Bliss!

April was a good month. The first two weeks I spent diligently preparing for one of my best friend’s wedding. I was so excited, probably more so than her (she was rather stressed, to say the least). I had never been in a wedding before(aside from my own), and I was the matron of honor. One of my responsibilities was to host the bridal shower/bachelorette party.
Out on the town!

The Happy Bride


The night was filled with good food, laughter, and some “passion” secrets. I also came to the realization that I am too old and too young to go out. We had a great time, but I don’t think the night scene is for everyone. We spent a lot of time dodging dirty old men who looked like their primary residence was the club! At some point you have to grow up. Partying that hard ages you. I don’t know about you, but I am trying to stay as youthful as possible! We are in our early thirties, which is an awkward time in adulthood. You are too old to hang with the twenty somethings, and too young to hang with the REALLY grown, sexy forty and up crowd. Be that as it may, my goal was for the bride to have a good time, and I think collectively as a bridal party we achieved that. The wedding itself was very beautiful. The bride looked gorgeous, of course, and as a first time bridesmaid I must say I felt very pretty. I think we all were grateful that she didn’t pick out anything that was unflattering or fugly (yes, fugly is a word, and I have seen plenty of attire that would fit this description!). I actually took time out to get lessons on how to apply my own make up. For an amateur, I think I did a pretty decent job .
Getting pretty!

I love that dress!I will wear it again!

As I was looking back through the pictures, I could not believe how toned I looked. I still feel as if I have a long way to go, but it was such a shock to see muscle definition in my arms and how skinny my neck was, lol(my husband says he can always tell that I am losing weight because my neck is the first to go). Though I was tired after the party, the rehearsal, and the wedding, it was a great weekend! I reconnected with old friends and celebrated the love between two great individuals.

I also managed to get in some good runs with a couple of girls from BGR Jacksonville. Oh, you didn’t think the whole weekend was going to be all fun and no work, did you? Two weeks prior to the wedding I went on a fast from chocolate, cakes, cookies, basically all of the foods that put me in my happy place. I knew that I was going to eat a little more than usual (and possibly drink a little, too). I wanted to make sure I had room to grow if necessary. We got back from a night on the town around 12:30 am. I was up at 4:30 am heading to meet a girl to run. I even got in my squats and dead lifts afterwards. On that Sunday, I met another friend and we took a scenic walk/run on the bridges in downtown Jacksonville early in the a.m. I lived in Jacksonville for 10 years of my life and I had never done this. The skyline is so beautiful early in the morning, and it was such a peaceful time. When I got home and weighed myself, I actually lost the couple of pounds I had gained. Although I love the Charlotte area, I always enjoy going back home to see my family. I need that type of familial love around me every now and then. Something about it rejuvenates my spirit. I also had to resolve that it may be the last time I see the house my mom and stepdad have lived in for the past 9 years because they are moving to Charlotte to be closer to me! However, I will continue to go back to visit my dad and other family members. My roots are in the Ville!



Jacksonville Skyline at 6 am

In other news, it is now the month of May. I am on to a couple of new challenges. The first is doing away with the scale. The thought of this terrified me. As I said in an earlier post, I tend to weigh myself on a daily basis as a way to keep my eating in check. I discovered that this habit was becoming very obsessive, and it was not necessary anymore because now I am aware of how my body should feel in certain clothes that I wear. At one point my legs felt very heavy, but they have increased in muscle tone because I have been doing like 1,000 squats a day. So as of now, it has been nearly a week since I looked at the scale. It hasn’t been as hard as I thought it would be. Actually, it has been very freeing! I am also on to a new exercise challenge to continue with toning my whole body so I can get sundress and tankini ready (no bikini, too many stretch marks!) I have been presented with an opportunity to blog about my experience with Black Girls Run during our second annual conference, which will be in Charlotte in September.

I will also let you all in on a kinda, sorta, secret(but I have said it before): We are in the process of planning for our second child! I used the word “planning” very loosely, because no matter how much you plan you can never be fully prepared. I say this also to solicit your prayers because we are both a little anxious and wonder how a second child will change our lives.I am also a little apprehensive because I am older now, my body, though healthy, is a lot different than it used to be. Being more active has shot my hormones all over the place. So, a major prayer is that this process will not be more difficult the second time around. I spoke my desire to the universe, but I know God's will will be done.Whatever happens, I count it all joy! By the end of this month, we will be ready to dive on in! lol. At least this time around, I am at a healthy weight and I plan on sustaining an active lifestyle as much as my body will allow. This month has felt like total bliss. I witnessed two great people be joined together for life. I took on some new challenges physically and professionally as a clinical instructor. I do have my stressors (work, people, etc.) but I am in a very happy place and anticipate so many wonderful changes to come. I am my happiest when I am being productive on my own terms, and helping others in the process.


Below is an excerpt from a personal letter I was asked to write to a teen girl encouraging and affirming her worth for a summit hosted this past weekend called “imatter”. I jumped at the chance to write it, because among one of my other aspirations is to be a mentor for a teenage girl. I certainly wished I would have followed my own advice years ago!
“…Take care of yourself, physically, mentally, spiritually. You can’t be completely healthy in one of these areas and not the other two, speaking from personal experience. At my highest weight (without being pregnant) I was 226 lbs. I was mentally exhausted from my job and trying to please other people. Spiritually, I was not where I needed to be. My relationships suffered because I was not happy with me. What good is it to have pretty hair and nails all the time if your body feels and looks like crap, and your life expectancy is only to 40 years old? You cannot do all the things in this life that God desires you to do if you don’t take care of yourself physically first. Losing weight (by exercising daily and eating right) was the best thing that ever happened to me. Now down to a healthy 150 lbs, I discovered a passion I never thought in a million years I would have, the love of running. At the same time I feel like I am doing God’s work and encouraging others to be their best selves, too. Maybe you aren’t overweight, but there is always room for improvement. Getting physically strong will give you mental clarity, spiritual freedom and help you to discover strengths you never thought you had. Getting in shape saved my life!”

Me feeling great!

It has been 8 months since I met my weight loss goal. Some plusses and minuses along the way, but keeping steady over all with new challenges monthly.

“If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you”—Fred Devito