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BAMF! After over a year MIA, Nightcrawler returns! Taking a break from fighting for a world that fears and despises his kind, he focused on other aspects of his life. In doing so, he neglected his fitness, gaining weight and impairing his acrobatic skills. Today, Nightcrawler watched the rest of the X-Men nearly fell fighting the Brotherhood as the news helicopters circles overhead. He knew his friends would need him soon and he needed to get back in shape in order to be able to help them. Thus begins his journey. I dropped off the grid a year ago because of school. I didn’t have the time to keep up with the challenges with my course load. I focused on my studies and in doing so, gained 35 pounds over the last year. On positive note, I GRADUATED! I am now officially an American Sign Language interpreter!!! It’s time to focus on fitness again. I tried a few times to get back on track, but kept losing motivation. I think the 4-week challenge is exactly what I need to kick my butt back in shape. I need to take it slow getting back into it though. Overall goal: Weight loss Specific goals: 1. Track Weight Watchers points every day. I will not commit to staying in my points (but it will probably happen anyway most of the time), but just get back into the habit of tracking what I eat. 2. Exercise daily. This doesn’t need to be a long workout or anything, but just some sort of physical activity. 3. Prioritize gymnastics. My old gymnastics place changed their adult class and it is now just self-paced bodyweight training…that I could do all of in my living room instead of paying $10 to do it in a gym. There is literally NO gymnastics done anymore. So I switched gyms, but it is only on Wednesdays now. Because there is only one class a week now, it MUST become a priority. 4. Get more interpreting work. a. Take the screening for the video relay “interpreting call center.” Passing this would mean a guaranteed paycheck and I would be able to choose my own schedule. b. Make a signing sample video to apply for another interpreting agency.

Man, I just love the new year! It's like a brand new notebook, with margins unscribbled. It's like a fresh field of snow with no foot prints. It's a bright Saturday morning when you woke up early and have no plans. In short, it's pure, unadulterated potential. Right now, I have the potential to become an absolutely amazing version of myself, and DAMMIT I'm going to realise that potential THIS YEAR. Full stop. This challenge is stepping stone #1 towards that Fonzico. Nitty gritty: Goal Number One: Complete the Whole 30. Jan 8 - Feb 6th. Incidentally, we have a big Ukrainian family feast coming up on January 7th, so naturally the perfect day to start is the day after, which just happens to coincide with the start of the challenge. Week Zero will be all about the prepping, and for the challenge proper, it's just breathtakingly simple. Follow the program. There is no fail option here, so it will simply result in: +3CHA +2INT Goal Number Two: Hit the gym. My sister and I have started going to the nearby community gym. It's not the fanciest thing you've ever seen, but it's close, inexpensive and so far we've been really enjoying going. We take turns planning our workouts, and just get it done. We had a talk last time about upping the intensity too. There are also drop in classes there which are included in our membership, so I want to start trying those out too. A : 8+ B : 6+ C : 4+ D : 2+ F : 1 or less +3STR +2END Goal Number Three: Get walking. Okay, so call me crazy.. but I want to give myself a year long step goal of 3,650,000 steps. Yep, 10,000 per day ALL year. Holy crap. I'm already behind. Anyways, in order to support this goal, I'm going to get 285,000 steps during the challenge. A : 285,000+ B : 255,000+ C: 225,000+ D : 195,000+ F : 194,999 or less. +2END Goal Number Four: Learn American Sign Language. Whoohoo! This is something I've wanted to do for a long time... and now my work is paying for me to take Level One and Two classes for the next 4-ish months! So excited! All I have to do for this goal is attend the classes, which, like the Whole30 goal, does not have a failure option - aside from extreme illness, there is just no excuse not to go. Classes are Tues/Thursdays from 6pm-9pm. I will attend 8 classes during this challenge. +2INT Goal Number Five: (yeah, Yeah, I know, that's a lot of goals) Bullet journal. I started a Bullet journal a few months ago, and have been kind of half-assedly using it since. I want to actually fully utilise it. Goal is 5 days of week of writing SOMETHING in it. A : 20+ B : 15+ C: 10+ D : 5+ F : 4 or less. +1INT

New Challenge I want to do all the things. All the time. But my plate is constantly too full. The plan for March is to make doing-less-but-doing-it-right a thing. This is the last full challenge before I'm here for a full year. I have a lvl 50 25 dream, getting there will require training, training that requires some organisation. Furthermore it encompasses a moderate fluency in at least 2 languages I'm not fluent in yet. Grinding those skills up will have a place too. I'm in the weight room twice a week (if the kids are in daycare or hubby is home), at FKS class twice a week (except late shift week), and at the pool at least once oftentimes twice a week. All of these exercises are fun. It's when I have something come up and I feel a workout at home should happen that the plan is not followed by action. Yoga and walking are not a thing yet either, against multiple challenges to try to implement them. Food was slipping at the end of February. Need to work that over. And while we're at it, I agreed to write a commission for a friend's business. It's obvious I can't post work-in-progress stuff here of things that will be sold as exclusive stuff lateron. But I have a history of being too afraid to write because I know someone is waiting for my words. It's actually my favourite way to block myself. So I said yes, before I could find arguments against it and will have to find a way to be accountable here, without actually giving you any of my writing. Sorry. How is any of this minimalistic? you might ask. That's a good question. I don't know either, but I feel like slowing down is the right next step. We will have a mini, there's stuff that's not going to need 4 weeks of constant effort. Those will be my mini challenge goals. signing up for classes (including all the behind the scenes organisation) will be oneresearch of one fun topic or other will be another. (mead brewing? traveling?)increasing number of lunges and planks every day will be number 3.and 4... I don't know yet.Everything else will be sorted in one of my favourite things: A Spreadsheet. thank you, @Briniel, for the inspiration (yes, I stole heavily from you, but all the formulae are my own doing). Good behaviour on this month's challenge will get me a day in the SPA with a dear friend of mine. Workout, sauna, the whole shebang... (no massage though, that I need to save up more for.) I think it's time for a cut. TL'DR Do less. But do it well. Anyone feel like explaining how to embed this stuff to me? EDIT Picture and music. PS There is a weekend event at a small lifestock zoo not too far from here. Stoneage / Equinox Celebration. We'll be there, the whole family: my mom, the kids, hubby and me. It'll be fun, I'll give you pictures.

Nightcrawler_Bamff Joins the X-Men! Nightcrawler awakens in the medical center of the X-Men's mansion after his defeat by the Blob. Professor Charles Xavier is at his bedside. "Welcome back, Kurt. How do you feel?" "Like I was hit by a bus" "You took quite a blow, but with a couple days rest, I expect you'll make a full recovery." "I am sorry, Professor. I failed and Blob got away." "No, Kurt, he didn't. Your efforts kept him busy long enough for me to arrive and telepathically subdue him. The police were able to handle him from there." There was a knock at the door and with Professor X's beckoning, a tall man dressed in dark blue and yellow with a visor covering his eyes entered the room. "Kurt, this is Scott Summers, Cyclops. He is the leader of the X-Men." "Hello, Kurt. I hear you are the one we need to thank for stopping the Blob." "But I failed. It was the professor who stopped him." "Without you, Professor Xavier would not have gotten there in time and there would likely have been numerous injuries, if not fatalities. As part of a team, one is able to accomplish so much more than they would be able to on their own. I watched the footage from the encounter; your skills are impressive. With some training, I feel you could be a valuable member of our team." "And you do not mind the way I look?" "Don't hassle me about my shades and we'll call it even." "Zen I shall give you my best." Challenge 10(!!!!) Time to start training for the X-Men! Main Goal: Slim down and tone up. We got tickets to San Diego Comic Con this summer, so I need to look my best to try to fit in with all the amazing costumes I know will be there! Gymnastics: Continuing to work on back handspring combinations and aerials. Specific Quests: 1. T25! Got the program from a friend and I will be following this workout program IN ADDITION TO gymnastics workouts. I've done P90X and Insanity with great results, but got burned out from the minimum of one hour workouts seven days a week. I'm really excited about this program because it is supposed to be Insanity condensed down to just 25 minutes a day. 2. Eat right! I will be following the Weight Watchers program throughout the challenge and tracking my food/activity points. 3. Splits! Haven't made too much progress the last challenge, but going to continue working on these. Wont be devoting as much time to this as previous challenges due to time constraints (see "life" section!!). Stretching sessions will happen once daily, seven days a week. Life: Yet another super busy challenge! 1. School: I'm currently taking two classes, which are turning out to have a lot of homework and will need to be my priority. 2. Star Wars costume: I decided on Kyle Katarn because his costume is relatively simple and goes with my friend's Mara Jade costume. I would like to have this costume at least most of the way completed by the end of the challenge. 3. X-Men costume: Continuing to upgrade Gambit. By July, I will need to have an extendable staff, boots made of foam and warbla, inside pockets added to the trench coat, and sew a bodysuit. Current Gambit: