Why must all diets start on Monday?

In September, I started "being good". Diet, exercise, life change, etc...
I was all in - 
for three whole weeks.
​Then, I got sick. Enter the excuse to eat whatever I want.

Two weeks later, I felt better and returned to my workouts but the food - nope, couldn't do it. I tried.  I wanted to. I needed to. I just couldn't. 

But....

Over the weekend I chatted with my buddy, Robin, and we made a plan to return to the good side together starting on Monday. The power of two! A healthy eating buddy. Someone to help motivate! Perfect!

However...

This gave us the right to snarf away on whatever our little bellies desired all weekend long. And let me tell you - I snarfed!
It was so freaking good. No rules eating is the BEST!!!! 

Then...

Last night, in the middle of the night, I got up to pee. I went into the bathroom and when I was done, I pulled up my undies and two seconds later they rolled back down. 

They. Rolled.

My undies quit on me. Not good. Not good at all.
​
It's gonna take everything I have to get back on track today and eat clean again.
(Don't even get me started on how I plan on dealing with Halloween candy.) 

But I have to try. For the sake of the elastic on my undies, I must try!!! 

In my next book, the main character volunteers with a group for dogs.

In my real life, I volunteer with a group for cats.

In my next book, the romantic interest visits the woman at the shelter and is in awe of her.

This Saturday I was called in to do a quick cat visit. I asked my hubs to come with me.

There was no awe.

None.

Zero.

He was like you cleaned cat crap, why did you make come here with you? 

It was one year ago today that The Two-Night One Night Stand was released. And what an amazing year it has been!

I want to THANK all of you who read, listened, posted reviews, and came back for The Two-Night One-Night Wedding! I'm blown away by the response to Matthew, Holly and of course, Peen's story. I appreciate the support more than words could  ever express. 

For those of you who read to the very end and got a glimpse at the bonus content...Lindsay's story will be here in time for Christmas this year!
See below for an early glimpse of the cover. 

Stay tuned for more details or you can follow me on Amazon for the latest updates.  

Love, Ryan

1. What song gets me going? 
Hubs: Our wedding song. (That he can't remember the name of.)
Kiddo: Let Me Clear My Throat. (DJ COOL) You crank it up and sing along. 
BF: Hypnotize. (Notorious BIG)

2. What am I most insecure about?
Hubs: Weight.
Kiddo: Us dying. 
BF: Busting out of your sports bra/weight. 

​3. What do I like to do first thing in the morning?
Hubs: Get coffee. 
Kiddo: Get coffee and watch your shows. 
BF: Brush teeth. Then get coffee. 

4. What do I believe happens when I die?
Hubs: Not sure, I know you believe in a higher power. 
Kiddo: Reincarnation. 
BF: Reincarnation. 

5. If I were to start a charity, what would the cause be?
Hubs: Cats.
Kiddo: Cats. 
BF: Cats. 

6. If I received 10k and had to spend it immediately, how would I spend it?
Hubs: I know it wouldn't be investing. It would be a vacation. 
Kiddo: Start a cat orphanage. 
BF: Vacation. 

7. What celebrity do I look like?
Hubs: Jennifer Aniston. (For the record -I don't look anything like Jennifer Aniston.)
Kiddo: You look like a teenage girl from a show I saw. I forgot what it's called. 
BF: Every celebrity because you have a generic look. (private joke) 

8. Do I like sports?
Hubs: No. 
Kiddo: No, uh, no. 
BF: No. 

9. Name 3 shows I'm obsessed with.
Hubs: Seinfeld, Two and a Half Men, King of Queens.
Kiddo: Brady Bunch, Fraiser, Broad City. 
BF: Golden Girls, Snapped, Younger. 

10. When I'm upset do I want attention or space?
Hubs: Space. It doesn't even matter though, at that point you're a nuclear bomb. 
Kiddo: Space. 
BF: Hard one. I don't think you want people around you but you want to vent...is this a trick question?


​

The theme of my next book is all about disconnecting from the internet and I have been trying to practice what I write. 

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!! 

Holy crap. It's so much harder than I thought. So. Freaking. Hard.

Friday night, the kiddo went to bed and my husband and I decided to cuddle up and watch a movie. This is the norm for us most weekends. We chose the movie,  Mr. Brooks. and were about a minute into it when I noticed, as usual, we were both on our phones. I paused the movie and said, "Lets get rid of our phones and actually watch this movie." My hubby agreed, I grabbed the phones and stuck them in the kitchen.

As we watched, I was like hmm... this movie is vaguely familiar. There were some parts I remembered, some I didn't remember at all. It turns out, I had seen the movie before but  because of my internet distraction, I had missed a lot of it.

This time around, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. Afterwards, I realized I have not sat and watched a movie or even a TV show without phone in hand in a very long time.

And what the fuck? Because I am not that popular that I need to be on my phone at all times. I am quite sure that my Yahtzee with Friends buddies will understand if I go MIA for a few hours.

Saturday night, the phones went away again and we watched another movie. It was great. Last night, sans phone, we watched the finale of Game Of Thrones and I wasn't completely lost. I WASN'T COMPLETELY LOST!!! I don't think that's ever happened before.

Of course, my hand did reach for my phone multiple times throughout this little trial run weekend. It was an impulse I could not control. It's also funny how often questions turn up during a movie that my husband and I will jump right on our phones to look up. My husband is big on looking up net worth and ages and I am big on looking up what else they've been in and spouses/partners etc. But we don't need to know those things. At least not mid-movie.

It turned out to be very good weekend. I enjoyed my disconnected time with my husband very much. With the exception of the big argument we had while pruning the big tree in our front yard. (It does need to be cut into smaller pieces or the town will not pick it up!!! Asshole!)

Ah, sweet romance. Anyway...

While I continue to do this book related "research", I admit that I'm not completely disconnecting. But... I am rediscovering life without constant connection. 

I like it. It's doable. And I plan on doing it more often.