Robertson Davies says “Adventures are what makes a summer.”  There is a podcast called Happier with Gretchen Rubin and she talks about the concept of “Design our Summer”. Summer just slips by!  Cruises by!  How is it Memorial Day Weekend already?  The weather gets nice!  The days are longer because the sun is out but somehow the days go faster.  Gosh Minnesota is the best in the summertime.  I’m very excited to share my experience with Floaters Recreational Rentals in Big Lake.  

Some days just don’t go as planned. You’ve had those days, right? I was really hoping to do something way outside my comfort zone today. Something epic or maybe even scary. Buffet Year is a commitment to changing your life so you can break free of your past self and step into who you are meant to be. That is going to mean something different to every person that is brave enough to take on this human experiment. To me, it’s also about breaking the identity of who you think you are and who you’ve been. So I didn’t do something scary or uncomfortable today, but I did a couple of things that my past self wouldn’t have done.

This is a message to you as much as it is a message to myself.  Be weird.  Hop on the good foot and do the weird thing.  Do you know what’s also kind of weird?  People scrolling on their phones and not living life.  We are addicted to our phones.  You might see someone like me out in public recording themself and casting judgment.  However, in the confines of your room, you can’t wait to pull your phone out and scroll when you really should be getting those zzzs.  Scrolling is the new smoking.  I’m guilty.  I want to do more living and less scrolling.  Let your freak flag fly!

Today is Day 23 of #mybuffetyear.  Do you have a favorite coffee drink?  Or a favorite breakfast spot?  Today is Bree’s birthday and she is always up for a new adventure.  So today we are trying Hope Breakfast Bar in Saint Louis Park and a new coffee beverage. 

Today is Day 22 of #mybuffetyear. We have had various coaches through childhood, but have you had a coach in your adult life? It may be foreign to some people, but a coach can help you with your blindspots, and new perspectives, hold you accountable, and call you on your bullshit. Today I became part of a new mastermind with my new coach Matthew Allyn.

I ordered Birria for the first time. I didn’t know what that was until we sat down with Knute with Perfect Exteriors of Minnesota a couple of weeks ago. For those of you unfamiliar with Birria, it’s a Mexican dish where the meat is marinated in an adobo made of vinegar, dried chiles, garlic, herbs, and spices before being cooked in a broth. This isn’t official culinary speak, but here is what I experienced.

This blog is special. I wrote it in a Google Doc. I went to the tools tab and clicked word count like I always do. It was 333 words. I went to Google to look up the significance of that. Here is what I found: The angel number 333 encourages you to set plans into action and let your personal strength be the guide; to trust yourself and put thought into your choices. This angel number also is connected with optimism, creativity, and intuition.

Today is Day 18 of #mybuffetyear. Have you ever done an online certification in a field you are passionate about but is so different than anything you’ve ever done? Did the certification make a huge impact on you, essentially transforming you to become the best version of yourself? Today I am starting a HypnoBreathwork® Certification Training with Francesca Sipma. It’s a live training with about 12 other beautiful souls done over Zoom for the next 4 days.

The new experience can’t be hair-raising and super exciting every day.  It’s about coming to the place of acceptance with the present moment.  We have to find a little joy in the mundane.  Unless you are a baller.  Does anybody say that anymore?  It wasn’t that painful and I spent about an hour and a half.  I would be curious how long it takes, took, and tunk you to go through your closet.  I just tried to Dr. Seus that last sentence.  Anyway, go through your closet and see if you can beat 31!  I dare you and hit us up on Instagram and let us know how it goes. 

My new experience for today was trying an online workout with Tanci from Turn Up Dance Fitness. It’s out of my comfort zone, but I would be game to try a dance fitness class in the studio. Preferably with Big Kid Rick! Today’s workout was a 30-minute recording that primarily focused on the glutes and hamstrings. Not so much dancing today, but effective movements for the buns hun.

Buffet Year is about getting out of your comfort zone and new experiences just as much as it is about showing gratitude on a deep level. I believe it is very important to slow down and take the time for reflection and be thankful for the people that have helped you out along the way. However, I don't always take the time to do it.

Today was Day 14 of #mybuffetyear.  It’s also Mother’s Day so we kept the experience really quick and easy.  That way we could get back to celebrating Mom ASAP!  Today my oldest son and I tried Boba Tea for the first time. “They asked us to stay for tea and have some fun”. Name the song and artist

Walt Whitman and Mary Oliver were two great poets. Billy Shakespeare wrote a whole bunch of sonnets. *Name the song those lyrics are from*. Today I’m not singing I’m spending 15 minutes doing Poetry. I’m a poet and didn’t even know it. ;)

What day of the week is most reserved for you and your comfort zone?  When you think sweat pants, comfort food, and maybe some Netflix and chill what night comes to mind?  For me, it would be Friday night, but I could see how Friday night and Sunday night would be a close tie.  Back in my drinking days or should I say younger days, I almost always had at least one beer or vodka club soda and lime by 5:30 pm and most nights it was sooner.  Now here I am on a Friday night going to a 5 pm boxing class at STRIKE Fitness in Rogers. 

Did you play Pretty Pretty Princess as a kid?  I did not.  I don’t know how I even know what that it is, but a quick Google search tells me there is a board game.  I probably should have played Pretty Pretty Princess or played with more Barbies, maybe then I would take better care of my eyebrows, and skin, and whiten my teeth.  

Do you identify as an arts and crafts person? Perhaps you are one of those people who dedicates a whole room or space to your crafting activities. That would not be me. I’m here for it, but I learned something about myself that I identified in my 9-year-old son a couple of years ago - my ego loves to only do things I'm good at it. But Buffet Year isn’t about that.

It was an awesome date night and it was lovely to try something new with my love. She was saying how she gets to enjoy the ripple effect of Buffet Year. She is more adventurous than me so she is probably really enjoying #mybuffetyear. We even learned that in India the word Josh means yum or yummy. It probably really means asshole, but that's why I'm going to name the title of this blog "Yeah, I got that yummy-yum" after the Justin Bieber hit Yummy.

Buffet Year is about jumping outside your comfort zone, doing random acts of kindness, and stepping into the shoes of another individual on this planet Earth. Can you imagine being a teacher nowadays? Budget cuts, big class sizes, oh my!

Do you ever struggle with fear, doubts, overthinking, negativity, limiting beliefs & old stories, self-sabotage patterns, or a lack of gratitude? Or are you the type of person that struggles with knowing the next action to take? If so, you will want to read about my Sunday adventure which was powerful and I didn’t even have to leave the house.