I Did 50 New Things Before My 50th Birthday
A 50th Birthday deserves more than a trip or a party. Why not celebrate by accomplishing 50 new things in 50 weeks?
This crazy idea started out on my 49th birthday…we were on our self-created pub tour in London, the last night of what had been an incredible family trip across the pond to see our beloved Seahawks play the Raiders in the NFL UK series. If this is how I celebrated 49, how would I improve on it for my 50th birthday??
50 is a big deal and I felt like I had to pay it proper homage. I needed something equally momentous! After some brainstorming and online inspiration, when I got home I decided that I would do 50 “things” in the 50 weeks until my 50th birthday. And so it began.
Where to Start Planning for a 50th Birthday Challenge?
As all planners know, you have to start with the end in mind. That end was a sister trip to Key West. When Patti asked where I wanted to go, this was my choice. We had been trying to get there for YEARS! But something always came up. So I simply had to fill in 49 other things…easy, right?
These 50 things could be anything – some big, some small, some personal, some with others, some required travel, some right here in Colorado. Everyone who knows me, knows I love to live it up! I try not to half-ass anything and I am on the go traveling or exploring most every weekend.
But this was going to require some planning, organization and lots of backup plans. One thing that made this more fun is that my VBFFs were also turning 50 so we had a lot to celebrate!
Making my 50th Birthday list
- I started with things I already wanted to accomplish and places I was going like Bali and Italy (this alone would have been an epic year of travel).
- I consulted my list of 40 Must-see Colorado locations that I was already working through. This fantastic list and others come from Out There Colorado, a constant source of local inspiration!
- Bucket List type things that I’ve always wanted to do, like Skydiving or meeting Michelle Obama. Spoiler alert, neither of these happened 🙁
- Which of the 50 States had I not been to? There were 14 of them.
- New countries
- I polled my friends and family to see if there was anything they would like to do with me or any place they would like to go.
- Then just be open to any & all experiences that might present themselves
In the end, I came up with a list of about 70-80 things that were likely or possible and started a spreadsheet that scheduled out the year. I am a total planning nerd, so this was right in my wheelhouse.
| Week | Count | Date | Activity | With? | Complete | Category |
| 5-Nov | 1 | 3-Nov | Put my feet in Gulf of Mexico | Sydni | X | See something new |
Is it Listworthy?
I started filling in trips that I already had planned and made it a point to find something “list-worthy” at each destination. For example, we were going to our dad’s house in Las Vegas for Thanksgiving. Been there a ton of times, lived there for 6 years so it was going to be hard to come up with something new (and worthy). It ended up being the Fremont Street Experience Zipline!
Then started filling in the absolutes like the VBFF birthday weekend and seeing Dolly Parton! And continued adding in where I could. This was in no way written in stone but I did know that I had to accomplish an average of 1 new thing a week.
Favorites
New things to see
New Experiences
New Countries
New States
New National Parks
50th Birthday Success!
All in all, it was an amazing year and while I didn’t accomplish some of the really important things on my list like skydiving and a hot air balloon ride (and meeting Mrs. Obama), I have so many more that were just a blast! I ended up seeing 15 new sights, having 21 new experiences, visiting 4 new countries, 5 new states and 4 new National Parks! I spent quality time with friends and family and made memories to last the next 50 years! I’d say that was pretty successful!
Here is the entire list of 50 Things:
| # | Activity |
|---|---|
| 1 | Feet in the Gulf of Mexico |
| 2 | Bread baking class with Brother Luck |
| 3 | Visit Cheyenne Mtn Zoo |
| 4 | Fremont Street Zipline |
| 5 | See the Shrine of the Sun in Colo Springs |
| 6 | See a new Broadway Show – Come From Away |
| 7 | Ice Skating at Rockefeller Center |
| 8 | Read “The Nightingale” – shouldn’t be bucket list but had been on my “must read” list for a couple of years and I kept putting it off! |
| 9 | See Chapel on the Rock in Estes Park, CO – I rang the church bell |
| 10 | Go to Lookout Mountain & Buffalo Bill’s gravesite in Golden, CO |
| 11 | First Transpacific Flight |
| 12 | Visit Bali |
| 13 | Purification Ceremony at a Bali Temple |
| 14 | Try Kopi Luwak Coffee |
| 15 | Bali waterfalls |
| 16 | Get a Fishy Pedicure |
| 17 | Ride an elephant |
| 18 | Bali Swing |
| 19 | Celebrate Nyepi |
| 20 | Visit Nusa Penida |
| 21 | Snorkeling with Manta Rays |
| 22 | Singapore – Marina Bay Sands |
| 23 | Singapore – Gardens by the Bay |
| 24 | Kentucky Bourbon Tasting |
| 25 | Horse Racing at Keeneland Racetrack in KY |
| 26 | Visit Asheville/Biltmore in NC |
| 27 | Fly to Europe Business Class |
| 28 | Visit Croatia & Dubrovnik City Walls |
| 29 | See Milan and The Last Supper |
| 30 | Visit Lake Como & take an authentic Italian Cooking Class |
| 31 | Experience Venice |
| 32 | Louisville – Churchill Downs and the Slugger museum |
| 33 | See the Forest Giants – Huge sculptures by Danish artist Thomas Dambo. He has installations all over the world. |
| 34 | Visit Montana & Glacier NP |
| 35 | Stay at Fairmont Lake Louise |
| 36 | See Ruby Falls in Tennessee |
| 37 | Explore Denver City Park plus a tasting at Leopold Bros Distilling |
| 38 | Boat tour of the underground caverns at Lost River Cave & KY Down Under |
| 39 | Try Axe Throwing |
| 40 | Visit New Mexico |
| 41 | Visit West Virginia |
| 42 | Rode a mechanical bull |
| 43 | See Dolly Parton at the Grand Ol’ Opry |
| 44 | Go to Key West!!! |
| 45 | Take a Sea Plane |
| 46 | Visit Dry Tortugas NP |
| 47 | Everglades NP and take an Air Boat ride |
| 48 | Visit South Carolina |
| 49 | Go to Great Smoky Mountains National Park |
| 50 | Shoot a gun |
Hope you found some inspiration and some great ideas for your own milestone celebration!
27 Comments
Rayo
Awwww, this is what I call accomplishment, you get to travel the world even if you didn’t meet Mitchell Obama, you still ticked your bucket list. That’s actually awesome 😎. Hope it’s not too late to say, a very happy birthday 🎂
Big Sister
You’re so sweet! Thank you so much!
Moshe
This is Great! I am so happy you got to accomplish all these things – so much fun, and thanks for sharing 🙂
Big Sister
Thank you so much, it was loads of fun! I appreciate you reading!
Kathleen
You are an inspiration! Thanks for sharing and planting the seeds of adventure🙂 (Great pics too!!)
Big Sister
Awww, thanks Kath! I love you!!
Alice
I can’t believe you did all this in a year! So awesome! I’m feeling inspired to start doing and seeing more.
Big Sister
Aw, thanks! It was fun. It sure makes this year seem dull, I’m ready to get back out there!
Daniella
Epic post! The forest giants in Kentucky was something I have never seen before! I hope I am as cool as you when I celebrate my 50th!
Big Sister
Haha, you’ll be way cooler!! You should look the artist, Thomas Danbo, up. He’s got some really cool work and there are many more locations (we have one in CO as well). Some are secret and you have to hunt for them!
Sarah
What a fun site! I really enjoyed reading this post – and how great how much you have accomplished at the age of 50! I especially liked “get a fishy pedicure” – that just gives me the willies LOL! Congrats!
Big Sister
Thank you for reading! It definitely took a moment of self-talk to first stick my feet in there, haha 🙂
Michele
This is great! I will need to do this for my 50th! But wow you did a lot of things! My items, especially this year, will be a lot less exciting!
Big Sister
Yes, go for it!! And you’re right, this year sure has put a damper on things! Thanks for reading <3
Sam W.
This is amazing!!! I heard Croatia was beautiful. I can’t wait to start my next list. I (on my 29th birthday) decided to create a 30 things before I turned 30 list. Unfortunately with Covid, a bunch of my items weren’t able to be checked off. I also became pregnant during this last year so….. some items again couldn’t be completed. But I can make a new list! I should get a little extension since so many unforeseen things happened during my 29th year, right? 🙂
Big Sister
You totally get a re-do! Maybe a 30 things while you’re 30! Post-covid & post-baby 🙂
Dana
I love this idea! What an accomplishment to do all those things. I don’t know why it jumped out at me but that fishy pedi prompted me to pick up a pen and write that down. I’ll have to add it to my 50 list too! Enjoyed your pictures and how you organized by category…and I really appreciated the spreadsheets.
Big Sister
Thank you so much for reading!! I look forward to hearing about your list!
Chita
This is such an inspiration. I’m turning 50 this year. Now, you gave me this great idea! Thank you.
Big Sister
Yay, I hope you celebrate in a big way!! 50 is the new 30, haha, and it is pretty fantastic! Let me know what you come up with! 🙂
Cherryl
Congratulations on your 50 by 50!!!! The fishy pedicure – crikey the though of that still scares me lol 😊
Big Sister
Thank you!! The toughest part is putting your feet in!
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Saskia
So cool! What a great idea!
Big Sister
Thank you so much!
Reinhard
This is a fantastic list with some great suggestions. I’ve been to a few of these places/done a few of these things but I also got a few new entries for my bucket list! I really need to travel more in the US…
Big Sister
Thanks so much! I’m glad you found some new spots!