Week #52 12/23/12-12/30/12

The capital of Oklahoma is Oklahoma City.

Oklahoma City is the capital and largest city in Oklahoma.  It was the site of the devasting "Oklahoma City Bombing" in April of 1995.

Physical: 25 Shoulder Presses

Personal: Take the ferry to Southport and buy something

Result:  My final challenge was quite fun.  I mean who doesn't like boating?  It was kind of symbolic too...a journey to end my journey.  Anyways, enough rambling and more reporting.  There is a ferry that runs off the south end of the island that I live on right past Fort Fisher.  It goes to the tiny town of Southport.  I checked the ferry times and decided I would go in the morning at 9:15.  I paid the toll of $5.00 and waited for the ferry to arrive.  I was actually the first car in line at 8:45.  I drove my car on the ferry and was off at exactly 9:15.  I arrived in Southport at roughly 9:40.  The distance is only a couple of miles, but about a 30 minute trip.

When I arrived in Southport, I drove to the historic downtown district and bought some breakfast at a coffee shop.  I bought a "red eye" coffee and a breakfast sandwich (this met the requirement of buying something).  I had some time to burn before I had to catch the return ferry at 10:45.  I went down to the water front and discovered a waterfront park.  As I ventured around, I discovered some really cool things about the history of Southport.  It had been around since before the American Revolutionary War, which ironically, I had just finished teaching before Christmas Break.  It had started as Fort Johnston.  Southport was the place where the last Royal Governor had fled to after the Whigs (Patriots) had chased him off.  The town itself was built around the fort after the Revolutionary War.  It was also involved in the Civil War.  It switched hands numerous times between the Union and Confederate forces.  I also found out the historic "Old Baldy" lighthouse had once stood there.  There was even a tribute to an early female meteorologist.

I made it back just in time to catch the 10:45 ferry back to Ft. Fisher.  Overall, it was a nice way to end my challenge.  I will post one more final write up to summarize the 2012 Challenge in it's entirety.

Week #51 12/16/12-12/23/12

The capital of Alabama is Montgomery

Montgomery is the capital and second largest city in Alabama.  It was the first capital of the Confederate States of America (later became Richmond, Va) during the Civil War time period.

Physical:  10 pop-ups

Personal:  Clean out my closet and give clothes to charity.


Result:  My next to last challenge of 2012 saw another act directed towards charity.  I have always been sort of a pack rat when it came to clothes.  A lot of people observe the "If I haven't worn it in a year" rule and get rid of old clothes annually.  I however, observe the "Cram it in your closet, you might need at some future point in your life" rule.  That being said, I had quite a few clothes that I could give to charity.  I went through old sweaters, shirts, ties, and suits and piled them on my bed.  There were many that I hadn't worn in a long time, but there were others that I probably would have worn if they hadn't been buried under the ones I wouldn't.  Needless to say, I filled a large trash bag and made ample room on the hanging pole.  I took the clothes to a resale shop that gives the majority of it's profits to helping the victims of domestic violence.  It felt good to clean out my closet, but it felt even better to donate them to a cause.

Week #50 12/9/12-12/16/12

The capital of Alaska is Juneau.

Alaska or "Seward's Folly" was the 49th state admitted to the union in 1959.  Juneau was named for a gold prospector named Joe Juneau.

Physical: 15 Pop Ups

Challenge: Watch the sun set everyday.

Result:  This was a beautiful challenge.  Sunsets are beautiful and I really got a chance to explore the island that I live on.  Weather also played a role in this challenge as it was cloudy on Tuesday, cloudy and raining on Wednesday, and cloudy again on Friday.  On Monday I went down to the ocean to watch.  I saw the sun "setting," but there were houses that blocked the view of it sinking beneath the horizon.  On Thursday, I decided to explore to get a better view.  I picked up a couple of friends and headed to the southern part of the island at Ft. Fisher.  I was rewarded with a straight on view of the sunset.  It was beautiful.  I went there again on Friday.  Friday was an emotional day because of the school shooting in Connecticut.  The sunset that day was beautiful.  I sent my sister a text of it and told her to share the picture with my niece and nephew and tell them that God had painted that sunset for all the world's children.  Sometimes we forget the little things in the hustle and bustle of today's world.  Watch a sunset and you will quickly remember that there is beauty all around you.

Pics Top to Bottom: Monday, Thursday, and Friday:

Week #49 12/2/12-12/9/12

The capital of New Jersey is Trenton.

Trenton was the sight of George Washington's first military victory in the American Revolution.  Today it is the tenth largest city in New Jersey.

Physical: 25 push ups

Personal: Give a homeless person some money.

Result:  This was an interesting card to draw during the season of giving.  It turned out to be a little different then I envisioned.  When I drew the card, my first thoughts were where would I find a homeless person?  Friends weighed in and suggested I give the money to an organization that helps the homeless.  They thought simply giving a homeless person money might lead the person to continue a viscous cycle of drug or alcohol abuse.  Another friend of mine suggested simply talking to a homeless person.  She said that in her experience simply taking the time to talk to someone who is down our their luck does wonders.

Conflicted as I was, I got a Christmas card and enclosed a $20 dollar bill.  I headed to downtown Wilmington.  Didn't have any particular goal other than to find a homeless person and give them the card.  But as I drove through the downtown area, I didn't see a plethora of homeless people.  I saw a couple of people who might of been, but there was no way to know.  It was at that point that I realized maybe this challenge was elitist.  I mean who was I?  Some rich person who was going to rectify the wrongs of the world with a card and some money?  More importantly, did I think I was better than someone else?  If anything, this challenge made me think a lot about things that are wrong with the world.  Realizing, that it probably wasn't fair to bring some unsuspecting person into my challenge, I decided to open the card and give the money to one of the Salvation Army money collectors.  I didn't go up smacking the $20 dollar bill trying to get a hero's welcome either.  I discreetly placed the bill in the pot.  The attendee thanked me for my contribution (he didn't know if it was $20 or 20 cents) and wished me a Merry Christmas.

Regardless of the philosophical debate I had in my own mind, it felt good to give.  I pray that everyone on this Earth finds peace and solitude.  I hope those who have are thankful for having.  I hope those who don't have as much are content with what they have.  I hope for those that have little or nothing at all, at least have peace.  Happy Holidays to all.

Week #48 11/25/12-12/2/12

The capital of Washington is Olympia.

You might have been thinking Seattle...I was, but it is Olympia.  It is named for the nearby Olympic Mountains.

Physical: 20 push ups

Personal: Watch "Gone with the Wind"

Result: I'm guessing the reason I made this as part of my challenge is that this movie is usually called the "greatest movie ever made."  I personally had never seen it.  I mean sure, through pop culture I knew about Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler.  I knew the quote "frankly my dear, I don't give a damn."  I also knew that it was set during the Civil War.  I knew it was a book written by Margaret Mitchell.  Finally, I knew the black female lead of Mammy was the first African American woman to receive an Oscar (I believe she might have been the first male or female).  So it's amazing to me that I knew so much about a movie I had never seen.  But...

I didn't know a lot about this film either.  First of all, I didn't know the movie was nearly 4 hours long.  I watched it in three different settings.  I won't spoil it, but I will say that the love affair I had anticipated between Scarlett and Rhett was actually one of the most dysfunctional movie relationships I have ever witnessed.  The movie has a ton of written scripts to the audience to explain going-ons.  Only the first half of the movie is during the actual Civil War (1861-1865).  The second half (and yes, there is an intermission) goes well beyond the conclusion of the war.  It actually to me played out more like a Greek tragedy than a romance.  I really did enjoy it.  It was very well put together considering the time when it was made.  If you haven't watched it, I would recommend it.

Week #47 11/18/12-11/25/12

Free

Physical: 25 Shoulder Press

Personal:  Don't wear underwear

Result:  This was definitely one of my more interesting challenges.  I'll try to keep this reporting as clean as I can.  It was a truly liberating experience.  The first couple of days of the week, I could definitely feel that I wasn't wearing underwear.  It definitely kept me on my toes.  I was extremely careful anytime I had to raise or lower my zipper. 

The most interesting thing that I found was that when people asked me what my challenge was this week, they usually admitted to going underwearless all the time.  Mostly girls, but a couple of guys. 

I'll definitely stick to being an underwear wearer, but I may mix it up in the future.

Week #46 11/11/12-11/18/12

The capital of Florida is Tallahassee.

Tallahassee was the capital of the Florida territory even before it became a state in 1824.

Physical: 15 push ups

Personal: Volunteer somewhere

Result:  My school has a phenomenal drama department headed by Ms. Peoples.  This weekend, her students were putting on the play "Knights of the Rad Table."  She had asked our staff for volunteers at our last faculty meeting.  When I drew this card on Sunday, I knew I should volunteer to help.

I texted Ms. Peoples and she said she could use help in the ticket booth on Saturday night.  I got there at 6:00 pm and got to hang with the kids back stage before I reported to the ticket booth.  I was paired with Ms. P's mom in the ticket booth.  She's a real nice lady.  We sold $450.00 worth of tickets.  Quite impressive for a middle school play.  The best part of it all was that I got to watch the play after my volunteering.  The show was great.  Our students did a really good job.

Week #45 11/4/12-11/11/12

The capital of Rhode Island is Providence.

Roger Williams settled and founded Providence in 1636 as a religious exile of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.  It is one the largest cities in all of New England today.

Physical: 10 pop ups

Personal: Walk to the end of the Kure Beach and Carolina Beach Piers.

Result:  I sometimes forget how lucky I am to live by the ocean.  I really enjoyed this challenge.  On Monday, I took a 2 mile "beach walk" down to the Kure Beach Pier.  It was actually a bit farther than it looked.  The fish really run in November, so it was interesting to see all of the fisherman on the shore and their catch.  I took the picture from the shore end of this pier.  As much as I have surfed by this pier, it was only the second time I had walked on it.

 

On Friday night, I walked to the end of the Carolina Beach Pier.  I drove to this one.  There were a lot of fisherman on the pier and I got to see a couple of catch being landed.  The interesting part of this pier was when I got towards the end, there was a severe slant on the right side of the pier.  There was a "warning" sign that you can see below.  I walked to the end anyway.  I closed my eyes and could feel the slight sway of the pier.  I took the picture below from the far ocean side of this pier.

 



Week #44 10/28/12-11/4/12

The capital of Delaware is Dover.

Dover is the capital and second largest city in Delaware.  It was named by William Penn for a place in England.

Physical: 10 pop-ups

Personal: Cook someone dinner


Some of my challenges allow me to immerse myself in the service of others.  As much as my girlfriend has cooked me dinner, I had yet to do so for her in our seven months of being together.  I know what you're thinking...typical guy (or maybe- what a douche)!!!  Armed with this knowledge, how could I not make her the recipient of this handcrafted bountiful feast?  With all of my challenges, I seem to always find a way to truly challenge myself.  I had envisioned cooking her dinner either Friday or Saturday night, but she had made plans for Friday and had to work Saturday night.  I don't do so well when what I have envisioned gets shook up.  So I frustratedly went to the grocery on Wednesday night and got my supplies.  Like always, my panic turned into pleasure as I quickly realized..."hey this isn't so bad."  I made Maria a beef tip stir fry with onions, peppers, and mushrooms served on white rice.  I think she liked it.  Almost as much as watching me squirm.

Week #43 10/21/12-10/28/12

The capital of Connecticut is Hartford.

Hartford is known as the "Insurance Capital of the World."  After the Civil War, Hartford was the wealthiest city in the U.S.

Physical: 15 jumping jacks

Personal: Go down a different slide everyday

Result:

This was one of those challenges that I had no recollection of writing. I guess my goal was to get in touch with my inner child? I must say, I felt quite awkward being a 34 year old man going to random parks and going down random slides. I went either early in the morning or late at night. I certainly didn't want to run into any kids and their parents, who might not have understood this challenge. I will say that the actual experience was still the same breath-taking rush that I remembered as a child. In other words, it was still fun. It got me thinking about life. If our lives are a ball of yarn that are just being unwound, with a starting point and an ending point, what makes the difference of what particular length of the yarn we are on at any given time? I get that the further we go on, the farther we have gotten from the starting point, but we're still just that one string. Interesting philosophy. I guess what I learned is that since the rush of fun was still there, I should search more deeply on the level of awkwardness I felt doing it at an older age.  (Scroll down to see the slides)

Week #42 10/14/12-10/21/12

The capital of Virginia is Richmond.

Richmond is the third largest city in Virginia.  It is where Patrick Henry gave his "Give Me Liberty, or Give Me Death" speech.

Physical: 15 push ups

Personal: Go to a meeting everyday

I read in a recent study that meetings are actually more counterproductive than they are productive.  Anyone who works in an environment where meetings are frequent would probably agree with the study's findings.  But not all meetings are bad.  Some can be quite beneficial.  I haven't had any alcohol for 3 years and I have meetings to thank for that.  I have a surf crew that meets almost every weekend to "unwind in the salty brine."  Unfortunately, as a teacher, I get to experience the typical eye-rolling-somebody-shoot-me type of meetings :)  Here is a list of meetings I attended this week:

Monday: AA Meeting
Tuesday: AA Meeting
Wednesday: Administration Meeting at school
Thursday: Social Studies Curriculum Meeting at school
Friday: AA Meeting
Saturday: Surf Meeting with "J Crew"

4 out of the 6 meetings I found to be quite uplifting.  I wonder if you you can guess the two that weren't.  Regardless, my study would seem to contradict that recent study.

Week #41 10/7/12-10/14/12

The capital of Mississippi is Jackson.

Jackson is the most populous city in Mississippi.  It was named for President Andrew Jackson while he was just a general.

Physical: 15-sit ups

Personal: Wear earrings for a week

Result:  I haven't worn earrings in over three years.  I guess when I got in my thirties, it just seemed like the right thing to do.  I went by Walmart last Sunday and got an assortment of colorful hoops.  I decided to match my earrings with either the shirt or tie that I was wearing to work that day.  The reaction I got from the students was pretty shocked.  You can make the subtlest change to your appearance and the kids will notice.  I don't know how many times I had to explain this challenge.  I guess if you honestly thought I had just pierced my ears, I could see you successfully arguing a pre-midlife crisis.  Physically, they hurt too.  I don't know if they were irritated by not having worn them in a long time or if it was just the cheap quality of the earrings themselves.  I was honestly relieved to remove them today.

Week #40 9/30/12-10/7/12

The capital of Wisconsin is Madison.

Madison is the capital and second largest city in Wisconsin.  It is named for president James Madison.

Physical: 20 sit-ups

Personal: Paint a picture

Result:  This was a fun challenge.  I have always liked art and one of my personal heroes was Bob Ross with all his "happy little trees."  I was always amazed that he could paint an entire picture in a little under an hour.  I told the art teacher at my school about my challenge and asked if I could come paint with one of her classes.  She agreed.  Now all I had to do was find some inspiration.  Inspiration came to me on Thursday, October 4th, when a good friend, surf buddy, and colleague gave birth to her first child.  I remember my aunt Rhonda had made me a cool cross-stitch using my name when I was born.  So I decided to take that premise and paint a picture with young Kaleigh's name.  Since Kaleigh's mom and dad both love the beach and surfing, I used a beach them.  The painting has: K= in a sand dollar, a= a bent palm tree, l= surfboard, e= breaking wave, i= a sun burned beach bum, g= nautilus shell, h= Kaleigh's mom watching us surf in her beach chair with her big red hat. 


After I painted the picture in Mrs. B's art class (which took about 1hr and 30 minutes), I went and bought a frame.  Once framed, I took it to the hospital to present to mom and dad.  I think they liked it and said they would put it in her room.  I must add the note, that it was "Wacky Tacky Day" at our school, so that was funny in itself.  I think the nurses at the hospital thought I had escaped from the mental ward.

Week #39 9/23/12-9/30/12

The capital of New Hampshire is Concord.

Concord has a relativley small population of around 45,000 people.  It's state house is the oldest government facility still being used in the country.

Physical: 15 sit-ups

Personal: Walk the mall and buy a new outfit.









Result:  Well this was truly a challenge, as I hate going to the mall and shopping.  I usually only go to the mall once a year and that is around Christmas time.  I have been known to complete shopping for 6+ people in less than one hour total.  I guess I was ultimately trying to challenge myself to get better on the shopping front.  I went to the Independence Mall here in Wilmington on Monday around 11:00 am.  It was a workday for us teachers.  I must say, it wasn't that crowded.  I walked around and took in the sights and sounds.  I did not run into anyone I knew.  I couldn't find anything that I wanted to buy, so for the purchasing part of the challenge I went to Old Navy (which is in a strip mall).  I actually wound up buying three outfits.  Overall, the experience was better than I thought it would be.  Maybe this Christmas, I won't be such a "Scrooge" when I have to go to the mall!!!

Week #38 9/16/12-9/23/12

The capital of Utah is Salt Lake City.

Salt Lake City is the capital and largest city in Utah.  It was founded by Brigham Young.

Physical: 25 swims

Personal: Camp out somewhere

I must first confess, that I did not randomly draw this card.  I have a buddy who comes and camps out a lot on the Carolina Beach North End.  This last time he came down, we weren't able to get together.  He told me he was coming down the weekend of the 22nd and I told him that I knew I still had a challenge card that said to camp out.  He suggested that I draw it anyways...so I did.  I mean in all honesty, I'm the only one policing myself during this challenge.

Shawn picked me up at around 10:45 and we headed to the beach.  If you're not familiar with the north end, it's a state park that you can drive 4W drive vehicles on.  We set up camp, surfed, and socialized.  My girl met us out there around 4.  Poor Maria has been roped into doing quite a few of these challenges along side of me.  We all had a really cool time.  We grill hot dogs, hamburgers, and bratwurst.  We finished the evening with a fire, some smores, and some fireworks.  I would like to camp out there more often.

Week #37 9/9/12-9/16/12

The capital of Indiana is Indianapolis

Indianapolis literally means "Indian City."  Indianapolis is the most centralized geographic state capital in the country.

Physical: 15 pop ups

Personal: Wear bedroom slippers only

Result:  This challenge was actually easier than you may have guessed.  I don't know what I was thinking when I wrote this challenge, but I found some comfortable Airwalk bedroom slippers that look like docksiders.  I bought them in April and have been wearing them sporadically ever since.  They are so comfortable.  I've even seen a couple of students rocking this style as well.  I wore them all week and even to the beach.  The only time I didn't wear them was for softball practice and that was simply for safety.  Nobody said anything at work.  If you haven't ever thought about doing this, I would strongly recommend it.  They have that plush soft material on the inside and look like regular shoes on the outside.  I wish I had more dramatic reporting for you, but oh well.

Week #36 9/2/12-9/9/12

The capital of Nebraska is Lincoln

Lincoln is the capital and second largest city in Nebraska.  It was name for President Abraham Lincoln, though many at the time opposed this naming.

Physical: 20 squats

Personal: Ask a hot girl out

Result:  I've stated before that the timing of the selection of these cards is quite crucial.  Some of the challenges I remember writing and this was one I knew was in the pot.  When I wrote these back in December, I knew I was ready to date after a self-imposed 2 1/2 year hiatus from the scene.  I knew that this card at some point in 2012 would force me to ask someone out.  Don't know why I wrote it as "hot girl," because I realize that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  I should have put, ask a girl out that I was personally attracted to.  Fate, however, trumped my challenge card when I met Maria in March.  We have been together ever since.  I knew this card was still in the pot and wondered what I would do when I drew it.  Ask a random girl out and then say something like thanks for your answer, but I already have a girlfriend?  That would have just been mean.  So I decided to simply ask Maria out for the challenge.  Probably saved me a wicked beating.  We did the whole nine yards...dinner, movie, and goodnight.  I would say challenge complete...I do make the rules by the way!!!

Week #35 8/26/12-9/2/12

The capital of Maryland is Annapolis.

Annapolis was actually the temporary capital of the United States from 1783-1784.

Physical: 20 push ups

Personal: Go to a church service

 

Let me first state that I am a very spiritual person.  I pray morning, throughout the day, and nightly to the "God" of my understanding.  I wanted to preface that in order for everyone to understand this challenge.  I personally do not believe that any single religion holds a market on the true "power of the universe."  That being said, I am in complete support of however you plug yourself in.  I went to Seaside Chapel in Carolina Beach, NC.  I will say that the congregation was very welcoming.  They dedicated part of the service to a "meet and greet" and easily more than 20 people introduced themselves to me.  The sermon got a little long in the tooth, but like I said before, I am not here to judge how anyone gets it.  I also took communion, because I get the symbolism.  I didn't want to stand up and say, "No thanks."  Overall, I will continue on my path of spiritual enlightenment which consists of rigorous honesty and a willingness to accept things that I cannot change.

Week #34 8/19/12-8/26/12

The capital of South Carolina is Columbia.

Columbia is the largest city in South Carolina.  It's name is a tribute to Christopher Columbus.

Physical:  20 pop-ups

Personal: I have to cry everyday

Monday: The final scenes from "Rudy" and "Hoosiers"
Tuesday: Susan Boyle from "Britain's Got Talent"
Wednesday: Whitney Houston "One Moment in Time" 2004
                      Olympic Montage
Thursday: Military Reunions
Friday: Father/Son catch scene and Doc saving little girl scene
             from "Field of Dreams"
Saturday: Landon Donovan's goal 2010 World Cup

WOW!!!  This was incredibly hard.  I remember Jim Valvano's ESPY speech from way back when and I remember him saying you needed to laugh and cry everyday.  Thank you YouTube for being there for me.  I posted the above searchable videos.  See if you yourself can watch them without feeling a little teary eyed.  I've said before, that sometimes I get lucky with the timing of the card that I have drawn.  This was actually the worst possible card I could have drawn this week.  We started our workdays at school and I am in a new position.  I had an extremely stressful week...and then I had to come home and instead of unwinding, challenging myself to tears.  I guess the above list, let's you know that I'm a sucker for overachieving moments and my unresolved "daddy issues" :)

Week #33 8/12/12-8/19/12

The capital of South Dakota is Pierre.

Pierre is the second least populated state capital.  It's name has a French feel because it was named after a French fur-trader.

Physical: 20 sit-ups

Personal: Don't look in a mirror all week.

Result:  Wow...two things come to mind...1. This was tough as heck and 2. I was lucky I drew this card on my last week of summer break.  I knew humans liked to look in mirrors to see how they were looking, but I never realized it's embedded as a natural instinct.  At my place, I covered the bathroom mirror with a towel and I tilted my car rear view so I could see behind me, but not be able to see myself without craning my neck.  In the outside world, it was very difficult.  My girlfriend basically lives in a house built of mirrors.  I really had to make a conscientious effort when I was over there.  Yes there were times were I saw part of my reflection, though I never made direct eye contact with myself.  The overwhelming urge was to do just that.  I never knew if my part was right, so I wore a lot of hats.  I think when I made this challenge, I wanted to be driven less by looking good, but it only made me more self-conscious.

Week #32 8/5/12-8/12/12

The capital of Arizona is Phoenix

Phoenix is the capital and largest city in Arizona.  I found it interesting that the people of the city of the city call themselves Phoenicians.

Physical: 10 push ups

Personal: Catch a wave everyday

Result: This was a relatively easy challenge, seeing as I love to surf.  To have picked it in the summer was crucial.  It would have been a bit more challenging if I had chose this one in the winter months.  I run my challenge for 6 days and rest on Sunday.  The ocean was spitting some pretty fun waves Monday-Friday, but Saturday was a mess.  I went out on Sunday morning in a lightning storm to make for 6 days.  Ironically "Shark Week" starts tonight.  It always puts a little extra adrenaline in my body for the week.  If you are wondering, yes, I have seen sharks while surfing. 

Week #31 7/29/12-8/5/12

The capital of Maine is Augusta.

Augusta is the third smallest state capital in terms of population.  It was actually founded by the original settlers of Plymouth, but the settlers wound up selling the charter because Indian raids made it unprofitable.

Physical: 15 Push ups

Personal: Go fishing everyday

Result:  I like to fish, always have.  It's a relaxing sport, but challenging nonetheless.  I'm glad I had made this challenge to fish everyday and not catch a fish everyday...that would have been interesting.  I bought a cup of shrimp and decided I would take four shrimp cut into 3 pieces each day.  Here is what I caught: Mon-Pinfish, Tues-2 Mullet, Wed-Nothing, Thursday-Nothing, Friday-Pinfish, Saturday-Blowfish.  All of my surfing buddies got a nice laugh on the days when they caught me carrying my surfboard and fishing pole...but hey, that's the true meaning of "surf fishing."

Week #30 7/22/12-7/29/12

The capital of Illinois is Springfield.

You may be thinking Chicago, but it is Springfield.  Unknown to be the home of TV "Simpsons," it is home to one of America's most beloved Presidents...Abraham Lincoln.

Physical:  20 swims

Personal: Walk a mile everyday

Result:  I actually lucked up on this one, as my family had it's annual beach week at Long Beach.  I realize that there were other cards that would have been extremely difficult to complete being out of town.  I will have to remember that if I do this again next year.  There use to be a pier at Long Beach that was exactly 1 mile from our cottage, but they tore it down.  However, there remains a look out point marked by an American flag that used to represent the halfway point to the pier.  Each day, I simply plugged in my ear buds walked to that point and back which equalled one mile.  For those of you wondering about my ribs, they are almost back to 100%.

Week #29 7/15/12-7/22/12

The capital of Michigan is Lansing.

You may be thinking Ann Arbor or Detroit, but it's Lansing.  Lansing is actually shared by two counties is Michigan and is centrally located on the glove side of the state.

Physical: 10 sit-ups

Personal: Ride my bike everyday.

Result: Challenge completed to the best of my abilities...rode my bike 5 out of 6 days.  My ribs are still bothering me a month after my injury.  I took it upon myself to go surfing on Tuesday.  I had been experimenting a bit by "junk-diving" which is essentially standing on a sand bar and jumping into waves.  We finally had some swell Sunday-Wednesday, so on Tuesday, I decided to paddle out.  Mind you the only thing that hurts surfing is paddling as my ribs lay on my board.  You also have to use the lower part of your ribs to help plane your board upwards or downwards depending on your position on the wave.  Enough of a surfing lesson...I caught two waves and was in some pretty severe pain.  I literally sat on my board and wanted to cry.  That night I discovered while playing softball, that I had pulled something in my back, adjacent from my ribs, apparently from overcompensating for the ribs.  All this being said, I said, I did not ride my bike on Wednesday.  I rode with pain Thursday-Saturday.  I do not know why, but "taking it easy" just doesn't compute in my brain.  Maybe if I had a full body cast, it would register that I was truly injured.

Week #28 7/8/12-7/15/12

State Capital:  FREE (52 weeks/50 states...get it)

Physical: 10 push ups

Personal:  Walk the entire Cape Fear Riverwalk in downtown Wilmington

 Result: I walked the entire Riverwalk on the Historic Cape Fear River on Thursday.  It wasn't nearly as long as I thought, probably just a bit more that a quarter of a mile.  I went in the morning because of a recent heat wave.  It was very nice and scenic.  I even ran into my intern from two years ago.  He works in the summer on the Henrietta, a historic riverboat.  For those of you still wondering, my ribs are still hurting.

Week #27 7/1/12-7/8/12

The capital of Vermont is Montpelier.

By population, Montpelier is the smallest U.S. capital.

Physical: 20 Jumping Jacks

Personal: Wear a hat anytime I am out in public.

Result:  Well after failing my first challenge of the year due to the busted ribs, I was extremely relieved to draw a challenge that was not something physically trying.  I like wearing hats, so this was not all that big of a challenge for me.  I will say that it did become bothersome though.  Anytime I went out and wore sunglasses with the hat, the back of my head ached a bit.  Not to mention I had to deal with a week full of "hat head."  For those of you curious about those ribs, still hurting and still limiting my physical activities.