The big daddy post.....set aside time to read!

Well, the blog has turned out to be a great hit with everybody after just one entry!  Looking back to that hot day in August when I first dreamed up this idea for the 40 by 40, I had no intention of blogging about it or any idea that so many people would be so interested in the 40 by 40 journey itself.  None at all.

Some of you may know that Jason and I started a blog when we first got married called "Honeymooners on the Run" where we chronicled our journey in preparing to compete in our first triathlon.  Yeah, that lasted all of about five minutes and maybe two posts!  This was partly because the triathlon got cancelled due to flooding and partly because it just didn't happen...a married couple that contains one Masters Degree and one ADD diagnosis just get in way of things sometimes.  No excuses, just moving on .......

I am so blessed to have so many people who are intrigued and supportive of the 40 by 40 journey and I am going to do my best to keep up with this blog so that everyone can join in, be along for the ride, or just sit at home and shake your head or laugh at me.  Either way, buckle up, because I am about to begin the big reveal!

We'll be just about 40 hours away from my kickoff day by the time this gets posted on the blog!  Are you ready????

Essentially, there will ultimately be 40 "parts" to the journey that revolve around people, events, time, and money.

The first 10 are linked to milestones on the journey and have no specifics attached yet except the kickoff on the 8th (more details below).

1. Start by Tuesday, January 8th (40 months before my 40th birthday) with a celebratory 40 minute kickoff event
2. 40 weeks (August 2, 2015)
3. 40th day into plan (February 16, 2013)
4. 40th week into plan (October 15, 2013)
5. 40 days til b-day (April 29, 2016)
6. 40 hours til b-day (sometime May 6, 2016)
7. 40 minutes til b-day (May 8, 2016)
8. 40 seconds til b-day (May 8, 2016)
9. 40 by 40 secret mystery event
10. "40 is fabulous" culminating birthday charity event to celebrate turning 40 on May 8, 2016

The second 10 are the framework I am committing to for my journey over the next 40 months: 

1. Do 40 things I have never done (but wanted to do)...I am most excited about this!
2. 40 minutes of exercise everyday (no matter what); with a total of only 40 days off per year before I am 40 (about 1 day off per week)
3. Incorporate 40 different people into some meaningful part (at some point) of the journey
4. Save $40/week ($6,880)
5. At least 40 miles of official 5k races by 40 (avg 3 per year)
6. Host 40 "celebration" events with a minimum of 40 hours notice (some may have more notice); I will cover the first $40 of expenses for those who attend- no matter what the activity (could cover one person or everyone depending on the activity).  Each celebratory event will last at least 40 minutes.
7. 40 notes, calls, or other indications of meaningful relationship recognition per month (could be words, actions, items, etc.)
8. At least 40 weeks of in person church attendance per year
9. Birthday Pay it forward/random act of kindness in the amount of $40 on my 2013, 2014, and 2015 birthdays to someone else (could be cash, paying for a meal, someone's groceries, gas, etc.).
10. Allow 20 people to select the final 20 activities for my 40 by 40 journey ( 20 people+20 activities=40...duh!). Details to follow on how YOU can submit ideas!

Stay with me, believe me, I understand this is a lot to take in.  Here are the two things that are most important right now for how you connect to the journey:

• First, Tuesday is the day....I am knocking off number 1, the kickoff event and number 6, celebration events by inviting you to the Tap Room in Lancaster at 9:00pm on Tuesday, January 8th.  Consider this your 40 hour notice.  Why so late and why over a beer you may ask??   Well, I am going to have to work this all around life...the good, the bad, the obligatory 7pm work meeting, and the birthday celebration of my good friend Shanon!!!  Plus, it's only 40 minutes of celebration so you don't have to commit to an all nighter!  If you live far away, I am sorry that this one may not work for you or I am happy to say that we have two spare rooms if you want to come celebrate and then crash at our house.  Otherwise, I guarantee there will be more events for you to join in on.  For those of you who live close, you really have no excuse to not come join me....it's the kickoff event and I will be paying for the first $40 of drinks so be there on time so you're tab isn't the $41st dollar:)
• Second, I will be taking your suggestions for what the other 20 parts of my journey will be.  What is the one thing you would incorporate if you were doing this journey?  What's the one thing you would like to see me do as part of this journey?  I can't wait to see all of the cool suggestions.  I will be taking suggestions for the next 40 days (until February 18th) and will throw them into a hat and randomly select 20 to add to the journey.  Only comments posted on the blog or the Facebook post of this blog entry will count as official suggestions.  

The rest is only details for now.  I will be explaining each item in more depth over the next week.  I hope you are as excited as I am to begin this 40 by 40 journey!