This and That, Thither and Yon'

It's been a busy few weeks since I last posted. My commitment to maintaining a healthier lifestyle is stronger than ever. God is blessing me in so many, many ways.

I spent a few days in Kingsville helping a friend pack for her in-laws who are moving here to be nearer to family. We were able to get quite a bit packed up and transported to their new townhome. We are anxious for them to make the big move!

After that the two of us and another good friend spent a week at Lake Travis. It was just glorious. The three of us just lounged around, reading, watching movies, floating in the lake, etc. We acted like we didn't have a care in the world. It was a retreat of sorts for all three of us. We've known each other since before any of us had children, so we have lots of history together!

I'm back at home for a few days, but Skip and I will be leaving on Thursday to go hunting at an exotic ranch. We'll spend a night or two with my mom as we go and come back from the ranch. I sure hope he gets some meat for the freezer! Of course, I will not be actually hunting, but I will enjoy the opportunity to get away with Skip and spend some quiet time out in God's beautiful creation.

My "South Beach Buddy" and I are enjoying our efforts. She is one of the "lake trip trio." Even at the lake we had so much fun cooking good, healthy food and encouraging each other. I'm really getting into this cooking thing. Having worked outside the home for so many years, and then with it just being the two of us at home, it has been way too easy to avoid cooking and just head for the fast food or rich and heavy eating out. It is amazing how my tastes have changed in such a short amount of time. Vegetables and fruits never tasted so good. I truly think God is helping me with this by giving me the courage to try new things with confidence. I shall be timid no longer.

I am feeling lots better from a physical perspective and even the scales confirm that I'm being successful. I'm trying not to put too much emphasis on the scales, however. This is much more about being healthy and giving glory to God with this temple he has so graciously given me.

On another exciting note, I'm getting ready to order a new vehicle. My 1999 model has been great, but it's time to get something else. I've settled on a Saturn Outlook. It's a new model for Saturn this year, and it's really a good looking vehicle. I needed something with better fuel economy that would still give me space. There will be room for all of the grandchildren in this one! Not sure we will ever have all of them in the car with us at one time, but just in case....

Guess that covers an update for now. I'll post when we get back from "the hunt" and let you know if there is meat in the freezer.

May those who read this continue to be blessed. I pray for you to experience the presence of God in your lives and to enjoy his bountiful love and grace.

And just for Angie - I'm so proud of you! Know that I'm praying for you every day. We Taurus "bulls" need to stand strong together. God made sure our lives intersected for a special purpose, and our dedication to better physical and spiritual health is surely one of the reasons!

Let's Get Summer Started!!

I know summer is not "officially" here yet, but in our area of the country it sure feels like summer. We are having our first week of temperatures in the 90's! Hot and humid!!

So, I'm on a mission for the next year (make that the rest of my life). That mission is to improve my physical being. I've spent a year dedicated to my spiritual being, and now it's time to get this Temple in shape!

I was truly inspired by Robin McGraw at the National Women of Faith Conference in San Antonio earlier this year. She talked about losing her mother when her mother was still young and how she missed having her mother with her as her own children grew up, etc. Because of that, Robin makes a very concerted effort to keep herself physically fit. She considers it a gift not only to herself, but to her husband, children, extended family, and to God. Listening to her talk about her mother while my own grown daughter sat next to me was quite convicting. At one point she even gave me a gentle nudge as if to say, "Are you listening, Mom? I don't want to experience what she's talking about. Take care of yourself, please!"

SO, I have begun in earnest. I have a precious friend who has made a commitment with me. We have actually shared our real weight with each other. No one else other than my doctor knows that number! We are currently on the first two weeks of the South Beach Diet. We've done this before and been successful, but as time went by we made poor choices and found ourselves right back where we started - or worse! After talking about it, we decided that maybe it was because we were really trying to do it on our own with no one else helping to hold us accountable. Thus, our commitment to each other was born.

I have also come to realize that I cannot be successful at this if I continue to hate myself for what I have done to my body. That's right I said hate. It's a strong word, but I've realized I had very strong feelings. As a child I was the "skinny" one. Even through college I was very thin, and never seemed to have to worry about my weight. That, in my opinion now, was NOT a blessing. I never learned to eat in a healthy way. I know I was much more physically active then, and that probably accounts for the ease of keeping my weight at or well below recommended levels.

Since then I have yo-yoed my way through more pounds than you care to know about. And I am letting go of thinking about that!

Because of my spiritual growth this past year, I have come to realize that I must first love myself as I am and be content with that. Only then can I truly begin to change things. Acceptance of that has been hard. I am so thankful that God has taught me so much about his unconditional love this last year. What a gift! I believe Him now. Why does it take so long for us (me!) to believe Him? I don't know. I'm just grateful to be where I am now.

I will not be giving weekly specifics on my progress, but I will post occasional "aha" moments and joyful experiences. I appreciate your prayers for me as I enter yet another phase of "growth." And here I thought that by age 58 I would be all grown up. Yea, right! If I ever declare myself fully grown would someone please slap me back into reality?!

My wish for all who may read this is that we will become more and more aware of God's presence in our lives, and more and more dependent upon Him to supply all that we need. He does a great job!!