life swapping?

I've done something along this line before but this tangent is stimulated by watching the last airing of wife swap - the families involved were a farm 'au natural' food (even raw meat) and life style vs. the eating out metropolitan lifestyle. I thought it commendable that one family being white and the other black didn't seem to factor in.

I'm not sure what the entire premise of the program is, but what I saw was 2 wives swapping having at first to live the other lifestyle and then to expose the other family to theirs. I was appalled at the dynamics that went on which I guess is what sells the show. Both sides were so imposing, judgemental and self-righteous.

I thought about if as a christian I had to do this with say a satan-worshiping family, what would I (reflecting Jesus) do?

• Their time: I can be amongst them. While Lot did not do it successfully because of his motivations, Daniel and his cohorts were very successful not without challenges - great example of how to be amongst those who had not their understanding. Such as with the tax collector who became His disciple and the woman at the well, Jesus, Himself, was willing to be amongst the dregs of society. Their motive was pleasing the Father.
  
  While having understanding and not being judgemental, they were non-compromising. This very approach will lend acceptance to what would be my time, God willing. Meanwhile there are places I am willing to go because greater is He and at the same time I must maintain my aim to glorify God just as Daniel did when he changed not his diet.- I would lean to Him for the discernment.
  
  
• My time: In reverse context whatever I can allow myself to do with them, I can request in like kind they participate within the practice of my faith. So there are things I would ask like that they attend church. But I can not impose my beliefs on others! I can only live the life and provide an example of its blessings.

I was really crushed by the pain invoked in the cross exposure done in this television program. Certainly this was not the purpose of the Cross. I guess these things disturb me.

God Help me to reflect you in your brightness of light and not as such that can only be gleened from desperately squinting into the darkness. Selah.

marriage seasons?

I found a quiz on Which Season of Marriage are you in? - you might find it enlightening. Enjoy and let me know what you discovered, if anything.

My results were:

Based on your score- your interpretation of your marriage indicates your marriage is predominantly in Spring. In Dr. Gary Chapman’s book The Four Seasons of Marriage ... the emotions of Spring are: excitement, joy and hope. This is a season that is very satisfying.

in celebration of an 18 year Anniversary

We know some kewl people that have withstood the test of time. I was listening to the morning show on KDAY this morning (okay, I think Steve Harvey is, although quite colorful, a hilarious and often inspiring christian) - and nephew Tommy's tip was glamorous does not go with ghetto.

Why they make me think of that I don't know - but I think some people try to move away from difficult times to better days, and they just bring the difficulties with them. The gist of it is our friends have seen harder days and struggles, and not that it's all glam now, but they are certainly going from glory to glory to glory!

Congratulations dear friends on your Valentine 18th Anniversary! You know who you are ;-)! May the Lord bless your lifetime of love! Here's to ya - One Life/One Love!

It's not 'Heavy'; It's my journey ...

dumb title, huh?

Well, I may have gotten a little fitness heavy ha! ha! So I've moved my Journaling the Journey wellness commentary to sparx. There's a link at the bottom with my progress charts in addition to the one embedded here. Thanks for all of the support I've received!

But meanwhile I wanted to make my final comment (applause! applause!) that my waist measurement has decreased 1.5 inches. So when you look at that curvy line on the bottom graph, keep that in mind :-)! If I were the Sphinx of the Mystery Men I might say sometimes, to go down, you must first go up! Now that's progress!

He's eight!

Our little man turned eight Sunday. Has it been that long? Where have the years gone? Every child's birthday I wonder, reminiscing on Sunrise Sunset. But I think we still have many years of growing up to look forward too! :-)

At church, Elder Mike said his gift to him was a prayer; that was indeed very special. He received presents from the family and was quite delighted. And ...we used his birthday coupon at Red Robin's! He got a free entree and dessert. He was full to bustin'!


Happy Birthday! We love you!

faithfully fit

My Ace, ever accountable, was telling me about a weightloss program that has a christian perspective. While I was looking for it, I came across this little gem of a workbook: Fit 4 Fitness - it comes from LifeWay's weight-loss and wellness program and provides devotional materials and exercise suggestions for a 12-week health and fitness emphasis.

The comprehensive program, my Ace, was telling me about is First Place (you know, where God is supposed to be) uses a support system incorporating Bible study, scripture memory, prayer, healthy eating and exercise. The overall program comes replete with audio tools, accessories and more, and has its own even more comprehensive site. This approach is a study we are looking into taking on.

Meanwhile there is a lot out there from this perspective - check it out if you are interested!

Essentially most of these materials focus on keeping our minds stayed on Him causing the rest to come with it.

fitness finds

well while not making a lot of progress, weightwise, I am encountering a lot of information and achieving an increased awareness. Here's just some of it:

Sparkpeople is a site with a comprehensive health and weightloss focus. I am normzrib there, as I am known many places. The site allows for goal tracking and breaks it down to eating and exercise - with health tips on key areas like diabetes and hypertension. A profile is created and one can be as thorough as one wants to be; but it provides insight to a person's goal as an individual and not just blanket remedies. Exercise programs can be set up based on individual focus, etc.

There are some tools I added-on to my google page.

Calorie Counter - it is neat to have on the page, but is essentially something that can also be done on the Sparx site. It keeps track of the calories eaten at each meal and gives you a total for the day against your desired total. On Sparx however you will get an ever more detailed breakdown as to your daily requirements and accomplishments.

On the Google 15 (odd name) one can log weigh-ins (I may have mentioned this one before) and see a graph of the progress similar to the tickers at the bottom of this page and also a summary. I find it doesn't act right all the time, but still is rather neat (i'll be using that word a lot - somewhat similar to kewl.

My Workout Routine actually helps you develop a workout routine similar to that on Sparx - based on your settings.

There's a Daily Nutrition Checklist that is based on your weight, activity level among other settings and it indicates your caloric, sugar, and fat limitations, and provides a means to track your consumption.

One the internet, itself I've found a few things besides the comprehensive Sparx page.

a comprehensive calorie counter for when you want to look items up.

a healthy body calculator that tells you a lot about yourself based on your answers. It would prove useful to repeat sometimes and gauge what progress has been made.

an interactive menu planner from which you can determine meals based on planned calories

a Body Fat Estimator - aren't you just dying to know what that is?

Well that is the tool tip for now; I'm going to join the husband in the jacuzzi, well deserved after a 20 minute aerobic time and 30 minute gym workout. Yes, its here and put together that day!

If I've been repetitive on any of these things, forgive me. I like some of these tools because they provide perspective - I've eaten this much entirely or of this so I only need to eat this much now. I'm on track with water. I've done these exercised focuses; I need to do these.

But I don't want to get anal. The real perspective is making this all second nature, achieving my goals and getting on with my life. As God wills, it shall be!

super nachos bowl recipe

I'm not good on amounts so gauge your ingredients.

Ingredients:

• chicken - I used boneless chicken breast
• tortilla chips - buy a party bag and you'll have some left over
• frijoles (refried beans) - I used 16 oz. You can buy spicy or not, fat free or not - you choose
• velveeta cheese - recommend the mexican flavor, or regular or 2% milk - 1 or 2 of the smaller package - or a mix (just like I did the beans)
• one jar of salsa - at least 8 oz.
  
• For additional toppings, you may want: sour cream, guacamole (don't buy the cheap slimy looking ones), serano peppers (tip - never wipe your eyes after touching them) sliced if you want to be able to find them or diced or olive (I abhor those and don't use them myself)

Preparation: The meat - I did this the night before and then stored in a baggy overnight. Slice up and stir fry the chicken (with a little olive or canola oil). Season as you choose - I used garlic powder and cilantro. You can also use taco seasonings. Just monitor your flavoring - you don't want everything spicy flavored. The key is to enjoy the unique tastes of things.
The cheese - melt it or cut in small squares for spreading.
The spread - use the largest microwavable plate you have and cover the bottom with chips. Proceed to layer the rest of the items (excluding the salsa, guac and cream - these do better not being microwaved). Alternate chicken, dollups of beans, cheese either poured or pieces spread, and the optional pepper slices, and then repeat the layering process until you reach a reasonable microwavable height.
The melt - then heat in the microwave in the oven until you see the cheese and beans soft and sizzling.
The presentation - you should have a mountain of chips that can be selected covered in the toppings. You can add dollops of the sour cream and guacamole, or you can provide individual dishes of those that can be applied according to individual taste.
The alternative - you can make individual servings creating saucers of the layered items to be microwaved and handed out. This is easier for individual eating, but takes more time serving. There's a lot of room for creativity.

Hope you enjoy. It was a rave at our superbowl party.

Released just in time for the pro-bowl the basketball all star weekend. ;-) Enjoy!

into February ...

A week into February - where did the time go? Life has been a many splendored thing!

• Well, thank you Brown, the package has finally arrived to stay - today! It wasn't in the best of condition, this delivery; but workable - so it gets to stay. The husband is at home and maybe the giant too - I wonder if it'll be put together by the time I get home. The giant didn't get the job from the last interview, but has some more set up - keep him in prayer. The floor is matted. The exercise bike is in place. And today I am a pound less than last week. It's time to step up the program!
• The 9/80 work week started and is going pretty well. I had my first Friday off last week. I used it to wait for people like housecleaners, service people, and school principals - oh joy. But more progress was made on the garage - and more things given to Goodwill and the Agape House. The next day off will be a 4-day weekend as the following Monday is a holiday - how kewl!
• The husband has wooed me to dinner a few times - we have patronized Tony Roma's again and also went to Chili's. At Tony's my eyes were so much larger than my stomach. I brought half of those ribs home.
  At Chili's I just love their Chicken Crispers. Again, I think the effects of working toward weight loss was reflected, as I couldn't begin to consume all of the food. But this time maybe it was because I over-ordered ;-). With a main course you can get a side of ribs for $5.99. Who could resist that? And then those onion blossoms! I couldn't even order their delicious mexican eggrolls sigh. But the good news is I dutifully packed up a lot of my meal for take home and dined on it over the rest of the week. Still maybe those bump ups on my weight loss progress chart are for a reason ...
  
• We had our annual superbowl party complete with tossing penalty flags into the middle of the floor and replete with food. And yet again, I did very well - one small plate of food even though I, yes me, made a dish myself - chicken nachos (recipe forthcoming). I was for the Colts, so very happy with the day's outcome.
• We must give homage to the youngest's godfather (picturing Marlon Brando in my head), a dear friend of ours - Happy Birthday Andre!
• Other dear friends of ours had an anniversary - Congratulations Aaron and Jody!
• The husband and I sensed a need to request a change for the youngest one's teacher. He had and absolutely wonderful teacher, Mrs. Zappe, in kindergarten. In 1st grade, Mr. Ferguson continued to challenge and stimulate him. But we are noticing signs of discouragement in the 2nd grade and not because the work is too hard. So after the principal did not return my 2 phone calls and a subsequent conversation I did have with the teacher (after 2 emails), dad took over the reigns and carried the baton from mom. They met today and if there is no improvement for the youngest, it'll be pressed even without relenting.
• The family room is getting a face lift - along with the TV the husband has been long wanting (no not a plasma!), I on the other had was able to adorn it with a lovely entertainment center. He was able to take advantage of 'after the bowl savings' and I snagged a no longer to be carried item before it disappeared into oblivion for a remarkable price that was only available until midnight the evening I spotted it. The wonders of the internet - I could still snatch it up even though the hour was late. It is now scheduled for delivery.

That's enough for a week into February; isn't it?

Cheers to 10 Years

Congratulations Lee and Cathy on the blessing of ten years of marriage!

Wallaby - a monkey's uncle?

Not! The face of Fontana is changing all of the time, but I never expected exotic to come to mind. At least in the animal arena, yesterday Fontana was put on the news map for a day with a wallaby on the ruse! (the puppy part is not easy to watch - sorry!)

Well, I'll be ...

A Race Run - Superbowl 2007

This year's Superbowl was noted for two african-american coaches contending for the championship. Not so highly touted was that the self-same two christian coaches (and by that I mean professing and living the life) were vying. Not only that, but the winning team was owned by a christian. After the game Deion Sanders greeted the winning coach as 'my christian brother' on his show. The winning coach gave honorable tribute to the contending coach. And for all that the team had achieved he gave honor to God. A year ago, his son had died at which time he shared that God would see his family through. Both coaches are known for their character and demeanor- the rare coach that doesn't have to raise his voice to lead his people.

While more and more, I see athletes stand for God in professional sports, never before have I see such an unadulterated witness and tribute to who He is! It was a joy to behold and a beacon to closet disciples everywhere to not be ashamed! Praise God! The question is not whether God favored one over the other. Rather the answer is that both coaches knew that, regardless of the outcome, God is able and to God be the glory! Hebrews 12:1.

On an opposite note, did you know the NFL took a stand against churches having Superbowl parties? Well, regardless of the outcome until the race is done, God is able and to God will be the glory!

Fitness Flash

Well, the dropped package is picked up on the day promised and the new gym order is being processed by Costco.

I was indeed right about hormones and have since lost 3 pounds. happy dancing!

KSGN, yesterday evening, was talking about partnering in walking; I might check that out.

So it goes.

you become what you do ...

on the health tip: this is probably by no means original, but as a means of self encouragement

• get up and get dressed, look nice. If you feel frumpy, don't dress that way. Pick yourself up and take care to your appearance and try and behave in like manner. You become what you do! There's no shame in having a pajama day and such, but in general make an effort on yourself. You'll see a different person in the mirror and can change from the person you felt to the person you see and you'll present that different person to the world. They will treat you accordingly. By the way - a good reason not to go the vampish route ;-) just a thought... God sees us as what we are becoming in Him; we should too! While we may not see it now, by the grace of God, we will.

2 things to live by ....

• Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people.
  When dealing with difficult interactions or worldly people pray this! Cast aside any arrogance and possible disdain for insight and wisdom.
  
  
• And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.
  Don't leave home without Him! Don't do anything without instruction; this does not mean do nothing. Do what you know to do. To borrow from the movie, Sleepless in Seattle, "Well, I'm gonna get out of bed every morning... breath in and out all day long. Then, after a while I won't have to remind myself to get out of bed every morning and breath in and out...". Then when God takes you beyond that do not tarry; go!

_{Exodus 33:13-15} revisited.

Brown picked up!

okay - we're making progress!

Brown do for me???

William! William! William! That's the name of our Team Brown guy UPS said was assigned to deliver the Weider.

Okay, my dear friend was blessed for her patience with an answered prayer; so I am not about to blow mine (patience or blessing) now. But check this out -

• Thursday UPS tracking reported our package was out for delivery. The giant stayed home and waited. In response to the husband's call, the center stated it wasn't on the truck; they'd have it put on that night and it would be delivered the next day.
• Friday, UPS tracking reported our package was out; would definitely be delivered. The giant stayed home and waited - didn't happen; possibly, they stated, wasn't even on the truck.
• package dropped at front door with no indication of delivery although the giant was there, package box marked fragile is damaged, parts falling out of it. William!?!!! Okay, *sigh*!.

So now UPS (you think it will happen today as stated?) is picking up the package - they wanted us to repackage it - responded "this is what you delivered; this is what you pick up". Costco, who we purchased it through (and for an excellent price), has already arranged for it to be replaced.

So, we wait; but I'm still excited! Meanwhile, I'm watching what I eat and, by the way, that weight gain spurt I mentioned is going down. God is good!

an honest look at yourself ...

have you visited the site everydayhealth? It is quite informative. I read some of their newsletters. I actually ended up there today from looking at their comprehensive section on cholesterol.

On their site is a health check that can provide you very valuable information about the state of your health. It, of course, confirmed my need to lose weight among other things (provided my BMI and assessed it), but it also offers ways to improve the individual results and the entire situation.

do you consider yourself an honest person? I consider myself an honest person; will tell you that without hesitation! But to answer the questions on the test, one has to be honest. However, the reality is I don't want to be honest with myself; that I am frequently not honest with myself. So then, what is this myself, telling others - you see one has to support the answers one tells oneself when speaking with others. Please, let me not continue to digress!

Let me just say it is useless to take the test if you are not honest. Probably one of the best things you can do for your health is be honest. Change starts with truth. I, in an attempt to be truly honest, looked at the worst case scenario and, if I was anywhere close to that answer, I selected it. (At least, in the resulting analysis I would have the worst case scenario - can't be any worse; right?). So, I took the test. It is pretty thorough to the extent such a test can be and far more than my expectations - it deals with eating, exercise, body pollutants, hereditary issues, mental health, and more.

If you have any kind of goal to take better care of yourself, this is a good place to start. Then, after a period of time (no, not the next day, okay?), retake the test. I personally hope to reward myself with good news.

Here's to your health!

Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.
It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones. _{Proverbs 3:7, 8}

another "Night with the King'

One of the DVD releases tomorrow is One Night with the King. I encouraged everyone to go see it upon its November theater release and it was not disappointing. It was also shown on TBN this New Year's Eve past. It was historical, romantic, uplifting, endearing, and dramatic with wonderful cinematography and costume. You'd think I was talking about an oscar nomination. But truly this was a heartwarming and enjoyable family film (a few scenes are realistically very graphic). It stars an international cast the likes of:

• the once again ever engaging Omar Sharif who was born in Egypt. Did you know that his 'films were banned in his native Egypt because he made love to a Jewish woman onscreen' in Funny Girl? He's also rather well known for his enthusiasm for playing bridge.
• Tommy 'Tiny' Lister who launched his acting career from that of a wrestler with the likes of Hulk Hogan; you may remember (not so) Tiny in Posse or maybe as the President in The Fifth Element. He is in a movie in post production now called Ascension Day. The brother was born in my native Compton.
  
• the Irish Peter O'Toole who is no stranger at all to epic movies.
• the affable John Rhys-Davies of Wales and the foreboding Australian John Noble both of whom I remember from the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Rhys-Davies, who plays the key character Mordecai, I also remember among other films from the Indiana Jones films of which a fourth is in pre-production.
• the relatively unknown Georgian leading actress Tiffany Dupont is excellent as Esther.
  
• the Persian king Ahasuerus (Xerxes I) is played undauntingly by the British twin Luke Goss. He has a list of credits to his name, most of which I have not seen, and has four in post-production now.
• the irrepressible Haman, the Amelekite, was excellently played by British James Callis who himself is Jewish. I know him best as Dr. Gaius Baltar from Battlestar Galactica - one of the television series I'm addicted to. He's also done a pattern of films like Arabian Nights, Helen of Troy, Jason and the Argonauts.

The historic hand of God told in this epic is celebrated to this day in the Biblical Feast of Purim. I highly recommend you feast upon the story unfolded (so touchingly told you ladies you may need kleenex as did I) and enter the world of Esther through One Night with the King. It's a keeper.

Weider to lose or not to lose; that is the question ...

ok, the Weider is not here. The Team Brown promised it Thursday; but no. And then Friday; but no. Still its okay. It would have been a great time to have it put together; but, as it ended up, I was not up to starting the program. So, God willing, it will arrive tomorrow. And as I mentioned, the garage is clean. Salvation Army is picking up on Wednesday, and the rest not thrown away as sheer junk is going to the Agape House or to some friends that make trips to Mexico to help children there. It is a good thing we are doing.

But today, right now, I'm putting myself out there. This morning my weight was 203.6. Yes, there's no typo there, sadly. I'm pretty tired of looking at myself. No, I'm not here to whine. I'm here to do something about it and, win or lose, I'm going to be honest. I have made a goal to lose 20 pounds. When I made the goal (last week) my starting weight was 193.9. So ... obviously I'm not heading in the right direction currently and my goal has increased. However, one of the factors is let's say a cyclical hormonal thing, so I truly expect it to cycle down next week; we'll see.

Anyways, I've secured the Ace to be my accountability buddy; we'll do that mutually. She's honest and encouraging and works in the health industry. Sometimes people compete - make bets and such - and while that can be highly motivating, I think this way is less stressful. It's similar to independent study rather than a 'race'. As such, I don't currently have a deadline, only a determination to meet the goal. I tried to make that goal reasonably attainable so as to not have it be self-defeating. Obviously, I need to lose more than 20 pounds; but I'm making this a step project. God deals with us that way - from glory to glory to glory. The idea is to work out and lose weight and incorporate better eating habits as I go along. I've mentioned that this is my most favored means of exercise, although I didn't mention that I love swimming which is an excellent non-stress form of recreation. Still, currently I don't have the means to take advantage of that form. Sooo ... its Weider time!

The Google page offers add-ons from which I chose The Google 15, a means in which I can track my weight. Currently it is telling me Danger! You're heading away from your goal! Although the plan is to weigh in every day for the most part, I will post an average which the program provides. It helps you visualize and keep track of your progress - it has a chart even. I made the initial measurement 1/17. The average one week ago was 194.3. Let me just say that a daily weigh-in can be counter productive and I'm not concentrating on those numbers, but rather the average. But the better gauge I will be paying attention to is inches - that will be the most telling. Weight gain (not in this case) can be due to fat decrease / muscle build among other things. Muscles weigh more than fat. However, if true body improvement is taking place the inches will tell the story and gradually the weight will correspond.

The plan is to workout on the home gym and the exercise bike and improve my eating habits. Not only should I lose weight, but I should improve my blood pressure and cholesterol, my overall physical health and stamina, and possibly abate any hereditary diabetes. So begins my weight loss journey. I solicit your support and prayers along the way.

'What can Brown do for me'? Deliver! ;-)