Monday, April 27, 2015

Tim Hawkins Picked On Me!

This weekend my husband and I went to see the Christian comedian Tim Hawkins.

I hadn't laughed that hard in ages, and Tim really blessed me in so many unexpected ways- including picking on me during his show because I laughed too loud.

Really loud. So loud that I was making others laugh! 

Throughout the show he kept mock-glaring at me and on one occasion, threatened me with his flute. I responded by laughing harder, and yelling "WOO!" every time he did something wonderful- which was often. One point he played the intro to "Yoga Pants" one of my favorite songs of his, and he heard me exclaim "Yay!" to my husband- he hesitated for a second to give me another penetrating look before resuming his song. 

I loved every minute of his show, including the friendly teasing.

During the intermission, I bought a T-shirt of the Christian cuss words. Why? Because he used one that I suggested when he asked for 'clean cuss words' on Facebook- "Son of a motherless goat" is on the bottom of the shirt- is that awesome or what?

But the best part came afterwards. We had a VIP pass to meet Tim face to face. I wish it was longer than the minute allowed, but we got some great shots of the three of us, and he was happy to answer my questions. Super-duper nice guy. 
I suggested a funny face pic, and he said he made one the first time- but the second one we all made a face- and he chuckled when he saw my "bunny teeth" face.

A pivotal moment people- I made a professional comedian laugh.

I so desperately want to do what he does! 

If I ever managed to get on stage, I'd need a mop. Several of them in fact. I also don't play an instrument, but karaoke music might do the trick. I dream of doing shows with Tim Hawkins, Ken Davis, John Branyan, and Taylor Mason. I think about skits, parodies and funny poems all the time
I also have nightmares that I'm a shaking, stuttering mess standing in my own puddle on stage getting no reaction from the crowd. Comedy, thou art a double-edged sword.

I asked if I could send him a sample of my parodies- and he surprised me by saying yes. I can't tell you how twitterpated I am! Now if I can just stop shaking long enough to video one, I might be on my way to stardom...
...even if it's in my own head.

If you haven't seen Tim or any of the other comedians, do it. It's so worth the money. Besides, as Christians we have to keep clean humor alive. God loves to hear us laugh- even those who laugh a little too loud.

Tim Hawkins, thank you for making me laugh until I cried. Thank you for inspiring me to work towards a long desired dream. And thanks for the warm hug and funny faced pictures. You blessed me more than you know. May God bless you in unexpected and wonderful ways!

Monday, April 20, 2015

Prayer Power!

When you ask God for something, prepare to be amazed! When He decides to answer, you might not be ready for it.

I prayed last week to be sent work so I could earn some extra money at home. I was checking my Etsy store (crafts) my emails (writing) and my Facebook page (odd jobs) hoping for something though those venues.

An offer was on my Facebook page, but on my personal one, not my professional one. A new found friend whom i tried to help out a while back, but couldn't. But apparently he could help me.
"I just saw your post about face painting. I didn't know you did that! I have a place you might be able to go."
That lead to a comic book store promotion and landed me a face-painting job where I can charge for my services outside of their store. Awesome!

But that was just the beginning.

I got a phone call from a friend I hadn't heard from in ages.

"Can you do such-and-such craft for my employer? By Wednesday? He needs fifteen of them, and he'll send the supplies."
Well that was fantastic since I couldn't buy anything at this point. "Sure! Bring it over and I'll have a look and I'll brainstorm ideas."
Fifteen was more like seventeen, and he wanted a lot of detail work. The price I quoted originally was on the low side for my friend, but it would cover something I needed to get this week, so all was well with the world. It's a lot of work, but I'd do my best for her- and him. I told her what was going on. She smiled and nodded.
"I'll talk to him and see what I can do."
I smiled. "You can, but let God do the talking. My quote is still valid, but since he sent more that we agreed on, I'd appreciate it if he could cover the extra work. Just don't tell me what he said- let God surprise me later...okay?"
She agreed, and I got to work. 
I'm working for what I quoted. It was something I prayed for, and got it. Yes, there was a little extra work involved, but I was okay with that. Even if the guy doesn't give the extra, God would bless me anyway. Two unusual customers in a week? God was good.
That's when the phone rang again.
Another friend, "Hi- can you fix a few seams for me? I need the holes sewn and reinforced before a trip- I love these pants!" I laughed and told her to bring them over. She's picking them up today.

Yes, the work is sporadic and sometimes small. But every drop in the bucket helps. God blessed me with a lot of skills, and i enjoy using them and doing something different each day.

But it does make me wonder what He has in store for tomorrow!


Monday, April 13, 2015

Weightloss Wonders


It all started when I saw a nutritionist. If she'd tried to throw me into what I'm currently doing almost a year and a half ago, I would've walked out after the first appointment. But she was a subtle and wonderfully sneaky woman, so she made small suggestions here and there that didn't make me arch and hiss in protest. (Hmm...maybe I've been around the cats too long?)

Basically I was eating too much. Well duh, I knew that, but I was eating good stuff because take-out was just too expensive! Okay, not everything was wholesome, but on the average I was eating better than most people my weight.

Breakfast consisted of three eggs with spinach and tomatoes, and two slices of good ol' American cheese- with a side of three strips of bacon. This is about a 600 calorie breakfast. She showed me that if I just take away one egg, one slice of cheese and one slice of bacon, I could cut off about 200 calories and not suffer a great loss in flavor. So I did. Just changing breakfast helped me lose a little, and we made small changes throughout the year this way.

Get rid of the chips. Eat veggies or fruit for a snack. Eat with smaller plates and bowls. Cut dinner portions in half if having them for lunch (we eat a lot of leftovers here). Commit to walking around the block. Now walk for twenty minutes. Now thirty. And bit by bit, I was losing weight. I lost fourteen pounds in a year that way. Little changes can be good, but I got complacent and the weight started going back up.

After a three pound gain, she suggested what I'm doing now- 1500 calories a day. The only stipulation I made was that I not eat any "diet" foods (no non-fat/sugar/whatever flavorless wonders that cost a fortune), and she said that as long as I logged everything, stayed within the calorie range and mainly ate good food like veggies, fruits and lean meats, she was fine with that. I'm now starting week thirteen and am thirty-eight pounds lighter!

Had you asked me a year ago if I would do this, you'd hear a big, resounding NO as I crunched on a large bag of chips. Now I can still have chips if I want (because I don't deny myself anything), but instead of telling "I can't eat that" i say "it's not worth the calories". The craving goes away after I choose not to eat it! And when it doesn't? I dole out one portion and enjoy the heck out of it.

Since I started this new eating lifestyle (not a diet, because diets don't work), I've had chocolate, jellybeans, Cadbury eggs, more jellybeans, cake, and pie. I've had chips and fried food, french fries and take-out. Not every day- just when I truly wanted it. Some days I planned ahead for the extra calories and some days I totally blew off the day. Some days I've had more than 1500 calories, some days I had less. But it was all real food. No powders, shakes, premade frozen meals or mixes. She gave me enough advice to help me do it on my own.

That is HUGE, people (please forgive the pun!) I had to learn that I could do this myself, because other people aren't putting food in my mouth. I am. Learning control was hard, but after the first week, it got a lot easier. Thirteen weeks later, it's a habit. No more excuses.

My house has very little processed foods. Portions are controlled (at least mine are, but I'm teaching my family as well.) We brew homemade iced tea with very little sugar in it (1/2 - 3/4 cup per gallon). There's still work to do, and I want to get my family involved before my kids go down the same road I did when I was their age. 

I started at 335 pounds. I'm now a svelte 297 pounds. I conquered my first goal of being under 300 for the first time in years. My next goal is 250. Eventually I want to get down to 160, and for the first time ever, I feel I can get there- and that, my Dear Readers, is an awesome feeling!

Monday, April 6, 2015

The Bible- Then and Now


If Jesus had come now instead of 'way back when', He might have had to do things a little differently....

"She's a virgin? Yeah, right. Lets do a physical and DNA tests and see who the real father is."

Jesus' parents wouldn't have had to go all the way back to town- they could have just called Him on their cell phones! "Get Your butt out of there and back with us! Who do You think You are? God?"

"Are You telling me that if I don't cry out, the rocks will?  Wait! Let me get my phone..." *points the phone towards the rocks* "...okay- GO!"

"What do you mean, sacrifice the best? That's good meat right there! You can have the odd bits and entrails...I'm having steak!"

"Moses did what? Let's figure out how he's doing it!" They send a team of oceanography geeks onto the dry path. "Hold that water just a few more minutes Moses! We've collected almost all the data!"

Instead of a donkey, Jesus would probably be in a beat up old hoopty-doo that backfired.

"Hold on Jesus...if You're going forty days in the wilderness- strap this webcam to Your head so we can see what happens...This is going to make a great reality show!"

Documentary teams would pepper an entire crowd with cameras and tech to see how the bread and fishes multiplied. And those people in the front? "Hey! How did those guys in the back get their fill? I had a little taste because there wasn't much in the basket! Hand that over- I'm hungry!"

Instead of thirty pieces of silver, Judas might have signed on for book and movie rights.

Stormchasers would have had a field day on the day of His crucifixion- how did the weather change so fast? And the medical experts would wonder how a man could go through so much and still manage to shout "It is finished!" when 'normal' people being crucified would barely be able to breathe!

Cameras would've been installed inside and outside of the cave, not only to see how He 'escaped', but who was the accomplice that removed the stone!

We were a skeptical people back then, and even more so now, thanks to techo-gadgets and scientific wizardry. It makes you wonder- how would God have handled things if He had His Son come down now, instead of back then?

Hmm...