LIST UPDATE - GETTING THE FIREBIRD REWIRED

As you're aware, I put rewiring the firebird on my list of 37 things to do this year. I'm happy to report this task has been started and we're well on our way to getting it completed.

Last Friday, Saturday, and Sunday were nearly 100% dedicated to the Firebird (with the exception of taking some time off to go to an ultrasound for the new baby - all great news and momma and baby are both healthy and progressing like they should!!)...and thanks to a good buddy who flew up from Florida, a lot got done...despite the lack of instructions and being sent at least 2 incorrect parts from the factory.

When I say "lack of instructions" I'm really being generous....we spent a lot of time looking things up online, watching youtube videos, and talking things through. At the end of each day, our bodies were shot and our brains were mush...but we kept at it for 10+ hours each day and got a lot accomplished.

Below are some pictures to show you what has been done so far. It's tough to tell, but the engine, interior, and gauges are done. And, everything works!

It should be noted that without Jamie stepping in and taking care of the lil' dude all weekend, we wouldn't have gotten half as far as we did.

Thank you to all who helped make this possible.

What started it all

Original gauge cluster and dash insert

Old speedo and gauges

A radio (1 of 3)...this one happened to be in the glove box

Starting to take out the dash

Everything's out

Adios back seats. The back part was pulled out, too

Wires, dash, and seats out

This was a little surprise I wasn't expecting. Looks like I get to learn to weld. 

Out with the old

That's a lot of wires and not a lot of instructions

New wires on the interior of car

Every project needs a supervisor

Where do you keep your steering wheel?

New gauges wired

New gauge cluster and dash

Hard at work

New engine wires being installed

Brooks "helping" and pulling wires

He doesn't believe in having a clean work are

Stuff pulled out of the car...and a stroller.

Mouse skull I found under the back seats

He really wants to drive and the lack of seats don't bother him at all

LIST UPDATE

It's been a minute since I blogged (sorry, #19) despite constant reminders to do it. Thanks to those reminders, I'm finally getting a post out.

Since it's been so long since my last post, I'm going to give a quick recap of how the list is going with the hope that going forward I'll update more frequently and with more depth. (I'm only going to list the items that have seen movement)

Feast your eyes on this...
2. Install a new wiring harness in the firebird
This has been ordered. The interior has been ripped out as has the dash. I've got a buddy coming in town in a week or so to help with the heavy lifting. Hopefully, in the next couple weeks this can be checked off the list.

3. Generally get the firebird up and running (if I listed everything that was required for the car to run reliably, it would be my entire list)
I'm hoping this will also be accomplished shortly after the wiring harness is installed

4. Change my hunting tactic (mainly for duck, goose, and turkey) and go fewer times but stay out longer. Basically, reduce the frequency and increase the intensity.
Haven't had the chance to put this into action yet, but turkey season is in full swing and I'm hoping to get into the woods in the next few weeks.

9. Create a healthy lifestyle that is sustainable
For the most part I am heading in the right direction...there were a few bumps and then I took about a month off, but I'm back on the right path. There are still things that need work and fine-tuned, but I think that's always going to be the case.

10. Get down to 205
I was working out 4+ times a week for the first 2.5 months of the year, then I took a month off. After that, my workouts have dropped to 3ish times a week. But, I have created a plan to get that number back to 5 a week. Stay tuned.

11. Submit an article to Field and Stream
This has been completed!! Although, the day after I submitted the article I received an issue in the mail that was all about user stories. So, maybe a day late and a buck short on this one. But, I'm going to submit the article to another publication.

12. Submit an article to Guidepost
I didn't do this, but I did submit an article to Runner's World. So, I'm calling this one done

13. Read 6 books - 3 for fun and 3 for work
I've read 2 books for fun and 1 for work.

17. Mountain bike - at least 5 times
I've gone one time. It wasn't pretty or overly technical, but I was out there.

24. Create the tradition of making a big healthy meal on Sunday evenings - 2x/month
I've found cooking a big Sunday night meal is something I really enjoy and look forward to most of the weekend. I have been doing this more than 2x/month for the most part.

We've enrolled Brooks in a running club that meets on Sunday nights, so it's kinda put a wrench in this list.  Side note, Brooks has never once ran at running club. So, we basically load him up, take him there, watch other kids run then come home. But, it's almost over and I can get back to this.


So, I've got my work cut out for me to get the remaining items checked off the list. I'll keep ya posted on a (hopefully) more regular basis.

As you were.

JANUARY RECAP

January was a great month in terms of providing a great foundation to transition towards a more healthy lifestyle that is sustainable for the long term.

Here is a recap
Total Workouts: 20
Total Weeks with meals prepped: 4
Total Weight Lost: 8.3 lbs

Learnings:
Daily Workouts 
Nothing short of a daily game changer. The days that I didn't get one in, especially when I was planning on working out and then for whatever reason didn't (ie - wasn't high enough on my priority list) I felt like I was in a mini-funk.

The days that I worked out before work were the best and I was in a great mood those days. Getting a workout in early in the day, right after I drop Mugs off at school is going to be my main goal for Feb.

Meal Prep
This was key and maybe the second most important thing I did this month in terms of creating a healthy lifestyle and I really enjoyed it. It was extremely valuable and freed up a lot of time in the evening, too. This is something I'll continue doing as we move forward.

Also, I was able to work on some things on my List of 37 Things with this, too. Other than making a few roasts, most meals I prepped were ones I had never made before and definitely took me out of my cooking comfort zone. 

Not drinking
This was easier than I thought. I even went to my favorite bar a few times just to get out of the house and catch up with the crew of regulars - and every time I ordered water and a diet coke. Of course, there were times when I really wanted a beer, but most were situational. Meaning, I am used to drinking a beer while doing certain activities (cooking was the most notable for some reason). But as long as I had something else to drink, I was OK and the want faded away. Also, I have to assume that the stock in La Croix sky rocketed over the past month. I burned through this stuff like crazy.

Eating Healthy
If I said there were no cravings I'd be lying to you. But, I was surprised at how easy this was to maintain - as long as I had meals prepped and healthy options at the house. We also had a cheat meal a week - typically Friday evenings after the youngin' went to bed. We'd order take out and then watch a movie. This quickly became the highlight of my week and I'd start looking forward to it early each week. Note: The cheat meal wasn't the reason it was my favorite part of the week, but everything. Sitting in a cozy living room, hanging out with J, and just unwinding. Of course, having some good and forbidden food also added to it.

Overall
I've got more energy, feel more on point, and feel better about myself than I have in a while. I'm going to keep going strong for this next month. I have some stuff I need to work and improve on, but overall I'm really proud of how well I did in January. And, even more exciting, I know exactly what I want to focus on for these next 28 days.

As you were.

THINGS FOUND IN THE WOODS

The other day I took a day off to go duck hunting one last time before the season closes. The property I hunted had a river and a lot of warm water sloughs running through it and I walked them for hours (over 5 miles) in hopes of jump shooting some ducks.

Here are a few pictures I took while wondering about. (Sorry, none are of ducks. I saw a ton of deer and turkey, but zero ducks).

And I love the ties to the Wild West found all throughout Colorado. In the middle of nowhere, there was a stage coach stop. No clue where people would have gone to after getting off the stage coach, but still cool that it existed.

As you were.

ACCOUNTABILITY RECAP

I know you're all wondering how my week went but are just too polite to ask. So, sit right there and I'll fill ya in.

Total workouts: 5 (3 at OTF and 2 at the gym)
Total Workouts before 9: 3
Total days of healthy eat with NO cheats: 5
Total meals prepped: 15
Total weight loss: 3.2

As you were.

LAST WEEK'S RECAP

I know you've been waiting on bated breath for my recap of last week. Well hold your horses, here it is.

Total workouts: 4 (2 at OTF and 2 at the gym)
Total workouts before 9: 3
Total days of healthy eating with NO cheats: 5
Total meals prepped: 12
Total weight lost: .3 lbs

Week's takeaways: Portion control. Even though I'm eating healthy food, I can't eat tons and tons of it if I want to lose any real weight. But, learn and move on.

As you were.

LIST UPDATE - No. 13

Guess who has a book report to give?!?!?! (And no, I didn't just read the first and last chapter and then the description on the inside cover.)

Since my list has been up now for nearly a month, I'm sure you've got it memorized. So, I don't need to remind you that number 13 on the list was to read 6 books this year - three for fun and three for professional development.

This book was recommended to me by a fellow creative and it has been on my list for a while. So I figured now was the time to get to readin'. I'm not sure if this book falls on the "for fun" or the "for professional development side" of my list, but I guess at the moment, it doesn't really matter.

Here are my main take-aways.

1 - Find opportunities to steal time. She likened it to two dating high schoolers. Even if it was only for 15 minutes, the two would make it a point to get together and do whatever dating high schoolers do. Priorities were re-arranged. Things were done faster or removed from the list so time could be made to see each other. This is what needs to happen when we pursue our projects. A lot of 15-minute intervals add up to a decent amount of time.

2 - If you want to succeed, you need to be willing to eat the shit sandwich. For example, if you want to be a successful trial lawyer, you need to be willing to work un-godly hours. If you want to be a professional writer, you need to be ready to write and write and write despite receiving rejection letter after rejection letter. Basically, you need to realize that pursuing your dream means you are going to have to put in a lot of grunt work before your it's realized. If you're truly passionate about your project, you'll eat that sandwich and then ask for seconds.

3 - Don't let your perfect get in the way of complete. Gilbert isn't telling people to do their work, or pursue their dream, half-assed. She's just saying, at some point, it's going to be good enough for public consumption. Sometimes having something in the world for people to react to is better than never having it see the light of day because it wasn't perfect.

4 -  If you're in a rut, take a break. Do something else that channels your energy and brings you joy. Often times, and this is especially true for creatives, this allows your conscious to think about the issue or problem from a different angle. This often results in seeing things differently than before and coming up with a solution.

There you have it. My book report. I'd recommend this book to anyone who is interested in hearing real world examples about how others have mastered their craft in a creative space.

As you were.

WEEK IN REVIEW

For accountability purposes, and because I know you, dear readers, care so much, here is a recap of last week:

Total workouts: 5 (3 at Orange Theory Fitness and 2 at the gym for weight lifting)
Total workouts before 9 am: 4
Total days of healthy eating (with NO cheats): 7
Total meals prepped: 6 (only dinners)
Total weight lost: 5.1 lbs

As you were.

GUESS WHO'S TOO BIG FOR A TRICYCLE???

Brooks got a motorized 4-wheeler for Christmas so we were testing it out. In the process, he wanted me to ride his tricycle - which I did, with zero shame. I was a bit too big. But, the effort was there.

Please ignore the dirty garage and the christmas light cord taped to the ground.

As you were.

DID I JUST ADD TO MY LIST? YES. I. DID.

I'm going to do it...I'm adding number 35 to my list of things I want to do this year.

#35: Start seeking out, and creating, opportunities to hang out with people in my tribe. (Both people that I already know and by meeting new people.) 
(I know the word "tribe" is often overused and has a sort of sorority girl cliche' associated with it. Believe me - I spent several minutes searching for another word...but none worked.)

What I mean is, start surrounding myself with people who have a similar energy as mine and who provide inspiration.

We all know these people, or have at least come into contact with them from time to time. We often leave these interactions happy, refreshed and recharged. Sometimes, if we're lucky, we have that rare, "I've got the world by the neck and can do anything I put my mind to" feeling. Sadly, these feelings are rare and the positive vibes often evaporate quickly.

So, I'm going to make it a point to put myself in these situations as often as possible.

I believe the energy these hangouts provide help us operate at a higher frequency - and that's what I'm all about for 2019.

Because I over-analyze everything - EVERYTHING - I spent some serious time trying to figure out what draws me to this group of people. Besides "I like to feel good and have fun"  I came up with a few ideas...

• Most are very entrepreneurial in spirit
• They are doing what brings them joy regardless of what society says they should do
• Most have a "I don't care what you think" attitude. I'll do me, you do you, and we'll be cool.
• They've figured out what they want to do in life, and have gone after it. I am very envious of this courage and want to have more of my own. 

The first three points are very in-line with my thinking. My momma will tell you that I ever since I popped out of the womb I've had a "damn the man" attitude and have practiced a "live and let live" outlook.

The fourth bullet point is what I need to work on. I know what I want to do and I've been working extremely hard to make it happen. But, who wouldn't want to surround themselves with courageous dudes and chicks?

And, an even more important part of this list item, is to let the universe know I'm open to meeting new people who share the same energy. After all, if you always swim in the same pond, you'll always see the same things.

As you were.

NEW INVENTION

We just got some snow, and since I wasn't born in a barn, I take my snowy shoes off at the door. And you know what happens nearly every single time???

I come back a few hours later (this morning, it was about 12 hours later) and my shoes are sitting in a huge puddle of water. This is dumb.

So, I'm going to make myself a new invention...feel free to copy it for your own self-betterment.

I'm going to take a boot tray and a cookie cooling rack, and then, (hold on tight, this is where it gets tricky) put the rack in the tray and put my wet shoes on the rack. BAM.

Boots/shoes will dry. The water will collect in the tray. My floors will be clean.

As you were.