Challenge Accepted

Well, it’s a new year and while I typically shy away from making any type of resolution, this year I have been inspired by my friend Sara (check out her amazing blog here: Gals&Wine Blog) to push myself. Sara is semi-following a challenge put forth by Karah and others over at The Space Between which has asked readers and bloggers to imagine an impossible task and then do it. HA! Better said than done, am I right?! I mean, I have a ton of great plans, just ask my husband, but I always get overwhelmed and end up packing my ideas and supplies up for another day. And then another day turns into another year. Seriously, I have ticket stubs, post cards, and other “memories” from the past 7 years saved in a box awaiting their rightful place in a scrapbook. Well, they’re going to be waiting a long time because the last event I scrap booked was my husband’s proposal 8 years ago. Yikes! Don’t even get me started on the wine that I’m making that has been fermenting for two and a half weeks too long. So yeah, I’m not much of a doer.

But like I said I have been inspired and this year I plan to push myself probably off a cliff outside my comfort zone and start doing things I normally wouldn’t do. My slacker-ass-ness aside, I am off to a great start this year, never you mind that it’s only the 10^th day of the year.

My goals thus far:

 Compete in the Poconos Tough Mudder Competition in May.

I have always wanted to train and run a triathlon but I really suck at running. I’ve always heard of runner’s praising the concept of the runner’s high but it eludes me, lucky me. So I have avoided entering into any event, which requires me to pick up a pace quicker than a brisk stroll. But then I heard about an event called the Tough Mudder, a grueling 11 mile military style obstacle course complete with jumps into ice water, electric shocks, and fire. Now while you may hear electric shocks, I hear that I don’t have to run non-stop, score! Not only are there “fun” obstacles, but the Tough Mudder, which supports the Wounded Warrior charity, is also not meant to be a race. Instead, the creators want people to challenge themselves and help one another throughout the event. That’s right; if you have trouble getting over one of the 8 12ft high walls a random stranger will be there to give you a hand. 

Those are live wires Ladies and Gentlemen.

If you're feeling real crazy: Sign up here

2         Read One Classic Book a Month.

I am going to continue and stick to my goal of reading one classic novel a month, even though most of the ones I’ve read have bored me to tears. So far one month down.

3     Read 100 Books in 2012.

I’m addicted to GoodReads, and every year they host a book challenge to encourage more people to read, wherein thousands of readers pledge the number of books they will read in 2012. I signed up last week and my pledge is to read 100 books before 2012 is done and over. While I do read a lot, I have a feeling 100 books may have been ambitious even for me. Alas, I have signed up and I fully plan to squeeze that many books into my schedule. 

Explore for yourself

Feel free to follow me on GoodReads, my profile name is Bmiche, but only if you want access to even more amazing great reads.

Now for my Imagine the Impossibilities Challenge: I Plan to Write My Family’s History. 

Whoa crazy, I know.

 My husband and I have always stuck to giving one another traditional anniversary gifts. Some years are great and others are downright hard, I’m looking at you year 7! Let me tell you it is hard to buy someone a gift made of copper that isn’t a healing bracelet of some sort. Well, the third year of marriage is leather and my wonderful, thoughtful husband bought me a leather bound family history book to record the craziness miracle that is my family. Remember me saying that I’m a complete slacker and that I’ve been married nearly 8 years? That means that this beautiful book has been sitting around for years waiting for me to fill it with family stories. Unacceptable, and I have now decided to get to work. Wish me luck!

Have your own seemingly impossible challenge in mind?

Join us!

Ah yes, and now for my brief thoughts on David Moody’s Hater, the latest book I’ve read.

Let me start by saying that I am incredibly freaked out by post-apocalyptic scenarios. However, I do get some perverse enjoyment out of scaring myself silly. Enter Hater. The plot doesn’t differ widely from most books of the same genre, and if you enjoy zombie-esque situations or the like, you’ll enjoy this book. Moody captures the fall of the world as certain people in the population simply go mad and begin to attack anyone around them. Our perspective comes from the eyes of an average, married government worker who helplessly watches society descend into chaos. As an added treat, Moody gives us multiple first person accounts from either Haters or their victims near and at the times of the attacks.

This was an easy read and since it’s only one out of a series, I’m looking forward to reading the rest of them shortly. And once again my picker is on target because. . . it’s going to be made into a movie! Mind blown.

And onto the next . . . Currently reading The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay.