Post 2 - Genius Hour Final Rose Ceremony

I really wanted to entertain an idea that involved my physical health...workout goals, eating healthy, etc. but I have done that before. I trained for a triathlon and loved it. I liked the schedule and structure. It felt like it was cheating to do it again. I considered desserts, it would be so fun to learn how to decorate cakes. My girls loved this idea (young metabolisms) but then I realized I would gain so much weight taste testing and licking my fingers with sugary goodness. Um, no thanks, that can't happen. There was also an investment in supplies, baking materials and time that led me away from my cake fantasy.

I have wanted to take a tap class ever since "Fake Monica" and Rachel, Monica, and Phoebe from FRIENDS took a class together. After some soul searching I realized I really wanted to be with THEM, not by myself learning to tap! My family also exercised veto rights on tap. I am already doing Zumba moves all around the house and the thought of me tapping in the house would drive us all crazy! I watched several tutorials online and obviously it is learning many very basic steps first before I could throw down some mad tapping like Gene Kelly!

Learning to do a handspring, a life long dream and one that I do often in my dreams was an idea that my middle-aged body strongly disagrees with. I watched several tutorials and while my heart wants to do that, I also don't want to be in a cast with broken wrists! Each tutorial was led by a lithe teenage girl showing incredible flexibility that I am self-aware enough to know, I don't have.

Snowboarding? Sure if I were out in Colorado on the real slopes but Four Lakes bunny hill didn't feel like a challenge I wanted to pay $300 for, plus I hate cold weather. Swimming a mile? Fair enough. I knew it was attainable but ultimately I know how hungry I get when I swim and that is a problem I don't want to contend with. I also got scared away from a couch to a mile swim program that was almost in a foreign language. "4 to 8 times 100m FC with 15-30 seconds rest between each. On the first 50m of each, breathe every 5 or 6 strokes and on the second 50m breathe every 3 strokes or try a 3-2-3-2 breathing pattern." What does any of that even mean? 

So that leaves me with Calligraphy. I love fun fonts (dafont.com is one of my favorite sites) so I figured traditional Calligraphy would be fun until I realized it didn't excite me and is a little too stuffy for me. See what I mean by being undecisive?!?! Now what crazy lady? I arrived at the decision to do a spin-off of Calligraphy called "Hand Lettering." It is fun, whimsical and artistic. It is easy to do at home and has little investment because I LOVE markers and pens and already have quite a collection. I feel like it will be a skill that I can use forever and am envisioning handwritten notes, birthday announcements for my students on the whiteboard, and making people feel special that I took the time to do something with them in mind executing my own personal flare!

Post 1 ~Generating ideas for Genius Hour

Ugh! This is the worst. If learning how to make decisions was a genius hour option that would be the one I should pick. I hate open-ended decision making. I'm the one at a restaurant who annoys the server saying, "Can you ask me last?" and then when everyone is done ordering, I'm still left reeling and hand wringing. If I saw me, I'd say "Jeez lady, just pick. It's one meal." I have even defaulted to I'll choose two and I make the server decide for me. Why? Why is decision making (Running shoes, jeans, backpacks, etc. ) so HARD for me? It's all the same...I hem, I haw. I do eventually tire of my research phase and ultimately do make informed decisions. So here I sit. Pick anything to get better at. Oh my! Choices overload. I have been all over the map with this one.  I enlisted the help of friends and family to help generate some ideas. Swimming a mile, snowboarding, cake decorating, calligraphy, back handspring (haha, I know, right?) and tap dancing. That's a random list! Stay tuned to see how I arrived at my ultimate decision!