The start of a new me!

Well I did it! I was up early and at the gym for just after 8.30am this morning. I did my full workout with no cheating and it was actually okay! I was tired and sweaty at the end of it ... but I got through it all. The crunch machine absolutely killed me as it's right at the end of my workout! I nabbed this photo from the web but it's a very similar machine to the one at the gym.

You grab the handles at the head end, and your feet go through the other end. You have to use both your arms and your legs to bring them both up together at the same time and woaaahhh you feel the burn on your abs!. I have to do 2x15 reps ... and by the time I got to the 11th rep on the second set I really had to force myself to do the last four ... but I did!!!

Got home, had a very quick shower then went into work to finish off the prep for my show tomorrow. I'm home in time for a quick sandwich before I'm off out this afternoon taking photos!

Part of me wishes I hadn't said I'd do this as I'm exhausted and could do with chilling out and get more stock made for Sunday ... but it will be fun and I know I'll enjoy myself once I get into it!

Hub and I have been friends with A and F for years ... F wants to go out on a motorbike and A has just got a new camera and wants to play ... so we're "wife-swapping" for the afternoon but strictly for motorbike riding and photo taking! Hub is whisking F off on his bike, and A & I are off for a bimble around Chichester taking photos and I'm going to set him some challenges!

Right, best go charge the camera battery!!

** Photo Challenge - 25 Smiles

I woke up this morning and decided to go get out there with my camera and have some fun... and I set myself the challenge of 25 smiles from strangers! I was really nervous when I first started out ... I walked into town and let so many people walk past me until I plucked up the courage to ask the first person! From there it was really easy and people were SO nice to me.

I said to people "Excuse me, I'm doing a photography project called 25 Smiles and I wondered if you would like to be one of my smiles?" They were all so lovely to me - asked me about what I was doing and why I was doing it! People seemed surprised that I was just doing it for fun - for no real other reason, and most of them had a chat with me too!

There were only two people that said no - one was a woman who was in a rush somewhere, and the other was an older lady who thought she was too ugly to be photographed! She was such a lovely soul and stopped and chatted to me for quite some time and went off with a tear in her eye that somebody had actually wanted to take her picture!!

I really had a good time doing it! I am definitely going to have to set myself some more challenges! This is the finished montage of 25 smiles!!!