Week #6 Winner

Hi Ladies,

So sorry for the delay in the results this week!  It's been kind of a crazy few days for me.

Here are the top four point earners this week:

Monica Beumeler - 171
Linda Graefe - 164
Carol Brown - 163
Artesia Stivison - 158

I had my good friend and co-worker Alex Street draw this week! 

And the winner of the awesome drink cup, car air fresheners and "How Great is our God" DVD is.........

Congratulations Artesia!!

Alex says, "Hi Artesia!" 

Week #6 Prize

Hey ladies!  Hope your week is going well and that you are taking some time to take care of you!

Here is the prize for this week!

This really tall, bright and cheerful drink cup great for taking to gym filled with ice water!

These super cute strawberry car air fresheners - 3 in the pack! 

And this AMAZING DVD, "How Great is our God" by Louie Giglio!  This is hands down one of the most powerful videos about God I've ever seen!  

The winner this week gets all three!

3 weeks left!

Well, another gain again this week. I seem to lose big and then gain, but still over-all lose, but it's like 1lb every 2 weeks. I'd like to do better. I know it's my eating. I just can't seem to make healthy choices. I'm liking the challenge this week. Definitely doable. Too bad I just got my nails done Saturday, guess I'll have to come up with some other way to treat myself. =) I'm already thinking ahead to what happens when this challenge is over. I'm going to need another challenge to stay motivated to keep up with all these things - prayer time, reading time, exercise, etc... Anyone else thinking about this?

It is hard to believe we are already in week 6. I started this challenge strong. The last couple weeks have been difficult with some medical issues and being in Denver all week last week, dropping my youngest off at college. I am ready to dive back in.

Week #5 winner!

Okay, now is the time!

Here are the top 4 point earners for week #5 and considering how difficult the group challenge was, I have to say a big "CONGRATULATIONS" to each of these ladies for really going to town in the points department!  Way to go!  Let's just say.....I didn't even come close this week!

Carol Brown - 167
Monica Beumeler - 155
Juliet Jones - 145
Colleen Ware - 142


And the winner this week of the Spatula, Notepad and hotpad.....

The groovy chapstick.............

And the Holiness Revolution..............

I had my Noah do the drawing this time........

And the winner is..........

Congratulations Juliet!  This set of prizes is headed your way!

Week #5 Prize

Hey Ladies!

I don't know where this last week went, but boy did it fly by!  I apologize but just didn't have the time until Friday to make it out to get this weeks prize.

So here it is!  Please get your points for week #5 in to me today.  Johnny and I are taking the kids to the BSU Scrimmage this evening so won't be home until around 9:30 - 10pm or so, but I will do the drawing as soon as we get home.  So please send in your points!!

HERE IS THIS WEEKS PRIZE!

This "sweet" little prize will be a nice treat at the end of a week of giving up sweets!  

A bright and colorful potholder, a magnetic-backed note pad and a high quality spatula. 

This great book, "Holiness Revolution" by Dan DeMatte

The world is in dire need of change.  People are hurting. People are turning to empty promises searching for answers.  All along, we have the answer: JESUS. 

In Holiness Revolution, your eyes will be awakened to the need for change in this world.  You will be challenged to live a life of radical discipleship that brings that change.  It's time to stop making excuses and start taking action. 

"Only from God, only from the saints, does true revolution come."  Benedict XVI

This awesome "Inspirational" chap stick.

Here are all three prizes!!

St. Boniface

Since leaving Boise one blessing as been our new parish, St. Boniface.  Growing up in the Northwest most of my life (and all of my Catholic life) I am not used to being in the majority as a Catholic.  It is pretty awesome to walk into mass and be the smallest family around (and we have 4 kids!) Everyone has a brother or cousin that is a priest.  Every mass is celebrated with multiple priests, deacons, and as many as 10 alter servers.  Every Friday there is a children's adoration that is phenomenal!  It is loud and squirmy but amazingly beautiful and reverent.  I am so use to making sure that our kids are sitting still or not being noisy that it is hard for me to focus on Jesus.  Well turns out Jesus doesn't care about all the giggles and ruckus :) The priest leads the kids in thinking of things to pray for.  I love it because it helps me focus my prayers as well.  After just attending 1 of these sessions I can see that the fruit in that parish will be great.  With the grace and prayers of that parish many saints will be made.             

No Sugar!!!

This is what I think about NO SUGAR!!!

The Connection Between God and Weight Loss

I've been diving in to "Made to Crave", which was suggested by Kristi Burton.  Let me say, the idea of food issues being a sign of deep spirituals needs not being properly addressed is not new to me.  WAY back in the day, I did Weigh Down Workshop and have to say it really brought me deeper into my Catholic faith...inspite of the founder being a heretic for denouncing the Trinity!  (I dropped out after that revelation...)  But, there was good foundational information there that really spoke to my heart about why I struggle with food.  After that, I sought a Catholic friendly program and did "The Light Weigh".  Off and on...and through many diet schemes and programs, I have had some success.  I joined Weight Watchers two years ago and lost 38 pounds...and have kept that mostly off.  But, I've become complacent.  I still really need to lose another 20, just to be in the healthy range, yet I keep bouncing back to my WW success and telling myself, "What an accomplishment!"  But inside, the same spiritual struggles remain, manifested in food issues and the constant yo-yo scale.

So, the concepts in"Made to Crave", are not a completely new to me.  But, as I was reading last night, I stumbled upon something that was a very practical tool.  When faced with a temptation, use that as a prayer prompt and envision the conquering of that temptation as removing one brick from the 'food god/palace' we've built and placing it on the path to freedom.  I don't usually consider myself a visual learner, but this was a powerful image for me.  Let me just say...there are A LOT of bricks in the shrine I've created for food, so I think my path to freedom may be extraordinarily LONG, but this is a tool I believe I will use as I journey along this sometimes treacherous road toward loving God has he truly desires me to love.

I need the examples of holy men and women and saints of the Church when the "grey area" makes things foggy...and beauty and fitness and wellness can be such a grey area in the world and in my heart at times! It's difficult in sneaky and silent ways sometimes to be conscientious of calories and exercise - to be able to recognize my body as a temple of the holy spirit in real freedom - without getting hung up on the numbers on the scale or the size of a dress. As a human, I need "both/and"! BOTH my body AND my soul! BOTH healthy foods AND peace in His love for me as a daughter of the King, just as I am!

Mary's my favorite, steadfast example of real, substantial strength and beauty.

Making progress

After four weeks, I was excited yesterday at weigh in to see that I have actually made a little progress!!
Now, if I can just attack these next four weeks with laser focus...!!!

Week #4 Winner

Here are the top 4 point earners!  Congratulations ladies!

Emily Brown  - 170

Linda Graefe - 169

Carol Brown  - 142

Kristi Burton  - 142

And the winner for this week of "LIGHTENING UP"...........

With the very awesome prizes of.............................

The super cool water bottle/mister ...........................

The hilarious Tim Hawkins DVD ...............................

And the book "In His Spirit".....................................

is ................

(I had my really cute husband draw the names tonight........)

And the winner is............

CONGRATULATIONS LINDA!!!!!  

Positive Peer Pressure

My friend Shalimar is getting married in a couple months and has committed to dropping a couple pounds.  She decided that she would do the 30 day shred challenge.  I am a 30 day shred drop out (and Insanity and Body Rock and the list goes on...)  But as moral support and a healthy dose of peer pressure I am making an honest attempt.  Please feel pressured by me to pick up the Jillian Micheal videos at the nearest walmart and join me in losing up to 20lbs in 30 days.

Quality Time

There is an internet chain mail type story that talks about an old women who saves her fine china for a "special occasion" and then realizes at the end of her life that she has never used it.  I am going to be honest I would totally be that lady if I had fine china.  The kids have lots of toys that have not even been opened because I think today is not the day for rock painting or pottery making.  Well with some of my quality time this week we busted out the rock painting, necklace making, and bead work kits.  The kids had so much fun and our garage is a little cleaner.  Win-win!    

 

Roaring Springs Water Park

My family was in town last week, so of course we hit Roaring Springs Water Park.  WOW... nothing like having to parade around in a swim suite to motivate a person to work a little harder on this challenge!!  And to add insult to injury, most of the slides require you to get on a scale before you go down!  (To make sure you fit within the weight requirements.)  And it's not like our Sunday morning, before you eat breakfast or get dressed weigh ins, these are while you are soaking wet!  (I must have VERY thick hair because I gained 5 pounds between rides once!)
On the plus side, my son and I liked going down one of the family rides that requires a minimum of 250 pounds to ride, and we were too small!  So, that was nice.

A friend of mine sent this to me yesterday. I thought I would share it with all of you.

Woman and the Fork
   There was a young woman who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and had been given three months to live. So as she was getting her things 'in order,' she contacted Her Pastor and had him come to her house to discuss certain aspects of her final wishes.
   She told him which songs she wanted sung at the service, what scriptures she would like read, and what outfit she wanted to be buried in.
   Everything was in order and the Pastor was preparing to leave when the young woman suddenly remembered something very important to her.
   'There's one more thing,' she said excitedly..
   'What's that?' came the Pastor's reply?
   'This is very important,' the young woman continued. 'I want to be buried with a fork in my Right hand.'
   The Pastor stood looking at the young woman, not knowing quite what to say.
   That surprises you, doesn't it?' the young woman asked.
   'Well, to be honest, I'm puzzled by the request,' said the Pastor.
   The young woman explained. 'My grandmother once told me this story, and from that time on I have always tried to pass along its message to those I love and those who are in need of encouragement. In all my years of attending socials and dinners, I always remember that when the dishes of the main course were being cleared, someone would inevitably lean over and say, 'Keep your fork.' It was my favorite part because I knew that something better was coming...like velvety chocolate cake or deep-dish apple pie. Something wonderful, and with substance!'
   So, I just want people to see me there in that casket with a fork in my hand and I want them to wonder 'What's with the fork?' Then I want you to tell them: 'Keep your fork ..the best is yet to come.'
   The Pastor's eyes welled up with tears of joy as he hugged the young woman good-bye. He knew this would be one of the last times he would see her before her death. But he also knew that the young woman had a better grasp of heaven than he did. She had a better grasp of what heaven would be like than many people twice her age, with twice as much experience and knowledge. She KNEW that something better was coming.
   At the funeral people were walking by the young woman's casket and   they saw the cloak she was wearing and the fork placed in her right hand. Over and over, the Pastor heard the question, 'What's with the fork?' And over and over he smiled.
   During his message, the Pastor told the people of the conversation he had with the young woman shortly before she died. He also told them about The fork and about what it symbolized to her. He told the people how he could not stop thinking about the fork and told them that they probably would not be able to stop thinking about it either.
   He was right. So the next time you reach down for your fork let it remind you, ever so gently, that the best is yet to come.

I am so thrilled to be doing a Novena! It has been too, too, too long since I have done one and after doing day 1 today, I honestly cannot imagine why I haven't thought to do one since. Today I got to pick up my oldest son from his very first solo flight, coming home from an extended visit with my mother in Boise. I was so nervous but he was Cool Hand Elijah, and he's only 6! My carefree time was split today. First off my husband and I took our three youngest children on a walk this morning and when we got home, we weeded our St. Joseph flower bed in our front yard. It was so much fun just pulling weeds and the look on my husband's face when I took the time to do something he treasures with him, is truly priceless. The second time I spent carefree time was with my son, talking on the long car ride home from the airport, stopping to pick up some Dairy Queen and joking with him the whole way home. He is such a blessing and I don't realize how much I miss him until I hold him in my arms again, and the tears well up. My life and family are so beautiful and I just cannot imagine where else I could be that would satisfy me. I get asked ALL the time, if I plan to go back to work when my kids are in school. I used to be the Director of Youth Ministry for St. Mary's in Moscow and yes, I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to go back to work! I miss my teens and my ministry SO much. BUT, there is NO PLACE I would rather be than at home with my family. Maybe someday a door will open and I will feel called back to my ministry, but for now, my vocation is my family and I feel complete. Thank you God for my blessings and for the windows you have closed so that doors may be opened, in your time, not mine. Have a beautiful Tuesday, ladies!

Week #4 Prize!

Here are the awesome prizes for this week!


Check out this seriously RAD water bottle.  Not only is it well insulated but it also comes fully equipped with a mister!  Crazy, awesome is all I can say about it!   If I were to win this water bottle I would totally pick the hottest day of the week next week and climb Tablerock at 4pm, just so that I could have a valid excuse to rock the mister on this thing!

This really awesome looking book, IN HIS SPIRIT, by Richard J. Hauser, S.J. 

"Nothing will change your life more meaningfully than developing a vibrant and consistent prayer life.  Prayer is at the core of the Christian life, but most people have never really been taught how to pray in deeply personal ways.  Listening to the Holy Spirit is at the center of prayer, but most of us struggle to recognize the difference between the Holy Spirit speaking to us and the thousands of ideas that float through our minds each day. 

By reading IN HIS SPIRIT, you will have a new awareness of all things spiritual. You will see how our modern culture is influencing our efforts to grow spiritually.  It is a fascinating look at two models of spirituality viewed from the perspective of the New Testament."

And finally.....

In regards to our group challenge this week about "Lightening up", I figured that this prize would be the perfect fit!   Johnny and I (as some of you already know) absolutely love this guy - Tim Hawkins!  He is a Christian comedian and he is hilarious and brilliant!  I seriously cannot watch him without crying from laughing hysterically.  

Here is a short clip from this awesome DVD: 

So there you have it - this weeks prize!  I wonder who the winner will be this week?

Week #3 Winner!

Hello Amazing ladies!

I've been out in Caldwell at a family reunion all day and just got home (11:20 pm) tucked in five very sleepy children who played their hearts out with all of their cousins and am finally able to sit down at my computer to log in everyones points.  So again, I apologize for announcing the winner so late.

I still need a few of you to send me your points for the week so that they can count for the overall contest, but of those who did turn in your points to me by today (Sunday), here are the top 4 highest point earners.  Way to go!

Monica Beumeler     174
Linda Graefe            168
Kayla Bergquist       164
Carol Brown            158

And, I'd try to take a picture of someone in my family drawing the names (but they are all asleep - including Johnny) and I would also try to take video of myself doing it, but I'm in my PJ's and looking exhausted, so we will forgo that this evening as well!

Here is the winner........








For week #3..................








Taking home the awesome prize of................









The Indoor Herb Garden...............










The Book, Everybody needs to Forgive Somebody, by Dr. Allen Hunt....................











And the months supply of Body Bi Vi Protein Shake Mix........................









Is......................





(drawing the name right now)..................









Kayla Bergquist!!!!!!!!!!!

Congratulations Kayla!

So this is how my challenge is going...

Last week I was determined to start bringing my lunch to work so I can save some calories and money.  On Tuesday, I packed my lunch and walked out the door without it.  As I was going for my afternoon walk I saw a sandwich truck and decided to hit it up for some lunch.  Then the following conversation with my husband happened...

Artesia: Will you put my lunch back in the fridge so I can take it tomorrow?  

Matt:  Do you have something to eat? 

A:  Yes, I got a sandwich.  Well at least I think it is a sandwich it is made out of a waffle.  

I got the salad instead of the chips.  I could totally have eaten both.  Do you think the girl at the waffle shop will think I am a fatty mcfatterson if I go back and get chips?  

M:  Well you did get a sandwich made out of waffles, right?!  

and for the record no chips!!!

Cleaning out the closet!

Even if I don't lose a bunch of weight during this challenge I can at least say that I feel like a TON of weight has been lifted off of me in one sense.   

I just cleaned out my closet!  Actually Johnny helped clean his section and it feels great! I literally feel lighter and pretty much....well quite happy right now!!  Amazing how this happens. 

Now I am excited to go into my closet instead of the normal dread I feel waking up in the morning and having to try to sift through clothes to find something clean and unwrinkled to wear.  

And although I am extremely excited to show you my "AFTER" pictures, I am absolutely mortified to show you the "BEFORE" pictures!  But because so many of you have been so vulnerable during the past three weeks in sharing of yourselves in this challenge....you give me strength to do the same. 

WARNING: Some of you who are very organized people like Cindy Anderson and Pat Thomas and others - you know who you are, may be traumatized by these pictures.  I am sorry.   Please do not send my contact information to TLC's "Hoarders".  I am making a promise to all of you that before this 8 week challenge is over, that all of my closets in my house will be clean out!

For those of you that may have a closet in your home that resembles mine, I hope that these pictures gives you the courage to tackle it!  I feels so good!  With Johnny's help, it only took us 2 hours. 

So here we go!

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

 

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

 

BEFORE

AFTER

 

And when it was all said and done we had SEVEN heaping bags to take to St. Vincent's and one packed full of trash. 

On another note:  I have this one very lovely picture of Shelbye Weaver (who is also doing this challenge) eating her very "CLEAN" and delicious salad for lunch yesterday at work!  Shelbye you are so beautiful!

Happy Saturday to all of my sisters in Christ!  May you have a blessed day!

St. Cathy

I have been thinking a praying a lot over the last couple of days about how I want to be remembered when I die.  And to me that is not about how many prizes I have won, or accolades I have gotten, it is about how people remember me.  And isn't that what this Fit and Holy Challenge is about?  Isn't it about becoming more of the best version of ourselves, which is about becoming as much like a saint as we can here on earth?  And my conclusion is that it really is all about relationships.  It is about how we love, live and serve as Jesus did.  This is the kind of homily that I want to be preached at my funeral:

HomilyCathy Sokolowski

From our scriptures today we heard:

“There is one ray of hope…His compassion never ends.

Gracious is the Lord and just, Yes our God is merciful. 

The Lord keeps the little one.

Chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed

because God tried them and found them worthy of himself.

Grace and mercy are with his holy ones.

Therefore, anyone who humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

As beautiful as these words are and as comforting as they might be to all of us… as eloquently as they speak to our belief in eternal life these words are not adequate to describe the Cathy my wife and I, and many of you all know.

The Cathy I remember is the eager altar server who, near the end of her dad’s diaconal ordination rose from her seat, paraded over to Bishop Mike and proceeded to give him a hug – a huge hug.  As far as I could tell she didn’t say a word but it was clear that what was really important to her in that moment of celebration was NOT pomp and circumstances. 

What was important to her was that the Bishop Mike needed a hug – so she, just, gave him her very best hug.  It caught the Bishop by surprise -- you could see it on his face -- but he just hugged her back and his grin was a mile wide.  By the way her hug didn’t surprise anyone who already knew Cathy.

I remember a Cathy who was constantly teased mercilessly by her dad, a dad who can’t pronounce Albert Pujols correctly.  She had to constantly deal with his pointed wit.  I am not sure she understood most of what he said but I do know this -- She just loved him even more.

I remember a young lady who would decide on the spur of the moment to approach the microphone at our retreats or continuing education to share her thoughts with the whole deacon community. 

I can’t remember any specific thing she ever shared   -- Well except for the time she decided to chastise me and her dad when we were arguing over prayer.

I do know that I would sometimes look around and realize the whole deacon community, husbands and wives, were focused on what she had to say.

I also know that what she had to say was always pointed to relationship and to love.  It might be about a puppy or baseball or her dad or an experience she wanted to share – but it was always about life and love.

I remember a Cathy who for whatever reason decided she liked ME.  I think the phrase is “she glommed onto me”. 

I have received countless hugs, kisses, shared wisdom and invitations to eat at her table and to sit next to her.  She often sat next to me in the chapel at Nazareth and when the mood struck she would just wander by and just say hi by putting her arms around me.  Why did she like me?  In the words of my granddaughter, “I have not a clue!”

I just accepted her attention as a true gift – and I was honored to be considered her friend.

I also remember the crushing blow she experienced at the loss of her mom Caroline while we were all on retreat at Nazareth.  That was a weekend I will never forget.

I don’t remember a thing about the retreat but I do know that Cathy needed a hug buddy and for whatever reason – God knows – my wife and I got to be her hug buddies.  It is comforting to us to know that now she has her mom as her hug buddy forever.

It is gratifying to see so many here and to have had to move the service from the church into the gym.  I am pleased that so many deacons and their wives came her for this service. I am not surprised that so many of you came to honor Cathy. I know that most of you are here because your lives have also been touched by this remarkable young lady.

In her spontaneity, in her joy of people, in her desire to love, in her simple acceptance of life, Cathy was a saint. 

Now I know our church has a formal process of declaring the sainthood of certain people.  But what the Church is essentially saying in each case is that we know that this or that person is absolutely in heaven.

I now declare to you, with every fiber of my being, something which I believe many of you have already concluded -- Cathy IS a saint.  Cathy IS in heaven.  I know this and you know this:

her simple love of others, her gracious gifting of herself to all she met, the hugs, kisses, rubbed shoulders, confidences, shared moments – all of these are my proofs.

Cathy is and will always be part of who I am. 

She is and always will be part of my wife’s life.

She is and always will be a part of the Deacon Community. 

She is and always will be part of the Grangeville people.

She is and always will be part of the spirit of Christ alive in our hearts and in our thoughts. 

To me, Cathy IS the young child placed before the apostles.  She is the one called by Jesus to stand at his side.  She is the one who so spontaneously approaches Jesus that her enthusiasm almost compels us to join her at his feet.

My wife and I will miss Cathy. She was our friend.

I am sure that many of you will miss her even more.

When Don asked me a few months ago if I would preach at Cathy’s funeral I was rocked to my core.  I was humbled.  I was pained.  And I was just a little worried that if I didn’t do a good job he might have a few pointed words for me after everything was over.

Actually, right after his request I had to go to the chapel and while sitting in a chair in the chapel I wept.  Over the next 2 or 3 days I would catch myself thinking about Cathy and I would start to cry.  I didn’t want to lose her and somehow it just didn’t seem fair that this person who loved Albert Pujols and puppies and liked to tease me about my New York Yankees would be gone. 

I know that Cathy really suffered in her last few months of life.  Don and April finally reached the point where they asked if we, the deacon community, and you – those who loved Cathy the most, would pray for an end to her pain and torment. 

I know that some of us were upset with God that this child who he placed in front of the apostles as an object lesson would be allowed to suffer so much.

But once again we have much to learn from our sister Cathy.  Jesus did not promise that we would be free from suffering.  He promised that he would be with us through all that we had to bear.

Jesus loves her.

And Jesus was with her!

Cathy was Jesus’ friend.  Can any of us doubt it? 

Cathy loved much like Jesus did -- totally, completely and entirely.  Can any of us doubt it? 

Cathy is now with her mom, in heaven, and together they pray for us – so that we might be:

humble,

spontaneous

and loving – always loving. 

Together they pray that we might live lives of love so that we might join them in eternal life.

Saint Cathy – We will always love you!!!!!

Cathy -- We will always love you!!!

Forgiving

As I mentioned in my comment to Pat Thomas' post, forgiving and forgetting is hard in practice.  I may have myself convinced that I WANT to forgive and that I have in fact forgiven, but I constantly revisit the wound...I don't want to forget.

So, in thinking about how to tackle this aspect of the challenge, I have discovered a harsh reality about myself:  there are too many people on my list of those I should forgive.  Have these people really hurt me (or someone I love) or am I so sensitive to every slight offense that I've added name after name to the list?  I hope others aren't doing that to ME! 

Of course, I have no idea what to do with this information now that I've made this discovery.  Perhaps a completely clean slate is in order...

Kathy

confession - me being real

So, this group challenge is the hardest. I pretty much wrote it off on Sunday, but was considering trying to do at least part of it. When going to confession was the only spiritual option, I figured "probably not going to happen". Then it became 1 option and the other was to forgive someone - "okay, I can probably think of someone I want to forgive...umm...nope, don't want to go there with anyone on that list". Then I thought, well, maybe I can try the "eat clean" for a day, "it's just a day, it should be doable", then I looked at the web link describing it..."nope, not going to happen with our food choices". The cleaning out/organizing an area is the EASIEST for me b/c I LOVE to organize. I've been wanting to work on my closet for the past few weeks, but I just haven't made the time. I'm still hoping to do it before this week is over, but things have kept coming up and setting aside the time to do it just has not happened b/c I know it's going to take a few hours and I don't like starting something unless I can finish it, so I don't want to get into the middle of it, with even a bigger mess and then have to stop. So I know I'm not getting my points for the weekly challenge, but it's not b/c these things aren't possible, it's b/c I don't want to make the effort, but that's the point of this challenge - to get out of your comfort zone and do the things you don't want to do, b/c that is what will make us more holy. I'm going to pray that God helps me "want to" do these things and before the 8 weeks is over, I will complete these two things just to show myself that I CAN do it. Please help me by keeping me accountable!
Thanks. =)

WEEK #3 Prize

Hello Friends,

I am so SORRY that it has taken me all week to post the prizes for this week!  It has been an absolutely crazy week for me.  I was out of town taking a group of teens to the Steubenville Conference, then back in town spending time with dear friends, then hosting people at my house throughout the week, along with working and trying to get caught up!   Since this week is about forgiveness, please forgive me.

Anyways, here they are!

This awesome little book by Dr. Allen Hunt about forgiveness: 

Here is a brief discription: 

Forgiveness will unleash a power in your life that is underrated and often ignored.  It is underrated mainly because it is underused.  We fail to capture the power of forgiveness because we are afraid of it, because we have grown comfortable in our familiar wounds, or because we are sinfully stubborn.  But the power is there waiting for us.  This little book, and the eleven real life stories in it, will help you capture that power.  Because everybody need to forgive somebody. 

A one months supply of Visalus Shake mix.  Johnny and I are donating this one months bag of protein shake mix as a prize. $50 value. 

Vi-SHAPE^®

THE SHAKE MIX THAT TASTES LIKE A CAKE MIX

Vi-Shape is the foundation of every Body by Vi Challenge Kit thanks to an unbeatable combination of great nutrition and great taste. Whether your Challenge goal is to lose weight, be more active, or get fit, Vi-Shape is an innovative and delicious way to give your body what it needs.

Vi-Shape supports your success thanks to an exclusive Tri-Sorb protein blend, and is low fat, low sodium, low calorie, low sugar, and lower carb than other brands.

Best of all… it tastes amazing! Great on its own with a delicious Sweet Cream flavor, or shake things up with one of our flavor mix-ins, fresh fruit, or any of the over 1,000 community favorite recipes found at recipes.vi.com. It's fast, delicious, and healthy!

And thanks to our clean eating challenge this week, here is an Indoor Herb Garden to spice up your "clean" recipes!

And of course, the winner this week takes all three!

This has been a very challenging week for me, on many levels.  First, one of my tendencies is that when I get stressed, or depressed, I tend to eat the wrong things.  Chocolate is my comfort, my friend, chocolate can make me feel good even when I am down.  I know it is a temporary fix, and not healthy, but my first tendency is to seek out comfort in food.

I lost a good friend this week.  Cathy, see here:  http://lmtribune.com/obituaries/article_ab722b30-d54b-51b3-9717-a3149408648d.html was a sweet, loving girl.  She was afflicted with Downs Syndrome from birth, and if you have ever known a Downs child, you know that they are a gift from God.  Cathy loved with exuberance.  She reminded me, perhaps just a little bit, of what Jesus' love for us must be like, unconditional, spontaneous, exuberant, deep, and freely given.  Cathy did not care what you looked like, who you were, she loved you.  Cathy would interrupt a meeting between the deacon community and the Bishop to go up and give the Bishop a big hug.  She would get up in the middle of mass and come over and hug someone she thought needed a hug.  She was the epitome of loving kindness.  I have had the pleasure of knowing Cathy since my first deacon campout in 1999, and we became good friends.  When the deacons were getting together, Cathy would bring all of her pictures of her dog, her friends, famous people she had researched, and we would sit and look at all the pictures, and laugh and joke.  But most of all, Cathy loved to hug.  I only hope that I can do justice to her memory by seeking to be as loving as Cathy, to emulate our Lord and Savior.  Thank you Cathy, for your shining example.

PS  But despite my sadness, and the stress and sadness I have felt this week, I have not gone beyond my healthy eating habits which are developing.  And THAT is a breakthrough!