Oh, happy day

Hello my people.

It's raining again, as it was in my last blog entry. I woke up today, thinking about my adventure transforming into a healthy and strong grandma. I started August 2nd, but really I made my decision a few weeks before that. It did take some graphic illustration for me to get the determination up to actually DO something about my weight gain. But when I did make the decision, I went on a mission. This in spite of the negative people who would like to bring me down or discourage me. "You'll lose too much weight" is something I've heard more than once. "Isn't it dangerous?" - that one from people who could find out that it's not, if they would just read about it. My favorite is when people want to know when this will be "over", as if it's a jail sentence. If you live your life with great habits, you'll get great results. That doesn't "be over". I intend to keep up these healthy eating (and sometimes not eating) habits for the rest of my life, which I expect will be relatively pain-free, will most certainly be lighter, and will be as illness-free as we can hope for in a dirty world. I choose health. Don't throw negative at that. How can you find negative to say about that? "Oh, I don't think you should be healthy. It requires discipline." Yeah, well. I'll loan you a dollar. Go get some at the discipline store. I hear there's a sale.

So this morning I weighed in at 136.5 pounds. Oh my gracious goodness.

Julie and her crew will be back later today. It's an exciting time, knowing little baby girl Julie will be in England for a school term. She feels like it's "forever", but that time will pass too quickly. Sarah May is also gone, and it also feels like forever, but I think I feel it more than she does. My children are scattering to the winds. Thank goodness for the good old postal service. Julie will have one more day to hang out at Casa de Shap with Laura and hopefully with me, at least a little bit! IF I can manage not to be at the store 9 hours. Sheesh.

I am flying to Phoenix, AZ, mid October for the Isagenix convention there. It's more of an educational seminar. YES. I plan to host at least one tasting party before that, so I have some experience "under my belt" ( and I can actually WEAR belts now!) before I go hang with the pros. It will be SO interesting and fun and exciting. Problem is - clothing. It should be pretty warm there, so summery stuff is good. I have little that fits me anymore... dang - I guess I'll have to go shopping.

Did I mention that I weighed in at 136 1/2 today?

AH yes.

Bye for now.

Rainy day

It's raining today, and I welcome it and love it and wish it to stay. I also wish I could just stay home today and drink tea and look out the window at the rain, or sit on the deck with a sweater on and listen to the rain...

The sound of tires on the wet street makes me happy.

The sound of the water running from our downspout in the front of the house makes me happy.

Watching the cats try to tip-toe around puddles makes me happy.

I'm trying to drink coffee but it isn't making me happy.

Last night I went to my first "womens' function" at our church, Canyon Hills Community Church here in Bothell. www.canyonhillscommunitychurch.com

There were probably around 150 women, and I was intimidated as I walked in, slowly. I wished my sister Carol was with me. But I found a table with two friendly-looking women, and we were joined by 3 additional friendly-looking women. I met (really met, not just a "hello how are you") two of them. One of those two will, I believe, be someone I will connect with in the future. We signed up for the same Bible study starting in October, which will be led by (and was actually WRITTEN by) the other woman I met. The Bible Study leader is Patty, with the bright smile and happy short hair. The other woman is Ulla, who was born in Denmark and raised in California. I believe you pronounce her name "willa". She and I have SO much in common. She lives in Mill Creek and wants local friends. Some women put on one of the most hilarious skits I've ever seen. One actor was so funny, she broke the other actor up to the point she just hid her head in her hands. It was a RIOT. I'm going to have to pass the idea on to my sister, Virginia, who heads up the womens' ministries at Valley Bible Church in Rodeo. Hercules. Whatever. San Francisco suburb!

It was a fall dessert night thing, but I looked at the dessert table and it literally looked unappetizing to me. I had some sliced fruit and herb tea. Oh gosh, I'm growing healthy and boring!!!! I TRIED to entertain the idea of eating a piece of that amazing fluffy whipped chocolate stuff, but it just about turned my stomach. That's okay - I enjoyed my fruit, guilt-free, and sipped my tea with the best of them.

Right now I'm trying to enjoy a cup of coffee, as I said. It tastes like.... metal.

So I signed up for the one Bible Study class, Wednesday evenings from 7 to 9 right at the church. It's called 'Draw Me Close'. Sounds so good. If I were writing a Bible Study for me it would be called 'Sit me down, shut me up, and draw me close'! So this will do nicely.

David needs me at the store. I'm sure it's raining there too, so that's happy. But I DO NOT WANT TO LEAVE MY HOUSE. waa.

I have a list of need to do stuff. I need to update our Web page (the work one) with all the prices I slashed yesterday. I need to pay business bills including the loan. OUCH OUCH OUCH. I need to make a list of items we'll need on hand to get the new inventory ready for sale on Monday. I need to get squirrel food that's healthy for my little gray friends.

I went to the rabbit and rodent house (our next business neighbor) last night and found out that the packaged commercial squirrel food is not healthy for them. It's all fat and no protein. Dang. And I was so happily feeding them. So.... gotta find some healthy bulk nuts and get some bruised or old fruit. Wouldn't want the squirrels to be needing a little squirrel weight loss program. We're poisoning God's perfect creations by feeding them the way WE eat. Yikes. I feel so guilty!!!

David ran into Adam at Wendy's yesterday. *sigh* I remember Adam.

I need to go. But it's so friendly talking with you here.

Steffy is lying in the dining room behind me, and I've left the back door open a bit for the cats to come and go so they feel powerful. It's fairly silent here, other than the occasional passing car and the dripping I hear from outside. A great day.

Take care.

Mom Shap

Good morning!

And I do mean GOOD morning.

I'm on the Isagenix health and wellness program, as most of you know. I started out in early August at just over 160 pounds. What drove me to get on this seemingly radical program was shock at how much weight I'd gained "silently", and knowing that it was either the beginning of becoming a chronically overweight person, or the beginning of a new approach to nutrition and life. My clothes didn't fit properly, I was buying larger sizes and seeing them become tight, and I was catching reflections of myself in store windows and mirrors and being mortified. That's me; everyone gets to choose how they want to live. But as I look around this beautiful area in which we live, with all of the fresh produce available and all of the places to walk and hike and swim, I wonder at the exceptional number of obese people who lumber through life barely huffing and puffing into Safeway to load up on Kraft Macaroni and Cheese and Hershey bars and frozen french fries. Anyway, I took a horrified look at myself and said - "That is the direction you are going!"

But being impatient, I wanted it fixed NOW. I had a guy on MySpace who added me, and he seemed interesting. He has a couple of web pages, and I believe one is called 'Lost my Big Butt'. He started out at well over 300 pounds, and has lost 64+ pounds since January of this year. I was inspired, and interested, so I checked into the program he is on. I cringed when I saw the 9-day cleanse would cost me about $150. But I got it - as I said, I was mortified at the sight of me. 11 days after it arrived, I weighed exactly 145 pounds and felt WONDERFUL. So I quit the program. CRAZY you say? Yes, indeed. If it was such a great program, with such amazing products that are whole foods, healthy nutrition, great suppliments, clean and lean and so great for the body and mind and spirit, why would I QUIT???? Because I thought I'd put my own program together and save money. With inferior products.

A week later I went onto the Isagenix 30-day program. :-) This program starts with the very scientifically sound and easily proven premise that we are toxic people, holding onto our poison in fat cells, and we need to be cleansed, and nurished, and revitalized.

I figured out a few facts, some math facts and some logic. I wouldn't start putting sugar water into my car because it was cheaper. I wouldn't skip oil changes to save a few bucks. AND, if I stopped buying fast food lunches while working at the store, I'd save over $100 a month. Gotta figure in there my success as well as all the other peoples' success using Isagenix as a base for a totally healthy nutritional lifestyle.

Back on the program, I have very obviously continued to see real results. I wanted to resist weighing myself until tomorrow since I'm on the cleanse days of the wellness routine and I'm sure I'll be down a couple by tomorrow. Well, I couldn't resist, and I stepped on the scale this morning.

139.

I weighed that about 10 years ago.

I'm looking forward to a steak and fresh corn on the cob dinner tomorrow.

I'm also thinking VERY seriously about introducing a bunch of people to this health and wellness program. I didn't start out with the intention of "selling" anything. I signed on as an associate so I could save a few bucks on my 30-day package of products. But like I said; everywhere around here there are people struggling to just walk up to the door at McDonalds! I want to hug them, hand them a card, and say "Honestly. It doesn't have to be this way".

So there is this amazing guy in the company who is willing to fly here from somewhere - Montana I think, and do an in-home "tasting" party for me to introduce a bunch of people to this miracle stuff I'm consuming.

The shakes are actually quite good. I think one reason I "only" lost 15 pounds the first 11 days is I was adding things to the shakes sometimes. Yogurt, fruit, etc. You shouldn't do that until a few weeks later. I'm drinking about a gallon of water a day. The little snacks are amazing, and I enjoy getting to eat raw almonds every day. I have an energy drink mix, too, which is nice for gym days.

I feel fairly well qualified to tell people this works now that I've seen 20 pounds of pure FAT disappear in about a month. Ok, just over 21 pounds. :-) Got a month? Get way thinner. Got a brain? Don't leave the program once you start. When you reach your goal, you'll want to just stay healthy for life. I want to be a healthy 70-year-old grandma who runs around the yard with the kids!

I just had to share the 139 thing.

I broke 140! YESSSSSSSS!