The Challenge: Right an old wrong.
Kim:
My “old wrong” has to do with a promise I make to Jason and myself years ago. When Jason and I were just married we promised each other that we would stay “in shape” for ourselves and for each other. We were both in high school sports and tried to stay active afterward, but it was much easier to slack off and not exercise once we went through college and beyond. Life just happens and unless regular exercise if scheduled in, it just doesn’t happen. Two years ago Jason and I found a program that really worked for us: “8 Minutes in the Morning” by Jorge Cruise. I have been faithfully doing my 8 minutes of exercises every morning, but I know I also need to push myself further. I tend to do the “easier” exercises and skip out on cardio. Today I spent a while on Jorge Cruise’s website reading articles about health and fitness. I read that if you don’t have time to do cardio 30-45 minutes 5 times a week then you should do 15 minutes of interval training.
So I have made a new morning schedule which gives me more time, allowing for my 8 minutes, plus 15 minutes of interval training. I feel great about this recommitment to my health. I know that I always feel better about myself and have more energy when I make exercise a priority.
Jason:
Earl makes it look so easy. But maybe that’s because I don’t have a well of convenient store heists and have never faked death to break up with a girl. When thinking of a past wrong to make right, I went back to childhood for some less than stellar life moments. When I went to The Field Museum (see Challenge #18), I stole an arrowhead from the gift shop. I’m not really sure how to fix that one, considering I’m not sure that I still have the arrowhead — perhaps Karma took it back. But then I thought about my brother Dan. We had some pretty heated rivalries back in the day. I am responsible for a scar on his forehead that occurred when I threw a Fisher Price school bus at him. I also had a big hand in breaking his arm on a flagrant foul while playing basketball.
Well, Dan and I have grown up and have a pretty good relationship these days, but it occurred to me that I never really did apologize for some of these terrible crimes. I called him up this afternoon to apologize for the school bus incident, the broken arm debacle, and for generally being a jerky older brother. He accepted my apology with an outbreak of laughter. Silly, I know, but I do feel a little better to get that off my chest.
Dark Room Confessionals:
Bonus Video: Kim | Jason
So, who was most creative with today’s challenge? Who went beyond the comfort zone and put the biggest hammer on Adultitis? Who did a better job of capturing the spirit of childhood, Kim or Jason? Cast Your Vote!
Tomorrow’s Challenge: Audio Sneak Peek
One of my biggest dreams involves having a family, owning my dream home in the woods by a lake, and having our company growing and affecting peoples’ lives in a positive way. I spent my time visioning “moments” of this life. One moment was a late summer evening and my family and I were out on our deck watching the beautiful colors of the sun setting, As we all lounged in our chairs, we could hear the crickets chirping and the soft waves from the water. I was sitting in a chair holding one of our kids, both of us wrapped in a soft fleece blanket to stay warm from the soft breeze off of the lake. I was holding a warm mug of hot chocolate. I could smell the pine trees, my child’s hair, the fresh air. As I sat there and took in the evening I was thinking about how blessed I was. I thought about our business and all that God has allowed it to become. I thought about the fun and creative office space we had just down the road. I thought about how much I love having kids and how much fun Jason and I have with them. I thought about how grateful I was to have this moment with my family on such a beautiful night. I can’t wait for that night!
I used the 10 minutes to imagine my dream home studio, located in the upper level of our dream home. One of the walls is almost entirely lined with windows, providing a breathtaking view of a shimmering lake. It’s a late spring day, warm but not hot; a fresh spring breeze slipping through the open windows. The floors are hardwood, which feel cool to my bare feet. I’m sipping on a lemonade, sitting at my large drafting table. A few Kim & Jason strips sit finished next to a half-eaten cinnamon raisin bagel. Music is playing softly; a mix of Tom Petty, Jars of Clay, and Toad the Wet Sprocket, which reminds me of my college days when I dreamed of making it as an artist. The latest Mac is nearby — my guilty pleasure. Most of the other walls are lined with bookshelves, dotted with framed pictures of me and some of the people I’ve met over the years. A Reuben award (for best cartoonist) sits proudly next to some handmade handiworks from my children. I’ve always loved the way the inside of 
Jason and I were pretty adventurous (and poor) when we moved to Madison almost 6 years ago now, so going for rides was a pretty cheap and fun thing to do. We soon got to know where we were going and since gas prices have spiked, our rides have been less frequent. So, my goal today was to go for a drive and to get lost. Really lost. It took me a handful of random turns to actually accomplish this, but eventually I wasn’t sure where I was. It was pretty fun! I drove around for about 15 minutes looking closely at the unchartered territory, noticing the different stores, neighborhoods, scenery. It was pretty neat. I felt like Lewis and Clark, except I was in my Grand Am with my favorite cd playing…but it was pretty close to the same feeling, I’m sure.
After consulting a map, I thought I had a pretty good idea of where the place was. It took me forever to find a parking spot. I didn’t have a lot of time, which pretty much assured that I’d get lost. I did. It was like looking for the invisible man at night.
It’s been a long time since I really learned something new. My Adultitis has driven me to a place I call “Rutsville.” Maybe you’ve heard of it? The days go by so quick. The schedule is jam-packed. There is no slot on my “to do” list that invites or allows me to learn new things. So, today I decided to learn how to tap dance. I think every child has pretended to tap with his/her “clicky” shoes on the kitchen floor. I thought it would be fun to learn a real move. Now, as you’ll see from the video, 30 minutes wasn’t nearly enough. I don’t own real tap shoes so I stole a page out of my childhood and found some “clicky” shoes to use — my new red heels I’m wearing in my sister’s upcoming wedding. They looked really good with my jeans. I’m so glad I didn’t break a heel. For any of you who may be looking to learn some sweet tap moves check out my teacher’s tapping feet 
I remember putting on magic shows as a kid. You know, for my parents. I’d dress up in a bathrobe (not sure why, exactly), set up a TV tray to be my table, and boom, I was a regular David Copperfield. (I’m sure he started out in bathrobes, too.) I do not recall one actual trick that I did, but the fact that they were spectacular should go without saying.
My original plan was to call my oldest sister who lives in TX. I soon found out that she has been blessed by a visit from the flu bug and was in bed. Plan B worked just fine, as my original questions involved my brother-in-law also. So this gave me the chance to pick his brain a bit, which I don’t often have the opportunity to do. He and my sister have been married for over ten years and in their early days they lived on Ramen noodles in their small apartment, as they tried to build Gene’s business. Jason and I really look up to their accomplishments and appreciate the sacrifices they made early on to help to get them where they are today. (There is no such thing as an overnight success.) I asked him to tell me about the biggest challenges they had in those early days and what helped them get through it all. He told me some things that I hadn’t heard before. Knowing that Jason and I are still in our “early days” it was inspiring to hear what got them through it. I think sometimes pride gets in our way of asking others about their struggles and successes. We feel like we have to pretend we already have it all figured out. This challenge reminded me that there is so much I can learn from those around me. My brother-in-law’s golden nugget advice was to stay focused and enjoy the little things!
So I got on the phone to my dad to see if I could dig up some more information about the one grandparent I never got a chance to know.
When you’re a kid, it’s inevitable that you’re trying new things all the time. Sometimes after having to sit at the kitchen table for two stubbornly long hours. Well, as I walked around the entire grocery store, then walked some more, I realized that the things I haven’t tried in my 27 years have been for a very good reason. I just couldn’t get myself to pick up the little can of sardines. I almost puked just thinking about it. I am not that picky of an eater, so this was a challenge. Eventually I stood there in the baby food isle, deciding between beef and veal. I wanted to pick one of the meats, because, quite frankly, that is just nasty to think about meat in ‘baby food’ texture. I have never had veal before, so I thought this would be a good way to go. The video of me eating this is pretty graphic — total gag effect. It was far nastier than I even dreamed. It was so bland, yet smelled so strong. Meat should never be mushed. I almost spit it out. I know I would have if it weren’t for that video camera in my face.
Perhaps you’ll remember the roasted soft squid from my visit to the oriental grocery store back in Challenge #1 (I know I’ll never forget it!) I was very curious about that stuff, and originally wanted to buy a package but alas, I had no cash on me. Well today was the day for my curiosity to be satisfied.
Today I rode a skateboard. This is something I always wanted to do as a kid but never owned one or really knew anyone who owned one that I could borrow. I was a little freaked out. It didn’t help that because of the timing of the day I ended up trying it in the dark and on a slight hill. Yikes! At the beginning I was a little overzealous and I decided to ride it down the slanted driveway. After almost loosing my balance and wiping out, I decided that uphill was a good way to start – not downhill! It was fun, but I had a hard time enjoying it because I felt like at any given moment I would fall and break my head. Oh well, at least I can say I’ve done it now.
My childhood hero was Mr. Fred Rogers. The half hour I spent with him each morning was one of the favorite parts of my day. His gentle friendly nature taught me a lot about what it means to be a good friend. His adventures to factories and behind the scenes gave me permission to be curious about things I knew nothing about. After going to school for Early Childhood Education I really appreciate Mr. Roger’s skills even more. His sincere devotion to helping kids and the methods he used to do that were genius! Since Mr. Rogers passed away almost three years ago, I decided to send my letter to his wife, Joanne. I am blessed that he was my neighbor.
I wrote a letter to my boyhood hero, baseball player Ryne Sandberg. I am planning on sending the letter to him via the Cubs, with an old baseball card I’m hoping he’ll sign. My brothers and I used to write to athletes for autographs when we were kids, so this was definitely a blast from the past. Here’s the letter:
The word “never” in this challenge really stumped me. My parents were strict but not militant. As I thought about it most of the things they “never” allowed us to do were really for our own safety. After some soul searching I realized there was one thing: eating dessert first. My parents would never have allowed this. So, now that I am in charge, why don’t I do it more? Jason and I decided to head out to dinner, so I picked Olive Garden because I remembered seeing a yummy dessert that I’d like to try- chocolate lasagna. When it came time to order I told the waitress I would be ordering dessert first. She admitted that she would like to do that more but feels too embarrassed. It did “feel wrong.” I ended up getting an appetizer for my entrée. I was so stuffed. I felt like quite the dinner rebel. I highly recommend it!
When I was a wee lad, I was enamored by Play-Doh®. Especially the smell and the way it felt in my hands. I even had a Play-Doh playset: The Fuzzy Bumper Barber Shop. It was awesome. There was a little plastic guy with holes in his head. You’d jam Play-Doh into his noggin and put him on the barber chair. As you’d push down, the compound would squeeze out of his head, creating a beautiful head of pink or blue or brown hair. There may have even been a beard/shaving element to it as well.
The trouble was that my mom never let me play with it. Ok, maybe that’s a slight exaggeration, but I swear I can count on my hand (with a few fingers chopped off) how many times I did. On the blue moon when I was allowed to play with it, it was at the kitchen table. I remember being surrounded by some sort of plastic tarp, and a hermetically sealed white NASA space suit might have been involved. Anytime I asked for one of those Play-Doh food kits — I LOVED those tiny hamburgers — I was always denied.