The Challenge: Create a memory today with someone you care about that will mean a lot ten years from now.

Kim:
When Jason and I were dating I made it a habit to bake him cherry pies every so often. That is his all-time favorite dessert. Well, I have slacked and he reminds me every now and again of this. Now that we’ve been married almost six years, I am embarrassed to say that I can count on both hands how many cherry pies I’ve made him in our marriage. So, I wanted to make this pie memorable. My first challenge was to make it without him knowing. Anyone who has been to our place knows that it is not that big. How was I going to bake this without him seeing me and also smelling the yumminess?

While Jason was in the shower this morning I hurried up and put the pie together and somehow managed to hide it in our fridge behind a big bag of romaine lettuce. Now, hiding the smell of it baking. Well, thanks to a Kim & Jason Sugar Cookie candle which I lit, the whole place smelled like cookies. It managed to hide the baking smells of the pie. I snuck in the kitchen after lunch and put the pie in the oven and snuck it into our bedroom to cool. When it was time for an afternoon snack I called Jason to sit on the couch with a blindfold. He was pretty nervous, not having a clue what I was about to feed him. “Is it cherry pie?!” It was quite a surprise! How is this going to be memorable ten years from now? I plan on it being the last pie I make for ten more years. 🙂

Jason:
To me, nothing says memorable like a good kidnapping. At noon today, I hijacked Kim and Jenna from their regularly scheduled day. After blindfolding them with scarves and making sure they couldn’t see anything, I guided them into the car.

Feeling the need to try and throw them off the scent, I took the roundabout way to McDonald’s. I took their Happy Meal order — I’m addicted, see Challenge #3 — and proceeded through the drive-thru. Surprisingly, no one at McDonald’s seemed to notice that I had two blindfolded women in my car. Apparently, that sort of thing is commonplace.

I did get a few strange looks from passersby on the way to our final destination: the zoo. At that point, I allowed the hostages to remove their blindfolds. It was a very unseasonable 49º day and would have been a crime to not take advantage of the sunshine. We settled in for a nice lunch with the lions (our bench was across from the lion cub exhibit.) They came up pretty close; I think they were attracted by the aroma of fresh hot cheeseburgers. Afterwards, we went for a nice stroll through the zoo. The only downside was the lame-o Barbie necklace we got in the Happy Meals.

Dark Room Confessionals:
Bonus Video: Kim | Jason

The Challenge: Do one thing today to support a cause or issue you really care about.

Kim:
Jason and I have been working with Compassion International sponsoring a little (not so little anymore) boy from Ethiopia for the past 9 years or so. I try to write to him a few times a year, but often feel guilty that I don’t more frequently. I’ve heard that you can email your sponsored child but have yet to take the time to set up an account on their website. So today I set up my account so that I can keep in touch more easily with Hal. I sent him a Happy Birthday message right away, since his 14th birthday is at the end of the month.

I also wanted to show support for Compassion in a way other than writing a check, which seems like the easy way out for this challenge. So I found their “contact us” form online and sent them a message encouraging them in their ministry. I would guess that it would be easy for people who work for charitable non-profitable organizations to loose sight of the differences they are making in others’ lives. So, I shared with them how much Compassion has affected my own life, as well as Haile’s. Compassion embodies one of my favorite verses from the Bible, “And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me” Matt. 18:5.

Jason:
After dismissing any thoughts of writing a million dollar check to The Make-A-Wish Foundation, I thought about how often children draw pictures to show their support. I was inspired to use my artistic skills to lend support to a cause I have been supporting. A while back in my blog, I mentioned a small — but growing daily — group called Adam’s Ants who have banded together to support a town in Mississippi that was ravaged by hurrican Katrina.

A recent e-newsletter mentioned that they were looking for some sort of logo to use in their newsletters, flyers, and under construction web site. Now this was something I could do. It’s been in the back of my mind, but today’s challenge inspired me to make the time and just DO it. I’m hoping it will be well-received. To me, it served as a needed reminder that we all have special gifts that can be used to make a difference — even small ones.

Dark Room Confessionals:
Bonus Video: Kim | Jason

The Challenge: Draw a funny picture and hide it in an unexpected place for someone else to find.

Kim:
I spent almost all of today on planes heading home from CA, so this gave me some prime opportunities to hide a funny picture. If you’ve ever flown then you are undoubtedly familiar with the Sky Mall Magazine that is located by the puke bad in the seat ahead of you. I thought this would be a perfect spot to tuck away a funny hello. I specifically decided not to include it in the airline safety information booklet because no one ever really looks at those. It would be years before someone finds my picture there. I wish I could hide a miniature video camera to catch the reaction of the person when they find this picture. I even wrote on there to check out www.EscapePlanBlog.com to see why I did this. Who knows, maybe that person will comment on today’s post about finding it. 

Jason:
I had to take advantage of being on a plane today. I pulled out the "motion discomfort" bag (which I am both happy to say I’ve never had to use and sorry to say I’ve never been able to see anyone use) to serve as my canvas.

I thought of putting some uplifting or encouraging words for the person who may ultimately use it. A little Hallmark moment, if you will. For some reason, the thought of Garth from Wayne’s World came to mind. Specifically the part when he said, "If you have to spew, spew in this."

That gave me inspiration for a great illustration — the bag needed a little gussying up. I’m sorry to say that the likeness of Garth was marginal at best. It’s not like I had an arsenal of reference photos at my disposal (and if I did, I would’ve gladly traded them for more leg room.)  My imagination runs wild thinking about the people who will end up seeing my little work of art, hoping they’ll giggle hysterically and pass the bag around the whole plane for a big laugh. Party on!

Or maybe they’ll look at it and say, "Who’s this supposed to be?"

Dark Room Confessionals:
Bonus Video: Kim | Jason

The Challenge: Spend 15 – 30 minutes doing something you love that you don’t often have the chance to do.

Kim:
Today was one of those days that was jammed-packed from start to finish. Everything was on a schedule. There was not much wiggle room for doing things I love to do. However Jason and I did have about 45 minutes to kill before our event this evening, so we went walking in this quaint downtown area of our destination and spent about 25 minutes in a local mom and pop bookstore. Instead of going to business books or even self-help books (which often feels like work), I picked up a book on fashion. I enjoyed sitting there reading about different clothes that my ‘body-type’ should and should not wear. I love just sitting in bookstores and picking up fun books. Too often I read for work, not fun. Why? Because it’s more productive, This challenge helped me to realize that I don’t always have to be doing something productive.

Jason:
I am an artist, and I love what I do. But it’s been a while since I’ve drawn just for fun.

I used to do it all the time, of course. Recently I’ve looked back at some of my old artwork. I used to do a more portrait work and montages. I look back fondly at my time in school when I spent a lot of time experimenting with different media and subject matter. I’ve been looking forward to a day when I would get back into doing art for art’s sake, almost like a hobby.

So today, even though I’m in San Francisco, miles away from my trusty art supplies, all I needed was a pencil and a complimentary Wingate Inn paper pad to sketch Boba Fett. It was fun, relaxing, and stress relieving. Imagine that.

Dark Room Confessionals:
Bonus Video: Kim | Jason

The Challenge: Write down one big dream of yours. Draw or find a picture to go with it and put it somewhere you will see it often.

Kim:
Why am I going to put a picture of a license plate on my fridge? Well, one of my big dreams is to visit all 50 states. I think it would be neat to collect license plates from each of the states I visit. Jason and I hope to have a fun and playful basement family room someday. I would like to display the license plates throughout that room. So, I’ve found a picture of a license plate to remind me of this big dream. At this point in my 27 years I’ve visited 17 states, so just 33 to go!

Jason:
When I was a little kid and my family would go on road trips, my brothers and I would eagerly peer out the windows. The object of our gaze: cars. More specifically, cars we would claim as our own. Anytime one of us would see a car that we’d love to have someday, that person would yell, “Mine!” Once you claimed it, it was yours.

I especially loved driving near Chicago. Having grown up in a small town, the selection of really cool cars was, shall we say, limited. The closer to Chicago you got, the better chance you had of seeing a Ferarri, Corvette, or my favorite, a jet black Porsche. It was really important to be alert; you surely didn’t want your sibling stealing away the car of your dreams.

Even since childhood I have always wanted a Porsche of my own. A real one.

Today, while walking to dinner with Kim in San Mateo, we spotted not one Porsche, but two. She reminded me that she had brought along the camera. I snapped photos of each, and plan on displaying them when we return home. I’m not sure what kind I’ll get when that day comes, but I know what color it will be.

Dark Room Confessionals:
Bonus Video: Kim | Jason

The Challenge: Become a scientist. Conduct a silly experiment.

Kim:
This challenge gave me permission to try something I’ve been curious about. So many times I am too concerned about looking silly as an adult. Why do I take myself so seriously?

My curiosity led me to ask: Will bubbles freeze mid-air outside if the temperature is below freezing? My childlike logic hypothesized that “Yes, indeed, they would freeze. If rain fell, it would freeze,so why not bubbles?” I was so excited to see frozen bubbles.

Well, I was wrong.  They did not. It was 29 degrees, just below freezing. I am still curious if the outcome would be different on a day where the temperature is 0 or below. I’ll keep you posted, as I can guarantee that we will soon have a day that cold in WI.

Jason:
 One marble. A glass of water. How long would it take my wife to realize that the marble was in her glass of water?

The experiment began at 1:38 pm Pacific Standard Time and concluded at 2:04 pm. Approximately 26 minutes.

And it was HI-larious. 

Dark Room Confessionals:
Bonus Video: Kim | Jason

The Challenge: Add something childlike (not necessarily childish) to your workspace or home.

Kim:
A few months ago I read the book, Fish, which inspired me to make my space more playful. I spent a Sunday afternoon while Jason was watching football adding fun pictures, quotes, and toys to my workspace. Because I feel pretty good about the childlike feel of my office, I wanted to add something more intangible. Having Adultitis often leaves me with frustrating side effects. Maybe you experience them as well – worry, doubt, pessimism, fatigue. Even though I want to have that childlike joy and hope which shines from every childhood picture of myself, it doesn’t always come naturally. It would be hard to put childlike joy and hope on my shelf but I can try to consciously do things that help me to live with passion and to have a better perspective on things. So, I made a ‘joyful hope’ container, in which I will put little notes of things that give me hope and bring me joy, as a grown-up. On those days in which I need to be reminded of these childlike Adultitis-free qualities, I will take out one of the small folded up pieces of paper and hopefully be inspired to change my attitude and actions. The first thing that I wrote down was the hope I felt seeing the sun shine today, after two weeks of clouds.

Jason:
Creatively, this may have been the trickiest one yet. My office space — and most of our home, for that matter — looks like it was decorated by Geoffrey the Giraffe of Toys R Us fame. My office is always a highlight for kids, a veritable smorgasboard that includes Spiderman action figures, a cardboard cutout of Boba Fett (wearing a jester hat and lobster beads), Play-Doh containers, a few beanie babies, a Slinky, an alligator head from Florida, a lava lamp, and an abundance of other toys too numerous to count.

Needless to say, adding another item of childhood whimsy to this hodgepodge would be like tossing a fistful of sand into the Mojave Desert. So I was forced to think outside the box, which led me inside a box. The ice box, as my grandma would say; the refrigerator, in 21st century terms.

So I took my Larry the Cucumber squeeze toy and squeezed him between the lemon juice and French dressing. He seems to like it there. Who knew opening the refrigerator could be so much fun?

Dark Room Confessionals:
Bonus Video: Kim | Jason

The Challenge: Do something that is typically seen as inappropriate for someone of your age.

Kim:
One thing that I loved about childhood that I wish would be appropriate in adulthood is the act of building blanket forts. Having older sisters I was introduced to this activity pretty early on. Then, all of a sudden you get a little too big to be under there. I remember when I would baby-sit in junior high and high school I often suggested the ‘blanket fort’ as an option for something to pass the time. The kids loved it, as all kids do.

Having a workspace at home gave me a huge advantage with this one. No cube neighbors would give me strange looks. I grabbed some tacks, rubber bands, and an old sheet (a blanket would’ve been too heavy to rig up as tall as I needed it to be). My actual workspace is pretty small and it pretty much fit under my propped-up sheet, a.k.a. ‘cool fort.’ It did invoke a childlike excitement sitting under there, typing away and making calls. If only the person on the other end could see me — oh my, this WAS inappropriate for someone my age. 

Jason:
I spent a lot of time thinking about this one. I was feeling a bit overmatched by Kim’s Hump Day extravaganza yesterday — camel pancakes?! As soon as I began thinking about this challenge, I knew what I wanted to do, but it didn’t seem big enough. I tried to come up with something larger than life, showy, a big production. Try as I might to come up with something really daring, I kept coming back to these two words:

Happy meal.

When I was a kid, we hardly ever got McDonald’s Happy Meals. With three boys, it was always cheaper for my parents to buy us each a cheeseburger and have us split a large fry. But oh, how I pined for those Happy Meals. The colorful little boxes, printed with messages of untold joy, hinting at the wonderful toy hidden inside. (Sadly, the boxes have been replaced by less than exhilarating paper bags — kids of today don’t even know what they’re missing!) I can probably count on one hand how many Happy Meals I have had in my lifetime, and I’m guessing it has been over 20 years since my last one.

I thought about the irony: when I was a kid, I wanted Happy Meals but couldn’t do anything about it; now that I’m a “grown-up,” I could get a Happy Meal anytime I want but might be considered a freak job ordering one without the cover of a small child nearby.

Well that fear of being labeled a social outcast ended today, my friends, as I proudly stepped to the counter to order my cheeseburger Happy Meal.

And what a Happy Meal it was.

Dark Room Confessionals:
Bonus Video: Kim | Jason

The Challenge: Find a reason to celebrate and do something to celebrate it.

Kim:
Happy 1st Hump Day (for 2006, that is)! In my opinion kids are experts at celebrating.  They don’t need any official notice from Hallmark for permission to celebrate. They know what it takes to make for a fulfilling celebration. Typically the components are as follows: special ‘eats’, decorations or hats, and oftentimes games. So, I did the best I could with the resources I had, which I think is key to this challenge.

Please don’t go out and buy a bunch of stuff. I found some fun camel clip art online and printed off a few copies. I also dug out the camel from our Christmas nativity set. I hung up a few pictures of camels and prominently displayed the camel figurine on a shelf with some white Christmas lights. Bringing in the celebratory eating, I made camel shaped pancakes for breakfast and a carrot cake, drawing a camel on the top, for dessert. Oh yes, and my camel hat, which I made from the clip art pictures.

I proudly wore my hat to the zoo to make a special visit to today’s mascot. Not only am I lucky enough to have a free zoo two miles from my house, but both of the camels were out and happy to have a visitor on this cold dark day.

My game of choice for this special occasion: pin the hump on the camel. Jason spun me way more than I spun him, leaving me quite ‘off.’ Being a retired kindergarten teacher gave me a slight advantage. We celebrated everything in Kindergarten, from the 100th day of school to Dr. Seuss’ birthday. You name it. The camel pancakes were fun but nothing beats green eggs for breakfast.

Jason:
I was a little under the weather today. But not so much so that I couldn’t celebrate Earth at Perihelion Day. That’s right folks, today is the one day that the Earth is as close to the sun as it will be all year. The holiday is surprisingly absent from my calendar and a glaring omission in the online catalog of Hallmark eCards (perhaps a Kim & Jason greeting card is in order…).

I must admit that Earth at Perihelion Day is not a festival I’m accustomed to celebrating (I got a little help from Brownielocks and the 3 Bears) so I wasn’t quite sure how to correctly mark the occasion. I assumed that we were headed for a hot spell* so I got decked out in my swimming trunks, Cruisin’ for Wishes t-shirt, and sandals (this little detail really had Kim smiling, as I NEVER wear sandals). My accessories included an authentic plastic Hawaiian lei, some beads I got once at Red Lobster, and a jester hat. I’m not sure where the jester hat fits in, but it IS festive, and Earth at Perihelion Day is nothing if not festive.

All in all, it has been a great day. A simple, fun, holiday free from the trappings and commercialization of corporate giants like Hallmark.

For now.

*As this article indicates, this was an ill-conceived assumption. 

Dark Room Confessionals:
Bonus Video: Kim | Jason

The Challenge: Spend at least 15 minutes immersing yourself in a field you know nothing about.

Kim:
It was made obvious to me a few weeks ago on a trip to Milwaukee after a near death experience that I would like to learn more about cars. As we were on the side of the road in the snow with car problems, I faced the humbling fact that I wasn’t quite sure how to even open the hood of our Pontiac. “Our hood is tricky,” I rationalized. This is embarrassing for me to admit but a harsh reality.

So, I sat down with a “Fix It Yourself” book from Reader’s Digest and some very helpful websites (about.com and howstuffworks.com) and spent my 15 minutes learning Car Parts 101. I have to admit that 15 minutes was not nearly enough. I am still curious about the other parts under there that I didn’t get to. I really only got through the basics of how the car uses the gasoline to accelerate and the chain of command that happens with the parts in this procedure. Combustion, cooling, pistons, exhaust…lots of familiar words that are now clearer with some handy dandy animations. This challenge shined the light on my "perfectionist" side that gets too overwhelmed and often fearful to learn something new. It forced me to become curious and take the risk of looking foolish. Kids just naturally ask hundreds of ‘why’ questions and they are learning new things everyday. It is good to be reminded of that feeling. It was fun! I bookmarked those websites and I’ll be back. 

Jason:
Today I immersed myself in an alien world right out of a Star Wars movie (at least to me.)

An oriental grocery store.

I know from watching those behind the scenes Star Wars documentaries that the artists take great efforts to create each planet from scratch, with its own native language, look, and culture. After only a few moments in Lee’s Oriental, surrounded by produce I’ve never seen and labels with words I couldn’t read, I half-expected to hear George Lucas step out from behind the aisle saying, “And cut."

I started checking out the jars and jars of sauces; peanuts, soy, and whatnot. Then I came across an interesting package that seemed out of place. The product inside was almost black, and it looked like a small folded Hobbit blanket. It said “dried laver” on the label. Before I could finish asking myself the question, “What’s dried laver?” I noticed another similarly stuffed package with the subhead “seaweed.” Cool.

The three shelving units in the crowded store were a feast for the senses: packages of dried anchovies, broiled ferns, and lots of cans of lychees (not sure what those were but they looked like skinned eyeballs.) I almost laughed out loud when I saw, amidst the exotic jars of pickled this and dried that, a few cans of Spam (perhaps the most inedible thing in stock, in my estimation.)

I scanned a spinner of packaged snacks, delighted to find an assortment of dried squid, right above bags of party mix. The squid reminded me of beef jerky — chicken jerky I suppose — and the back of the bag touted it as a great on-the-go snack and perfect for parties. Indeed!

On my way out of the store, I came across a row of giant bags stacked near the wall. “They sell potting soil in oriental grocery stores?” I asked myself. “Must be for rare, hard-to-maintain Asian flowers,” I answered confidently.

Upon further inspection, I learned that they were actually bags of rice. It made perfect sense, of course, but I couldn’t help but fancy the idea of my mom trying to jam a 10 pound bag of rice in the pantry next to the pancake mix and egg noodles. All in all, a pretty neat 15 minutes. Now, if you don’t mind, I need to go find out what lychees are.

Dark Room Confessionals:
Bonus Video: Kim | Jason