Challenge Year: 2014

I've decided that 2014 is going to be a year of growth. I'm looking for new experiences, ways to stretch and grow.

More specifically, I intend to accomplish 6 challenges:

• 2 intellectual
• 2 physical
• 2 creative

I want to really spend time on them, which is why I've limited it to 6. But I don't have them all yet. I only have three.

Spanish - I've never studied Spanish, and since I live in Texas, Spanish is a language I could really get a lot of use out of. I also have friends who talk to each other in Spanish and I'm tired of missing the conversation. Of course I won't become fluent in a year, but I hope to get to basic conversation. 

Kayaking - I like being on the water, but haven't ever had a boat of my own. I want something small, that I can handle myself, and a kayak seems like a good choice. I also live a 5 minute walk from a lake.  (this one will wait for warmer weather)

Washoku  - Is traditional Japanese cooking. A cuisine I've never tried to cook. UNESCO has also designated it an intangible cultural heritage asset. Intriguing. So I intend to make every recipe in Washoku. It looks both interesting and doable.

I could come up with more, but I wanted these to be things I really wanted to do, and at this point this is all I have.  I also didn't want to set things in stone from the beginning. I wanted to leave it open for more ideas to come to me, though obviously, I have to be able to do them by the end of the year. 

I'm taking suggestions for the next three. But, if you suggest a marathon or similar event, you have to come with me. I'm not doing that alone.