dan’s blog

First, thanks to all of you for reading and commenting. You really don't know how much that helps me to stay focused.

Speaking of focus, making a complete lifestyle change is not easy. I know a couple of my blogs have had a breezy feel to them. Honestly, it is difficult to make changes to a lifestyle that you've been use to for so long. That can be said about any lifestyle.

It has been easy to give up the fast food and the meat but I am having a hard time cutting my sweets. I need to drink more water too AND I still need to get more active. This change is not something I want to do; it is something I need to do. There are times (like this past weekend) when I forget that. I forget that I NEED to watch my sodium. I forget that I NEED to continue to control my portions.

I seem to trick myself into thinking that as long as it's fish or chicken (like this weekend) no matter how it's cooked (chicken smothered in dark SUGARY sesame sauce) then I am cool. This is a major change that I need to make.

How about you? Have you ever tricked yourself into thinking something is healthy when you know good and well it's not?

I'm still sticking with it. I'm still sticking with it. I have over 10yrs of unhealthy habits to overcome so I know it's not going to be easy, but I'm still sticking with it!

As the saints of old would say "Pray my strength!"

Anyone who sets out to make lifestyle changes KNOWS that major test come on holidays and weekends. I don't what it is! We get super lazy and we eat way more.

Well, my first major test of sorts came this weekend. As you know, I have been off pork and red meat for almost 4 weeks now. Saturday, I traveled to VA for a step show. Before the show, the artist, judges and v.i.ps got together for a little meet and greet. There was food! LOTS of FOOD! Plus I had not eaten that afternoon, so yall know the big boy blues came upon me! I am proud of myself becuase I stuck to my guns, bypassing the mini ham sammiches and meatballs and going for the chicken and fruit.

Not to say that ALL weekends will be like this, but it really showed me that I am serious this time! I am serious about loosing the weight and living a better life and taking better care of my temple.

So, this week is going to be another challenge for me as I make the choice to drop something else from the Old D! SWEETS! Since I put that out there, I expect free sweets at the job, Meka and Boya(my grandmother) will bake cookies and cakes and someone is going to have a birthday. I just know it. So this week I should have some very interesting stories!

Finally, this week, I need to get a little more active. More walking. I am working on getting my life right to wake up at 6am to walk for a mile. Pray for me!

I want you guys to participate in this. Send me questions, suggestions, comments, whatever!

peace and blessings!

Yesterday was a good day! I am learning that all it takes to make change is to start some where and to follow through with it. So, I started taking the steps instead of the elevator(the lift for my UK peeps!) Also, portion sizes are becoming more a reality to me now. It's cool to eat healthier foods is good but the real key is not to pig out.

Speaking of healthier foods, I went to Subway for lunch yesterday, figured I'd get my Jarred on. I had to walk there which was a plus! So I order a veggie sub on honey oat and my co-worker asked if I was getting a veggie patty. A veggie patty? When did Subway introduce a veggie patty? So I got it. While they warm it up, the girl making my sandwich asked with a smug look on her face "you like that veggie patty?" Now, I have had them in the past, not from Subway but still, I told her yeah. Then she goes "mmm."

1. Did I ask her if she thought that was a good choice for me?

2. As a big dude, am I only limited to the fat side of the Subway menu?

These assumed roles people, we got to smash them because big people will never get healthy!

Day 2 was a good day!

Soon I'll post these with some current photos so you can track my progress!

Peace and Blessings!

keep me in your prayers...

I will get back to "I Be" later. This is a little more important!

A few weeks ago I went to a health fair and had myself check for kidney failure. Thankfully, I don’t have kidney failure BUT they did do a CBC and the results kind of put things into focus for me. If I don’t do something now, it will never get done and I will only make things worse!

Yesterday (Monday) was the kick off to my "365 to a New D" campaign. For the next 365 days(1 year) I am making small changes to my lifestyle.

For three weeks, I have been off fast foods, pork and beef! It’s all about baby steps. Next up is getting rid of the sweets and adding more protien and fiber to my lifestyle. I discovered I actually like soy milk!

Last night, I worked out! I have to say, it wasn’t as bad as I thought. My Pop came up with this bomb system he calls the "Circle of Life" Who’da thunk an Elton John song could be a workout plan? It works though. I’ll explain that at another time (I need a reason for yall to come back!)

I know this isn’t going to be easy! It took over 10-15yrs to do what I did to my body so I can’t expect to see major changes after 1 day. This is something that I need to do! I have a beautiful family, a wonderful future wife and the best friends anyone could ask for and I want to be around for a while to share all of their joys and pains.

I plan to make mistakes during these 365 days. I can’t be perfect. If  I was, then I wouldn’t learn anything.

So, keep me in prayer, shoot me a comment of encouragement. I'm blogging to stay accountable!

HERE’S TO A NEW D! *raising my glass of soy milk!* CHEERS

peace and blessings!

Boyfriend( Hey baby!)

So, with my new found freedom, I started hanging out with a few of my cool female friends. Didn't really see them as dates. No strings attached and it made it more comfortable PLUS we would go dutch and to a broke college student, DUTCH becomes your favorite language! One of my home-girls though...something about her I couldn't put my finger on it. She's super cool, she can take jokes, she can crack jokes, she's so funny, I think I had a crush.

Meek and I were actually introduced to each other by my ex while we were still dating. An innocent meeting, they played tennis together. Over time, I changed my major to Communications (guess who was a Communications major) and I started having classes with Tameka aka Broadway (if you meet her in person, you will understand the nickname!) Around this time, my ex and I were pretty much done (neither of us had the courage to say so though.) and I started to notice Meek more and more. The way she dressed, the way she carried herself around campus. I think I was starting to crush.

Meek use to make me nervous. She'd cut jokes on me, but I would never respond like I wanted to because I didn't want to say anything hurtful and mess it all up. I really enjoyed her company! I use to work in a language lab and from time to time, she'd walk past and we'd talk for a few. A couple times I got a nice hug (which to this day are still the best hugs ever!) So, we work on class projects together (she gives me my first taste of TV studio life and I love it!) we start to talk more off campus, becoming really good friends. LESSON: any functional relationship NEEDS a firm foundation! I introduce her to my family, they LOVE her, she LOVES them, I was blown at how quickly she took to them. No warm up year or 3, just BAM!

Meek and I start to go out more. This one time though, I didn't want to speak Dutch so I paid. We had a good time. I got to let her know everything that went down with my ex and I. She couldn't believe it, she thought we'd get back together (so not the case). We're going out more, talking on the phone more, natural lovely progression. LESSON: don't rush it. If it's to be, it needs to take its NATURAL course.

One night we were on the phone having GREAT conversation and out of no where "Daniel, are you attracted to me?" WOW, do I lie and mess it up? The fact is, YES I am! VERY MUCH! If she only knew the nights I prayed that God would put me in the path of someone LIKE Meek ( a cool, down to earth, soul sister who loves God!) So for her to ask me that question was almost like a prayer being answered WAY beyond my expectations! I was honest and told her "very much so!" Silence! Untimely silence. UH OH! I put myself out there and I am all the way out there. She didn't give me an immediate response, but I didn't regret telling her how I felt. It made me feel better. I was open and honest and I don't have to front anymore. She knows how I feel.

So, to make this long blog short, my crush is now my sweetheart. I am happy. I am blessed. She is who I was praying for. I really was praying for someone like her. Never thought she'd fall for a guy like me, so I prayed for a carbon copy. Little did I know, I would be with the original.

Next time: I be...Brother.

...ex-boyfriend

Now I know that sounds very strange to talk about, but it is an aspect of my life.

So, my ex (who shall remain name-less) and I met freshman year in college. Before meeting her, I was never the type of dude to "spit game" to the ladies. I am sort of shy. I tend to tense up if I don't know you. When it comes to the ladies, I have a serious fear of rejection! Think about it, I come up with a well put together way of getting to know you, work up the courage and get shot down? This day was different. It was the first day of a new life for me. Nobody knows me in college!

So, we were waiting for class to start and we started chit-chatting. I asked for her number and the rest was history. I think that day I stopped being afraid of rejection. I found out I had a little charm too!

We were together for about 5 years. Fell in love hard with her and her family. Word around campus was that we were that couple and I was that dude for being faithful to her for that long. I really saw myself marrying her. Sometimes it felt like we were already married, as much as we were with each other. I wonder if that had anything to do with our breakup? I mean, don't get me wrong, it is great to be with and around the one you love, but I remember times when I had a choice to chill with my homeboys or go to the cafe with her and all of her female friends...and what did I do? Exactly! I was with her and all of her friends. Too much time together, the heart can't grow fonder.

So, she graduated a year before I did(changed majors which set me back a year). It seems like that's when it all went down from there. I don't know if I should have graduated with her or what but stuff was different. I started to feel like I wasn't good enough for her anymore. That was the vibe she and her family gave me. She had moved on to get her MBA and I'm still getting my undergrad. Conversations turned into arguments. No respect for opinions, it was ugly! Even people on campus started to see a difference. After a while, it got to a point where I couldn't stand to be around her for too long. I know that is bad, but it's true. I take blame for whatever part I played in our break-up...I won't fade it like it's all her fault, but this is my blog...so! lol

I learned a lot from that relationship. The most important lesson was learning how to let go. I had some esteem issues in the past. Never realized the great man God created me to be. I put a lot of stock into this relationship. She was a pretty girl on campus and a fat boy from Baltimore is with her. That made me feel like somebody but that's not the somebody God wanted me to feel like. Letting go of that relationship opened MANY wonderful doors in my life.

next time: I am... boyfriend (hey baby!)

A PK (Preacher's Kid)

For as long as I can remember, my pop has been a preacher. He and my mother recently started their own church 5 years ago. BIG UPS TO FULL JOY CHRISTIAN MINISTRIES! People tend to assume that because my parents started their own ministry, that is the ONLY reason I attend his church. Really, that's the only reason? Never mind that my soul has to get judged one day and I need all the "word" I can get!

PKs get a terrible wrap. I don't know what it is. I guess since people think we are the children of preachers and ministers, we're suppose to be perfect. I actually had a church mother tell me that, "Daniel, your a preacher's son, you can do no wrong." I laughed it off, but she was serious. That is so far from the truth. The truth is, we're still human! That means we can and, 10 times out of 9, WILL mess up.

 I can understand why some PKs don't stay at their parent's church, it's a lot of pressure. For one thing, the members of the church expect and want you to be perfect. Everyone in the church can mess up and do what they want, and it's cool. Let a PK mess up, it's becomes the lead story in the Church Bulletin! I had this one lady come up to me after a service to tell me how good of a person I am, such a wonderful young man. (all true by the way..LOL!) Her next statement troubled me though, "I wish my son was more like you!" (true story) I felt bad for her and her son because she doesn't want the son God has given her, but she wants him to be a person she only sees ONCE a week. (To be honest, I think she was guest that Sunday!)

I love my parents! I couldn't ask for better ones. It is hard and amazing (all at the same time) to see them dealing with some of these knucklehead members! My pop especially. Maybe because he's my pop, I can't imagine mouthing off and telling him how I feel as though, but people DO that! Outside of him being my dad, when your pastor ask or suggest something to you, you do it, no questions. That is how I was raised. It's when it does happen (because I don't want you to think it happens ALL the time.) it's hard not to step in and step to people for talking to my parents like they crazy!

So, that's part of who I be! Just a dude who's parents just happen to be preachers.

Next time: I be..."ex-boyfriend"

Peace and Blessings!

Thanks to all of my new neighbors and friends for your warm welcomes.

I know you probably can just read the about me section, but that would take all the fun out if this post. I needed a challenge this morning, so I decided to talk about me.

I have trouble talking about me. I guess it would be easier if I was a ball player, or a producer or an actor, at least then I'd feel worthy to talk about me. Not to knock who God has made me to be but I like to make sure I stay grounded, you know? To make this interesting, I am going to write about some aspect of my life, from me being an Internet Radio Superstar(on the come up) to me being an Uncle (love you Jay!)

Tomorrow: The Son of A Preacher Man...

Peace and Blessings!

First, thanks Lis for showing me to this place! It's kind of cool.

This is my first blog. It's going to be short.

Sex is everywhere! TV, music, books, ect. Case in point: Thought I was getting a cool message from a cool new vox friend...WRONG it was some skanky fembot asking me to have sexy talk with her on MSN or whatever IM service it was.

Too much sex!