Be Your Own Hero

No one was coming to save me, so it was up to me to take matters into my own hands.

When you're younger it's easy to get into bad habits; there's a lot of room for error. You always have a lot of energy, you can eat whatever you want, exercise comes easy. But those days don't last.

I kept hoping that something would turn things around for me. I was 35 years old; the heaviest I had ever been, tired all the time, and worst of all, my mood reflected just how miserable I felt.

When I discovered AdvoCare I was skeptical from the start. Just another fad diet. But then I began paying attention. AdvoCare is not a diet; it's a lifestyle and attitude adjustment.

Through a combination of eating properly - both with quality foods and proper portions - quality exercise and supplementing my diet with the nutrients that my body was lacking, I was able to pull off the unthinkable.

After I finished the 24 day challenge, I had lost 16.4 lbs, 2 inches off my waist and 3.5 inches from around my midsection. But more importantly, I rediscovered the energy I had when I was a kid and my mood has never been higher.

Today I'm 20 lbs lighter, starting to put on muscle that I never was able to through exercise alone and I've never been happier.

There is no magic bullet. If you want to reach your goals, you're going to have to put in the work. But AdvoCare can make it a little easier and can give you the results that keep you motivated to keep moving forward.

Don't wait for someone to save you. Be your own hero.

If you're ready for help, check out www.advocare.com/130219336 today.

The Perks of Life Support

Dear Friend,

I'm writing to you because you speak to me and understand and didn't try to sleep with that person at that party even though you could have.  Please don't try to figure out who I am, as I am nothing more than one of the multitude of fans who one day found himself wandering through a bookstore and accidentally came across a book that caught his eye.  A book that I would soon learn could have come direct from the pages of my life.  A book about people who speak to me and understand and don't try to sleep with people even if they could, because at that time I really needed to know that these people existed.

It wasn't all that long ago that I was Charlie, you see.  An outsider who didn't know how to participate; who didn't really fit in with anyone else.  I lived in my own little world, never knowing what I was missing out on.  I was completely lost and didn't know how to change; my life seemingly spinning out of control.

Luckily for me, I too came across my own versions of Patrick and Sam, and I learned what it was to be both happy and sad at once, and know that that was okay.  I learned that sometimes you have to let go of your fears and take risks if you truly want to be free.  I found my life support and I was able to survive a very dark time in my life.

And even though it wasn't your book - or subsequent movie - that changed me, having experienced both of these many years later, I still found a dear friend in Charlie.  An ally that reminds me to keep participating and things will turn out alright.

And I still take time to read your book to this day, reminding myself of this very thing.

I just wanted to write this down because I still struggle to this day and there are days that I am very afraid, but I keep my life moving forward because I know that if Charlie can do it, then i can too.

Love Always,

"Charlie"

AMOB eCard

I Am Art

I am not the report that I am supposed to be writing right now.

I am not my shirt and tie. I am not my three button suit. I am not the numbers that I crunch or the pie chart that I need to proof. I am not the meeting that I have to attend, the presentation that I have to give or the payroll I have to sign. I am not my complaints on Mondays, my Happy Hump day greetings or what I wear on casual Fridays.

I am art.

I am a scratch of paper and a freshly sharpened pencil. I am the weight of a balanced ink pen, cradled in my fingers. I am the first line on a new notepad.  I am canvas, stretched taut and awaiting paint. I am millions of shades of green and blue and orange. I am the image locked into only my eye, waiting to escape for all to see.

I am art.

I am a simple string of words, carefully crafted to paint a picture. I am the click and clack of an ancient typewriter and I am the steady flash of a cursor on a screen. I am the private journal hidden under the mattress and I am the weblog only my parents read. I am the rhythm of a story - inspiring readers - whether they be three or three thousand. 

I am art.

I am cheap paint and glue. I am the sound of scissors cutting construction paper.  I am memories immortalized within a colorful book. I am folds and I am glitter and I am string. I am cliché and I am creative at once, but I am loved. I am a physical token, demonstrating a style and preference to all who enter.

I am art.

I am a pinch of salt and a dash of pepper. I am homemade noodles, carried down through four generations. I am standing over a grill on a hot summer day, and knowing the exact moment to turn a steak. I am a mess that I don’t care that I made, at least until it’s time to clean it up. I am love in every bite, bringing the entire family together at the end of a long day. 

I am art.

I am a simple click, yet I am so much more. I am an instinctive adjustment on the aperture. I am an understanding of light and perspective. I am out of focus, but only so I can bring your eye to that one simple point I want you to really see. I am too much black and white and over editing, but that’s the way I like it. I am worth so much more than a handful of words, if you are ready to see what I see.

I am art.

I am a perfect line on a piece of paper. I am a solid foundation upon which great things are mounted.  I am build for strength, yet I hold a wordless beauty. I am a perfectly measured angle. I am the balance of form and function. I am steel and concrete and wood and glass. I am more than four walls and a ceiling; I am art at a grand scale.

I am art.

I am the pluck of a string. I am a keystroke. I am at once a simple melody, and another a complex arrangement. I am the rhythm of a few, shared with the many. I am the way that I make you move and I bring you together, gliding back and forth across a dance floor. I am the songs that bring back memories, creating a soundtrack for your life.

I am art.

I come natural to all children, yet somewhere along the way I am often pushed aside. Practicality often wins out, but I always remain. I am as simple as a doodle and I am as complex as a novel. Sometimes I am just a part time hobby, but when it comes to your heart, I am worth more to you than your 9 to 5. I am your heart and soul.

We are not the jobs that we do.

We are not the paycheck we earn.

We are not the title after our names.

We are the beauty that we see. 

We are the things that we love.

We are art.

Got a Little Drunk in my Trunk

Elephant beer pong table for my sis, Jody.