December Dare Count

To date,
Dares received: 26  
Dares completed: 17

1. Create a blog
2. Wake up everyday and smile and stretch
3. Get highlights
4. Relax and sample new adventures (on the cheap)
5. Go to a drag show
6. Complete this puzzle
7. Fund-raiser walk
8. Paint a portrait of someone I love(d)
9. Read a fiction classic of at least 300 pages
10. Become a raw food believer for one week
11. Visit my parents in Bellingham
12. Join Match.com for one month 
13. Volunteer with a cause you believe in but gets you out of your comfort zone
14. Say hello to strangers
15.  Run a 10K
16.  Visit the geographic center of the US
17. Take a mud bath trip with my sister
    

Dares busted: 2

1. Visit Wenmiao/The Ghost Market in Shanghai 
2. Dance on the Bund with a local Shanghainese

Dare on Deck:

1. Get 100 people to say thank you
2. Streak nude (you'll see)
   

More Gosh Darned Reflections

53/54 weeks ago, my life underwent a major change. I admitted to myself the man with whom I wanted to partner my life was not the man with whom I was in a 4+ year relationship. I have been devastated before, but not in love and not at a time in my life when I was mature enough to know I had to use the experience as a catalyst, rather than a road block. 

Throughout the year, I have had an exciting list of dares to work my way though. All have been monumental in some degree for me, and all have helped me heal over the year. It’s been a year, people! 
But, it’s not over yet…

Amazing things have happened in my life and the lives of my friends and family in 2010. I am fortunate that I got to be present for all of it. While I still have a few dares left, I feel really good about where I am. I, in no way, thought I would be able to feel this positive a year ago. I can only thank y'all for that. Thank you for your tireless support, well-timed laughs and creative brainstorming. 
You rock! 

Happy New Year!

Take a mud bath with me (Karen Courtney)

Well, hello, yes! This sounds amazing, right?  I've never even done a spa day before, so I was excited to try this out. My sister knew the place she wanted to go - Indian Springs Resort and Spa in Calistoga, CA. She gave me a quick run through of all the steps to the mud bath process. Thank you, Karen, for not letting me walk in blind!

What is it like?

1. Strip down in the locker room and get into your plush, green robe
2. Sip cucumber infused water
3. Enter the mud bath room and lose our robe
4. Climb into a giant tub of hot, black mud with the assistance of Maria
5. Since you don't sink in the mud, lay on top of the mud naked, while Maria scoops up mud and covers you up
6. Lay in the mud for 12-15 minutes
7. Briefly wash off
8. Enter a hot water tub for 12-15 minutes
9. Sip cucumber infused water
10. Enter the sauna for desired length
11. Sip cucumber infused water
12. Get wrapped in a sheet
13. Lay in a private room with cucumbers and a cool washcloth over my eyes
14. Take a final shower... still public
15. Return to locker room the change
16. Sip more cucumber water

What did I think? 

Um... positives first...

• The staff was awesome
• It was a completely calming environment

All right, what am I holding back...

• I might be claustrophobic. I might have been fighting back some panic as my head was slipping off the pillow and the pressure of the mud on my chest seemed overwhelming (think La Brea Tarpit). 
• Also, it was hot, hot, hot. At one point, I was able to wiggle my foot out of the mud because I was so hot, but then Maria came by and plopped a big splat of mud back on top (sigh). 
• I would have preferred to have a private shower at some point. Yes, ladies, there was mud everywhere! I just don't shower the same when there is a room of people milling about around me.  

It seems many of my family that have taken a mud bath share my claustrophobic feeling, but I am lucky that they did not share this with me until after my mud bath; I got to have my own, uninfluenced experience. I'm really happy that I got to try it and share the experience with my sister.

Thanks Karen!

November Dare Count

To date,
Dares received: 26
Dares completed: 16

1. Create a blog
2. Wake up everyday and smile and stretch
3. Get highlights
4. Relax and sample new adventures (on the cheap)
5. Go to a drag show
6. Complete this puzzle
7. Fund-raiser walk
8. Paint a portrait of someone I love(d)
9. Read a fiction classic of at least 300 pages
10. Become a raw food believer for one week
11. Visit my parents in Bellingham
12. Join Match.com for one month 
13. Volunteer with a cause you believe in but gets you out of your comfort zone
14. Say hello to strangers
15.  Run a 10K
16.  Visit the geographic center of the US

Dares busted: 2

1. Visit Wenmiao/The Ghost Market in Shanghai 
2. Dance on the Bund with a local Shanghainese

Dare on Deck:

1. Take a mud bath trip with my sister (12/12)
2. Get 100 people to say thank you

BONUS DARE 
I didn't complete any new dares from others this month. I've honestly been too busy pursuing other endeavors with gusto! However, I am pretty proud of myself for preparing my first Thanksgiving day meal (with the culinary contributions of Robin Lee). 

Duck before, yeah, I made a duck

After!!! Yummy, crispy, yum

Robin warming up the sides

The full spread!

The bounty!

The leftover, yup, all that is leftovers now

 

October Dare Count

To date,
Dares received: 26
Dares completed: 15

1. Create a blog
2. Wake up everyday and smile and stretch
3. Get highlights
4. Relax and sample new adventures (on the cheap)
5. Go to a drag show
6. Complete this puzzle
7. Fund-raiser walk
8. Paint a portrait of someone I love(d)
9. Read a fiction classic of at least 300 pages
10. Become a raw food believer for one week
11. Visit my parents in Bellingham
12. Join Match.com for one month 
13. Volunteer with a cause you believe in but gets you out of your comfort zone
14. Say hello to strangers
15.  Run a 10K
16.  Visit the geographic center of the US

Dares busted: 2

1. Visit Wenmiao/The Ghost Market in Shanghai 
2. Dance on the Bund with a local Shanghainese

Next up... I don't know! Seriously, I realized that I haven't planned my next dare! Check out the list of what's left and give me some inspiration.

1. Zipline with Anne Essaran
2. Streak nude
3. Engage Lola in a dog sport
4. Take a mud bath trip with my sister
5. Skydive
6. Enter a dancing competition/dance off
7. Get 100 people to say thank you

Find & visit the geographic center of the contiguous US (Graham Campbell)

Moira and Shannon, the O'Connell sisters, and I went on a whirlwind heartland tour, but since the dare was to visit the center, I will start there just outside of Lebanon, Kansas.

Other than the center, chapel, picnic shelter and trailer with exhibits... there is nothing there. This is it. Really, this is it.

We arrived early before breakfast to check this place out. All by ourselves, we took a few photos before searching for breakfast.

If you think you want to do this, my suggestions are to make it an adventure and if possible, invite the O'Connell sisters (which guarantees an adventure, really).

What did our adventure look like?

We flew into Kansas City, Missouri on Friday morning and quickly headed out of town to Topeka, Kansas so I could check another state capital off my list for the other blog. After chips and salsa made with oregano at Auturo's and some brief confusion about all the toucans in town which looked strangely like jayhawks, we were back on the road. 

In Wamego, Kansas we visited the Wizard of Oz Museum where my father donated my grandfather's childhood copy of the book.Other than the museum, the Wamego diversion gave us a brush with death with a silo on a state highway and a chance to see some interesting signage.

Then, we were off to the world's largest ball of twine! Twine tips...

• If you collect it, they will come.
• Twine starts to smell as it gets old.
• Why not decorate it for the closest holiday?

After the best air hockey tournament Downs, Kansas ever experienced and staying in the scariest cottage EVER, we ventured to the center (see above).

The heartland doesn't end there!

On the way to Lincoln, NE to check yet another state capital off my blog list. We visited Pioneer Village in Minden, NE. I could slam this place, but I won't. It was built in another time by a less politically correct benefactor. He wanted to celebrate modern innovation. After reading all his signs and commentary, I wanted to celebrate how far we've come to open our minds. 

 In the heartland, Big Ten football is a big deal. We choose to travel on a Cornhuskers home game weekend, which meant the closest hotel room we could find to Lincoln was in Omaha. 

You say, "Oma" I say, "Ha"

 

OMA!

HA!

This is only a glimpse into the magic that is the heartland. I can't capture how beautifully flat and open everything was, how lovely the people we met were, and how the pace was so blessedly not east coast. I loved it (to visit). I never would have gone to many of these places without Graham's dare. I'm a lucky lady.

Run a 10K this summer (Ajay Bam and Amanda Truett)

Myself & Laura, my cheerleader!

Myself, Karen (sister) & Pam

Sharon & I

I did it !

1:18 total and averaged a 12:39 mile

The race is on - Tufts 10K for Women! I actively trained for 8+ weeks. I feel really amazed that I was able to commit to this and complete it

I got started on this dare early, but waffled.

"It's too cold."
"I have to eat raw and my energy is off."
"I've been so busy."
"I've been running... a little..."

In the end, I realized from talking to a friend that I wasn't getting serious about it until I really started getting serious about it. I looked at the calendar and realized I only had few weeks left and I need to act. I'm moving on this now.

Regardless, I put myself out there, one foot quickly in front of the other. I spent many happy Saturday mornings at the Middlesex Fells with my pup, Lola. I have been surprised at how much I look forward to my long runs in the Fells. It is a great time for my to challenge myself in nature and start the weekend with a sense of accomplishment. Please excuse my bruises; I tend to trip over a lot of roots and rocks.

A heartfelt thanks, Ajay and Amanda!

September Dare Count

To date,
Dares received: 26
Dares completed: 13

1. Create a blog
2. Wake up everyday and smile and stretch
3. Get highlights
4. Relax and sample new adventures (on the cheap)
5. Go to a drag show
6. Complete this puzzle
7. Fund-raiser walk
8. Paint a portrait of someone I love(d)
9. Read a fiction classic of at least 300 pages
10. Become a raw food believer for one week
11. Visit my parents in Bellingham
12. Join Match.com for one month 
13. Volunteer with a cause you believe in but gets you out of your comfort zone

Dares busted: 2

1. Visit Wenmiao/The Ghost Market in Shanghai 
2. Dance on the Bund with a local Shanghainese

Dares in progress: 1

1. Run a 10K (race on 10/11!)

Dares on deck...

• Visit the geographic center of the US

Talk to a complete stranger at least once week and say hello to a new person everyday (Michael & Katelyn Corts) a

This is life-changing. Incorporating this into my everyday is truly life-changing. I can't say I am perfect, but I consciously make a few efforts to be able to meet this goal without having to keep track everyday.

Uphams Corner commuter rail platform

On my morning walks with Lola, I say "Good morning" to everyone I pass which tends to be a lot of kids and parents waiting for the school bus. I also say, "Good morning" to everyone I stand with on the commuter rail platform on my way to work. No more shrinking away. I meet people's eyes on the street as I pass them, and I smile and/or say "Hello". 

I love it. I feel like I'm being a better neighbor and I feel like I am getting a good start to the day. I go to bed at night and feel connected to the place I live. All it took was a conscious look at my surroundings and acknowledgment of the people in them. Thank you!

Join Match.com for one month (Laura Brelsford)

First and very importantly, thank you, Laura. Participating in Match was a challenge for me and pushed me to examine my personal connections and my expectations of them.

I had been hesitant to think an online format would be good for me for a few reasons:

1) I like to meet people face to face. My humor doesn't translate into written format. Does my vivacious personality jump off the computer screen? I am not the person that has a type; I am more about a vibe. Can I vibe off an email?

2) I don't feel good about "judging" other profiles. It honestly makes me feel gross and judgmental. I don't know anything about these people.  I can't seem to get a sense of a person from an artificial email exchange or well (or poor in some cases) edited profile. Is the person they are presenting the person they are? Did I present the person I am?

3) I want my date to court me. I spend a lot of time being a liberated woman - opening my own doors, paying for my own drinks, striving for independence, etc. What the hell am I supposed to do with a wink?

I don't think online dating is bad or lacks results for people, just questioned whether it was for me. This sounds like a lot of negativity, but really it is just my concerns about online dating. Despite my stated reservations, I gave it my best efforts to be open minded and active; my best efforts included:

1. I logged on everyday so it showed I was active in the last 24 hours.
2. I freshened my profile once a week.
3. I winked back to people who winked at me.
4. I emailed people who emailed me.
5. I thoughtfully reviewed all of the 5 Daily Matches and profiles in Singled Out that Match found for me.

Aside from the logistics of the dare, Match and this process reminded me that the person I need to focus my smiles, creativity and humor is - me. Living my life is where I find the most happiness and when things are right, I will be able to share that. I am SO grateful I had this chance to reflect. 

All that said... I met a wonderful guy doing this, and although that didn't work out long term,

does that negate all my questions about Match and me? Who knows; who cares? Sometimes it is more important to be happy than right. That was kind of the point; wasn't it, Laura?

August Dare Count

To date,
Dares received: 23
Dares completed: 11

1. Create a blog
2. Wake up everyday and smile and stretch
3. Get highlights
4. Relax and sample new adventures (on the cheap)
5. Go to a drag show
6. Complete this puzzle
7. Fund-raiser walk
8. Paint a portrait of someone I love(d)
9. Read a fiction classic of at least 300 pages
10. Become a raw food believer for one week
11. Visit my parents in Bellingham

Dares busted: 2

1. Visit Wenmiao/The Ghost Market in Shanghai 
2. Dance on the Bund with a local Shanghainese

Dares in progress: 2

1. Run a 10K
2. Join Match

Dares on deck...

• Skydiving (OMFG)

While it wasn't a dare... 

I celebrated a birthday this month! 

I am happily 31 and celebrated with great friends, food and dancing. My birthday highlights:

• A hair appointment with people that know the wash and head massage is the best part!
• Chocolate avocado vegan cupcakes baked by Jessica
• Goat "head meat"... yeah I know... at African Cuisine
• Clandestino
• Tequila
• Dancing, dancing, dancing at the Enormous Room and Middlesex
• And more chocolate avocado vegan cupcakes

Thank you everyone for the birthday wishes! I am so lucky to have wonderful people in my life. Y'all have made this birthday and the entire year so special for me. 

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

July Dare Count

To date,
Dares received: 21
Dares completed: 11

1. Create a blog
2. Wake up everyday and smile and stretch
3. Get highlights
4. Relax and sample new adventures (on the cheap)
5. Go to a drag show
6. Complete this puzzle
7. Fund-raiser walk
8. Paint a portrait of someone I love(d)
9. Read a fiction classic of at least 300 pages
10. Become a raw food believer for one week
11. Visit my parents in Bellingham

Dares busted: 2

1. Visit Wenmiao/The Ghost Market in Shanghai 
2. Dance on the Bund with a local Shanghainese

Dares in progress: 1

1. Run a 10K

Dares on deck...

• Skydiving (OMFG)

REVELATION OF THE MONTH: It was very fitting that I had this revelation as I was working on two dares. I was running (Dare - Run a 10K) through the trails in Bellingham, Washington (Dare - Visit my parents). In one of my loops, I passed a group of four women. I said, "Good morning."

One woman said to me, "Good for you. I couldn't do that". 

My quick reply was, "Oh I can't either." and I trotted away. 

 

I realized how silly I must have sounded to her. However, I realized for me, when I think about it, I really can't do it. Often, I can do it when I just go ahead and do it. 

 

Sometimes I have to take my head out of this. I feel like accepting these challenges has given me the opportunity to not think about it and just go ahead and do it. The amazing thing is through this process I find that I can do anything, and I stop spending time questioning less whether I can or cannot.

Visit my parents (David & Marylynne Courtney)

Wow, what a trip! I flew out on the 22nd and spent spent 5 days with family. We packed a lot into the time, including:

• Kayaking with mom
• Walking around the Falls
• Visiting a buffalo farm
• Cooking out with buffalo steak
• Shopping the farmers market
• Searching for orca whale
• Boating to Friday Harbor
• Keeping up with my 10K training program 
• Checking another state capital off my list
• Eating dinner with my cousin and her family in Seattle
• Experiencing all the culinary delights of Bellingham
• Having 7 deer encounters!

Enjoy the photos:

Exploring the falls in Bellingham

Olympia shipping

Cook out

With Bellingham Bay behind me

Mom tying out her new kayak on Lake Whatcom

At the bison farm

On the whale watch

Sunset over Bellingham Bay

Flowers at the capital


Thanks SO much!

Eat a raw food diet for a week (Jessie Berman Boatright)

1st thought

"But what do I do about bread"

2nd thought 

"Embrace the challenge. This could be really cool and maybe I really will have more energy."

3rd thought (after a quick internet search discovering coffee, tea and alcohol do not count as raw foods)

"Aww, hell no... coffee, I love coffee."

The shock had worn away a bit and I have decided on a mostly raw  food diet, with the exception of coffee. However, I drink my coffee black in the morning, and I will give up my afternoon cappuccino.  

My magically raw week was July 8th - July 14th!
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Frequently Asked Questions

• Are you ok, Crazy? Yes, it took two days to adjust, but I am a-ok. My only complaints are the dizziness and spaciness the first few days.
• Were you 100% raw? No, after some serious concern over the weekend from a neighbor who is semi-raw, I decided to loosen up a little. Of the 21 meals and uncounted snacks, 2 meals I ate were not entirely raw. 
• Did you have more energy? Maybe, I'm honestly not sure.
• Are you in the bathroom all the time? No, but thanks a lot for asking... a lot.
• Will you keep this up? In some fashion, yes; I realize now how processed my food is even with my regular diet that consists of many yummy fruits and veggies.
• What specifically have you been eating? I've had to get creative, but here are two examples:

Raw spaghetti - thinly sliced squash with tomato, garlic and basil puree 

Breakfast - almond butter, honey, banana, blueberries, and raw oats (and my cheat - coffee)

Now what? I liked this dare. It grew on me. This dare uniquely challenged me to behave more like a person I wondered if I could be. And, it is the longest continuous dare I have been given. A sincere thank you, Jessica. While I am not committed to becoming raw, I will be a more mindful, plant based eater.  At this point, I can't give details about what that means because I'm not clear on all the implications yet. However, tomorrow I will happily continue to eat raw(ish).

June Dare Count

To date,
Dares received: 21
Dares completed: 9

1. Create a blog
2. Wake up everyday and smile and stretch
3. Get highlights
4. Relax and sample new adventures (on the cheap)
5. Go to a drag show
6. Complete this puzzle
7. Fund-raiser walk
8. Paint a portrait of someone I love(d)
9. Read a fiction classic of at least 300 pages

Dares busted: 2

1. Visit Wenmiao/The Ghost Market in Shanghai 
2. Dance on the Bund with a local Shanghainese

Dares in progress: 1

1. Run a 10K

Dares on deck...

• Become a raw food believer for one week

So friends, after 6 months and two busted dares, I am losing some momentum. I need to call in my favors. If you have words of encouragement, I would love to hear them now...

Visit the Wenmiao Ghost Market in Shanghai, as it opens at 3am (Chris & Beth Meyers)

I left for Shanghai on June 2nd and was SO excited to take a Mandarin language class in the morning and check out the city. The trip itself was a mini personal dare, an idea to push my limits - new people, new food, new experiences, etc. Beth and Chris nudged me a little further to check out Wenmiao Ghost market at 3am and I couldn't wait.

I had never heard of this market, but with Google on my side... I found out a little more:

Ghost market, the literal translation of ‘Gui shi’ is a secondhand book sale held on Sundays. It’s located on Wenmiao Lu in the Confucius Temple, kicking off at 3am and shutting up shop at 5am. The name is partly due, of course, down to the spooky opening hours, but also because of the allegedly clandestine methods with which some of the books find their way into the stalls. Rumor has it that some of the rarer finds are stolen from libraries or even nicked from the collections of famous writers.

Thanks for finding this guys!

Well, I had every intention on fulfilling this dare, but even with the best intentions things do not always turn out as expected. And... here's the story...

Channeling the mindset of a twenty year old, I thought it would be easiest to go out dancing Saturday night until the market would open, and then cab it there. After some book browsing, I would return to the hotel to sleep and wake up for an early morning bus ride to Zhujiajiao.

With my fellow travelers in tow, we hit up a couple clubs - Shelter and Muse. It was a pretty regular type dance club night - dancing, chatting, sweating, drinking, repeat. Shelter was an amazing, cozy and hip converted bomb shelter with the cheapest drinks we could find in the French Concession.

We decided to move on to a more mainstream club, Muse. It was packed, and the smoke was so thick that I started crying within 5 minutes on walking in the door. I met an extremely inebriated local named Alan and few foreigners and got a good groove on.

I had been befriended by two Nigerian communications business men. Although Hennessy is one of my least favorite drinks, it was also free, which always bumps any drink to a very drinkable status. We chatted about some Nigerian music I like (Fela Kuti and Femi Kuti), but quickly my new friend changed the conversation to Beyonce. Apparently, he is a huge fan, because she is so hard working, as he repeated the fact that she works extremely hard several times. My fellow travelers decided to leave. I decided to stay and chat with the Nigerians until it was late enough to go to the Ghost Market. And then it got awkward...

One of my new friends asked about one of the girls. When I told him she had left and I had no way to contact her, he responded that he needed to go find a girl to "enjoy" tonight. Hmm...  I hoped something wholesome was being lost in translation, but I had a feeling that I need to clarify something. I turned back to the remaining friend. After a short awkward exchange, our misunderstanding was made clear. The free drinks ended, we shook hands, and I passed Alan, still inebriated, on the way out. Finding a cab at 3am never felt so good... and wholesome...

In the cab, I could not help but laugh at the way the night went and started to get excited about browsing the book market with a slight Hennessy buzz and hot clubbing outfit. Watch out Shanghai! Or is it watch out Courtney? 

My cab twisted through tiny city streets that became more and more desolate. I noticed that I was not seeing other traffic and started to wonder where I would end up. I became a little concerned about how to find a cab to take home after I was done. I became VERY concerned when my driver backed down the street. I can only assume from my cultural reference of Dorchester that when a cab driver backs down a street, this is not a place I need to be, particularly in the middle of the night. We backed up to the spot... and there was no book market. There was nothing, just the closed temple! A few people were straggling down the street, but they did not look like the literary type to me.

Where were the books!?  

How do I tell the cabbie, "abort, abort, take me home!"?

If you ever find yourself in this situation and unable to speak the language, here is my advice:

1. Put a look of concern on your face with an accentuated frown.
2. Look left to right with your eyes only, no neck movement.
3. Start a make low, uneasy, rumbling moan.
4. Repeat steps 1 through 3 while finding the written address to another location to show the driver.

Beth and Chris, I failed, but I tried. In my attempt to accomplish your dare, I found an appreciation for traveling in numbers. I can be independent, but do not have to go it alone (and probably shouldn't).

You are welcome to give me back up dare.

.

Read a fiction classic that is 300+ pages (Summer Rae)

Oh my, Summer, you've outed me on my dirty little secret... I don't like to read.

In fact, I rarely read and if I do, it is generally non-fiction historical or an academic work picking apart housing or poverty policy in America. It's true. You might be scratching your head, as Summer did when she found out, and thinking, "Courtney, you seem so smart, and smart people read"?

Yeah... it's true.

So, I've got this dare, and I have no idea what to read. I am looking for advice. Please comment and recommend a classic 300+ pages that you think should be my dare read. If you want to add why you think I should read it, that might help sell it to me!

6/20 Update

Woo - finished. Ok, I said I would read Crime and Punishment, but it is so boring. My apologies if it is your favorite book; this is just my opinion.

I switched my book during a layover to Catch 22. I chose it based on very selective criteria
1) availability in the Hudson News in the airport,
2) page length, and
3) something a little more up to date than Crime and Punishment.

I read it, all of it. It was all right. It took a while to get the flow of the writing and it jumps around in time, space, location and sanity. It is isn't my favorite fiction book, but it wasn't agony. Youssarian might be my spirit animal; however, I often identified with the establishment in the book. That could be a bad sign.

In summary, I am still a nonfiction girl through and through. Sorry if that's a disappointment. I still own Crime and Punishment, so I'll keep trying to get past page 12.

Find a dancing Shanghainese partner at the Bund for some ballroom hip shimmy (Jasiel Fernandez Bido)

Jaisel did her research and found out that at 7:30am every morning local couples gather at the Bund to do some shimmy, shimmy, shaky, shaky. She knows I like to shake my stuff... especially in public and sometimes with no music around. This was a great dare, but due to scheduling conflicts I wasn't able to do it. I'm so sorry! You can dare me again AND I am going to looking into some public dancing options locally.

May Dare Count

To date,
Dares received: 20
Dares completed: 8

1. Create a blog
2. Wake up everyday and smile and stretch
3. Get highlights
4. Relax and sample new adventures (on the cheap)
5. Go to a drag show
6. Complete this puzzle
7. Fund-raiser walk
8. Paint a portrait of someone I love(d)

Dares in progress: 1

1. Run a 10K

Dares on deck...

• Read a fiction classic of at least 300 pages
• Visit Wenmiao/The Ghost Market in Shanghai
• Become a raw food believer for one week

Complete this puzzle (Lisa Fischer)

This looks hard, Lisa. To add that I now know that you got this at Savers and there are pieces missing. I couldn't have done it without help - thanks, y'all!

I am a lucky person to have wonderful friends with surprising hobbies. Jasiel came over for dinner after I had spread out the puzzle a few days before and like a champ, helped me for the next couple hours put the border together. Amazing!

And that's where the puzzle progress stagnated until darer, Lisa, came to town...

After getting SO much help and inspiration from Jasiel and Lisa, I finished the puzzle on my own.

I have to say, puzzles are pretty cool. I got a little rush when I found a piece that finally fit or realized it was the other side of the piece that would make it all work.Will I puzzle again? Likely.

April Dare Count

I'm chugging along...

Question of the month: How do I embrace new things with an open mind and still feel like I'm being true to myself?

Paint a portrait of someone you love or loved (Anna Ellis)

This is a great idea and perfect for me. Few of you know (and I know Anna did not) about my painting adventures my last year in Raleigh. I'd hop on my bike armed with small canvasses, paints and brushes and hang out in Moore Square or another downtown park painting. Sometimes I'd be on my own; sometimes I could convince a friend to give painting a try. That period did not produce any masterpieces for public sale, but it did let me express my creative side and explore something new. I had forgotten about that fun, and I think this dare taps into that me of long ago. Yes, it really was 8 years ago that I lived in Raleigh!

I was very excited when I went to the store to buy supplies. I was not sure what I wanted to create, but I knew I wanted to use paint and that this was going to be fun. I came home, got myself settled, and stared at a blank canvass. Who do I paint? Since I kept asking myself this questions over and over again without an answer, I posed it to my roommate; who do I paint? I explained to her that I didn't know who I loved more than anyone else that I would commit it to canvass. I question:

• If I paint one person, does that devalue my feeling for other important people in my life? 
• Do I go totally psychotherapy and paint myself? 
• Do I become that crazy dog lady and paint Lola?
• Should I paint an inspirational figure, such as Jimmy Carter (yeah, I mean that)?
• Now I wonder, if I think too much and I should just feel it?
• If I am this conflicted do I paint a question mark just to finish it?

How do I ever get anything done with this constant thinking? Still, I am left with, who do I paint? I have mulled this over for a while and spoken with a few friends and I realized that I cannot complete this dare right now, not in the way it was intended.

I have painted a "portrait" with many, many (stick) people of equal stature against a backdrop of the many phase of my life bleeding into each other. That is the best I have right now. If I can find a better answer to who do I paint, I will paint another. The inability to thoroughly answer this question does haunt me a little. However, I know this is just where I am right now and I can only embrace it cheerfully. 

Thanks for the soul search, Anna!