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!!!