The pursuit of happiness...up a mountain

With such a successful resolution last year, I needed to pursue another this year.  I saw an inspiring quote on Pinterest.  It didn't seem all that inspiring at the time and I didn't bother pinning it, but it stuck with me for a few days.  Naturally, I can't remember the exact words, nor can I find it, but the gist was life is too short not to be happy.  It sounds pretty generic and obvious but I was thinking about all the time I spend frustrated, stressed, worrying, or just blah.  It's totally and completely in my power to be happy all of that time.  

On my journey of choosing happiness, I am trying new things.  I'm being a "yes!" person.  Mom and I recently returned from visiting my brother in Colorado.  While snow skiing isn't exactly new to me, I put myself out there and I learned something new...

But not this.
This is the equivalent of my brother's talent on a snowboard

Cool, right?  Well that's not me.  That's about the skill level my brother is at.  So in the name of trying new things, when he asked me to ski some with him, I said "heck yeah"!  The little nugget of knowledge I learned was not to blindly follow my brother up a mountain...

This isn't me, either.  This is Madonna, poor gal.  Luckily my
brother didn't snap any photographic evidence of my little mishap.

Even though I was shaking in my ski boots and it took me about 24 times as long to get down as it should have, I'm better for it now.  At least that's what my brother said, but I think he may have been nursing his own conscience.  On the ride home I literally laughed so hard I cried trying to explain to my mom what happened.  My brother joked about how he thought he was going to have to call ski patrol.  After waiting for me at the bottom of a particularly steep slope, he took off his snowboard to walk back up the mountain to find me.  It had been so long since he'd seen me, he was convinced I had fallen and broken something.  He came trudging up the hill and spotted me standing by the trees alone, just hanging out.  The fear was so bad I had to psyche myself up every once in awhile to keep going.  But I made it down the mountain with only a wounded pride.

Just happy to be alive...

Since my adventures in trying new things have been so successful thus far... I decided to try something new in the kitchen.  Guess what?  It kinda sucked.  Now that I think about it, my resolutions for 2013 aren't off to a great start.  Anyway, I attempted to make homemade tortillas because I've seen blogs and recipes that make them look so delicious and worth the effort.  Ummm...they're not.  A more experienced cook or blogger may tell you otherwise, but I won't lie, mine weren't very good or pretty.

I don't have a rolling pin, so I used this big bottle of beer one of
my roommates had.  Looking back, this is probably the first red flag.

This is the recipe I used.  I'm sure it's a great recipe.  It just didn't really work out for me. My first three were  total duds because I blew it trying to place them on the hot skillet.  They wrinkled and folded up on one another.  

On the fourth, I finally mastered the technique for placing them in the skillet.  Unfortunately they were too thick, broke easily, and became stale quickly.  I did eat one in the fashion it was meant for that evening.  The rest I dunked in soup for several days.  

The one homemade tortilla that was eaten the way it was designed to be.
For the record: not worth it

While I can't try new things without a failure once in awhile, I have to say I was hoping for a better track record than 0-2 half way through January.  But being happy is a lot about being positive.  The happiest people I've ever met weren't brilliant skiers or chefs.  The women stayed home and swept their dirt floors, the men sold food at the market, and the children carried water.  The happiest people I've ever met were positive despite their circumstances.

School children in Buloba, Uganda

                                     

So be happy, be healthy, and don't eat the leftover tortillas in the kitchen...                                                  .