Such a Slacker

I first apologize to you those that have wondered if I have fallen off the face of the earth or if I was just ignoring you. Things have been amazing. I have had some amazing changes in my life and am in such a great place.

First this past semester was probably one of my toughest with hard courses and God doing great things in my life. During this semester I was challenged intellectually, emotionally, spiritually, physically and at times was was certain psychologically.

This semester I completed my first 5K! It was awesome. This was a goal that I had set and was not sure I would ever see it completed. But I did it. With training plans created by my fav Janice! and then reinforced and supported by Kevin. With the help of family and friends I raised money to save the penguins and then on run day I had Shelly and Mandi (my new friend! yay Mandi) to share the sweetness of the day with. The run was a fundraiser to help raise money for the penguins, and it was awesome. I had trained to complete the run in 47 minutes I wasn't sure how I would do. I knew I could complete the run, but I was certain I would walk more than I ran and that who knows how long it would take. In actuality I was able to complete the run in 37 minutes, and ran a really good majority of it. The next one in october! This time we are running on Coney Island to the Aquarium. (Maybe you should join us!)

This was a huge victory! To have set this goal and then to finally be able to meet it and see it finished was amazing. I never would have thought I would be at a level of physically fitness to be able to complete this. How awesome!

This semester I had the privilege of working with two different classes both that I think impacted my life in huge ways, and ways I am still understanding. One was called Personal Spiritual Formation and the other was Developing a Women's Gifts and Callings. Both of these classes helped to enlighten me about lies I had believed about myself and the reason why I do the things I do. They both affirmed for me that I have been chosen and gifted uniquely and both of these classes help to show me the amazing group of people that are in my life. Through both these classes I met some amazing women and men, all of whom I am so glad have come into my life. I am a girl with great favor on her life. It is amazing. That is one thing that I am taking away from these two classes, that I am called to be just who I am and there are some amazing people in my community around me. People that care for me and want to see me thrive. What a great blessing.

This semester, I also had the privileged of journeying further on the road of development. The newly vested (not sure that is the right word) Dr! Amy Davis wrote a thesis about rites of passage for evangelical women. What a great thing! Then put her dissertation into practice but inviting myself and 9 other women to journey through a passage to help us transition from Girlhood to womanhood. For many women in the past this transition was marked by marriage and creating a family but for some of us those things haven't happened, yet we are women and we need to understand that about ourselves. This journey was a great capstone piece to me. It has changed the way I view myself, the way I present myself, how I talk and act, and also the way I interact with the women in my life around me. It was an amazing journey and this spring it culminated in a formal ceremony with tea and desserts. Check out my facebook page for some pictures .

I am now currently about 18 lbs from my first goal. I can't believe it! Yes I am still loosing weight and working on life change although it seems so much in my life has been changing.

I have found that my struggle with eating will always be a part of my life. I think it is that way for most of us, but the question I have been asking is do I want this to remain my identity. I have taken on the idea that I will always be the heavy girl. But that isn't truth. In fact I have made some great changes. It is hard. There is no magic pill. Nothing that just makes it melt away. in fact , in reality it is one of the hardest if not the hardest thing I have ever done.

You see, when you are addicted to other things you can keep them out of your life. Never go near them again, but with food you will always have to be around it.

So life change is what is necessary. You need to change the way you think, feel, act, and respond to food and your life. It has been hard. It has meant doing things completely differently then the way i would initially react and do them. My current goal, to loose the last 18 lbs. and then to maintain that weight for 6months. TO find out if life change has really begun to sink in. Then evaluate do I want/need to loose more. I want to see if in the maintaining I can just do life. Live it not have it be the forefront of my focus. Have I changed my lifestyle enough to allow for my focus to be on life and not mainly my weight, or physicality. I want to know if it has become me. Not just a program or plan, if it is life not just something I am doing.

I am so excited to see what the next step is especially since I am turning 30! In just a little over a month! I can't wait. Stay tuned for more updates now that I am out of school updates should be more regular.