BLC 26 - WEC

Sorry this is going to be a bit pathetic as I'm sick and my brain is full of snot and other lovely things. Since I'm too sick to do the fitness and nutrition parts of the challenge, I figured I'd give this a try.

Here are my responses to the 3 questions posed for this WEC:

1) What is something you've always wanted to try, but haven't? What's stopping you?

Okay this is probably going to sound pretty strange, but I've always wanted to take a pastry/cake decorating class. I'm have an artistic drive but limited talent. I love holidays and doing the table decorations, but art, as far as drawing etc, I'm a total failure. Can't draw a straight line. But the main reason I've never done it is sweets are my downfall. And because I love praise, I want to do things that are appreciated. I've got a wonderful family that I wouldn't trade for anything, but I'm the only one who has a sweet tooth. So when I've made the occasional birthday cake, I'm left with a ton of leftovers and that goes straight to my middle. So I've tried to turn this artistic yearning towards all things healthy for the holidays and when it comes to desserts, try to find ways to make things small (so there is no waste) and less sweet.

2) How do you keep your routine from getting too routine? How do you keep things fresh?

Changing locations every few months is a guaranteed routine shaker. Right now I'm in freezing, snow covered MN so my routine is primarily toddler chasing. Which, by the way, is the best cardio I've ever done. Once we return to California I will be outside and able to swim, walk, etc. Changing locations shakes things up in more ways than you'd guess.

3) Tell us about something new that you tried recently. What was it, and how did it feel.

I recently bought a DSLR. I was a photography fan in my early twenties, had a darkroom and did all my black and white processing. Even made money shooting weddings etc. But when I got pregnant that all went out and a nursery went in. I was happy with the speed and convenience of a point & shoot camera and later simply used my phone. Now having a little one back in our lives with none of the responsibility, I found myself being unsatisfied with the shots I was getting. I saw a class being offered from our community ed dept in MN and signed up. I used my personal savings to spring for the DSLR. I've really enjoyed the class and relearning about photography and how digital cameras work vs my old film cameras. It's opened up another chapter in my life that I thought was long buried and gone forever.