STATE OF THE ALLES ADDRESS – 11/8/10

First off, thanks for all of the birthday wishes on Facebook. Corny as it sounds, it was extremely cool to have all of those well wishes come streaming through. All hail the glory of FB. J

This being my 36^th birthday, it's not so much of a milestone (compared to any other year), because really, at this point, all you have are the "5's" to truly celebrate and/or dread. That being said, I figured I could quickly take stock of where things are and make some projections for next year. I can group everything into "thankful" and "hopeful" categories (helps when your birthday is relatively close to Thanksgiving).

THANKFUL

I'm thankful for my beautiful, loving, patient wife Camille. The eight years we have been together (seven as a married couple) have been, collectively, the greatest period in my life. Even through the rough times, I can truly say that I have always been married to my best friend and soul mate.

I'm thankful for my immediate family and in-laws. I appreciate the support and fellowship I get from my brother Kent; sisters Mary, Jaime, and Kim; and brother- and sister-in-laws Don, Carla, Brian, Colette, Brent, and Paula. I'm glad they're all relatively close to us, location wise, so it's easy to stay close with them. I'm thankful my parents Gordy and Yvonne and Camille's parents Bob and Charlotte are all in relatively good health and still of great support to us. I'm thankful to have seven wonderful nieces and nephews – Zach, Cayla, Robert, Sasha, Hailey, Wes, and Katelyn - that are all joys in my life. I'm thankful that Grandma Chris has found new happiness with Mel. I'm thankful for the continued love and support from my "step" family – Deb, Grandpa and Grandma VanDyke, and the rest of the VanDyke family – to be honest, at this point they're all family to me – don't really even think in terms of "step" anymore. All of my aunts, uncles, and other family members – I am truly blessed in this area.

I'm thankful to have a job (especially at a time when many do not) that challenges me. I'm thankful that GRCC and Davenport still allow me to continue to pursue my original love, education, even if it is as a "gun for hire" as an adjunct faculty member.

I'm thankful for the great people I get to work with in theater, whether it's Red Hand for the murder mysteries, Thebes Players for the other drama opportunities, and all of the other talented people I get to work with to keep that part of my life active.

I'm thankful for all of my great friends: the ones close to me here in Michigan and the other ones I still keep in touch with across the country. I'm thankful they continue to allow me to be a part of their lives, in whatever small or large amount.

I'm thankful for my continued relationship with God.

HOPEFUL

I'm hopeful that I can continue to work on reducing my weight and getting in better shape. I really want to finally be in good health and be around for Camille and any other additions to the family.

I'm hopeful that my Grandma Alles continues to recover as quickly as possible from her stroke.

I'm hopeful that Camille and I will finally be able to realize the possibility of having a child of our own. I think we are realistic about our possibilities at this stage in the game, but we remain optimistic that God has a plan for us in this area, as we know that we both have a lot of love and guidance to give.

I'm hopeful that I will continue my development in my current work role(s); and, at the same time, continue to explore other areas for development, both personally and professionally.

I'm hopeful that anyone who is reading this finds positivity and hope in their own lives. We live in troubled times, to be sure. I hope that whatever people have for support, guidance, and faith serves them well this year as well.

I'm hopeful that I didn't forget anybody or anything I should have mentioned in either of these two categories. If so, I'm truly sorry, but at 36 years of age, the memory ain't exactly what it used to be…

385

Today is day 1 of the "Get Back on Track" with the diet. Weight is shown above. I'm going to be using the Weight Watchers plan as my guide, since that's what's worked best for me in the past. Also going to make sure I get to the Y as much as I can this week... working with a new trainer there and need to get back on track in the exercise department as well.

As I don't really feel like paying to attend meetings, but I still realize I need to have some accountability, I'll use Alles in Wonderland as my "weekly weigh in." I'll be recording my weight updates here weekly, and if I miss one, feel free to call me on it, Rabbit Holers (all three of you :) ).

According to an online BMI calculator, 178 would be considered a "healthy" weight for my height, but to start with attainable goals I'm going to use Weight Watchers' 5% and 10% targets, which would be 366 (19 pounds lost) and 346 (39 pounds) respectively. Hopefully I can reach those relatively quickly and then beyond. As I approach age 36 next week, I realize that I can't be at this weight very much longer (not that I should have been at this weight *at all*, but here we are). Need to get healthy so when the apocalypse hits on December 21, 2012, I will be one of the survivors. (Ha ha.)

Anyway, we'll keep you posted. In the meantime, as Stan Lee says, "Excelsior!"