Running

Well, I should really call it walking. But it has begun. After months of trying to talk myself into doing something, I started getting up early to walk/run. I love summer mornings and I feel awesome after I run. So there it is...exercising has commenced. Now it's just the food thing.

Even though I have started exercising I still have the battle all the time. I feel like I have a tiny girl on each shoulder. One is running and full of energy and is so annoying that I want to punch her in the face. The other one doesn't care. She is eating yummy things and laying on a soft, lovely couch. She doesn't yell at me when I eat cookies.

It is my constant inner battle that I am afraid will be there my whole life. I saw something interesting on Oprah. I don't know if anyone else saw it...Oprah had an author of a book called "Women, Food, and God". There were some really good things in there. I am going to try and read it. It left me with a lot of things to think about but not understanding how to apply them to me. One thing that really stood out to me was a girl at the end of the show. She had lost and gained and lost and gained 100 lbs. She finally has been able to keep it off after she worked with the author of this book.

They talked about feeling "unworthy" when you are overweight and once you lose the weight you will finally be "worthy" of love, acceptance, whatever you are lacking. Unfortunately I totally relate to that. I feel like that more often than I would like to admit. I have found it even more overwhelming since moving back to Utah. It is like all the insecurities I had as a teenager are here. I felt them the second I moved back. I distinctly remember sitting at a family event and seeing all these family members I hadn't seen for a long time and thinking, "why would they even want to talk to me at all? I am such a fat slob." Mind you, I could fit into a size 8 at the time. It really didn't matter what I weighed, it was all in my head. Insecurity is an ugly disease I deal with every day. It is going to take something more than myself to overcome it.

I have to admit, a lot of that insecurity went away when I lost weight a few years ago. I thought I had it all figured out. It was a very emotional process and I thought I healed a lot of things when I was all wrapped up in it. But it is just a life-long process, I guess. A constant battle of choices. So I will embrace the annoying running girl on my shoulder. She feels better and has a lot more to give to other people.

Vacation Woes

I hesitate to post because I don't have great news to report but that is what this is all about...the good, bad, and very ugly. I actually had some progress before my trip. I had 5 weeks of clean, healthy eating. I drank tons of water. The results were slow coming but I ended up losing 5 pounds. I was very excited about that. We went on vacation last week and I am just struggling to get back into things. I think I need a detox. I have to say that the calories weren't that bad...I just ate a lot of stuff I haven't eaten for a long time. I usually stay away from really processed and fried foods. Not saying I NEVER eat them but they are definitely a rare happening. We had a lot of convenience foods like Twinkies and cupcakes and fries and other crap like that.

I am amazed at how much that effected my body. There really is something about that kind of food that makes your body just crave more and makes you not care about what goes in your mouth. I really hate feeling the way that I feel after eating that...but seem to not be able to help myself. I am waiting for the motivation to hit. I am waiting for my monthly friend so I think that will help move things along as well.

Next week I will have better things to report. I am starting to run again. Not today (I have 6 kids) I think Monday would be a great start.

Still Going Strong

I had a rough weekend. I didn't plan ahead and got too hungry. I also had my grocery trip cut short so I didn't get all the food I needed to have good options in the house. Anyways, Monday was back on and I had a great eating out experience. Lisa was a huge help so I owe it to her. The whole family went to P.F. Chang's for dinner. Now that I am paying attention it is amazing how fast the calories can get out of control when you are at a dinner like that!!!! Lisa and I decided beforehand that we were going to get the lettuce wraps as a meal. They are low in carbs and calories. The rest of the family ate "family style" meals. It was really hard to pass up fried chicken and fried rice. But I am proud to say that I ate 1 veggie potsticker and 3 lettuce wraps. I also had 2 bites of the birthday cake we brought. Not too bad for eating out. Lisa found out the lettuce wraps are 100 calories each. I think I managed the whole meal with 450 calories...which is amazing considering what it would have been if I wouldn't have been paying attention.

I am so proud of myself in the "treat" department. I am really focusing on only eating when I am truly hungry. It isn't a familiar feeling but I am becoming more acquainted with it. Saturday I ate ice cream and it was okay. I was totally in control and I got a small serving. But Sunday I was eating to feed something other than my body. I was very hungry after church and I heated up left over pizza for my family. I ate that instead of making myself something healthier and just kept eating it because it was there. Then I made cookies to take to a dinner and it was all over. Dane had to work so I was feeling a little stressed about that. That was all the excuse I needed, I guess.

The rest of the week has been much better. I have discovered a new favorite snack...edemame in the shell. I like to get the small bags that you can just pop in the microwave and they steam in there. I put some salt on them and yummmy! They are perfect for the late afternoon when I am really hungry but just need something to hold me over until dinner. Yesterday I was feeling super munchy. The snow in April didn't help my mood at all. I didn't eat anything that bad...just too much of everything. But by dinner time I wasn't really hungry. Instead of just eating because it was "time" for dinner, I listened to my body and told myself if I was hungry in a couple of hours I would eat something small. I drank lots of water and never felt hungry the rest of the night.

Small victories...that is what I am going for right now. In other news, I haven't lost any weight but I am not discouraged because I feel really good. It feels so much better to be in control of myself. It is still tempting every day but overall it is getting easier to resist temptations.

Back Again

Okay, people. How depressing was that last post? I still don't feel like I am 100% but I am getting there. The nice weather is helping out a lot. It is a little frustrating that I am back in the same boat I was before I lost weight the first time. I feel like I did all this work to really figure out what was at the root of my food issues. It just proves to me that this is a life-long battle. As much as I want my lifestyle to be one that isn't full of difficult food decisions everyday, I don't think it ever will be. Just because I mastered weight loss at one point in my life, doesn't mean I have mastered it forever. It is an ongoing battle. At least I have the tools I need this time, it is just the drive and motivation that I lack sometimes.

I am happy to say that I am back and I am motivated. I wanted to wait a little while to post so I could be sure I was for real this time. I have tracked and recorded calories and I am very proud of myself for the past 2 1/2 weeks. I don't have a scale yet but I will be getting one soon (hopefully). I am really trying to eat healthy - not just counting calories, but really giving my body the vitamins and fuel it needs. I have averaged about 100 oz. of water everyday for the past 2 1/2 weeks and stayed at about 1200-1300 calories. I am not depriving myself of sugar, but if I am going to indulge, it has to fit within my calories.

I have had so much support to get me going this time. My sis-in-law, Lisa, is so motivating and keeps me going out here. I also have Tiff & Suzy who keep me going on the phone. And I have all my blogging friends from all over to help keep me on track. The only thing holding me back is ME!

I have a little more fire in me now then when I tried to start in January. I have a familiar competitiveness trying to eek its way back into my head. The competition is me against my mouth. All the battles go on in my head and it is all day long but if I can keep that fire going, I can do it.

I am still struggling with exercise. I haven't found the fire for that one yet. I know it will make me feel better but it just isn't happening yet. I really need to join a gym. More to come soon!

Struggling

I have to apologize to all my dedicated fitness friends. I am really struggling with this right now. I know I just have a bad case of the winter blues but it is really impairing my ability to care about much of anything right now. I am sure I will be back on it soon. But until I can get a little more motivation, I am sorry I am not of any help to anyone right now. Everyone else stick with it...you guys are so awesome and I always look forward to seeing your progress. I am still going to keep updating this blog, I just can't promise it will be good or motivating...just therapeutic for me.

Rough Week

I had a bad week last week. That doesn't mean that I just pigged out all week, I actually had some strong moments and ate relatively well. I am just in a little funk right now. I think it is the winter. It seems like I always lack motivation and energy in the winter. It is hard for me to even get motivated to leave the house. I don't have much going on and no one to see on a daily basis so it is hard to push past the impulse to be lazy and barricade myself inside.

On a more positive note, I still feel the desire to eat when I am bored here at home but I am able to stop and think about it and make a better choice. And last Friday, I was out running around and I talked myself in and out of stopping to buy a treat several times. Ultimately I went home and had a Skinny Cow ice cream sandwich. So that was a small victory. I really didn't try that hard on the weekend so that wasn't so good. But overall last week was yucky.

Hopefully this week will be a little better!

The Weekend...

Yeeeaaahhh, let's just say that it wasn't a weekend full of diet-friendly food. I did okay until Saturday night. It all started with the Peanut M&Ms at the Jazz game. Then I had to make cookies for dinner on Sunday. Then we went to the movies and out to lunch on Monday. Needless to say, I wasn't staying anywhere near the 1300 calorie mark. It's okay. I jumped back into it today. I was actually under my calories at the end of the day. So when Dane came home with Donuts (dang him), I felt like I could have one. Probably not the best choice but it was okay. I am not restricting sugar anymore. Looking back, though, I probably should have just eaten 1/2 of one and I would have been totally satisfied but oh well. I have to start working out regularly again. I know it makes a huge difference in how I feel, I just can't seem to pull myself out of bed for it!!!!! Tomorrow I am definitely working out...no matter what.

Thursday & Friday

I had two really good days. Nothing really exciting to report. I am still staying at about 1300 calories. I didn't workout either day. That is the one negative thing. I am going to start a running program. It is called "Couch to 5K". Sounds like what I need. It eases you in and it doesn't require you to run every single day. Here it is if anyone is intested:
http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml

I had a small victory that I thought was noteworthy. I went to a birthday party for my nephew. They had pizza and breadsticks and cake. I didn't eat ANY of it! I had a snack in my car so I knew I was not going to starve. It got a little intense at the end because I was really hungry and it all smelled so good. I felt so much better after I left...even though I felt a little angry and deprived when I was turning it down. It helped me to stay focused the rest of the day, too.

I was talking to my friend, Suzy, who is also in the diet battle. She had some excellent thoughts that have helped me. She struggles with going "on" a diet and then "off". It is the whole yo-yo dieting thing. We lost weight together the first time so we know each other and are very similar in some of our struggles. She said that she is now going to try to go for a healthy lifestyle instead of a diet.

To me, a healthy lifestyle includes a lot of deprivation and missing out on things that everyone else gets to eat. Well, her approach is a little different. She is trying to stop the cycle of "this is my last day before the diet so I need to eat as much as possible because I will never eat this again". Then you start your diet, have a few good days, and "fall off the wagon". She is going to approach it like, "this is not the last cookie I will ever eat...I don't need to eat 5 of them." If you aren't "on" a diet, you can't go "off" your diet. So if you have 1/2 of a cookie, you can be satisfied in knowing that it is not the last cookie you are going to eat.

This is a good way for the weight to come off slowly and steadily. I really needed a good detox from my very unhealthy choices so the 2 weeks of "dieting" works for me. But as I move forward, I know I am not going to keep this up for a long time. I am going to try this. I have always thought of myself as an "all or nothing" kind of person. I am going to experiment with this next week. If I go overboard and allow it to be permission to eat whatever I want, then I will know. But I think this is something I can do. We'll see. I will still try to maintain my daily calories, though. Sorry about all the rambling. I don't even know if this made sense.

Wednesday

Today was good. Woke up sooooo sore from all the exercise yesterday. Even though I was in pain, I kind of liked it. It made me feel like I accomplished something. I got 30 minutes on the treadmill and stayed within my calories. I can feel myself slipping on the strictness of meals. I have been eating a smaller breakfast and more snacks (healthy ones). I don't know if this is good or bad. But my calories are staying around 1300. I made cookies yesterday and I ate a little of the dough but no cookies.

I need opinions on this one. I heard Jillian say on the Biggest Loser, that it is best to eat 3 meals and one small snack between lunch and dinner. I thought it was best to have 5 or 6 small "meals" throughout the day to keep your metabolism going. What does everyone think about this one?

Tuesday

Today went pretty good. I got tons of exercise. I walked on the treadmill in the morning, then discovered that Dane took my keys to work with him...so I had to walk Hailee to school. Then I wanted to see if I remembered the Turbo Kickboxing workout that I used to do...so I did that for 40 minutes. Then I had to pick Hailee back up from school. My body is a little sore but I feel good. And the food has been easier today.

I DID have a little slip tonight. One thing I know....it is NOT okay to bake cinnamon rolls and try to resist them. You CANNOT fill your house with the smell of cinnamon gooeyness and just ignore it. I ate a small cinnamon roll. But I stayed within my calories so I am not beating myself up too much about it. The real challenge is going to be tomorrow when I have to make cookies to take to Braden's school...not so sure about that one.

After working out that much, I had to add an extra snack into my day. I was truly hungry and running out of energy. I forget that if I work out a lot, I need to increase my calories just a little. I can't function if I am only eating 1300 calories and burning 500 of them. My menu was pretty boring. I want to change it up a little but I am still trying to figure out how to budget for extra food I am not used to buying. I don't care what anyone says, it costs more money to eat healthy...especially when you have kids at home who still eat normally. I guess I have to just deal with a boring menu. That's okay...I fell so much better this week than I have in a long time. My body is starting to feel less sluggish and more healthy.

Weekend and Today

The weekend went okay. I ate at Cafe Rio on Saturday on a date with my sweetie. I am happy to say I did not pig out like I wanted to. I didn't even finish my small tostada. I just stopped when I felt full. It also helped that I was talking the whole time (poor Dane) so I felt full before I stuffed my face. I felt good enough to go to Spoon Me and try out a yogurt with fruit. I felt really good after because it is not sugary frozen yogurt...it is actual yogurt and good for you. If I would have been going for ice cream, I would have been disappointed but after not eating any treats for a week, it tasted like heaven.

Sunday was a little sketchy. I just didn't keep very good track of my meals and snacking. Since our church is out at noon, we tend to come home and just snack the whole day. I was DYING to bake treats...that is what normally happens on Sunday. I didn't bake anything but I DID have some chocolate. Our family plays a little game sometimes. We shake dice and if you get a 7 or 11, you have to dress up in winter coat, hat, boots, and gloves and eat a piece of candy before someone else rolls a 7 or 11. I ate about 4 pieces but if that is the only treat I had all week, I feel okay about it.

Today was a lot easier. I got up an ran on the treadmill. That seems to make all the difference in the world. If I can just get my butt into gear, I feel so much better the rest of the day. I didn't have any strong cravings today. I followed pretty much the same meal plans as last week except we went to Subway for dinner tonight. I feel like I am detoxing. I am not in a fog and the choices are getting a little easier. Hopefully I will just feel better and better each day! Good luck to all my blogging buddies! Love ya!

Day Five - I'm Alive

Thought I'd spruce up my title. Sorry for the lameness. I couldn't get out of bed this morning because I had a NyQuil hangover. I am starting to get a cold and my head was pounding from being congested. I went to bed at 9:30 but I always struggle the next day after I take NyQuil. At least I slept well. Still fighting the urge to pig out - happy to say the worst thing I've done is I had a Fiber One bar with my snack this morning. But overall I have been proud of myself. Here is the day so far:

Breakfast:

• 1/2 c. cereal 80
  
• 1/2 c. milk 40
• egg white veggie omelet w/ cheese 130
• 1/2 banana 35

Snack:

• 1/2 c. cottage cheese 90
• Wheat Thins 120
• Fiber One Bar 140

Lunch:

• Soup 180

TOTAL SO FAR: 815

Glad the eating is over. No more choices to make. I went a little over today but it could have been disastrous if I would have eaten everything I wanted. The rest of the day went as follows:

Snack:

• Wheat thins 120

Dinner

• Salad 100
• 1 slice homemade pizza w/ spinach, mushrooms, & Canadian bacon 300

TOTAL: 1335

Day Four

This morning I didn't wake up to go running but I knew I was going to be home all day. So I decided to try out the Fitness channel. It was okay. I discovered that the strengthening and toning exercises are better than the cardio ones. I tried a cardo kick boxing and didn't even get out of breath one time...waste! So the videos are good for every once in a while but I want to try to stay on the treadmill for the most part.

I wanted to get a count of my calories so far. It's been really hard this afternoon to stay focused. My body is craving sweets so bad.

Breakfast:

• oatmeal 150
  
• 1/2 c. milk 40
  
• 1/2 c. blueberries 35
  
• 2 scrambled egg whites 50

Lunch:

• grilled chicken sandwich 320
• fruit smoothie 120

Snack:

• Fiber One Bar 140

So Far: 855
I hope I can make it through the rest of the day...it seems like 2-5 is the hardest time of the day for me. I think I am in the habit of just eating to eat at that time...so it's way hard. Especially when my kids are pounding down snacks. I can do it, I can do it, I can do it.

Finished the day off with:

• 1 hamburger patty 250
  
• slice of cheese 80
  
• tomato, lettuce, pickle 30
• 1/2 apple 40

TOTAL: 1255

Day Three...Blah.

That's how I'm feeling about dieting today....blah. I knew today would probably be the hardest day, and it was. My body is in serious withdrawal from not eating sugar. I am craving anything with sugar in it or white bread. I am happy to say that I didn't give in. But it was sheer will power. Hopefully it gets a little easier. I don't know if I can be so strong day after day. Here is the report:

Breakfast:

• 1/2 c. cereal 80
• 1/2 c. milk 50
• 2 scrambled egg whites 50
• 1/2 apple 50

Snack:

• wheat thins 120
• 1/2 c. cottage cheese 90

Lunch:

• 1 c. minestrone soup 80
• clementine 50
• yogurt 60

Snack:

• 1 c. cereal 100
  
• clementine 50
  

Dinner

• Grilled chicken sandwich 400
• yogurt 60

TOTAL: 1240

I was off on my calories yesterday so I looked up all of the food on my menu today. I also got up and walked on the treadmill for 30 minutes this morning. Next week I am going to try to do a training program - from couch to 5K in 8 weeks. I think it will be good for me to follow a plan instead of just winging it.

Day Two

Hangin' in there. Not as excited today but I'm sticking with it still. Here is the food for the day

• 1/2 c All Bran120
• 1/2 c milk 50
  
• 2 scrambled egg whites 50
  
• 1 clementine 50
  
• 16 oz. water
  

Snack:

• 1 serving Wheat Thins 150
  
• 1 slice low fat cheese 100
  
• apple 80
  

Lunch

• Tuna on wheat 200
  
• 1 slice cheese 100
  
• 1 c. chicken soup 120
• 16 oz. water
  

Snack:

• 2 c. popcorn Healthy Choice 120
  
• clementine 50
  

Dinner

• grilled chicken 100
  
• roasted veggies 50
  
• yogurt 60
• 16 oz water
  

I just guessed on some of the calories. I got up and walked this morning. It was hard to wake up but 5 minutes into it I felt good.

I am awesome

Not to brag...well, okay I'll brag a little. I did so awesome today! I woke up at 6:30 and ran on the treadmill for 30 minutes. I ate everything on my meal plan except I had to change the dinner. We had a TCU Football party here and I didn't have time to make a big dinner for myself. So I ate some soup.

Here comes the awesomeness...I didn't eat ONE item of party food. Not a single thing. I probably could have had some of the turkey sandwich and been okay but I made a commitment and I wanted to stick with it. There were all sorts of yummy treats and good food. The soup didn't fill me up all the way so I had some wheat crackers and low fat cheese.

Overall it was a great day. I am going to stick with this for 2 weeks and then add some things back in. I hope to stay this motivated all week. It really helped to be back to school and a routine. I always do better with eating when I am busy.

Off to a Good Start!

Proud to say I woke up and did my 30 minutes on the treadmill. I feel awesome. I just have to remind myself so in 3 or 4 days when I want to chuck my shoe at the treadmill, I will know that it is for my good and I will have a better day if I just get it over with.

I also had to put my meal plan on here so I don't stray today.

Breakfast:

• 1 serving All Bran Cereal
• 1 c. milk
• 2 scrambled egg whites
• 1 c. apple juice

Snack:

• yogurt
  

Lunch:

• 1/2 pkg. tuna
• spinach w/ vinegarette
• cottage cheese

Snack:

• Banana Smoothie

Dinner:

• grilled chicken
• mixed roasted veggies
• cheese

I am a little nervous about tonight...we are hosting a TCU football party with Dane's family. There will be tons of yummy food. I am challenging myself not to eat it.

The Goals

I have so many things I want to change this year. I am going with the theme of small and simple and building on that. I know myself. I can't set 25 goals in one day because I know I won't be able to accomplish them all. Then I will just end up feeling overwhelmed and like a failure. So here are the baby steps for now.

• I am committing to a 2-week sugar detox. I have planned meals (which I will post) for the next 2 weeks. They are about 1200 calories per day.
• I am committing to wake up at 6:30 and do 30 mintues on the treadmill (notice it is not the hour I was doing before...baby steps).
• I am committing to keep up on my blog. I need to journal for my family and it is a little part of myself that I lost. I miss all my friends and this is the best way to keep up with all of them.
• I am committing to pray daily. I am hoping that once this becomes a solid habit, I can add consistent scripture study. Sad, I know...but like I said, small steps.

There it is. That's the list for now. I hope to continue adding. Hopefully I still have a few friends out there who will help give me a boost now and then. Wish me luck!

A Year In Summary And On To The Next

As you can see...it is the beginning of the year. I usually make it a point NOT to do a "New Year" diet. I have typically started them later. I just don't like being part of the cliche and part of the majority of people who stick it out for 2 weeks and give it up. Well, I am ready now. I don't want to prolong it any more. Since this blog is more about my feelings and personal goals, I need to record the events of last year and set some goals for this year. It might be excuses but I just want to remember last year and remember some of the thoughts and feelings I had...since it has been almost an entire year that I have blogged!!!!!

January - I was in great shape (within 5 pounds of my goal weight) thanks to all my health blogging friends. We went on our cruise and had the best time EVER! We left the kids with grandparents and aunts in Utah while we cruised for 8 days. Loved it! Loved spending time with my family. Loved spending time with my sweetie. Felt so good and healthy. Ate whatever I felt like and loved it.

February - We came home from our trip and felt like we should start thinking about where we were going to be moving and raising our kids for the next 10 years. We decided to try and look into moving back to Utah.

March - We received an amazing opportunity from Dane's job to receive pay for a few months if we wanted to look for another job. We jumped right on in and decided it was the best time to move where we wanted to raise our kids. We took a huge leap of faith and moved to Utah the last week of March.

April - Arrived in Utah April 1st and moved in with Dane's parents. They were so generous to let us stay with them for an unknown amount of time. Dane got a job within 3 weeks with Associated Foods. They told us he would probably be hired to run stores in Southern Utah but we would be in Salt Lake for 4 - 6 months. We decided to hang tight with the in-laws until we had a more definite plan of our permanent location.

May - Went into pure vacation mode. I had no house, no major responsibilities. It felt like I was in Utah on vacation. Had tons of fun catching up with old friends and hanging out with family.

June - Had a fun vacation to St. George and Las Vegas. Had both boys' birthdays. Started swimming lessons for the kids. Still in vacation mode (and eating like I was on vacation).

July - Getting a little stir-crazy. Sick of yelling at my kids all the time to try to be quiet and keep the house super-clean so my mother-in-law doesn't have to clean up after us. Getting anxious to come up with a plan on where we will be living/going to school. Still mentally on vacation.

August - Really ready to move into my own house. Associated Foods buys Albertsons so there are going to be a lot of career opportunities in the Salt Lake area. We decided to start looking for houses hoping Dane would get a store in Salt Lake. We kept getting drawn out west to Herriman and Riverton. STILL on vacation and having tons of fun hanging out with family. Now my clothes are starting to not fit.

September - Kids started school. Still no word on a permanent job but Dane LOVES his job so it's all good. We continued looking for houses and found one in Herriman that we liked. Put in an offer and waited...and waited...and waited...(it was a short sale). Starting to get a little depressed about myself and my situation. Makes me want to eat lots of yummy food. Have worked out maybe 10 times since moving back to Utah.

October - SOOOOOOOO ready to be in our own house and on a normal routine and NOT ON VACATION. Decided to pull our offer from the short sale and found another home we liked just as much - if not more. We got the house...YEA, FINALLY!!!!! Excited to move and get a normal life back.

November - Moved into our beautiful home! Love it! Forgot what our routine is. Dane got his own store and will be in Salt Lake for a long time!!! Now I am a little farther away from family...husband is working ALL the time...starting to feel very lonely...miss having friends...eating something delicious will make it all better.

December - Feeling a bit Grinchy. Not excited about Christmas shopping by myself. Christmas is becoming stressful, not fun. Finally get the tree up but nothing else. I have no energy to do up my house and the thought of putting it all away makes my body hurt. Have tons of fun going to family parties (what I have been waiting for). Christmas comes and of course it is wonderful and so much fun. I am sort of glad to have it over with. I have had it in my mind since Thanksgiving that after the Holidays, I am going to get serious about my body again.

January - I am so ready to get this started. I know I am ready because it is all I think about right now. I am willing to put all my focus into myself for a few weeks to get back on track. I am so tired of feeling crappy and looking crappy. I have all the tools, I have done it before, I just need to do it. It is going to be harder than it sounds. I have some pretty hard habits to break but I am ready. I am so ready. Here it goes!

My Cousin, Stef

To all readers of this blog. One of my favorite people in this world, my cousin, Stefani, experienced a horrible tragedy this weekend. She also has a fitness blog and we follow each others blogs regularly. Early Sunday morning their house caught on fire. They were awakened at 3:00 in the morning by a phone call telling them to get out of their house. Her and her husband grabbed their 4 kids and went straight outside. They were able to get out safely but lost EVERYTHING including their 2 cars and camper.

I feel so helpless living far away but I can offer my support and prayers. We have such a great ability to impact each others lives as women. I have seen so many examples of love and generosity from women supporting each other. I just want her to know that I am thinking about her constantly and am so grateful that they were able to make it out safely. I love you and hope to be able to see you shortly!

Here is a copy of the story they ran on the news:

Spanish Fork resident Stefani Holdaway woke up just after 3 a.m. Sunday morning to a phone call from her next door neighbor.

"She said your trailer's on fire, get out of your house." Holdaway says she and her husband then woke up their four children and ran out of the house. "There were flames about 10 feet in the air," said Holdaway "the whole carport was on fire."

The two-alarm fire spread from the carport to the Holdaway's home. It also spread to the home of their next door neighbor, both homes suffered severe damage in the blaze.

"It was quite devastating," said neighbor Ronald Bell, "to see something like that in your own backyard in your own neighborhood."

No one was hurt in the fire that destroyed cars, collapsed roofs and displaced two families.

The Holdaways say they are staying with nearby relatives. Stefani says she is grateful her family is safe and right now they are concentrating not on what they lost but instead what they still have.

"Everyone around us has been so generous and helped us so much, we're very grateful."

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.