I confess, I’m a list lover.  I have sooo many lists in my iPhone Notes app.  And I’ve been working on my most important list to date recently…my 40before40 list.  ‘What’s that?’ I hear you ask?  Put simply, it’s forty things I would like to do, see and achieve before I turn 40.  And it all happens in the year before I actually turn the big four-o.  So, from my 39^th birthday (27th May), I have 365 days in which to complete the list.  And whilst there are 40 things on said list, it’s a wee bit longer, as some of the things I wish to achieve are not just one single thing.  Curious?  Care to follow me on my journey?  Care to become part of my journey?  Then read on…

The inspiration for my 40before40 journey came from Apartment Therapy, a blog that I’ve been following since 2006 when I came across an Apartment Therapy book whilst on a 5 week around the world holiday.  I think I found the book in San Francisco – I spent quite a few hours in bookshops in San Fran.  The book resonated for a couple of reasons, one, because I’ve been obsessed with interior design since I was 13, and two, because there wasn’t a lot on apartment interior design at that time (and now, look at the Tiny Home movement!).  Fly forward 11 years, and I was reading a house tour article on the blog showcasing Angie Teater’s apartment which incidentally, I loved and here it mentioned Angie’s  project, The 40 by 40 Project.  I was so inspired by Angie’s idea, and with my own fortieth birthday in the not so distant future, I decided to do one myself.  I may have borrowed a couple of Angie’s idea’s, wracked my brain for other things I really wanted to achieve and scoured the internet for bucket list ideas, but I wanted it to be as realistic as possible and encompass my passions and my goals as well as challenge me. And so without further ado and in no particular order, I bring you my 40before40 list:

1. One Sunday a month without using technology
2. Create sourdough starter and make sourdough
3. Eat a salad grown from my garden
4. Try archery
5. Shoot a gun
6. Cook a BBQ on my own
7. Eat Cacio e Pepe 3 ways
8. Visit Werribee Open Range Zoo, Mansion and Park
9. Watch Schindler’s List
10. Southern Highlands food tour
11. Give back – volunteering
12. Learn to speak Spanish
13. Eat dessert for breakfast
14. Truffle hunting in Canberra
15. Give blood
16. Visit a self-sufficient farm, milk an animal, do a cooking class
17. Write letters to the people who have most impacted my life
18. Watch Scandal
19. Pack a picnic, get in the car, and just drive (or just bus!) – destination not pre-planned
20. Paint a painting
21. Take a photography class or course
22. Afternoon/high tea every two months
23. Monthly themed dinner parties
24. Go fruit picking, make a tart from the fruit
25. Complete the Yoga Burn 12 week challenge
26. Try a new foodie place every month
27. Write my will
28. Find my brick at Olympic Park
29. Design and complete my first interiors job
30. Travel on the Eurostar
31. Salsa dancing
32. Hard cheese making course
33. The Miracle Morning 30 Day Challenge
34. Build and launch my interior design business website
35. Own a pair of Louboutin heels
36. Read two classics
37. Make bizcocho’s from scratch
38. Write three things I’m grateful for daily
39. Visit a castle in Scotland, drink Cava in Spain, Prosecco in Italy and Champagne in France
40. Turn 40 in Italy and France

I did remove items and scaled some things back (though all remain on my big to do list, including dining at Quay, visiting Taste of Tasmania and seeing Cirque du Soleil’s O in Las Vegas to name a few!); clearly work, finances, time etc. play a part in what I can and can’t achieve.    You may think some things are silly, but this list is all me.  And is it achievable?  Yes, I think it is.  And I can’t wait for it to start but wow, is it going to be a busy year!

So please, join me on my journey – I’ll be writing updates as I tick things off the list, and I look forward to sharing them all with you.

Sara xx