17 weeks...Don't let your dreams sit in your pocket..

I just finished meal 3 and made it half way through my protein count for the day. I'm loving the preparation and can feel my body making significant changes already after just a week of superclean eating. I am hoping to walk across that competitive stage once again in 17 weeks.

I would say that I haven't had the "guts" to give it another go, but the truth of the matter is that like most of you; I truly haven't had the will and the discipline that it takes to commit. However, something has changed inside of me and I am now completely focused.

It's amazing how sometimes when we have too many things for our minds to deal with and too many stresses of this world coming to us; we are able to break away and give our attention to our bodies and our souls. It has calmed me to instead turn my focus to the next 17 weeks. I feel powerful and completely in control of my results.

I would love to have each and every one of you follow me over the next couple of weeks as we make our way to that hardwood stage once again. I'm absolutely induldging in the possibilities...

Dreams are that way, and as much as I've tried to put this one aside; it is still there in my pocket, waiting to be spent. I'm going to take this journey day by day, and try to not become concerned with the remaining weeks but just the day that is before me now. And today, I have been a champion weight lifter, accomplished an hour of cardio and eaten only the "good for you foods" that a champion figure girl would put into her "getting ready to compete" body.

I look forward to the challenges that lie ahead; I look forward to taking each and every one of you along...and who knows, We just might capture the impossible. Never let a dream just sit in your pocket my friends...spend every one of them. Jgirl, 17 weeks out...

"Drink every last cup of Happiness"

Ever really think about how much thought we put into what we eat and how many minutes a day we work out? Being a Mom even forces us to spend many of our thoughts each day wondering what we could possibly make for dinner to excite our bored families? We skim through magazines, look at online recipes, and then finally at the end of the day; head to the kitchen and make the same 'ol meatloaf we made last week. Their faces are much the same when they sit down to dinner, but their tummies are full so we give ourselves a break for our lack of creativeness.

However, despite our ability to make exciting "hurry to the table" meals, we always ensure that an appropriate mix of nutrients is there ready to be dug into. It's just what we do for not only the people we love but for the bodies that we try to take care of.

But have you ever really thought of the things you drink throughout your day? I'm not talking about the "too sweet tea" that we love to indulge in every now and then, or the gatorade that our "too much cardio" bodies gives in to once in a while.

I'm talking about Happiness and love and life. I wonder what would happen if we all took the time to think about our cup of happiness every day as we frown and moan through the hours and minutes of our days every day. What if we thought of happiness as we sipped our morning coffee and thought of the faces of those far away that love it just as much as we do. I like to picture a little man with a profile that resembles mine that is probably the reason that I love my morning coffee so very much. There's nothing greater than seeing his face though he is "too many drivable miles" away to have coffee with me; as I sip mine.

Every now and then, I even indulge in a "cup" of vanilla icecream. It only makes sense that I would imagine the "happy faced Mom" that has been at my side and shared her very own cup of icecream as we grumbled about the calories but continued to laugh as we scraped each drop out of the bottom of the cup...a little cup of happiness....

My greatest cups of Happiness are usually in the form of a yummy cup of nuts. I can pinpoint a cashew, almond and especially a pistachio to some of the most happiness that I can remember. I can't help but smile at the thought of tummy aches from "too many mixed nuts" on so many "too cold" Christmas's at home...it makes you wish for another cup...

And finally, I must include a cup of the warmest most perfect cup of chocolate happiness ever. As I tip my cup, I remember everything from "too little to eat" baby Easter bunnies to cherries covered in chocolate that always brought a smile to my Daddys yummy face. And right at the bottom as I dig for the very last drop; I see two guilty sisters at my side answering for the "missing chocolates" in the Christmas box along with me as we laugh and proclaim our guilt....a cup of yummy perfect happiness...

So as you drag yourself out of bed and do the things that start your day.Don't forget to drink a cup of happiness so the memories come your way. And cherish them briefly for soon they will pass...For one cup of Happiness never lasts...That's why I want you to have more than one or two...You have to finish each cup the Lord puts before you...And as you do simply smile... even if it's for a short while...for if your patient, in the end....another cup will find you again...

Maybe.."We are what we eat"

Have you ever really thought about the food that you put in your "temple" to help it run? I've pondered this thought lately as I pitter-patter through 60 daily minutes of cardio to attempt to "spring clean" the yummies of winter from my body. It leads me to believe time and time again that maybe we truly are what we eat.

I've been everything from chubby to fat, plump and then back to down right skinny. I've eaten everything, a little and even gone down to almost nothing in an effort to reach a weight that I am comfortable being. However, when I finally get back to the basics and simply eat the things that I know my body actually absorbs and uses, the same thing is always the case....I look amazing.

It leads me to wonder why most of us still manage to find it so difficult to eat healthy. We've read the charts time and time again; color is good, hence veggies, protein makes us beautiful and is proven to be the fuel for healthy hair, nails, and skin; but yet we still see "cute" women pretending to be vegetarians and depriving their bodies of the nutrients that it needs. Eat my friends! If we grow it then it will do something incredible for our bodies. If it's fried, then it will probably lead us to some type of medical problem later on. Six times a day we are given the opportunity to fuel our bodies so why do we keep falling short?

I challenge each and every one to appreciate the beautiful temple that the Lord has blessed you with and fill it with some of the foods that he has put here for us. I can assure you that it doesn't come in the form of simple white sugars. Let me know how great your feeling after this week. I challenge you because I want each and every one of you to be a healthier you..

And isn't there enough "skinny need to eat" women and "slow down before you have a heart attack" men out there for all of us to work toward being "How did you build that tone body" people out there?It's time we each take a step towards becoming a healthier American for our country and our children. There is a sense of urgency, and we can't wait anymore to start. Life is short my friends, help your body stay here a little longer...

The sun was more powerful than the sky this morning as it made its way through the clouds and demanded that this be the second day of spring. I could breathe better than I had in weeks, despite the pollen that I knew would soon follow this beautiful day. I decided at that very moment; I wouldn't think about the sneezes and runny eyes that these beautiful days bring with them. I would only indulge in the warmth of the sun in my face...

Life is like that sometimes I suppose. We spend so much time thinking about the effects of the pollen that we never see the flowers. But then one day the sun hits us right on the cheek and we see them right before us hinting that the cold winter has gone away...

So today I say goodbye to winter and all of the bitter cold that it forced me to survive.

I believe that sometimes events and even people in our lives can be pretty similiar to the seasons of our world. I have had many blizzards over the past few months without even a trace of a piece of ice. Encountered things and people that have been colder than the worst of storms.

But there comes a time when we have to insist that it's Spring and let the winter pass. It's the time that we dust off whatevers brought us down and we stand right there as the sun shines our cheeks rosy.

We make our way once again to the goals that we left behind and vow to make them reality once again. And just when you think that "old man winter's" stold a bit of your strength; you throw up a pair of weights that equal your own. You try with everything you have not to prance around and jump up and down at yourself as the onlookers look unimpressed. You are able to control everything but the smirk that you give just to yourself to show your appreciation for such a dedicated body. Okay, so you give in and strut just a little, just because it makes you giggle....

And then you do the same weight again and can't help but have a little grin. You finally make it to the door and things are better than they were before. You lace up your sneaks and go your way. Pitter-pattering your feet away. Running without the simplest care with a light soul and bouncing hair...And legs that still carry you despite the things you had to do...To make "old man winter" say goodbye..forgetting the tears you had to cry...For today you just run with no route in mind...letting it be spring because it's time...and when you stop and look around, you see that winters no where to be found....so you smile a big smile and take a deep sigh...and giggle as you say "goodbye"....

The Japanese soul...

I watched as the waters washed away the very existence and humanity of all of those that called this place home. It's beyond the imagination the magnitude of the colossal wave that slammed through so many lives last week.

As I do with most things I encounter; once again, I watch the stories with my heart. I cry for those that cannot find their loved ones beneath the ruin that remains. Their foreign tears are felt within the very depths of my soul.

It is not the pictures of the flattened earth that sadden me so terribly; but yet the faces as they cry words in a language that I can't understand. I am certain that I am not alone when I admit that I will never understand God's reasoning for much of the sufferings that We must encounter. I question what good could come from such a tradgedy of so many hurting hearts.

A tradgedy that equals only that of the events of World War II is hard to swallow in our modern world. It only leads me to believe that despite our greatest efforts, some tradgedy's we will never be able to prepare for..

When we reach these moments in our lives, it leads us once again to yell and cry and scream and weep. We feel angry for a moment that so many could lose their lives in such a short moment. And then at some point, we simply give in once again and pray to the God that is in charge of it all.

Then...We see signs that even in this place, We once again see the Lords Face..He is that of an old Japanese man who walks all alone..Crying a bit with even a moan...but when they ask him what is his goal...he simply says to keep my Japanese soul...and although many will think it is not intact...I must differ because it is just that...and then we see him sit on the ground...skimming the pages of the treasure he's found...a simple album of all of his kin...and his promise to find them again..

And then we see them face after face...the people that have lost all they have in this place...with tears falling down each foreign cheek...as they hug each familiar person they meet...May we remember my dear friends..that this could happen once again..in a land that is not so foreign or far away...because we are promised nothing more than today...so grab those you love and tell them so...because in this world you just never know...

Laugh til your tummy aches...

It just seemed so unfair for the bitter cold wind to hit me in the face this morning as I helped unload the red-headed beauty that had kept me company for over ten years now. Despite the chill of the wind and the lack of the coat that I'd run out of time to grab this morning; I felt an oddness of warmth inside my soul.

I credited it of course to the green eyes that smiled back at me and grabbed my hand as we headed in to face the grumpy secretary in the front office that frowned at us when we were a few minutes late. Little did she know that it would be her grumpiness that would entertain us after school today when we later got a chance to laugh at how irritated she gets and the silly looks she gives us. As a matter of fact watching her at that moment, it was all I could do not to laugh at the thought of how well my green eyed beauty could imitate those very same expressions.

It later led me to think about expressions throughout my day as I encountered frowns and smiles and even a few down right ugly scowls. I started to wonder if we in fact would make an effort to avoid the looks we give each other if we could see ourselves in a mirror throughout our hectic days? And right at that moment, I looked at myself in the mirror with a frown, and then I smiled. It was amazing the comfort a simple smile gave me. It was as if for that very second someone brought me the perfect fancy coffee with just the right cream and sugar. The taste of it was absolutely divine.

What happened next brought my silly smile to a complete laugh. As I glanced in the mirror one last time before heading to work; I saw this lady walk by and give me an eye roll at how silly she thought I was sitting in a parking lot smiling in my rear view mirror. I laughed that I'd gotten caught staring at myself and because she'd embarrassed me a bit. It felt like a refill of that perfect coffee as my insides filled with laughter.

It was a much needed start to a sleepless night. I do believe, I smiled at everyone I encountered for the rest of my day. Happy, light and absolutely letting go of the things that had weighed me down so many days before. And I had to wonder...can smiles and laughter be the cure to the stresses this world lays before us? Of course, the writer in me had to conduct further research; and what I found made want to giggle until my belly ached.

It turns out that laughter has been proven to relieve pain, bring greater happiness, and even increase immunity. It all made perfect sense. I knew I needed another dose of the healer right away...so right at that moment, 20 minutes ahead of schedule; I drove to that same grumpy secretary's desk and requested my green eyed laughing girl. As soon as she saw me around the corner we both let out the biggest giggle at the very same time looking at the look on "miss grump's" face.

I grabbed that sweet little hand and headed to the door...it was even funnier than it had been before...We jumped in the car and as we drove away...I laughed as I heard my little beauty say..."why are you late yet again?" "Did you have a busy mornin" with the same expressions as that grumpy bear...a frowned mouth and a busy stare...And I laughed at her and she at me...and knew the research was true this was therapy...So laugh away at your life instead...of letting everything fill your head...And each and every time you can...grab your little ones tiny hand...and return the smiles she gives to you...and the happiest life will find you too...