THE CHALLENGE

I've been thinking about losing weight for at least the past two years now. I've tried several different things and all along the thing I've missed is determination. I'm here to tell you the Atkins diet, the South Beach Diet, The Zone Diet or whatever other diet you may latch onto will not work. Weight loss is a matter of changing your habits.

Some of my thoughts I think will help me win:

--Eating healthy is a matter of eating within the food pyramid. A balance of protein, carbs, and other essentials is a must.
--Staying hydrated will help keep your stomach feeling full.
--Desserts are OK, but have to be eaten in moderation. The key to weight loss has to be healthy eating in moderation.
--Exercise is essential. Exercising at least 3 times per week for one half our each session seems to be a good start.
--Standing on the scale is only required at the onset of your journey. Daily weighing will only discourage you. I think you should weigh yourself when you begin the journey and then no peeking at the scale until 90 days has past
--Eating healthy can be a way of worshipping God. Your body is His temple. Why not treat it that way!

So here's the challenge:
If you've thought about losing weight (c'mon, don't be bashful...who hasn't!) then step on the scale this week and weigh yourself. My goal (and yours if you decide to join in) is to lose one pound per week for the balance of this year. I weighed myself tonight at 273.1 and will not peek for the next 90 days. Healthy eating and a good exercise program will help me get there. I'll keep you posted with weekly updates. I can do it, and so can you!

Some Interesting Tidbits

Thanks to my Dad for the facts in this post. I usually hate forwarded E-mail, but he always sends the good ones. Thanks Dad!

In the 1400's a law was set forth that a man was not allowed to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb. Hence we have "the rule of thumb"
Many years ago in Scotland, a new game was invented. It was ruled "Gentlemen Only...Ladies Forbidden"...and thus the word GOLF entered into the English language.

The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time TV were Fred and Wilma Flintstone.
Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than the US Treasury.
Men can read smaller print better than women can; women can hear better.
Coca-Cola was originally green.
It is impossible to lick your elbow.
The State with the highest percentage of people who walk to work: Alaska
The percentage of Africa that is wilderness: 28% (now get this...)
The percentage of North America that is wilderness: 38%

The cost of raising a medium-size dog to the age of eleven: $6,400
The average number of people airborne over the US any given hour: 61,000
Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.
The first novel ever written on a typewriter: Tom Sawyer.
The San Francisco Cable cars are the only mobile National Monuments.
Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history:
Spades - King David
Hearts - Charlemagne
Clubs -Alexander, the Great
Diamonds - Julius Caesar

111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321
If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle. If the horse has one front leg in the air the person died as a result of wounds received in battle. If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.
Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence July 4th, John Hancock and Charles Thomson. Most of the rest signed on August 2, but the last signature wasn't added until 5 years later.
Q. Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of what?
A. Their birthplace
Q. Most boat owners name their boats. What is the most popular boat name requested?
A. Obsession
Q. If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you would find the letter "A"?
A. One thousand
Q. What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers, and laser printers all have in common?
A. All invented by women.
Q. What is the only food that doesn't spoil?
A. Honey

Q. Which day are there more collect calls than any other day of the year?
A. Father's Day
In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes. When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase......... "goodnight, sleep tight."
It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month, which we know today as the honeymoon.
In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts... So in old England, when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them "Mind your pints and quarts, and settle down."
It's where we get the phrase "mind your P's and Q's"

Many years ago in England, pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim, or handle, of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle to get some service. "Wet your whistle" is the phrase inspired by this practice.
At least 75% of people who read this will try to lick their elbow

JUST SAY NO.....(to OPRAH) from SARAH

So, there has been an APB out on Matt lately. I'd like to let you all know that Matt has a serious addiction. He is severely addicted to watching OPRAH!

Now, when I was younger I used to watch Oprah a lot. Everyday actually (me and my best friend Kelly would call each other and sit on the phone saying "did you just see that?") I am all for watching her show and taking positive things from it. BUT, thanks to dish network and this lovely feature called DVR, all Matt wants to do is watch OPRAH! Go for a walk? - NO OPRAH! Go to a movie? - NO OPRAH! DO ANYTHING? - NO OPRAH! I mean he makes an episode of OPRAH last all night! He can pause it, he can rewind it and he can start it all over if he wants.

I AM BEGGING for your help. Please leave encouraging comments for Matt so that I can drag his butt away from this OPRAH fettish and back into a marriage full of understanding and rational compromise.

Thanks for listening!

Rember When...

I've heard this song by Alan Jackson and it makes me a bit nostalgic so I thought I'd write a post with the song title as the title of my post. I always stop and think "Remember when you were young and thought how cool it would be to be older?" Now I think how cool it would to be younger again.

Your job is to fill in the blank after Remember When...

For the love of music....

I always enjoy pondering the question "If you were stuck on a desert island, what is one thing you would make sure to have?" For me, it would be music. I love to kick back, and listen to my favorite tunes. There is usually one song (maybe two) that I can latch on to and listen to over and over and not get tired of it.

Last spring, I started to become more familiar with the Pop-Christian music scene. I never thought I would enjoy this type of music so much. Not only is it refreshing, but it's a way to worship God. Last year, Mercy Me seemed to apply to my walk with God. Now that we've moved to West Michigan and have not attended church like we used to, I've found recent solitude in Kutless' new album. "Draw me close" seems to be the song that I can play over and over and over and over and, well you get the point. It helps me to stay grounded and realize that material things are not everything in life. The chorus sums it up well:

You're all I want,
You're all I've ever needed
You're all I want,
Help me know you are near

The peace of mind in knowing that the Lord is closer to you than He seems, and we can cast our cares to Him brings about a peace that cannot be found elsewhere. My prayer is that the chorus to this song is lived out in my daily life and I can get back on the path to Him through an awesome church that builds faith through Community.
What song(s)/group(s) inspire you in your thoughts and prayers?

I have Arrived

So, I've been in the background for weeks (OK, maybe months) now on this blog thing. I could resist no more, so here I land. A place to put thoughts in cyberspace...who woulda thought.

Anyway, I came across a quote as I was getting ready for bed last night that struck me. For those of you who know me well, you know that I am inspired by famous quotes. I was reading an interview with Mark Hurd (the CEO of HP) in Fortune Magazine, and the interviewer kept asking him about his vision/strategy for HP. After the second question about how Hurd was going to guide the Company he responded:

Vision without execution is a hallucination --Edison.

This will be added to my top five list. My all time favorite quote comes from the founder of the firm I used to work for. I was having a discussion in career planning and my team partner told me

The fish stinks from the Head.

While I don't remember the context of the conversation, I will never forget the wisdom on leadership that was conveyed in those six simple words.

So, why do I share? Well, we have gone through the past month and a half without a Plant Manager at work, which means the remaining managers are "in charge." During this time, the wheels appeared as if they were starting to fall off, and we began discussions about what happened. We began talking about leadership and providing a vision to our immediate staff and the people they supervised. After a series of discussions we realized it wasn't the people that worked for us or the people that worked for them. It was us. The fish stunk from the head. So, we set out on a mission to define what is important to the plant, and ultimately the Corporation. Everyone came back and presented their plan to get back on track. It felt good. We finally had a plan. The only thing left is execution. Otherwise, Edison said it best, we are just hallucinating.

Think about it! How many times have you set out to do great things only to wind up on a "Sick Cycle Carousel" of failure. The same destructive patterns that repeatedly lead to failure. If you're reading this thinking "Oh, this has never happened to me", then you've been either been in a coma all your life or have no desire to achieve.

I don't intend to write to offend...I write in hopes of inspiring people. Hopefully this has inspired you to achieve at higher levels.