#40 Read 10 of the following books (4/10): The Magician's Nephew

I've tried so many times to read the Chronicles of Narnia.  The same thing always happens.  I start with good intentions (afterall, The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe is on just about everyone's list of books you must read).  I force myself through 50-100 pages, trying to get interested.  Finally I succumb to the fact that I'm NOT interest, and put the book down.  Even the movie I didn't find too interesting.

When writing my list of books for this goal, I decided to start with The Magician's Nephew.  Perhaps if I began at the beginning I'd like it better.  I always like starting things at the beginning.  They make more sense.  I wish The Hobbit movies had come out before Lord of the Rings.  It all would have made a lot more sense!

Turns out, this was a good choice!  Although it took me 4 months to finish this book, it's more because of grad school than because of lack of interest.  The book starts slow, but the last several chapters were fantastic!  I loved it!  I love knowing how Narnia started.

Now if you hadn't read the book and ever plan to, don't keep reading.  I want to tell you some of the things I noticed/enjoyed:

• The lion (Aslan, a symbol of Christ) created the land of Narnia by...SINGING!  I thought that was beautiful!  First he separated the light from the darkness--in the beginning it's totally dark.  Then as he sings, stars appear.  Finally the sky lightens from dark to gray to white to pink and finally to gold.  As he hears the song, the cabby comments that "I'd ha' been a better man all my life if I'd known there were things like this."  After creating light, Aslan sings a new tune and grasses start to grow, spreading out from the lion like a pool, going over the hills like a wave.  Then trees and other plants shoot up.  Then he creates animals and chooses several of them to breathe life into and making Talking Beasts.  I love that this parallels the order of the Creation story in Genesis.  But I love looking at it with the new perspective of how this creation happened.  Very beautiful.
• I like the first words the Talking Beasts say to Aslan after being created.  "Hail, Aslan.  We hear and obey.  We are awake.  We love.  We think.  We speak.  We know."  I think those words are carefully chosen, and I think the order is significant.  Do I hear and obey?  Am I really "awake"?  We love even before thinking.  We think before speaking.  And finally, we know.
• Aslan chooses humble, imperfect people (the cabby and his wife) to be the king and queen of Narnia.  This is consistent with my view of God; he works with humble, imperfect people that are teachable and trust Him.
• I think it's interesting that Uncle Andrew only hears growling, not the words Aslan and the other animals are saying.  He's not willing to receive the gifts Aslan has for him.  He's blinded to only see what he's willing to see.
• With the silver apple, I think it's fascinating that the apple always does what it's meant to do, but the way you partake of it determines whether it is for good or for ill.  When explaining that the it is precisely because she ate the apple that now the witch loathes it, Aslan says, "that is what happens to those who pluck and eat fruits at the wrong time and in the wrong way.  The fruit is good, but they loathe it ever after."  If taken in the right way, when Aslan sanctions it for a specific purpose, it brings joy and life and health.

Quite a lovely book.  In fact, it almost makes me want to read the next one.  We'll see.  :)

#14 Eat out at 10 new places (11/10): Sodalicious

Earlier this month I decided to do something different for visiting teaching (a thing in my church where two ladies will go visit another lady and see that she's doing well and be her friend), and my companion and I took both of our visiting teachees out to a new place for drinks!  A friend had told me that it was really good, and I couldn't wait to try it out.

I didn't realize until I saying it that this place sounds like "so delicious"!  I knew it was a play between the words soda and delicious, and was delighted to find that out as well.  Clever.  I love it when places have clever names!

And although I've already completed this goal, I had to blog about this place because it's that good.  Brilliant.  It's a soda bar!  For a buck you can get a soda (you can mix as many sodas as you like, if you want, although we were warned that the suicide isn't great) and a mix-in flavor.  I had diet Dr. Pepper with horchata.  It was amazing.

They also sell hot chocolate and "hot lava."  What's hot lava, you might ask, well it's like a really thick and rich hot chocolate. The hot chocolate and lava come in decadent flavors from salted caramel to pumpkin pie to peppermint bark.  They have over 20 soda flavors and more than a dozen flavor add-ins, including a decent sugar-free collection for those wanting a low calorie pick-me-up.  Next time you have a long paper to write, you might pick yourself up a dirty Coke, with lime and coconut!  They also have 5 different kinds of cookies, which are all big, soft, and delicious, and rice krispy treats.  See the full menu here.

How did this place appear in Provo?  Well there were these two women that would always bring drinks to work.  It's been a few weeks, so the details are hazy, but I believe they worked with actors or artists in Salt Lake.  They would always bring flavors and mix the drinks (mostly soda, as we Mormons don't drink coffee or alcohol).  Then they went to Italy and learned how to make hot lava.  When they came back, they thought that such a place would do well in Provo, and voila!  We got Sodalicious.

Sodalicious is nestled a few yards off of University Ave and 300 North.  Although the location is a little hard to see, they've got a good spot and have made a name for themselves.  This little start-up is sure to survive.

Note: there's nowhere to sit, so whether you drive through or park and come to the window, plan on taking your drink elsewhere to enjoy.

#68 Weigh 130 pounds: 10 to lift off!

Today I weighed in at 139.2 - wahoo!  I haven't seen that tens digit in a while!  9.2 pounds left.  I feel like counting down to lift offf...10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1-GOAL!  haha I'm a goober.

But I'm super excited to be in the 130s.  This is a goal I've set for myself many times...not just as part of this living deliberately blog.  It feels good to actually be doing it.  I feel good.  I feel healthy.  I feel energetic.

That being said, this has not been an easy journey (and I'm sure the last ten pounds will be no exception).  I've deviated.  I've felt guilt.  I've wanted to just "be done" and give in to emotional eating.  And sometimes I have.  I've learned that the way I talk to myself in those situations is super important.  I talk to myself in terms of choices, rather than character labeling.  For example, "yeah, I chose to eat that cookie.  The consequence is that it will take me longer to reach my goal.  Was it worth it?  Maybe, maybe not.  But I have empathy for myself...I can understand why I would act that way in that situation.  It was a hard social situation!  So what am I going to do now?" rather than "Ugh, I messed up again!  I can't believe I always do this.  I gain a little bit of self-control and self-respect and then I lose all the progress I think I've made.  I guess I was fooling myself to think I'd changed.  I just don't have control.  I am scared that I'll gain all the weight back when the structure of this diet is gone."  Wow--do you see the difference?  Yeah, talking to myself in the first way has been crucial for me.  I'm making lasting changes, not temporary ones.  I'm not on a diet, I'm using a program to get me to where I want to be and I'm learning principles that will help me stay healthy.  The way that I approach behavior change is crucial...

Rather than being motivated to lose weight, I want to be motivated to be healthy.  Same thing?  Hardly.  The results are related, but the mindset is not.  Rather than escaping something bad (motivated by fear, and the impetus to change being lost as soon as I see some improvement), I am creating something good (motivated by positive thinking, the impetus to change is continually there).  I am following habits of health instead of habits of disease.  I am engaged in creating optimal health.  I do this because I love myself, I love my body, and I want to show appreciate to God for it.  My body is a temple.

I decided at the beginning to post some "fitsperation" (inspiring images to help people who are on the journey to fitness) with every 5 pound checkpoint, because I think visualizing your goal is very helpful.  However, I've had a lot of trouble finding appropriate fitspo.  It rubs me completely the wrong way, and I think it's because most of it stems from conflict-driven motivation.  It comes from a place of fear, negativity, and self-loathing.  I shudder for the girls who think their self-worth comes from their body.  In fact, just looking at it makes me feel darkness.  Here's a sampling of the ones that don't look like pornography...

"Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels" - yes, let's punish ourselves.  Come to the refrigerator, see this saying taped to it, and stop yourself with punishment.  Effective?  Yes.  But it does nothing to promote a healthy view of my body or a healthy relationship with food.

"Remember: Rome wasn't build in a day.  Work hard, good results will come" - true, and sounds uplifting.  But what about the image behind it?  It's not about who you are, it's about what you look like.  This girl doesn't have a face.  : /

"Your body is a reflection of your lifestyle" - true, your body is a result.  It is not something fighting against you.  Yet something about it disturbs me.  Does it disturb you?   

"Suck it up now and you won't have to suck it in later" - yes, let's promote self-loathing.  

"Lifting weights makes women huge?  False.  Cupcakes make women huge." This one made me laugh!  ...buuut it still comes from the wrong motivation.

Even the memes that don't have pictures of scantily clad "ideal" bodies (did you notice that half of the time they don't even show their faces?) exhibit conflict-driven motivational messages:

...these sayings could motivate you to get up and go work out now, but what's the lasting impact?  How do they make you feel about yourself, your body, and others?  I think if this were my motivation, I would objectify myself and everyone around me.  I'd feel bad about myself, for my worth would be determined by something empty, and then I'd start to judge everyone.

Soap box?  A little bit.  :)  So let's bring in some positive inspiration, coming from a desire to create something beautiful, rather than escape something negative.  Was it hard to find?  Yes.  I sifted through a ginormous Pinterest page and came up with only 4.

This could be coming from conflict-based motivation,
but having a healthy attitude toward failure is essential. 

isn't it amazing what the body can do?  I feel like the emphasis here
 is on the wonder and capability of the human body
rather than the objectification of it.  It makes me want
to try harder in yoga.  :)

This is important

Amen.  Faith is so much more powerful than fear.

What are your thoughts?  How do you talk to yourself when you don't live up to your own expectations?  Where does your motivation come from?  Am I reading into fitsperation too much?  I'd love to hear from you.

#76 Join or create a gospel choir

All "political correctness" aside, I've always felt like I have a little black woman soul in me.  Or at least envy.  And definitely appreciation.  :)

My first or second CD was Butterfly by Mariah Carey.  Mm!  Love her voice!  The heirloom I chose when my grandma passed away was her copy of the complete collected of The Supremes.  I love Motown music of the 50s and 60s.  When I was 12 I choreographed my first (and only) dance to "Say My Name" by Destiny's Child.  I still love Beyonce.  I was watching Sister Act II last night and melted at the beautiful voice of Lauren Hill.  You get the picture!...I love black women's voices.  I wish I could sing like them.

A few months ago I visited my first Baptist church, and it solidified in my mind this idea that I really want to be part of a gospel choir.  I looked into it, and there is no gospel choir in Provo.  There used to be.  But not anymore.  SO....I formed my own!

I gathered a few friends to have 2 people on each part.  We voted on a song and chose "Swing Low Sweet Chariot," and one of the guys arranged it for us (and did an awesome job!).  We only practiced a few times before performing it this last weekend.  Good thing I have friends that sing really well!  Check it:

A pretty good start, eh?  I think we need some robes and a little bit more coordinated swaying.  You can tell we're white...but we'll get better!  haha

So where do we go from here?  I want to open up the gospel choir to whomever wants to join, and sing gospel Christmas music.  Wouldn't it be so cool to go gospel Christmas caroling?  Yeah, I think so.  ;)

My dollar today goes to the typhoon effort in the Phillipines.

#1 Bryce Canyon (Utah Bucket List)

Woo hoo!  I completed goal one!  Bryce Canyon was AWESOME!  I loved every second of it.  Being November, we decided to "camp" it at a hotel instead of freezing to death.  It was a good decision.  We found a good deal ($49/night, no matter what kind of room you want...so we got two double king rooms!) and got up the next day to explore Bryces (as Utahns call it).

The weather was gorgeous!  About 50 degrees, and perfect for hiking.  And we had a perfect group of people.  :)

The formations, fins, and hoodoos are absolutely gorgeous...especially with a light dusting of snow.  It was like candy for my eyes everywhere I turned.

Walking around the rim was cool, but going down into the canyon was stunning!  I felt so small amongst those towering rocks.

Sometimes you have to make a human pyramid... :)  I wasn't too happy about being voted to go on top of the pyramid, but no one was crushed!

Jonathan and I scurried up a fissure and found the most amazing lighting.  The rocks absolutely transformed.

Hooray for Bryces!  I loved it!  It was so nice to get out of Provo and get into nature.  Kara (jumping with me) recommended this book called "Growing Up Wild"...I think I should read it.  I'm definitely in my element in nature.


And my dollar today goes to help with the typhoon that hit the Phillipines.  They need it more than anyone else I could donate to right now.  I donated through Direct Relief International, which works with a partner on the ground to deliver medical supplies.  Click here if you want to donate too!

#4 Test my 0-60 on salt flats (Utah Bucket List)

Secret confession, guys!  (well, maybe not now...)  I geek out about geology.  You should go on a hike with me.  really.  I took this field geology class just for fun, and LOVED it!  I have a closet rock collection that I'm super proud of.  If I know anything, I spout it off whether you were interested or not!

Now, salt is not a rock...but it still makes me excited (actually it's called halite and it's a mineral ;).  And the fact that Utah HAS a salt flat is even more exciting.  Geek time: the salt flat was formed when the ancient Lake Bonneville began to recede after the Ice Age.  It was a fresh water lake, but had many dissolved minerals (like halite) that were deposited into the bed.  Now--ta dah!--it's a huge salt flat.

yeah, those were the salt crystals!  Wouldn't YOU get excited?!

Early fur trappers and traders found it impossible to cross.  In 1896 a guy had the brilliant idea to have "carriage and bicycle" races here --yeah, I read that on the sign and laughed right out loud!  In 1914 they had automobile races and the first land speed record was set.  Now they continue to set speed records (ironically the 0-60 times aren't that great, but the salt flats allow them to gain speeds in excess of 400mph) at events called "speed week," "world of speed," and "word finals" all in August and September.

These cars go 400-600 mph.  They have to be that low, otherwise the air will lift them off the ground!

So now that you've seen me geek out, you'll understand why I wanted to go!  I actually went here last year, probably in November, and there was an inch of water covering the flats.  It was really cool for taking pictures...but no way to drive on it.

Note cool reflection!

So I had to go back!  We drove Greg's car (his has more get-up-and-go than mine), and each took turns going 100 mph.  I did 105 while listening to "The Distance" by Cake (if you haven't heard that song, go youtube it right now!).  :)

I also did my first E-break turns and donuts.  I've always wanted to do those things, but have always been scared.  ...but in the salt flats there's nothing to run into!  So I felt really safe.  And Greg taught me how to do it.

Greg driving

By the end, the car was filthy with mud and salt.  And we were happy campers!

Before--see how clean?

After--yeah, that's right!  I sprayed the mud up on that car!

We stayed past nightfall to see the stars, and were richly rewarded.

Such a great trip!  And another goal accomplished.  And my dollar today goes to help with the typhoon that hit the Phillipines.  They need it more than anyone else I could donate to right now.  I donated through Direct Relief International, which works with a partner on the ground to deliver medical supplies.  Click here if you want to donate too!

#68 Weigh 130 pounds: half-way there!

I actually hit this mark a few days ago!  And was ecstatic!  ...and too busy to write a blog post.  But here I am at 3am Monday morning, and rather than fight to fall asleep any longer, I'm being productive.  :)  Right now it feels great!  We'll see how it feels later today..haha

So!  For those of you just tuning in, I hit a high of 160 at the end of July, set a goal to weigh 130, and now I'm a little more than half-way there!  This post was supposed to be written at 145 (I was going to write every 5 pounds to stay motivated), and, well, I actually weigh 143.  Sa-weet!  130 is a semi-arbitrary number.  What I'm actually going to do is have my body fat tested at BYU's bod pod when I hit that mark and see if I want to stay there or lose a little more.  My less-arbitrary goal is 22% body fat, which is the upper boundary of the "lean" category for women.  I think body fat percentage is a much better indicator of health than BMI.

                

Now I've lost 17 pounds and over 11 inches!  Woo hoo!  It feels great.  I already exercised regularly before this, so that has stayed constant.  I started doing a program called Take Shape for Life (you use 5 MediFast meal replacements/day and 1 meat and veggie meal you cook yourself, and it comes with a health coach, textbook, and workbook to help you gain healthy habits), which has been working great for me.  This week I had a super proud moment when I put on the jeans I bought at the beginning of the semester and could pull them out several inches in front of me.  So I put on my belt...and even cinched to its tightest hole it wouldn't keep my pants up! haha  So I had the opportunity to use the leather puncher I inherited from my grandpa, and poked a new hole in it!  It worked fabulously.  I thought of Grandpa smiling in heaven at that (even though I never met him).

Look at that shiny new hole!

I've also started reading a book called "A Course in WeightLoss: 21 spiritual lessons for surrendering your weight forever" by Marianne Williamson.  That's been really good because it combats the distorted thoughts and emotional damage that instigate compulsive eating.  So it's a great companion to TSFL to get a whole person approach.  I've realized that I overeat (or rather, overate) for a variety of reasons: because I'm bored on long car rides, because I'm doing a menial task like grading and I want to motivate myself through it, because I'm lonely, because I want to celebrate, because every social event ever always has delicious food, and because it tastes so dang good!  I'm a bored eater, an emotional eater, and a social eater.  haha, that's a lot against me!  But this book is changing my perspective.  In regard to emotional eating, she basically says that's a form of idolatry, because we're ascribing attributes of God to something other than God.  "Only God has the power to comfort, nurture, and sustain me," she says, and we need to realize that "food cannot nurture (us) emotionally, and that God, and only God, can."  That was revolutionary to me.  Another powerful thing she said (and I've only read the first 18 pages) is that overeating is an act of self-hate.  It is violence toward self.  That caught my attention!  Here I am thinking I'm being gentle with myself or nice to myself, treating myself kindly by giving myself treats when I'm sad or celebrating... but it's not true!  That is not an act of self-love!  So, it's kind of a paradigm-shift, reading this book.

So, in summary, I feel great.  TSFL takes off the pounds.  Drinking tons of water is making my skin super soft.  Exercising gives me energy and relieves stress.  Marianne Williamson's book is changing my perspective.  God is giving me strength.  And my clothes don't fit! haha and I have no money to buy new clothes, but it's all good cuz I can make them work!  :)

And, per usual, here's a little "fitspiration" for us all:

Just today I was telling someone that my goal is to be "strong," not "sexy"...he said I could have both. :)

#14 Eat out at 10 new places: The Red Mango (10/10)

This weekend I hung out with my friend Camila, who is about to move back to Brazil.  We decided to try a new frozen yogurt place in town, the Red Mango.

The Red Mango has a modern, yet cozy interior.  There were seats around a fake fire, normal tables, and cushy benches.  Here's the only pic I found online of the interior:

I also noticed right away that they were a "healthy" frozen yogurt place.  They don't add artificial stuff, emphasize the probiotics their products have, and also have a new Greek yogurt line with 50% more protein!

Instead of being one of those places where you serve yourself and load your concoction up with toppings, you order a size and they put the toppings on for you (paying for each one, rather than by weight), like a typical ice cream parlor.  There are only 4 flavors of yogurt to choose from, which makes choosing a little easier.  There were probably 12 toppings to choose from.

Indeed, it tasted healthy!  Delicious, simple, and light.  Definitely a keeper.

Wow--I tried 10 new restaurants a lot sooner than I anticipated!  One more goal down!  Today my dollar goes to...typhoon relief!  They need it more than anyone else I could donate to right now.  I donated through Direct Relief International, which works with a partner on the ground to deliver medical supplies.  Click here if you want to donate too!

#68 Weigh 130 pounds: the second 5 pounds

Hello friends!  If you missed "the first 5 pounds" you're welcome to read it here.  It gives a little background info (e.g. I weighed in at 160 in July, freaked out, and decided to post with every 5 pounds I lose).  And today I weighed in at 150.5!  I'm not going to fiddle with tenths of a pound, so I'm posting now.

Here's a little update since the first five pounds... it was really hard to exercise discipline while eating normal foods.  I had a hard time changing my mindset to "I'm eating healthy now...therefore I'm not going to eat this treat."  There is a LOT of social eating where I live, and I have to admit I've instigated a fair amount of it myself.  I like people, I like food, and I don't think twice.

Mmm

So I needed a little more radical change to really help me change my mindset and habits.  After weeks of deliberation, I decided to try the "diet" (even though that word has a negative connotation) my roommate is doing.  It's worked great for her, and I've watched it happen.  The program is Take Shape For Life, and it uses MediFast products.  I eat 5 of their meals per day and one "lean and green" meal (lean meat + green veggies).  They also educate you on a healthy lifestyle that you can maintain after the weight loss phase.  Before starting I went to the fitness office at my college and had my body fat professionally tested.  I love numbers, so that'll be fun for me to know how that number changes, and I'll do it again toward the end so I know when to stop.  I also had a milkshake the night before I started. yup.  :)

I just finished my first week!  Was it hard? Yeah.  The first three days I had horrible headaches (a painful reminder of my sugar addiction).  I was hungry-ish for the first 5, as my stomach shrunk to accommodate smaller portion sizes.  And speaking of shrinking, I've noticed a difference in myself!  I can feel it, see it, and my clothes fit differently!

This is nice...but I'm glad it isn't true in my case!  

Beyond changing the way I eat, I've also been exercising.  I'm actually pretty excited about the plan I've developed.  On Monday, Thursday, Saturday I run, using the three target runs from the book Run Less, Fun Faster.  Tuesdays I bike for an hour, Wednesday is an hour of yoga, and Friday is 40 minutes of swimming - all with different work out buddies!  It's great!  And motivating.  I'm super proud of myself because I've always wanted to swim and do yoga, and never have.  I love biking, but often don't make it happen on my own.  Now I just need to figure out when I'm going to incorporate strength training.

This.  Is true.  It = my body and it = working out. :)

Week 1: down 6.1 pounds.  Not bad!  :D

Anonymous Appreciation!

The other day I was eating lunch with friends on campus and a girl came and dropped off this note on my table!

It was so sudden that I didn't get a glimpse of her, but whoever you are, thanks for making MY day!  It made me feel awesome.  :)

#14 Eat out at 10 new places (9/10): The Banana Leaf

So there's this place off of University Avenue that has intrigued me for years...

It may be hard to tell, but there are giant heart-shaped LED lights in the yard.  And the colors are like wa-bam!

After passing by this place for years (and making fun of it in my head), I learned that it was called the Banana Leaf, and served Sri Lankan food.  Sri Lankan food?  I've never heard of a restaurant that served Sri Lankan food!

So I found that piece of information interesting...and still never went.  Then about 7 months ago I learned that it was a friend's FAVORITE restaurant.  That piqued my interest more.  So the food's food?  Even so good that it's someone's favorite?  Ok, I might have to actually consider patronizing this odd-looking place.

I am pleased to announce that after 7 years of living in Provo, I have finally eaten at The Banana Leaf.

Good times with old roommates :)

And it was good!  I got the coconut curry.  The coolest thing about it was the fact that they serve food on REAL BANANA LEAVES!  It was novel and fun.  I still prefer Thai food though.  I probably won't suggest it as a place to go eat, but if others want to eat there I'll be happy with it.  Glad I got to experience the majesty of a funny restaurant and a new genre of ethnic food.  :)

#14 Eat out at 10 new places (8/10): The Chocolate Mousse

There's a new place in town!  The Chocolate Mousse.  And it's a PIE BAR!  The original one is in Lubbock, Texas, and the owner of this one asked if he could make one in Utah...so I guess it's now a franchise.  Only two in the world, and one's in Provo!

The idea is this: mousse pies instead of ice cream.  So they scoop pie filling and sprinkle "crust" (oreos, graham crackers, nilla wafer and pecan) onto it.  They serve them in glasses.

The whole place has a swanky 1930s feel...kind of like a speak easy.  It looks like a really nice bar.  They really nailed the decor in the Provo one.  There aren't any pics online yet, so a peak into the Lubbock location will give you an idea:

The menu is simple.  A "pie bite" (one crust and one scoop of pie), a "pie fait" (double that), a dish where you can sample 6 types, and a "pie wich" (scoop of pie in between graham crackers).

Loved the decor.  Loved the unique idea.  But I did think they could spend a little more for quality ingredients to make it taste really good for the price they charged.  Overall, it was a great girl date.  :)

#14 Eat out at 10 new places (7/10): Ripples Drive In

I've wanted to go to this place for over a year.

I first wanted to go there because it's limeade was on the "Seven Wonders of Provo" list.  The original blog post is nowhere to be found, but that link will take you to a newspaper article about it.  I've always had a thing with world travel, so when I found out that there were 7 wonders in Provo, I thought that was just the thing for a Friday night.

I've done the seven wonders at least twice, with different groups of people, but every time it's been at night, and every time Ripples has been closed.

The picture of us being disappointed at Ripples was too dark, so here's us being disappointed at Macey's!

I began to wonder if Ripples were ever open!  But I laid aside this dream until a few weeks ago when Dave, while making pizookies, showed me this film:

Ah man, besides being a hilariously awkward 70s film, it proved that Ripples was a Provo landmark!  I revived the dream of going...and finally looked at its hours online.  11am-4pm?  And not open on Saturdays?  No WONDER I'd only seen it closed! (yeah, I realized the pun after I'd already started writing in caps...)

So Dave and I went for lunch.  And it was great (except for the fact that I forgot a camera).  The first thing I noticed was hordes of high schoolers.  That was both a good and a bad sign (the food must be good, the line will be long).  I finally got my limeade, and it, the burger, and fries were all tasty.  It didn't revolutionize my world, and I don't feel a huge need to go back, but I definitely feel satisfied in having gone once.  :)  Ahh

#86 Go paintballing

My "starving student discount card" had a paintballing deal on it, and it expired September 1st...so naturally it was time to go paintballing!  So I organized a group of friends.  Even though it was something I wanted to do, I was TERRIFIED!  I had seen my brothers come back from paintballing with huge welts.  I'm not a huge fan of pain.  And people would be shooting at me?!  Scary!  Everyone laughed that I, the organizer, was the only one afraid to go.  Ironic, I know.  But hey--it's just like how I organized sky diving, even though it terrified me.  I think that morning was the most scared I've ever been in my life.  I was hyperventilating like mad and thinking "what am I doing?!?!"  Then it turned out not to be that scary, and afterward I wanted to do it again!

Luckily, paintballing had similar positive results.  All it took was getting shot right away during my first game.  Hey--that wasn't so bad!  I definitely got some worse stingers after that one, but it took away my extreme fear.  My moment of triumph was when I shot someone and I knew that it was me who had shot him (a few other times I *thought* I was the one who had shot someone).  And believe me, it's hard with those guns!  The paintballs go everywhere but where I'm aiming.  But that was a very satisfying moment.  :)

AND I came home with awesome welts to show off!

This pic is not doing it justice...I had a massive welt covering 1/4 of my upper arm :)

Would I go paintballing again?  Yeah.  Especially if it were outside and lasted longer.  Those speed rounds at an indoor place weren't my favorite.  Will I be the organizer?  Probably not.  I think I like laser tag better.  More shooting, less pain, cool courses.

My dollar today goes to buying 2 boxes of crayons for underprivileged kids to take to school.