Missions Four through Seven

I didn't do daily blogs for several missions, because really they were short and simple or I didn't exactly manage to complete them. These things happen. I'm going to take a moment and update all of you on those missions and then I'll post about my "Destination Unknown" adventure tomorrow morning. It will be AMAZING!

Mission Four was called "Here Comes the Sun" and Revolution-ers were asked to make an effort to watch the sunset and the sunrise the following day. Now, where I live usually has AMAZING sunsets like this.





However I was foiled in my attempt to get a GREAT picture because it was SO overcast! This is the best picture I got and it's hard to even tell that it is sunset. Dawn was actually impossible because of fog and rain and just gunky skies, but I enjoyed looking for the sunrise each day.





Mission Five was was a bit easier in some respects. We were asked to compliment five people throughout the day. This was easy as pie. I made sure to give genuine compliments, because fake love isn't cool. I complimented students in the school where I worked, co-workers, and family members. The only catch was that we were asked to compliment two strangers. When you work in a small school with only 350(ish) students and less than 50 members on staff it is HARD to find a strangers. I am still on the lookout for strangers to compliment and I will report back ASAP when I find (and praise) them.

Mission Six was easy as pie. Give to charity. I decided at the end of the year to donate the amount of money I spend on books throughout the year to charities I like. Trying to balance those scales a little bit. For this challenge I bought a Basket of Hope from Heifer International. I love Heifer International because they give much needed supplies to people in areas of needs and those supplies don't feed one person for a day. Those supplies make it possible to feed multiple families, increase self-reliance, and boost the economies in these areas. It is a truly wonderful organization where you can buy "gifts" at almost any price point!

Mission Seven was tweaked more than a little to suit my needs. Revolution-ers were instructed to "suit up" and put on fancy clothes for the day. Fridays are the only dress down days we earn at school and I had PLANS to go adventuring after school with BFF1, so I was REALLY unwilling to give up my denim and Chucks. Instead I put effort into my appearance in another way. I actually blow-dried my hair and used a little product to make it look like it had a style. I also wore make-up. This isn't a normal thing for me, I usually sleep as long as possible or read in the morning, giving me only the minimum amount of time to get ready each morning. This usually means I have a quick shower, throw on clothes, and rush out the door with wet hair and no makeup at all.

These missions really are enjoyable and are usually so easy to complete. Even if I don't finish them on the day they are "assigned" or the way I am directed it is really delightful to add these things to my daily routine. Changing small things make each day a surprise and it is lovely.

My Revolution Mission Three

I didn't complete Mission Two...yet. It wasn't possible for me to do the mission the way was expected (once again I am hindered by small town locales) but I have a PLAN for executing the mission on Friday when I spend the afternoon with BFF1. If we succeed then I will be updating with a blog on Friday or Saturday, depending on what the mission for Friday is.

Today's mission was titled "Read-A-Thon," which is of course, right up my alley. However, the fates have been aligned against me today. I took the book* to work, but then I ate lunch with BFF2 and Mr. Math. While I was eating Auntie P wandered over from the high school (which is attached to the middle school where I work) in search of a Coca-Cola. These events led to more conversation and laughing than actual reading. Not that I'm complaining, ultimately life is to be lived, and too frequently I hide in a book instead of interacting with other humans.

After work-time-reading was a bust I planned to come home and read for awhile before I started doing paperwork. As usual, the best laid plans. Since Friday we have been having issues with our wood stove (our primary heat source) and it has been funneling smoke into our house instead of through the pipe and chimney like it is supposed to do. My uncle came over and he and I fiddled with the pipe and discovered that it had mysteriously worked loose, which was the source of the smoke. By this point my allergies were completely haywire, to the point that I was considering taking actual allergy medicine** to deal with the symptoms. I decided not to risk full on medication but did use some prescription eye drops to help my eyes, which were affected the most. After several hours I noticed that I was still miserable and that there was still smoke in the house. I got my Daddy and he checked the pipe only to discover that in the process of reconnecting the pipe we had managed to dislodge soot, which fell down and blocked the pipe. We got that fixed about 30 minutes ago and I settled down with my book to read again.

I only made it through the first chapter. I enjoy SRB and I'm sure I'll love the book, but today was not the day to read. I have no attention span and I don't feel particularly well since the Smoke Monster incident! I'm going to continue reading the book and hopefully I won't be hindered quite so spectacularly in the future!




*I decided to read The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan because it has been on my TBR shelf (AND in my work bag) for such a long time but I have never read it.
**I can't actually TAKE allergy meds because I have crazy extreme reactions to them and I usually just pass out and am completely unable to function after a dose. I know, SUPER helpful on the pain and agony relief front.

My Revolution Mission One

Clearly I am a glutton for punishment. After my previous post I had a conversation with my father and in a fit of EMOTION I signed up for the daily challenge revolution. It maybe wasn't the best time to sign up, because today's mission was "Try a new entertainment." As previously mentioned I live in a TINY town in southwestern Virginia. Entertainment options include: the movie theater, hanging out in Wal-Mart parking lot* like local high school kids, sporting events at one of the local high schools, and our dinner theater. It wasn't really easy to find a "new" form of entertainment to try. I like watching sports, but even if I hated them there aren't games on Saturday nights. It was dark so no outdoor activities are available. Finally I decided to watch a TV show** that I wouldn't normally watch.

I absolutely loathe weddings, and with recent events in my personal life I find love even more off-putting than usual. With these thoughts in mind I browsed Netflix until I stumbled upon My Fair Wedding, a reality show that follows a wedding planner as he provided dream weddings for soon-to-be brides. Usually I find these types of shows a tad bit disgusting. All of the money and drama and crying...it's just too much for me. Perhaps because my own dream wedding includes sundresses, flip flops, and the field behind my aunts house. Or maybe a barefoot wedding on a quiet beach with our families. Nothing big or extravagant.

I watched the first show and wasn't really impressed. The wedding was pretty and David Tutera does a fabulous job of pulling all of the brides crazy ideas together into something cohesive and lovely. But it didn't really do anything for me. I decided to watch the second episode so I had enough data to write this post. I'm not going to lie...the second episode got me a little bit. The bride was super controlling and you could tell that she and her groom didn't have a lot of money. Her mom bought her wedding dress and the groom's parents gave them their invitations and other stationary as a Christmas gift. Even with obstacles the bride was fun and bubbly and happy. I immediately wanted her to have a good wedding and for it to meet all of her expectations. At each step along the way she ended up in tears because she was so happy and excited. She had wonderful manners and probably said "thank you" 100 times in the hour long episode. It was refreshing to watch her. And it was enjoyable.

While this wasn't my favorite show and I doubt I become an avid fan, I can see myself watching this show again. Especially since there were some great wedding themes that I'd like to see come to pass! I had to avoid the temptation of watching Alice in Wonderland theme and Pirates theme because that seemed like cheating! Although I know the point of this challenge wasn't to pick something you don't like, I did enjoy picking something that I would never voluntarily watch if it was showing on TV and giving it a chance.





*Truthfully I should have done this because even as a high school student I didn't troll local parking lots.
**Was inspired by Rosianna watching Eastenders in her video today