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So, shit got out of hand the last week of the last challenge. I'm picking it back up. Zero week leeway, of course. Need to accelerate. SLEEP - wake up in the single digits (i.e. before 10). Instagram it, a la Jocko Willink. No excuses. AIR - Headspace. Finish Focus pack, and [maybe] move on to Rehab pack. Shieeeettt... FOOD - Whiteboard seems to work. I'll just have to set a Sunday schedule instead of lollygagging all day. Also started a new Battle Log, so I can compartmentalize my training and getting my shit together. Because training is easy; life is not.

Last challenge went ok! Not perfect by a long shot, but ok. I made progress, but ran into some trouble, related to the state of my kitchen and the amount of effort/time it took to do...well, anything. So, time to tackle the next couple of obstacles to me having a healthy life style: Messy House and Lack of Sleep! I was going to do a continuation of my "battle with the hydra" theme, but then I realized this challenge ends on/right before (depending on which set of dates you go by o_O) my bout, so I need a more epic theme. In keeping with my team, I'm a Fire Elemental! But what kind of Fire Elemental am I? Time to find out! Goals: Messy House - week 1: get the kitchen cleaned up. Week 2: get my bedroom cleaned up. Week 3: get the living room cleaned up. Week 4: get my desk cleaned up. All weeks: spend at least 15 minutes/day working on the house, and don't leave any (new) dishes in the sink or sitting out. Points - 1/day for spending 15 minutes working on the house, 15 points for completing each week's task in that allotted week. Lack of Sleep - get to bed by 9 every day I don't have late practice. Get to bed ASAP on practice nights. I now have to get to work early enough that I can pick Little Bug up from school by 3, so this really needs to be non-negotiable. I will leave some room to adjust on the weekends, perhaps, but it would probably be better if I can stick to a routine every day. Which probably means I should keep getting up early on the weekends as well. But ugh, early mornings don't like me. :/ Points - 4/day if I'm in bed on time, losing one point for each 15 minutes I'm late. Goals 0-50, I'm a Wisp. 51-100, I'm a Salamander. 101-150, I'm a Firebird. 151-200, I'm a Volcano Goddess On top of all of this, I am going to attempt to keep up exercising and eating well. Not going to put those as official goals for this challenge, but I do need to keep on top of them so I am ready for my bout. I'm going to take zero week off this time around, and work on packing lunch for me and Little Bug every day. Let's see how big I can grow! And if anyone wants to come watch me play... http://www.tiltedthunder.com/bout-tickets/ October 14th, at 5pm, at the Evergreen State Fairgounds Edit: switched up a couple of the categories because I thought of stuff I liked better.

My last challenge worked out well, and my goals seem like useful ones, so I'm basically just doing the same thing again. Goals Squat form: My goal is again to get to the point where I can do a heavy squat set and be confident that the bar will stay over my mid-foot. Last challenge, I got the point where it's possible, but it still doesn't happen every time. Yoga: I still want to do 2 yoga sessions every week. I'm playing with the idea of changing up my stretching routine so that all of my regular stretching takes places at the end of my workouts, after I'm already warmed up. That seems like it would save time, but I don't know how long I actually have to spend stretching to observe an increase in flexibility. Sleep: I want to get to bed by 11:30 pm at least 5 days every week. No rolling over to next week. SICP: I want to spend at least 30 minutes working through Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs on two different days each week. No rolling over. Last challenge, I had separate, 30-minute goals for Tuesday or Thursday and Saturday or Sunday. I'm not sure whether that helped me stay on track or just got in my way. I can anticipate one weekend during this challenge during which it is very unlikely that I will have any time to program, so I will remove that restriction this time, and we'll see what happens.

Hello all! In my journey toward 'having my house in order', I successfully built the foundation in the last challenge, so I'm moving on to laying the deck down (for all you non-builders, that's the flat subfloor that all the framing of the house sits on). I'm keeping the same goals, but adding to them. 1) Sleep: I'm still working on getting my hours to both the amount and the time period that I want. 2) Devotions: Now that I'm actually getting up in the morning, I really need to consistently have a morning time set apart to pray and read my Bible. I had that this winter and early spring (before I fell apart and had to respawn), and I KNOW I was a lot healthier spiritually then. 3) Productivity: I'm also adding in the need to do something, ANYTHING, useful during the day. It doesn't matter what it is or how big or small. Wash a single dish. Build a new animal shed. Whatever. Just do something productive. 4) Walk: I want to be more consistent in walking 3x a week. I've got two usual paths I take, each one takes me about 30 minutes round trip. 5) Bodyweight: I'm so incredibly happy with my progress last challenge! =D I'm going to keep on with the same progression. By the end of this challenge, I should get up to 3 sets of 10 reps each. As with last challenge, I'm not going to tally up success and failure overall, just work on adding these to my life until they 'stick'. Goals: Sleep - 9:30 PM to 6:00 AM Devotions - First thing in the morning after I shower Productivity - Do something useful Walk - Sundays, Tuesdays, Thursdays Bodyweight - Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays Workout plan: Quads - squats - 05 - 05 - 05Glute - hip raises - 05 - 05 - 05Push - push ups - 05 - 05 - 05Pull - chinups & pullups - 05 - 05 - 05Core - planks (in seconds) - 09 - 09 - 09

Welcome, Guardians, to my 3rd (post-respawn) challenge! Over the course of the two prior challenges, I’ve made some observations as to what’s working for me, and, more importantly, what’s not working. Having taken this information into account, my challenges are getting an update. The gamification and such will still be there, it’s more about the content, tracking, and set up. If you would like to read the full, written out list of my observations, they can be found in the spoiler. You don’t have to read all that in order to follow this challenge, it’s just some insight and reasoning behind it. As some of you may have guessed, this is a Destiny themed challenge. I’ve been obsessed with this game since day 1, even more so than I ever was with Halo 2 (which is quite the feat, given that H2 was the game that turned me into a gamer). I’ve chosen this theme, not only for that reason, but because Destiny 2 came out on Sept 6 and I can’t get it off my mind, so I might as well incorporate it into other parts of my life. For those who are unfamiliar, here is a little background info from Destiny 1: “Destiny is set in the 28th century, in a post-apocalyptic setting. Humans had spread and colonized the Solar System with the help of a spherical entity known simply as "the Traveler". It reshaped planets and moons, and taught humanity new technologies and gave mystical powers that led to a time later called the Golden Age. An event known as "The Collapse", an attack from the Darkness, an unknown faction or entity, saw the dissolution of these colonies and left mankind on the brink of extinction. The only known survivors of the Collapse are those living on Earth, who were saved by the Traveler. Now the Traveler hovers above the last remaining human city as a large spherical body, and its presence gives the Guardians of the City—the last defenders of the human race—the ability to wield an unknown power. Upon mankind's first attempt to repopulate and reconstruct after the Collapse, it was discovered that hostile alien races have occupied mankind's former colonies and civilizations. The player takes on the role of a Guardian of the City, and is tasked with investigating and destroying these threats before the remnants of humanity are completely wiped out.” The situation as of Destiny 2: Humanity’s last safe city has fallen to an overwhelming invasion force, led by Ghaul, the imposing commander of the brutal Red Legion. He has stripped the city’s Guardians of their power, and forced the survivors to flee. You will venture to mysterious, unexplored worlds of our solar system to discover an arsenal of weapons and devastating new combat abilities. To defeat the Red Legion and confront Ghaul, you must reunite humanity’s scattered heroes, stand together, and fight back to reclaim our home. I am a Guardian - an Awoken, and a member of the Hunter class to be exact. I’ve reclaimed my Light, and have the ability to choose one of three subclasses: I typically go with the Gunslinger subclass, because it fits my play style best. I’m a short to mid range, sharp shooting run-and-gunner, who occasionally chooses to use a little stealth. It’s time for me to gather the Vanguard, fight the Red Legion, take down Gary-- I mean Ghaul -- and, most importantly, get back Cayde’s stuff! This challenge is 8 weeks long and has two parts, each spanning 4 weeks. Goals will be separated into 4 categories: Story Missions: These are the main goals - the meat and potatoes of my challenge, if you will. This is where most of the focus will be. Adventures: The side quests.These help me level up and gain more experience, but aren’t the main focus. Milestones: Tasks that must be completed within a set period of time. Some milestones have a certain date that they need to be done, while others need to be done within that part of the challenge (part 1 vs part 2). Lost Sectors: A type of ‘Patrol’ activity. I can do these at any time and at my own pace. They aren’t mandatory, but they are things that I would like to do by the end of the challenge. *Challenge drops 9/23/17*

My morning routine has been working out well. I need to move towards allotting more time towards it. As of today, I've completed it 20 days in a row. But some of those days, I was late for work or did it hurriedly. The main focus for this challenge is going to be time. So here goes my first attempt at a themed challenge... Except I'm not the Doctor. I don't have a Tardis, and I can't do anything Timey Wimey or wibbly wobbly. (Ok.. maybe wobbly.. but no wibbly!) I have to eat, I have to sleep, I have to work, and thank god, I only have one heart. I think the biggest thing I need to work on is going to bed at a decent time. If I go to bed well, I can get up better. I have worked on this in past challenges, with some success. Lately, I've been slipping for various reasons, mostly work related (but that's for later). I need to make sure I get sleep. 1. Be in bed by 10. This also means I have to be proactive about calling my guy, even if we can't actually talk, it'll get him to call me. Then I can sleep. But don't sleep too much. 2. But don't sleep too much! Wake up incrementally 7 minutes earlier each week of the challenge. We're going to pretend I get up by 7:30 currently. (hahahahahaha...) So, first week, 7:23 Now for something I"ve been putting off for basically 3 years, and viewers at home are probably shaking their head at the idea of me including it in yet another challenge, but 3. Get to running. Start off with walking for 30 minutes, 3x. Then start on a 5k training plan, whether it's the zombies on or the typed one on my fridge. Today's the 20th, so by end of the challenge, I want to have AT LEAST passed Week 2, Run 2. I've already walked twice. Other than running, I need to sort out my evening time better. I know what works for me, I just have to get back on track. If I work my time right, I can be responsible, be crafty, and be adventurious. 4. Work on my specialization for 20 minutes, clean for 20 minutes, and declutter for 20 minutes each night. I need to make space in my kitchen. It's driving me nuts, I hate cooking at home (I love cooking..what?!), and I have identified things that can go and make room for getting it better organized. I also need to send out a couple of give back boxes. I necer narrowed down my specialization for Rising Heroes, but I have the options of working on etsy stuff, blog stuff, Japanese(though I doubt I ever place 1st in our club again, I'm just going to aim to beat either @Kishi or @RisenPhoenix) or German, or archery. Or more than one, since that's totally doable on days I don't run. I've got a few things that need taken care of, and they pretty much just mean I have to do adult stuff. My Adult List: Finish my TR1 so I can sort out my credit card bill Sort out Dentist bill bc I don't owe them as much money as they think I do Sort out Drew Memorial bill because I have no idea why they think I owe them money Redo my debt planner & YNAB categories <<I've paid down and consolidated my debt and making satisfactory progress but I could do better. I got lax on my spending during vacation and haven't reigned it back in. Plus, who I owe what and when shifted around a lot and I need to get that organized again No Buy November Challenge. The only things I will buy for the rest of this challenge are 1. Gasoline 2. Food 3. A cheap toolbox and a cheap lock for my niece to have her own storage space at my house. It doesn't really have to be big or secure, it's a symbol thing, and then I'll definitely have won my place as her favorite aunt at least until she's a teenager. (I'm her only one..) No other purchases of stuff. No e-books. I need to even work on not buying food because I have plenty I need to use up, freezer stuff, packaged sauces, spices, etc. Clean my car out Detail my car (these are harder than they sound just cause it's hot ya'll) Redo death book & will Finish password log home edition Finish password log work edition Check on my FSA balance & get my FSA paperwork in order Hang my hose holder above the faucet (seriously.. all I need is a wood screw, why's it still on my dining table!?!) And I'm just gonna end with one of my favorite moments