David Archuleta - Imagine

I just couldn't let a season of American Idol go by without sharing my top pick. This kid is amazing. He will win the whole thing and become a mega star like Kelly Clarkson and Chris Daughtry. I remember watching David Archuleta around 2004 (?) during the Star Search finale. Of course he won 100 grand. Then his vocal chord went paralyzed, and now he's back. Watch out for this guy. He sings from the depths of his soul, unlike the other contestants this season. Unfortnunately. Maybe in time a few of them will grow on me, but for now, David is the only reason to watch.

Food Combining

I got a request from a friend to blog about what I did to lose weight. I feel inadequate writing a post about losing weight, though, because my diet has not been the best lately. People who come to the Wellness Center bring in junk food all the time. Like on Valentine's day everyone brought in cupcakes, candy, you know, and who can resist that?

But maybe if I write this post, I'll get back on track.

I lost a lot of weight last year. I don't know how many pounds but I went from a size 12 to a size 6 jeans (which are awfully tight right about now, lol).

I didn't mean to lose weight last year. I just needed to change my diet due to being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. The weight loss was a side effect. I'm not complaining.

Anyway, I used Food Combining. This can get pretty complicated, so I won't go into it that deeply. I just used very basic food combinations. It is very simple, but not easy. It goes against the American diet of meat and potatoes.

So.....

Never eat meat and potatoes together in the same meal. In fact never eat any kind of carbohydrate and protein in the same meal. Eat fruits by themselves, always. Make sure they are not cooked fruits or processed fruits. Just fresh fruits and juice before noon. Nothing else before noon, and notbing at all after 8:00pm. The rest of the day you can have carbs and veggies in a meal or protein and veggies in a meal. Just not carbs and protein in the same meal. Avoid dairy as much as possible. Or if you use dairy, consider it protein. It's best to avoid it though.

For example, for brerakfast, have a fruit salad or a banana. Whatever fruit or fruit juice you like. For lunch eat a salad with a beef patty or peice of chicken or fish or even beans. Or if you want carbs and veggies for lunch, I personally LOVE veggie wraps. Soups and salads of course are a good combination, just make sure there's no meat in the soup if you include crackers or noodles. Dinner is with the same rules. Either carbs and veggies or protein and veggies but not both.

If you must have dessert, have it with your carb meal, not your protein meal.

One more rule -- it's okay to combine carbs, like rice and bread, in the same meal, but it's not okay to combine proteins, like beans and franks or cheese and sausage.

This diet goes against the typical American diet, but as we all know, the typical American diet has all of us fat with chronic digestive problems. So going against it is a good thing.

That's the diet in a nutshell. I used the concepts in the book titled "Fit for Life." Sorry, I can't remember the author's name, but you can get it at Amazon.com for (usually) a penny plus shipping. There are tons of recipes in it. I highly recommend the book for the recipes and meal planning alone!

My sister Jody uses this diet when she has an appointment with the beach in Jamaica and needs to drop a few pounds before she packs her bikini.

Then she goes back to her old diet when she comes home.

I like getting requests for blog posts, so if you have a request, send me an email at jayme333@gmail.com. I'd love to hear from you!

Prescription for Pain

Just to say hi

Just a note to say hello. Jodie and I had a chance to talk on the phone the other day, and we decided that quality vs quantity is the name of the phone call game. Instead of talking for hours about everything under the sun, we'll be talking for a shorter amount of time about the important things. And really, that's what's been happening with all my firiends, so it's all good. I'm not losing any friendships, just enjoying them in a different way.

I can honestly say that we are now in a routine at the Peer Support and Wellness Center. We've had two overnight guests so far, and our daytime activities are becoming more and more full of newcomers and even some regulars. I never thought this time would arrive, but we are HERE! I have a schedule. I have days off. I can leave the house. I got a scooter this weekend, and my friend Huntley is assembling it for me. He'll come back next Sunday to finish the job and take it for a test ride. It should be fun. I'll shoot videos.

I hope everyone is doing well. Life is good. It really is.

Grand Opening

Here is a short clip of the Peer Support and Wellness Center's Grand Opening. I didn't spend too much time behind the camera, so there's not much footage to work with. The celebration was a huge success, and it far surpassed what any of us imagined. I don't know how many were there during those three hours, but about 80 people signed in.

The Center opened the very next day, so we have been opened three days so far. It was slow at first, but today we had a house full. We'll be having our first overnight guest next weekend. I can't believe how quickly this is taking off. It's as if we've always been here. It feels incredibly familiar. I have never felt such a sense of belonging in my life. My search is over. I really do have a place in this world. I've never been able to say that before.

I don't have the kind of time I used to have, though, and there's a sense of loss there, especially when it comes to my friends. Jodie from MN and I used to have "marathon" phone calls on the weekends, but those are getting few and far between if they exist at all. She knows I love her, though. I hope all my friends know I love them as much as ever. I just can't be there for them like I used to. Oh man, I used to drop everything at a moment's notice if a friend needed to talk. Maybe things will settle into a routine soon. I hope my friends don't forget me.

Don't get me wrong, I really really love my new life. It's just far more time consuming than I ever imagined it would be. That part of this job is probably the only downside. I used to have all the time in the world, plus some. I knew what I was walking into, though, and I'm glad I did. I have no regrets, and I would not trade my life for anything.

I look back on the last two months and I think, wow. I can't believe this just happened. It just happened. How the did this happen?

*twilight zone music*