THE PHOTO SHOOT

okay, so many of you (maybe two or three?) are wondering “whatever happened to this ‘supposed’ photo shoot you did that you lost all this weight for?” well, i can be honest when i say, it was TOTALLY worth the wait, because these shots came out pretty frickin’ amazing for a first-timer!!!

the backstory is that i’m a rich “well-to-do” about the town, type gentlemen with a pretty hot maid. she gets a little too snappy and things get crazy. i had sooooo much fun doing this shoot (will post the next once it is ready for viewing)!!!

so without further ado (or adon’t) i present My Nicole Marie:

CREATIVE MISCHIEF AND MAYHAM WITH A TWIST OF FILM NOIR

just stepping in to wipe my shoes…

so i’m officially the worst/least consistent blogger ever? probably, but with good reason. i have a small laptop that i normally take to work with me, and recently (about a week and a half ago), the owners of the building i work in decided to lock the wi-fi (because apparently there were over 100 people using it). so i unfortunately, have not been able to goof off as much at work. shucks.

but during that time i have been incredibly busy! my new band had it’s first gig! check us out on Facebook, Twitter, Reverbnation, etc…. we’re called Twice On Tuesday. really cool, and i play keyboards and sing.

speaking of singing, i recently went on a trip to Dallas, TX to sing for the Army’s 237th birthday (video will be posted soon). so that was a pretty neat adventure (although i long, boring drive).

what else? ummmm… i bought a new synthesizer. the MicroKorg XL synthesizer/vocoder. it’s pretty sweet, and i love being able to use my double tier stand for my synths (i look pro!).

my girlfriend and i also went through some stuff last weekend. we’ve been having a lot of strange feelings and weird energy going on, so we had a native american friend come over and cleanse us and the house. things are now going better, but after the cleansing i had a doctor’s appt the next day, and my blood pressure was FREAKING through the roof! (175/110… how was i alive??). so i was under watch for a few days, and by wednesday, my blood pressure was completely back to normal (120/80), so the doctor said to just chill out, eat healthy, and no meds were prescribed, YAY!

bought a kiddie pool for the backyard to enjoy the nice hot summer, as well.

oh! and friday, some dude knocked on the door with a puppy (super cute, i’ll also post pics later) and said he was sniffing around the area behind our house. he didn’t know what to do with it, so we took it in. looked healthy, no collar or anything. felt really bad for it. after the weekend was over, we didn’t see any posters or anything go up, so we ended up giving it to a friend of mine who recently moved into a new house with a nice, fenced backyard. named the little pup Haggard (like Merle Haggard, lol).

so that’s just a quick run-through of what i’ve been up to. i promise my next post will blow you all away. it will be another cooking post, and believe me, you WON’T want to miss it!

Travels, Updates, and US Historical Marker 951 + Gould, OK

so, i will start off with an apology. i know its been far too long since i’ve done an update, but primarily that’s been because although i’ve been on vacation for the past week (and honestly meant, to blog more), i was on vacation the past week and was about ten times busier than i expected. had a big party at my house for Cinco de Mayo (FIESTAFEST!!!), and i’ll probably do a blog about that later. oh jeez….

also, did some traveling, and today’s blog will be more centered around that. as far as weightloss goes, i’m afraid to even weigh myself at this point, i’m probably close to 160 again, just because of parties, drinking, stuffing my face hole, and not working out as much (i know, shame on me).

but enough about that, let’s talk about my travels. as some of you know, on my 30 Before 30, i listed that i wanted to visit more historical markers and get a better grasp of local and national history. well, last weekend i drove to Lawton, OK. this is connected to Fort Sill, where i was previously stationed for 5 years. needless to say there’s a lot of friends and family we needed to visit. however, it’s about 3 1/2-4hr drive through a lot of open land, ghost towns, and various historical markers. due to time constraints on my trip, i only visited a couple, but i took good pictures, and found some interesting information.

now the route i take to get from Amarillo to Lawton takes me through I-40, US 83, and US62

http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Amarillo,+TX&daddr=35.14996,-100.25512+to:Lawton,+OK&hl=en&sll=34.913,-100.117245&sspn=3.035863,5.756836&geocode=Fe1xGQIdfy3u-SkDz0Wy1EgBhzGv0jZoHNHz0A%3BFYhYGAIdcDoG-ikD7x2m4D-qhzE378VyRxvawA%3BFS8CEAId55gi-ilFDSFZ4h6thzFSTnLyxvosYQ&oq=lawton&mra=dpe&mrsp=1&sz=8&via=1&t=m&z=8

some people take US 287, that’s cool, but this is the route i normally take.

ANYWAY, one of the historical markers i went through was US HM 951

me, in my roadtrip clothes.

now, i’m still learning about historical markers, but this one is pretty interesting, and if you can’t tell what’s in the left-hand side of the picture, i actually pulled a two-for-one on this marker, because apparently there’s some interesting information about the US highway i happened to also be on!

so anyway, US HM 951 states:

Collingsworth County

formed from Young and Bexar territories

created August 21, 1876
Organizaed November 4, 1890

Named in honor of James Collinsworth (1804-1838)

The first Chief Justice of the Republic of Texas. Signer of the Declaration of Independence at the Battle of San Jacinto. Secretary of State in Burnet’s Cabinet.

Wellington, the County Seat

so i thought that was pretty cool, but ALSO, the plaque next to me is a dedication from the state of Texas! turns out that US Highway 83 is the Texas Vietnam Memorial Highway!

Texas Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway
US Highway 83

In gratitude to the thousand of men and women who served our country during the Vietnam War. The people of Texas dedicate this highway which runs across our state from the southernmost tip to the northernmost point. It is our hope that all those who travel US 83 will pause to remember those who gave up their lives or their youth or their hopes in that long and bitter conflict. We vow not to forget those who did not return to us and we pledge to remember the sacrifices of those who have come home.

US Highway 83

so that was pretty dang interesting, i thought. to add to this so-far-so-cool post, i’m going to tell you about this creepy little ghost town we always pass through called Gould, OK. for simple town stats, you can check out this link from wikipedia about it, but i’ll show you some pics we took and explain along the way. now wiki doesn’t go into too much detail, but from what i can tell you from visiting, there’s not a whole lot to see anymore. the local population is roughly 141, and nearly 500 at it’s peak in the mid 1930s. Gould was originally called Gibson, OK; but the postmaster general renamed the town because he thought it too closely resembled “Fort Gibson” (understandable). Gould was founded in the early 1900s (roughly between 1907-1909. The town’s school was founded in 1909 and was first conducted in the local Baptist church. an official building was erected in 1911, and the school was officially closed in 1990. at one point, the town’s school had an attendance of almost 500 students due to consolidation of other area towns and counties. but in 1990, the school was closed, and the area formerly covered by Gould’s school was taken over by the nearby Hollis, OK.

attached is a photo gallery of a small monument created in honor of the school and the local community.

US Highway 83

so those are my updates, and my travels that i’ve been doing thus far. i hope you all enjoyed this!

The Julian Bivins Museum (Boy’s Ranch)

okay, so i apologize in advance for not posting a new blog earlier, but my job is hectic at times, and can literally change my schedule daily. that being said though, for those of your who have read my 30 Before 30, know that within my list, i have set a goal to visit at least 10 museums (which i will probably change to 10 museums a year to make things more interesting).

so upon my daily travels, i visited an interesting community about 30mi northwest of Amarillo called “Boy’s Ranch”. now this place is full of interesting history (although some of it might seem a little strange as well.

to paint a picture in your head, imagine a community lost in time. a small township, where the lcoal population is roughly 500. this community is so set apart from the rest of the world that when someone visits, they have to check in, and get a visitor’s pass. the kids that go to the local school also have to get visitor’s passes off of Boy’s Ranch. the brunt of the community are school-aged children who go to the school, and the adults there are either faculty members, or work in the community (gas station, post office, grocer). to make things creepier, they have their own cemetary very close by.

so to help explain the story of Boys Ranch, one must learn a little history about “the Ranch” and the area.

Boys Ranch, was originally the site of Tascosa, TX. this town was originally the second town to be founded in the Texas panhandle, and known for most of it’s history as “the cowboy capitol of the panhandle”. during the 1870s this was a thriving town. however, during the construction of the railroads in the area, Tascosa was missed by about 20, and all of the railroads ended up converging in Amarillo, TX. this convergence, slowly began to turn Tascosa into a ghost town.

in 1939, an Amarillo businessman by the name of Cal Farley bought land in the area and started a place called Boy’s Ranch to help troubled boys who needed a “second chance for success”.

Cal Farley

the museum chronicles some of this, as well as showing period pieces that have been preserved. the museum was also the Old Tascosa courthouse (which at one time was also the county seat for the area, before being moved to Vega, TX (at which time, only 15 residents stayed in Old Tascosa).

so without further ado, here are a few pictures i took while at the Julian Bivins Museum:

Cal Farley

well, i hope you all enjoy this first step in completion of the 30 Before 30!

30 Before 30

so i was doing some general surfing around the other day, and stumbled upon someone who had begun commenting and following my blog. amongst her bloggings, i found an interesting list entitled “30 Before 30”. this reminded me in a way of The Bucket List, except possibly more awesome.

now, i’ve already done some pretty interesting things in my life:

1. been in the US Army for roughly 6 1/2 years (still have about 2 1/2 years left on my contract) and during that time went to both Iraq and Afghanistan

2. i’ve been to both the east and the west coasts of the US

3. multiple times i have done surprisingly good deeds for total strangers (found a purse in a parking lot, found someone’s social security cards, helped stop a woman from being beaten by a dude)

4. been on national tv for a karaoke contest

5. held a few fundraisers for various causes

6. found the love of my life

but there are so many completely awesome things i have yet to do, and reading parts of her list made me start to think, that i too should have a list. i’ll be 28 this year, so in a way, i’m running out of time, but i won’t let that deter me!

so as this will be a work in progress, i will do my best to create my own personal list of awesome. MY “30 Before 30”. also, with this list, i will break it down video game-style with a list of primary objectives and secondary objectives.

so without further ado (or adon’t), here we go:

30 BEFORE 30

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES

1. visit the grand canyon

2. get a pool

3. get down to under 150lbs (and keep it off for at least a year!) (i was at 167 earlier this year, and have lost almost 10lbs already!!)

4. crash a wedding

5. go hunting

6. get one of my songs played on the radio (and not as a bumper track (yes, i’ve had a song played on a bumper track for Mike FM in Fort Wayne, IN))

7. finish writing one of my books

8. read at least 8 more books

9. get a hot tub

10. grow and eat veggies from my own garden

11. go on a hot-air balloon ride

12. visit at least half of the 50 US States (and get a shot glass from each one!)

13. visit (and blog about) at least 25 famous (or semi-famous) US historical landmarks

14. visit (and blog about) at least 10 museums

15. have a major impact on someone’s life (although my gf says i’ve already done this)

16. visit (and blog about) at least 10 ghost towns

17. visit (and blog about) at least 5 haunted houses

18. ride a bull (or 5 mechanical bulls!)

19. open a restaurant/bar

20. go to a NFL game (preferrably if the Indianapolis Colts or Greenbay Packers are playing)

21. try out (and hopefully get drafted) for the Amarillo Venom (hey, minor league dreams!)

22. perform a stand-up comedy routine at an open-mic night

23. interview someone famous

24. create a work of art, and have it displayed somewhere

25. get a bachelor’s degree (or two associate degrees)

26. do at least 50 hrs of community service (not because of a law violation!)

27. blazin’ challenge (my buddy john says i’m a punk, and need to do the wings & things challenge)

28. be in a theatre production of *something*

29. run a marathon

30. visit the top of a mountain (at least 3,000 ft elevation)

SECONDARY OBJECTIVES

1. help an old lady across the street

2. visit the Palo Duro Canyon (the second largest canyon in the US)

3. go skiing

4. go white-water rafting

5. vist the plasma center at least 10 more times (hey, everybody wins!)

My Journey (aka Day 40)

so this is now Day 40 of my Weight Loss Journey, and i’ve decided to once again rename this series of posts. why? because it’s not just about weight loss, this blog has transformed into a personal journal in general. it’s about life. my life. and the crazy stuff i’m doing.

it’s been probably years since i’ve done a meaningful blog, and that was back during the days of myspace (omg… myspace reference??? that tells you how long ago it was).

and now there’s just so much more you can do with a blog. you can link all of your networks together so incredibly that eventually everything you want people to hear *will* get heard. every one needs to know that they aren’t alone in the world. everyone needs to know that they’ve got someone out there who they can share a story with, someone they can help, or someone who just doesn’t know how to get out what they want to say.

i’ve been one of those people. before the days of blogging, i (like most people) had a diary. except my diaries were notebooks filled with poems and lyrics. being a musician turned into a form of therapy for me. and that therapy continues today.

one of my buddies in the office (john) is stretching his legs so to speak in this same way. he’s really good friends with another musician in town who’s making a really good name for himself and is certainly on the right path to stardom. anyway, he’s started writing songs with this guy, and finally got one of the songs he wrote played at this guy’s gig. he told me how awesome it made him feel, and i was proud of him, because i know how it feels. it feels damn good.

sometimes you just need to let things out in order to let go. you have to let go to move on. sometimes it’s much harder than you think, but once you make that initial step, the rest of the journey is easier.

and i’m not just talking about emotions (because that is a long post in itself), but everything. whether it be losing someone close to you (like a good friend of mine had happen last year when she lost her father to cancer), or an addiction, or even weight loss. there are so many simple things that eventually pile up to make that obstacle seem so enormous, that a person is just afraid to even start trying.

so i’m using this as my own personal stepping stone. not just for weight loss anymore, but for my personal and emotional journey. the ups, downs, ins, outs, and all the craziness in between.

hold on tight, it’s gonna be a crazy ride!

The Breakfast Enchilada

so if my last post is any indication, i have a few fans of my interesting food ideas (hot dog-stuffed, bacon-wrapped jalapenos).

today’s post is no exception, ladies and gentlemen, i present to you THE BREAKFAST ENCHILADA.

i came up with this one drunken night, and my gf thought it was fantastic. basically it’s like a breakfast burrito, except much more amazing (and probably bad for you, but who cares?). there are a few optional steps of course, depending on your own likes and dislikes as far as breakfast foods are concerned, but here’s the basic steps:

STEP 1 (which is also optional, for those of you who don’t like potatoes)

HASHBROWNS

cook to desired crispiness...

now, the thing with hash browns is that some people like them super crispy, some people like them barely cooked. this is totally your option, so choose wisely.

STEP 2: BACON!

non-negotiable.

everyone loves bacon, and i’m certainly no exception. however, just like with hash browns, everyone likes them cooked differently. i like mine a little chewy, so that’s how i cooked them.

STEP 3:

EGGS!!!

mmmmm... so much protein! 😀

no breakfast entree is complete without eggs at some point, so BAM! here’s some eggs. i also tore the bacon into little bits and added some cheese. scrambling them up to perfection.

STEP 4:

cheese and veggies!!!

omg... it's amazing!

i know it’s hard to tell with all that cheese on top, but there is probably close to a cup and a half, or maybe two cups of veggies here. it’s a pretty even mix of onions, bell peppers, and jalapenos. the mexican veggie trifecta!

STEP 5:

GRAVY!!!

riding down the rails on a gravy train!!!

anyone who has ever had an enchilada, will tell you that it HAS to have gravy on it. so here we go! this is your basic out-of-the-packet, instant “homestyle” gravy. simple, and delicious.

STEP 6:

ASSEMBLY!

tastiness, ASSEMBLE!!

here, we’re using the small-size basic flour tortilla. fill to desired size, however, i would recommend not over-filling so you can easily fit everything in without tearing the tortilla.

packed like sardines, except not horrible tasting!

we put everything together in an aluminum baking dish, but you can use whatever you have handy. at this point, we also topped with a layer of cheese….

is your mouth watering yet?

then topped with a healthy level of gravy.

STEP 7:

BAKE!!

holy fluff, it's a masterpiece!!

i would say this step is optional, but it really isn’t. we baked the whole thing in the oven for about 10min at 300 degrees. this helps melt the cheese and thicken the gravy at the same time. basically it combines them into one super-delicious flavor shield of scrumptiousness.

STEP 8:

ENJOY!!!

nom nom nom nom nom!!!

this finaly step, is hands-down the most enjoyable. i find this creation to be GREAT for curing a hangover, however, they are very filling, so if you happen to make this recipe, make it for a group (like if you have a party, and everyone crashes at your place). if you make this the next morning, it’s like the party keeps going!!

in closing, i’d like to use this as proof that i came up with this idea. although i’m only just now posting the recipe, i actually made this for the first time about 4 months ago.

 

ENJOY!!

My Weight Loss Journey (Day 37 + weekend update!)

hello again, everyone! i’m trying to stay up to date with EVERYTHING, so here’s a few things that have been going on.

well, friday i had to wake up early and head down to Lubbock for monthly company training, which went well. in addition to the training, we had company pt, and i’m very pleased to say that despite not actually *running* on a track in at least a month, i was able to stay in the small group we had and run 5 miles at an average pace of 9min/mile

pretty intense, and i wasn’t really that tired afterward (although, now my legs are sore as hell!)

my weight has very very slowly been dropping again. last time i weighed myself, i was just barely over 153lbs… but then i also partied a bit friday night (two coworkers had birthdays during the week, so we kinda had to catch up :P)

needless to say, i was pretty damn hungover saturday, so not much was done at all, aside from some vacuuming and unloaded and loaded the dishwasher.

today has been much more productive!

i finally got around the filling in the garden and planting my best sprouts

for those of you wondering what should grow, i’ve got 4 spinach plants, and about a dozen bell pepper and hot pepper plants. so basically, i can make spicy salads 😛

 

in addition to that, i also got some more work done on my music. for those of you who don’t know, i am a musician, and although i do a lot of solo stuff, i’m technically still working on stuff for my band Prototype Theory. if for some reason you haven’t heard of us, you should check this out (because it’s pretty badass).

also, getting ready to get some gigs lined up in the area, so that should keep me busy too for a while, but i promise to stay active with the blog posts! (seriously!).

let’s see… what else? oh yeah, made some horrible snack food the other day. well, i say horrible, but it was DELICIOUS!!!

hot dog-stuffed jalapenos wrapped in bacon. MORE WIN THAN YOU CAN SHAKE A STICK AT.

here are a few pics

omg…. so freaking delicious.

 

anyway! that’s it for my update! catch you all on the flip side!

My Weight Loss Journey (Day 34)

first off, i would like to apologize for the sudden inconsistency in my blogs lately. work has been a biatch, and i’ve been under some stress lately.

ANYWAY, some quick updates on everything here and there:

1. i have stayed at a semi-constant 156.8lbs for the past few days, so i’m gaining muscle, and burning fat at a constant rate, apparently.

2. i was taped (for a BMI) yesterday morning and have lost an inch in my neck, and an inch and a half around my waist. so that tells me that although i have hit a weight plateau, i’m still losing overall mass.

i had a massage yesterday, and although i certainly needed it, it felt as though the therapist was trying to massage the table, and i was merely in the way. i had to have my girlfriend massage me AFTERWARDS because i hurt. but, i felt much better when i woke up this morning (although i was DEAD tired) to do Insanity.

Insanity is going well, i can certainly feel progression in my body. i wouldn’t say the exercise is getting easier, but i’m certainly able to get further through it before my body starts getting pissed off at me.

apparently, my company is supposed to have a PT test next month, so that will be excited to see physically just how much i’ve progressed. the last time i took a PT test with my company (which was about 6 months ago), i scored around a 270 (out of a possible 300), so it will be very interesting to see what results i’ll get.

i’m feeling very good about myself overall. i feel like other than when i was deployed, i’m actually pushing myself daily. i’m eating better, i’ve cut out sodas, i’ve cut back on alcohol (haven’t had a drink in 3 days. i usually only drink on the weekends now), i’m eating more fruits and vegetables (which will increase even more, once the garden takes off), and i’m seeing visible result.

all in all, i feel great doing this journey, and i’m certainly glad i started it now, before it got too much worse.

My Weight Loss Journey (Day 30 + weekend update!)

so i’ve been sitting at 154lbs now for the past couple of days, which is a good thing! i still see that i’m toning up more, so i’m still progressing, just gaining muscle at the same rate i’m losing fat.

this is Day 30 with the drops, so that means i have to stop now, which honestly i don’t mind, because once i began working out with the Insanity program, i don’t think i needed the drops anymore.

to summarize my use of the HCG drops regarding whether or not they work, i would say no, they don’t. the only possible thing these drops may accomplish is slightly curbing your appetite. i believe (and so does most of the research i’ve done) that the majority of the weight loss people go through while using *only* the drops is because of malnourishment and starvation. i mean, come on. it’s a 500cal a day diet they expect you on, a body NEEDS calories, carbs, etc… TO SURVIVE. and muscle has more nutrients than fat. the drops work by causing your body to eat itself, with the good stuff going first!

alas, i digress. bottom line, i don’t think the HCG drops work. they may for you, but they really didn’t for me. a DIET and EXERCISE worked for me. either it’s a massive placebo effect, or it just didn’t work for me.

CONTINUING! so my workout schedule for the weekdays are Insanity every morning, and then something (usually p90x or running around with my dogs) after work. am i tired? yeah. am i noticing results? hell yeah.

i have much more endurance, my body is greatly toning up, i’m getting my six-pack back, and my tan is looking pretty sweet!

so for my big project this weekend, i’ve begun working on the outside portion of my garden. there’s a nice little strip outlined by sidewalk in my backyard that is perfect for a garden. the only problem is that that section was HORRIBLY over-run with weeds. and not just any weeds, we’re talking urban jungle.

so i attacked that chunk of land like it slapped my momma.

pictured: an earthly ass-whooping

started that portion on friday afternoon (probably only worked an hour on it), and spent all day saturday clearing all the dirt (by shovel, by myself, because i’m a beast) until i reached my desired result:

i could easily hide a body here

so needless to say, i was pretty tired. but i put a scoop of creatine in my water bottle and followed that with a protein shake and i was good to go!

for dinner, i splurged a little because hey, it was movie night! made chili-cheese dogs with onions and jalapenos, and my gf and i grabbed a couple of beers and watched U-571 and Green Lantern…

until we passed out around midnight 😛

so that’s the journey thus far, i will probably keep posting until i reach about 60 days. also, i need to take mid-journey pics today to add to the before-after-during segment at the end.

i hope you all enjoy the rest of your weekend!