Growing Up-Friend Weeding!

This is a subject I've been wanting to talk about for a while but haven't known what direction to go with it until now. Growing up is a part of my life, we all know that and we all accept it...well, most of us anyway. It doesn't mean you suddenly stop being fun or become a person nobody recognizes, it simply means you change, you evolve and you become the person you were destined to be. The subject of growing up is a very broad term so, for this post, I'm going to narrow it down further. This will be about growing up and how it affects your relationships with friends.


In high school, it seemed like your friendships were either rock solid (besties) or you fought every other day. This was just something you accepted since you were a hormonal little piss-ant who was just trying to get by. Then you entered college and things became more real. There really is life after high school; all those after-school specials were telling the truth. This is when you kept the closer friends from high school and made new college friends. It also may be the time that you grew apart, a time you regret later on.


Now you're out of college, or close to it, and things are changing even more. The first few years of college were fun and full of parties and silly adventures. Now you are coming into your own and people are changing and so are you. It's not a bad thing, it's just true. HERE is the point were I am at. I graduated from college in 2009 and took a look at my life and went, "What did I do?!" I had very few friends, somewhat because of some control issues from one friend and also because I pulled away from others. I was also lost in my life. It was time to grow up and figure everything out.

Well, for me, things didn't work quite like that. I was in a car accident, bed-ridden and BAM suddenly I was growing up in a way that I never imagined. I was learning to live with pain, learning that life isn't planned carefully like I want it to be and, very important here, learning how to tell who my real friends are. 


When you're lying in bed, unable to move even enough to hold up a phone, you feel pretty lost. I had friends who stopped trying to talk to me. I had friends who were suddenly shocked that I couldn't listen to their every problem and fix it. I had friends who were angry because I wasn't there to be a therapist and baby-sitter. BUT I also had friends who made sure they got online on facebook to talk to me because I could balance a laptop on my stomach while I laid down. I had friends who texted me daily to make sure I was alright. I also had friends that eventually dragged me out of the house when I was able again. These are my true friends.


Since my accident I have done a lot of "weeding" when it comes to friendships. Having your life put on hold for a while makes you view things differently. I'm sure if you asked anyone who has ever had a life-threatening or life-altering ordeal occur in their live they would say they started to see the world differently. I suddenly had no time for people to use me and no time for people who didn't have time for me. 

Oh, multiple meanings for this picture...

Here's were I get to my point (finally right?) I've been told by people that I've changed, some say for the better and some say for the worst. I know I've changed but this is called growing. I have also guarded my heart for quite a long time. Some people have looked at my friend "weeding" as me being cold-hearted and unforgiving. If they knew the whole story, they would know that really this is me being driven to my final straw by many people who used me, abused me and only called when they needed something. These are people I had forgiven time and again and they never changed. Those aren't friends, they are tumors in the body of life and they must be removed. What people fail to notice is that I am no longer friends with these people but I've also forgiven them and moved on to cleanse my soul as well as my heart. I'm not perfect by any means but I am a good friend and I try to give as much as I take and I don't think it's ridiculous to expect the same in return.


In my time since my accident I've also taken a look at friends that I lost touch with along the way, for one reason or another. People have asked why I'm talking to them again and, frankly, it's none of their business but I'll say why. These people either approached me and apologized or one of us approached the other simply because it'd been a long time. You see, another part of growing up is getting over things. I'll never be friends with some people again because they were weeded out with a strong purpose but some people were young and stupid and deserve another chance. Part of growing up is deciding which friendships are worth fighting for, which are worth mending and which are lost causes.


So, why did I feel the need to right this all down? I know some people close to me who have recently done some friend weeding or need to and I thought it might help to know that they aren't alone. Hold on tightly to the people who treat you right and don't give a second thought to those who never gave you a first thought. I love all of my friends dearly and I can't imagine my life without you!

Yes they are, Calvin, but well worth the search!

Pics thanks to:
http://forthefirstime.wordpress.com/2009/09/24/the-terrible-dis-ease-of-loneliness/
http://alphabetworld.wordpress.com/2011/11/29/true-friends-are-hard-to-come-by/
http://www.cartoonstock.com/directory/w/weeding_out.asp
http://ambertriniere.wordpress.com/2011/05/21/growing-up/

Biggest Loser: End of Week 3

It seems impossible that another week has already gone by but it has. I mentioned that I threw my back out last Monday night. Well, I'm still in bed. I'm a bit better but I can't stand or sit for too long. This has NOT helped my weight loss. It hasn't really hurt it either but it did me no favors. Last week, I mentioned that I thought my Wii was broken but I reconfigured it and it seems to be working again. This was after I bought what I shall now refer to as "the devil scale." I weighed on it and, after calling my mom and her repeatedly assuring me that there was no way I could gain 20 pounds in a day, I have decided to take it back to the store. Now, this was a cheaper scale so maybe that had something to do with it. Either way, I'll stick with my Wii as long as it works. This should help reduce my tears for the week. (Looking the scale up now it has really mixed reviews). 

That's the scale that called me fat mommy! Get him!

So weight lost since last weigh-in: 0


You read that right, 0! Now, I am happy I didn't gain weight after spending a week in bed but I am not happy to say that my weight didn't go down. I have been making homemade meals, using gluten-free products, drinking a TON of water and I haven't had candy or soda in 3 weeks. There has to be something wrong right? I am guessing it's my lack of exercise. When you can't move, you can't exercise (DUH!) I'll but cutting down on portions a bit more but I have also decided to do something I normally don't approve of because of some of the dangerous products: I've looked into supplements. Don't worry, I'm not taking harmful, damaging pills. I have ordered Raspberry Ketone pills, which Dr. Oz recently said helps burn fat. I've also looked into Bee Pollen pills (you read that right) which are supposed to help curb hunger and increase energy. They are also supposed to help with stress, anxiety and allergies. I've been doing a lot of reading on them and I hope they help. Once I can move again I will be going on walks and hopefully we kick this weight loss into gear.


Even though I as sidelined for most of the week I did manage to make one meal (otherwise Bill did the cooking). I got this recipe from Pinterest  and did some tweaking. Here's a link to the original blog. While propping myself up on my cane, I decided to make a Pizza Casserole or, as Bill calls it, Pizza Ziti! I changed her recipe to fit our dietary needs which meant gluten-free pasta, extra lean meat and a few other things. We also tried organic Mozzarella cheese for this one and it turned out pretty good and the tomato sauce in this recipe is great for the heart! You'll look at the picture and think it looks bad for you but, if made correctly, it makes a great meal! 

Yummm!

My best friend Kortnee has decided to start her own weight loss adventure and I'm very proud and happy for her. My support system seems to be growing quickly! I even have co-workers dieting now. It's nice to know that there will be someone to go to when all I want to do is scream, "I miss candy!"


Kortnee's goal is to slim down before an awards ceremony in the Summer. Mine is to take weight off my back and look good in a bridesmaids dress (cliche, I know, but true.) I also just want to like looking at pictures of me. Kortnee has even made these cool jars to keep track of weight lost and weight to go. Check them out here. I plan on making some of those for visual inspiration! 


Before I check out for the night I should mention the contest! Mom has lost another pound and I'm so proud of her! I think that puts her at a 3.58% weight loss so far which means she is catching up to me. Sarah has yet to check in today...ahem, that's a hint, my dear sister. Since I didn't gain or lose I am still at a 8.8 pound weight loss. So we will see how this goes and hope for more great results!


So, here's to another week. I hope this one yields better results! Please share recipes or comments in the comment box. And beware of the devil scale! I now fully understand why people say to stick to the same scale! 

Sparkly Retail Death- Reformatted and Re-released!

So, a few weeks ago I put my short story "Sparky Retail Death" on a free promotion on Amazon as part of my KDP Select agreement that I signed with Amazon. I was happily watching the sales go up and watched my story climb the free charts (making it to number 32 on the short story list) before I got some startling news. Someone had reviewed my story! (This was not the startling part). He'd given me five stars and I was giddy as I began to read...then my heart plummeted. Part of the review said, "There were some typos, but I easily looked the other way as this story was good from start to finish." Typos!? Typos? Where? What? How? I am not one of those people who uploads a story without a second thought. No, I edit my stories, re-edit them and then I send them on to an EDITOR who continues to edit my story.


I understand a few things get lost in the mix. Heck, I have read some of my favorite authors' books and noticed a typo here and there, but how were there enough typos in my story to have it mentioned in a review? I quickly bought a copy of my story and opened it and my heart went straight into the pit of my stomach. The formatting was a disaster! Somewhere between my finished copy and the uploaded finished copy on Amazon there had been a horrible mistake. All the apostrophes had turned into quotes. My story looked like a piece straight out of the nightmares of editing in college. Back in those classes you would always get a piece that made you wonder, "why did this person become a writing major?" Anyone who has had to edit one of these stories knows what I am talking about.


Well, me being me, I started to panic. It didn't matter that this reviewer had ended his review with "Jill B. Zimmerman, please keep writing!" All I saw were the typos (formatting errors). Over 200 copies of my story had already been purchased and the number was rising. I quickly took it off of the free promotion and began trying to find a way to fix my formatting. After about 2 hours of frustration, I gave up and e-mailed Amazon. They were great! It took a while but they told me how to fix the problem and now my story is back up and, as far as I can tell, error free. 


So, long story short, I may not have gotten a new story up yet (soon, I promise) but my other stories are available for purchase once again. Tomorrow I will begin a two day free promotion for "Sparkly Retail Death" and anyone who already purchased the error-filled copy can hopefully re-download it. If not, leave me a comment on here and I will find a way to rectify the situation.


Thank you for your patience and happy reading!
~Jill B Zimmerman~

Biggest Loser: End of Week 2

So, if it's any indication to how my week is starting, this is a day late. However, at least I made time to do it. The past week went really well for Bill and I. We are still going mostly gluten-free with lower carb tendencies. We are also drinking a lot of water and it's been over two weeks since either of us had soda or candy. I'm proud of our progress! Alas, I can't say how proud or what our progress is. Why? Well, my Wii board has decided to malfunction and isn't weighing properly. So, I need to buy a scale before I can report back on here. I will do that soon but I am currently in bed because my back went out again. So, for now, this will have to be a good enough update. We are sticking with the plan and I think we will have great numbers to report soon. Mom lost a pound and a half and Sarah lost a pound so we will see if I am behind them or in front of them in the contest soon. Until then, I will be resting. I hope everyone is having a great week and that everyone on diets are doing well and watching the weight fall off!

Biggest Loser: End of Week 1

Week 1 of my diet ended this morning when I weighed myself. It's been a good week and an interesting one. We've been figuring out how to adjust to gluten-free foods and I'm happy to report that it hasn't been that difficult. Everything we have tried has turned out quite tasty and leaves us feeling a lot less heavy after we eat. We are not 100% gluten-free but we are very close. Everything we buy now is gluten-free except for our FiberOne bars and our Kashi cereal and, once the gluten-type products are gone, we will be purchasing the gluten-free counterparts of things like Ketchup.

Our breakfasts have consisted of fruit and yogurt smoothies or Kashi cereal. We mostly snack at lunch or I've had a small spinach salad. Peanuts and light popcorn are now our favorite snacks. We are eating a lot better and it's only been one week!

Our dinners have been a fun experience! I've really been having fun cooking and we've come up with some great meals. It's funny, I thought I'd miss the ease of going through a fast-food drive-thru or cooking up random crap but I'm having fun cooking. One thing I must note for anyone wanting to try gluten-free cooking: not all gluten-free brands are the same! This may seem like a "duh" comment but we tried two different types of noodles. One was delicious and tasted great. The brand was Quinoa, I highly suggest it. The other brand I forgot the name of but the noodles were smooshy and stuck together. I wish I had written down the brand name but just be warned, they vary greatly! Here are some pictures of our culinary masterpieces!

My General Tso's Chicken on gluten-free brown rice 

was almost gluten-free (the sauce had a little in it).

Bill's Spicy Chicken Alfredo was delicious. We didn't like those
noodles but it still tasted great!

I wish I had taken a picture of the Mac and Cheese. That had to have been the best mac I've had in a long time. The recipe was in Elizabeth Hasselbeck's "Deliciously G-Free" cookbook so I don't feel right sharing the recipe but anyone with access to the book should try it. It was excellent!

We also had fun grilling up some burgers on our new George Foreman grill that we got for Christmas! (Thanks mom and dad!) We bought low-carb buns and had cheeseburgers. This wasn't gluten-free but it was low-carb and we are trying to do less carbs as well. They do make gluten-free buns but I haven't had a chance to get them yet. They are on my "to try" list.

Yay grill!

Now we are getting ready for Week 2 and I'm looking forward to cooking and eating even better. I'm happy to say that we both lost weight this week!

Bill lost 8 pounds!

I lost 8.8 pounds! (Yes, very specific, thank you Wii!)

We are making great progress! If I have done my calculations right, and I think I have, this puts me at a 4.32% weight loss. My mom and sister both lost great amounts (4 and 6 respectively) but so far I'm in the lead for our contest. It's a 6 month contest so I have to keep it going in order to win. It's still any woman's game but I'm invigorated by my first week's success! On to week 2!

I still can't do much with exercise, because of my back, but I hope to work my way up. Have any comments on eating better or any great recipes? Leave a comment below! Here's to another great week!

Biggest Loser: Family Edition

A few weeks ago, I told my mom that I wanted to lose weight. It will be better for my back, better for my health in general and, let's face it, I hate how I look in pictures these days. She presented me with an option, a challenge, so that I wouldn't have to go after this goal alone. She and my oldest sister, Sarah, are going to start their own version of the The Biggest Loser with me. The competition begins tomorrow and will go until June, around the time that my family is coming to visit me in New York. Each of us gets to choose our own diet and work-out routines because we have different lifestyles and bodies (for example, I can't work out much because of my back so my diet will be very important while I work my strength up). We will weigh in using our Wiis to keep track of each other. I have been ordered to take a picture of my weigh-in on my phone so they know I am not lying...I have ordered the same in return. At the end of the competition, the person with the greatest weight loss percentage wins. We decided to go with percentage because we are all different heights, weights, etc. The winner of the challenge will get $100 from each person to go shopping. So the incentive to win has four sides: to lose weight, to be beat them, to win money and to not have to pay money. It's on!


I told Bill about our challenge and he told his mother and they are now in their own competition, though theirs will be based on pounds lost and a bit different. This excites me! I knew he'd be willing to diet with me because he has told me he wants to eat better but now he has the incentive to win. Like me, he doesn't like to lose. So I now have a support system in my house and we are ready!


So what is our diet plan? Well, one of my doctors told me a while back that carbs aren't the best for my back because they cause inflammation in the body. I've also noticed that carbs make me feel heavier and that Bill seems to have some problems digesting gluten-filled foods. The day before I left Colorado to return home, I watched "The View" with mom and Elizabeth was showcasing gluten-free foods from her new book. I was surprised. The foods looked so, so normal! They looked edible yet they were supposed to be better for me. So I purchased Elizabeth Hasselbeck's book "Deliciously G-Free" and I've been reading it since it arrived. I'm not saying we are going to go 100% gluten-free. We are going to start using some of these recipes instead of our heavier gluten-filled ones and we are going to be looking at a lot of gluten-free foods. We are also going to to be going low-carb, high protein and adding in fruits and vegetables. Basically, we are eating healthier. This is more of a lifestyle change than a diet because I don't want to "end" the diet and go back and gain my weight back. 

As for exercise...well, I can't exercise with my back so I am hoping I will slowly build up on my walking time and add in light weights and work my way up. That's pretty much all I can do. Bill is going to take advantage of the campus gym and also start running again. We have a good plan set up and I am excited to see it in motion.


So, the challenge begins tomorrow. I let Bill have what I call "last meals" before we started. This means we ate at some of our favorite places because we won't be seeing them for a long time and we won't be seeing them nearly as much as we used to. They will now be treats and treated as such. Our last treat will be going to All American Burger tonight (if you haven't heard of this place, it's like the mecca of hamburger happiness in Long Island...so yummy but so horrible for you). Tomorrow, the diet begins. I'll be doing weekly updates on our progress. This will be added incentive because I will not only have my family holding me to this but anyone who read this blog. For the sake of my own pride, I won't be putting my weight on this, only the weight lost. Maybe at the end I'll feel brave but until then this will have to do. I'll update on our progress and hopefully find some yummy, good-for-you meals to share.


I guess that's it. Wish us luck!

Tebow: The Answer to a Broncos Fan's Prayers?

Alright, before anyone accuses me of jumping on a bandwagon I want to make a few things very clear. I was happy when we drafted Tim Tebow, I DIDN'T buy his jersey until after I saw him play and I waited not-so-patiently for Kyle Orton to get the boot. Now that we can put this aside, I'll answer the question posed in the title of this blog post: Yes, Tim Tebow is our answer. I don't care if you are Christian or not, this isn't a religious posting, though I am a Christian. If it makes you feel happier inside, pretend the question was "Is Tim Tebow the hope for the Broncos' future?" Happy? OK, good, that's another thing to mark off the list of sensitive subjects and now we can get down to the matter at hand, Tim Tebow.

What a happy draft day it was for me!

I have spent every day that I work with my male co-workers defending Tebow. "He can't throw," "He's a college quarterback," "He's a running back." I've heard all of these comments and I don't care. Tebow doesn't make the calls so it's not really up to him to make the decision to throw all the time. Give the kid a break. The entire week leading up to the Pittsburgh game was full of news commentators and sports critics saying that Denver didn't have a chance of winning. Well, we won! I honestly think that Tebow thrives off of being doubted. Did you see how ampted up that boy was? It was like he drank 20 Red Bulls and went skipping around the field with enthusiasm. That's what I like to see! The only thing missing for me was him waving sparklers in a frenzied manner. He wants to win and prove himself! The poor guy has been fighting to prove himself all season. If he won it was a fluke or a 4th quarter miracle. It can't just be a win, it has to be a win that is up for debate but let's look at the facts. Tebow went 7-4 after replacing Orton. Yeah, Orton was 1-4. The Broncos ended up 8-8 and won the AFC West. I'm not saying this is a rock-star record but it got the Broncos into our first playoff game since 2005. 

See how amped he was?!

Where's the sparklers Tim?

It's been a long, lonely road for Broncos fans these past few years. I'm not saying we were the saddest team in the NFL but we got close. Then we got Tebow. If anything, this gave fans hope. Then us fans waited...and waited....AND WAITED until we finally got to see what he could do. Now, we are in the playoffs and we took down the Steelers. Still, they doubt him. If you look at his stats, I understand a little bit. His career completion percentage is a 47.3% which is pretty meager no matter how you try to paint it. However, he threw for  316 yards in the game against the Steelers and it finally felt like they were letting him do his job, whereas it's felt like they have been restraining him for quite some time. I'd also like to point out that someone has to CATCH the ball, not just throw it. Let's take a look at the whole offense when we have problems, including the play calling, not just the quarterback. 

"See? This is what happens when you

believe I can win!"

So tomorrow the Broncos face the Patriots and, once again, Tim Tebow will be called into question by millions. Well, for this Bronco fan, all I have to say is that he already proved himself to me. I hope they win but my support of Tebow isn't contingent on it. Whatever happens, I hope in the off-season that they take Tim aside and work with him because I see a lot of potential in him. This is our future, Broncos fans, don't screw it up by doubting him over and over. Remember our hero John Elway? He went 4-6 his first year with a completion percentage of 47.5% (and, side note, the highest his completion percentage ever got in a season was a 63%). He needed time and so does Tebow. Give him the time and let's see what an amazing quarterback he can be. Go Broncos! Let's kick some Patriot butt!

My helpful references:


http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/E/ElwaJo00.htm
http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/13200/tim-tebow
http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/stats/_/id/13200/tim-tebow


Pictures: 
http://www.nflpassers.com/its-official-tim-tebow-is-the-new-broncos-starter/
http://behindblondiepark.com/2010/08/30/tim-tebow-causing-a-buzz-in-denver/
http://www.coloradoan.com/article/20120109/SPORTS/201090310/Tebow-Broncos-stun-Steelers-by-scoring-first-play-overtime
http://www.northjersey.com/sports/Broncos_Tim_Tebow_stun_Steelers_in_OT.html
http://www.myspace.com/thepigdaddy