12 Week Challenge. Those words are going through my head nearly every second of every day. What is a 12 week challenge you ask? Well, it is a little competition that some friends and strangers have gotten together to compete in. It all started with a facebook status asking if people wanted to do a 12 week challenge. Only about a half a week later and all the logistics were in place. We have 19 people doing the challenge from January 1 to April 1. We sent in our measurements, weight, starting photo and money. We all continue to send in our weight every Sunday or Monday. Two ladies have a spread sheet going with each competitor’s information and compute the body weight percentage lost each week. The participant who loses the most body weight percentage at the end of the 12 weeks is the winner AND they get the cash prize. I mentioned we all sent in our money, $5 to participate. If you win you get the cash pot totaling $90. If you get second place you get your own $5 back. Either way it is fun and it keeps me motivated. I know that there is very little chance that I will actually win this thing since my journey is towards the end, most of these people are at the beginning when the weight literally falls off. Also some men are involved who, as the biggest loser has taught me, can always lose more and faster than any woman can ever hope or even dream. Grr…for men who don’t count calories and just lose and lose and lose.
In addition to the 12 week challenge I am still on my own challenges. #1 Cook and work out through Iowa Girl Eats, #2 Train for a half marathon. #3 Attain my goal weight. Good thing this challenge can be directly related to each of these other goals. Yay!!!!
Last week I managed to make Italian Wedding Soup. The Italians certainly do know something about living. This first dish on the January menu, yes I have the whole months menu planned out J I love being organized, was amazing! Step aside American men, I’m getting me an Italian! Ok, a little bit exaggerated but, the flavors in the soup are so delicious. Not to mention the aroma that was lingering in my kitchen all night. If I could I would have bottled it up and saved it for every time I reheated it this week.
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| Don't be fooled by how it looks. Never judge a dish by the presentation. Its really yummy! |
I am most definitely enjoying entertaining the thought of expanding my cooking abilities and visiting far away worlds…from my kitchen. Also on the list in 2011 is how to fully emerge myself in the “sweetness of doing nothing”. That little quote comes from one of my favorite movies, Eat, Pray, Love. I feel like I shouldn’t need to rush off to work, hurry home, work until my eyelids just won’t allow it anymore and crash without even realizing, did I blink at all, what did I do today that was worthwhile? The fact that life is so fast is a little troublesome. Pastor Korver from Third Reformed Church in Pella has always said, “If you think this is fast, just wait.” Thank you pastor, that is so reassuring, my butt will continue to drag for the rest of my life. News flash! I am only 22, how will I ever survive! Maybe the solution is to stop and smell the roses, or the onion, garlic, salt, pepper, basil and spinach sautéing in my Dutch oven. Either way, stop! And enjoy what you are doing. If you can’t enjoy it, then why are you doing it.
This is not the common lifestyle that most 22 year olds would admit to. But someone once told me, "live like no one else now so you can live like no one else later.” I might be found in my kitchen or on my sofa playing Scrabble on my computer (which just ran out of its free trial plays, SAD DAY!) instead of out with a crowd on the weekends. However, when the world is spinning out of control I might be around to give a few tips on how to stop the spins. Until then I’m going to practice this new life, balance. Wake up, praise him. Go to work, serve them. Breathe, just breathe. Also add a smile in there, it helps too.
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