a before and after

I haven't done any before and after shots of myself during my 70 pound weight loss over the past year. Brett and I spent this past weekend in Chicago visiting our good friends Al and Keith. We took the MegaBus from Tower City to Chicago Union Station.

While we were waiting at Tower City, I spotted the painted guitar statues that are found throughout Tower City. I remembered that a year ago during Cleveland Pride I had a photo taken of me with one of them. I had Brett take a photo this year so that I could compare the two shots. What was pretty amazing was that it is the same guitar. The photos were taken at different locations and there are dozens of them throughout the complex. We had no idea that it was the very same guitar as last year.

family values

The LA Gay and Lesbian Center held a competition for short films on marriage equality. Watch this video of the 11 finalists. I love them all. The winner was "Family Values", the 5th video in the series.

saturday in the park

What a beautiful Saturday. We started the day meeting with Pastor Cynthia planning our wedding ceremony. After a little yard work, we went biking on the Towpath Trail in late afternoon. We started at the Mustill Store and continued north to Portage Trail. It took us a little over an hour to cover the six miles at a pleasant pace. It was very uncrowded. We look forward to working on being able to bike to Peninsula and back.

It's been a rainy few weeks here in Ohio. On Memorial Day weekend, I planted a deck garden of vegetables and herbs in mismatched pots. They have just exploded in growth. I've already been harvesting parsley, basil and cilantro. Check out the small tomatoes on the vine already.

slow and steady it goes

Today I am 11 months post-op from my lapband surgery. It’s hard to believe that it’s almost been a year. Last year this time I was in the midst of my 6 week liquid pre-op diet. Looking back, it went fast and was pretty easy to follow. I admit I cheated a few times, but it ultimately made my surgery much more successful.

This month I lost another 3 pounds bringing me to 189 pounds. My weight loss is consistent but slowing. I have my monthly surgeon appointment next Friday. I’ve been on 4 pounds a month loss pattern since January. I suspect this will be another month with a 4 pound loss.

A couple of things did happen this month. I fell into the “overweight” BMI when I dropped below 192. So, I am no longer officially obese. For the past 4 days, I weighed in at 189. Breaking the 190s was significant for me.

This past week I have been going through old photos for a project a friend is working on for Brett and my wedding. I came across some 1990 beach photos. I realize that I am now about the same weight I was at age 36 with an almost identical body shape. Too bad I don’t look that young.

Next month I head into the home stretch of this year of weight loss. My goal has been 185 pounds for the first year and 175 by July 2010. I am now within 4 pounds and am pretty confident I will make it or be very close.

america's best christian explains...

Betty Bowers, America's Best Christian takes time to explain to less informed Christians the curious details of the Lord's concept of marriage. This video was posted on BlogActive earlier this week. It's not you normal Sunday School lesson! Check out her website for exciting Biblical lessons and merchandise.

wedding planning update

Time seems to be flying by as we get closer to Brett and my September wedding. We’ve been busy over the past four months planning our special day. I can now personally relate to many brides who plan their weddings. My two primary observations are: (1) Weddings are costly endeavors. I keep adding rows to our budget spreadsheet. (2) There is a lot more planning involved than I ever imagined. I could really us a Franck from The Father of the Bride movie.

Right now we are firming the catering and logistics of the ceremony and reception in Provincetown. We’ve got the pastor set; a photographer hired; family travel arranged; and reservations set at the inn. It is somewhat of a challenge doing these tasks long distance. Our innkeeper hosts are quite easy to work with though. I am a little nervous that our ceremony and reception will be outside in mid September. Let’s hope that we luck out with a beautiful Indian summer weekend on the Cape. Just starting on those alternative plans now.

After deciding on a Massachusetts wedding, we wanted to have a reception in Ohio with all of our friends and family in mid November. We wanted this celebration to be closer to our 20th anniversary. We are well on the way to planning it right now. It hasn’t been our primary focus since it follows the wedding by a couple of months. We have the date, location and a few primary plans set.

My spare time has been spent working on guest lists, selecting invitations, and other wedding stuff. It is amazing how many wedding web sites are out there. What’s even more amazing is how quickly these sites are embracing same sex marriage. I know a few years back when we were considering marriage; there were a handful of gay wedding sites with limited merchandise of not the best quality. Today, there is a wide assortment of items of outstanding quality that are specifically targeted to gay and lesbian couples.