A Great Weekend in Austin. Rockband Rules.

We had a great evening at Janice's a couple of weeks ago when we celebrated with Zylo. See you next time!

Ten Days Before My Goal Date

Pictures are are:

Me before surgery, 20 pounds shy of 300. That's Jon in the background. A fun day, but I don't look like this anymore.
Next is me on a sunny day a couple of weeks ago sitting next to the Turtle Pond on campus at UT. Rob and I were having a great lunch date.
Next is me with some friends from Dallas.
Next is me, in my new "medium" gap shirt at Chris and John's just yesterday at a game night event.
Lastly is the graph that shows my progress along the way. I'm not there yet, but I'm so close!










































I wanted to reach a hundred pound weight loss prior to my anniversary date of 1 year. And, I made it. I'm so happy with the progress. There have been times of discouragement, but mostly the scale has been cooperative. There were plenty of flat spots. But, even in those flat spots, people seemed to think I was losing weight. Maybe my body has been adjusting all along the way.

I'm feeling good for the most part! (Although, not at this precise moment of writing, because I just took a bite of chicken that was too big).

I'm still learning about eating differently. I'm trying still to remain conscious about how big a bite I take, and also how fast I eat and thoroughly I chew. This is not as easy as you'd think! I have a lot of years of not thinking about eating to undo.

But there's been some really good victories to commemorate this year.

• I no longer have aching knees/joints.
• I can fit behind the steering wheel
• I don't struggle to get into tight spaces
• People don't have to pull their chairs in to the point they are turning blue, so I can squeeze by
• I participated in a 5k
• I have gone from a 46 inch waist pant, to a 33
• I have gone from 3x Shirt to a Medium-Large
• Rob says I look amazing, and that means a lot
• I feel better about my ability to address my health
• I can sit in a booth at a restaurant
• I walk faster and folks don't have to wait on me (as long).
• I can board a plane without fear about the seat
• I can sit in the movie theater next to my friends and not spill over into their space
• I don't feel self-conscious walking into rooms full of people
• I feel younger
• I feel closer to the person I think God would have me be

So, all of those things mean a lot. But, they aren't everything of course. There are benefits of course related to appearance and such. But, mostly I'm glad that I just feel better. I am still about 10 to 20 pounds away from my goal. (I debate whether I'll stop at 170 or 160). But, I'm confident I'll make it by end of July, beginning of August.

Everyone has been so, so supportive and I just couldn't ask for better friends or family. I feel so loved, that I'm truly the luckiest person in the world - without regard to size. I hope to see you all soon.

Us Having Fun

This was us at John and Chris's the other night having an evening of games. We enjoyed Aurora's famed Ginger Cookies, but I fear it may have pushed me to a 99 pound weight loss instead of 1oo. Sigh. Oh well - I can see this is going to be ongoing. :)

By Any Other Name

I've kept mostly quiet about the whole Miss California versus Perez Hilton. Mostly because it's just two kinda queens battling out views in the media and I don't think either of them does a very good job of representing their constituencies or communities.

I wish Perez would just shut up and go away. He's inarticulate, ignorant, and a fame seeker of the largest magnitude. His main claim to fame is a blog site that is just a venue of gossip and really, who cares?

Miss California - well, one only need to hear her open her mouth to draw a conclusion.

So now that Miss California has appeared in different states of undress, the battle heats up. Was this before her boob job? Or, after? Was she 17 or was she 18? Are the pictures too revealing for the today show? Does all this line up with her spokesperson status for the religious right? (Click on the title of the blog to link to the news story)

Blah, Blah, Blah.

Ok, now I wish both of them would just shut up and go away. Perez: You may have had a make over so your hair is prettier, but everything that comes out of your mouth is still ugly. And, you don't represent my community. So, please throw a disclaimer on what you say because people presume you're like every-gay-man. And, you are not.

Miss California: You can claim Christian morales and high ground if you want. But, really - by my estimation anyone who takes off their clothes for money and fame can call yourself a 'model' if you insist, but there are other names for it too. You may want to remember about that casting the first stone thing.

So, that's all I have to say about it.