Summer bucket list: 60 before 60 style – update 1

Summer Bucket List: 60 by 60

Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability.

~Sam Keen

Here we are a month into summer. The weather has been so hot in our neck of the woods, it’s hard to believe it is not yet “deep summer.” I hope it doesn’t get much warmer…I may  melt. Regardless, it is time to check in on our Summer Bucket Lists. Fair warning though, I’ve taken that Sam Keen quote to heart. Laziness has taken over and progress has been slow…if not nonexistent.

Last October, I announced that I would be completing a 60 before 60 Challenge in the year leading up to my 60th birthday and that the challenge would take the place of my typical seasonal bucket lists. Here’s how I’m doing nine months into the challenge.

Health and Fitness

Walk 60 miles on trails or roads I haven’t traveled yet. With triple-digit temperatures most days, it’s just been too hot to walk. I did take one 3.25-mile walk on new territory…further south than I’ve gone before on the Jordan River Parkway. That puts me at 21.5 miles total. Once the weather cools off, I’m going to have to get moving if I want to reach this goal.

Jordan River Parkway Trail.

Joy

Declutter 60 things. While I completed this portion of the challenge two months ago, I am committed to continue decluttering. Since last report, I gave away one business suit that no longer fits. The only problem is I bought two suits to replace it, meaning I’ve slipped backwards on the count. I’m now at 69 items…still meeting the goal though. 

Learning and growth

Do 60 new things…that is 60 things I haven’t done in adulthood…if I haven’t done something since I was in high school, that counts as new. I’ve added five things to the list since last report (those in bold below), putting me one shy of being on track to reach the goal of 60 things in a year. I regret that I didn’t take more photos of the new things I tried. They were all delightful experiences.

  1. Started 52 lists for calm journal
  2. Tried Freddy’s (fast food)
  3. Tried brie and cherry honey
  4. Took a wine appreciation course
  5. Visited Red Cliffs Desert Garden
  6. Tried Dot’s Southwest Pretzels
  7. Tried pralines and cream cold brew
  8. Fixed a new potato pepper frittata recipe
  9. Listened to Ashley Campbell music on YouTube 
  10. Downloaded PetFinder app
  11. Went through the pet adoption process
  12. Ate with my left hand
  13. Made a new friend: Buddy
  14. Tried online grocery shopping
  15. Drove a different route and took in my surroundings
  16. Tried Beans & Brew egg bits—not so good; I prefer Starbucks for egg bites.
  17. Cooked taco soup (new recipe)—loved it!
  18. Discovered two new blogs: Roughwighting and Annika Perry—loved them both!
  19. Tried a new beer: Uinta Brewing Co. Yard Sale Winter Lager—thumbs up!
  20. Meditated with eyes open—this just felt strange; I prefer eyes closed.
  21. Tried Zuppa Toscana soup—delicious!
  22. Learning to crochet—so far, I am enjoying it (though not yet good at it!)
  23. Tried Killer Pecans Smokin’ —They were good and, in fact, grew on me the more of them I ate…which was probably too many.
  24. Signed up for a virtual mixology class—I actually missed the class, but the kit arrived, and so far I have made two of the drinks. It is fun and delicious. Win win!
  25. Tried Shake Shack—it was good, especially the beer and the cookies ’n cream milkshake.
  26. Made Jamaican Jerk Chicken & Vegetables (new recipe)—yummy!
  27. Made glitter stress relief bottles with granddaughters—lots of fun and they turned out great!
  28. Built a swimming pool!—long process, but we love the finished product!
  29. Ate at Lonny Boys BBQ—delicious!
  30. Went to Tulip Festival at Thanksgiving Point—it was beautiful; a perfect day.
  31. Conducted a DNA test on my dog—easier than I thought; surprising results!
  32. Lavender cocktail at Oyster Bar—delicious and beautiful!
  33. Attended Meet the Universe Halfway (group coaching sessions) at Sacred Energy—loved it!
  34. Tried Handel’s homemade ice cream (Tin Lizzy, to be exact)—it was divine!
  35. Participated in a sound bath—absolutely loved it!
  36. Used TeleMed for the first time—they weren’t able to resolve the issue, but gave me some peace of mind.
  37. Learned some Portuguese phrases.
  38. Went to River Rock Roasting Company in La Verkin—beautiful scenery and the Cobb salad rocked my world!
  39. Met three new people—it felt a little strange to be on a business lunch again after so long, but it was such a pleasure getting out and connecting with new people.
  40. Downloaded Audible and listened to my first Audible book, Welcome to my Panic. It certainly made the four-hour road trip fly by.
  41. Tried Zyia athletic wear—really liked it.
  42. Tried Viva Chicken (Peruvian Rotisserie Joint)—sooo good!
  43. Went to Fiesta Fun Center with the grandchildren—they had a great time playing arcade games and I had fun cheering them on.
  44. Downloaded Voila AI Artist and made cartoon images from my photos—it was fun.
Cartoon image of a woman's face.
Me as a cartoon
A 1950s cartoon woman.
A cartoon version of my sweet mother as a young woman.
  1. Tried a new coffee shop, Perks!—loved it!
May your coffee kick in before reality does.
Three iced coffee drinks from Perks!

Relationships

Commit 60 intentional acts of kindness. This month I recorded just one act of kindness…sending a handwritten thank-you note to a friend. I truly hope I committed more than one act of kindness. I’ve just been really bad at recording things lately. Anyway, that one additional official act puts me at 60 total…I reached my goal!

Your turn

What about you? I’d love to hear what plans you have for summer (or winter for my Southern Hemisphere friends). If you have a bucket list, link up with us below. Otherwise, please share in the comments.

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10 Comments

  1. Hi Christie – nice to see your list is still ticking along nicely. I smiled at your cartoon Voila app – I tried it too and had fun – I felt like a Disney princess in one of the ones it die (I shared them in my taking stock post a few weeks ago). I deleted the app because it kept running in the background on my phone – that always freaks me out a bit!

    1. Hello Leanne. I got the idea to try the Voila app from your post. You did look like a Disney princess! I had a couple of hours of fun turning photos of all my grandchildren, myself, and my mother into cartoons. I’ll probably delete the app now as well, since I can’t imagine what else I’d do with it, but it sure was fun.

  2. I’m not familiar with Voila AI Artist and it looks like fun. I’m taking it easy this summer, more than my usual laidback approach to life. Reading more books again. I feel like my life is edging back to normal and am savoring each post-pandemic milestone as they come along. Of course that may be rationalizing doing nothing when it’s hotter than hot outside.

    1. I’m with you Ally…enjoying the laid back approach to summer…relaxing more, reading more. I just finished a good book, Anxious People by Fredrik Backman. Stay cool (in every sense of the word ?)!

  3. Hi, Christie – The Voila images of yourself, and of your mother, are absolutely gorgeous. I really need to try that app.
    Thank you for another awesome Bucket List update. You are very inspiring!

  4. Those cartoon images are really fun! I’m guessing the new coffee shop was down south? Looked delicious!

  5. You have made great progress on your 60 before 60. Good job on the acts of kindness. I have really slipped in that department as far as intentionally setting out to do something kind. In response to the mass shooting in El Paso in 08.2019, the city created a Month of Unity and Healing events from July 3-August 3, 2021. And they are encouraging El Pasoans to commit to 23 (the number of people killed) acts of kindness. I need to work on this in the next week. Thank you for the reminder.

    Glad you enjoyed some fun with the grandkids. We will be celebrating birthdays next week. There are 4 official birthdays but the younger granddaughters will want to celebrate their birthdays again!! So we will celebrate their half birthdays, I guess.

    Just downloaded Voila on your suggestion. Somehow they took my very casual profile photo and morphed me into something that looks like Princess Diana!! I love it. Don’t see how that is accurate at all but I love it. Your image is a very accurate representation of you. Very pretty.

    Good job purging the old suit. I think it’s okay to replace it with newer suits. You are much more likely to wear the newer ones if you like them better than the older one. I am forcing myself to wear some of the tees and tops I have been hanging onto but never reach for to wear.

    1. Oh Leslie, I love the idea of committing 23 acts of kindness during the month. There’s still time–you can do it! Your upcoming week of birthday celebrations sounds delightful. We have three grandchildren with birthdays during the month of August, so there will be celebrating in our near future as well. Wasn’t the Voila app fun? I must admit that the cartoon version of me that I shared was made from a professional photo I had taken when I started this blog several years ago. I made some off of current photos, which also turned out pretty, but were not as close a representation. I haven’t worn the new suits yet, but have a board meeting coming up, so I will soon! I hope you continue to enjoy your summer Leslie. Take care and have fun!

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