45 Before 45: Challenges 11 to 15

It is day three of planning the goals for my next birthday challenge, 45 Before 45. I will be posting five challenges a day, from June 11-19, until all 45 goals have been introduced.

This birthday challenge will span two years and two ages, April 26, 2024 to April 25, 2026 at ages 43 and 44 and I will work on the 45 Before 45. Each of the 45 challenges are going to have a badge, similar to interest badges in Girl Guides. 

To add to the fun, the badges will have three levels of possible achievement (bronze, silver, gold). I went into greater detail about why badges and why levels for those badges in the introduction post.  

The Birthday Challenges 11-15

11) Explore Kingston

August 2023, we moved to Kingston. To help us settle in I asked our church for ideas and adventures to help us get to know our new city. We are still working through their suggestions and have added some of our own. To achieve Bronze: three task, Silver: complete three more tasks. Gold: complete three more tasks.
  • Visit Lake Ontario Park
  • Take the Pen tour 
  • Treetop Trekking 
  • Play Games at Wonderland or Solve one of their Escape Room
  • Visit Boldt Castle
  • Hike at Lemoine’s Point 
  • Explore Kingston Mills 
  • Take a Fort Henry Tour 
  • Visit Little Cataraqui Creek Conservation Area 
  • London Bay Lake 
  • Front Path Rock 
  • Participate in an class at the Tett
  • Visit Portsmouth Olympic Harbour 
  • Adolphus Town 
  • Apple Picking 
  • Try White Mountain Ice Cream 
  • Take the Wolfe Island Ferry and explore the island
  • Walk the K+P Trail
  • Solve a Sherlock’s Escapes mystery 
12) Fam Jam 2025

2025 is a big year for my family. It will be my parents' 50th anniversary, Alex's and my 5th anniversary, and my sister turns 25. We are planning a family vacation to celebrate together. Right now the trip is in the dreaming stage of planning. This requires the tasks for this badge to be creative. To achieve Bronze: complete any three tasks, Silver: complete three more tasks. Gold: complete four more tasks.
  • Book lodging for the trip and set other travel details
  • Make matching Fam Jam 2025 tees
  • Go somewhere we've never been
  • Witness a natural wonder
  • Do something fun that is free
  • Enjoy a beach, pool, or water day
  • Try something new
  • Get dressed for a fancy night out
  • Do something active
  • Visit a museum or historical site
  • Take a guided tour
  • Capture the time together with many family photos
  • Hug Mickey Mouse (this is unlikely but a girl can dream)

13) Sewing

I remember enjoying sewing. When I was a child I took sewing lessons with Kids Can Sew. I liked the picking a pattern, finding the fabric, and getting started. I found cutting out the pattern a bit stressful, the actual sewing a lot of fun, and then everything else, pinning and endless ironing tedious but important. Sewing is something I want to do again. I just haven't...yet. I have patterns, fabric, and this challenge gives me motivation. 

To achieve Bronze: one task, Silver: complete two more tasks. Gold: complete three more tasks.

  • Sew a skirt
  • Sew a dress
  • Learn three new sewing machine skills
  • Learn to care for and service my sewing machine
  • Make two more skirts or dresses
  • Draft a pattern or scale a pattern for my size
  • Taylor an item, dress or shirt, to fit better
  • Use a favourite skirt or dress as a pattern for a new item
  • Make 2 walking capes
  • Sew a whole outfit/dress for a cosplay 

14) Cosplay

I am a geek. As a geek I love geeky things which includes cosplay. If this word and world is new to you, cosplay is dress up. It is that and more than that. It is costuming and performance art. It is a form of self expression and shared appreciation for characters and media. The words is the bending of two words "costume" and "play." It was coined in 1984 by Nobuyuki Takahashi after he attended the World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon) in Los Angeles and witnessing fans dressing up honouring the characters they loved. 

Bonze: Complete one of these tasks, Silver: Complete two more tasks, Gold: Complete three more task.

  • Finish the sword from Onward
  • Finish the corresponding Mom from Onward cosplay
  • Create a new couples cosplay with Alex
  • Upgrade the Velma and Shaggy costumes
  • Care for and find storage for the wig collection
  • Care for and find storage for remain costumes and props
  • Make a second attempt on Princess Buttercups red dress
  • Start and finish a brand new cosplay
  • Recreate my Ramona Flowers cosplay
  • Have a cosplay photoshoot

15) Disneybound

In the midst of all my geeky loves there is spot for Disney. I love the hope and joy Disney movies give along with a sense of wonder and childhood. I don't think I qualify as a Disney adults but there are things I appreciate about this sub-group of geeks. One that overlaps with my love of cosplay is the development of disneybounding. 

Adults visiting one of the many Disney parks are not allowed to dress up. There are a number of good reasons for this rule, safety and protecting children being at the top. Fans who wanted to celebrate their favourite characters in the 2010s began wearing colours to match the character. So someone who likes Snow White may wear yellow runners, yellow shorts, a royal blue t-shirt, red head band, and finish it off with an apple shaped purse. I see this as undercover cosplay and inspirational Disney fashion. 

I have only dabbled at Disneybounding. I became aware of it after my last visit to a park. I attempted to go a week in Disneybound and only made six days. I think it's time to try again.

Bonze: Complete one of these tasks, Silver: Complete two more tasks, Gold: Complete three more task.

  • Upgrade one or more of my original six Disneybounds (Bell Weather (Zootopia), Ariel, Ursula, Mickey Mouse, Aurora, and Steamboat Minnie Mouse)
  • Finish the seventh Disneybound I had planned of Snow White
  • Disneybound for a work-week (Monday to Friday) as Disney princesses
  • Disneybound for a work-week as characters from Mickey and Friends
  • Disneybound for a work-week as Ariel in different looks
  • Disneybound for a work-week as Belle in different looks
  • Dinseybound for a work-week as characters from the same movie
  • Participate in the #Disneyboundchallenge in March (if it exists in 2025 or 2026)
  • Disneybound to a Disney movie
  • Disneybound in a Disney park

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