Week 60: Final Week of My 50's and My Next Project

This final week of my 60 until 60 project has been a big one, spent entirely with Scotty, my youngest kid.  We've been road-tripping from Colorado to Florida's gulf coast, with a stop in New Orleans to enjoy a Mardi Gras parade and a 4-day cruise to Cozumel in between.

Tomorrow morning, we'll pick up my other son, Matt, and his wife, Stella, who arrive at 6am at the Tampa airport, and I'll have 3 more days of celebrating with them! What a perfect start to my 60th birthday and Florida adventures!

I started my project as kind of an experiment in living my "Carpe Diem" motto. I thought.. If I only had 60 more weeks to live, how would I want to spend them? I wanted to maximize time spent with people I loved, see new places, learn new things, and do things that would make me happy. I've been very intentional throughout the year, as I executed my goals, to think about what made me happy and why.

I also thought a lot about the times when I was unhappy, recognizing that unhappiness is part of life, but that rather than be a victim during those times, we can treat them as a challenge, and a chance to learn, grow, become resilient, and cherish the happy times even more.

There were a lot of learnings throughout the year, but one thing is clear. What I value most is something that is free: loving relationships. I'd been nervous that since I'm single and my kids are grown that my retirement years might be very lonely. But I haven't been lonely at all! This last 60-weeks has probably been the happiest, least lonely, time of my life.

A lot of people have asked me, 'what's next'?  One thing I've learned about me is that I like having a project of some sort...  The 60-until-60 project (with its 60 goals) has given me purpose and structure..  something else I've learned that I like!  I'll keep working on my never-ending list of goals (I have enough to keep me busy for many lifetimes), but I think the big one that I will focus on next is:

Create a Special Holiday: Carpe Diem Day - May 30

More about that as well as my "Single Snowbird Adventures" in weeks to come!

Goodbye to my fifties! Sixties, here I come!

Week 59: 60 Celebrations Slideshow

OK, people, we are coming in for a big finish to my 60-week birthday party. Last week I made my playlist and this week, I've been working overtime trying to get all my slideshows finished. As I mentioned in my Week 36 blog post, creating these slideshows has been a big challenge, partially because I was using Windows MovieMaker and that meant using an old laptop that was painfully slow.

I bit the bullet and learned to use iMovie on the Mac. Well..  didn't really "learn," but figured out at least the basics, but I'm struggling. I couldn't find a very comprehensive tutorial, so I'm still very slow, but at least it's me and not the computer.

I figured rather than try to finish every slideshow, instead  I would create a "summary slideshow" that has just the selfie from each of my one-on-ones!  Even though I'll finish all the individual slideshows, that does become a little excessive to watch.

Today's my last day at home before I head out for my final big birthday excusion: Roadtripping with my son, Scotty to Florida with a stop in New Orleans for Mardi Gras and a cruise! Then my other son, Matt, and his wife, Stella, are going to fly out to meet us in Florida for the big day!

I really have wanted to do this snowbird thing, so I'm planning on staying in Florida until early May, but I've been feeling very sad about leaving my grandchildren...  I made a video of all the fun things we did over this past 60 weeks which will help me from missing them (I hope!)

Week 58: My 60-Song Playlist

My 60-song playlist is just about ready to take on the road! This has been a goal I've been working on throughout my 60-until-60 project :

Put together a playlist of at least 60 songs by gathering songs from friends

Throughout my project, as I've actively celebrated with friends and family, I've asked them each to pick out a song for my playlist.

I told them the song would serve 3 purposes:

1. I'd use a clip of it as background music for a slideshow of our celebratory outing
2. I'd add it to a playlist that I'd play on road-trips, at my party, or whenever I wanted to reminisce about this awesome 60-week project
3. I would think of them whenever I heard the song

The hardest part of creating the playlist was getting 60 people to pick out songs! Creating a corresponding .mp3 file turned out to be easy, thanks to this handy dandy free YouTube to .mp3 converter app. Then, I simply dragged into iTunes for my Playlist.

This is one of those goals that worked out much better than anticipated! Since I've been collecting these songs, I hear special songs all the time! Usually, I hear them on the radio when I'm driving, so I can't always text, but there have been times...  when I'm at a summer concert.. when I'm out at a pool or a beach.. or even out shopping..  when I've been able to record a clip and text a friend letting them know "our song was playing."  Here's the clip I took when "Desperado" was playing that will always remind me of BFF, Lisa, and the Don Henley concert we went to together at the Minnesota State Fair.

As I was compiling my songs this week and needed one more song to make it to 60, I remembered this version of Hallelujah, that I'd written for my Dad's memorial service.  This recording even has my friend, Brian, singing.

There are some other special songs on my list..  songs that I'll never hear on the radio because they were created by one of my musically talented friends.  My son, Matt's, song is a remix of two pieces that he combined.  Even though I'll never randomly hear these songs on the radio, I hope to play my 60-song playlist at least once a year. 

Listening to music is one of those things we all can do, no matter how old or sick we are.  Not to be morbid, but it does give me comfort to think that one day, I can be listening to my playlist on my deathbed!

I can see it now..  I'm in the hospital, my kids gathered 'round:
    Kids: "Go to the light, Mom!"
    Me: "Not until I listen to that play list one more time!"
    Kids: "Not AGAIN! That's almost 4 hours, Mom! Did anyone bring Mom's playlist? Mom, do you still even KNOW these people? Can we fast forward through this dorky one?"

Actually, I'll undoubtedly have more playlists with more "special songs."  I think I may make one of these playlists every year! So, be prepared, kids. I'm not going to the light without listening to my songs!

Speaking of playlists and special songs, I want to give a shout-out to my niece, Rebecca, and her Instagram page (vodkanvinyl).  She posts song of the day prompts every day and much more for the music-lover!

This goal really helped me have more of an appreciation for music and the varied tastes of the people in my life. I love that almost every genre of music is represented, from country to rap to classical. I discovered some new songs that I love and some new songs that, while not quite my taste, have expanded my knowledge.

More than anything, I love that I can conjure up special memories of special people with these songs. I'm leaving for a long road trip (Colorado to Florida) next Monday, so the 60-song-list will gets its first run-through from beginning to end!

Week 57: A Request for Carpe Diem Birthday Cards

My sister gave me a set of Carpe Diem Pop-Up Cards!

We are on the final countdown of my 60-until-60 project and that means I have to get serious about figuring out how to accomplish one of the few remaining goals:

Plan and host my 60th virtual/real birthday party

My actual birthday is on Wednesday, February 26th.  It's a terrible day to have a birthday party at home because it's on a Wednesday (and even Ash Wednesday this year!) and it's COLD in Colorado! 

I've got a whole plan worked out with my kids which includes a family party, road trip to Florida, New Orleans for Mardi Gras, a cruise, ending up in Sarasota, Florida where I'll be spending the rest of the winter.

However, I want to have a big party back home in Colorado when the weather is warm, probably on May 30.  

What about my virtual party? Believe me, I have experimented with a lot of ideas over the years, and I've come to the conclusion that I need to keep it simple if I want people to participate.  

I just have this easy request: 

Please send me a card, note, or photo of a "Carpe Diem moment"

FAQ:

Q: What does "Carpe Diem" mean?

A: It's latin for "Seize the Day," made popular from this clip from "Dead Poet's Society."

Q: What exactly is a "Carpe Diem moment"?

A: A moment when you were finding joy in life. 

Q: What's your address?

A: 2727 Limestone Place, Superior, CO 80027

Q: Do I have to send this to you in the old-fashioned snail mail?

A: No, but it's preferred because I'd like to use the cards and photos I get as a collage for my May 30th party.

Q: Do I have to buy a card?

A: No, this can be a photo, a letter, a home-made card, or anything. Feel free to be creative!

Q: Why do you always assign "homework" for every party you throw?

A: I like to push you out of your comfort zone. You're welcome.

Q: Does my "Carpe Diem moment" have to be true or can it be fictional?

A: It can be whatever you want. It would be nice if you describe an experience that you had or are anticipating.

Q: Where can I post it on Facebook?

A: On my Carpe Diem Connections Facebook page

Q: Are there other communication options?

A: Yes, you can send via email, text, WhatsApp, YouTube or send by carrier pigeon.

Q: What is the deadline for this?

A: The sooner the better, but by May 20, 2020 at the latest.

Q: Do I have to do this if I don't know you very well?

A: Nobody HAS to do it, but I will be very grateful for anyone who does it, especially people who don't know me well! 

Q: What happens if I don't do this?

A: I will nag you relentlessly until you do.

Q: Do you need to get a certain number of responses?

A: Of course, my hope is to get at least 60 since that is the theme number for my 60 until 60 project. But I realize that is probably unrealistic, so I'll be happy with whatever number I get.

Q: This doesn't sound like much of a "virtual party." I was looking forward to a scavenger hunt or a challenging game. What happened?

A: I can provide a list! PS. I love you!

Week 56: Pondering the Meaning of Life

On January 9th, the world lost a great man.. my Uncle Bill. He was 96 and had an amazing life.

My uncle had the kind of life, and death, that we all would want. He was kind and funny and was incredibly fit, still riding his bike in his 90's. I was really amazed at his health and his wit when I got a chance to visit him a few years ago.  He took a fall and broke his hip over Thanksgiving and was never able to recover, but he was surrounded by so much love every day of his life, including those last days.

Even though my uncle was 96 and had a better, longer life than most of us will, his death is a sad reminder of death's inevitability. My aunt and cousins and so many people who loved my uncle are grieving and, I know very well how difficult it is to move forward with life after someone you love dies.

I know this is a bit "off-topic" of my usual 60 until 60 goals, but I suppose as I near that magic age that initiates us into elderhood, I also am facing my own mortality.. and maybe even more upsetting, the increasing number of deaths I'll need to endure as people I love die.  A definite downside of getting older.

I went to a very interesting documentary, 63-Up, on Saturday.. the most recent installment of the "Up Series" that follows the lives of 14 British people, starting at age 7 and every 7 years after, (7-Up, 14-Up, 21-Up, etc.)  They are now 63, and they, too, are facing issues of mortality.

Throughout this past 56 weeks, as I've been faithfully executing my goals, I've been for the most part, very happy. But I've also seen how easy it is to fall into a mood..  to feel sad about things that are out of my control..  Even the smallest thing.. an unintentional rejection from someone, for example, can start to make me feel negative. If I don't watch out, I can go into my "Who cares?" mode. "We all just die, so what does any of this matter?"

But then I remember this post from one of my favorite self-help gurus, Neil Pasricha, who reminds me that the short time we have left is exactly why every moment does matter.

I also remember the quote from my Carpe Diem inspiration, Craig Dunham, who wrote this when faced with his ALS diagnosis:

This time, is a gift that many people have not been given.  I especially appreciate the opportunity to show my children how life can be lived without anger, resentment, bitterness or regrets.  I have purged all of that from my life and intend to leave this life with nothing but love, acceptance, forgiveness and compassion in my heart.  I am so ready to live life to its fullest, I only wish I would have thought to do it sooner.

So, rather than carry on in this negative tone about the inevitability of death, I will thank my Uncle Bill for inspiring me to live a full life and end this week's blog post with some Carpe Diem moments from my week.

Watching my grandson, Diego, play basketball

Eating Nepalese food with Adam, wearing the shirt Matt brought back from Nepal for me

Learning about this cool aeroponics tower from my friend, Kathy, a Master Gardener!

Co-hosting a tea party with my friend, Sonja, using my teacup collection at her beautiful home 

Wearing a new fun hat to our tea party

Changing my tree to a Valentine tree and adding a new flamingo ornament gifted to me by my sweet AirBnB guest!

Life is good.

Week 55: Snowbirding in Mexico

One of my big goals from my list of 60 was to explore Snowbird locations. Last winter, after attending an International Living conference, I'd narrowed down my short list to Costa Rica, Mexico, and Florida and to spend time in each during the winter of 2020.

As luck would have it, I was invited to the January 18th destination wedding of the daughter of my BFF, Lisa, on the Mexican Riviera!

Lisa (mother-of-the-bride) and me at her daughter's destination wedding in Akumal

There's nothing as breathtakingly beautiful and romantic as a wedding on the beach. I felt so lucky to be able to share this special experience with my friend. (By the way, this is the second Akumal wedding I've had the pleasure of being at this season! My friend, Samar, also had a destination wedding here in September!) If you ever get a chance to experience this, I highly recommend it!

My almost-2-week stay at Conversa wrapped up with a beautiful wine and cheese party. I feel so good about the friendships I made at this special place.

Group photo at Wine & Cheese Party

My last meal at Conversa with my new sweet friend, Diane

On Thursday night, I headed from the San José, Costa Rica airport to Cancún, Mexico where I met up with Jeri, someone I'd met virtually on a Facebook Forum for single retired women. Jeri had met a woman on the plane, Lana, who was going to be biking through Mexico for the next few months! Jeri invited Lana to visit us in Akumal (on her bike ride between Cancún and Tulum). It was so interesting to learn more about both of these courageous women!  Jeri donated one of her kidneys to a stranger in 2018 and Lana has been riding her bike through many countries for years!

Two amazing women: Jeri and Lana

The condo I rented here is amazingly beautiful and only about $100/night. Splitting that with Jeri has made it even more affordable.  The weather has been sunny and warm and I keep marveling that it's January! There's no doubt that I feel healthier and more energetic in this warm climate!

That being said, I think Sarasota, Florida is the most likely choice for my "long-term snowbird spot". As much as I've loved Costa Rica and Mexico, it's hard to get around without a car, and I can barely manage driving in the states, so do not want to deal with driving in a foreign country.

Also walking and hiking is much more difficult and dangerous. Even though the places I've been staying are relatively safe from crime, there are a lot of wild dogs (at least in Costa Rica) and there are, of course, more scary things like snakes and iguanas and these animals that look like big rats..  

Off to the beach!

Week 54: Conversa -- Learning Spanish in Costa Rica

One of the final goals of my 60 until 60 project is #29 from my list:

Go to a foreign country and practice speaking the native language

After doing a little online research for a place to go where I could practice Spanish, I found Conversa in Costa Rica.  They had a Spanish immersion program just for retirees and after a few emails with Andy Kaufman, the owner, I decided it would be the perfect way to accomplish this goal.

I fell in love with this beautiful campus, high on a hill, the moment I arrived.  Everything about this learning vacation has exceeded my expectations. Here are some of the highlights:

Making new friends

I'm not usually a big fan of going on a trip alone because.. well.. it's lonely.  However, this wasn't a typical trip or vacation and there were several reasons that I was able to make friends here at Conversa:

• We're sort of like students in a dorm. We have common areas and a cafeteria in which we all gather and share stories
• Though there are some couples, there are also other people who have come here alone and were interested in socializing and getting to know others
• Most of the other students are interested in the same kinds of things I'm interested in: Communication, Travel, Learning, New Experiences, and, of course, Spanish!
• There have been social activities and excursions on the weekends, so we're getting to know each other outside of class.

On a Coffee Plantation Tour

Even though I've only been here a week, I feel I've made some good friends! In fact, I'm already making some plans to visit some of my new friends and I hope they'll be visiting me.

The teachers and all the coordinators and staff at Conversa are extremely friendly and helpful, too.   Everyone is so welcoming and warm.

The campus

What a beautiful place! I just can't say enough about how much I love the surroundings here. Of course, it's wonderful to have perfect weather in the 70's every day in January! But, I love the quaint houses, porch swings, beautiful views, hammocks, and just the overall feeling you get at every turn.

I've made it a habit of doing a 6:30am walk down and up a very steep hill of the street leading into the campus - quite a healthy workout routine! There's a pool and flowering bushes and trees that I pass as I make my way up for breakfast each morning before our daily classes start.

Before our morning workout up the big hill

I'll only be here another few days and I already miss this little piece of heaven. I think I'll make it an annual tradition to come back each year.

Costa Rica

The country, as well, has so much to offer, from beaches, to volcanos, to rain forest hikes, to birdwatching and such a vast array of animals and plants. Last weekend I enjoyed a long day trip to Manuel Antonio National Park with several of my classmates.

 Learning Spanish

I'm loving my Spanish classes, but I must admit, I'm disappointed that my oral skills are still so poor. I feel good about how much I've learned, but I still have a long way to go. That's OK, though.  I'm motivated to continue to learn and I feel lucky that I have so many new friends to practice with!

Week 53: Awesome Delights in the New Year

Yay! It’s 2020 and so far it’s been a fabulous year. In fact, as I write this, I’m sitting on a First Class flight headed for Costa Rica! The upgrade was a surprise. I’m a United MileagePlus Premier Member and that means I randomly get upgraded if the flight isn't full. Free drinks (I go with Baileys and coffee), yummy breakfast, and comfy big seats! I feel so pampered and like such a jet-setter!

New Luggage Tag Christmas Gift from my sis!

That’s just one of many happy surprises I’ve had this week.  Let me do a quick summary of some of my favorites:

Receiving "The Book of Awesome" in the mail

Awesome surprise gift from MB

One day last week, I was texting with my Anonymous Commenter Friend, Michael Bolé and told him that I liked the word, "quotidian," and I'd first learned the word when I read the description of "The Book of Awesome" - a book of quotidian delights! A few days later, the book appeared in my mailbox as a surprise gift! Is that awesome or what? 

Having a Zoom “Virtual New Year’s Eve Party” 

I’ve been trying to figure out what options I have for communicating using Wi-Fi so I can avoid the international data rates. Matt and Stella (my son and daughter-in-law) experimented with me and we played an online game of codenames using Zoom and it worked great! I’ve also tried WhatsApp, Skype, and FaceTime and they all have worked without any problems!  Isn’t it amazing to live in an age when we can make these International video calls for free? 

Walk2Connect New Year’s Day hike

Walk2Connect is an co-op I discovered last year which combines two of my passions: Walking and Connection! Here’s one of the owners, Jonathan Stalls, (who actually walked across America!) giving a little rundown on what the New Year's Day hike was all about:

I showed up in my colorful, cool, “Carp”e Diem hat that Stella had made me as a Christmas gift! I just love my colorful new hat, and was happily surprised when I found some other kindred Mad Hatters who showed up with funky hats of their own.

I fit right in with my "Carp"e Diem Hat crocheted for me by Stella

3AM Ride to the Airport

3AM ride to the airport is another awesome gift!

My housemate, John, heard me on the phone talking about my 5:20am flight out of DIA and offered to give me a ride to the airport! I almost always take the very convenient SkyRide bus, but the first one this morning didn't leave until after 4am, which was really too late.  My friend, Sue, also texted and told me she'd give me a ride, even knowing it would have meant a middle-of-the-night drive. I feel so blessed to have such thoughtful friends!

Conversa

I safely arrived in San Jose, Costa Rica, and was met at the airport by José who picked up me and a few others and drove us to the Conversa Campus in Santa Ana. I'll be writing more throughout the week about my stay here, but so far, the lodging and people have exceeded expectations! 

José giving us a tour of the Conversa campus

Week 52: Update on Final Goals

Here we are in the final week of the year... the time of year that I'm usually picking out my favorite pictures and creating photo albums and slideshows, reminiscing about all the fun I had, and planning for next year's resolutions.

However, this year is a little different because I still have 8 weeks left of my 60-week count-down until my 60th birthday.

I only have 6 goals left on my list that I have yet to blog about. Here's an update on these:

• Create a course about using Agile in everyday life

I actually did a couple of boot camps at the beginning of the year that used Agile concepts, so I may "count" this as complete.

• Put DIY walls in basement that will allow me to hang pictures, etc.

I discovered ways to attach pictures to the basement walls with Velcro. I also found spots that I was able to hang hooks or picture hangers. I love my "photo gallery" and I got a couple of new frames from my grandchildren for Christmas so it can keep growing!

• Create a Girl Cave

I contracted out to have the dry wall and electrical work done, but still have to redo my botched up paint job. But I've picked out my new colors and created my pretty wine rack. 

• Go to a foreign country and practice speaking the native language

I'll be leaving Saturday for the Conversa Spanish Immersion Program in Costa Rica!

• Put together a playlist of at least 60 songs by gathering songs from friends

I've been working on this since the beginning of the year.  I think I have about 50 songs now but will do my "final reminders" to friends and family to finish this up.

• Plan and host my 60th virtual/real birthday party

Yay!! The big day is less than 2 months away! 

I'm very proud of myself for blogging every single week this year and taking my 60-until-60 goals very seriously!

Next year, I hope to keep to my weekly blogging habit, and I'll post updates about my final goals and figure out some new goals for 2020!

Happy New Year!

Week 51: Thrift Store Fixup

My pretty purple wine rack

We are in Christmas week, which means I'm in the midst of all that last minute shopping. I have a tradition to pick up a new (well... used.. but new to us) family game at ARC so it was the perfect opportunity for me to accomplish #55 on my list of 60 goals:

Buy something at a Thrift store and fix it up

Sadly, I'm not very crafty or artistic, but it's super easy to make something old look pretty, just with a fresh coat of paint.  I've been wanting a wine rack for my new "girl cave' (which is still a work in progress) and I found the perfect one at ARC for 3 bucks!  

3-dollar wine rack I found at ARC

On to Michaels, to peruse their spray-paint colors, and there I found this beautiful silver-lilac spray-paint.  A couple of coats of paint later, I have a unique wine-rack that will look stunning in my 'girl cave'!

A couple of coats of paints later and Voila! It's beautiful!

What worked well:

• Very easy to spray paint and turn something old into something pretty
• I've wanted a wine rack and this was a great find!
• I love the new color!

What could have been better:

• If I had more artistic talent, I'd add some unique design to this
• When I'm so busy trying to find and give gifts, it would have been nice if my fixer-upper project was for someone else, but it's a nice gift for myself!