Friends, Foods, and Crazy Thoughts!

My dear friend Frances from Fitness Ridge came to the Blue Ridge Mountains with her family a couple of weeks ago. We went up to have dinner with them and hang out.

No trip to Blowing Rock is final until the trip to Kilwin's is made. Our two families outside of the ice cream parlor. No Frances and I didn't get any:)

Here is my new favorite. Choc strawberries aside, this is one of the sugar free box cakes made with egg whites and applesauce instead of oil!

Summer is in full swing. Our garden is birthing all kinds of goodies, the goat babies are growing like weeds, and the boys have gone to camp and returned to tell about it. That makes it official. Although, it also means that summer will soon be over and we will be ushering in beautifully cool mornings, changing leaves, new pencils with fresh erasers and fresh text books. It also means for me that the height of the Thankful Goat Business is about to boom.

It has given me just enough time after Fitness Ridge to learn a little of the new normal and go crazy at the same time. I have started balancing my eating, exercising, maintaining act. So far, so good. I have a treat meal about once a week, but haven't really gone nuts yet. I thought I did one day, until I counted up the calories and found I came in under 2,000. Not bad. At this time I am maintaining my weight loss. I think my body needs a little time to recover from the 54 lbs. I have lost in the last 7 months. I'm OK with that. But my mind isn't. I have been told it takes a little time for your mind to catch up with your body. So here's what I'm seeing. I look in the mirror and I've been home long enough to not see the new skinnier me, but a me that still needs to lose about 30 lbs. This me can't possible be the same one who just returned from Fitness Ridge. I should try on that dress that fit so good the day I got home.....still fits, hmm. I should try on the shorts. OK, the same. Maybe I should weigh again. Still the same. Somethings different. Go back and look in the mirror. Yes, I know what you are thinking, "She's totally lost it!!!!!!!!!" And at this point you know what I would say? "I think you might be right." I have lost muscle tone sure, who wouldn't. At the Ridge you were toning a couple hours a day, and at home you are lucky to get in an hour or two a week with all the cardio. It's driving me insane. I'm not an obsessive person. But this has me reeling. Perhaps I will have to call Jen the life coach at the Ridge, love the way they will help you out even when you go home. They will do whatever they can to make your success wonderful and permanent.

On August 28th, to celebrate my weight loss, Steve and I are running in the Carolinas Warrior Dash. Three miles of running with military rope climbing walls, mud crawling under barbed wire, and other wonderous fun. You know I wanted to do the Tough Mudder, but I couldn't handle the 10 miles of running yet, so Steve found this one. You get a finisher medal, a t-shirt (my favorite) and OK get ready...A VIKING HELMET! I shall wear that bad boy proudly. Given I actually make it to the finish line and don't keel over and have to be ushered away on a stretcher. There will be rock bands, fire jumping, and turkey legs, a real barbarian Vikingpalooza. Maybe I should take Athena (like in the Capitol One commercials). Oh, for those of you who don't know, she's my pet goat and bestie.

Steve also surprised me with another fun treat. He's so wonderful;) Next Saturday is the Biggest Loser casting call for Charlotte, NC. He informed me today that we will be going!!!!! A gift from him to me. I'm so excited. Excited to go, but even more excited that for the first time in fourteen years I would not be allowed to audition, because I'm too skinny!!!! Yeah! So, I was thinking what I could do while we are there and you know me. I'm loving the fact that there will be so many people there who need encouragement. I want to print up pieces of paper with my blog website on them to hand out. I want to look them every one in the eye and tell them THEY CAN and THEY ARE WORTH IT! And I'VE BEEN WHERE YOU ARE! I want to tell them no matter what happens, whether they make the show or not, they can change their lives. I want to encourage them to go to the Ridge if they don't make it on the show. After all, these are brave souls. I filled out the paper work for Biggest Loser and didn't have the ability to mail it in. They will actually be there ready to get picked, desparate for a new life. I want so much for each of them to get that.

So think of me this week. Riding the 'crazy train' (a little Ridge humor for Gretchen), playing the WWCE game (what would chef eat), and running my buns off, oh, and jumping, and climbing, and crawling to train for the Dash. You know the drill. What are you lacking today to help you climb that next mountain? Whatever it is, find it and get those hiking shoes on. The only way is up:)