#2 Lie on a bed of Nails

The second item on my list of 30 things to do before I'm 30 was to lie on a bed of nails.
A lot of people said "huh?" when I told them that particular goal and I'll admit, it does seem a little odd until I explain.
You see, I happen to work at a science centre where this is a science demonstration that they do for the public on a regular basis.

And since my job is awesome, this is the type of thing that takes place on a Friday afternoon before a long weekend.
The conversation went a little something like this
"hey guys, wanna help me out with something if it's not too busy this afternoon?"
"Sure, what's up?"
"I want to lie on the bed of nails so I can scratch it off of my list"
"Awesome, we'll totally help you!"
(Ok, I may have paraphrased that a little bit... because I'm pretty sure that I'm the only one at work who uses the words 'awesome' & 'totally'... in the same sentence at least.. haha)

Anyway, the interpreters (who actually do this as part of their job - jealous? Me too! They also get to make fire balls... who knew science was fun!) hooked me up and showed me how to lie on the bed without slitting my wrists - that turned out to be a helpful tip! haha

Here's the proof!

Dun dun dunnn!

It looks a little intense doesn't it... good thing I was working with professionals ;)

My friends & colleagues, Geoff & Brianna touching the nails to prove that they're real - trust me, they're real!

Close up!

Geoff demonstrating how to get onto the bed of nails... that was the most stressful part!

Taaadumm!!!

I'm super proud of myself.. lol
Also, please note the tshirt (not my normal work wear, I promise, I was wearing a sweater over it but I took it off so it wouldn't look like I was cheating) it says
 "WARNING If zombies chase us, I'm pushing you" it's funny... cause it's true!

So... I get to check #2 off of my list SWEET!
Annnd... I'm pretty sure that this makes me a superhero... those 'science people' tried to explain it by talking about pressure and weight distribution... but I like my explanation MUCH better.
The science demo they do is really neat though, there's this whole thing where they break a cinder block over someones chest with a sledgehammer... on the bed of nails! (I opted out of that - I'll leave that to the professionals)

I bet the question you're all dying to ask is, "did it hurt?" and the answer is.... drum roll please...
not really.
LOL (talk about anticlimactic eh?)

It didn't actually hurt, but I was very aware of the nails, especially in my back. My bottom half was fine cause I had jeans on and there's a little more... cushioning... shall we say...
my back is a little bit bonier - (there's that whole spine thing for starters) so when I laughed - and I was laughing a lot, it made me more aware of the nails. But I wouldn't say it actually hurt.

Here's a neat picture of the back of my tshirt, it had the indents from the nails in it.

Yep, this means that I'm pretty much Super (Wo)Man ... I've long suspected it but now I have proof of my invulnerability.

So there ya have it, #2 checked off - BAM!

#5 Buy a membership to Moksha Yoga

I bought my intro membership to Moksha Yoga at the end of November.
It's only $40.00 for the intro month - Sweeeet!

I'm not going to lie, it's not always easy being in that hot room and there were a few times that I had to lay down on my mat - but that's ok, there's no judgment in that room (or at least not obvious judgment, they may have been making fun of me in their heads...)
The more often I went, the easier it became (I use the term 'easy' very loosely - because the goal is to always push yourself so it's never really 'easy' BUT I had to lie down a lot less!) and the better I felt.

Unfortunately I started to feel icky & sickish toward the end of the month (because I started eating a lot of baaaad food... but that's a whole other story!), so I didn't go to class for about a week and a half but I'm feeling better now and I can't wait to buy a new membership and get started again!

Because I was so excited about my new found yoga love, Santa brought me a Manduka Equa Towel from lululemon, a nifty bag to carry all of my sweaty stuff in and the Jillian Michaels Yoga Meltdown DVD for Christmas. I'm feeling very supported and excited to use all of my new goodies!

I've already seen quite a few benefits from doing less than a month of yoga; my skin feels better (it's actually pretty broken out right now - again with the bad food) BUT it feels amazing after class, I'm more conscious of my posture (especially when I'm walking around carrying a yoga mat, and I'm much more conscious of my breathing. I find myself taking more big deep breaths throughout the day to energize or de-stress.

I totally recommend it to anyone, the instructors are super friendly and make you feel welcome from day one. 

If you're going to give it a shot, just make sure that you eat well the day you're going (or in life...), don't have anything too heavy beforehand, and drink LOTS of water.

Namaste  ;)

#6 - Try one new recipe every month - October

I was really looking forward to this one, because we sometimes get into a rut with our meals - so it's really nice to try new things.

I used the AMAZING cookbook Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook by Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero.
This book was a gift from two of my good friends April & Pam when husband and I became vegan - and it's one of the best cookbooks I've used! (Thanks again friends!)

Here's what to look for if you decide to get this book

Ok, back to the meal.

I made leek and bean cassoulet with biscuits on page 172 of the book (translation, leek & bean stew with dumplings for those of you who, like me, aren't fancy... lol)
This was fun, because I've never used a leek before... in fact, I didn't even know what a leek looked like until I went in search of one.

I'm not going to go into all of the instructions (because I don't want to get sued by the authors... hahaha... but seriously...) now you'll just have to buy the book! ha!

Here are the ingredients for the stew

The measuring cup has some beans that I just happened to have in the freezer

Here are the ingredents for the biscuts

Here's some "action" shots of the cooking process...

First (ish) Step

Adding some 'flava'

Add MORE veggies you say? OKAY!

Final Product

Plated

This was so delicious! Husband loved it too.
It was hot and comforting - I can't wait to make it again!

October's new recipe = a success!!
And that makes me happy!

# 1 - Buy myself flowers once a month - October

So I started tackling some of the things on my list of 30 things to do before I'm 30 - I decided to go wild and start with #1... I know, I know... I'm livin' on the edge.

But #1 was to buy myself flowers once a month - FUN!
So, at the end of October I bought myself a little bouquet of flowers, nothing too fancy but that's ok, I figured I would start out small.
It made me really happy to do something for myself though... and my kitties loved them! haha

Here are some pictures.
(Please excuse the crummy pictures, I've lost the charger for my camera so I've been using my video camera and it doesn't take the best pictures {not that I took great pictures to begin with - so this is just extra bad!})

These are my October flowers - they're so pretty and bright!




Gabby had to check them out too



Einstein enjoying the flowers





 

So that's it, I've started my list.
 #1 for October - check!
Only 11 more months to go... plus 29 other things to do; but so far it's making me happy!  :)





30 things before I'm 30

Today is my 29th birthday! Happy Birthday to me!!

So, in honor of my last year of my 20's - I've decided to make a list of 30 things to do (that I've never done before) before I hit the big 3-0. (dunn dunn Dunnn)

My list is not in any specific order, I'll check them off as I go - and take lots of photos!

I encourage everyone else to make a list of their own, even if you're not in your late 20's; it's a fun way of setting goals and feeling like you've accomplished something.

Here we go...

1. Buy myself flowers once a month
2. Lay on a bed of nails
3. Go to the movies alone
4. Try rock climbing (indoors)
5. Buy a membership to Moksha yoga (because I'm in LOVE with hot yoga... after doing it once.. lol)
6. Try one new recipe every month
7. Spend one month doing a random act of kindness everyday
8. Finish my children's story and enter a writing contest
9. Go to a professional sports game (I might let husband decide which one)
10. Volunteer for at least 200 hours
11. Shoot a gun
12. Do a 30 day yoga challenge (this one will come after buying a membership to Moksha)
13. Make a pie from scratch
14. Have a candlelight picnic with husband
15. Take a chunk out of our debt (a more specific amount TBD)
16. Knit a scarf
17. Visit an animal sanctuary
18. Plan a weekend getaway with my friends
19. Take a ride in a hot air balloon
20. "Unplug" for a whole weekend
21. Put together a zombie preparedness kit
22. Keep a gratitude journal - write in it every day
23. Finish every unread or half read book I own
24. Plant a tree
25. Take a sewing lesson
26. Watch Citizen Kane & Casablanca
27. Read at least 5 "Classics"
28. Eat ice cream and cookies for breakfast, lunch, & dinner one day (I'm really looking forward to this one... haha)
29. Buy 10 pairs of white underwear and tiedye them
30. Make my own soy candles

So there it is - my "to do" list for the next year.
I'm so excited to start crossing things off!

I can't wait to hear about everyone else's lists!