesome and super healthy. It is a really typical tapa that you can order at almost any bar here in the south of Spain. Chipirones a la plancha is usually served on a bed of lettuce or with a small side salad. Yum! Here's the how: First you need the chipirones (small squid that come with the heads and tentacles attached). I can buy them at my local grocery store in the fresh seafood section. I bought a package of 400 grams though the good thing about this recipe is that you can make as much or as little as you like. Allow me to also explain that here in Spain people tend to eat a lot more fish and seafood than...
Read more

La mesa camilla

Image
The mesa camilla is a very Spanish invention (in fact I believe it to be a very southernly Spanish invention). It consists of a table, a heater and a heavy, long tablecloth-like fabric that drapes over the sides. The idea is that you put the heater under the table and when you sit down you put the fabric over you like a blanket. The truth is that it does keep you quite warm. The downside is that once you get up and move, you lose the heat. Since the houses and apartments here in the south of Spain are not created for the cold (no central heating) a mesa camilla can be found almost every where.  We didn't have one last year and survived with blankets, space heaters and flannel pajamas throughout the winter. This year Jose decided we needed to get a mesa camilla. I fought the good fight (since often times they look very similar to the option in the picture above) but we ended up ordering one not too long ago.  Typically the mesa camilla is made of wood and can be stored ...
Read more

Spanish names

Image
Maaaaaaaria, I just met a girl named Maria Hopefully you just read that and sang the song from West Side Story in your head. Let's just say that from what I have experienced here in Spain, people really, really like this name. In fact, there are times when it seems like EVERY woman or girl is named Maria (or Maria de/l something) and though they might go by the second part of their name, their given one is still Maria. People definitely opt for traditional names here, unlike the US where names go through trends.  Recently a friend on Facebook posted a link which contained a GIF  (originally from The Atlantic)  showing the different female names that had been popular in the US since 1960. It is interesting to see how a name like Jennifer would be popular in one region and then would sweep the nation. Such a map would not be as cool here in Spain since not a whole lot would change. Maria. Maria del Carmen. Miriam. Marian. Mirian. Variations on a theme. Religious...
Read more