Step 40: Go to a Baby Shower

My cousin's having a baby!

Baby showers are always fun (unless you're a guy or a heartless woman). You get to "awww" over all of the cute baby clothes, play fun (yet possibly challenging if you don't know a lot about babies) games, and eat whatever foods Mama's craving (please don't let it be sardines and pickles!).

You also ponder the future (or the past, depending on your age and if you've had children of your own yet). For me, it gets me thinking about how I really really wish there was a way to get a baby out of me without the pain of all those needles! (I don't tolerate pain well, especially when it's inflicted via needle or bee sting, but I do think one day I'd like to have kids.) For others, they remember the birth of their first child or imagine what it'll be like at their own baby shower.

So my question to you: What's a fun baby shower game? We played one where each person had 5 clothe pins, and if you heard someone say the word "baby" you got to take one of their pins. The person with the most pins at the end of the party wins. I failed miserably. :)
And my challenge to you: ...go hold a baby? I don't know, what kind of challenge can you give in relationship to baby showers? :D

Step 39: Do a Random Act of Kindness

The other day as I was going on my run, I came by a house that had a woman playing fetch with her dog in the backyard (which was a random act of kindness in and of itself, seeing as how it's been nothing but cold and colder here in Indiana). She tossed the ball for the happy dog, but accidentally threw too hard--the ball landed just a couple inches on the other side of the fence.

I stopped my watch, walked over to the ball, and tossed it back over. It wasn't like I saved the world or anything, but I made life just a little easier for one of my neighbors and a little more fun for the dog ('cause what dog doesn't love barking at a stranger AND getting his ball back :) ).

There are all kinds of small things that you can do to help make the world just a little bit nicer. Below are some pictures of my favorites, and for more ideas you can check out the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation's web page.

So my question to you: What's something that you've done to help your fellow man?
And my challenge to you: Try to do something nice for a complete stranger this week.

Step 38: Enter a Competition

And use your blog to shamelessly help you enter that competition. :)

I'm entering a contest hosted by local author Mike Mullin in hopes of winning a signed manuscript of the final book in his Ashfall series! Sunrise, due out on March 17, is the awesome conclusion to the story of how two teenagers survive in a world devastated by the supervolcano eruption in Yellowstone. It's a VERY good story, and if you haven't read the first two books yet, you've still got time!

There are LOADS of other competitions out there for you to enter, though. It all depends on what you're interested in. Sign up for a race, write a short story or poem for a writing contest, try to be caller 9 and win those ticket's to Katie Perry's concert. If you don't try to enter a competition because you think you might not win, then you're definitely not going to win. And even if you don't win, you can gain valuable experience (if you end up as caller 10, you'll know next time to be a faster button pusher ;) )

So my question to you: What kind of competitions are you interested in?
And my challenge to you: Big shock here--go enter a competition! If you're interested in Mike Mullin's competition, you can go here to check out all the rules, but hurry, his competition ends on January 26!

Step 37: Submit Your Work for Critique

*Sorry, but once again my blog post is geared more towards all you budding writers out there and less so to my everyday audience. Even if you don't write, though, I'm willing to bet that you do something creative that you can submit for critique just as I've submitted my stories.

Handing over your work to someone with the hopes of having them approve of it but knowing that they're going to rip it to shreds is one of the most nerve wracking things in the world. But it's also one of the most beneficial.

I submit my short stories and chapters to a site called Critique Circle, where people from all over the world and of all levels of writing abilities can read my stories, give compliments, and make suggestions. For the young adult novel that I'm working on, I've already submitted the first seven chapters for review, and I've learned two very important things: the people who've looked over my story so far seem to think it's a good idea (yay!), but I've still got a lot of work to put into it if I hope to get it published (less yay, but good to know).

When you allow complete strangers to look at your creation, you get honest feedback. You'll find out what works and what needs to be tweaked. Errors in logic can be pointed out, which saves you the embarrassment of pulling a George Lucas or a Stephanie Myer (and don't hate on me--I like both of them, but backpedaling on how Princess Leia can remember her mother or how vampire Edward can get a girl pregnant is a little sad). And, most importantly, you find out if you've actually got a shot at doing something great, or if you should hang up the towel on that particular project.

So my question to you: When you make something (either a story, a painting, a cake, whatever), who do you have check it out?
And my challenge to you: Try not to be afraid to show others what you've created. I know, that's easier said than done, but you really will find it helpful.

Step 36: Sign Up for Health Insurance

Gone are the days when I could get by with just having my Mama kiss my boo-boos. It's time for me to get some big-girl health insurance.

I enrolled in the Affordable Care Act's Health Insurance Marketplace the other day, and it was surprisingly easy; although, I'm still not covered. I don't make enough money to be eligible for any of the low-cost insurances/tax breaks that the federal government offers (I know, that sounds like an oxymoron), but I may be eligible for Indiana's Healthy Hoosiers/Healthy Indiana Plan (basically Medicaid).

Not to get political or diss on my State here, but things are about to get a lot more complicated.

My sister received the exact same response when she signed up for health insurance back in early November. When she received her results, it said that someone from the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration would contact her about her eligibility for Healthy Hoosiers and/or Healthy Indiana Plan. It's been two months, and she hasn't heard a peep from them.

I'm giving them one week before I call them.

I'll keep you guys updated on how applying for Healthy Hoosiers/Healthy Indiana Plan works out, but as far as Obama's Health Insurance Marketplace--it's really not that bad. The website was easy to navigate, it was pretty easy to understand, and it only took about 30 minutes to fill out the application. The most annoyance I had was having to verify my address six times because I only put down the first five digits of my zip code instead of the full eight. So if you haven't yet applied and you don't have health insurance, get to it! Especially if you think you're eligible for Medicaid, 'cause who knows how long it's going to take your state to accept you into the program.

So my question to you: What do you think about the Health Insurance Marketplace website?
And my challenge to you: If you know the trick to getting into Healthy Hoosiers/Healthy Indiana Plan, share it with your fellow internet goers! I'm really not looking forward to having to call people and fill out more paperwork...

Step 35: Order the Kennedy Package

Oh the look on your waiter's face when he asks for your drink order and you ask if he watches How I Met Your Mother. He knows some weird request is coming up, but since he doesn't watch the show, he doesn't quite know what to expect. You go on to explain that you want what the show has coined as "The Kennedy Package."

Lily explains it best at 2:18 (warning, there is a slight spoiler if you haven't been watching this season, but if you don't watch the show at all you're fine to watch it)

And that's what I asked for when I went out to dinner with my friends. And our waiter did a pretty dang good job with it, too. Was it a little bit embarrassing? Of course! (And no, not because I got completely drunk--I only had Applebee's margaritas and they put NO alcohol in those things... they just taste so fruitylicious!) But it made my night, made my friends laugh, and gave our waiter a great story to tell his co-workers. And that's what's important - making sure that everyone has a fun night. :)

So my question to you: What's the weirdest thing you've ever done in a restaurant?
And my challenge to you: Strike up a conversation with your waiter the next time you go out. It doesn't have to be something weird like explaining what a Kennedy Package is, but if you treat them as part of your gang they tend to take good care of you.

Step 34: Embrace the New Year

New Year's resolutions are one of the most popular and yet hated of all New Year's traditions. Far more resolutions end up being broken than getting completed, and so often that just depresses people. I know some people who are simply refusing to make resolutions this year.

So here's a new tradition for the New Year:
 Memory Jars

I did this last year, and my New Year's resolution is to fill this year's jar with even more happy memories. Instead of focusing on the bad or mundane that happens throughout the year, your memory jar captures the big events and happy moments. And when you look at all of them at the end of the year (or beginning of the new year, like I did today), it reminds you that even if you did fall off your New Year's Resolution Bandwagon, you still did some amazing things.

Here's a look at some of my fondest memories from 2013

• Got the best role in a school play that I've ever had--Ferdinand (yes, a guy :P) in The Tempest
• Went to Myrtle Beach for Spring Break and threw up for the first time
• Met Mike Mullins, author of the Ashfall trilogy
• Got way too into a Capella music after seeing Six Appeal
• Was in two of my friend's weddings
• Hid random Easter Eggs around the dorm rooms
• Went to Hawaii
• Graduated
• Made "Vote for Batman and Robin" posters and hung them up during senate elections at school
• Learned that corn was in everything (thanks to my roommate for adding that wonderful memory to my jar)

So my question to you: What memories do you hope to make in 2014?
And my challenge to you: Make as many happy memories as you can!