Mark the date...April 18, we are getting a crew of folks together who might like to encourage each other and do the "24 Day Challenge" at the same time. It would be amazing if we could get 100 people to do the challenge with us and if we each lost 10 lbs, that would be 1000 pounds!
The 24 day challenge info can be found on Katy's Advocare site at www.advocare.com/08044226
Join us for better health!
This is day 50 or so for me with the new lifestyle change. Just yesterday I tried on a shirt that two years ago was much too small. Yesterday, I wore the heck out of that shirt. Yes, it fit. Ahhhhh............I am doing this.
Solomon Group National Education Center
Creed: To Glorify God and help people.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Monday, March 14, 2011
People I Love!
David and Windy Temple...David was our Advisor of the Year for 2010!
Pastor Mike Marcellus,(left) First Independent Baptist Church...my close friend and advisor!
Dawn Dotson....Mortgage genius, Wonderful friend!
Donna Haas....Kenny married UP!
Ivette Zuliani...definitely one of the good eggs!
Jackie and Sue Mills...Solomon's MVP for 2010!!!
Jennifer Eskina...Executive Vice President and Master of The Redfish!
Kevin and Shari Hollemans..Director of Money Matters Ministry
Laura Deaton, my life long friend from first grade...
The Hope Award Winner for 2010...she is heroic
Ben Randle, Leonard Rice, David Temple
Fishing 2010
Sunrise Service...The Whole Gang! August 2010
40 days of Prayer Group!
There are many more for whom I do not have photos of, but thanks to all of you who are so fantastic and such a major part of my life. Please know, that if we are friends, I count YOU as a blessing!
Notes From A Former Fatty Fatty Fathead March 14 ,2011
I am about 42 days or so into this new lifestyle thing and somehow the changes are coming easier each day. I continue to learn about the formation of my habits and the lessons and misseps behind those habits. Not all habits are good, and not all bad habits are that bad either. I am not here to beat myself up,just to share so that I can reflect, and possibly be some help to my family.
When I get stressed, bad food seems to be my "go-to playbook". Wow, it really is "what's eating you, not what you're eating". I thought that was such a silly statement. The last 6 weeks or so have been an awesome learning possibility for me as I continue to work on myself and my business. Each time something has presented itself as a challenge, I have been able to track it backwards to its origin, and to contemplate the feelings and needs behind those feelings. Somewhere along the way, the 8 year old boy turned into a man and that boy still resides somewhere inside me. This period I am in is ME shaking the little 8 year old Me up a bit and making a few changes based on the current me. Make sense?
I have shed about 20 lbs and done so in a gradual and healthy way. However, I am still a tub of goo. I have always been a GREAT starter and a lousy finisher. Don't be impressed by the 20....When I have kept it off for a couple of years and made a few other changes, then we can both pat me on the back. Not until then, however.
I want a long-term win. I want to be the champion of my life. I am making changes, decisions, mistakes, and plans. I have some things I want to accomplish. The music is still in me.
Alrighty then...I have vented for the day. I shall now go watch Beaches and weep openly.
Mattel X 15 tricycle....I wanted one as a kid...well....I am still a kid!
When I get stressed, bad food seems to be my "go-to playbook". Wow, it really is "what's eating you, not what you're eating". I thought that was such a silly statement. The last 6 weeks or so have been an awesome learning possibility for me as I continue to work on myself and my business. Each time something has presented itself as a challenge, I have been able to track it backwards to its origin, and to contemplate the feelings and needs behind those feelings. Somewhere along the way, the 8 year old boy turned into a man and that boy still resides somewhere inside me. This period I am in is ME shaking the little 8 year old Me up a bit and making a few changes based on the current me. Make sense?
I have shed about 20 lbs and done so in a gradual and healthy way. However, I am still a tub of goo. I have always been a GREAT starter and a lousy finisher. Don't be impressed by the 20....When I have kept it off for a couple of years and made a few other changes, then we can both pat me on the back. Not until then, however.
I want a long-term win. I want to be the champion of my life. I am making changes, decisions, mistakes, and plans. I have some things I want to accomplish. The music is still in me.
Alrighty then...I have vented for the day. I shall now go watch Beaches and weep openly.
Mattel X 15 tricycle....I wanted one as a kid...well....I am still a kid!
When No Means Yes...
I am reposting this from a few months ago. It seems topical today for some reason. I re-read what i had written and it had a profound impact on me. I hope you find something here also. Best wishes....from Port Aransas, Texas.
WHEN NO MEANS YES....Reprised
Last Friday night I had the honor of being asked to speak in front of 200 or so young men and women at the First Independent Baptist Church here in Austin, Texas. The pastor of the church, Mike Marcellus asked me to participate with his youth minister, Daniel, in talking to these kids about our testimony and how our lives had been impacted by our faith. My message was a simple explanation of how God has a real plan for each of us, and that sometimes, we hear NO so that sometime later we might hear Yes!
Sometimes No means Yes. Sometimes no means yes in a big way. And most often, that no seems permanent and final, when in fact, it is temporal and directional. Sometimes No means Yes.
I was a kid who wanted a motorcycle. I have mentioned this in other writings, but I am not sure if I accurately explained how much I wanted a motorcycle. My uncle Jerry was a famous motorcycle racer and I wanted to be like him. All the cool kids in our area had motorcycles, I got to go watch motorcycle races, motorcycle motorcycle motorcycle! Yep, I wanted one bad. I would cut out pictures and leave them around the house. My mom or grandmother would ask what I wanted for dinner, I would say, "Honda Mini Trail 70" motorcycle! They got sick of it. In fact, I think secretly they just wanted to see if I would explode at some point if they DIDN'T get me a motorcycle. We couldn't afford a motorcycle, they weren't safe, and blah blah blah blah blah. I want a motorcycle.
I NEVER GOT A MOTORCYCLE. I became a Christian at the age of 13. I thought God somehow was the cosmic order taker of my wants, not really having a mature vision of Him being the Supreme Overseer and guidance counselor. It's sort of why we don't give flamethrowers to 6 year olds I think. He never sent me a motorcycle. I still wake up on birthdays and Christmas and groundhog day and national peanut butter day and other important holidays thinking somehow the universe just might have gotten me a motorcycle. Nah. I ain't getting a motorcycle. NO........
So I did the next best thing and got a bicycle. Yep. Pedals. Schwinn Stingray to be exact. I made motorcycle sounds with my mouth while I rode. I put a playing card up into the spokes for that ultra cool MX motorcycle sound at a fraction of the cost. And a bicycle, not a motorcycle, would make all the difference. I won't go into the inner workings of the sport of bmx, but somehow I got involved in the VERY early stages of a sport that is now on the world staqe being a part of the Olympics. It has a National Hall of Fame of which I am now a member. This year, as the MC of the National BMX Hall of Fame, I get to induct the inventor of the coveted Schwinn Stingray, Mr. Al Fritz. Bicycles seemed to make a big difference for him as well. Yep, I get to lead the party where the inventor of The Schwinn Stingray get's his props. Me. A Kid without a motorcycle. I get to do it. Really? How about that? That is Eskimo cool. Cool in a way that I don't have words for. Gnarly. It is excellent.
God has a plan for our lives. Sometimes, it doesn't become evident till some time later. As I stood on the stage in 2006 accepting my own induction into the National Bmx Hall of Fame, my dad was present in the audience. And at that moment it occured to me, "If I had gotten my own way, this moment may not have ever happened". I spoke to my father there on the spot in a departure from my carefully planned speech and thanked him for NOT letting me get a motorcycle. God has a plan for our lives, and sometimes he uses those around us to make sure His plan gets implemented. I am usually bewildered by life, but this one I am certain of. I've messed up so many times, fallen short so often, and managed to hit the nail squarely on the thumb with a frequency that is quite unimpressive. However, this one did indeed turn out right.
I asked, and No was the answer. It meant Yes to something much greater for me, my family, and my friends who celebrated with me. No can mean Yes---if you let it. Now I get it. Finally
Cash Matthews
It turned out pretty good for me.....Audrey, fishing....this is the good stuff!
Old guy with baby! Fun!!! (September 9, 2008!)
WHEN NO MEANS YES....Reprised
Last Friday night I had the honor of being asked to speak in front of 200 or so young men and women at the First Independent Baptist Church here in Austin, Texas. The pastor of the church, Mike Marcellus asked me to participate with his youth minister, Daniel, in talking to these kids about our testimony and how our lives had been impacted by our faith. My message was a simple explanation of how God has a real plan for each of us, and that sometimes, we hear NO so that sometime later we might hear Yes!
Sometimes No means Yes. Sometimes no means yes in a big way. And most often, that no seems permanent and final, when in fact, it is temporal and directional. Sometimes No means Yes.
I was a kid who wanted a motorcycle. I have mentioned this in other writings, but I am not sure if I accurately explained how much I wanted a motorcycle. My uncle Jerry was a famous motorcycle racer and I wanted to be like him. All the cool kids in our area had motorcycles, I got to go watch motorcycle races, motorcycle motorcycle motorcycle! Yep, I wanted one bad. I would cut out pictures and leave them around the house. My mom or grandmother would ask what I wanted for dinner, I would say, "Honda Mini Trail 70" motorcycle! They got sick of it. In fact, I think secretly they just wanted to see if I would explode at some point if they DIDN'T get me a motorcycle. We couldn't afford a motorcycle, they weren't safe, and blah blah blah blah blah. I want a motorcycle.
I NEVER GOT A MOTORCYCLE. I became a Christian at the age of 13. I thought God somehow was the cosmic order taker of my wants, not really having a mature vision of Him being the Supreme Overseer and guidance counselor. It's sort of why we don't give flamethrowers to 6 year olds I think. He never sent me a motorcycle. I still wake up on birthdays and Christmas and groundhog day and national peanut butter day and other important holidays thinking somehow the universe just might have gotten me a motorcycle. Nah. I ain't getting a motorcycle. NO........
So I did the next best thing and got a bicycle. Yep. Pedals. Schwinn Stingray to be exact. I made motorcycle sounds with my mouth while I rode. I put a playing card up into the spokes for that ultra cool MX motorcycle sound at a fraction of the cost. And a bicycle, not a motorcycle, would make all the difference. I won't go into the inner workings of the sport of bmx, but somehow I got involved in the VERY early stages of a sport that is now on the world staqe being a part of the Olympics. It has a National Hall of Fame of which I am now a member. This year, as the MC of the National BMX Hall of Fame, I get to induct the inventor of the coveted Schwinn Stingray, Mr. Al Fritz. Bicycles seemed to make a big difference for him as well. Yep, I get to lead the party where the inventor of The Schwinn Stingray get's his props. Me. A Kid without a motorcycle. I get to do it. Really? How about that? That is Eskimo cool. Cool in a way that I don't have words for. Gnarly. It is excellent.
God has a plan for our lives. Sometimes, it doesn't become evident till some time later. As I stood on the stage in 2006 accepting my own induction into the National Bmx Hall of Fame, my dad was present in the audience. And at that moment it occured to me, "If I had gotten my own way, this moment may not have ever happened". I spoke to my father there on the spot in a departure from my carefully planned speech and thanked him for NOT letting me get a motorcycle. God has a plan for our lives, and sometimes he uses those around us to make sure His plan gets implemented. I am usually bewildered by life, but this one I am certain of. I've messed up so many times, fallen short so often, and managed to hit the nail squarely on the thumb with a frequency that is quite unimpressive. However, this one did indeed turn out right.
I asked, and No was the answer. It meant Yes to something much greater for me, my family, and my friends who celebrated with me. No can mean Yes---if you let it. Now I get it. Finally
Cash Matthews
It turned out pretty good for me.....Audrey, fishing....this is the good stuff!
Old guy with baby! Fun!!! (September 9, 2008!)
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Courage. Discourage. Encourage.
I have often prayed for courage and God has listened. Unfortunately, the only place you might need courage is when fear is present. So when some post-prayer scary situation happens, I know God is in control, and that He is indeed in control. It took me a while to get what was happening so I prayed for patience.....right after that a little old lady driving about 5 mph pulled in front of me and taught me patience. Whew, God sure has a funny way....His ways are not my ways.
When I am encouraged, I can do anything. Perhaps there is some thing accurate in that mustard seed/faith parable in the Bible. When I think I can win, I often do. As a man thinketh.....
When I am discouraged, I am at my lowest point. The devil knows this and uses this devastating tool to distract me. When someone tells me I am looking good with the new lifestyle, I am encouraged. When I fail to be able to do just 3 simple sit ups (p 90 x style!) I am discouraged and feel worthless. It makes me want to quit. Quitting is so easy. For whatever reason, quitting seems to be the first alternative when things aren't perfect. Why am I that way? Discouragement. And I don't believe it is an accident. How do I fight discouragement?
I have to keep my goals in mind first. The goals keep me moving in the face of discouragement. That little voice that talks inside your head was formed by the time you were 8 years old, and you have to realize that an 8 year old is inside your head making important play calls....grab ahold of that little braniac person and shake him a bit until he sees it your way. Once you decide....the universe opens up to you and for you. I have a decided heart about things. Do you?
The origins of the word "decide" are this: Middle English, from Latin decidere, literally, to cut off, from de- + caedere to cut...
Basically...no other choice but to do the thing....so here I am a little more than a month after "deciding" to change my life. It is working.
If you know me, please encourage me. Let's encourage each other. It is time for me to get past what I used to be and get on with what I am supposed to be. God has a plan for me, and I don't believe 75 pounds over weight was part of that plan. I came up with a new saying for myself...
"WHAT YOU WAS AIN'T WHAT YOU IS"
I am very encouraged today. You be as well. Things are great and only getting better!
Happy Birthday to Jeana Nicely...here is her baby picture!!!
Happy birthday, Jeana! What you was ain't what you is either! You are awesome and I hope you have a wonderful day!
When I am encouraged, I can do anything. Perhaps there is some thing accurate in that mustard seed/faith parable in the Bible. When I think I can win, I often do. As a man thinketh.....
When I am discouraged, I am at my lowest point. The devil knows this and uses this devastating tool to distract me. When someone tells me I am looking good with the new lifestyle, I am encouraged. When I fail to be able to do just 3 simple sit ups (p 90 x style!) I am discouraged and feel worthless. It makes me want to quit. Quitting is so easy. For whatever reason, quitting seems to be the first alternative when things aren't perfect. Why am I that way? Discouragement. And I don't believe it is an accident. How do I fight discouragement?
I have to keep my goals in mind first. The goals keep me moving in the face of discouragement. That little voice that talks inside your head was formed by the time you were 8 years old, and you have to realize that an 8 year old is inside your head making important play calls....grab ahold of that little braniac person and shake him a bit until he sees it your way. Once you decide....the universe opens up to you and for you. I have a decided heart about things. Do you?
The origins of the word "decide" are this: Middle English, from Latin decidere, literally, to cut off, from de- + caedere to cut...
Basically...no other choice but to do the thing....so here I am a little more than a month after "deciding" to change my life. It is working.
If you know me, please encourage me. Let's encourage each other. It is time for me to get past what I used to be and get on with what I am supposed to be. God has a plan for me, and I don't believe 75 pounds over weight was part of that plan. I came up with a new saying for myself...
"WHAT YOU WAS AIN'T WHAT YOU IS"
I am very encouraged today. You be as well. Things are great and only getting better!
Happy Birthday to Jeana Nicely...here is her baby picture!!!
Here is her grown up picture:
Happy birthday, Jeana! What you was ain't what you is either! You are awesome and I hope you have a wonderful day!
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Day 31 observations
The hard stuff gets easier, the good stuff gets better, and it is worth it. However....
It is so easy to slip back into old habits...just a few more minutes of sleep, putting stuff off..etc...I must stay vigilant. I will.
Here are some photos to entertain you!
Me running with Sarah!
I am greatful to have another chance to do things right with my health. I am a week into my 2nd 24 day challenge and am better off for it. Thank you Robyn Pettinger and Advocare!
It is so easy to slip back into old habits...just a few more minutes of sleep, putting stuff off..etc...I must stay vigilant. I will.
Here are some photos to entertain you!
I am greatful to have another chance to do things right with my health. I am a week into my 2nd 24 day challenge and am better off for it. Thank you Robyn Pettinger and Advocare!
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Day 30 Still Here. Send Cupcakes
Wow, 30 days later and I am still taking care of myself. For the month I am down about 16 pounds and my strength is increasing!
I am not on a diet. I am just being reasonable. Today I had some popcorn and a couple of reeses peanut butter cups....my favorite dish. I am limiting my bad days to just one a day and just one meal a day and I don't feel any guilt, and I certainly do not miss all the crap I used to eat.
Last Monday we started another 24 day Advocare challenge, and let me tell you, these products are working for us. We are feeling better, losing weight, and making the right changes in our lives. Each day I get up early, try to read a bit, review my goals and my day, then workout for about an hour. By 7:30 a.m. I have accomplished more than I used to get done in a week.
Thanks to all of you who have supported me and want the best for me. Cash will carry on.
I am not on a diet. I am just being reasonable. Today I had some popcorn and a couple of reeses peanut butter cups....my favorite dish. I am limiting my bad days to just one a day and just one meal a day and I don't feel any guilt, and I certainly do not miss all the crap I used to eat.
Last Monday we started another 24 day Advocare challenge, and let me tell you, these products are working for us. We are feeling better, losing weight, and making the right changes in our lives. Each day I get up early, try to read a bit, review my goals and my day, then workout for about an hour. By 7:30 a.m. I have accomplished more than I used to get done in a week.
Thanks to all of you who have supported me and want the best for me. Cash will carry on.
This is me just a few years ago....gravity defying fun! I still have the music in me!!!!
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