Big Beautiful Belly Dancing Show

Last night I attended The Big Bellydance Show at Barking Legs with my two best friends, Abigail & Emily. When the announcer said the title for the first time, I snickered and made a joke, wondering if we were only going to see "big bellies". But after watching the show, I had an epiphany. Bellies are amazing! We saw big bellies, small bellies, bellies with stretch marks, bellies without blemishes, pregnant bellies, and smooth bellies. Bellydancing is something I've often thought about taking classes in, being as how I have to trick myself into exercising by making it seem like I'm not exercising, but I've decided against, feeling that I was too fat or ugly and didn't want to bare those parts of my anatomy that I hate so much. I realized watching all these beautiful ladies of all shapes and sizes that in order to be a good bellydancer, you must first indeed have a belly. If you don't have a belly, you don't have anything to shimmy. You have to have something to push out and pull in or there is no dancing going on at all.

So in honor of these ladies' inspiration, I am declaring this week "Love Your Body Week". I am still on my weight loss journey this week, but not because I hate myself anymore, but just because my doctors say I need to because I am unhealthy. I just wanna be healthy. I am now treating my weight loss as I would any other doctor's prescription. I really feel like if I can become a healthier person, all the other things that are chaotic in my life will fall into their proper place.

Love to all my bloggies out there (and your beautiful bellies)!

SHOES!!!!! - Sweet Pea Patterns Guest Giveaway

Shoes is something in sewing that I have never ventured into, but with my first nephew arriving soon, I want to make all sorts of small cute things. I would love to win this giveaway because there are some cute little boy shoes in this pattern. To all the other seamstresses out there, we need to make more cute & handsome things for little boys!!

Sweet Pea Patterns Guest Giveaway

Adult movie vs. Kid movie

Why can people not understand the difference between a kid's movie and an adult movie any longer? Most of the people I personally know the difference and regulate things for their children's age level, but the general population does not. Today, while my house was heating up from the lack of air conditioning, I decided to partake of the local bargain theater's afternoon showing of "Date Night." Just from the title, without even looking at the rating, I know this is a movie for adults. The entire premise of the movie is also the reason to go watch the movie. Go on a date night with your spouse/longtime significant other and laugh at how things have changed from the beginning of your relationship. I greatly enjoyed this movie, but would have enjoyed it a heck of lot more if the lady in front of me hadn't come with her FOUR children. What it looked like to me is that Mom & College-age Daughter wanted to see this movie and since College-age Daughter is going, then there is no one to watch the other kids in the middle of the day. The next eldest child is a boy maybe 12 or 13 years old, and there's another boy who can't be more than 8 or so. The 8 y.o. boy has a twin sister. The twins come in fighting & picking on each other, so Mom sits in between them. The movie starts and it is very funny but let's remember this is a Steve Carell & Tina Fey show. About married people. And married people have sex... or at least, want to and therefore talk about it. Every time they mention sex, gender-specific body parts, or anything of the sort, the 8 y.o. girl twin shouts, "PENIS" and giggles. Instead of Mom getting upset, embarrassed or disciplining the child in any way, she giggles as well. Well at least the first few times, until people started getting upset at the disturbance, and then the lady took the hint and got the girl to pipe down.

I grew up without all this language and violence. I don't feel like I miss out on much. And if I did, I can watch it now as an adult. I am glad that my parents let me be a child. I was horrified one day while substitute teaching to overhear a GROUP OF FIRST GRADERS talking about watching Saw (rated R, then later NC-17) and The Grudge (rated PG-13). I remember when the scariest movie in my entire world was The Gremlins. I'm 30 years old and I know I don't want to watch Saw from the 10 minutes of goriness that I have seen, and the previews & people talking about The Grudge was enough to give me nightmares!

So, parents of the world, please for the sake of the rest of us: take your children to age-appropriate movies. It's okay for your children to just be children. They will be better-adjusted adults, and people around you will like you more. This world is becoming more and more a world I don't understand or recognize anymore...

Official Movie Website – Date Night - Starring Steve Carell & Tina Fey: Home

QGM Unplugged

So I've been without a phone since Friday, because I lost it somewhere at work. We also have no home phone because we didn't feel like we needed it. I knew it would bother me not having a phone, but I had no idea quite how much! I have realized how much I have come to depend on that small piece of plastic & metal. And then to further blow my whole reality away, we lost power today as well. My cousin Jason was visiting and we didn't know what to do! "Let's watch a movie." No, electricity required for vcr, dvd player or Netflix via PS3 or Wii. "Well my laptop has a charge; let's get on the internet." Nope, electricity powers the wifi hub so no internet either. Previously we had been cleaning and organizing the cluttermuck that is my house. (Anybody notice I totally made up a word back there? Trying not to curse, and it's funny to say so . . . hey, don't judge me!) After about 5 more minutes of cleaning, we decided that it was too hot for all that moving around since the house was heating up fast. So after opening some blinds and pulling back some sheers, we kinda had enough light to play cards. We played Munchkin, well Star Munchkin rather, there was much laughing and such, and Jason promptly kicked my booty. Beginners luck I say.

I digress from my original point. Are we all too plugged in our screens? Would my memory be better if I HAD to remember stuff instead of relying on a hunk of plastic? Would we have better relationships, better health, better a lot of things if we weren't so surrounded by plastic and electricity? While I still do want to find my phone, especially since we have no home phone, I would also like to not be so dependent on it when it (or a replacement) does show up.

Losing

Welcome to my new battle with weight. My primary care doctor has been telling me (and my husband) that weight must be lost or start preparing to deal with diabetes in the near future. My neurologist says that my MS will be more manageable with less pounds. Last week, I got completely knocked the freak out by a summer cold. I went to the doctor for my lovely Z-pack to knock this sinus infection back to heck and the nurse and I begin our traditional bit. Step on the scale. Numbers tip. Nurse coyly leaves the big slider on 150 and wiggles the small one all the way to the end. I sheepishly smile and mutter something like "Thanks" or "Nice try", and we move on to the 200's. I honestly don't know if I just don't look my weight or she's really bad at guessing.

This time was a little different. We moved to the 200 and she's wiggling the small slider and we get almost to the end again . . . blink, blink . . . WTF? I'm in total Whiskey Tango Foxtrot situation, Skip poking me to walk to exam room, keep looking back at the end of the hallway, bad place where the numbers 240 just flashed before my eyes . . .

And I can't even blame a recent large meal. I felt like crap and had barely kept down a very small orange poppy seed muffin so they could take a blood sample just before that. The point where we were talking about diabetes and my drugs working better was now 20 lbs ago.

So now I officially have 100 lbs to lose to be at my goal weight. I have 75 lbs to lose before my doctors are off my back. So far my brillant plan is attacking the wii fit and packing my lunch, cooking more for dinner. I know the drive-thrus are killing me. Other than that, I really don't know what to change . . .

Ahhhhh!

So I haven't blogged in a while and I apologize... and I have no excuse, I'm just a slacker who got obsessed with Mafia Wars, Pirates and virtual farming. Just trying to escape real life I suppose...

I am tired of escaping! Every time I get really depressed, I hibernate. I go to work, I go home, I sleep, and I hide - until I stop being sad. But this time, I got restless in my hibernation. I want to get out and be part of the world. So now is the time that I stop hibernating and get out of the house (or at least let people in!) Maybe the difference this time is I have friends that are coaxing me out of hibernation. Maybe it's the meds. Whatever it is that is different this time, I hope it sticks around.

I finally feel like I can breathe. Literally and figuratively. My asthma is finally under control and I think I know what to do to keep it that way. Our finances are finally caught up. I am loving not having all the credit card bills and wondering how to pay this and that and the other thing. It is such a relief to be able to just have the current month's bills in front of you and know that there might actually be a little extra. Right now I feel very very blessed.

Also Skip and I are entering another round of baby-making :) Most of you know that I already have my 4 sweet angel babies, but this time, the doctors think that we might actually get to keep the next one (or ones). Yes, I have MS, but the neurologist says that pregnancy actually does good things for MS. Since your immune system changes when you are pregnant, your body protects itself and the baby, so most pregnant women have no MS attacks during pregnancy. And yes, I have the blood-clotting disorder, but apparently it is not as bad as it could be and I just have to keep taking my aspirin and folic acid to thin my blood and that should be no problem this time.

This picture is the catalyst for my latest bout of baby fever. Well this picture and the fact that it seems like everywhere I look there is another pregnant friend or friends with adorable children (and yes, I tagged you - send me some of the water y'all are drinking!). Anyway, this is one of my baby pictures and I love it. I love my mama. And I want to be one so bad...

Me and my Mama ♥

I love it when stuff ...

I love it when stuff just works out. I am often the optimist in our household, and many times things work out. I did not expect things to work out quite this well. At the Theatre Mercado production meeting today, there was much good news and big changes coming up for our company. This is very exciting! We have our own space now!! Woo-hoo!!

We are now partnering with a film company so just like we dreamed Theatre Mercado will encompass all of the arts. We have live/stage theatre, filmed acting, visual art, musicians, dance, .... the list goes on and on. It really will be an arts marketplace right here in downtown Chattanooga. Exciting!

I cannot believe I was about to walk away from all this last week. After Thursday's meeting I was so mad... but I decided to just to take a deep breath (and a giant chill pill) and wait and see what happens. This is so amazing that God (and the theatre gods!) have blessed our company!

Stuff is working out all around me too! My friend LIndsay got a job and is moving back to Chattanooga this month. Hoo-ray for friends moving back to town, instead of away! Hooray indeed. My friend Anne has internet again and read my blogs so hooray for Internet! I figured out how to get on Vox on my new phone, so hooray for blogging! Speaking of phones, I love my new phone. It is almost like a mini laptop and so kicks iPhone's bootay, so hooray for Palm Pre! I am getting paid to do theatre, Anne gets paid to go rafting, Lindsay gets paid to work within her field, my dad is finally getting his disability checks, my husband gets paid to play with computers, so hooray for paychecks! Ok, so finally I really am happy - I promise it's not just the happy pills talking - which is a complete 180 from last summer. It's amazing how much life can change in a year!