Location: Scottsdale, AZ

Tonight I logged on to Blogger for the first time in a long time. I've been wanting to blog about the events of the past year for a while now, but felt as though I haven't had time to get the thoughts out of my head and onto the screen. I especially didn't want to do it on an iPad keyboard. So, yesterday Michael and I went to Best Buy and bought a new laptop and here I am. The first order of business was to update my profile.
Location: Scottsdale, AZ. WOW!
So, how did WE get HERE? GOD! He's the short answer. The long answer goes a little something like this.
One day last March, after an extremely frustrating day at the office, I told Michael 'let's move.' His reply 'the only place I'd ever move is Scottsdale, AZ.' Ha, ha, ha! Funny! *short pause* Let's go! That night we seriously discussed a move to Scottsdale. We had vacationed here in 2011 for Michael to play golf. It was what he refers to as his 'reward' for completing a half marathon with me the week before. We came out and he checked a round at TPC Scottsdale Stadium Course off of his bucket list. We also fell in love with this area. So, that night last March we booked a room at the La Quinta Inn in Phoenix for one week. Our plan was to drive across the country, with Sunny in tow, and live as residents for a few days. That is exactly what we did. While we were here Michael visited the FedEx station to have a look around and meet the senior manager (who used to be at the Jonesboro station). He had a really good visit but felt as though it would be a while before a position opened, maybe a year. In FedEx, you can transfer anywhere in the company as long as you are qualified for the job opening and you 'win' it by bidding based on your seniority with the company. Even then he wasn't sure if he had enough seniority to secure a job when one came open. I had lunch with Patti, a business contact who I'd become friends with over the past eight years. I wanted to meet her face-to-face and I also wanted to ask her about the job market. We had a great visit and she assured me that a job wouldn't be a problem for me. That was nice to hear. With our work related errands complete we began exploring the area and looking at apartments. We toured three apartment communities and got a feel for the cost of rent. The last day we were in town, we noticed the Arizona state offices of the Southern Baptist Convention very near the FedEx station. We decided we would drop in and ask about area churches. It was then that we had the pleasure of meeting Byron Banta for the first time. Byron was serving as the interim director of the state convention at that time. We shared with him the reason we were in Scottsdale and explained to him our involvement in our church back home. We told him if we were going to move we would need to find a new church home. That's the first time we heard about Pinnacle Church, a church plant that had just started in January and met there on the same campus as the SBC offices. We visited with Byron for about an hour. We told him how we were excited to be headed to Peru in a couple of months on a mission trip. This trip would be extra special as it would be the first time Michael was going. We also asked that he pray for us as we considered the move. We wanted to make sure it wasn't a selfish move, that it was God's will. After praying with us and for us, Byron, I am sure unknowingly at the time, voiced the reason that we would move to Scottsdale. He said that he was a member of a prayer group that called themselves the Luke 10:2b group (Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.). He and his group had been praying that the Lord would lead a young, mission-minded couple to the area. Oh my! Michael and I couldn't fathom that we would be an answer to anyone's prayer. Yet we went back home to Arkansas and began to pray. As we prayed, God began to move!
During the next couple of months, Michael and I began preparing for a yard sale. We honestly didn't think we would be going anywhere for at least a year, so there was no immediate hurry. However, we had ample junk that we could get rid of and figured we might as well start the process. We stuffed the garage with boxes and boxes of clothes and housewares that we no longer had a use for. We also remained focused on our short term goal of Peru, July 25 through August 1. On June 21st a job at the Scottsdale FedEx station 'opened' for bids. Oh no! What about Peru? Every job that Michael had seen post since April had opened for bids on a Friday, bidding closed the next Friday and the desired start date was always the following Monday. However, this job had a desired start date of August 4...the Monday after we returned from Peru?!? Amazing! So, Michael bid on the job and I emailed Byron to request prayer from him and the Luke 10:2b group. That Friday when bidding on the position closed, Michael was out bid by one employee. We were a little discouraged, but knew that if God wanted us in Scottsdale, He would get us to Scottsdale. Michael called the manager is Scottsdale a few days later to follow up on the job posting. He was told that the man who out bid him had previously worked at the Scottsdale station and he knew that he wanted to return to the area. He was more than certain the other guy was going to take the position. Oh well, it obviously wasn't our time...so we thought. On July 16th Michael got a phone call from manager who said 'I'm not sure what happened, but he declined the job. If you want it, its yours.' That afternoon Michael called me at the office and asked if I wanted to move to Scottsdale! Of course I did!.. But oh, no...here we were only a couple of weeks away from our mission trip and Michael was going to have to get off of one plane and jump on another to begin work the following Monday. We would be apart and have to move separately... we had a house to sell... I had to find a job... we had a lot of business to take care of! What were we going to do? Nothing. We would do nothing. God would do it all. Our God is a God of details and He already had them all worked out. Because of various circumstances at the Scottsdale station, Michael's start date was postponed to September 3. We would not have to move separately. We would have all the time we needed to sell everything and make the move together. Knowing this, we were able to focus on our mission trip with the understanding that when we returned we would hit the ground running in preparation of the move.
That's exactly what we did. We sold everything we owned that didn't fit in our two cars. Everything that didn't sale was donated. It was a very freeing process. We also had to sell our house. Amazingly, we had someone contact us to buy it and never did as much as put a sign in the yard! As for my job hunt, there wasn't one. My boss was gracious enough to offer me the opportunity to continue working for him while in Arizona. Michael and I were blown away by the way things were falling into place! We were also extremely blessed by the outpouring of love and encouragement from our friends, family and church. Our Sunday School class surprised us with a potluck in our honor a few Sundays before we left. They laid hands on us and prayed over us. What a joy to be a part of such an amazing class! I'll never forget the words of our precious friend, Teresa. She told me before we left that God had already picked out friends for us in Scottsdale and they were there waiting on us. Wow! What a comfort to know!
The next few weeks passed quickly. We tied up all of our loose ends and said all of our good byes. It was extremely emotional but even more exciting! We were about to take the biggest leap of faith ever. It would strengthen our relationship with God and with each other. Oh my goodness, we were really about to do this! I emailed Byron to let him know we were headed his way!
On Tuesday, August 27th, Michael and I pulled out of Jonesboro, AR with our sights set on Arizona...and Sunny in a laundry basket in my passenger seat. I'll never forget the song playing on the radio as I drove out of town...'I know who goes before me, I know who stands behind, the God of angel armies is always by my side.'
Driving across the country allows one a lot of time to think. I would be lying if I said I didn't have thoughts of self doubt during that trip. There were a few 'what were you thinking'-s and 'are you sure you're doing the right thing'-s. We both spent a lot of time on the phone during the trip. I think it was our way of occupying our mind. But there was a lot of excitement, too. We were going into unknown territory. Neither of us had ever lived outside of Arkansas. Michael had never lived outside of Jonesboro. We were beginning an adventure. In Amarillo Michael had a near blowout. We didn't make it as far as we'd hoped to in the first day, but God didn't let the time go to waste. We had the privilege of praying with the gentleman who changed the tire. His daughter was in the hospital for complications of diabetes and his wife was struggling with some issues of her own. We were certain it was a divine appointment and were perfectly fine with calling it a night earlier than we'd planned. The next morning we started the day with two new tires for Michael and got back on the road. If you haven't driven from Arkansas to Arizona I recommend it...once. The first time was great. We saw part of the country we'd never seen before. That part of the country isn't as exciting the second time around. Needless to say, we were thrilled to hit the Arizona state line. As we approached the Phoenix metro area, we could tell it was raining. Boy was it raining. We had a proper welcome to the desert with a monsoon! High winds and pouring rain during rush hour wasn't what I would've picked, but it made us all the more thankful to arrive at the hotel. When we stepped out of our cars it felt like we had stepped into an oven. I remember thinking 'wow, this really is hot.' We checked in and got a good night's rest.
On August the 29th we moved into apartment 152 at Chazal Scottsdale. It didn't take long to unpack all of our boxes and head out for our first Walmart trip. I emailed Byron to let him know we would be attending Pinnacle Church Sunday. Later in the week we bought a bed and furniture. By the weekend we were somewhat settled.
Sunday morning we headed to Pinnacle Church. We immediately felt welcome at Pinnacle. Rob, the pastor, was quick to approach us and let us know he was expecting us and had already been praying for us that morning. Wow! That really made us feel good! We really enjoyed worship and the message. Had we found our church home?
We both started work on September 3rd. Michael was training with other drivers and I was settling into a new office environment. Outside of work we continued to settle and make the apartment home. Sunday rolled around and we went to Pinnacle again. We had toyed with the idea of visiting other churches but I think we both knew that we were called to Pinnacle.
Weeks passed and we began serving in the church as part of the setup crew and greeters. We became members of Pinnacle on September 22nd. Shortly after that we began going to small group on Wednesdays and making friends with those that God had already picked out for us just like Teresa said He had. We had found our church home and it was the one that God had been leading us to all along!
So, there's the long answer to the question 'How did WE get HERE?'
But that's not the end of the story. God is still moving. Big things are happening at and through Pinnacle. Our congregation is growing, we've got an amazing team of missionaries working to reach our community and we have a lot of big plans for the summer. Just recently I got a message from our friend, Jennifer, back home and she wanted to know the name of our church. I didn't think much about it and quickly replied with 'Pinnacle Church, www.pinnaclechurchaz.org'. Later that week she sent me another message to let me know the reason she'd asked. Jennifer is in banking and had a customer come in that week to send some money to her son in Scottsdale. That prompted Jennifer to tell her our story. The customer then told her that she thought there needed to be more churches in Scottsdale and she wanted to send our church $10,000! Michael and I couldn't believe it! What a blessing from a total stranger that was obviously orchestrated by God! Most recently we've had visitors from Walnut Street, Larry and Waylan, who came out to look around and meet Rob to discuss possible mission opportunities. How cool to think a partnership might form between our church in Arkansas and our church in Arizona! So, we are super encouraged by all that God has done and is continuing to do. Michael and I continue to not only adjust to our new home, but we are thriving. God has blessed our marriage and it is stronger than ever, we are both doing well in our jobs and we are so grateful for the new friends we've made. Michael is enjoying golf and I've started hiking. We know without a shadow of a doubt that God has us exactly where He wants us right now and I can honestly say there is no better feeling in the world!            

valleys (my testimony)

*Last night I was blessed to share my testimony at church during our Wednesday night service called '40 Minutes in Heaven.' I have decided to post it here in an effort to share with more people about the amazing things that God has done in my life.*

When I was asked a few days ago to give my testimony tonight my mind immediately began to race. I was very excited to share about ALL of the amazing things God has done in my life over the last few years…but how in the world would I ever talk about ALL of it? We’d be here for days! So, what I’m going to do is tell you about a couple of ‘valleys’ He has brought me through in the last four years.

‘Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I fear no evil for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff they comfort me.’ Psalm 23:4

In January of 2008, I found myself in a valley. To be more specific I was at my rock bottom. Broken. For months my husband, Michael, and I had wanted to start a family but weren’t having any success. I was frustrated, depressed, and felt like a failure. I went to my doctor to try to get some answers and I was told immediately that I needed to lose at least 20 lbs. I weighed 318! I had tried in the past without success to lose weight. I would lose a little and gain more back, never maintaining a loss. I was a typical yo-yo dieter. But this time was different and something had to be done.

That rainy morning I found myself alone in my car sobbing and crying out to a God who I knew but did not have a personal relationship with. Boy did he ever hear my cries! Looking back it is easy to see his hand in the entire process. I made an appointment that afternoon with a nutritionist and personal trainer. Through diet, exercise and constant prayer the weight began to come off.  With the weight loss I also lost the social anxiety it had created. I no longer avoided going places, including church.  I had not regularly attended church since high school.

In the spring of 2008 Michael and I began visiting WSBC with his brother Keith and Keith's wife Denilla. It was then that I was introduced to Jerry Parker. Although I had grown up in church no one ever really sat me down and made sure that I understood the plan of salvation. It was as though a light was turned on. For the first time in my life, at 27 years old, my eyes were opened to what Christ had done on the cross for ME. That May I prayed to receive Christ and the following month Michael and I joined the church and were baptized together.

Fast forward to January of 2011. I was still a baby Christian and growing daily in my relationship with Christ. It was then that we had an ‘awakening’ here at church and the guest speaker was Bro. Bob. Bro. Bob spoke about valleys. In the middle of his message the Holy Spirit spoke to me. I had been through a huge valley of my own. 100 lbs later with a new passion for fitness and a rebirth in Christ, I had reached my mountain top and I was ready to shout it to the world!

But there was a tiny problem…I could tell someone about all the amazing things God had done for me, but I didn’t know how to share His Gospel.  Did you know God doesn’t have problems like this? He has plans! Around the same time of the ‘awakening’ I received an email from Larry Turner. I knew who Larry was, but I didn’t know Larry. I had no idea what he could be emailing me about. Low and behold, God had placed it on Larry’s heart to recruit me for Evangelism Explosion! I made the commitment to a semester of EE and I was on my way to learning how to share the Gospel. I was both excited and nervous at the same time.

That semester of EE was amazing! I looked forward to every Monday night. I got a rush from sharing the Gospel. Eventually I began to make plans to go on my first mission trip to Peru. God was working in life in mighty ways! I was blessed with new friendships and had the privilege of playing a role in others finding new life in Christ.

And then I came to another big valley. As the semester of EE was coming to a close, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. She and my dad broke the news to my sister and me on Easter Sunday. It was a punch in the gut. It was hard to wrap my mind around. I was (and I remain) firm in my faith that mom will be ok. However, I will be honest, initially I struggled with her diagnosis and the plan of treatment she was prescribed. I couldn’t stand to think of mom going through the physical pain of chemo and radiation and the emotions that come with losing your hair. It made me sad. Again, God had a plan. He laid it on my heart to run a marathon for my mom.

I know the love a parent has for a child is something I can’t quiet comprehend because I don’t have kids of my own. But I do know that it is immeasurable, much like God’s love for us...but obviously not as big as His love for us. This got me to thinking about BIG things. The biggest thing I could think to do for my mom was a marathon. I’d run 4 half marathons at that point and I’d always said I would never run a full unless I got the uncontrollable urge. Well, here was that urge.

I trained for 16 weeks. I logged hundreds of miles, just me, my iPod full of praise music and God. On those runs I would pray without ceasing, mostly for mom, but also for us as a family as we coped with her cancer. On Saturdays I would run with three of the best training partners a girl could ask for. Though my friends weren’t planning on running the marathon with me, they loved me enough to help me train for my goal. Sometimes my runs would be more than 4 hours and by the end we would be physically exhausted, but wide awake spiritually because our runs had become a form of worship. We would discuss our Savior and His love for us, God's beautiful creation that we were blessed to run in, how He was at work in all of our lives and countless other topics.

On November 5^th I officially became a marathoner. I crossed the finish line and there stood my mom waiting with arms wide open. Shortly after that mom received the news that she was cancer free. It was then, as I reflected on the previous months of her treatment and my training, that I realized the marathon wasn’t for mom near as much as it was for me. God had a plan, and it was for me to RUN through that valley! Once again, I had arrived at a mountain top…and I give him ALL of the glory!!!

So, I encourage you to embrace your valleys. He doesn’t promise they will be easy. But He does promise to be right there by your side, protecting you and guiding you to the next mountain top.

running with a purpose

Not many people know the story behind my love of running. Its rather ironic because its not something that started out as love in any sense of the word. It would have been better described as hate. When I was young, say 7th or 8th grade, people would always tell me I needed to play basketball. "You're so tall, you should play basketball!" "Do you play basketball?" "I bet you play basketball!" Ugh... NO! I was the furthest thing from a basketball player. Well, 9th grade rolled around and I reluctantly went out for the team. What was I thinking? I'm pretty sure everyone makes the team in 9th grade...because I did, and so did Erica. Oh what a season! I don't remember the slightest thing about our record other than we were not good. I do, however, remember three things. First, on the night of our home opener I didn't fit into the home uniforms. They didn't have shorts big enough for me. So, I wore blue shorts while everyone else wore white. I stuck out like a sore thumb! Not one of my proudest moments. Secondly, one afternoon between class and practice I thought a milk shake and fries would be an appropriate snack. Said snack reappeared on center court after practice. Again, not a proud moment. And finally, I remember I HATED RUNNING! It was awful! I was horrible at it! I was slow and my form was bad! I'm pretty sure I was as graceful as an elephant running laps around that gym! I couldn't run. Fortunately for me, someone burned our gym down later that year and girls softball was introduced to the Forrest City High School athletic program. I gladly made my exit from the world of basketball...and so began my softball career. We still ran some in softball. However, I loved softball so I put up with the occasional lap around the field. Flash forward to Thanksgiving 2007. My friend, Todd, gave me the idea that I might actually be able to run. He proposed that if I ever wanted to run a half marathon he would run with me. I let the idea marinate for a few months. In the spring of 2008, as an obese 27 year old (former high school all conference softball player), I decided I would run...for the sole purpose of proving to myself that I could! That May I ran my first mile and I haven't looked back since. I love what I once hated. Something that I once considered pure agony is now something that is pure joy! I am a runner! I run to stay healthy, both physically and mentally. I enjoy running 5Ks, though speed has never been my strong suit. And I took Todd up on his offer. I ran my first half-marathon in March of 2009. I've run three since then with the hopes of running at least one a year as long as I'm physically able. Running is a part of me now. BUT... I have always said I will NEVER... EVER... run a full marathon unless I get the uncontrollable, un-ignorable urge to do so. I have stood firm in this belief since crossing the finish line of my first half. I could not justify putting my body through the training, let alone the amount of time it would take to log the miles necessary to finish 26.2. Well, I'm running the Mid-South Championship Marathon on November 5th in Wynne because that 'urge' appeared in late April/early May of this year. My mom... my hero... my best friend, was diagnosed with breast cancer. WOW! WHAT? REALLY? I won't lie or sugar coat it. It was a major blow. A shock. A punch to the gut. But, she's a fighter and hasn't let it knock her down. It WON'T knock her down! Her attitude is amazing! And most importantly, her faith is rock solid! She's got a really good prognosis and her treatment is going good. She'll have surgery in a few months followed by radiation. This time next year she will be brushing her hair and will have added 'survivor' to her repertoire. But until then, I will do what I know to do...run...and I will run with purpose.

100 days

The Biggest Loser at Fitness Bootcamp is over. Finished. Done. What was so highly anticipated at the beginning of the year has come to pass. I set out with one goal...and one goal only...to win. I lost 51 lbs in 100 days. That's 22.1% of my initial body weight. I started at 230.5 on January 11 and weighed 179.5 on April 21. I'm very confident in these numbers, but don't know official results yet. Until the winner is announced, I'm going to enjoy looking back on the accomplishment of the past few months and tweak my new lifestyle that has slowly become my normal. For those 100 days, I did not faulter on my diet! And I mean it. I had one sip of Inca Kola from Peru and one bite of fondant icing from Corn and Tif's wedding cake. That's it. No fruit, no dairy (other than fat free cottage cheese), no refined sugar. I've been squeaky clean! I also made muscles I didn't know I had. I actually have something resembling abs! I can see my triceps on my shadow when I run. As the days progress I discover new cuts and definition. Its as shocking to me as it is to anyone else! I feel lighter on my feet and run with so much less effort than I did 30, 20, even 10 pounds ago. None of my clothes fit! Its great!
So, where do I go from here. No, not Tamollys! Eating bad is the LAST thing I want to do! The first thing I wanted to eat was plain Greek yogurt with blueberries, strawberries and walnuts. I had it this afternoon and I'm pretty sure if heaven has a taste that's it. Wow! Yummo! Then 10 minutes later I was almost doubled over with indigestion. The acid from the berries made my throat burn. I'm still feeling the bloat 8 hours later. I guess its going to take a while to incorporate fruit back into the diet. One thing I won't do is over indulge on processed foods. I can't even name a processed food that sounds appealing to me right now. I've managed to retrain my brain to not want refined sugar.
I'm still in the 3rd phase of the Body By Design program. I'll finish that program shortly after our half marathon on April 30. This lull between the contest and race day is giving me a little time to focus on my next goal. I'm such a goal oriented creature that I have to have one to thrive. Question is, what will my next goal be? Luckily I have a few days to think and pray about it. Until then, I'll continue with my clean diet and work out schedule...and go buy a new wardrobe!

howdy stranger

Wow! So...uh...it's been a while. Sorry. I've been crazy busy as mentioned in a previous blog...but life could not be better!  I don't even know where to start to catch you up on all of the amazing things that have happened in my life. I guess I'll go back to the day before my last blog post...February 22 Cruz made his appearance and became the newest member of my family. A precious little baby boy born to my sister, Leann. I was sick the day he was born...I was at the hospital, but unable to get near him for fear of making him sick. Apparently I was so out of it when I blogged the next day that I failed to even mention him. He's awesome! And Cooper is going to be such a great big brother!  It amazes me to see my sister with her boys. She's such an awesome mom. I pray I'm half the little momma she is when I'm finally blessed with kids.

Later that week I missed the first race of the season because I was still suffering the effects of bronchitis. Then my first day back at bootcamp the following week I rolled my ankle. HA! It was one of of those instances where my best option was just laughing. I eventually got over it all and fortunately it didn't have a negative effect on my weight loss competions.

Michael and I went to see Chris Tomlin when he and Louis Giglio came to Jonesboro. Wow, what an amazing worship! God was at work in the Convocation Center that night! It was powerful to say the least. The music and the message really spoke to me!

Michael and I have continually increased our mileage every week in preparation for the Kentucky Derby Festival Half Marathon. We're both getting pretty excited about race day. This will be my fourth half marathon and Michael's first. I can't wait to share this experience with him. In celebration of this milestone and our seven year wedding anniversary we're going to head out to Scottsdale, AZ for a few days! Michael's dream is to play the TPC course there. He's so excited he can't stand it. I get the biggest thrill out of seeing him happy, so its a win-win! I'll ride with him while he plays his round and take TONS of pictures!

The bodybuilding.com $100,000 Body Transformation Challenge ended Tuesday, April 5. I lost 43.5 lbs in 12 weeks! I am thrilled with my results. I actually bought a bikini for the first time in my life to wear in my 'after' pictures. I'm struggling with posting those for the world to see. I'm very happy with them, but have mixed emotions about posting them here. Something doesn't feel right about it. They were intended for the bodybuilding.com contest and that's what I'll use them for. So, I'm not posting them on my blog. They are available on my bodyspace profile for those that care to see them. The final weigh-in for Biggest Loser has been extended to April 21st due to all of the snow days earlier in the year. I hope to continue losing at a rate of no less than 2 lbs a week. I'm really hitting the weights and the cardio hard right now and I have my eyes set on first place! I'll definitely keep you posted. 

Finally, the biggest development since my last post is that I'm going to Peru on a mission trip this summer! God has given me a heart for missions and I could not be more happy about being led in this direction! I will be sharing the Gospel to people who may have never even heard of Jesus Christ! I'm already in touch with a wonderful guy via facebook who is one of the translators. Its been such a joy getting to know him. I don't know that I have ever had someone so far away praying for me and me for him...but now I do and its an amazing thing!

I am absolutely floored at the abundance of blessings that have been bestowed upon me. God is at work in my life and heart and I can see it and feel it. He's been doing some big things.  He's placing people in my path that are having major impact on my life. I've tried to explain what their friendship and leadership mean to me, but there aren't sufficient words. I pray that they can understand how truely grateful I am for their prescence in my life. He is also revealing Himself to me daily through His Word. I have never claimed to be a Biblical scholar. I'm actually ashamed of my lack of Biblical knowledge and have often made the statement that I enjoy learning on the level of my students and Cubbies. But lately verses are presented to me daily that speak directly to me! Amazing!
 
So, there you have it. That's what I've been up to. As my competitions end and the semester of EE draws near, I hope to have more time to write. I can't make any promises because I have no idea what tomorrow holds. But know that I will blog when I have time.

sick

I'm not complaining about being sick...quite the opposite. The title of this blog is 'sick' because I am merely sick today. I've been feeling pretty bad since Saturday. I think my amazing husband gave me a bug that started giving him trouble last Thursday. It started with a cough and then got really mucus-y, then an ear ache, body aches, no energy...when it finally moved to my chest and I was scared my lung was going to pop out of my mouth I decided to take the afternoon off and go to the doctor. He confirmed the obvious...I'm sick. Asthmatic bronchitis, accute sinusitis and ear infection. I'm not too sure what the 'asthmatic' means...I don't have asthma, but whatever. Steroid shot to the hip, antibiotics and cough syrup. I'm in bed with my dogs this afternoon with no plans of running, lifting weights or bootcamp until...hmmm...this weekend? I have a race Saturday morning that I don't think would be smart to run...but don't count me out yet. So, I'm left here blogging and watching some woman on Oprah who apparently had A LOT of money and lost it all. She did say something I like just a minute ago.  When asked if she was now living from pay check to pay check she said 'no, I'm living prayer to prayer.' That's good stuff. I got a couple of magazines at Walgreens when I went to get my drugs and I have no plans of leaving this bed to do anything other than eat and go to the bathroom until tomorrow morning. And then, only if I'm feeling better, will I go to work. Do you know how many dreary days I've sat at my desk and thought of how nice it would be to snuggle up in my bed with my dogs? A few. But, I'm never able to do it because of obligations or other responsibilites. Today, I get to do it. And I don't feel bad about it. Sunny, Dallas and I are all snuggled up enjoying each others company. They aren't saying much...its really just me doing the talking, but its fun to just hang out with them and do nothing. Yay for this little blessing...of being sick. ;)

*Biggest Loser/Body Transformation weigh in #6...down 3 lbs for the week for a total of 27.5 in 6 weeks! I'm thrilled that I haven't slowed down in my losses yet. I'm at 203 now...lighter than I've been in some time. I'm seeing big gains in my lifting too. I'm getting alot stronger and getting more definition.

busy

Wow, its been a while! When did my life get so busy? I used to not have a life outside of working, working out and sleeping. Now Michael and I are both training for a half marathon, I'm training to be assistant director of AWANA Cubbies, I'm doing EE, we are teaching Sunday School, I'm on the planning committee for the Jonesboro Marathon, I'm still working, I'm trying to get in two workouts a day and I still have to find time for at least 8 hours of sleep a night. Throw in a diabetic dog, five or six meals and a gallon of water a day and you have my life as I know it, right now, in a nut shell. I also have an article for fitnessforus.com that I'm supposed to be working on (BTW great site! Check it out when you can!). Whew! I say all of this because I'm really bummed I haven't had more time to blog. Who am I kidding, I haven't had time to even think of a topic to blog about. So tonight, you get me blogging about my busy life...that I would have NO OTHER WAY! I'm so blessed I can't even wrap my mind around! Yeah, my stress level is higher than normal, but I'm not stressed out. When I approach stressed out I stop everything I'm doing, find a quiet place, take a few deep breaths and pray. Immediately I'm brought back to my reality which is that God is in control and everything will work out according to his plan. Then, I get back to it and give it my best, which is all I have to offer. So, there you have it. I hope to improve on my time management skills and have the opportunity to blog more soon. But in the meantime, rest assured that I'm doing one of the above mentioned activities and loving every minute of it! :)

*Tuesday marked the end of Week 5 of my 12 week Body Transformation/Biggest Loser Contest. Its also the end of Phase 1 in the program I'm following. I lost 24.5 lbs and I'm pretty excited about my results so far. That's more than 10% of my initial body weight which should have me close to if not at the top of the competition. I also posted progress pics on my bodyspace profile which can be found by clicking on the link to the left. I'll spare those that don't want to see them, but you really can tell some big changes are happening.

**My sister is having her baby Tuesday! Cruz Smith Haralson should make his appearance around 2:30. I'm pretty stinking excited about it! Please keep Leann, my sister, in your prayers. Thanks. :)