Happy 30th!

This is a bit delayed, I'm finally 30!!

I celebrated my 30th birthday on Sunday, February 2 in Punxsutawney, PA. Some people laughed when I told them what I was doing, and 'how come I wasn't going out to the bar to drink my sorrows'? But after the year I had, I wanted to continue with the awesomeness and check something off of my bucket list... Be there to see the Groundhog on Groundhog's Day!

I had a great time completing 13 new activities and 33 acts of kindness. I was able to celebrate in style by getting up at 4AM and being present for the terrible news of 6 more weeks of winter.

My fiance and I traveled to PA on Friday to allow plenty of time to explore the town, and take in the local festivities. Saturday we took a walking tour of the town to see the different Phil statues, visited the historical museums, and attended the Groundhog's Day reception where we met Phil in person. Sunday was the big day of trekking to Gobbler's Knob to wait for 3 hours in the cold to wait for Phil's big announcement. By the time he finally made his appearance there was 30,000+ people there!

This was a fantastic experience, and I had the pleasure of meeting people who celebrating milestones as well! A woman we shared our reception table with was turning 60, another man was turning 50, and a married couple was celebrating their anniversary.

Teacup of Kindness - Randomness all the way to 1!

I am about 13 days away from my 30th birthday. I am actually very excited to celebrate as my fiance and I are traveling to Pennsylvania to celebrate. My birthday falls on Groundhog's Day and for the first time in my life I am getting to celebrate in Punxsutawney, PA with the groundhog!

I have been walking around all week saying 'ta-dah!' as I completed my last acts of kindness. I remember when I first started this and it felt like a huge task to take on. As each month passed and each act was completed it became easier and increasingly more fun to execute these acts.

Below are the final 3 acts of kindness that give me a grand total of 30 (well, 31 because I did an extra one for good measure).

#1 - Gifts to the neighbors. This past weekend I randomly picked three neighbors in our building and left them a small treat. I made small labels for the candy bars I bought for some 'punnies'. I got 100 GRAND candy bars, and wrote you are a GRAND neighbor. I was anxious as I placed them through the building as I was afraid they would open the door as I was placing them on their doorknobs. We did it on our way out to lunch, and when we came back two of the three were already gone which was exciting.

Extra 1 - I had to run to the dollar store to pick up some items, and thought what a fun idea to hide dollars throughout the store. I left a dollar in a best friends book, a dollar in a newlywed book, and a dollar in a plastic piggy bank in the toy aisle.

Extra 2 - It has been raining off and on for the last couple of weeks here. I drive past a few bus stops on my way to and from work and notice people standing in the rain waiting. I picked up two umbrellas and left one down the street from work, and the second one down the street from our apartment. I got an idea from another act of kindness blog to leave notes that say 'Finders Keepers' which I thought were so cute. I borrowed the idea, and attached tags to the umbrellas I left.

Extra 3- A coworker told me how she was grocery shopping, and as she picked up one of her items there was a coupon hidden underneath. I felt like this was such a creative and tricky act that I wanted to do this as well! When we went to the grocery store I brought some extra coupons, and left them underneath the items. Hopefully they get a happy feeling when shopping, like my coworker did when she found hers.

Teacup of Fun - FINAL ONE - Running for joy!

I cannot believe it is January 2014 already. I feel like I just had my birthday, and just started thinking of grand ideas for the upcoming year.

Here we are, at the final new task of my journey! This past year I began making strides towards becoming more fit and more active. Along the way I have found myself newly engaged which gave me motivation to push myself to becoming more fit.

In February when I was coming up with ideas I knew that I wanted to learn how to run, and become a runner. I say learn to run because running is a way of life. It isn't like getting on a bike at the gym, or going for a walk at the park. You do have to have the right gear to be comfortable, learn how to run, how to find your stride, and figure out how to push yourself to go further and longer. Most importantly, overcome the mental barriers that whisper in your ear that this is too hard.

What I've discovered along the way is that running is a very fickle and a very motivating activity. I was hoping by the end of this year I would have improved my time by 15 minutes, and I envisioned myself as this world class runner. That does not happen overnight, and it certainly does not happen within a year (unless I imagine that you are running 3-4 a week and putting in serious training). I did see small improvements with time, but then it started to regress, and now it's coming back to an improved time. You can't look at your time though and base your running caliber off of that. Some races are flat, some are full of hills, and some are crazy hot or freezing!

 I say running is a fickle thing because you will have good runs, and you'll have bad runs. The most important thing is that you run. Even though my time did not improve to where I would have liked to have seen it, I did have HUGE successes with all of these races -- I ran my fastest 5k, I have run the furthest I have ever run without stopping to walk which is 1.8 miles, and I have run my fastest mile time. These may not big things to some of you out there, but to someone who could barely run a lap around a track last year I see them as big victories!

Running is also motivating because I never thought in a million years that I would run (1) 5k, let alone (12) 5ks. I started using the couch to 5k app to train and motivate myself. Once I crossed that barrier of the basics I knew I just needed to keep going, and it was a great feeling. I have read many inspirational quotes about running, but the truth of the matter is, just getting up and doing it makes you a runner. I also found motivation in my two of my best friends who ran almost every race I did this past year with me. Having friends to share in this experience helped push me along, and I think ultimately brought us closer together. My fiance even joined in and did a few races with us as well!

2013-2014 5K challenge:

1. Celctic Cantor
2. Mud Dog Run
3. Color Run
4. Moonlight Run
5. Pirate 5K
6. River Valley Run
7. ZERO Prostate Cancer Run
8. Heropalooza
9. Turf Valley Trot Family Fun Walk & 5k
10. YMCA Turkey Trot 5k
11. Ugly Sweater Run
12. National Commitment Day 5k Run

Teacup of Kindness - Randomness #4-2

It is hard to believe that I only have one month left before it is my birthday! Just three acts to complete and one new challenge.

For the month of December I wanted to carry over the spirit of giving, and continue with holiday themed acts.

#4 - A coworker told me about the organization Project Linus. It is a nationwide group that collects and makes handmade blankets to give to children in need. This is such a great organization, I think I may make this an annual tradition to make a blanket. I picked out a mixed yarn color of browns and reds that was neutral and festive. After I was finished crocheting I dropped it off at the local donation site which happened to be a fire station. I haven't crocheted in a few years so it was very fun to get back into it.

#3 - I made Christmas cookies to bring to two local fire stations. One batch I brought to the Project Linus donation site, and the second batch I brought to the fire station a few blocks from our apartment. I hope they tasted good!

#2 - For the first time ever I donated blood. It was kind of intimidating going for the first time, but I was glad to do it. In a previous blog post I mentioned how I tried donating blood a few months ago but did not have a high enough iron count. This time I made sure to take iron pills all week, and eat a carbohydrate lunch to help with the my blood level. I successfully passed this time and they scooted right off to the donation table. They had Planet of the Apes playing while I donated, and I got to eat cookies after. As an added bonus, anyone who donated on the date I went got a $10 Olive Garden gift card. It was a nice surprise!

Teacup of Fun - #2 Bearing Arms

This past weekend I took on a scary task and learned how to shoot a fire arm. I have never shot a gun before, and have very little knowledge on how they work. I was interested in learning more about them, the safety of the items, and how to shoot.

I met my coworker and her husband at their home for a safety tutorial. Her husband owns a couple guns, and goes hunting occasionally in the woods. He was a very instructive on how to operate each gun, and the safety features. Most importantly we learned what not to do - for instance never put your finger on the trigger until you are absolutely ready to fire.

We went to a gun range in Carol County, which they had never been there before either. When we arrived we headed to the rifle shooting where we shot three different guns. We had the opportunity to shoot a 1907 rifle, and then two other large rifles. It was very surprising how much force were behind them. It really makes you think about how powerful these items are, and the importance of knowing how they work.

After firing the rifles, we walked over to the hand gun area. We put up targets and each got to fire a few different times. As the day went on I felt like my aim was getting better, but it was quite difficult.

I do feel like if I were ever to be in a situation where I would need to know how to operate a gun I would have a small inkling on what to do. Also, what not to do! The actual firing of the gun is what is the most shocking.

We did take some photos of our day, but I had mixed feelings about adding them to this post. I feel like owning and using guns is a touchy subject with some people, and thought it would be best to share our experience rather then show through photos.

Teacup of Kindness - Randomness #6-5

I was getting in the thankful spirit of Thanksgiving, and thinking of ways I can give back. I am so grateful to have so many blessings in my life I wanted to show my appreciation for others.

I was hoping to complete three kindness acts this month, but time got away from me and unfortunately was able to do two
. Which means, good news, more holiday related acts in December!

#6 - One weekend day my fiance and I went to Small Miracles Animal Shelter in Ellicott City to donate items. We brought canned dog food, canned cat food, dog toys, cat toys, and poop bags for their walks. While we were there we were invited to visit with some of the cats and dogs. It took all of our strength not to leave with a new addition to our family, but maybe one day in the future we will have a cat or dog in our home.

#5 - A coworker of mine gave me the suggestion to write holiday cards to veterans. She sent me information for Holiday Mail for Heroes. I bought a pack of holiday cards, and sent out about 15 to the address. I felt very nostalgic after writing these cards. It was great to be able to send to those who may not receive a holiday card, and express my appreciation for all that they do and their sacrifices.

Teacup of Fun #3 - Zip lining!

This past month I kept thinking I need to do something crazy. What would be the whole point of this year if I didn't face a fear and do something equally as fun!

Sky diving- not ready!
Bungee jumping - not yet!

What is a modest alternative? I went zip lining with two of my best friends and fiance. We went to Terrapin Adventures in Laurel, MD. They have a huge ropes course and giant swing there as well, but we opted for the zip line.

When we first got there they fitted us with helmets and a harness. We then walked to the other side of the parking lot where the zip lining takes places. My fiance had been watching YouTube movies before we went of the zip line, so my nerves were completely jumbled as we walked over. Luckily one of our friends we went with had been zip lining before, so she was there to act as our rock.

I went second down the zip line which I am glad I did. I had been saying I needed to go second or I would chicken out. I was able to watch my friend do it once, and then be bold and head up the ladder myself. You were hooked on to a rope so the whole time you were climbing the ladder and walking across the ropes you were attached to a hook. That didn't make it any less scary! As you climbed the ladder you had to step onto a platform on a tree. Then you scaled across a rope in between two trees to the other side where the zip line starts. I was shaking the whole way across the ropes (and I know this because I could feel the ropes shaking). I thought it took me forever to get across the ropes, but when I finally did I knew the worst part was over. I don't do so well with heights, so just scaling the ropes was a big deal for me.

The zip lining part was super fun. They hook you to the cord, and then you basically walk off the platform into the air. This was a short line so we went about the length of the parking lot, and then came back halfway to finish. It was over so quickly, but well worth the experience. I'm ready to try a more lengthy zip line, or ropes course now!