45 Before 45: Challenges 1 to 5

Change is in the air. The new birthday challenge is going to look different from the pervious 18 iterations. First, it will span two years, April 26, 2024 to April 25, 2026 as the 45 Before 45.

Second, and this is the bigger change. Each of the 45 challenges are going to have a badge, similar to interest badges in Girl Guides. For each challenge there will be three levels of possible achievement (think bronze, silver, gold). How to achieve each level will depend on the goal. For some it will be three smaller goals. For others it could be a list of 10 tasks, each level requires so many tasks completed. The breakdown could be level 1 needs one, level 2 requires 2, and level 3 requires 3. Or it could be that each requires the completion of three tasks. I am really excited about this change, however it is more complicated than making the list of challenges in previous years. 

The task of finalizing the list of challenges and their corresponding tasks has been daunting. At the end of yesterday's blog, Creating The Next Birthday Challenge, I shared my plan to have everything ready for June 26th. The first task is setting the 45 challenges. Over the next nine days, June 11-20. I will post five challenges a day. Today is the first of those posts. 

The First Five Challenges

1) Walk to Mordor

I have signed up for the five Conqueror Virtual Lord of the Rings challenges. This is my eighth time participating in a Conqueror challenge. During the Covid-19 pandemic with lockdowns and all the other struggles, these quests helped me stay active. For those early challenges the goal was to get up and move. I counted every step everyday. It kept me motivated to see how far I have virtually travelled. That was what I needed then, this time I am only going to be tracking intentional walking. 

• Bronze: Finish the first journey. The Shire (233km)
• Silver: Finish the second two medals. The Fellowship (157km or 1094km) and Mines of Moria (64km).
• Gold: Finish the final two medals. The Eye of Sauron (153km or 1075km) and Mordor (454km).

Two of the challenges have longer distant options. Conqueror explains that the longer distance is the true estimated travel distance but only encourages cyclists or those walking as a team to choose the longer option. If I go for the full distance (and the completionist in me wants to) I think I would allow all steps taken in a day to be included for those two medals. 

2) Scrapbook

I love scrapbooking. Well, I love elements of the hobby. I love looking at the coordinating papers, dreaming of projects, and shopping for supplies. I love the actual crafting of making the pages. I love looking over the finished book and sharing it with others. 

What I do not love is the analysis paralysis that I have in the phase between acquiring supplies and actual crafting. This is the soul killing indecision of planning layouts. The task I find tedious, exhausting, and motivation killing. It puts me in complete crafting shut down. Alex and I calculate that I have seven unique scrapbook projects planned, ready to go with supplies, or already in process. I would like to see some if not all completed over the next two years.

To achieve Bronze: complete any two tasks, Silver: complete two more tasks. One of the four completed task must be the completion of the Alaska scrapbook, Gold: complete three more tasks one of which must be the completion of a second scrapbook.

• Finish the Fam Jam 2018: Alaska Scrapbook. At the start of the birthday challenge, April 26, 2024 I was starting to work on layouts for Day 7 of our 17 day family adventure.
• Start an Our Dating, Engagement, and Wedding book.
• Start an Our First Five Years of Adventure book.
• Finish the Wedding Scrapbook.
• Start the Fam Jam: Disney World Scrapbook.
• Start the World Travels Scrapbook. 
• Complete a different scrapbook
• Work on my character sheet/journal for my RPG character Summer
• Have a designated time each season for scrapbooking, totaling 8 over this two year challenge.
• Create a Photo Book of our next Fam Jam adventure scheduled for 2025
• Attend a scrapbooking day, retreat, or event.
• Scrapbook with my Mom and/or Alex

3) Gluten Free Baking

I enjoy baking. Yet, why would anyone want to bake gluten-free? There are many possible reasons, for me it is because I was diagnosed with celiac diseases last fall. This is an autoimmune condition that causes my body to attack and damage my small intestine when triggered by gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye. The only treatment for celiac disease is a strict, lifelong diet.

Having the disease has impacted what I eat and how we shop.  It means I can no longer eat many of my favourite comfort foods. Things have improved in recent years with gluten-free options and better labeling. Some of the necessary changes were obvious but wheat, barley, and rye show up in many unexpected foods. I have not yet attempted to bake something that was not a gluten-free mix. 

To achieve Bronze: one task, Silver: complete two more tasks. Gold: complete three more tasks one of which must be the donut recipe goal.

• Find and perfect a gluten-free donut recipe
• Attempt to make gluten-free angel food cake
• Make 4 types of gluten-free scones from scratch
• Attempt gluten-free macarons.
• Find my favourite gluten-free bread recipe.
• Make a batch of strawberry cupcakes
• Sign out four (or more) gluten-free recipe books and try two recipes from each (recipes can overlap with other challenges such as a donut recipe).
• After trying a number of gluten-free recipe books buy and use my favourite 

4) Make Soup 

Last year's challenge included a goal about making a hearty winter soup. Alex and I made a hearty leek and potato soup and it was delicious. I would like to up my soup skills with this challenge. Bonze: Complete one of these tasks, Silver: Complete two more tasks, Gold: Complete the 45 different soups task.

• Make six soups from the cookbook Simply in Season.
• Make six soups from the cookbook From a Monastery Kitchen
• Try to make three soups for a different culture
• Make a new soup every week for 12 weeks: 12 Soups in 12 weeks 
• Make one soup for each: sweet, creamy, vegan, broth, cold 
• Make enough soups for the freezer for 30 days of soups for lunch (preferably during the winter).
• Make a total of 45 different soups

5) Try Ice Cream

As I said in the baking challenge, I have celiac disease and it has meant giving up favourite food permanently. It was heartbreaking when I realized my previous "go to" favourite ice cream: chocolate chip cookie dough was no longer something I could eat. I am now on the hunt for a new favourite flavour by tasting as many ice cream flavours as possible. I do not know if there will be enough flavours available without gluten for me to finish this challenge but I am going to try. The ultimate goal is 45 unique flavours. I will allow gelatos, sherbets, and sorbets. 

• Bronze: 12 different flavours of ice cream
• Silver: 24 different flavours of ice cream
• Gold: 45 different flavours of ice cream