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The Year of Trying New Things

October 31, 2016

I recently realized how much 2016 has been a big year for me in terms of trying new things.

I’m dubbing it “The Year of Trying Shit”.

hiking Bryce Canyon - part of my "year of trying new things"! // feathersandstripes.com

Things I tried this year and how I felt about each

Acupuncture: Nope.
I heard so many good reviews about using acupuncture to relieve stress, but I just don’t get it. I went 4 times total. Each time I went, I would lie there thinking about how much stuff I needed to do, and the acupuncturist I went to would then tell me how terribly I eat (I know this) and try to push hundreds of dollars of supplements on me. I understand that she just 100% believes in Eastern medicine and doesn’t trust MDs, but I couldn’t buy into it when the stuff she was recommending is pretty much unregulated by the FDA and was stuff I couldn’t pronounce. I also have a minor fear of needles, so the whole sticking needles in my forehead thing was not fun.

Cupping: Holy ouch.
The woman I went to was using the gliding cups, so they basically suck your skin up and then move it up and down your back. I almost dove off the table, it hurt so badly. Not doing this again. You can keep this one, Michael Phelps.

Spray tan: Loved.
I’ve never really been able to tan (hi, I’m pasty white) so I felt like a bronzed goddess. People at work the next day kept complimenting me on my new dress and saying how great the color was for me. I laughed inwardly, knowing that it was definitely not the color of my new dress that was making me look so healthy and glowy. I heard mixed reviews from friends about getting a spray tan, so if you want to try it, definitely go to someone who has good reviews! I went with the lightest color possible, and it lasted about a week.

Quinoa: Surprisingly, I like this. As in, I voluntarily made it as a dinner side one night. I have Blue Apron to thank for that one.

Cooking with Blue Apron: Clearly (see above), I made some dishes that I ended up really liking and repeating.
I also learned that it’s actually way easier to cook than I thought – you just have to get a recipe, and all of the ingredients, and follow the steps. Duh. For some reason, though, getting all of the ingredients is a problem – I hate going to the grocery store so I try to avoid it, but then we get into a nasty cycle of not eating well. We ended up canceling our subscription – you can read more about my experience with Blue Apron here.

Wearing the color green: Sure!
Would you believe that I don’t own anything that is kelly green? Until I found this dress, that is, and stalked it until I found it in my size. Maybe it’s because I wore it to work the day after my aforementioned spray tan, but I got so many compliments on it – and it’s one of the most comfortable items in my closet! It comes in blue and black, too, if green isn’t your color.

Hiking: If you’ve read any of my other posts on our hiking trip, you know that I loved it, I can’t stop talking about it, and I can’t wait to do it again!

We still have a couple of months in 2016 – what should I add to this list?

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5 CommentsFiled Under: personal Tagged With: health, lifestyle, totally honest, trying new things

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jonel says

    October 31, 2016 at 11:47 am

    Why did you cancel Blue Apron? It seems like I read lots of positive reviews abut the meal plan services but then people say they cancel. Just curious.

    Reply
    • FeathersAndStripes says

      October 31, 2016 at 8:27 pm

      Honestly, we were having a hard time cooking the 3 meals each week. Something always came up, and we felt terrible throwing food away! And there’s no other option to go down to 1 or 2 meals a week, so we decided to cancel. I thought the recipes they sent us were really great for beginners (like me!), but you have to really commit to doing the 3 meals per week!

      Reply
    • Alyssa Loring says

      December 12, 2016 at 1:53 pm

      Sorry for the delay in response! I found that getting 3 meals per week was a little too much for us. Some nights we just didn’t feel like cooking, or we would have impromptu parties to attend – or we just wanted a good ol’ steak on the grill. It probably has more to do with the fact that we tried it in the summer months than anything!

      Reply
  2. Christina says

    October 31, 2016 at 2:52 pm

    Just found your blog on the Boston Bloggers network. Yay! Um, I love this list. I’m so scared of cupping…weird. I’ve done acupuncture too and like you…I just don’t get it. Adding you to my reader, nice to meet you!!

    Reply
    • FeathersAndStripes says

      October 31, 2016 at 8:26 pm

      So glad you found me! Welcome 🙂

      Reply

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Meet Alyssa


New England native, wife, and toddler mom. Frequent traveler, skinny jeans enthusiast. Here I share tips and tricks on making #momlife look effortless. If it saves you time or saves you a headache, I’m probably blogging about it.


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