So, a long time ago, Fat Bridesmaid interviewed me. She so graciously sent me updated questions. I love talking about me (seriously – isn’t that why I blog?) so here you go. Enjoy!

1.  Of course my first question has to be about Nathan, especially since I’ve had the chance to experience his awesomeness first hand (I still can’t believe he stood there patiently while we browsed around TWO purse stores!).  So here’s my question; I think a lot of couples have a hard time dealing with the diet/weight loss issue because, as a partner, you have to walk such a thin line between being supportive and being an overbearing jerk.  How do you and Nathan handle that aspect of your relationship?

Firstly, I must take this opportunity to note that Nathan is awesome. The two-purse-store-patience is just the beginning. He is the best husband ever.

Anywho, the only way I know to answer your question is to say that I am incredibly blessed and Nathan is incredibly supportive. He has never EVER said anything about my weight. He never says anything about what I eat or about my activity level. Occassionally he’ll say something about how well we eat or how we do things right, but that’s it.  He is going to the gym every day, and I have watched him become more selective about what and how much he eats. He started going to the gym to support me and continued going when I stopped. He will encourage me to follow-up on the resolutions I make and he’ll ask if I want to take a walk, but he doesn’t do anything to make me feel down on myself. I know that he loves me no matter what I look like. Like I said, I am incredibly blessed.
2.  You had a stretch for awhile there when you really struggled with your weight loss efforts — eating habits and exercise and whatnot — which is something I think a lot of us have dealt with at some point or another.  How did you bounce back from that and find your motivation again and what did you learn from the experience?

Honestly, I am still struggling. Big time. I know that I do best when I feel supported and accountable. So I am really trying to throw myself back into this blogging thing – knowing that the more I share with you guys is the more I understand about myself. I have learned that when I don’t take the time to look at what I am doing and examine my life, I become a lazy bum. I am still in the middle of bouncing back. My eating is getting better every day. I’m still not back in the gym, but I know that as I continue improving my eating, I will find myself back there. One day at a time. One meal at a time. One trip to Starbucks at a time. I just know that the more I talk and think about what is going on, the better I do.

3.  I know I can always count on you to give me a good “you’ve probably never heard of this band before but they’re amazing” music hook-up.  What’s your pick today?  I need something new, if only so I’ll stop singing Mama Mia all day long at work.  (Mama Mia… here I go again…)

Ohhh…this is fun! I want to first suggest the Punch Brothers – the new band formed by Chris Thile of Nickel Creek fame. Nathan and I both have a crush on him. We kinda stalk him. Be advised: the music is different. I was really unsure of it the first listen, but the cd has really grown on me. And also seek out the previous album (How to Grow a Woman From the Ground) by the same guys with a different name (Chris Thile and How to Grow a Band).

Nathan and I found so much great music from the old Starbucks channel on XM. When they combined with XM Cafe it only started to suck. We found so many awesome artists from there: Xavier Rudd (“Fortune Teller”), Rosie Thomas (amazing cover of REM’s “The One I Love”), Sia (everything by her is awesome), Paolo Nutini (“New Shoes”). I am also currently obsessed with Jon Foreman of Switchfoot. Oh, and check out Woodsongs.com for podcasts of old shows of “grassroots” music. We go almost every Monday night.

4.  One of my favorite things about you was that you figured out your previous job wasn’t a good fit for you so you cut your losses, took the plunge and left.  It was so brave!  And you ended up with a job you really seem to love!  I’m facing a similar situation right now — I’m unhappy at work and looking to make a change.  Got any advice?

Wow. Brave is a big word. Looking back, I cannot believe I did what I did. I was unhappy so I left. With a mortgage and a car payment and student loan bills. I went 3 weeks without a job. It was a very scary time on one hand, but very cleansing and empowering on the other. I honestly felt like I had reached a point where I had to leave. I really felt like God was telling me to leave and that He would take care of us. Things could not have worked out any better. And the whole situation increased my faith in God and showed me that God could take nothing and make huge things from it.

I also think what helped me have the ability to follow my gut was having confidence in myself. It was around that time that I was eating really well and kicking serious tail in the gym. I knew that I was doing big things, and that really gave me the confidence I needed for interviews and rocking cover letters. I think finding a job is like losing weight – I do best when I am not stressed or feeling bad about myself. The more I think good things will and should happen to me, the more they actually do.

5.  This might seem like a lame question but I’m a writer so I’m allowed to ask — what’s your favorite book and why?  And don’t feed me a line about “not having a favorite.”  If you’ve got more than one favorite (like me) just pick one and give me a good solid explanation about what makes you love it so much.

This one is easy. Fiction is without question The Time Traveler’s Wife. Basic premise: dude time-travels. He falls in love with a girl who doesn’t time travel. Without giving anything away (this is within the first 10 pages), she meets him when she is 11 and he is 40ish. When he meets her, they are both in their 20′s. The first time I read it, I was just moved by the love story and the tragedy of their love. On my second reading earlier this summer, I was struck by the concept of free will and when was their ever a time in either of their lives when their love wasn’t just a fact. Did either of them make a choice within their relationship or just follow what had already happen? The second reading really messed with my head in a way that I loved. I feel like I must put a disclaimer that the descriptions of sex is not always the way I would phrase things or like to read about them. But it is what it is.

I also loved Water for Elephants. And the Harry Potter books. And Half-Assed.

And, FYI, I am still reading Real Food. When I finish it, I’m going to re-read Blue Like Jazz.

Thanks again for the questions, FB!

Anyone have any else you wanna know?