Visit with Lexi = Fun! (not to mention new software tutorials!)

Well, my visit with Lexi was far too short, but so much fun! I feel so grateful to have had this reunion.  Here's Lexi hanging with J and Z!

Lexi works at the Genius Bar in an Apple store, and when she came to visit, she gifted me with a wonderful photo editing software program I've been wanting called "Aperture". And since she's a genius and all, she gave me a tutorial! YEA! Here is a photo I took of Jeremy before school a month or two ago:

In Aperture, I was able to go in and darken the edges, which draws the eye even more toward my handsome boy's cute face!

And here, I tried lightening around the edges, and I really liked the effect:

I can't wait to learn more about this cool program and see how it will transform my photos!

Thank you, Lexi, for coming to visit, for you friendship, and for this awesome gift!

Lexi, Lexer, Lexikins

All names/nicknames for my bestest college roommate who is en route to come visit me AS I TYPE THIS!

Lexi and I lived across the hall from one another freshman year in the dorms and we forged a great friendship. We decided to be roommates sophomore year and that worked out so well, we decided "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" and roomed together for the following two years after that!

She has been a faithful friend, and someone who I know will be there for me throughout the rest of my life. Even if we don't live in the same city, I know that if I need her, she'll be there for me. Thanks, Lexi!

We haven't seen each other since Brian's and my wedding, so it's been 3.5 years! I can't wait to spend the next couple days together and for her to meet my sweet boys!

So, it turned out to be a 14-15 day cleanse instead of the originally planned 21 days

I just couldn't do it anymore.

I started feeling like I wanted to cry at lunch today when I realized that raw veggies were the order of the day...again.

And I just couldn't bring myself to have yet another salad for dinner.

So we went to Red Robin for dinner, and I ordered a Garden Burger with pepper jack cheese (vegetarian, but not vegan) and it came with fries. It was just what the doctor ordered.

Before we left for dinner, I cried big tears because I felt like a failure for not finishing the 21 days. But then I had to give myself a pep talk and acknowledge that I pretty much rocked for 14 days, and a two week cleanse did my body good! I lost about 5 pounds and I do feel better in my body.

My thinking is that from here on out, I will be a vegetarian (not a strict vegan). I want my ice cream and cheese on occasion! And I might have meat from time to time. In talking about it with Brian, he told me that he could jump on board with being a family that eats mostly veggies, fruits, and grains, and that meat would be the side dish, not the main part of the meal. I'm not sure if I want to eat meat at all. I haven't missed it during this cleanse. I missed sugar much more! And tonight at Red Robin, I thought I would splurge on a burger, but the Garden Burger ended up appealing to me more, and it totally satisfied my appetite.

So, there you have it! Cleanse over! Woot!

Cleanse, Interrupted

True confession:

I totally cheated on my cleanse today.

I ate over half a pint of butter pecan ice cream.

And?  Five Samoas.

Hooray for the Girl Scouts of America and HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY TO ME!

Okay, time to climb back on the wagon now!

Two Weeks on the Cleanse

Well, here I am two weeks into the cleanse. I've never drunk so much green juice or eaten so much salad in my life. But I'm doing it, and so far so good. I've lost 5 pounds, too! Hooray!

Here's a photo of what the green juice looks like:

Off to drink some now!  One week to go!

The Power of a Name - Crazy Sexy Diet, Day 6

One of the side effects the author of Crazy Sexy Diet wrote that I might experience while doing the 21 Day Cleanse is feeling emotional. That has certainly been the case today. I fought back tears a couple of times before lunchtime.

This morning, I was teary thinking about my late step-dad, John. I really was missing him. He's the person who gave me the nickname Starshine, which is my favorite nickname ever.

I believe very strongly in the power of naming your child well. When we were considering names for the boys, we took into consideration both if we liked the sound of the name, as well as if we liked the meaning of the name. Somehow, it seems that the names we are given have the power to impact us, for better or for worse--not only our literal names, but also the names people call us (good and bad), and nicknames!

This morning, I was just feeling so touched by the meaning of my beloved nickname. John was such an encourager to me when it came to following my acting dreams. I'm sure that he chose the name Starshine for me, because it conjured up images of a big-time actress. He believed in the beauty of my dreams and supported me in my quest to go after them, and that has always meant so much to me. This morning, though, as I was thinking about John, I wondered what he might think about my life being on this side of my Hollywood journey. I left Hollywood never having won a big break, and certainly not having found stardom. (Although I'll be forever grateful for the myriad gifts God gave me while I was there: a husband!, an incredible acting teacher, a technique for acting on-camera, a renewed love for theatre acting, and some wonderful friends to name only a few.)

Without a doubt, John would still be proud of me. Without a doubt, I would still be his Starshine. And this morning, as I stood in this private moment, fighting back the tears, I realized that he didn't name me Starshine because he believed I would one day be a big star. He named me Starshine because he saw the light within my spirit, and he believed that I already was one.

That is the sweetest gift a father could give his daughter. My heart is filled with gratitude, and the floodgates have now let loose. Perhaps this diet isn't just cleansing my body, but also my soul.

Crazy Sexy - Day 4

Well, this is the end of day 4 of the cleanse...just 17 more days to go!  :)

Actually, the cleanse is going well, and I'm not feeling too deprived, although I have become very aware of certain cravings...mostly having to do with SUGAR! I'm encouraged, though, because I think I've lost some poundage, and that makes this girl happy!

I've never eaten so much salad in my life. I hope I don't get sick of it. I love salad and vegetables, so that helps a lot, but I can see that I'm gonna have to start doing some menu planning to break up the monotony.

Brian and I were talking tonight about what I'll do after the 21 days. Will I remain vegan? Will I be more lenient and be a vegetarian who still eats eggs and cheese? Or will I do as my friend Julie suggested and remain an omnivore who eats a lot more veggies than meat?  Decisions, decisions.

Whatever I decide, I really want to settle on something that will become a lifestyle choice, something that will help me have the body I desire, and something that will be a way of eating that is respectful of my body.

I'm glad I still have 17 days to make that decision.  One thing the author of Crazy Sexy Diet says is that you really can't think about this diet in terms of it being something you do for the rest of your life or you'll get overwhelmed. Instead, she recommends committing to veganism day by day. That seems like a much more sane way to go about it. She also acknowledges that it is our occasional indulgences that aren't part of the vegan way that make us human. That's reassuring, because I can't foresee a life free of some of my favorite things like ice cream and brownies. And frankly, I don't want to. So perhaps I'll be a vegan who cheats sometimes, and my feeling is that even if I live that way, I'll still be a whole more fit than I have been over the past few years.

Cheers!

Rewriting Brad

The is the director's cut of "Rewriting Brad"--a short film I acted in that was shot last year for the Houston 48 Hour Film Festival.  If only part of the screen is showing, you may need to click through and watch it on YouTube because it's in a full screen format.  I hope you enjoy it!

Crazy Sexy Cleanse: Day 1

1. Did you abstain from coffee?  YES!
2. Did you abstain from alcohol?  YES!
3. Did you abstain from gluten?  YES!
4. Did you abstain from animal products?  YES!
5. Did you abstain from crack (aka sugar) and choose low-glycemic fruits and better alternatives such as stevia or agave?  YES!
6. Did you dry brush today? No...I need to buy a brush or a loofa.
7. Did you clean your sinuses with the good ol' net pot? YES!
8. Did you move your body for at least 35 minutes? No.
9. Did you meditate for fifteen to twenty minutes? No.
10. Did you chew your meals thoroughly and mindfully? I think I was so excited to eat, I ate quickly...
11. Did you laugh out loud and tell someone you loved him or her today? YES!
12. Did you spend time in nature? I spent about 2 mins in my backyard with Jeremy, but then we came in because it is COLD here!
13. Did you get eight hours of uninterrupted sleep? Close.
14. What did you eat today and did you juice? Morning: Water with lemon and cayenne pepper to start off the day, 2 cups of peppermint tea, green juice. Noon: Green salad with tomatoes and dressing. Afternoon snack: green juice and 2 brown rice cakes with almond butter. Dinner: Salad greens, with avacado, olives and tomatoes with quinoa.
15. How much purified water did you consume? You can include fresh veggie juices in your calculation. I think about 60ish ounces...but that's a guess.
16. What supplements did you take? Vitamin B12, Vitamin C and Iron.
17. How was your elimination? It happened.
18. What time did you stop eating? 7pm...3.5 hours before bed.
19. How do you feel physically? I was tired today, but I feel good tonight. My teeth looked grubby. Weird...usually they look really white. Could that be part of the detox?
20. How do you feel emotionally? Normal.


Note: My starting weight on this diet is 175 pounds. Yowza! 

And just like that, the train done arrived!

You might remember that I wrote here that I was pondering a way to jump back on the vegan train. Well, folks, the train has arrived at the station!

I have spent the past month reading and familiarizing myself with the Crazy Sexy Diet, and today I'm kick starting a new lifestyle with a 21 day vegan cleanse. This cleanse involves drinking a lot of green juice and eating a lot of green veggies.

I've decided to chronicle my 21 day journey to a cleaner system on this blog. At the end of each day, I'll be answering 20 questions of accountability posed by Kris Carr, author of the CSD. And I'll also be writing about how I'm feeling during the cleanse.

Here are the 20 questions:

1. Did you abstain from coffee?
2. Did you abstain from alcohol?
3. Did you abstain from gluten?
4. Did you abstain from animal products?
5. Did you abstain from crack (aka sugar) and choose low-glycemic fruits and better alternatives such as stevia or agave?
6. Did you dry brush today? (Dry brushing is just what it sounds like...taking a special brush or loofa to your dry skin and brushing yourself from toe to nose!)
7. Did you clean your sinuses with the good ol' net pot?
8. Did you move your body for at least 35 minutes?
9. Did you meditate for fifteen to twenty minutes?
10. Did you chew your meals thoroughly and mindfully?
11. Did you laugh out loud and tell someone you loved him or her today?
12. Did you spend time in nature? Even five minutes is better than nothing.
13. Did you get eight hours of uninterrupted sleep?
14. What did you eat today and did you juice? Include breakfast, lunch, dinner, and any in-between snacking--it may help to jot down meals and snacks throughout the day.
15. How much purified water did you consume? You can include fresh veggie juices in your calculation.
16. What supplements did you take?
17. How was your elimination?
18. What time did you stop eating? Three hours before bed is optimum.
19. How do you feel physically?
20. How do you feel emotionally?

Hop on the train and enjoy the ride with me for the next few weeks!