Thank you Craig & Sara for dinner!

The other night I had dinner with some great friends, Craig & Sara.  As the fates allow, Craig is my 'brother from another mother', who also happens to be my upstairs neighbor.  I've known Craig pretty much my whole life.  Sara is Craig's hottie wife, who has become to me the little sister my parents didn't see fit to adopt for me.  Together they are that cute couple that make you believe in the fairy tales, the American Dream, soulmates.  Add in their two adorable babies, Mikayla & Connor, & they are the American Dream.  Mikayla who can melt the heart of the most frigid of life forms & Connor who has a toothless smile to make even the Joker burst into tears of joy.  Yup...my upstairs neighbors...the perfect family & the best people to spend time with.

So there we are having this delicious dinner & no Craig, the steak wasn't overdone at all!  Craig, who I have to say, is a great dad is at the table entertaining Mikayla, but also entertaining me & Sara.  Craig is busy singing 'Jingle Bells' & Mikayla is accompanying him.

Craig & I then start to reminisce about the time we went Christmas caroling as kids.  Our neighbor Sam had organized a group of the neighborhood kids to go caroling one year.  It was a blast!  We would get together in Sam's apt & practice the songs.  After weeks of practice, we went out around the neighborhood singing.  I loved it.  I remember getting hot chocolate from one of our neighbors & after we were done, Sam gave us all gifts.  She was sweet like that.

Ahhh...the joys of Christmas caroling...

Hey...wait...isn't Christmas caroling on my list of 40 things to do to celebrate turning 40?

Why yes...yes it is!

So here is the opportunity to bring up my blog mission & ask for some help.  I just love bringing up this blog mission any chance I get!!

I explain my mission to get 40 things to do over 40 weeks to celebrate turning 40 & I see Sara's eyes light up.  Jackpot!  I know my little sister will find things for me to do. 

After our delicious dinner & deightful dessert ~ homemade apple pie & ice cream, Mikayla is lulled to sleep with us singing 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star', then Connor is fed & laid down for a nap.  Craig tries to fight off sleep, but loses the battle & goes to bed.  Sara & I are now alone to talk.  And talk we do!

First up...start a book club.  Sara is ready & raring to go for this one.  She has already made up a list of books to read in her head.  She mentions a few & I am definitely adding them to the list.  I love to read.  I have been wanting to join a book club, but haven't found one that I like.  So starting one of my own is a great idea.  I've already started asking some friends if they would be interested in it.  I'm getting some positive responses.  I figure this is the way to read some books I wouldn't have otherwise read on my own.  I hope to get a good group to really discuss books & agree to meet monthly.

Karaoke night...oh yes, this is definitely making the list.  I know Sara secretly wants this one to happen.  Allow me to explain...I hear Sara every morning singing with Mikayla.  I'l be rushing to get ready for work & I'll hear 'The Itsy Bitsy Spider'.  Sara has a beautiful voice.  She could very well be the next American Idol.  As for me...well...remember Wiliam Huong & his version of 'She Bangs'?  Yea, well, he is better than me.  He could won the American Idol title if it was down to the two of us.  But I can laugh at my own faults & still enjoy myself.  So karaoke night is on!  I even know the place to go & I'm going to plot the right night to go. 

The picnic in the park...Sara loves this idea too.  She thinks it would fun to get people together.  She wonders if I can do it & I do too.  This is seriously moving up on the list of to do.

Hot air balloon ride...Sara thinks this is a fun idea.  I'm starting to wonder on this one.  The cost could be high, but maybe I can get the funds somehow.  I would love to get up in a hot air balloon.  Just the photography part of it alone makes me interested in making this one happen.

Hostess a tea party...Sara laughs at this one.  I believe I called it 'my girlie thing to do'.  I actually have something in mind for it.  Maybe even doing it twice for the fun of it!

Niagra Falls & trip to Philly...both interest Sara.  She mentions she & Craig had gone to Philly on a road trip & how much fun they had.  I would love to go to Niagra Falls to see the water & to Philly for a good Philly Cheesesteak sandwich.  So both are in the must do list.

Later on Sara will post some suggestions on Facebook.  I have added them to the list. The one that made me laugh...take a picture with the Naked Cowboy in New York city.  OMG!  I've seen the Naked Cowgirl & thought it was funny seeing her.  Seeing the dude would be even funnier.  Think about it folks...some guy in his tighty whiteys...OMG!  Okay, I'll think about it.

Her suggestions of going to Medievil Times & a Murder Mystery Dinner are great.  Both are fun.  I haven't done either, but always wanted to. 

So the list is growing.  I even got a few ideas from some friends at work.  I love that people are getting into it.  I am looking forward to working out the small details & to be able to start these weeks.  I'm looking forward to 40 weeks of fun. 

Here is the list today...

1 - full body massage
2 - take a hike
3 - frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity in NYC
4 - Gravity Hill in Bedford, Pa
5 - learn to speak Spanish
6 - read 'War & Peace'
7 - get a tattoo
8 - take Salsa lessons
9 - take a cooking class
10 - get set up on a blind date
11 - hostess a tea party
12 - ride a Harley
13 - buy 40 different pairs of socks
14 - get a make over
15 - get 40 people to join me for a picnic in a park
16 - go whale watching
17 - eat a papaya...I've never had one
18 - cook a Thanksgiving dinner
19 - sing karaoke w/some friends
20 - visit the gravesite of Billie Burke, Glenda from 'The Wizard of Oz' in Vallhalla, NY
21 - learn sign language
22 - paint my bedroom
23 - clean out the living room closet
24 - go to Niagara Falls
25 - Spend the day in Philadelphia
26 - go on a "spiritual Retreat"
27 - rodeo riding
28 - bungy jumping
29 - walk across the Brooklyn bridge
30 - go to the Statue of Liberty
31 - start a book club
32 - go skinny dipping
33 - go on a photo taking tour of Queens
34 - ask out a certain guy at the gym
35 - get a group of people to walk in the Breast Cancer walk at Jones Beach
36 - write the next great American novel
37 - go to a movie every day for one week
38 - learn to knit
39 - go to a Zumba class
40 - go to a hot yoga session
41 - try the belly dancing class at the gym
42 - visit a state/city that you've always wanted to visit
43 - try pole-dancing
44 - chop down your own Christmas tree
45 - donate to a charity you never thought you would give money to
46 - volunteer at a soup kitchen
47 - volunteer at an animal shelter
48 - go Christmas Caroling
49 - horse drawn carriage ride in Central Park
50 - ice skating at Rockefeller Center
51 - make holiday cards & gifts for 2011
52 - trip to Smithsonian Museums in Washington, DC
53 - go to Junior's for a slice of cheesecake
54 - volunteer at Woodstock Farm Sanctuary
55 - go to Sylvia's in Harlem for chicken & waffles
56 - take a trip to the Long Island vineyards
57 - check out the Montauk lighthouse
58 - visit a cranberry bog
59 - go see a Broadway play
60 - visit Mark Twain's house in CT
61 - go to Atlantic City & lay down a $50 bet
62 - hot air balloon ride
63 - stock car racing
64 - white water rafting at the Delaware gap
65 - take a picture w/the Naked Cowboy in NYC
66 - go to Medievil Times
67 - go to a Murder Mystery Dinner
68 - go for dinner at Havana in NYC
69 - go to the circus
70 - go to a football game
71 - go cayaking
72 - Fleet Week in NYC
73 - Circle Line cruise around NYC
74 - Hayden Planetarium laser show
75 - Hershey Park, PA
76 - visit a dude ranch
77 - take a photography class
78 - bike riding with Hippie Dave
79 - go on a vacation alone
80 - go to the beach looking for seashells with Hippie Dave