Two And A Half Jen

It's really amazing - the places my mind goes sometimes.

I'm a creative person to begin with, writing articles, songs, blogs, novels...not to mention making jewelry and working on other projects. So it probably shouldn't come as a surprise to me that I got a bright idea the other day when I was singing along to one of my Sugarland CD's in the car.

I love Sugarland. Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush are talented, incredible performers, who inspire me (plus a whole lot of other people) with their music and positive messages. And you just can't beat a voice like Jen's.

As I was singing, I started thinking that a movie should be made covering the story of Sugarland - how they got their start in music, how the group formed and the many adventures that have happened along the way. My mind's chain of thoughts led me to wonder who would portray each of them. From there I started thinking how cool it would be to play Jennifer and get to sing her part throughout the filming.

I constantly sing Sugarland music. I've been told that I have a good voice, and even that I can affect a Southern drawl pretty well. In my own head I can sing like Jennifer, and I always thought I should have been born south of the Mason-Dixon line. I don't know for sure if I could pull it off, but I'd sure love to try.

This, of course, led me to another thought. Even though I've lost some weight, at this point I'm twice Jennifer's size. In fact, probably a little more than that. Hence, my conclusion that right now I am "Two And A Half Jen".

Jen and Kristian are certainly role models in music, but you may not know they can be healthy inspirations as well. Jennifer is incredibly fit, and in the above photo on the left you can see just how doing yoga assists both of them on stage. (Seriously...how do they DO that?)

So...if my imagination can help me with getting in better shape, why not? I can pretend I'm auditioning for the role of Jennifer Nettles in The Story of Sugarland. And I've always wanted to try yoga. It's just another step in the fit direction, since I've come to love walking, sprints, spinning and Pilates. Why not yoga too?

Why not dream big??? You never know where your dreams might take you!

I Ain't Settlin'

Congratulations to Danny Cahill on becoming the Season 8 Biggest Loser! He lost 239 pounds...over 55% of his body weight! Also, if you love the song he wrote for the show, it is now available at www.thedannycahill.com , and part of the proceeds will go to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. You can also order another awesome song of Danny's as well!

Danny and the rest of the Season 8 contestants all looked amazing last night, and I now know for sure that there will be no stopping me from reaching my goals and dreams. This song from Sugarland is my new philosophy on life:

I ain't settlin' for just gettin' by

Had enough so-so for the rest of my life

Tired of shootin' too low, so raise the bar high

Just enough ain't enough this time

I ain't settlin' for anything less than everything*

We can all accomplish much more than we ever thought possible...raise your bar high!!!

*From the song "Settlin'" written by Kristian Bush, Tim Owens & Jennifer Nettles