{26 before 26: #12, #14, & #24 check!}

{yay! progress!}

I realized I haven’t updated you guys on the progress of my list for awhile (not that there has been toooo much), so here goes. I have gotten some big things crossed off! I have promised myself to be a little more active on this especially as the months really do fly by. I mean what’s the point in creating a goals list if I’m not going to do my very best to complete it?

#12: Organize and plan a camp trip.

About two months ago I actually started working on this one with my friend Nicole. Originally Jesse and I were just going to go with Nicole and her family, but after she found out my parent’s had never been (and that my mom was especially eager to go) she insisted we invite them along. After months of on and off planning we successfully camped Easter weekend! It was wonderful. Jesse and I hadn’t been for awhile so we were very happy to be out in the wilderness again. My parents absolutely loved it; my mom couldn’t hide her excitement..hehe. Read more about our camp trip here.

{our little group minus Dad Ellis}

#14: Start an herb garden.

I had been postponing this one for awhile because of my fear of my death thumb. However as the weather has turned nicer and I’ve started browsing through new recipes, I found that I wanted to challenge myself and give it a try. I got my wonderful hubs to make me the most beautiful standing plant box and I filled it with all my favorite herbs. I decided not to start from scratch (or seeds) and just went ahead and bought pre-grown herbs. Now all I have to do is KEEP THEM ALIVE...which I intend to do! I’m happy to report that it’s been three weeks and they are doing beautifully! I even harvested a few to make an herb roasted turkey breast for our camp trip. Nothing beats fresh herbs!

{jesse’s handiwork}

{all my beautiful herbs}

#24: Avoid fast food for at least one whole month.

This one was tough. Really tough. Especially when all I could think about were those delicious Mickey D’s cheeseburgers. No one makes them like Mickey D’s, which is probably why they’re so bad for you. Anyway, I did it! All of March I was fast food free, feasting on home cooked meals and sandwiches. It felt great. I was tempted a few times but never gave in. Final thoughts---I don’t think a fast food meal every once in a blue moon (and it better be navy) is horrible for you. You can and should indulge yourself every now and then, but just keep in mind that not all foods are created equal, and some things are harder to recover from than others (i.e. carrot stick vs. French fry). We control the future of our bodies. This never hit home harder than when I noticed my metabolism slowing down. I realized that I had to get my butt in action and learn some self control.

I will stick with my healthy diet and treat myself (probably after a ridiculous night out) every now and then to my guilty pleasure---a cheeseburger kids meal.

How fun! 3 down, 23 to go!