"Nobody can go back and start a new beginning..."

"Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending." ~~Maria Robinson


So it has be 4 months since I made time to work on my blog. I cannot believe how quickly life has moved in a forward direction. I remember when I was very little (maybe 5 or 6) and it seemed like waiting for Christmas to come (or any special event for that matter) felt like forever. It seemed like time would slow down in an effort to taunt my patience in waiting for those much anticipated moments to arrive. Now that I am older - 40 to be exact - it seems like time moves too quickly and if I blink for too long - well I just might miss something.

In an effort not to miss anything that life was going to give me, last January 17, 2010 - my 39th birthday - I made a list of 39 things to accomplish before I turned 40. Today I reviewed that list and I have successfully completed 25 of those items. There are a few things that I was able to partially complete but I did not count those. So 25 out of 39 that is a 64% completion rate - that's below a D average if you are using a typical grading scale. However I don't feel like the things that I accomplished this past year by myself and with my family and friends equals a D grade. This blog has been a journal of this past year and some of the things that I know I have accomplished are really quite extraordinary for me and my life. Looking at each month I have posted things, I would give myself an A (of course that is the grading scale according to Joelle).

I have tried to take one day at a time focusing on being true to myself, being a wife, mother, daughter, sister and friend. Then I added in church service and work. Like the quote at the beginning stated, I can't really start a new beginning but I can do things now that will impact the ending of my story. And again the best way that I know how to do that is one day at a time. Moment by moment in the grand eternal plan and being the best that I can be right now.

So here is a quick review of some things that I did not take time to blog about over the past 4 months that were on "The List of 39."

• Seeing a Broadway Play - we took the family to the Lion King when it came to Salt Lake in the fall.
• Planning our family anniversary - Dean and I took the family to Moab for some hiking and rappelling. Oh that was fun.

• Completed a triathlon, attended the symphony, volunteered at the local elementary school, danced with my husband, brewed up some homemade root beer and the list goes on.

Oh it has been a good year - I wouldn't trade all of the good times or tough times for anything. And to top it all off, I spent this last weekend before I turned 40 with just my husband in St. George. It was amazing. We went to the temple, hiked, rappelled, climbed and zip lined. He planned a wonderful stay at Green Gate Village Bed and Breakfast. We had our adventure with Paragon Adventures and went to and learned about the St. George Temple. It was an amazing way to end an extraordinary year! Now on to the next adventures - What to do now that I am 40? What will this next chapter entail?

It Does Not Do to Dwell on Dreams and Forget to Live ~ Albus Dumbledore

August has been a very busy month and this last Saturday was no exception to the standard. Early Saturday morning, Dean and I finished our third half marathon for the year - the Hobblecreek Half Marathon. It was a lovely run and beautiful scenery. To top it off, it was the best run of the year as half marathons go. In looking at my list of "39 Things" I have now surpassed my original goal to take 5 minutes off of my best half marathon time and I have taken 10 minutes off of my best time established prior to 2010. It was a wonderful feeling - I couldn't believe it. It was a good finish for both of us.

As we were driving home, I received a call. Realize, Dean and I have just both finished a 13.1 mile race in the heat - so we are hot, smelly and tired. The sound of taking on anything other than a nice cool shower just wasn't in our thought process. But my mind was quickly changed when I saw the call was coming from Birdman Academy (http://www.birdmanacademy.net/). The winds were perfect and it was time to hang glide (item 6 on "The 39 Things List"). Dean insisted that we could be there in 20 minutes. Going home first was not an option. So the second adventure of the day was about to "take flight."

We got to the flight location, I signed all of the proper release forms, received my 30 day license with the USHGPA and had a quick 20 minute instruction period. After that it was time to soar!




All I was supposed to do was - step, step, run, run, run. I was instructed to just keep running until the wind lifted us. As I was being strapped to the hang glider, the wind was so strong I could hardly hold my balance. In fact it took four grown men to hold the glider down. I asked my tandem instructor how I was supposed to engage in the step and run process he had taught me. He looked and me said "Don't worry we won't need that."




Sure enough the four men let go and with one step we were up!!! Looking around me I could see that I was truly soaring with the hawks at their level. We could see as these birds of prey entered a thermal, my tandem instructor would explain that we would enter that thermal as well. And sure enough, just like the magnificent birds of prey, we also experienced the up and down dip like a roller coaster without gravity holding me down - each time gaining a little more loft and continuous flight. The view was amazing. My ground crew suddenly looked like little ants on the hill side. It felt like I could see for miles.



I have been sky diving. But hang gliding and sky diving are very different. The ability to soar and glide with the birds was a new feeling and level of control. "We live in a wonderful world that is full beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures that we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open." ~~Jawaharlal Nehru

Thanks to all of the staff of the Birdman Academy and my husband for a wonderful adventure!