The Final Look at The 42 While 42 Birthday Challenge

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This is it, the final look at the '42 While 42' Birthday Challenge. I think this is my one favourite post to write every year. It is up there with introducing the new birthday challenge. The final posts give me a chance to review my year's highlights with the unique lens of goals I had set.

Some context for those who are new or have not been following this series. I have set a birthday "bucket list" style challenge most years since my 24th birthday. The goal is to complete as many of the goals between my birthday on April 26th and 11:59 pm on the eve of my birthday, April 25. There were 42 goals on this years list for my 42nd year, hence the 42 While 42. 

If you were looking for this post on April 30th, I apologize for the delay to the delay. Normally the final challenge review is posted on April 25th.  Yesterday I started the day feeling fatigued. I chalked it up to the long week. However by the time I was home from work I realized I was sick and have spend the evening and most of today resting or coughing.

On to the review, I use the following legend to indicate where each goals status. For some there is also an explanation and/or a picture.

Challenge Legend:
Black =have not started
Green =just started or have a plan
Blue =in progress and success is possible
Purple =VICTORY!

New Adventures:

1. Live somewhere new

In August 2023 we moved to Kingston.

2. Lead a group inductive Bible Study

3. Survive Hebrew Expository 1 (Fall 2023)

4. Survive Hebrew Expository 2 (Winter 2024)

I passed! The exam went as well as I could expect, after four semesters and four exams with this professor I was very happy to earn a 40%. It only had a small effect on my final grade which was a B.

5. Translate Ruth from Hebrew into English

Accomplished in the Autumn semester as part of Hebrew Expository 1.

6. Continue Sabbath keeping

7. Be thankful

8. Keep up with my 5 year journal

I have been off and on with the journaling consistency. 

9. Explore a new city

10. Cosplay with Alex

Alex and I went to Ottawa Comic Con this year as Shaggy and Velma from Scooby-Doo.

  

11. Try a new experience

We went hiking with goats. It was a delightful experience, highly recommended. It was like walking with a friendly pack of dogs.

 

12. Learn to Play the Ukulele/100 Days of Ukulele Practice 

The ukulele practice has been going very well. I've been consistently playing since January 7th. It was 110 days on April 25th and 116 May 1st.

13. Going mini golfing

We went with friends in March. We had a blast; and I got a hole-in-one!

 

14. Visit a zoo or aquarium

We saw both the zoo and aquarium in October on a visit to Toronto:

 

 

15. Sew a dress

I had a plan but it just didn't come together. I think I'll add this goal to new birthday challenge list. 

Seasonal Adventures:

Spring

16. Celebrate Happy Duck Day (March 25th)

Happy Duck Day was a celebration Alex and I created in 2020. There were no puddles to splash in with my new rubber boots. We still had a wonderful day. We kept the traditions alive with a walk, yellow tulips, and a spring salad.

 

17. Paint Easter eggs

  

 

18. Hike a new trail

19. Attend the Tulip Festival

20. Visit an outdoor farmer’s market

Summer

21. Picnic in a park

22. Visit a new provincial park

23. Go on a boat ride

24. Watch fireworks

25. Run my last Day Camp (VBS)

We ran Monumental at NGCC.

Autumn

26. Decorate for autumn

27. Host Thanksgiving

28. Watch Over the Garden Wall

29. Have an autumnal adventure

We explored the corn maze at Wynn Farms.

 

30. Go on a ghost walk or tour

Winter

31. Send Christmas Cards

32. Attend the Nutcracker Ballet

33. Go Christmas Caroling

34. Make a hearty winter soup

We made gluten free potato leek soup

35. Participate in an outdoor winter sport

It just could not happen this winter; between the unseasonably warm weather and our schedule we were not able to try any of the winter activities we had planned. Unless you count a 20 minutes walk during a snowy night. 

Missed Adventures:

36. Learn to Embroider

This skill makes me so happy. 

37. Go Rock Climbing

Did not go as well as I had hoped but it happened. I could not complete a single route, even the easy ones but I did try:

38. Make a Travel Scrapbook

I've been working on an Alaska trip scrapbook of a family trip we took in 2018. I had originally planned the book to have16 pages. However, I'm only half way through the trip and I have exceeded that number.  I made my goal. However, I recognize in the process of the project the goal also moved. The project is now bigger than I had planned. So I did not complete the project. I've debated with myself on if this counts as a win and decided it is. I met the goal. I will not penalize myself because I added to the challenge after the fact.

39. Disneybound for a Week

I was one character shot. Yet, I had so much fun. I liked going undercover as a Disney character and my days are more joyful when I dress as a Disney princess even if I'm the only one who knows. My outfits were Bell Weather (Zootopia), Ariel, Ursula, Mickey Mouse, Aurora, and Steamboat Minnie Mouse. I had hoped to finish the skirt to complete a Snow White look but since I ran out of time on the skirt the full week wasn't completed.

40. Gnome Home

I made this out of a mason jar and polymer clay.

 

41. Read 12 Non-Fiction Books

I came so close with 9 non-fiction books finished. Not completing a goal could seem discouraging; for me the challenge helped remind me to read. I know there are three of those books I would not have picked up if it wasn't for the challenge. I read more because of the goal.

42. ???

I had a few other missed goals I had hoped finish. Some I even started but the truth is school and church took the majority of my time and I am okay with those pursuits being my primary focus these days.

Conclusion:

I will have to check the status of the past birthday challenges stats, I think this is the most successes in a single year. I am pretty pleased. I wasn't on the 23rd while packing for General Conference and realizing I was not going to have time to finish the last of the goals I still thought I could complete (the skirt, Disneybounding, and book reading).