On Your Mark

Time's up. 2012 ends tonight and will only be a memory (a distant one for those of us over 40). It's a good thing. A really good thing. Goodbye 2012.

Goodbye is easy to say sometimes, and at other times, it is truly a struggle. I am personally kicking quite a few things to the curb:

- Goodbye excuses - you are only hiding my insecurities and lack of trust in the Father

- So long snooze button - you are not my friend

- Adios cheating...I STILL do not have enough discipline to just eat one bite

- Au revoir chocolate chips - you are my weakness and will no longer be in my house

I'm also saying goodbye to over 60 pounds that were packed on this time last year. I do not miss you AT ALL. I can walk into any store and pick up the size I think I am and it fits. That tastes better than any food I used to eat. And pounds - I'm talking to you - you are NOT allowed back in this house.

Saying goodbye means that we are entering a new part of our lives. It's time to start, to get going on a new venture. I'm saying hello to an inaugural phase of my life. Welcome to the following:

- Hello friends who have encouraged, supported and spurred me on. You are always welcome here. Your texts, emails, phone calls, etc have kept me from cheating, helped me run and focused my time on God's Word.

- Welcome back daily discipline of exercise. I will continue to run 3-4 days a week and add a cross training program for the other 2-3 days. I WILL be faithful to take care of what God has given me.

It's a race....a long one...not just for the here and now, but for the long haul. It's the beginning of tomorrow. We are becoming what we want to be. So, get on your workout gear, lace up your shoes and join me on the track.

ON YOUR MARK....

Getting Ready...

A memorable guest book - a fingerprint tree featuring the prints of all the guest. What a keepsake!

The bride and groom, Matthew and Morgan Smith.


EVERY girl dreams about THAT day. EVERY.SINGLE.GIRL. As one of my little kids was scrambling around my legs to get a better view, I could see it all. The bride was coming down the steps of the old historic house on the arm of her doting father. The groom was shuffling his feet in anticipation and tears were already streaming down his cheeks.

Then, she stood there at the back of the pavilion with a smile that radiated the entire park. The hours and days and years that she had put into this relationship, this wedding and ultimately this marriage, were upon them both. He saw her, and he wept. I could hardly see for all the tears that welled up in my eyes. Two lives brought together by God on a mission trip in the desert to be united on this day in holy matrimony. It was good.

If Pinterest EVER had a wedding, this was it. Creative, fun, and full of ideas that people will copy for years to come. I've shown just one of them above. I'll have to make a board just to display all the ideas..that I would have NEVER thought of...NEVER.

In watching the groom's anticipation, I couldn't help but think that most of us are just like that right now...at this time of year. We are eating every sweet in sight and well, exercise, that will just have to wait. I get it. I TOTALLY get it. But, we all know that we have a PLAN!

Most of our plans involve the new year. It is the perfect time to start over in various areas of our lives. Getting healthy tops the list for most people. Now is the time to anticipate the changes that you will make in the new year. What will 2013 hold for you? Will THIS be the year that you REALLY CHANGE your eating habits and exercise plan? YES! It can be...it will be!

Stay tuned for more so that we can walk this journey together! I still fight daily for health..and I need people who are doing the same. Join me in 2013 as we battle side by side!

A Year Has Passed

One year ago I signed up to be in a 5K in Meadowbrook here in Birmingham. It was supposed to be a beautiful day. I could walk the entire course. I was familiar with the area. Lots of great door prizes. Etc., etc. etc. Sounded okay to me.

Well, now let me insert some honest self-talk here...I did NOT want to do it. I was just starting the journey to being healthy and it was kicking my hiney. I had lost about 15 lbs so far but had such a long way to go. I had no running clothes...which was fine considering I wasn't going to be running anyway. At that point I had only walked two miles.

I arrive and there is a multitude of high schoolers who look like they run track on a daily basis. That does NOTHING to encourage an overweight mom of five. I see friends who are in good shape and look like they just finished running 5 miles to warm up. Jealousy and envy ensues. The desire to be like them in my physical body takes over and I feel lousy. Years of regret, bad decisions, poor choices and just outright sin come flooding back. How could I have messed up this badly and gotten to this point? Everybody has at least one issue that they struggle with...why can't I have her issue? God (AGAIN) reminds me that I'm not exactly succeeding in my own struggle...why would I want another....ummm, thanks Lord?

The race (ha...it's NO race for me) starts and I walk with one of my brothers. He's been a runner before and wants to pick it back up again. Running is NOT for me. I can barely run one minute. Did I mention I had only walked 2 miles at this point? And, I tried the couch to 5K program, and I was out of breath by the second walk point (that's less than two minutes running). We ran...VERY LITTLE...and by VERY LITTLE, I mean maybe 1/16 of a mile total. It was pitiful. I finished in over 48 minutes. That's 16 minutes per mile. The first finisher completed the race about the same time I finished the first mile. That's how slow I was.

But, I finished. And, it was the beginning of something much bigger than I could have imagined. It was the push toward running that I needed. It showed me that God would sustain me when I thought I couldn't go on. He would enable my body to develop discipline over time. He would set my foot to a trail or pavement or wherever He showed me to run. He would finish the race. I just had to be obedient to His call.

It's been the hardest journey of my life, but it has shown me God in new ways. It has given me a more intimate time with Him each day. Getting healthy for His glory has changed my outlook on life...and shown me so much more than I could have imagined a year ago.

And it began with one keystroke on the computer to find a local 5K. It started with completing a form and sending it in. And, then the first step of that race. That's how it began for me. A year later I am awed by what God has done.

Today, you can begin with one little step....what will it be?

Panic and a plan

I stepped onto the scale and saw the numbers...163.7. No, that cannot be. I tried again. Same numbers. Uh-oh. When did that happen, and how did it go unnoticed? Panic set in. This was the scene in my bathroom this morning.

I gathered my running clothes and hit the pavement. Madison and Jett went with me...I think we might have run a little faster than usual. It was only a 5K (hearing myself say "only a 5K" is a bit ironic considering where I was a year ago). We were all a little winded but felt the "good tired" when we returned.

While I was running I processed those numbers on that scale....wait, I could NOT have possibly gained that much weight (15 lbs) in three days. And, my clothes still fit. Those numbers do not define me but are an indicator of how well I am eating and exercising. No need to panic...something must be off.

Just as quickly as I had panicked, I was back in that bathroom rechecking my eyesight and the scale's accuracy. Sure enough, the number was NOT the same...it was correct this time...fifteen pounds lighter. I had apparently bumped the scale when I moved it to its rightful place the first time...oops. All that worry over a silly error.

The scenario made me aware of just how quickly everything can change. I can EASILY go back to my old ways. I am tempted daily to indulge and not to exercise. People said it would get easier, but it has NOT...it is still a battle every single hour to honor the Lord with my physical body.

With the holidays here and being surrounded by temptations (not here but elsewhere), I have a plan to sustain my weight. I would LOVE to go into the new year at this weight...and be able to say for THE FIRST TIME IN 25 YEARS, "I want to continue to be healthy this year." I will NOT have to say, "I want to lose weight." Hallelujah - praise the Lord!

The plan is to continue to run and prepare for another half-marathon in February (this one with Kaitlyn). Every afternoon/evening, I will insert another 30 minutes of activity, whether just walking, playing with the kids, stretching, treadmill hills, etc. Just something to burn another 100-200 calories a day. That will refocus my mind and help me to stay the course. I am only doing this during December to ward off the temptations and to be able to indulge a little!

What's your plan for keeping the weight away during the Christmas season???