TNT

I used to have this awesome class in middle school called TNT, which stood for "Think New Thoughts, Try New Things."  I just feel like that's a good title for this entry, which is mostly about all the new thoughts and new things that seem to be exploding into my life right now.

1.  I shot a gun for the first time last weekend.  Actually, I shot three of them.  I was terrified at first, but after a few tries I started to really like it.  Turns out I'm a pretty decent shot, so keep that in mind next time you decide to challenge me to a western-style shoot-out.

2.  I rode a horse for the first time on Thursday.  Also, terrified at first, but liked it by the end.  It was kind of comedic that after about five minutes on the trail the guide told me I wasn't kicking my horse hard enough because he wasn't keeping up, and so I kicked him a little harder.  It must have startled him, because he reared back and started galloping up the trail.  I thought I would die.  Don't worry, though; I still had a death grip on the saddle horn, so there was no way in heck he was getting me out of the saddle.  Hearing the commotion, the guide turned back and asked what was wrong, and when I told her, she said, "He's never done that before..."  I believe her, too, because the rest of the trail I kicked him just as hard and he mostly just ignored me, and sometimes shook his head and snorted when I tried to get him to go.  I was sore for three days afterwards from kicking him for a solid hour.  (The horse in the picture was not the horse I rode.  The one I rode was about twice that size haha)

3.  I spent Thursday through Saturday this last week in Park City.  It was the perfect blend of alone time and social time.  It was the perfect blend of quiet time and excitement.  In short, it was the best vacation I could have possibly taken right now.  I really needed to be away from Provo and get a break from my routine, and the slow pace up there really did the trick.

4.  I got my hair cut.  There is something about a major change in appearance that makes you feel like a brand new person.

5.  I don't know if it was being outside of the desolation of Provo or my new coif, but I got several compliments from strangers on how I looked during my mini-vacation.  One of the best ones was the guy taking my order for breakfast on Saturday calling one of his friends from the back to come to the counter and look at how beautiful I was.  Pretty sure I blushed all morning after that.

6.  I am overhauling the way I treat my body, as of yesterday.  Today marked Day 2 of South Beach Diet, Phase I.   Twelve more days to go, and I'll get to move on to Phase II.  I just decided that since my mom has had a lot of success with it, and I am on my way to having the same health problems she had (type 2 diabetes and high risk for heart disease), I needed to do it too.  It seems like just the plan I needed to finally teach myself how to eat in a way that benefits my health.  Hopefully I will be as successful as my mom has been!

Those seem like the major things right now.  I just feel like I'm finally on my way to the life I want for myself.  It's a good feeling.