giving it up

Confession: I'm addicted to Mt. Dew.

For those of you who've known me any length of time know that Mt. Dew is my drink of choice.  You normally won't see me without one in my hand.  As of Monday, however, that has changed.

I've gone 2 days without a Mt. Dew.

Granted, 2 days is nothing to cheer about because I've actually gone longer without it.  (The longest was 5 months while in India.  But I drank a lot of Coke & Canada Dry while there.  Oddly enough I was able to lose 40 pounds during those 5 months.  That's another story, though.)

Anyway, I've noticed that I haven't really wanted a Mt. Dew in the last couple of days.  That surprises me because I really thought I would.  My hope is that it will just get easier as time goes by, but life doesn't work that way.  Nothing in life is easy.

The one really bad thing about not drinking Mt. Dew has been the headaches.  By the end of the day, my head is pounding!!  But, I'm trusting the advice of friends and professionals that the lasting results of giving up my Mt. Dew addiction will be well worth it.  Losing weight, gaining energy, and all that.  :)

Did you have an addiction that you've given up?  What advice would you give to those of us who have decided to give up our addiction?

meet honesty

Meet Honesty!

L-R:  Josh, Honesty, me

Honesty - yes, that's her real name - and I have been best friends for what seems like forever!!  In reality, we met sometime during our middle school years and have pretty much been friends ever since.  While I don't remember the exact day we met, I have a lifetime of memories with this girl...the good, the bad, and the ugly.  We've been through it all together, even when we've been apart.

One of my favorite memories is actually one I've shared about before on this blog.  As kids we came up with dance movements to the Audio Adrenaline song "Big House."  To this day, every time the song plays on the radio I remember the dance moves and all the silly times we had together.  What makes me smile even more is that Honesty taught her daughters the dance moves, so our legacy of silliness will go on and on for generations to come (well, maybe)!

Another one of my favorite memories with Honesty is this one particular summer at Kings Island.  We were determined to ride every roller coaster in the front car & front seat.  So we'd wait in line for what seemed like an eternity and then finally it was our turn.  Well, that summer we had watched Encino Man with Pauly Shore over and over and over again.  We had every single line of the movie memorized (and probably still do)!  Anyway, we were riding the Vortex or the Beast, and as we were slowly climbing up the long hill to the first drop we'd say to each other, "I'm a stony crusty dude, did you know that?  And I've got a mop on top!"  and laugh like crazy!  (Yeah, we're weirdos....)

Anyway, yesterday Honesty celebrated her 31st birthday!  She and I spent a couple hours together, and during our time together I really had a chance to witness something special...something I've known all along about her.  She truly loves with an unconditional love and walks in forgiveness.  Those are rare qualities to find in friendships today.  Yet Honesty possesses them.  I'm thankful that God blessed me with such a wonderful best friend, and today I celebrate her life and friendship.

What memories do you share with your best friend?

setbacks & failures

These Weight-Loss Wednesday posts are harder to write than I thought they would be.  Maybe it's because I'm finally being honest with myself...ouch.  Here's the honest truth:  this week I gained 4 pounds. 

Even more honest than that is I gained all 10 pounds back that I had previously lost.  What?!  Yep.  We didn't weigh-in for a week for whatever reason, so I weighed myself at home and found out that I had gained it all back.  I spent the entire week worrying about losing those 10 pounds.  Fortunately, I lost 6 of them.  But 4 remained.  Talk about failure!

But in all honesty, it's more like a setback.  If I've learned anything in the past 5 weeks it's that my Breaking Point experience is the beginning of a journey of life change.  There are no failures in this journey, just setbacks.  Yes, it's frustrating and disappointing to have gained all the weight back that was lost.  At the same time, it's encouraging because I have a goal in mind and I'm working towards that goal. 

And again, the most encouraging thing is to know that I'm not alone!  Each week my friends go with me to work out.  They're praying for me and encourage me to keep going.  My family is there, too, telling me how proud they are of me and helping me along the way. 

What have you learned this week of your life changing journey?

fake stir fry

One evening a few months ago I came home and found my husband at the stove cooking up something delicious.  His creation is what I have affectionately dubbed "fake stir fry."  It's a mix of rice, veggies, and meat.  It's quick, easy, and delicious!  So much so that I have decided to share this lovely recipe with you.

Ingredients:
1 packet of Lipton's Rice Sides (my favorite is the Teriyaki flavored one)
2 cup of water
1 cup of broccoli florets
1/2 cup of chopped carrots
1/4 of chopped onion
1/2 lb of sliced mushrooms
1/2 of bell pepper
1 lb of chopped, cooked meat (we use chicken most of the time)

Directions:
In a large skillet, mix all of the ingredients and bring to a boil.  Simmer for about 10-15 minutes on low until done.

Hope you enjoy!

What's one of your favorite quick & easy recipes??

meet my family, part 2

Meet the Dilley's!

L-R: Lois, Mike, Sarah, Josh, and me at Sarah's graduation from Kent State

Three years ago I married into the most wonderful family!  Many people complain about their in-laws, but my in-laws are truly the best.  From the day Josh and I started dating, they embraced me as one of their own and made me part of the family. 

Mike & Lois (my in-laws) are both generous to a fault, and always think of others needs before their own. They're hardworking, down-to-earth, loving people.  For nearly 20 years, they have owned a grocery store in New Holland, Ohio.  A couple of months ago the Columbus Dispatch wrote an article about them, as well as made a short video that captures the kind of people my in-laws truly are.  (Click here to watch the video!)  They're one-of-a-kind...and I love that I'm apart of this family!

My sister-in-law, Sarah, is an added blessing.  She's super-smart, creative, and adventurous!  She is also extremely kind and thoughtful.  A year ago in March, Sarah married Josh's best friend, Dave.  So now the family has extended to include him and his two children, Cailynn and Christopher. 

God has truly blessed me with my own family and my extended family! 

breaking point

Oddly enough, this is a hard post for me to write.  But here goes....

Confession:  I weigh 326 pounds.

I'm not sure why that's hard to admit considering it's obvious to anyone looking that I'm overweight.  And I've been this way for the past 20 years of my life.  Throughout the years I've tried many diets and exercise plans.  I even tried out for NBC's The Biggest Loser a year ago. 

Four weeks ago I began a journey of life change.

Four weeks ago myself and many, many others started a 13 week weight loss challenge called Breaking Point.  I set a personal weight loss goal of 30-35 pounds.  This may sound low to some, but I wanted to be realistic and healthy in my weight loss.  Not to mention, my doctor advised that I only lose 1-2 pounds a week. 

My beginning weight was 336.

So, in the past four weeks I've lost 10 pounds.  I am 1/3rd of the way to my weight loss goal.

While I'm excited about my weight loss, I'm more excited about changing my life.  I'm challenging myself and doing things I've never done before (like taking a ZUMBA class!).  And the thing I'm most excited about is that I'm not alone.  I've got the most AMAZING friends who've been right beside me, encouraging me along the way!

There are nine weeks left of the Breaking Point challenge.  However, this is a lifelong journey.  My hope is to share from time to time about my journey not only to continue to challenge myself, but to encourage those of you who want to change your life.  Thanks for joining me along the way!