Best Month EVER--and #50 off my list is checked!

I can officially say that Jan 2026 was probably one of the BEST months of my entire life. This whole month was a celebration of embracing turning 50 and focusing on my relationships, being grateful for all the gifts in my life and all the fun and adventure I have in my future. I am so grateful for the amazing friends I have in my life. They truly made this month special in so many ways.

And I am so unbelievably happy for everyone who has contributed to my list, reached out to make plans with me to partner with me on things—it was an unexpected ripple effect of my 50 Things List!

Today I checked another item off my list—I went skating! It has been YEARS since I have laced up my skates and while my ankles feel like they were beaten with a baseball bat, I had literally the BEST time!

My amazing friend Amanda came up to spend the day with me and skating at the Victoria Oval was on my list of things to do. It has been so long since I went skating. Today was the perfect day, warm with the sun shining on our faces as we skated a ton of laps, enjoyed the path and caught up on life.

The best part is that neither of us wiped out, hahaha! And I can say that skating falls into the same category as riding a bike. I am hoping to be able to go out at least once more this winter—so if anyone wants a skating date—hit me up!

I am so excited for February and to keep working on fulfilling items on my list—some are year long projects that will update you on from time to time and some are one and done! Thanks for following along on my journey :)

Lemon Cheesecake with Lemon Curd

Hi friends! My first task on my 50 Things to Do When I am 50 is to try a new recipe once a week (or 4x in a month). Well last week I made TWO new recipes. One is the MOST AMAZING dessert recipe below and the other was a delicious soup from my teaching buddy Carmen. I will share the soup recipe in a separate post.

So I am working on #1 on my list and am excited to try some new things to get out of my cooking rut. So let me introduce you to the most amazing lemon cheesecake EVER. Seriously, if you are a lemon fan, this is for you!

Now ‘imagine’ as my plate says this is calorie free, hahaha! It is not but it is worth every single calorie!

I made this delicious lemon cheesecake with homemade lemon curd for some stamping friends who were coming to a regular event I host called ‘Scrapbook the Day Away’. It is an awesome group and I frequently try out new recipes on them.

To make this lemon cheesecake you will need a springform pan (I use a 9 1/2 inch size, that belonged to my mom), a double boiler for the lemon curd and the following ingredients:

Graham Cracker Crust:

1 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

5 tablespoons butter, melted

1/4 cup of granulated sugar

To make the crust you will mix the crumbs and sugar and then stir in the melted butter. Mix and press firmly into the bottom of your springform pan. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

Lemon Cheesecake Filling:

1 1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tbsp lemon zest

3 blocks of cream cheese (do not get light, who are you?) softened to room temp

1/2 cup of fresh lemon juice

1/3 cup plain greek yogurt or sour cream, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 large eggs, at room temperature

To make the batter you will need a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Mix the cream cheese, lemon zest and sugar together on high speed (make sure to scrape the sides down) until creamy—about 2 min. Add the lemon juice, yogurt/sour cream, and vanilla extract. Mix at medium-high speed until fully combined. The eggs will be added one at a time and mix until just blended between each egg. After the last egg is mixed in quit mixing. Your cheesecake will have less a chance of deflating and cracking as it cools if you avoid over mixing the batter.

Add the filling to the graham cracker crumb base and bake at 350 for 55-70 minutes. When it is done (use the toothpick test—the middle may be slightly wobbly) you can turn off the heat but leave the cheesecake in the oven to cool for 1 hour. Leave the oven door slightly open. After you remove it from the oven, allow it to cool completely to room temperature.

Lemon Curd (the most delicious topping or just eat it on its own. Trust me):

1 whole egg

2 egg yolks

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1 tbsp lemon zest

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

1/8 tsp salt

6 tablespoons butter, soften to room temperature

Get your double boiler going (once it starts steaming, turn heat to low simmer). Add the egg, yolks, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and salt into the top of the double boiler. Using a silicone whisk, whisk until blended and continue to whisk while the curd is forming. Constant whisking prevents the egg yolks from curdling. Mix until mixture becomes thick like hollandaise sauce (approx 10 min).

Remove the pot from the heat and whisk in the butter. The butter will melt from the heat of the curd. Pour curd into a glass container, let sit until slightly cool (it will continue to thicken) and then seal and refrigerate until ready to serve your cheesecake.

Add the curd on top and if you want to be extra fancy you can add some whip cream as well.

This was probably one of the top 3 cheesecakes I have ever made. I am ready planning on when I can make it again.

#35 on my list--Checked off!

Hi friends! I have been so excited to start working on my 50 Things to Do When I am 50 list, but the BEST part of sharing my list has been all of the people reaching out with ideas and to tell me they want to help me accomplish certain #’s off my list. It was a such happy bi-product of creating my list.

So the official first thing I can check off my list is #35, which was to eat a peanut butter and jam sandwich. I have been asked countless times how I got to 50 without eating one of these and the truth is…it just sounded weird (hence why I have also not tried rootbeer yet —it smells weird). So here is my embracing my weirdness! I give this PB & J a rating…so watch until the end!

I am very thankful for the journey I have been on working at Lululemon for the last decade. My co-workers have added so much fun to my life and I am excited to see what other things off my list we can check off together!

Here is Shae and I and the world’s largest PB & J sandwich (on really yummy sour dough!).

Thanks for following along this fun journey—I am super excited for 2026!

50 Things to Do When I am 50...

It is hard to believe but it’s true—I am 50. Starting a whole new decade and new chapter of life is really quite exciting. I started thinking about a 50 Things to Do When I am 50 list about 6 months ago. It became a challenging task because I wanted the things on this list to be personal and related to me as an individual, not as my role of a mom. Now if you are a mom, you might get why its actually really hard to create a list of things FOR YOURSELF.

Yes, this is half a cake, hahaha! The other half was eaten at my birthday party!

Here is what I have so far…I am looking for ideas so please share in comments or send me a personal message. I plan on completing this list in no particular order and I will be sharing my journey here on my blog so check back from time to time!

50 Things to Do When I am 50:

1. Try a new recipe once a week (might not sound exciting but I feel like I make the same things on repeat)

2. Try rootbeer

3. Run a 5 K (back in my 20’s I actually did run a few marathons…maybe now is the season to get back into it)

4. Read all the books I got as birthday gifts by the end of 2026

5. Go to Mexico

6. Go skinny dipping

7. Eat a meal alone in a restaraunt

8. Go on one date (maybe more but we will start here)

9. Get a bestie’s tattoo

10. Go to a movie alone

11. Try making homemade buns

12. Ride my bike a least once a week in the summer—by myself!

13. Bike the Canmore to Banff trail (this has been on my bucket list for years)

14. Do yoga once a week or 52 times in one year :)

15. Buy a new to me car (by myself)

16. Practice gratitude by recording gratitude moments daily

17. Take a solo trip

18. Revise my will

19. Go on a girls trip

20. Walk through the river valley

21. See a live concert

22. Save $50 a week in my holiday account

23. Go to a least 1 Target store

24. Do a cold plunge

25. Go to the Nordic Spa

26. Say ‘yes’ when people invite me to things

27. Visit Flin Flon (where I was born)

28. Hike the Tea House Trail in Lake Louise

29. Keep all of my current plants alive

30. Write a letter once a month to someone important to me

31. Do 10 pushups

32. Hold a plank (for a minute, maybe longer? hahaha)

33. Host a board game nightMake pie crust from scratch

34. Host a scrabble tournament

35. Eat a peanut butter and jam sandwich

36. Complete 1 puzzle a month

37. Try a new ice cream shop in the summer

38. Host a girls spa night

39. Go on a trip with Summer

40. Ride a horse

41. Go whitewater rafting

42. Go dancing with friends (thank you Tanis!)

43. Karaoke (thank you Tanis!)

44. Do a paint by number (thank you Kim!)

45. Try a new to me restaurant (thank you Donna!)

46. Try a new craft (thanks Karrie!)

47. Visit Brett in Colorado (thanks Brett!)

48. Attend a cooking class (thanks Donna!)

49. Volunteer at an event (thanks Donna!)

50. Go skating outside!

    BONUS ITEMS: Because I go so many awesome ideas~

51. Donate blood (I actually have never)

52. Ride the tubes down Pembina River

53. Buy coffee for a stranger

As you can see, I have hit a wall or lack of inspiration—no pressure! But 50 feels like a real milestone where I should be focusing on doing awesome things for myself to improve myself. I would love to get some ideas from you! Of course, if I had unlimited funds I could easily fill this list —travel to New Zealand, yes please! Go to Paris to see the Eiffel Tower—of course. BUT I need to create a list that is doable so I feel successful instead of defeated at the end of the year. So hit me up with some awesome fun things you have done yourself!

Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies

One night at while working at lululemon, one of my co-workers Courtney, came in bearing these amazing cookies! She was kind enough to share the recipe with me! I have made them several times and they are always a hit. I think was makes them ‘extra’ is the nonfat milk powder mixed in and the generous pinch of flaked salt on top. Hope you enjoy!

Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies (or Courtney’s Cookies as I sometimes call them!)

1 cup of butter, melted and warm to the touch

3/4 c brown sugar, packed

1/2 c granulated sugar

1 egg

2 tsp vanilla

1 3/4 c flour

2 tbsp nonfat milk powder

1 1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 c choc chips

1/4 c flaked salt

Mix sugars and add butter. Stir for 1 minute. Mix in egg and vanilla and add to sugars. Stir until a glossy sheen (approx 1 minute). Mix in flour, milk powder, salt, baking powder, baking soda until combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Place on cookie sheet 2-3 inches apart. Sprinkle generously with flaked salt. Bake until golden brown, approx 9-11 minutes in a 375 degree oven. Enjoy!