Week 29: Trust God's Provision

Life's too short not to dance with my children!

I'm not posting much because I feel like not much new is happening--even though every week I'm having steady weight losses and getting smaller all the time!

Shirley told me when I started that I should keep track of my own weight losses as well because I would lose weight so quickly I was going to forget what I weigh.  I thought, "Forget what I weigh?  THAT'S not possible!  I am consumed with the number on the scale at times!"

But I'm not consumed with it anymore.  And it turns out, she knew what she was talking about. (Ha--who knew, Shirley?!)  Today I weighed myself and thought, "Oh, it's only a pound.  Darn!"  I was about to email Shirley and tell her it's going slow, but at least it's going.  But before I email her, I always go to my own weight loss chart and record my week.  WHAT!?  I was down 3 pounds--not 1 pound!  Ha ha!  Well, that is anything but slow.  Oops!  I just forgot.  I never thought that would happen to me.  I can tell you exactly what I weighed at every memorable moment in my life.  (Not anymore!)

Friends since college days!

Thing have been busy.  Our best friends Keith & Kristin left yesterday to live in the Bahamas.  There was so much emotion wrapped up in that for me.  Before, I would have said goodbye and I would have eaten everything in my kitchen.  But not yesterday.  Yesterday I allowed myself to feel something.  I cried.  Food would not heal my heartbreak--but tears felt really good.  As did laughter when my four-year-old told me, "It's okay Mama. Don't be sad.  We'll go see them in the Bahampas."  Oh, her faith is sweet!  And I believe, because of God's provision to us lately, we WILL go see them.

Ane is in the brown sweater, right in front!  So adorable!

Another provision is that our Spanish student, Ane, comes today.  I could turn my focus away from the Buntings leaving and focus on Ane coming.  Where there is a sadness, there is also a joy...if we're willing to see it.  God knew we would need Ane in our home this summer.  We didn't know that.  We were just doing a favor to help a friend.  But already our relationship with her via email and Facebook is so sweet, I can't wait to meet her today!  God's provision!

Last month I was awarded an honorable rank in the TSFL coaching network.  I achieved the promotion to "Executive Director"--only three months after my business started.  I'd like to say I worked really hard and made this happen.  Sure, there is some truth to that.  But the honest truth is, God brought every person into my path.  Friends and family just started reaching out to me for answers because they saw the hope I had finally found and they want that too.  God's provision--to me and to them.

So, this month, I had my work cut out for me.  TSFL doesn't just let you slide back comfortably as a coach and enjoy your promotion.  Oh no...you continue to reach out and help more people.  But I felt like I was "out of people."  But then a dear, sweet woman arrived at an Inspiring Health event last week.  She's a friend of a friend.  I had never met her in person.  But we immediately had a bond, and that night she started her TSFL journey with me as her coach.  With many hard circumstances in her life, she said to me, "I need a success story."  She was a miracle to me that night!  But that's not all.  Last night she came to an event Shirley was hosting.  She brings a friend.  Her friend says, "Be my coach, Julie!  Help me do this thing!"  Amazing!  I may be "running out of people" but there are SO many people I don't know that still need hope--and God is bringing them to me.  God provides.

Our official professional head shot of Dan & Julie Garner, Health Coaches

Because Dan and I are now executive directors, the home office needed a photograph of us.  But I didn't have a good picture of us at our current weight.  So, on a whim, I emailed my friend Joyous Derner who is a gifted photographer.  It was a long shot that she could do this for me in 24 hours notice.  Several hours later, we had our picture.  God provides.

Oh, and two weeks ago, I was interviewed by Dr. Wayne Anderson on a conference call that went out to all the health coaches and business leaders across America.  Could I have made that happen?  Nope.  But God provided that opportunity to me.

I don't ever want to forget who provides for me.  I don't ever want to get puffed up.  I want to lose weight and gain humility.  Grow my business and shrink my ego.


Well...that's what's been happening, in a nutshell.  I'm off to have a Peanut Butter Crunch Bar!

Week #26: Face the Fears

My nephew graduated from high school tonight.  I'm so crazy proud of him!

I was so thankful to be a smaller version of me tonight when I saw how miniature the folding chairs were at graduation.  I would have normally panicked at the sight of them, but not tonight.  No problem fitting on that chair without hanging onto the next one.

Not so for the guy sitting next to me though.  A bigger dude, he was practically sitting on my lap.  The thing is, there was an empty chair on the other side of him.  And this is where the story gets interesting...

First, I started gaining weight because something pretty terrible happened between me and boy.  This was over 20 years ago now.  But I kept gaining weight, in part, because I didn't want men hitting on me or being inappropriate with me.  I was very comfortable just being their best pal--though many times it made me sad that the men I really wanted to see me in a feminine way no longer did.  But I don't want to get side tracked here.  I just wanted to say that, even when the reality hit me that I am really losing weight, I confessed to my sweet husband that I was concerned about the thought of how men would treat me.

Worst nightmare about to come true.

Very friendly man sitting next to me at graduation.  Err...not just next to me, if you recall.  Practically on my lap.  Let me just say, despite my warnings about being married, loving my children, being at least 10 years older than this man...he continued to flirt with me and hit on me all night long.  He told me he was going to move closer and snuggle with me.  He even poked my ribs when I raised my arms to take a picture of my nephew.  My other nephew, Jon, was sitting next to me and served as my protector the best he could.  He was mad.  I was annoyed.

The greatest fear I had was now happening to me.  That men would find me attractive again and that I would have to face their inappropriateness. 

But I was okay. 

I stood confident in my marriage.  In the ONE (and only) man I am fully comfortable with in every possible way.  I did not allow this man to freak me out.  Nor did I allow any voice in my head to tell me, "See...you shouldn't keep going on this journey!"  Nope.

Creeps exist.  And I'm a woman now who is firm in the Gospel and firmly planted in a marriage.  I am no longer 17 years old and helpless. 

Tonight a fear was faced.  And I was just fine. (But that dude better hope my nephew never sees him again--or I don't think he'll be so kind the next time!)

Week #25: Vacation!

I was so thankful to be on vacation last week with my family.  It was the best vacation EVER and I attribute much of that to my nearly 80 pound weight loss.  Let's see...here's a little of what it looked like.

• Miniature Golfing--which included possibly my first-ever hole-in-one and a lot of laughing.
• Basketball--while losing the weight didn't help my game per se, but it did help me want to play in the first place.
• Bowling--oh yeah!  Feeling good.  And really happy that I could dance around with Jude when he got his first strike.
• Dance Party--just in our room.  Me and the kids.  Dancing and giggling and having so much fun!
• Water Park--that didn't just include me sunbathing.  Last water park experience I had (last summer at the beach) I thought, "I should go down the lazy river just holding onto the center of the tube and not laying across it."  It sounds like a great idea, but then I realized, I didn't fit into the center of the tube.  Unfortunately, I realized that a bit too late and was STUCK in the center of the tube.  Em-bar-rass-ing!!!  I didn't get stuck in ANYTHING this time.
• NYC--took the kids to NYC for the first time and loved walking around and going to all the fun kid-spots in the city.  Last time I was there was the day before I started TSFL and I just wanted to find a coffee shop and park it for the day.  Not this time!

There were other really fun highlights of the trip, but I think it is adequate to say, that losing the weight made this trip active and fun for everyone.  I truly am a better mom and wife at the lower weight.  Not that I love my kids and my husband any more now than I did (or that they feel differently about me...well...maybe) BUT, because now I can really LIVE my life with them in a way I couldn't before.  And, boy, is sure is fun!