I Quit Sugar. Cold Turkey.

Three months ago, I stopped eating sugar. I also stopped eating diary. I used to drink the most delicious coffee with a little Half & Half is now just boring black coffee.

Add to the list of NO’s: grains, legumes, and alcohol.

I am not telling you this to brag. I am telling you this because I feel good. And I felt terrible for a really long time.

For the most part, I was a health conscious (more accurately, waistline conscious) eater. I was on the smoothie band wagon (with protein powder just for women!). And I was doing OK.

Except that my stomach always hurt. Always. The severity would change, but my stomach ached every day. 

Over the years, I had tried to figure out what was wrong, but honestly, it seemed complicated. Eventually, I joined the “I wonder if I have a gluten-thing?” and cut it out completely for a few weeks. Until, I bought and ate an entire box of GF Lemon Wafers in one day...but it was OK…they were gluten free, right?

I realized then that gluten might not be my issue…perhaps portion control was the problem…?

Last year, I learned about a program called Whole 30 from a co-worker - his wife had lost something like 80 pounds in a year by following this plan and he no longer needed hypertension medication! I started casually looking into it. For 30 days, you eliminate: Grains, Diary, Legumes, Alcohol, and Sugar. No cheats. Fun. 

The website says:

Don’t even consider the possibility of a “slip.” Unless you physically tripped and your face landed in a box of doughnuts, there is no“slip.”

I had planned to begin the first week of October but chickened out. I feared groceries would be more expensive, my fiancé (who has food allergies) might not be able to eat the same stuff, it would be hard and what if I did slip and fall face first into a box of donuts?!

A week later, I had an epiphany: It's only 30 days...you can do anything for 30 days!

The idea is not to be a glutton for self-inflicted punishment (Pun. Intended.) It's not a weight loss plan. The idea is to eliminate these food groups that can cause all sorts of problems in your system. Remove all of them and let your body reset. Then after 30 days, you slowly re-introduce the foods to see how you feel after eating them.

“Non-Scale Victories" become your focus during the 30 days. These are the things that are most impressive affects and they have nothing to do with your weight. Some of these things include: 

• better sleep
• less anxiety
• lower blood pressure
• reduced inflammation 
• brain-fog lifts
• improved mental acuity
• clear skin (people that suffer with long term skin problems, like psoriasis, see a marked improvement)

I won’t lie to you: It is absolutely not easy. I missed nachos and feta cheese (still do, if I’m being honest) and I craved glazed donuts like you wouldn’t believe. I had to get through Halloween without one piece of candy. 

It is not hard. Don’t you dare tell us this is hard. Beating cancer is hard. Birthing a baby is hard. Losing a parent is hard.

Drinking your coffee black. Is. Not. Hard.

At the beginning, it's not all feelin' good, either. The program tells you that on days two through five, you may experience emotional volatility. I was pretty proud that I only cried twice during those few days! On day 11 you are most likely to quit and eat a cheeseburger. And on days 25-28, you are most likely to say, “eh…close enough...TIME FOR WINE!”  

The "Hangover" is your sugar detox. It very much feels like a hangover.

By day five, I had stopped crying. I was sleeping better and waking up feeling rested. I felt mentally sharper. I didn’t experience the 3 PM Slump anymore. I made it successfully to day 30 - just in time for my company Thanksgiving party! 

Our grocery bill is a little higher, but not a budget-breaking high. We have figured out how to incorporate my dietary needs with my fiancé so we can both eat healthy. And I have not,  yet, fallen into any donuts! I'd say that is pretty successful.

I now stick to the plan about 90% of the time. Friday nights, I have pizza and a beer – I enjoy it and don’t feel guilty. I have gotten used to taking my coffee black. And I don’t have any stomach aches! 

"The Good Kind" of Wedding Reception Songs

Since June, wedding planning has been a forced hobby. I guess that sounds bad. I have enjoyed the planning process and I am very much looking forward to my wedding. But we are currently in the homestretch and there are a lot of details to account for. A lot.  

The music is a prime example. We selected our DJ, carefully, months ago. We had “checked” that off the To Do list and forgot about it. Until he asked us, “what kind of music do you want played at the reception?” To which I replied, “The good kind.” That, evidently, is not an appropriate response.

We have picked the important songs: 

• First Dance - "You Are the Best Thing" by Ray LaMontange 
• Father/Bride - "The Gambler" by Kenny Rodgers
• Mother/Groom - "Close to You" by the Carpenters 

We know we want 90’s rock played during the cocktail hour and Frank Sinatra-style played during dinner.  I really thought that there was some sort of standard “dance music” playlist that all DJs use for when the party starts. Nope. I was mistaken.

Here’s the problem. We are from the “grunge” era - we like Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Sublime. My fiancé loves Metallica! Alannis Morrisette is still one of my favorites. And as I have gotten older, I have gotten into some more “indie” music: Johnnyswim, She & Him, Tristen Prettyman. Not necessarily what you would want to dance to. 

We both like Pop music and we love fun dance music. But on a day to day basis, we opt for other things.  I had hoped that our DJ would think of the most fun wedding he had ever been to – and then use that play list. But we have to provide our own. So the research began.

I turned to WeddingWire.com, a site I trust to keep me on track with all of the things that we need to do. I searched “reception music” and it gave me a list of First Dance songs and what song to play during the garter toss. Not exactly what I was looking for. So we ventured to Google.

Our first website stop told us that if we don’t pick the perfect first song, our reception is doomed! No pressure, already stressed bride…just, don’t screw this up or you will set the tone for a sucky reception.

"The first song of the night sets the tone and can make or break the reception." 

Our next site took us to a list of 200 reception dance songs. I began to wonder how many songs we need to actually pick out…200 seems like a lot...? Two-hundred time 3 minutes each(approximately) is 600 minutes…the reception is four hours. Is 200 enough? 

Although daunting, it was a very thorough list and had a ton of great ideas! Songs like “Footloose!” I am not sure we would have thought of that one.

Then we browsed to Lauren Conrad’s website. I have always liked LC’s style, ever since she was on “The Hills” and I own a good bit from her clothing line at Kohl’s. So, I felt I could trust her to guide us with her blog entry, “Tuesday Ten: The Best Wedding Reception Songs.” It wasn’t quite what we expected and the songs were not very dance-y, so we moved on to The Man Registry!

I wish we had found this website months ago, but I am grateful to have found it nonetheless. It’s like a manly WeddingWire! It was detailed and organized list of all the different kinds of music you need at a wedding! It includes “Thriller” and “Billy Jean” as great songs for a wedding and thus has been vetted as a fabulous resource for all musical needs!

After many hours on YouTube, here is our Top 15 Reception Songs:

1. Michael Jackson – Thriller
2. Usher, featuring Ludacris and Lil John – Yeah
3. Pitbull, featuring Ke$Ha – Timber
4. Pharrell – Happy
5. Nelly – Hot in Here
6. Iggy Azalea & Rita Ora – Black Widow
7. Kenny Loggins – Footloose
8. Daft Punk, featuring Pharrell – Get Lucky
9. Katy Perry – Roar!
10. JLo, featuring Pitbull – On the Floor
11. Lil John, featuring Drake – Turn Down for What
12. Beyoncé – Single Ladies
13. Mark Ronson & Bruno Mars – Uptown Funk
14. The Weather Girls – It’s Raining Men
15. Whitney Houston – Wanna Dance with Somebody

Fifteen down…185 more to go…

Any thoughts and/or suggestions are welcome and encouraged. 

Bowie.net

When learning the news of David Bowie’s passing, the first thing I thought of was the New Zealand novelty band, Flight of the Concords. Do you know them? It’s a fictional band featured in a TV show of the same name. It’s quirky and weird. In one episode, Jermaine (played by Jermaine Clement) dresses up as David Bowie during a dream sequence to talk to the other band-mate, Brett.

This is what popped into my head when I thought of David Bowie. The fantastic, revolutionary musician – and I thought of a weird little TV show.

Although, I suppose it was memorable.

Via Tumbler

In my defense, I am a product of the late 80’s and 90’s – a time when Bowie was experimenting with New Wave music and unique sounds that did not always land on the radio. I didn’t really know of Bowie or his music. But I did know Nirvana and I know “The Man Who Sold the World,” which the band covered in 1994.

I am learning, though, that I may have been a huge Bowie fan and I just didn’t realize it. “Changes,” “Young Americans,” and “Let’s Dance!” All of these are songs I have loved for years – I just did not know who sang them. This wildly talented guy was everywhere. He spans generations and did so seamlessly.

~~~~~~~~

David Bowie died peacefully just two days after his birthday and the release of his last album. And just last month, Bowie achieved a life-long dream of taking his talents to the theater. His musical, Lazerus just began its off-Broadway run. Incredible accomplishments for someone who has been in the music industry for over four decades. However, more so, considering he was privately battling cancer.

In 1969, Bowie burst onto the music scene with “Space Oddity” – a song most of us should at least recognize when we hear it. You know, “Major Tom to Ground Control…”? Three years went by without much from the artist. And in 1972, Bowie re-emerged as Ziggy Stardust, an extraterrestrial sent to be a messenger of hope to humans. This alter ego launched Bowie to stardom. With his androgonous appearance, fans and critics alike couldn’t help but take notice.

Bowie is a Hall of Fame legend largely due to his experimentation and courage. You cannot possibility come up with a genre of music for this man – he was topping charts with funk, punk, rock, jazz, soul. He dabbled in New Wave music. He has collaborated with all of the greats: Pete Townsend, Queen, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Tina Turner and Iggy Popp. He has starred in movies, probably most notably Labyrinth in 1986. All of this while constantly pushing the envelope of the “norm” without trepidation.

Did you know, however, that Bowie was a technology-aficionado? He was selling his album online in 1996. He sold 300,000 albums. Online. In 1996. His Earthlings concert was “cybercast” in 1997. We still had dial-up in 1997! And in 1998, Bowie.net was launched – a high-speed internet service – so people could actually watch the cybercasts of his shows in better quality. Bowie.net was available until 2006, when it was shut down. All that time people could have their email be BowieFan@Bowie.net – or something like that. Cutting edge on all fronts.

It is a sad time for us – even us 80’s and 90’s kids. His songs were the soundtrack of our lives and we didn’t even realize it.  

A Dream and a Bit of Luck

When I was little, my dad used to write children’s stories about me and my older sister, Abby. They were incredibly clever, funny, and unlike all other children’s books, there was no poignant moral at the end. The point was to make us laugh, which they always did and still do.

Two of my favorites are Doctor Tess and Abby & Tess Get Lost in Dundalk. Doctor Tess was about me and my Fisher Price Doctor’s Kit from the 80’s. Abby & Tess Get Lost in Dundalk is about a kite flying experience gone wrong. When the wind picks up, our kite flies Abby and I to Dundalk where we try to figure out how to get home. Hijinks ensue. We loved it!

My Doctor's Kit. From the Fisher Price Vintage Pintrest Page. 

We thought our dad was the coolest for writing such amazing pieces of literature. And so, at the age of five, I decided I wanted to be like my dad and write stories. I told anyone who would listen, “I’m going to be a famous writer when I grow up!” I even had my Kindergarten best friend lined up to be my illustrator. I was committed.

I wrote about anything and everything. But given how young I was the stories were about 5 sentences long. And frankly, not very good. I was working to perfect my craft.

One story in particular has lived on through Barnett Family lore. It was called The Beach and it was based on true events - my first Non-Fiction! We had gone to Dewey Beach for our annual week vacation. We arrived a few days after a hurricane had done a good bit of damage to the area and I can still remember walking along the sand looking at torn up houses. Miraculously, the condo my parents had rented was unscathed. The inside, however, was another story. After the previous renters had left, the cleaning company had not come to prepare for our arrival. It was a mess. Left overs were still in the fridge, the bathroom was not cleaned...it was pretty bad. My mom was devastated. She looked forward to vacation specifically because she did not have to clean.

So, when we got home, I wrote the story of our trip and the first sentence was:

When we get thar it was dratty.

Translation to English: When we got there it was dirty. 

I don’t believe my family has used the word “dirty” in the 25 years since...we now only say “dratty.” Evidently, all the Phonics I was learning had not sunk in, yet. And this is a terrible opening line!

It was somewhere around this time I realized I didn’t have the chops to be a writer. I let go of that dream and decided I would be a teacher instead. Then I decided I was going to be a nurse, then a florist, then a Physical Therapy Assistant, then a teacher (again), then I was going to open a bakery, then I wanted to be a Health Care Administrator.

Then, at the age of 29, I got a job in marketing. To be honest, it was simply a lucky break. I knew someone who knew the hiring manager. I had nearly no experience in the field, they took a gamble and hired me. It’s been a really fun three years and I think I found my professional calling. Interestingly, I spend most of my time writing. I write a bi-monthly article for a local magazine to help advertise and I write and edit all of our promotional material.

I suppose the moral of this story is that even if you let go of your dream, it still might come true! The other moral is to look over your work at least once in hopes of catching errors like, “dratty.”

The Barnett Family, the renowned author front & center.