10 lbs down.

a bizillion more to go.

Free Q City Players Show Friday!

The always hilarious (well, almost always) Q City Players Improv Comedy Troupe will be performing at Taza Coffeehouse in Clifton this Friday.

Here's the skinny:

when: this friday (I just told you that!) February 19th
time: 9-11pm
cost: $5 at the door UNLESS you bring a personal hygiene item or canned food good, then you get in FREE
ideas on what to bring: shampoo, conditioner, laundry detergent, soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, combs, hairbrushes, canned meats, canned vegetables, etc

All donated items will go to The Healing Center in Springdale. It's a very cool place that offers a number of services to the people of Cincinnati.

show up early - doors open at 8:20pm. It's street parking (although you can park across the street in UC's parking lot, I think it's like $5-10. Also, Taza makes wonderful drinks and healthy snack options. You don't want to miss it!

bad company

Until 2 weeks ago, I hadn't been to the dentist in somewhere between 5-10 years. I figured I was good, since my dad has really good teeth and he never goes. Plus, I had never a cavity. Turns out, waiting a decade between dentist trips isn't such a hot idea. I had 4 cavities and apparently, my 4x a year flossing habits didn't quite cut it. I ended up with some crappy gingivitis and periodontal disease. Which the later is code for Eastern Kentucky. It's basically a result of never flossing and your gums get hacked off and eventually deteriorate, causing tooth loss. I floss almost everyday now.

Anyway, all that to say, the dentist experience got me thinking. If I had been jacking my mouth up this long and never realizing it, what was I doing to the rest of my body? I began figuring out how much weight I needed to lose to be "healthy". It's right around 100lbs. WHAT???!?!?!?!? bleep, bleep, bleeeeeep.

I doubt I'll ever lose 100lbs, but I need to lose weight regardless. and a LOT of it. I would have to lose 40lbs just to get to the weight I was when I got married, which was just a mere 2 1/2 years ago. And I was fat then too. ugh.

So on the 3rd of February, I began eating better. Not amazing. But better. And I have dramatically lessened the amount of soda intake I was consuming. And overall, lessened the amount of calories I'm having been shoveling down my throat. And I started working out. Not everyday. But some. And I started Zumba classes yesterday. And as of this morning, I have lost 6lbs. Which, in the grand scheme of things, is like losing the weight of one of my earlobes or something. But 6lbs is still 6lbs. Just 94 more to go.... haha.

And for the first time ever, Isaac and I are on the same page. We're trying to lose weight together, eating better and staying positive. This has been VERY helpful.

The challenge will be (and will always be) that I am an emotional eater. I eat when I'm sad, when I'm happy, when I'm bored, when I'm nervous and I really eat when I'm depressed. And parties - watch out. A celebration is not a celebration to me without a bunch of food being involved. When I started talking about losing weight to Isaac, I told him that when I lost 50lbs, my treat to myself would be to buy some new glasses. He asked me what my "treat" would be for the first 5lbs or 10lbs... And I bit back with "probably a cheeseburger". I honestly do not know how to celebrate without food. And in the past several days, I have been going back and forth between "when" I lose x amount of weight and "if" I lose x amount of weight. Which are 2 totally different things. The if's are what's going to bring me down.

So, what are some good ways to "celebrate" or "treat" yourself for reaching small goals?

I Want To Be A Clone

Back in the mid 1990's a friend in band class introduced me to the music of Steve Taylor. Quirky, eccentric, intelligent, Steve Taylor. His tongue-in-cheek approach to life and the truth of Christ blended in such a fashion that it shaped the way that I thought about not only Christian music, but God as well. Steve would eventually go on to produce numerous records and music videos (Sixpence None the Richer, Newboys, Guardian, Rich Mullins). He also formed the short lived Squint Entertainment and co-wrote and directed The Second Chance (which starred Michael W. Smith).

And while I have been a bad girl for not watching his movie, some of his songs have stuck with me since the day I bought his cassette tape at Family Christian Store. Somewhat ironic, since several of his albums were pulled from stores like that.... But songs like Jesus Is For Losers and The Finish Line and Cash Cow (which has to be one of the weirdest and funniest videos out there) are life changing to me. When I'm having a crap sappy day, I think of The Finish Line and how the Christian life is not some happy go lucky day trip. It gets hard, and you fall down, but you have to get back up. As the apostle Paul wrote, "I don't know about you, but I'm running hard for the finish line. I'm giving it everything I've got. No sloppy living for me! I'm staying alert and in top condition. I'm not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself." - 1 Corinthians 9:26-27 The Message

While his music is out of print, you can of course, always purchase it on ebay. I would suggest purchasing both Liver and Squint. Click here to watch/listen to a 1994 rendition of The Finish Line at Cornerstone. And remember to run hard in the race. Don't give up. He didn't come for the well, he came for the sick and the broken hearted. The losers. You and me.