Does this sound like a summer day in your life? Sleep until 10 a.m. Shower after lunch. Check Facebook. Maybe put in a few hours at a part-time job. Eat dinner. Watch a movie. Go to bed.

For 30 days, the SUSIE staff challenges you to forget the boring and welcome the exciting by challenging yourself in a variety of areas. And if you complete the challenge, this cool T-shirt can be yours.

Here’s how it works: You have to register to even enter this challenge! (We’re making it tough, because that’s what challenges are all about. We want this to truly s-t-r-e-t-c-h you.) Send your name, T-shirt size, complete mailing address, e-mail and $10 to: SUSIE Magazine, 3741 Bloomington Street #4, Colorado Springs, CO 80922. (Why the $10? This is to help cover the cost of the T-shirt. But what if I don’t complete the challenge? Your $10 remains in the fund to help pay for the shirts.)

Here’s how to enter:
Then, once you’ve completed everything in each category for 30 days, write a paragraph on how the challenge positively affected you, have a parent sign it (yes, even if you’re 18 or older), send that and your photo to: susie@susiemag.com and label it CHALLENGED. (We’re asking for your photo in case we decide to publish your paragraph and pix. If you haven’t sent in your entry form to BEGIN the challenge, however, your completion won’t count! You MUST enter to begin the challenge!)

Remember: Enter immediately, but DON’T send in your paragraph and your photo (that must be 300 dpi) in the next couple of weeks, because it takes 30 days to complete the challenge. DON’T send in your paragraph until you’ve actually completed the entire challenge!

Some of you receive the magazine early. You can start as soon as you receive it, but you have to continue it for 30 consecutive days. So you may want to start in May (if you get the mag early), or you can start in June. The deadline for completing the challenge is July 20, 2010. (This is to give our international readers who may not receive the magazine until mid-June a chance to enter.)

EMOTIONAL
• Do something kind for a neighbor three times a week for 30 days.
• Hug someone in your family three times a week for 30 days.
• Volunteer to do an extra chore (or someone else’s chore) at home three times a week for 30 days.
• Take a bubble bath at least one time in the next 30 days to help you unwind.

Besides completing the above, CHOOSE ONE of the following to complete:
• Snail mail two handwritten notes of encouragement to someone in ministry during the next 30 days.
• Make a snack for your family three times during the next 30 days.

STEWARDSHIP
• Tithe 10 percent of your income or allowance for 30 days. (If you don’t receive any allowance or income, tithe 15 minutes of your time to help someone do something every day for 30 days.)
• Help organize an event for your youth group or closest friends to volunteer at a charity (e.g., soup
kitchen, thrift store, pregnancy resource center, church nursery, etc.) one time during the next 30 days.

Besides completing the above, CHOOSE ONE of the following to complete:
• Donate your old clothes, CDs, books and other items.
• Tithe your talent three times in the next 30 days (bake cookies for a neighbor, mow someone’s grass, babysit for free, send a handmade card, etc. In other words, whatever you do well, do it for some- one else.)

SPIRITUAL
• Read five chapters of Psalms each day.
• Read the Gospel of Mark once.
• Memorize 1 Corinthians 13 in any version of the Bible. (Yes, the entire chapter.)
• Keep a prayer journal for 30 days.

Besides completing the above, CHOOSE TWO of the following to complete:
• Volunteer one day at your church to help where needed.
• Listen to a sermon you’ve never heard before on tape, podcast, the internet or CD.
• Verbally share your faith with someone who’s not a Christian.
• Invite a friend to church or youth group who does not regularly a??end.

MENTAL
• Read any book by Lee Strobel. (Make sure you read the student version.)
• Read Hinds’ Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard.
• Use a dictionary to learn the meaning of muckrake. Then use it in a conversation one day.
• Use the dictionary to learn the meaning of zeppelin. Then use it in a conversation one day.
• Go one week with no television.

Besides completing the above, CHOOSE TWO of the following to complete:
• Play one of the following games with your fam- ily one time during the next 30 days: Farkle®, Scrabble®, Trivial Pursuit®, Monopoly®, Pit®.
• Go one week without using your computer.
• Plan a movie night with friends or family, and create five questions about the movie to discuss afterward. Choose one of the following movies to watch: The Ultimate Gift, Left Behind, Amazing Grace, Anne of Green Gables, Hangman’s Curse, Facing the Giants, Expelled, Secondhand Lions.

PHYSICAL
• Walk briskly for 30 minutes a day five times a week for 30 days.
• Avoid all caffeinated drinks for three days out of every week for 30 days.
• Lift 10 pounds of weights 25 times three times a week. If you don’t have weights, lift the same amount in something else (sacks of potatoes, bags of flour, etc.)
• Eat at least one fruit and one vegetable every day. (A tomato is a fruit, by the way.)

Besides completing the above, CHOOSE TWO of the following to complete:
• Jog 20 minutes a day three times a week for the next 30 days.
• Jump rope for 20 minutes three times a week for the next 30 days.
• Swim for 20 minutes three times a week for the next 30 days.
• Bicycle for 30 minutes three times a week for the next 30 days.

FAQ's
What if I’ve already read one of the books listed? Can I count that?
No. Read it again.

To whom do I say my memorized verses?
Say them to a parent, because Mom or Dad will be signing the paper stating you completed the entire challenge.

What paper do I send in? What paper does a parent sign?
You’ll need to provide your own sheet of paper. You’ll write a paragraph on how SUSIE Magazine’s Challenge positively affected your life, a parent will sign it, you’ll include a photo of yourself that’s 300 dpi, and you’ll mail it through regular mail (NOT e-mail) to: SUSIE Magazine, 3741 Bloomington Street #4, Colorado Springs, CO 80922 AFTER you’ve completed the entire challenge. But remember, you must send in your entry to even begin the challenge.

What’s my entry?
Send your name, T-shirt size, complete mailing address, e-mail and $10 to the address listed in the above paragraph BEFORE you begin the challenge. Once you’ve mailed this in, get started!

What if I register, send in my $10 and then can’t complete the challenge? Can I still get a T-shirt? Or can I get my money back?
No. Remember, this is a challenge, so we’re being tough on you. The $10 won’t actually cover the cost of the shirt and mailing it to you, but that’s all we’re asking you to give. We’ll cover the rest of the cost. And the only way you can get the shirt is to actually complete the challenge. So if you can’t com- plete the challenge, your $10 stays in the fund to help offset the cost of printing ALL the shirts.

I’ll be out of town during the first part of June. Can I begin the challenge later in the month?
Yes, but it needs to be done for 30 consecutive days. You can’t do part of it in June and the
rest in August. Nor can you begin in May, take a week off, then pick it up again in June. You can start in May (if you receive this issue before June), or you can start in June (whenever you receive this issue), but you must do it for 30 consecutive days, or it doesn’t count.

What if I accidentally forget to do something in one of the categories one day?
This is a challenge, so you need to follow the directions listed. If you’re afraid you might forget something, create a chart or calendar listing what to do each day. Then mark off the tasks when they’re completed. Also, ask a friend or parent to hold you accountable each day for 30 days, so you won’t forget.

Can my friends who don’t subscribe to the magazine do the challenge?
If they follow all the rules and send in their registration before beginning. Grab a friend, your sister or even your mom, and complete the challenge together.

What if I’ve already memorized 1 Corinthians 13?
Then memorize it in a different version of the Bible.

I play sports and am already physically active. Does that count?
If you have sports practice or games, you may count that as your exercise for that specific day.

I’ll be at ______________ (boarding school, band camp, vacation, etc.) during part of that time. What should I do since I’ll be away from my family?
The deadline to complete this challenge is July 20 (and it MUST be done in 30 consecutive days). If you can’t complete all the categories in 30 consecutive days before then, you will not be eligible to receive the prize. But we still encourage you to send in your photo and paragraph about how the challenge impacted you whenever you are able to complete it.