During the past couple of weeks, I got to add a couple of things to my "Things to do before I turn 40" list.

Some of you may remember a few months ago I wrote about my thoughts on turning 40 later this year. In honor of this milestone in my life I decided to try 40 new things over the course of the year. Some things I purposely put on the list, others just make it on the list as life happens each day.

Two weeks ago, I watched my husband, Charlie, jump out of an airplane with the Golden Knights, the Army's parachute team. Before I met Charlie he had served with the Army's 82nd airborne and always swore there was nothing in the world like jumping out of an airplane. In fact, when I told Charlie I was creating this 40 list, the first thing he suggested was that I jump out of an airplane. I told him, I thought there were lots of things I could do in life with my two feet on the ground. I think I would like the sensation of floating through the air and enjoying the view, but it would be that leap out of the plane door that would take some gumption.

After seeing the rush Charlie got from jumping and watching the in-air video, I got pretty excited and thought I might try it one day. We'll see. I've got six months to decide if that's something I'm serious about or if I just got caught up in the moment.

Earlier this week I got to act like a kid for a few days. Last Saturday my sister, two nieces and I headed to Florida. The 10-hour ride gave my sister and I time to talk while our two young companions jammed to Hannah Montana (over and over and over).

We spent our days playing on the beach, perfecting our boogie boarding skills, swimming at the pool, eating good seafood, and soaking up the sun. Those of you who have seen me since my return know I soaked up a little too much sun. And, I tried two kinds of seafood I had never eaten before - mussels and calamari, both were pretty tasty.

One of the big highlights, which was a surprise for the girls, was a trip to Sea World. We rode a few rides, including our favorite, The Journey to Atlantis, screaming all the way down the steep drop into a pool of water. We got drenched! The dolphin and whale shows were great and it was amazing to watch how the trainers and animals interact. The dolphins and whales were like dogs begging for treats after each trick. The whale trainers would grab huge handfuls of fish and just chuck them down the whales' throats. And of course we got to see Shamu and sat in the "soak zone" for his show, which felt pretty good in the afternoon heat.

After we returned home we hit the pool and put on our own dolphin show and chanted "Shamu, Shamu, Shamu" as each other dove in the water.

Coincidentally, I was at the beach exactly six months ago, and I am more than half way finished with my list. I hope the rest of the year continues to bring new, exciting adventures.

mia.rhodarmer@advocateanddemocrat.com | 337-7101