I'm IN....

I got in- I am one of the Top 4!
Now it all begins, being real. There is no hiding here right becasue I asked and went public and said will you vote for me?, well that makes it real becasue the eyes are watching. I am being held accountable and this time I am so excited and JAZZED!

I am ready this time.
Ready for a forever change.
Ready for a new life
Ready to finish something (I am not good at finishing things I start)

2010 will be a great year.

I get up tomorrow at 5:45am to leave the house by 6am to get to the workout which starts at 6:30. MWF repeat 3 times a week.

I am hoping to get in at least 2-3 times a week at least a 20 minute walk. We have an eliptical and a treadmill plus the WiiFit so no more excuses right.

I weighed tonight at 9:30pm and I weighed in at 195lbs. My 5'2" frame says that is about 75 lbs too much. That is 2 of Julia and 2 1/2 Aaron (he weighs almost 30lbs)

It's gonna feel good- I am going to feel good.... so remind me of that in a few days or weeks when it gets hard and the excuses come, Will you remind me of how it will feel?

I'm IN!

Voting Time

http://www.spirit1053.com/40days.php?articleID=523

Here is the link to my profile page for the 40 day Health and Fitness Challenge.
Voting is open 1/2-1/8, you click on the Vote for your top 4. you enter in your email and it takes you to a page where you can select the top 4. Some people have been entering 1 person in all 4 slots or entering in who the top 4 should be.

I can not even beging to describe the way I feel about this.
My heart is all over the place, but I really really want this.

Last night when i went to my profile page and saw the comments I had the lovely messages folks took to write to me I was honored. I had 12 comments and they are precious!!! Then I did something dumb clicked on Kathryn's name and she had 46. My heart sank. My enemy started to creep in there with the doubt and fear. "Who do you think you are?" "See no one really cares"
Then I stopped and said nope not going there. I deserve this and I want this. How do I get votes well I don't know I asked friends and family to vote for me but it's truly up to the listeners. The unknown out there, the lady i am standing next to in line at the grocery store. It might be her, she might be the deciding factor. What this taught me is that treat everyone how Jesus would treat them, you truly never know when that person is going to impact your life again. They might be the organ donor who saves your life or someone you know, they might be the deciding vote that changes your life. The reality- treat everyone as Jesus would treat them, Grace, Mercy, Compassion, Love.

Voting is open, comments are open..... I can't wait until Jan 8th/Jan 9th when we hear who is the final 4.

Thanks

It might be me.....

I am so excited right now... our local radio station Spirit 105.3 is doing this 40 day health and fitness challenge. I am one of the 8 qualifiers. Starting Jan 2nd people can go out online and vote for me to be one of the 4 finalists in this challenge.

Here is the link: http://www.spirit1053.com/familyfun.php?articleID=490

What's in it for me besides losing weight- getting healthy and growing with God- well here it is:
1) Each of the 4 contestants will be sporting a new pair of New Balance 1010 cross-trainers (retail $110). These premier multi-purpose cross-trainers offer supportive and cushioning from runs on the pavements to the most grueling indoor workouts.

2) Each of the 4 contestants will have access twice a week to Olympus Spa each week allowing them to focus on their health and body relaxation after their tough workouts. This includes herbal hydrotherapy pools, earth energy rooms, steam, sauna and more for a whole day.

3) Each of the 4 contestants will recieve one meal per week throughout the competition to Taco Time. Grand prize of $100 gift certificate to Taco Time for overall winner.

4) 40 Day Extreme Makeover by God. Millennium Chiropractic will be giving all four participants: Body by God, The Owners Manual for Maximized Living book by Dr. Ben Lerner. 6 week Registration in Body By God Workshops to be held at Puyallup Four Square Church.

5) AIM Fitness - Annual Membership for Final 3 Contestants, Lifetime Membership for overall winner

I turn 40 in March and at this moment i am very unhealthy and obese. (such a yucky word) but it's the truth. So if I am chosen to be one of the final 4 i get to blog about the challenge, do the workouts with a trainer, keep a food journal... and the best thing is I can encourage others including my family.

I'll post more info when they have the profiles online and voting begins.

but right now .... It might be me!!!!

Do you know Someone?

a Blog that I follow and a facebook friend is doing an amazing thing this holiday season. Read about it here: http://elisemarieliptackphotography.blogspot.com/

Elise is going to bless someone this year- someone who really deserves and needs a reminder of their family and be reminded of the JOY. Someone who has struggled- someone who might be forgotten... Do you know someone?

Please go visit Elise's blog and read about how to enter someone who really will be blessed!!

Happy Holidays

HP TouchSmart Giveaway over at MckMama

http://mckgiveaways.blogspot.com/2009/12/hp-touchsmart-giveaway.html

From MckMama's site - here is how to enter over on her site:

One of you is going to be able to win your very own HP TouchSmart 600!!!!!!

Yuppers, BlogHer and HP have teamed up to allow MckMama to give one away to one of you!!!! click here to read the other reviewers.

You have five chances to win!

For more information, see the official site here.

And here is how it goes, if you'd like to try to win your very own, brand spanking new HP TouchSmart.

1. You may leave a comment on this post to get one entry.

2. You can Tweet or Facebook about this contest, linking to my blog, and then leave another comment here saying "I Tweeted!" or "I Facebooked!" for a second entry, leaving the link to the Tweet or Facebook update.

3. You'll get a third entry if you blog about this contest, link to my blog, and leave yet another comment saying "I blogged about it," leaving the blog link.

This giveaway is open to US Residents, aged 18 and older. The contest runs from today, December 9, 2009 until Christmas Eve. Winners will be announced then after having been selected via random draw and will notified by e-mail. Once I announce the winner, you will have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.Please see the official rules here: Official rules

The Language of Love & Respect Book Review

This book is a retitled paperback release of Cracking the Communication Code.

Dr. Eggerichs explains that men speak the language of respect, and women speak the language of love. He also presents an easy to use approach for how husbands and wives can learn to speak each other's languages. He talks about the three cycles of marriage: The Energizing Cycle, The Crazy Cycle and The Rewarded Cycle, and gives strategies to prevent getting stuck in "The Crazy Cycle." It can be quite repetitive, but the lessons inside are invaluable to a strong marriage.

"The Language of Love and Respect" is a very good book. Dr. Eggerichs is easy to read and the applications he suggests seem realistic, and his writing style is peppered with wit and relevant anecdotes. The book is written like a good reference manual, where someone could pick it up, select a principle to briefly read, and understand it in a few short paragraphs because following each of the typical introductory paragraphs, Dr. Eggerichs includes several stories to further explain the presented concepts to his readers.

Eggerichs also explains the chairs/couple concept to explain this difference and what males and females must do in order to communicate with each other better. These concepts, as well as the TUFTS concept are presented in a clear, understandable way that makes them easy to internalize and use in real life.
I recommend the book but just take your time and try not to go through it quickly.

A Different Christmas Poem

Someone forwarded this email to me and I just had to share.

The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,

I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.

My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,

My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.

Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,

Transforming the yard to a winter delight.

The sparkling lights in the tree I believe,

Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.

My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,

Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep.

In perfect contentment, or so it would seem,

So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.

The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,

But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear.

Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know,

Then thesure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.

My soul gave a tremble,

I struggled to hear,

And I crept to the door just to see who was near.

Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,

A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.

A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old,

Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.

Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,

Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.

"What are you doing?" I asked without fear,"Come in this moment, it's freezing out here!

Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,

You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!"

For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,

Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts…

To the window that danced with a warm fire's light

Then he sighed and he said, "Its really all right, I'm out here by choice.

I'm here every night."It's my duty to stand at the front of the line,

That separates you from the darkest of times.

No one had to ask or beg or implore me,

I'm proud to stand here like my fathers before me.

My Gramps died at ' Pearl on a day in December,"

Then he sighed, "That's a Christmas 'Gram always remembers."

My dad stood his watch in the jungles of ' Nam ',

And now it is my turn and so, here I am.

I've not seen my own son in more than a while,

But my wife sends me pictures, he's sure got her smile.”

Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,

The red, white, and blue... an American flag.

“I can live through the cold and the being alone,

Away from my family, my house and my home.

I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,

I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat.

I can carry the weight of killing another,

Or lay down my life with my sister and brother..

Who stand at the front against any and all,

To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall."

"So go back inside," he said, "harbor no fright,

Your family is waiting and I'll be all right."

But isn't there something I can do, at the least,

"Give you money," I asked, "or prepare you a feast?

It seems all too little for all that you've done,

For being away from your wife and your son."

Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,

"Just tell us you love us, and never forget.

To fight for our rights back at home while we're gone,

To stand your own watch, no matter how long.

For when we come home, either standing or dead,

To know you remember we fought and we bled.

Is payment enough, and with that we will trust,

That we mattered to you as you mattered to us."

PLEASE, would you do me the kind favor of sending this to as many people as you can? Christmas will be coming soon and some credit is due to our U.S service men and women for our being able to celebrate these festivities. Let's try in this small way to pay a tiny bit of what we owe. Make people stop and think of our heroes, living and dead, who sacrificed themselves for us.
LCDR Jeff Giles, SC, USN30th Naval Construction RegimentOIC, Logistics Cell OneAl Taqqadum, Iraq