Home-brewing Love

Bad Girl Blonde Ale - May 2013

I. Love. Beer. I love making my own beer even more. I never seem to have enough money to keep it going regularly. Though, that is the plan. Eventually. My next beer is going to be another IPA. After that, a Spiced Pumpkin Ale. Mixed in between, I hope to do a small batch of Hard Cider. All designed for a specific season.

I want to do this more and more. It is a hobby that has become an obsession. Maybe that Obsession can become a business. Want to invest? Not today, but one day I hope that is an valid option. There is a big part of me, the dreamer, that wants to own my own brewery. Name to be decided.

Everyone has dreams. Big and small. This is one of mine.

A Reflection

I felt it was time to do a bit of an update on where my Challenges are. It was a rough week for my 30 Day Challenges. I missed days. I lost some motivation. My goal was everyday. My reality is not that. 

Physically, my body gave out on me. Not necessarily due to biking to work everyday, but it was a factor. My back was in pain. My legs constantly tired and sore. I missed a day of riding my bike to work. I felt like a failure, which is something that I truly am not. 

My blog suffered. Motivation being the number 1 factor. It is extremely hard to make time everyday to write something new and interesting. There is no clear focus to my blog. Just me and my thoughts out on the page. Mediocre. I lost the want to write everyday. Once I miss one day, it was a lot easier to miss the next day. Snowball effect. 

This morning I found myself needing to go get some milk to enjoy my wonderful breakfast of Reese's Puffs. Yes, I love them. Love them a lot. I love eating them with my morning coffee. A ritual that I actually really enjoy. It relaxes me on my days off. Without it, my morning seemed less than enjoyable. So I started brewing my coffee and made my way to the corner store. 

As I walked, I found myself rushing. Walking extremely fast to get back to enjoy this ritual I have come to love. The walk was uncomfortable. I slowed down. I was moving too fast. Instantly, I began to breath. I felt free. The rush to get where I was going clouded the actual experience of getting where I was going. Once I slowed down, I was able to notice things. The cool morning air. The dew on the grass. The usual feeling of Autumn in July. The people out and about. The freedom I felt. 

The moments like these breed the best sort of reflection. I started to look at the last week and did not see failure. I saw a learning experience. I love to write. I love to bike. There is a way back to making this experience valid. Fight back. Fight to prove myself. I have one week left. In this one week, I will bike to work everyday. I will write extra blog posts to reach the 30 post goal. This challenge is what I make of it. Nothing else.

Sometimes it is very important to remember....Slow down, your moving to fast. Got to make that moment last.

A Little Cyclone Love

Go State!

Note: Make up post; Post created July 28th, 2013. 

Veronica Mars Movie!

I can no longer contain the excitement that I feel. They are making a Veronica Mars Movie! To be released Summer 2014. I consider the show as one of my Top 5 TV shows of all-time. How did we get so lucky? Kickstarter.com.  A website dedicated to raising money for whatever it is you want to do. People will pay for what they want. Truth.

The Veronica Mars Movie Project was the most successful Kickstart Campaign of All-Time. Every record they have every thought of, broken. Fastest to Goal. Most backers. Fastest to 1 million. Fastest to 2 million. Most Backers. Unbelievable.

This show is amazing. Kristen Bell as Veronica Mars is amazing. The best show to describe the word Dramedy. Serious things happen but the characters make you laugh. The actors bring their all and succeed on many levels. From the main characters all the way to small, seconds of screen time, supporting characters. It makes you want to be apart of that world.

My excitement level will not diminish until the movie is release. In fact, it will only grow and grow and grow. Will the movie live up to the hype? I trust Rob Thomas, Kristen Bell, and company. A movie truly made for and because of fans.

Note: This is a make up post. Written on July 27th and back dated to still make it one post a day. 

A Lovely Day

I Love The Woods

Suits is Back!

Suits is Back! I love this show. One of the best written and best acted shows on television. The USA network does a tremendous job on their shows in making them fun and smart at the same time. I love the relationships between the characters. You truly root for each them to succeed. Even Louis, who is quietly becoming my favorite character.

The guest stars are fantastic. Even going so far as getting Game of Thrones actors Conleith Hill, Lord Varys, and Michelle Fairly, Catelyn Stark, to stop by for the season. Fantastic seeing those two great actors enjoying the modern day "Game of Thrones" Suits has become, minus all the blood and death.

This season is a legitimate Royal Rumble. Every man for themselves. No allies. Except for Donna, who will always be Harvey's one and only true ally. The premiere episode was a roller coaster of chess moves by everyone. They all have their own agenda and eventually some of them are going to lose everything. Jessica is the number one target and she knows it. I have a feeling she is going to win this fight though, with aid from Harvey, in the end. Harvey may be after her job now but his feelings of loyalty towards her will override his "hurt feelings".

Such a great show! Excited to see what the rest of the season has in store.

The Love of My Life

Roxanne

Oh my, I miss her terribly. One of the hardest and best decisions I ever made was to not take her with me when I left Iowa. She has brought me such joy. The unconditional love that I have got from my relationship with this dog can never be replicated. One hundred percent joy every single time I walk through the door. 

One Great Meal

I believe in a lot of things. And I mean a lot.

I believe that everyone has their own way and that actually means something. I believe that a sense of community is very important.  I believe that there is a reason for everything that happens. Absolutely everything.  Big or small, things happen around us for some unknown reason, big or small. I believe that a life without Veronica Mars is one that seems less enjoyable. I believe in Fate. Destiny. I could go on and on, but I won't.

I believe in eating locally whenever possible. And I believe that everyone should. There is so much good food produced locally. It is better for you and even tastes better. What really makes this important to me is supporting the local economy. Our society has turned in to MEGA consumers. Everything produce somewhere else taking 100s of miles to arrive at its destination. Which is usually a store that only cares about the bottom line.

This weekend I went to the Farmer's Market and decided to eat a meal comprised of only food grown and sold locally. This is the result:

Fresh Pork Beer Brats (Boiled in a beer I brewed myself)
Homemade hot dog buns
Fresh grown yukon gold potatoes, green peppers and onion
Mud Hot banana pepper grown in our very own garden
Bad Girl Blonde Ale brewed by me and purchased at a local Homebrew Store

The one exception is the Ketchup(I am thinking of making my own ketchup)

This was one of the most satisfying meals I have had in a long time. The brats were fantastic. The potatoes amazing. The buns so soft and flavorful. All for a total of $11. Now I did not use all of what I paid for. I still have 3 brats, 2 buns, 3/4 of the potatoes, and 1.5 peppers left over. It may be a bit more expensive but the meal was and is better this way. I savored my food. It became a part of who I am instead of something I do.

Everyone should eat locally as much as they can. I understand the difficulties in doing this. When it comes to produce, though, your local farmers market will have better produce and the cost may even be cheaper. For example, the local Meijer is selling green peppers for $1.99 a pound. That results in about 3 peppers. I bought 2 for $1 at the farmers market and it came from 10 miles away where Meijer's travels about 100, sometimes more depending on the season(If you are wondering how I know that, I work there and have asked where they are purchased).

Cheaper and better? How could you do anything else? It also helps support the community you are living in. I love it and will continue to do this as much as I can. So should you.

Great Beer. Great Place

A sampler at Hideout Brewing in Grand Rapids, MI. Great Beer. Great Place. 

Guilty Pleasures? Everyone Has Them.

Guilty pleasures are the things in life that no matter what, you just cannot let go of. You may be ashamed of them at times, but you will never go without them. I certainly have some. And I love them dearly. Some of the things that I love, others would call guilty pleasures. I would not. I would call them Things that are Awesome. Of course this is not what this is about.

My current Guilty Pleasure is MTV's The Challenge.

I cannot get enough of this show. It is the most insane show on TV. Some of the people on this show are pure EVIL. Fights are a regular appearance. Sex is constant. Lying and cheating is expected. It is Survivor on steroids.

What sets this apart from Survivor is the cast. These are people who have made a career out of being on the Real World. Seriously. Professional Reality Stars. They actually exist. I know, unbelievable. The amount of negativity that is on this show shocks me. Truly shocks me. One of the "Challengers", as they are called, has been on the show a record nine times. That means for the past decade and a half, he has been making a living off of treating other people terribly and getting rewarded with money. Unreal.

So, why do I watch it? Shock value. I truly never know what they are going to do next. At the same time, the show is completely predictable. Every week, someone will pick a fight. Someone will cry. Someone will talk about how tough they are. Someone will say "OH MY GOD." Someone will call someone a "Bitch". And someone will blame someone else for their misfortune. Despite all of that, I am always surprised by the things these people will do.

So, who is the fool? Me or them? Probably me, but I really don't care. I love it. You can't tell me that there isn't something in your life that you are ashamed to love. Don't be ashamed. Embrace the love of your favorite Guilty Pleasure.

Something different

I vowed to myself to not write anything negative on here. And I am keeping my vow. That is made harder when you are just not in the best mood that you could be.

But, how do you change that? How do you change your attitude? 

I do not know. What I did was sit outside on my porch and just really think. Breath in the fresh air and think. Slowly my mind began to clear. I began to see things clearly. 

Then I opened a beer and turned on my iPod. I began to listen to Publish The Quest. With my mind clear and my mood lifting, I began to see the things around me. 

I see the hose that is still unrolled. The tomato plant dripping water from when I watered in earlier. The neighbor smoking on the porch. The bottle caps on the table we made. The small little herb garden. I feel the air getting cooler. I smell a BBQ down the street. I absorb it all. And I love it.

The motivation came. I wanted to write. I wanted translate a bit of what I experienced. It something a little different. That is a very good thing.  A great way to end a rough day.

Note: This post was written on my iPod touch. I love technology. 

Slime Away!

Everyone should know how to make their own slime. Honestly. It is one of those life skills that is a must have. Right up there with the code of ethics in a men's bathroom. Essential knowledge. I plan on making my own slime this very week. I will then surprise Veronica Mars with it. Go me!

I. Love. Beer.

I. Love. Beer.

Family

Family. What does is mean to you? It means many different things to me. I have my family by blood. There is  nothing that means more to me than those people. They are the glue of my life. Held me up when I was low. Never treated me less than who I am. Always, and I mean always, supported me. My life is better because of them. They, though, are not who I am talking about here. This family is a different sort.

I have another family. One made up of the most extraordinary people I have ever met. My life changed the day my parents sent me to Camp Hantesa.  By sending me there, they gave me an opportunity to find myself, in my own way. Society, mostly school, could not guide who I was going to be there. I was an individual with a voice. And I definitely found my voice. One I continue to use today.

I met a different kind of family there. As the photo above shows, one with as many different characters as anyone would want in their life. Now, I am not close friends with everyone in the above photo, but that doe not mean that they do not have a special place in my heart. Every single person in that photo has touched my heart. Had an impact on my soul.

A little over a year ago, I was extremely honored to be the Best Man at a wedding of two of the greatest people I have ever met. One of my best friends of my life, along with a girl that has had as great an impact on who I am as anyone else in my life. Sara and Eric. Sponda and Garth. Two people made for each other, that I have been lucky to know. At this wedding, a family was gathered. We laughed. We cried. We drank. A lot.

This gathering of some of the most amazing people on earth, was simply perfect. I was able to take Veronica Mars there to meet everyone. It was perfect. Best Friends. Favorite Campers. Memories. Love. I spent a lifetime with these people. Every single hour of every day for weeks at a time each year. Some a lot younger than me. Some older. Campers that grew to be very close friends. Fellow staff that become brothers.

A few years ago, I left Camp Hantesa for what I thought was the very last time. I moved on. I moved to Western Michigan and created a new family at Camp Miniwanca. A place that means just as much to me. Hard to explain to those from Hantesa, but it really does mean as much to me. My life is better for having both of them in my life. Miniwanca is another story though. The important thing to remember is that Hantesa never left me. I am still a Vagabond. And that means something. Really means something. Even today, it is with me. I am apart of something extremely special.

I know that all of you are with me today. I know you are there for me and I hope you know I am there for you in anyway that I can be.  That is what family is for. I have a big family and I hope it only gets bigger. I love you all.

Random Thoughts...

My mind has been racing. There is so much that I want to do as apart of this new challenge I have created for myself. It is making it hard to pay attention to the present moment. Very hard. I thought typing out some of my random thoughts would be a great way to purge the mind.

Phew...

No Impact Man was a truly intriguing documentary...

How does one come up with so many good blog post ideas?...

Serenity...

Live Simply...

Can't believe it rained on me today while biking home. Good thing that it was nice and warm...

It is a bad sign when I fall asleep on the couch and do not even realize that it happened...

I miss watching football...

I. Love. Beer...

The bike ride this morning was extremely peaceful...

I really need to make another beer...

Music is needed. New Music...

This is going to be much harder than I originally thought...

When will I be smart enough to figure it all out...

Catfish: The TV Show is simply GREAT television. The positive message that is present truly warms the heart...

Treehouse Masters does the same thing but in a completely different way...

The Fruit flies in my beer are starting to piss me off...

I feel much better now...

Serenity

Almost a year ago I accomplished the most physically exhausting challenge of my life. And I found out I could do so much more. This picture was taken at the top of Mt of the Holy Cross. It is a good 14,005 ft. above sea level.

I was going through a very tough time personally. I needed something for myself. Something that would help me find my way back to myself. I had always wanted to climb a 14er and decided one day to set out the next day and accomplish this challenge. And I did.

At 4am the next day, I woke up and drove to the trailhead at 10,320 ft. At 5am I start the trek to the top. It was serene. The quiet. The trees. The cool, crisp air. The fog. The people. All of it was perfect. The climb to the first ridge was exactly what I was looking for. My soul was being enriched with every single step.

 I met a dad with his son along the way and we decided to hike the rest of it together as we were passing each other anyway.  We talked about life and what it means to connect with the physical world. To actually physically touch our world. The trees. The grass. The rocks. The water. To feel the warmth of the sun. What does that mean for the soul? For my soul? I found out it means a great deal.

Reaching the top was one of the most uplifting feeling I have ever had. The beauty was serene.  And then I had to come back down. This is where the challenge really came in. Coming down was ten times harder than climbing the mountain. One quarter of the way down, my right knee started having a shooting pain with every single step. Every. Single. Step. Pain. Real Pain.

After 9 hours and 12 miles, I made it back to my car. I climbed over 5,000 ft. in those 12 miles. Pain shot through my knee for 5 of those 12 miles. Pain I had not ever felt. I persevered. I continued on. I did it. Me. I love having support in things that I do, but to know that this one was mine was extremely special. When I reached the car, the smile spread wide and did not leave my face until I fell asleep an hour later in my bed.

Serenity. 

Songs that Inspire, Volume I

Sometimes a person will come across a song that truly inspires them. That is what happened with "Young Blood" by The Naked and Famous. It did not have a great impact right away. I first heard it almost two years ago while watching the snowboarding documentary The Art of Flight. I instantly wanted to be on a mountain riding through knee deep powder. I wanted to be Travis Rice. I quickly went to download the entire album and I fell in love with the group. My inspiration quickly faded. Whether it was a sign of living in Colorado or if I just started to forget, I do not know.

It would take a long time for me to listen to the song again. About a week ago, I heard through a playlist while on a very tough 6 mile run. My pace quickened. My heart was lifted. At mile 4.5, I felt like I could run 20 miles. It is important to know that I have never run 6 miles at one time in my life. When I reached mile 6, I felt amazing. The BEST run of my life.

It didn't end with the run. It was shortly after this that I found the the video by Matt Cutt . I was truly inspired. The song is about being young and still being able to grow. While I am not old, I have started to see the effects of getting older. It has weighed on my mind. An attitude change was needed. I found it with a song. I no longer felt old. I felt reinvigorated. Alive. Happy.

Music has the power to move us. To motivate us. That is the beauty of music.  You never know when inspiration will hit you. I did not expect it when this song came across my path once again. All I know is that I am happy it did.

The First 30 Days

While I may not know all of the challenges I will be doing, I do know my first two 30 Day Challenges. So that means from today, July 5th, 2013 until August 3rd, 2013 I will challenging myself in the Social and Physical folds.

Social Fold Challenge - July 5th - August 3rd, 2013

Post an Entry in this Blog Everyday

I have always wanted my own blog that is regularly updated. I didnt always need it to be written, just something to share my unique view on the world. Here is my chance. So will be posting daily for the next month. It could be a picture. It could be writing my random thoughts of the day. It could be something I found interesting. To make it a bit more challenging, I have added some conditions set on my posts:

• All written posts must be at least 250 words.
• All pictures must be uniquely taken by me.
• All links shared must have a 100 word written reaction by me.
• Zero Negativity. After all, this is meant to be a positive experience.
  
  

So, keep checking back daily for new ramblings from me.

Physical Fold Challenge - July 5th - August 3rd, 2013

Bike to Work Everyday

I have a desire to get in amazing shape. Between running and biking, I think that I can do this. I also do not like the amount that I spend on gas. I already bike to work at least twice a week. Why not make it every day? What makes this a challenge? I work early in morning. Starting work at 6am. If I work a Sunday, I start at 4am. That means leaving at least 40 minutes before that to make it to work on time. Biking in the dark. As with the last challenge, I had to set one condition beforehand for my own safety:

• Only bike as long as my physical safety is not at risk. That means no biking in Thunderstorms. Rain is ok, but once the lightning starts showing up I will not be biking.
  
  
  
  

I will be updating on this blog regularly, so keep checking back for updates on how I am doing with my challenges. And share this blog with others. Maybe they will be inspired the same way that I was.

A New Beginning

Every so often I come across an idea. One that strikes me so strongly that I feel the NEED to follow this idea. To really make this idea mine. The problem has always been that I have always found TOO MANY ideas. Too many new activities to try. Too many hobbies. Too few days in my life. I would feel so overwhelmed by the ideas that I would not try any of them. This would ultimately lead to me getting that discouraging feeling in my stomach. The one that makes you feel as though you are not worth it. Everyone knows this horrible, extremely negative feeling. Well I stumbled upon an idea that may very well help me in my quest to do as many NEW things as possible. 

Recently, many of my friends have been inspired by the 30 Day Challenge. Doing something new for 30 days. Or subtracting something for 30 days. So, I researched it a bit more and came across this video.

As you can see, I was also inspired. I began wondering. I began dreaming of things that I have always wanted to do but never felt that I had the time or the will power to do. Then I had my own idea. One that is based off the 30 day challenges but with a slight twist.

I have decided to tackle two separate 30 Day Challenges every 30 days for exactly 1 year. Hence my clever blog title 30x2x12. To adapt this idea to me further, I added a extra layer to the challenges I choose. 

A few years ago, I was fortunate to come across an organization that truly changed my life. The American Youth Foundation gave me a new way to look at my life and how I live. The AYF believes in living a balanced life with a motto of My Own Self, At My Very Best, All The Time. There are four folds to each of us; Mental, Social, Physical, and Religious. Those folds mean something different to everyone. The idea is to have those folds live in balance of each other in order for me to discover my Best Self. This is extremely hard

To help me do this and to vary my challenges, I have decided to have each challenged be based within a fold. That means that, with 24 total challenges throughout the next year, each fold with have 6 challenges. 

Now, I have no idea what every single challenge will be. I have my first two challenges chosen. Those will be detailed in my next post. However, I would like some help with the rest of the ideas. I have created a Google Doc to help with this brainstorm of ideas. It is open for anyone to add to. PLEASE help me come up with ideas. 

Life is short. It is a cliche, but that does not make it any less true. As Matt Cutts said, "The next 30 days are going to pass whether you want them to or not." It is true and I, for one, plan to make those most of it.