Make this Your Best Spring Ever

I'm scared you all are going to abandon me because my posts are so long!!! But there's just so much chocolate to share with you - and it's so much fun! So today we'll take a little break from chocolate. Here's a glorious pic from my front yard:


I can't do the beauty of the day justice, but the sun was bright, the sky a flawless blue, and the blossoms from these Bradford pear trees were falling like snow. Gorgeous, simply gorgeous.



I want this spring to be your best spring ever. So are you ready to take the Motivation by Chocolate Challenge? The Challenge is to do at least two of the activities I've listed below:



1.) Take your camera with you everywhere you go this spring. Capture the beauty of the season - make your best picture your screen saver. I took this one in April 2008:

I can feel the warmth of that day every time I look at this picture. I think we often miss all the beauty around us - don't miss it this spring.

2.) Get thee to a chocolate shop, bakery or ice cream shop that you have never visited before. Talk to the people working there about the treats they sell - ask them about the best sellers or their favorites. Try something new. This is a great way to have a mini adventure and, other than the delicious treats you try, the best part will be interacting with the people. Nothing brings people together like chocolate and sugar!

3.) Finish one project you have been putting off that will have a big impact on your quality of life. (I mentioned my skanky bathroom floor in an earlier post. Now it's re tiled and gorgeous.) Just do it.

4.) Get thee to the outdoors. Sit on your porch and read a book or sip a glass of wine. Plan a picnic. If you have kids, get them outside for God's sake. Play red light/green light with them. We spend way too much time inside sitting in front of screens. When you're dead are you going to wish for one more hour on Facebook or one more hour in the sweet sunshine feeling the wind in your hair?

5.) Reassess. The year is 25% over - how do you feel about that? Would you be happy if the remaining 75% was like the first 25%? If so - keep on keeping on. If you want something more or different, now is the time to get on it. The year will be gone before you know it. Write down exactly what you want for the rest of the year - if you can't define it enough to write it down, it ain't gonna happen.

6.) Plan three adventures you will take by the end of the year. I'm going to Candy Expo and the Fancy Food Show. I'm also taking a small adventure to Hilton Head for my birthday. If I don't plan these things and mark the days on my calendar, they will never happen. What about you? What do you want to do with your life this year? What adventures will you have? Your life will be as exciting as you make it.

7.) Soak it up. I don't care what you decide to soak up - this one is about planning one time when you choose something that you enjoy and concentrate only on it. You watch a movie and all you do is watch the movie. Make popcorn, dim the lights - the whole nine yards. Have a great meal - but do it with candlelight and turn off the TV or put away your damn Blackberry. Stop multitasking and squeeze all the juice out of your favorite experiences.

Take the Motivation by Chocolate Challenge and let me know what happens! Seize the Spring!