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I’m gonna need your eyes and your ears.

Tuesday, May 11th, 2010

First of all, thank you for your sweet comments and personal emails you sent yesterday, and for the last week, regarding the floods here. In fact, I got multiple emails from people headed our way to help volunteer. Amazing.

Here’s a few things for you on your Tuesday.

Tuesday is always the day that new music releases and I am THU-RILLED to tell you about a musician you may not know. Jake Ousley. He’s a sweet friend of mine and I absolutely love what he writes and how he sings. He’s also REALLY funny. Which you know goes a long way with me.

His first EP releases today. And if you have $5.94 that you are willing to drop on a new musician, this is where you should do it.

Here is the link to iTunes. Enjoy, my friends. Kentucky Moon is a personal fav of mine. Also, someone you know VERY well wrote his bio, so you can read that here.

Also, my friend Ishita has launched a new online magazine called fear.less. Now. Let me tell you. Don’t start reading unless you are willing to be brave- personally, professionally, all of it. Because these stories make you want to be the best you. Really, it is amazing and inspiring and I think you’ll love it. [That's why I'm telling you about it. I don't tell you about things I think you will hate.]

Also, I have a new Get Fit Segment that aired last week and I am SO SO proud of it. Unfortunately, they won’t let me embed it [whah whah], so I’m just going to have to beg you to CLICK THE LINK and watch it. Please?

[And I'm only telling you this because we are such good friends, but I was SO SICK on the day we filmed this. Like, flu-ish. That's why my voice sounds like that of an SEC linebacker.]

I also forgot to tell you [whoops] that my monthly article published at (in)courage last week. It is about the Get Fit Challenge, so if you have heard enough of my jabber, forget it. But if you’d like to hear another part of the story, head on over.

Also remember that I’m at Flying Solo all month, blogging about being single and finding community.

Also thanks for loving me even when I send you on a wild click chase around the internet.

Tomorrow I will limit your clicking and I’ll just tell you about my new job.

Cause I actually have a real job. In Nashville.

Weird, but true.

Posted in (in)courage, AnnieWrites, Get Fit, Sounds good to me. | 8 Responses »

Get Fit-ish things.

Friday, April 30th, 2010

Still feeling a bit puny, but I wanted to share with y’all the updates from the Get Fit challenge.

If you can believe it, we only have THREE weeks left. That is crazy to me. Thirteen weeks have come and gone. Wow.

Here’s the link to this week’s post about going rock climbing (pictures included). As in me. Actually climbing rocks.

Weird. I know.

So head on over and check it out.

And here is this week’s video. You should really enjoy the fact that I filmed it in New York and you are actually watching the very moments where my body is being invaded by illness. Hard to catch on camera, I know, but somehow I pulled it off.

I’m a professional, I guess.

[video is here, subscribers, if you wanna click over and check it out.]

Y’all have a great weekend.

Posted in Get Fit | 7 Responses »

Get Fit Catch Up. Video style.

Wednesday, April 14th, 2010

I’ve been accidentally holding out on you.

Not because I’m selfish, though, I might be just a smidge selfish. [Human. Sue me.]

But I mainly just forgot.

All I can think about is “Thursday is coming and my blog video is due for the Get Fit Challenge!” and I don’t have time to think “what if my bloggites forget to watch this?” until three weeks later when I realize that you may not have seen these.

[And if you haven't read it lately, here's the link to my GET FIT BLOG.]

So. Here you go. With the appropriate only-my-people-will-get-this title.

Get Fit Video #8: “Sometimes I actually make a fool of myself in public and afterwards I’m not sure it was worth it but the sandwich was good.”

Alternate title: “Molly gets a lot of shout-outs.”

Get Fit Video #9: “My friends put up with a lot. They really do. Bless ‘em.”

Alternate title: “Sour Patch Kids: A Fine Way to Waste Calories.”

Get Fit Video #10: “That one time that I ran out of time and luckily I had actually done this so I could make it into a video.”

Alternate title: “I don’t know what happened at 1:06, but I don’t hate it.”

We have about 6 more weeks left in the competition. I can’t tell you how much I’ve lost but I can tell you that yes, in fact, I am less Annie than I was in January. And I can also tell you that this week has by far been the most difficult and I’m pretty sure I’ve hit my limit and I’m not real sure I want to talk about this anymore.

Alas. We still have six more weeks of the contest. And years more of life. So. I will continue to talk about it. Because I’m learning to love bringing light into dark places.

See y’all tomorrow.

Posted in Get Fit | 11 Responses »

Workin’ it out.

Thursday, March 18th, 2010

[there's a video here, my subscriber friends, just in case you can't see it.]

Because I left my pride in 2009, I thought I’d post the clip of my segment from this weeks Get Fit Challenge. It’s the first one where we filmed at the gym. So. Obviously. I’m very proud.

But seriously. I really do love this clip. The producer, Jenny, has become a sweet friend and I enjoy getting to talk to her. And our trainer Lisa is seventeen piles of patient with me and truly inspirational.

I am aware that the picture they post at the beginning isn’t me. No biggie.

And just so you know, they had me do the moving rock wall as a kind of joke and then BOOM they used it for real.

I’m pretty sure Jenny bamboozled me on that one.

Fool me once, I climb a moving rock wall.

Fool me twice, and I …. uh…. I don’t know what’s worse than that.

And 4:28? That was especially for you.

Posted in Get Fit, video blogs | 17 Responses »

City-wide.

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

[First of all, a big HI and HELLO to my friends from the writing workshop on Tuesday night! Yay for bloggy talk and author talk and talking too much about car repair blogs! (This is your cue to say hi back in the comments, workshop friends.) :) Seriously- what a PLEASURE to meet you all and I hope to hear from you a lot in the future! Thanks to Denise and Shari for inviting me to speak.]

And yes, bloggites, of course I talked about you. And you. And obviously, YOU.

In case you’ve forgotten [you haven't, I won't let you] I’m involved in this Get Fit Challenge thing. And so I’ve been going to the YMCA a lot more.

Here’s the thing about the Y in middle Tennessee. It’s a BIG DEAL. Like, everybody in the whole city [ridiculous exaggeration] is a member. And in Nashville, there are probably 8-9 YMCA facilities within 20 minutes of my house.

I like.

So you can either join ONE of the Ys or you can get a CITY-WIDE membership that is, understandably, more expensive TOTALLY AWESOME. Because then you can go to any Y- you can take a spin class from Marisa at the East Nashville Y and then meet Lyndsay at the Green Hills Y for a Zumba class.

[Nope. Not in the same day. I'm hard core, just not THAT hard core.]

But, because I live on a budget, I’m a one Y member. Just Green Hills. I joined about 10 months ago and have always and only been to the Green Hills Y, though the others have beckoned me from a-near [opposite of afar, obviously].

And as I was perusing the YMCA website the other day, I saw that the Downtown Y had a water aerobics class called Aqua-Burn. To which I said, “Thank you sir may I have another” because I heart water aerobics.

Problem = it was at a different Y. So I called and they said I can come ONE TIME AND ONE TIME ONLY to try the class.

I walk in and the man scans my card. I go into a lengthy diatribe [shocker] about how I’m visiting because I may want to get a city-wide membership and I know I’m young but water aerobics is actually fairly challenging…..

He stops me, points at the picture on the screen and says, “Is that you?”

To which I reply, “Uh, yeah, it’s me. I had a great hair day that day and it was summer so I was tan and…”

“Ma’am. You already have a city-wide membership.”

“What? No, I don’t. I’ve been a member for 10 months and I’ve always just had a membership to Green Hills.”

He laughed and said, “well, you’ve actually always been a city-wide member.”

I’ve been wrong. For 10 months. I believed that I had to live with limits that were not mine.

And in some crazy way, God has used this to bring up a lot in my heart. How many areas of my life do I live under false limits because I believe something that is not true?

And I’m reminded of how Jesus set me free.

And I’m going to go to a different YMCA every day simply BECAUSE I CAN.

I am free.

In so many ways.

Posted in Get Fit, Ze Bloggy Goodness | 19 Responses »

Cauliflower Soup

Friday, March 5th, 2010

First of all, I am watching Jimmy Fallon and he has reunited the cast of California Dreams. And if you think I’m clapping and singing along to the theme song, you know me well. I’ll admit, I have serious questions about the current life status of some of these cast members, but if they would have known ME in 1988, they would have so questions about my current life as well. So.

I have a favorite soup. That is actually good for you. And absolutely ridiculously easy. And with winter ending soon [please, God, can winter end soon?], I thought I better offer this recipe to you now while you still have the chance. Cause it’s March, people. It might be about time to dust off your flip-flops.

I’m going attempt to avoid writing another pointless paragraph and just give you the recipe.

[By the way, I just went to the kitchen to get the family cookbook and came back with a bowl of granola and milk. I sat down at the computer and realized I grabbed a snack and forgot the book. Classy.]

CAULIFLOWER SOUP

[Now, you may love or hate cauliflower, but I promise you will love this soup. Trust me. It's cheap and easy to make. If you hate it, oh well. Not a lot of time or money lost.]

Ingredients:

  • 2 bags of frozen cauliflower
  • 32 oz box of chicken broth
  • 3 T ranch dressing mix

[Seriously. That's like $8 maybe. Sheesh.]

Combine all the ingredients. Cook until tender. Puree with an immersion blender.

[Seriously. That's like 12 minutes maybe. Sheesh.]

It makes 4-5 servings that are each like 80 calories. That. Is. Crazy. Low.

When you are done, it looks just like potato soup- it has the same consistency. That says one thing to me– “ADD CHEESE PLEASE.”

So I usually do. Add a little cheese, some turkey bacon, and you’ve got yourself a great low cal meal.

Speaking of low cal, there’s a new post up at the Annie Gets Fit blog. We are 6 weeks in and I can’t tell you how much I’ve lost, but you better love me while you can, cause I am disappearing in front of your very eyes.

Happy Friday. Heart you, bloggites.

Posted in Get Fit, That's delish. | 7 Responses »

Click-opotamus.

Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010

While I’m hanging out with my peeps at home, I wanted to let you know about a couple of things.

  • There is a new video on the Get Fit page- my friend Annie and I are making a bean salsa medley thingy. Very healthy and very tasty. Watch the video HERE and then the recipe is RIGHT HERE. And though there is no cheese in the recipe, there is much talk of cheese. Per usual.

[The other option is to watch the video right here. It's larger and easier to see and I really do want you to try this recipe.]

  • Thanks thanks THANKS for your prayers about my foot. It has healed well and I am back to exercising on it. [Not that I HATED having a day off or anything, but I am glad to be back to my workout regime.]

[Things I never planned to say: "glad to be back to my workout regime."]

See y’all tomorrow.

Posted in (in)courage, Get Fit | 8 Responses »
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What a pain.

Saturday, February 20th, 2010

I don’t usually post on the weekends. It’s a boundary thing. It’s a give-the-people-a-break-from-Annie thing.

But I’m gonna today.

Because I think I need your prayers.

For some of you long-suffering bloggites, you may remember Fall 08 when THE CANKLE happened.

[And can I have a moment to rabbit trail here? As I found this post to link to it, I re-read some of the comments and realized that some of you have been putting up with my crazy for a long time. It kinda moved my heart. Thanks for still being here. I heart all of you readers out there. For realz.]

About a week before THE CANKLE happened, I wrote this post about how clumsy I had become as of late. Little did I know that I was about to fall off my porch and tear every ligament in my left ankle.

Which brings us to today. Or, actually, yesterday.

I was helping assemble a desk and dropped the drawer of the desk onto my right foot from approximately 3 feet up. Directly onto the top of my foot. [And I did not say one ungodly word, thank you very much.] Because I am a wimp, I complained about it all day Friday. But to be fair, it hurt a whole whole lot.

And today it is swollen and red with a bruise-ish outline. Not good.

DOUBLE not good since I’m supposed to workout EVERY DAY.

I’m gonna shoot you straight, bloggite. I’m not surprised. Because I know deep in my knower that this whole Get Fit Challenge thing is a big deal- for me personally and for those of you out there who need to watch this journey. I’m not ignorant of that fact. It’s not like I forget that people are watching. This isn’t a private Annie thing.

This is a God thing.

And so freak injuries, frustrations, lies running through my head like the Polar Express? They have a source. And according to John 10:10, that source is an enemy (Satan) who wants to steal, kill, and destroy.

I heard whispered encouragement to quit after my weigh-in. But I didn’t.

I heard whispered reminders that I’m too weak to do this. But I’m not.

I heard whispered threats that I’m going to fail in front of God and everybody. But I don’t think I will.

I heard whispered ideas that I should quit if it hurts, if I don’t see a change in the scale, if I don’t feel good. But I won’t quit.

So the fact that an injury was next in line? I. Still. Won’t. Quit.

And I’m telling you today because I need you to pray for me- for protection (physical, emotional, spiritual), endurance, wisdom, determination. All that jazz.

I’m not scared. But I am aware. And as this journey deepens and more people begin to understand the JOY of living your story in the light, the more I need to be covered.

So please pray.

But don’t worry. I’m not quitting. Cause I think the end of this story may be really really good. And I don’t want any of us to miss it.

[I'll be meditating on Psalm 91, a family favorite, this weekend. I invite you to do the same.]

Posted in Get Fit | 22 Responses »

Cheaters actually do sometimes win.

Friday, February 19th, 2010

Confessions of a Get Fit Challenge Star: I cheated.

A few days ago, I was at Lyndsay and Lauren’s house. Strangely enough, someone had delivered a King Cake to their place. Now, these girls are from Chicago, so they really haven’t experienced a true Southern Lent Season Kickoff [also known as Mardi Gras]. The basics, like what a King Cake is and what is inside the King Cake [small plastic baby] were things that the girls didn’t know.

Me being faithful to the Get Fit Challenge and all, I was not intending to have even a bite of the King Cake. Because hello CHEATERS NEVER WIN. And I want to win.

But then, the girls left me alone in the kitchen. With the forks. With the King Cake. A talking King Cake that says things like, “You are so pretty. Eat one bite.” and “No big deal, Annie, you exercised today.” and “Look me in the face and say you aren’t in love with me.”

What’s a girl to do, I ask you. I’m not superwoman. I can’t be expected to be stronger than a PASTRY COVERED IN ICING!

I pulled out a fork, and making a solemn vow to never mention this cheating moment, I scooped out a little cake and a LOT bit of icing.

[I'm betting you can guess what happened next....]

I put the fork in my mouth, savoring every high calorie moment, quickly and quietly so the girls don’t know. Until I bit down. On something hard.

THE. BABY.

I mean, seriously, y’all. What are the chances that I sneak ONE BITE and it is the ONE BITE containing the baby?!?

I had some options:

  1. I could rinse the baby off and return it to the cake, no harm no foul.
  2. I could throw the baby in the trash can [or maybe swallow it because shame knows no boundaries]. The girls don’t know anyways.
  3. I could confess to my friends, have to not only explain WHY there is a plastic baby in my mouth but also what that means and how I now have to purchase the 2011 King Cake.

You know me well enough to know that I would THROW UP if I tried to swallow that plastic baby with its legs and arms all flailed about. So I confessed.

And they laughed. A lot.

Then took a picture.

[My face in this picture says, "I'll take this picture because it's funny. But more than funny, I'm mortified. Amen."]

Y’all have a great weekend. And please. Be strong against high pressure pastries. Or this could be you.

Posted in Get Fit | 17 Responses »
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Behind the Scenes: Big Girl TV.

Thursday, February 11th, 2010

I make jokes when I feel awkward and uncomfortable. Like now, in the blog title. Talking about the Subway Get Fit Challenge.

I’ve had more conversations, face to face, about my weight in the last 3 weeks than I ever dreamed. I’ve looked in the eyes of my friends, knowing they know THE NUMBER, and had to remind myself that they love me anyways.

But an old [Biblical] truth has again proved true: when light invades the dark, the dark is no longer so scary. So I can have these conversations and email exchanges, and watch as my weight is part of my title across the bottom of the screen, because something is slowly changing.

This private shame is becoming a public piece of art.

Or something like that. Whatever it is, I’m growing to be okay with it. Keep praying, friends. Your prayers are my courage oxygen.

Enough serious talk. Sheesh.

The best thing about being on TV [the list is long, my friends, because I don't know if you have heard, but hello I've always wanted to be on TV] is that in the same studio where we film our segments is the studio kitchen.

So.

You can imagine.

I made many recommendations to my friend Jenny (the producer) on how and why she should give me a cooking show. Or just any show in general.

Then I proceeded to take this photograph.

I think you AnnieBlogs local yokels know that look on my face. That look says “Give me time and I’ll be standing here for realz.”

That look also says, “I’ve got a plan a-brewin’.”

Be afraid, Channel 4 producer Jenny, be very afraid. :)

And since More at Midday is not online, I get really technical [yeah right] and flip-cammed my segment today. So enjoy.

Some thoughts:

1. I think Jennifer (the host) and I are going to be BFFs.

2. Why the drum-roll when they show my weight? Wrong sound effect, dudes. I would have preferred something like a “whah whah” or a tugboat horn or a slot machine. Or a crowd of gasps.

3. “I can walk just to walk”? I am nothing short of profound.

4. I like that she called me an author. Cause that makes me seem way more legit than “Annie has a lot of jobs.” Though, technically, both are true.

5. 4:37 = awkward lean in. I don’t know why I did it.

Check out the Annie Gets Fit blog today for a new post where I get possibly too honest about this whole journey.

Have a great day, y’all. I’m more grateful for you than you could ever know.

Much love.

Posted in Get Fit | 11 Responses »
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