I LOST 50 pounds! OH MY!

For the FIRST time in my life I lost weight without actually trying... Okay that isn't completely true... at first I wasn't trying and then I noticed my pants getting a little looser and I started trying.

50 pounds... WOW! I knew I had lost weight... clothes that no longer fit... clothes that didn't use to fit do.... new clothes getting too big... but I had no CLUE it was that much. Because of our remodel my scale was packed away until this week. I am SO not someone who would jump on a scale at Publix or something like that... so I had no clue until the scale came out of the box. I set it on the floor... no one was home.... just me and the scale... I stepped on it and stood there in awe... 50 pounds... GONE! Now in order to appreciate this... you gotta know... I am just NOT one of those people that looses weight without really REALLY trying... in fact.. to the contrary I am someone that gains weight just hearing the word... cheesecake... as someone that also attends Flamingo Road Church... this should have made me GAIN at least 50 pounds in the last few months. Pastor Troy often mentions CHEESECAKE in his teachings.

This weight loss occurred over a few months.... I can't really explain why it has been fairly easy for me this time around. I did start a new medication that can make you have less of an appetite. But I am truly thinking there is just no way that is all of it. The rest is God... I'm sure of it. My life has grown increasingly more fulfilling since totally turning to God. I think that has done something in the way my body processes food. I am less stressed as a whole.. I know they say stress causes your body to retain fat... In short... I don't really know exactly why but I am so thankful the weight has finally started to come off. I gotta tell you... I had pretty much given up trying to loose weight. It was just too slow of a process and truly too hard to tackle. But now that I have gotten this jump start... I feel continued success within my reach!

I know you are probably wondering... 50 pounds... hmmmm wonder what she weighs now. I know my family is... but I'm not telling them and I'm not telling you. The deal is... when I have reached the weight I feel comfortable at... I'll tell what I was and what I am.....Until then just celebrate the loss with me!

I've told some people (ahem... bestest friend in the whole wide world... I'm talking about YOU) in my life that I've lost weight and they've been like REALLY?????? Which is sorta shocking to me... but then again in another way it is kind of nice. I guess they weren't really looking at the weight... they were seeing me. But in case you are one of those people and you can't see a 50 pound loss when you look at me I have included a few pics for you. The first one shows me on Easter Sunday of this year when I was baptized. A great day! and the second was taken just recently while on vacation in Memphis visiting my brother and nephew David. That, too cute for words, little angel I am holding is my nephew.

Life Update - Trunk or Treat & Halloween Pics, My Niece

I have been on a blog-cation and a twitter-cation too. No actually, I have been crazy busy this past week or so. My Room Mom duties and serving at FRC have kept me jumping, filling up most of my time. It's not usually this consuming but this past week WOW! Its been good.... its been fun.... but I have side stepped and post poned pretty much everything else I usually do to get it all done.

Its truly not over yet.... I serve in the Resource Ministry at FRC, which is the ministry that does the SOURCE store. Sells all the FRC goodies we love so much. I can't let the cat out of the bag... but the SOURCE is going to be catching your eye more in the coming months. The first eye catcher will occur, not this weekend, but the next. All I can say is.... make sure, if you are attending that week (and I SO hope you are) that you have some time to shop. If you want to be in on all the eye catchers BEFORE they happen, the SOURCE, like all of our great ministries at FRC, is always looking for people who want to serve. I may be a little biased, but I think the SOURCE is a great place to serve! It is a nice laid back atmosphere and lots of fun. You get to come in contact with people that have been attending the church forever and new people there for the first time. Not to mention the Resource ministry is run by my dear and WONDERFUL friend Janette. She will make you feel right at home in our little Source family. End of Source plug.... sorry I had to. Its been such a blessing in my life.

The biggest news I have to share is about my husband, Kevin. He has been appointed the Director of the Usher Ministry. He is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO honored to have even been considered for it. It really took us both by surprise. The moment he was offered the position I knew he would take it even before we talked about it. I could see it in his eyes, I know him and after Troy's amazing First Wednesday service on the Vision, we have both been looking for ways to do more to support the VISION. I know Kevin will do a great job in his new role and I will be in the background to help him with the administrative side of it all. He's really great at motivating people even when the task ahead isn't so palatable. This has been his life's work professionally for over 20 years now. He is THRILLED to get to use those skills for God's Vision for our church and His Kingdom. Yes this means we will both be spending more time at FRC and our weekends will be REALLY full. But if you haven't tried serving yet, let me tell you... it becomes almost addictive. You start out doing a little and before you know it YOU are asking to do more and more. It is an incredibly rewarding thing and you know when you see the faces of FRC attendees, that you ARE making a Kingdom Difference. What better "difference" can you make in life? In our family we are very blessed to all be working towards that TOGETHER. Even our little Manda, 10 years old, LOVES helping out at FRC. If she knows we are going to church during the week to work on something she is bouncing up and down begging to go with us. It has changed our family's priorities in the best of ways and I pray other families get to experience that as well.

Another big update.... my baby niece... Bethany Dean.... news of her was a big surprise to us all. Last Saturday I got a phone call from my brother Jerod, I think he was shell shocked to say the least. Happy, but shocked. I am pretty sure he called me right after he heard... hadn't had time to digest it. Lil' Miss Bethany Dean is 17 months old and her mother, Ashley, has been trying to locate my brother and let him know she is his. My brother is a Merchant Marine... he travels the globe via the water and air. We never know where he is at any given time. He'll call from Angola or Pakistan. Ashley didn't have contact info for him that worked (cell phone number changes etc.) and has been diligently trying to locate him for over 2 years now. So Bethany Dean is a welcome addition to the family and we are all thrilled to have her in our lives, but it was a shock! She is the little blond haired angel you see in the slideshow. I am praying hard for my brother, he is sooooo trying to have a good life and get all his ducks in a row. He had to battle in court to prove he was the father of his little boy, David and was just getting to enjoy some real quality time with him on his time off from work. Now he will be trying to connect and be a father with 2 children that he has missed crucial time with. That is a big blow for him to handle. As kooky as my brother has been at times in his life he is a phenomenal Dad and his heart is so in the right place now. He just wants to take care of them both. I pray God will find a way for him to be there for them both even though they live hours apart. I also pray God will allow time for little David and little Bethany to be together with their Dad and develop that sense of family they all deserve. Jerod, if you are reading my blog... and you SO should BE... I love you .... You can do this... I know you can! You are amazing with kids, always have been. This won't be easy of course, but YOU can do it! David and Bethany are BLESSED to have you as their Dad! And I am blessed to have you as a brother! I'll see you soon.... can't wait!