Attempting 52 New Things in One Year: Here's My Progress So Far

On March 21, I embarked on a challenge to try 52 new-to-me things in one year. Now, almost eight months into my goal, I have been reflecting on my progress so far. It's been a wild few months for me with a few big accomplishments and a lot of little experiences. With only 12 more to go, I thought I would share an update!

I didn't expect to do 40 new things by this point! Twenty-seven of these were on my original list of ideas, and 13 just kind of happened. I have marked those 27 items I set out to do from the start with an asterisk. 

To see the list I wrote back in March, check out this post: 

My 52-Week Bucket List Challenge: Trying Something New Every Week

Strictly speaking, a few of the things I have done are not exactly new to me. I have marked those as well, but with a question mark. So, leave me a comment to let me know if you think each of these items counts as something new for me. 

Now that I am paying attention, I see that I had been doing new things here and there all along. What makes it special to me this year is my intention and appreciation of these new and lovely experiences. If nothing else, this challenge has given me a deep sense of gratitude for the life I have. 

I hope you'll enjoy reading what I have done so far, and please share your thoughts with me in a comment at the end of this post!

KITCHEN EXPERIMENTS & CULINARY ADVENTURES

Of course I'd had pavlova before, but this was my first time making one!

1. Ate khao soi, and it was wonderful.* 
2. Made Dubai chocolate macarons.*
3. Made Swiss meringue buttercream and homemade marzipan.
4. Poached an egg. Kind of wild I hadn't done it before.
5. Had omakase sushi. Omakase means "I leave it up to you." It was fun to eat whatever the chef chose to make.* 
6. Made crumpets and clotted cream. They were quite delicious.* 
7. Made a Hurricane mocktail. I tried and mostly succeeded in recreating this delicious drink we had in New Orleans.* 
8. Made my first-ever pavlova with diplomat cream and my own home-grown raspberries.* 
9. Ate kati kati with goat.

OUTDOOR ESCAPES & THRILLS

My four-year-old yelled with joy the whole ride down the mountain. 

10. Took my kids horseback riding. I have done this on my own several times, but never got to see my kids experience it before. If I consider this new, should taking them on WaveRunners be counted as well?* ?
11. Rode with my kid on the Skycoaster.* 
12. Took a cold dip in a mountain stream.
13. Hiked a new trail to a lake with my family. I have taken my kids hiking a lot, but this was an especially new and pretty trail for us. I'm not sure about counting this one as a truly new-to-me thing. What do you think? ?
14. Rode the alpine coaster in Park City.* 
15. Played in pink water at Spiral Jetty.* 
16. Finally went to Bear Lake. (See its gorgeous blue waters in the top photo of this post!) Can you believe I grew up in Utah and hadn't been yet?
17. Hiked to and relaxed in Fifth Water Hot Springs.* 

FITNESS & TRYING NEW MOVEMENT

I didn't have a favorite part of aerial yoga, but hanging upside down was one of them. 

18. Took a kickboxing class.* 
19. Tried aerial (antigravity) yoga.* 
20. Tried hot yoga.* 
21. Attempted yoga on a paddleboard (I didn't realize I liked yoga this much).* 
22. Ran a Ragnar relay race.* 

CRAFTS & CREATIVE PROJECTS

Trying my new photography skills at a tulip festival.

23. Took a free online phone photography course and put it into practice.*
24. Learned cross-stitch.
25. Made a piñata: it was a cute ghost!
26. Made a profit with floral design.*
27. Made my first flower standing spray.
28. Created a pumpkin head photo shoot video.*
29. Made an Oogie Boogie costume and scared some kids on Halloween.*
30. Started learning crochet: I made a scarf for my first project.

PARTIES & FESTIVALS

Trying to look serious at a sophisticated vampire-themed ball while truly having a blast. 

31. Hosted a Summerween party.*
32. Hosted a big dirty soda and rock 'n' roll party.
33. Went to my first book signing, and it was in the mountains!*
34. Attended the Honey Harvest Festival.*
35. Attended a Vampire Ball.

GAMES & BOOKS

36. Learned how to solve a Rubik's cube.*
37. Played Go.*
38. Finally braved a Stephen King horror novel.*

MISCELLANEOUS

39. Danced on a countertop.*
40. Rode in a limousine.

Not only have I been having loads of fun with this challenge, but it has also been a time of growth for me. Making a funeral spray for a close family member was a kind of therapy for me as I processed my grief. And it felt good to see what I am made of in a Ragnar relay. 

I have worked at some things that require a lot of practice and patience, and others that I didn't expect to enjoy. I look forward to my next 12 new-to-me experiences and what insights they might bring.

What do you think? How am I doing so far, and what do you suggest I try next? Leave a comment for me below!

Hi, I'm Kaitlyn, and I'm so glad you're here. Get to know me and more about my blog.