21 Day Fix - One Day at a Time - Day 1

I purchased Autumn Calabrese's 21 Day Fix back in the summer, mostly because of the workouts. I like the idea of a 30 minute intense workout. EVERYONE HAS TIME FOR 30 MINUTES!! It comes with a pre-measured, color-coded tupperware eating plan I thought would be simple, but it ended up overwhelming the shit out of me. It's based on a clean-eating style diet with strict portion control. I get it, conceptually, but in practice it was making me crazy. And it ended up being something that I couldn't stick with.

Now as you all now, based on the title of this blog, I lost a lot of weight a few years ago. But maintaining it has been almost harder than the loss itself. You notice the scale creep up one pound at a time and you make excuses: it's water weight, it's hormones, it's the heat, it's the cold, it's the alignment of Jupiter in the sun's orbital axis, blah blah blah. Until one pound turns to two turns to ten. You get the picture. I've worked TOO EFFIN HARD to go back to where I was. It ain't happening.  Let's get that clear right now. IT AIN'T HAPPENING!!!

Well, I've crept up more than a few pounds, nothing near what I used to be, but it's still me rockin' and rollin' in the wrong direction and I need to take steps to turn this shit back around. One of my best friends (Ashley) also ordered the 21 Day Fix a while ago and we discussed the pros and cons of the program last time we were together. Since then, she has really gotten on board with it and is kicking its ass, and is organizing an 'accountability group' on Facebook of about 85 people who all check in, offer tips and recipes, and keep the enthusiasm up. I said, you know what? Why the hell not?

So, it's day one and I already got off to a shit start. I couldn't find my stupid containers (I think my mom gave them away when she was packing up leftovers for my sisters. Not that we don't have 8,000 other tupperwares!! GRRR!!) I didn't know what to eat for breakfast. My dvd player decided to poop out when I went to do the workout and had to restart it three times. Ugh. Life was fighting me hard. But this bitch fought back and in the end, (I think) I won.

Truthfully, I'm probably not going to follow the eating plan outlined by the program and instead will do my own version of a low-carb, clean-eating style diet and track my calories with My Fitness Pal. I just don't see the tupperware and the style of counting and tracking to be something I can stick with. Therefore, I need to make accommodations to make it something that I can do - something that I want to do. Today was the official start day for the 21 Day Fix Accountability group, but I've been eating in this fashion for the last week and already see results on the scale so I know that paired with the workouts, I should do well.

But I'm jazzed about the 'accountability' part. It's something I need in order to be successful. When I first started losing weight about five years ago, I needed to register for a race (actually a Sprint Triathlon - check out that blog entry here) in order to hold myself accountable to work out. All I kept thinking was, "If I skip my workout today, I'm gonna look like a jackass on race day when I'm dead on the side of the course." I thought about starting Weight Watchers for the same reason. But it is costly, and I already have the 21 Day Fix program, and Ashley has volunteered to be my coach - which means that she checks in with me and is my lifeline if I am staring down the face of a chocolate dessert into which feel myself caving. (I can only imagine that phone call - my voice wild with panic, the desperation palpable.) I had to write her an email today with all of my measurements and my weight and it kinda made me want to jump off a bridge. Or a cliff. Or out a plane without a chute. But I did it. This is what being accountable is all about. And if I can't tell this shit to my best friend then who can I tell? Best part? Is that she gets it too. Not that I want her to struggle in any way with weight (and trust me, she is by no means 'fat') but she is someone who understands that weight loss is a continuous battle. An every day struggle. My family (God love'em) doesn't really get that. They've never had to struggle with weight the way I have.

So here we go. I'm kinda stoked to be blogging again too! This is what this blog was supposed to be for. I will certainly keep you posted. Let me know if you guys have any questions and I'll be sure to answer them as best as possible. Aside from that, pray for me.

This is the face that says "Eff, I really don't feel like doing this right now, 
but I'm gonna do it anyway!!"

A Month-Long Escape from Winter

     While I've never enjoyed the cold, I was born and raised in the Northeast and have just learned to accept the cold weather as a natural part of living. My tears freeze my eyelashes closed. I can't feel my face. It sucks and I hate it and I usually complain more than I aught to about it, but short of moving some place tropical (and I have), what can you do?
    The answer: run away to some place warm for as long as I can. Naples, Florida has been a vacation destination for my family since I was a kid, it became home to me for a period of time after grad school, and has since been home to one of my best friends, Shelley. So when I realized that my late semester doesn't begin until the end of February, I booked a month long trip in an effort to escape the winter weather and go visit Shelley. Two birds, one stone.
      We had such a wonderful time - her family was so amazingly hospitable, like a family away from home. And since I was down for a month, my parents decided to get away as well and come visit for a week, during which we went to the Keys.
      I just returned home and was greeted by almost a foot of snow and it is still-a-comin. I keep asking myself, "why the hell did I come back?". I spent my days laying in the sun, running outside, driving with the windows down - all the things one loves doing in 70 degree weather. Now that I'm back in 9 degree weather, I feel I may have made a mistake in returning.
      All I know is that I am super fortunate to have friends and family who are willing to host me for a month, a place that I can call my second home. What was really nice is that Shelley introduced me to her group of friends and we had so much fun together - I felt like I was immediately accepted and fit in, like I was meant to be there.
      Not to cry you a river or anything, but I don't have much of that here where I live. I have friends but everyone lives quite a distance away so it's not like I have anyone with whom I can grab a quick dinner or take in a movie at the drop of a hat. My friend plans need to be planned. And it's kind of a pain in the ass. I enjoyed just picking up the phone and making a plan on the spot for dinner that same night. It was nice to be social and out and warm. Sorry, I know 'warm' doesn't fit in that context, but I really need to emphasize how freakin' nice the weather was. Damn, I miss it.
       Anyway, I'll let the pictures do the talking.

For a girl who is afraid of birds, this madness looked apocalyptic!
Not my idea of a relaxing day at the beach. 

                                   

                                                    Yeah, but look at that water... 

Out for Shelley's "21st" birthday!! Haha. Forever 21, baby!

Me and the beautiful birthday girl!! 

Look at this wonky crew - we are clearly having too much fun. 

And what would the night be if we didn't stop for milkshakes on the way home.
Note: this is my VERY FIRST Steak and Shake experience - hence, the hat. I vowed that I would never eat there, because I HATE the name Steak and Shake, but hey, alcohol makes us do crazy things. 

I took this while driving (I know not safe!) but how could I resist. Beautiful sunset on our way to Tampa
(Shelley was taking a snooze so she couldn't be my designated photographer.)

Reunited and it feels so good! :) Me and my buddy Darrell who I haven't seen in FOREVER. 

The girls back in action. SELFIE!! 

Driving down to the Keys. - aka paradise. 

Our first stop - Operation Lunch!! We were huuuungry after such a long trip! Almost there. 

Stop #1 on my hunt for the best Key Lime Pie in town. Let me just tell you now,
every one that I was eating in that moment was the BEST one. 

Guess where I am. Oh and I am SO my dad's daughter with my affinity for signs. 

Beautiful day, sun on our skin, breeze in our hair, and having a few beers at the raw bar.
Does life get any better than this?

These tarpon fish were NO JOKE the size of small children.
They were terrifying and so damn close!

Oop, stop #2. (And honestly, my favorite of all the one I had.
I ate this one on two separate days - THAT'S how good it was!)

Me and my parentals! 

Me and my mooja-star - dinner at the Pasta Garden. Yum! 

The first thing I notice about this picture? Not the humongous teeth on the giant shark.
No. It's my neon white hair. #whitehairdontcare

Mallory Square in the heart of the Keys!

Blue Heaven - one of my favorite restaurants on the island.
And another magical place for Key Lime pie, if I do say so myself. 

Hanging with the fam at the hotel. Beer in my hand and toes in the sand.
This is what life's all about!

My cousins dragged me out and introduced me to (are you ready for this) Mexican Lollipop shots: Patron, Watermelon Pucker, and hot sauce. OLE! This translated into the most heinous hangover I've had so far in 2015.
OWWWIIEE! Even my eyebrows hurt. 

The Mad Hatter's Tea Party - St. John Neumann Fundraiser. What a blast. I think we caused too much ruckus at what should have been a prim and proper event! SO MUCH FUN WITH MY LADIES!! 

Me and my parents at the Hyatt after we had an awesome spa day and some lunch.
Have I mentioned that I am one lucky gal? Oh yeah, my parents take goooooood care of me. 

Me and my second family - Mrs. Raley and my best gal Shelley just chillin' at the beach. 

What a view.

Last Naples breakfast. Went to The Cove Inn for the BEST pancakes in town.
Right up there with Pamela's in Pittsburgh (my all-time fav!)

Last night out with the gang. Dinner at PF Changs. Me and my bestie Shelley! 

Me and Bren. #Whatthe30

Me and Nestor. The most thoughtful and caring person I've ever met. 

Me and Emily - she's got moooooves like Jagger baby!

Me and Matt - SOUP FOR DAYS!!! YAY!

Me and Laura - where is Toby!?!
 I feel like we are missing an integral part of the group!

Group pic! TEAR - I DON'T WANNA LEAVE

As I sit here and write this, it is 9 degrees with a wind chill of -13. Sooooo..... how soon can I run away and go back? How's this weekend sound?

The Oddity of Dreaming...

    This past weekend I lost a family friend to a long battle with cancer. It sucks. And I'm sad, even though I'm thankful that she is no longer suffering.
    The reason I bring this up is that last night I dreamt of her in the most realistic dream I've had in a very long time.
     Actually, I rarely dream.
     So the fact that I not only dreamt, but envisioned an opportunity to see her again, is, I feel, more than coincidental.
    But I can't help but wonder if I dreamt of her because she was on my mind, or if it was an odd almost supernatural meeting, something beyond explanation. Maybe this is the fantasy writer and movie enthusiast in me, but it was almost like she came to see me to say goodbye.
    The dream was that we were at a nice restaurant, sitting at a table lit by candlelight. Red table cloth, black linens, bone china. We were the only people in the restaurant. She didn't speak. Only I did. And in this one-sided conversation, I had the chance to tell her how much she meant to me and how much she was loved. In the conversation, I had the chance to tell her goodbye, a chance that I didn't have with her while she was here.
     I know it sounds crazy, but as someone who doesn't often dream, to have a dream of such a lucid and realistic nature seems even more odd than believing it was simply coincidence.
     So, what do you think? Are dreams only manifestations of our subconscious, or could they possibly be more? Legend indicates that the veil between the physical and metaphysical, the living and the spirit-world, is most transparent during sleep.
    Maybe she really did just stop in for a visit.
    Or maybe I'm just wishing she did.

Photo Credit: Kohei Nawa
(http://www.designboom.com/art/kohei-nawa-forms-a-cloud-like-landscape-made-of-foam-12-08-2013/)

These Are a Few of My Favorite (MAC) Things...

    I have been employed by MAC Cosmetics as both a freelance and a permanent artist over the past two and a half years. I love their company. I love their products. I feel like to be a MAC Artist is a coveted position, one that garners a fair amount of clout and prestige. And I have been lucky to be a part of their organization. 

      With that being said, I am sad to report that I put in my two week notice last week and will be working my last shift as a permanent artist for MAC this Friday. As much as I have loved the job and loved my MAC family, it has been a hard adjustment for me to make in terms of retail hours versus the regimented schedule of a full-time teacher. After being a teacher for the last eight years, I have grown accustomed to a regular schedule, spending holidays with my family, and enjoying weekends with my friends. Retail is SO not that life. I have more respect than ever for retail workers. We (they) are required to work 'round the clock, year round, on holidays, after hours, every weekend, etc. It is a hard schedule to keep, especially if one is used to the opposite of that. And it is for that reason, along with a few others (to be divulged in time), that I feel that it is time for me to leave. 

    But as I said, I have learned SO much over my time with MAC. I have been blessed with an awesome work family who has kept me laughing and growing through the good times and the bad. I have learned a ton of business knowledge - things about marketing, merchandising, bookkeeping, inventory, mix of business, scheduling, etc. This was a world about which I knew very little, having had no prior experience in retail and no courses in business. Now, hoping to venture into business myself (more info to come) I have learned some valuable and useful skills that will help me run my business more effectively. 

    Okay, so enough of that. My main purpose in writing this post is to share with everyone some of my ALL-TIME FAVORITE MAC products. To be clear, I am not being paid by the company for this promotion, these are truly just my opinions about products that I love from a company that I adore. 

1. Prolongwear Paint Pots:

I tell my clients every day that this is single-handedly my favorite product at counter. And here's why. First of all it's a cream shadow that can be worn on its own. One swipe and boom, out the door you go. But even better than that is that it is 15 hour wear, water and sweat resistant, crease-proof eye shadow that makes for the most AMAZING shadow primer I've ever seen. (Especially the opaque, matte colors.) The translucent shades are nice but I prefer the opaque colors because they have greater color payoff and they neutralize any discoloration in the lid. That's I think the characteristic that most shadow primers lack. Most are completely transparent and thus, the eye lid tone (which most often carries shades of blues, purples, and reds because the skin is so thin) competes with the eye shadow color. So instead, if you use a neutral matte shade like Soft Ochre, Painterly, or Layin Low on the lid first, it enables you to use less shadow and it displays the truest color of the shadow. Lastly, I love that it really helps the shadow to stay on all day! Any time you seal a liquid or a cream product with a powder product, it elongates its wear-time. This product is what enables me as a makeup artist to makeup a face at 10:00am and feel confident that it will stay for a party at 7:00pm. 

    What's not to love about that?!?!

2. Cleanse Off Oil - 

  

This is my favorite face cleanser/makeup remover. Personally I have dry skin so I love how moisterized it leaves my face and neck. But it is even great for oily skin as well! I know that sounds crazy, but the science behind it is similar to that of oil-cleansing, which has been getting a lot of hype lately. Basically, if you have oily skin, you do not want to strip your skin of oil or else you skin will fight to just produce more. So if you keep your skin hydrated, your oil levels (ideally) will balance better. 

    For me I love it because it starts as an oily consistancy, which I use to rub away my eye makeup, even the tough to remove, waterproof kinds. I mush that around my eyes and on my whole face to loosen everything up and then I wet my hands and rinse it off. The cool thing about it is that once it mixes with the water the consistency changes to a milky white liquid and that oily slip disappears - like magic! Then I just lightly towel off my face and voila, clean, moisturized, glorious skin!

3. Prolongwear Eye Liners -

    I have leaky eyes and terrible allergies so when I say I've tested out a hundred different eye liners, I ain't kidding! This is by far the best for staying power. It is safe for the waterline (the inside rim of the eye) and boasts 6 hr wear on the waterline and 12 hr on the skin. It is water resistant and sweat resistant and I love the intensity of the color! My favorite is Definedly Black, Mac's blackest black pencil. So long raccoon eyes!

4. Matchmaster Foundation - 

This is the foundation I keep in my makeup kit for when I freelance and do event makeup, like weddings, proms, and photo shoots.  The reason I love it (and I've heard dozens of my clients agree) is because it has nice coverage but has a great natural matte finish. I have so many clients that are thrilled to have such a flawless coverage without looking cakey and fake. I love that it is not broken down by tone due to its true-tone, self-adjusting technology (brilliant I tell ya!). It makes finding your shade so much easier. 

5. Harmony Blush - 

This blush is pure magic. It is a beautiful matte, brown toned blush that is a PERFECT contour for light-medium shades. I do not leave the house without wearing this blush. Bonus: it is also a beautiful neutral eyeshadow color! Versatile and awesome!

My Running List of Audiobooks...

Since I am in the car A LOT and don't have as much time to read as I would like, I decided to try my hand at audiobooks and have been LOVING IT! So I want to keep a running list of the books I've read, more as a reminder to myself than any thing else. (Listed in no particular order.)

1. Macbeth - Shakespeare (narrated by Alan Cumming) (Play)
2. The Cuckoo's Calling - Robert Galbraith (Mystery)
3. Eragon - Christopher Paolini (YA)
4. Leaving Time - Jodi Picoult (Contemporary Fiction)
5. The Storyteller - Jodi Picoult (Contemporary Fiction)
6. Testimony - Anita Shreve (Contemporary Fiction)
7. Horns - Joe Hill (Horror)
8. The Snowman - Jo Nesbo (Horror)
9. NOS4A2 - Joe Hill (Horror)
10. Fated - Alyson Noel (YA)
11. The Silent Wife - A.S.A Harrison
12. Big Girl Panties - Stephanie Evanovich (Women's Fiction)
13. If You Ask Me (And Of Course You Won't) - Betty White (Memoir)
14. Black God's Kiss - C. L. Moore (Fantasy)
15. Guts - Kristen Johnston (Memoir)
16. Murder on the Orient Express - Agatha Christie (Mystery)
17. Dark Lover: Black Dagger Brotherhood - J. R. Ward (Romance)
18. Darkly Dreaming Dexter - Jeff Lindsay (Crime Fiction)
19. The Maze Runner - James Dashner (YA)
20. The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald (Literary)
21. The Silver Linings Playbook - Matthew Quick (Humorous Fiction)
22. A Discovery of Witches - Deborah Harkness (Contemporary Fantasy)
23. Outlander - Diana Gabaldon (Historical Romance)
24. The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins (YA)
25. Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins (YA)
26. Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins (YA)
27. Firefly Lane - Kristin Hannah (Contemporary Fantasy)
28. Caught - Harlan Coben (Mystery)
29. The Alchemist - Paul Coelho (Fantasy)
30. The Road - Cormac McCarthy (Post-apocalyptic Fiction)
31. Dear John - Nicholas Sparks (Romance)
32. The Lucky One - Nicholas Sparks (Romance)
33. The Last Song - Nicholas Sparks (Romance)
34. Cinder: Book One of the Lunar Chronicles - Marissa Meyer (YA) *nab
35. Scarlet - Book Two of the Lunar Chronicles - Marissa Meyer (YA)
36. The Historian - Elizabeth Kostova (Fantasy/Horror)
37. The Other Boelyn Girl - Philippa Gregory (Historical Fiction)
38. If I Stay - Gayle Forman (YA) *nab
39. Delirium - Lauren Oliver (YA)
40. Pandemonium - Lauren Oliver (YA)
41. Requiem - Lauren Oliver (YA)
42. Just One Day - Gayle Forman (YA) *nab
43. Just One Year - Gayle Forman (YA) *nab
44. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - J. K. Rowling (YA)
45. Vision in White - Nora Roberts (Romance)
46. UR - Stephen King (Sci-Fi)
47. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close - Johnathan Safran Foer (Contemporary Fiction)
48. Stories I Only Tell My Friends: An Autobiography - Rob Lowe (Memoir)
49. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? - Mindy Kaling (Memoir)
50. One Good Dog - Susan Wilson (Contemporary Fiction) 
51. The Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman (YA)
52. Jurassic Park - Michael Crichton (Sci-Fi)
53. Will Grayson, Will Grayson - John Green (YA)
54. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay - Michael Chabon (Historical Fiction/Speculative)
55. Misery - Stephen King (Horror/Thriller)
56. We Were Liars - E Lockhart (Contemporary Fiction)
57. Eleanor & Park - Rainbow Rowell (YA)
58. Paper Towns - John Green (YA)
59. Yes, Please - Amy Poehler (Memoir/ Nonfiction)
60. Mockingbirds - Chuck Wendig (Urban Fantasy) *nab
61. Missing You - Harlan Coben (Mystery) 
62. Caught - Harlan Coben (Mystery)
62. The Martian - Andy Weir (Sci-Fi)
63. Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights - Salman Rushdie (Fantasy)
64. Cartwheel - Jessica Du Bois (Contemporary Fiction)
65. Bossypants - Tina Fey (Memoir/Nonfiction)
66. Love Life - Rob Lowe (Memoir/Nonfiction)
67. The Shack - William Paul Young (Christian Fiction)
68. The Identicals - Erin Hilderbrand (Women's Fiction)
69. The Goldfinch - Donna Tartt (Literary Fiction) 
70. The Identicals - Elin Hilderbrand (Women's Fiction)
71. The Girl on the Train - Paula Hawkins (Thrilled)
72. Me Before You - Jojo Moyes (Women's Fiction)
73. Paris for One - Jojo Moyes (Women's Fiction)
74. The Paying Guests - Sarah Waters (Women's Fiction)
75. The Shack - William Paul Young (Contemporary Fiction)
76. Heartless - Marissa Meyer (Young Adult)
77. Truly Madly Guilty - Liane Moriarty (Contemporary Fiction)
78. How to Stop Time - Matt Haig (Contemporary Fiction)
79. A Wrinkle in Time - Madeleine L'Engle (Young Adult)
80. Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology - Leah Remini (Non-Fiction)
81. My Life in France - Julia Child (Non-Fiction)
82. The Magicians - Lev Grossman (Urban Fantasy)
83. Geekerella - Ashley Poston (Women's Fiction)
84. Where She Went - Gayle Forman (Young Adult)
85. The Best of Me - Nicholas Sparks (Women's Fiction)
86. Into the Water - Paula Hawkins (Contemporary Fiction)
87. Perfect is Boring - Tyra Banks (Non-Fiction)
88. I'll Be Gone in the Dark - Michelle McNamara (Non-Fiction)
89. Kitchen Confidential - Anthony Bourdain (Non-Fiction)
90. Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore - Matthew J. Sullivan (Contemporary Fiction)
91. The Good Daughter - Karin Slaughter (Contemporary Fiction)


*nab - not audiobook

A "Life-Sharing" Moment...

Aside from working like a fool, much to my dismay, I haven't really been doing a lot. I work as a makeup artist during the day and on the weekends and teach as an Assistant Professor of Foundational Writing at night. Pretty exciting, eh?

Long story short, I haven't had many blog-worthy experiences to speak of over these past few months. Except for the other day. 

I had a day off and decided to spend it in Princeton, having some lunch, walking around the shops, and doing a little writing on campus in the brisk fall air. I went to lunch at the BEST Indian restaurant ever called Cross Culture. (If you ever get a chance to go, GO! It is Ahhh- MAAAZing!) At lunch, I brought my iPad and earbuds to do some reading while I ate. I wasn't looking for a friend, a conversation, a pal... I was looking to eat my lunch, in quiet, with my book. So when a small, old, Indian man sat alone at the table three inches from mine, I smiled politely and then returned to my book.  Every so often he would say something to me, and I would respond politely, yet briefly, and then resume my reading. He told me that he came to this restaurant every week with his friends and they sat at the big table in the corner. He told me that he had lost his wife last year and that they had been planning a big trip to Australia before she had gotten sick. He told me that he didn't order off the menu and instead the chef made him a special item because he was such a regular at the restaurant. 

When his food came out he turned to me with the cutest little smile and a twinkle in his eye and asked if I would like to try some of his dish. I politely refused - not because I didn't want to try it, but more because I felt a little odd digging my spoon into a stranger's meal. But when I declined he looked at me and said that he insisted and fixed me a little plate. And as he handed it over to me and I thanked him, he looked me straight in the eye and said, "No need to thank me. Life, my dear, is meant to be shared." 

I smiled and truly appreciated his gentle eyes and his toothy grin. His adorable face, paired with his generous offer, immediately made me tear up. I tried to hide from him the fact that his little pearl of infinite wisdom had made me so emotional. Here I was trying to disconnect from the world and from others and it took a chance encounter with a stranger to reminder that that's not what life's about. 

This encounter reminded me that some of the greatest chance encounters I've ever had happened when I was dining alone. I would start my meal alone and then would end up making a new friend. It happened several times when I was living in Europe, and I allowed it to happened there because, in my mind, I was on "adventure" and that's what adventurers do! But why did it need to be different just because I was home and living in the land of the familiar? Maybe this was that way to infuse some newness into my ordinary and routine life! By stepping outside of my comfort zone, by opening myself up to something different, something outside of my expectations, maybe I'd be pleasantly surprised that life isn't all that ordinary or routine. 

Afterall, Pruesh, my Indian friend is right - "Life is meant to be shared."

Where'd the "Adventure" Go?

     I've been home from London now for longer than I was there, which is kinda unbelievable to me. And life's definitely been a little hum-drum since my return. I've settled back into a life of working, commuting, writing when I can, and you know, just daily crap that isn't all that fun. So sadly, I haven't had any adventures to report. However, I think I am realizing that I need to make more of an effort to infuse adventure into my everyday life since it is more likely that I'll be committed to the daily grind of work and life at home as opposed to jet-setting across the world. Travel is amazing. But I can't wait to only have adventures when I plan them or when I'm away from home. Everyday should be an adventure in some capacity. It's hard because we become complacent and comfortable to just do what we need to do and have that be the end of it, but we should all make a greater effort to try to do something awesome every single day. It doesn't need to be an epic-level-of-awesome, just something new, something different, something that challenges us and helps us to grow.
     I'm really going to try and work on that.