Closer to goal.

Do I dare come out on the internet stage? I fear tomatoes and rotten fruits being thrown at me for not uploading since April. No excuses, only reasons. Mom of three. Wife. Employee x 3. Home educator.

If the average woman is indeed a size 14-16 ... I am so close to not being average anymore. Am selling my average closes. Wonder what life is like, not being average. I will keep you updated.

This summer, I did not reach my Never Summer Mountain goal...yet... But I am getting closer daily. Finally.

I have learned so much about myself on this journey. First, the Lord is always with us. He is real and very near. His strength is my endurance.

Second, I am for sure older. The metabolic rate of my body is nothing. I was feeding it as if I was burning as many calories as my cute construction man, Brian James. Who am I kidding?

But I have learned, I am content with less and better foods. Seafood is now my friend. (which makes Brian very happy..he loves seafood) My steamer is a huge blessing. I put my frozen fish/seafood/chicken in my steamer with some veggies and wa-lah, I have lunch. I have cut red meat out except once/twice a week. Still walking and love it.

The Springfield Turkey Trot is coming up. I am excited to try again. I am lighter than last year. I am stronger than last year. I am mentally better than last year.

Am I am runner? Not yet.

I am excited about the weight loss I have experienced. Any pound from here on out is un-chartered territory as the last amount pounds are pounds I have lost over and over. Remember, I went from a size 2/4, a pregnancy, then a size 12/14. Then bigger. Then back. Then up. Then down. Around and around the diet wheel I have spun. Until now....

I was asked my goal weight was not too long ago. Honestly, I reported that I did not know. I have never been there to see what my body would respond to. So, we will see. One pound at a time. One day at a time.

There is a big difference though between this time and all the rest. Because of the Lord, I have not given up. I have reached the weight I was at 5 pounds ago, about 12 different times. The 'littler' clothes in my closet all stop at the size I am now. There are no smaller. There are no size mediums or smalls in my closet. If there are, it is because my teen daughters put away laundry in the wrong closet.

I ALWAYS quit me. When I reached that 'number' on the scale, I always quit before. Until now.

In April, the Lord spoke to my heart. It was a totally different issue that He spoke this matter to my heart, but it applied to many areas of my life. "Laurie, my daughter, I was for you all along."

He watched from the sideline as I quit running to my touchdown with only a few yards to go. He watched me fall, stumble, and run to the sideline of life. Turn to food, comfort, bad habits, self-comfort, and hide all over again. Time and time again.

If God is for you, who can be against you? The Bible reads.

I thank Him. He loves. He cheers. He is for me.

Therefore, I can do it. I can keep going.

Until next time ...