My Cats

I recently found my cats napping together in my recliner. Here are some pictures of their lazy time; Shadow is the black cat and Angel is the white cat.

Restoring

God continues to restore things that once were lost in my life. I don't always understand what the Lord is doing at the time, but I know that He is touching the deepest parts of my soul and restoring them.

This past week I felt God's presence like I never have before. He opened my eyes more to the fact that He created me to be a joyful, loving, and caring person; He deposited a deep joy, love, and care in my heart as a child. Satan tried so hard to steal these things from me, but was unsuccessful at stomping out God's flame that kindles deep in my soul; a flame that keeps growing and gaining momentum as God continues to restore my soul.

Wildlife in the Cabin

I've had a few wildlife vistors to the cabin over the past few weeks.

A week ago my cats were going frantic early in the morning. They were running up and down the hall and jumping over my bed. Initially, I thought that they were very playful early in the morning, but then I sooned realized I had an unwanted visitor in my house: a bat.

The bat was flying through my hall and then around my bedroom and back down the hall. I'm not sure why the bat was interested in keeping this flight pattern, but he sure was persistent in staying on course.

I finally made my way downstairs after dodging the bat a few times. I promptly got my broom from the bathroom and headed out to find my little flying vistor. My flying vistor was no where to be found. My one cat (Angel) was laying on the floor in the living room, but my other cat (Shadow) had disappeared too. I concluded that if I found Shadow I would find the bat. I began to venture back upstairs and sure enough the bat was hanging on my wall. Shadow was sitting on my dresser and staring the bat down. One whack with the broom caused the bat to fly around again. The bat made the mistake, though, of landing on my bed. I hit him again, flopped on the floor, and laid there motionless. I wrapped him up and threw him outside for his next adventure.

A couple nights later my cats acted up again. This time there was a small mouse running around my bedroom floor. My cats chased it downstairs and corned it. I was able to nab it with a paper towel and threw it out where the bat was; I hope they kept each other company.

Dreaming

Last weekend I attended the Women of Faith Pre-conference and conference. The theme for the pre-conference was God has a dream for your life. The speakers were Shelia Walsh and Dr. Henry Cloud.



The words that Sheila and Dr. Cloud shared pierced through my soul and God spoke to me about it is time for me dream about my life. Dreaming about my life was a foreign concept since life circumstances in my childhood prevented me from dreaming about my future; I had all I could do to survive from one day to the next, let alone think about my future.

I've been doing a lot of dreaming in the past week. I must admit that I've had fun thinking about my future and seeking God's dreams for my life.



God spoke to me in 2000 that "the book on yesterday is closed and I will live in the grace and refreshing of the Lord your God." Through my dreaming, I've come to realize the freedom that I have in Christ and I truly feel that the book on yesterday is closed for me; meaning that my identity is no longer rooted in past events of my life and I'm free to live to be the person that God created me to be and do the things that He designed me for. This is a place that I've dreamed about being, but never thought that I could get here. I'm so thankful to the Lord for His healing work in my life and praise Him everyday.

Women of Faith

Later this afternoon I'll be leaving with three precious friends and traveling to Rochester, NY. We will be attending the Women of Faith Conference. I'm looking forward to the trip, the conference, and spending time with my friends.

I usually go to conferences with no idea what the Lord will do in me, but I always come back with a testimony of God's furthering work in my life.

I remember the very first conference that I attended: September 1996, CFC WIM Fall Retreat. I went not knowing that my life would be transformed and changed forever. You are probably wondering what happened - right? I can share: I became born again and surrendered my life to the Lord. I've never been the same and God has healed me from past hurts and wounds that I never thought I could be set free from. Thank you, Lord.

What will happen to me this weekend? I'm not sure, but I know that my God has a plan and purpose and I'll rest in His loving arms, continuing to enjoy His work in my life.

Back to Balance

My favorite expression for the past few days has been "back to balance." The expression describes my life as it is today.

My life hasn't been balanced since April 1. Traveling was the primary reason that it wasn't balanced. Since April 1, I've been to California, New Mexico, Lake George, and made many trips to Syracuse. Most of the traveling was work related with the exception of the California trip. Although I like to travel, I must say that I'm glad I only have one more trip planned and it is a personal one to a Women of Faith conference next weekend. I'll be traveling with special friends from church and get to see other friends (the Neville's) that I truly enjoy being with. I am looking forward to the trip.

I requested the assistance from my brother, who happens to be a professional photogragher, to help me purchase a digital camera when I was in California. He took me shopping and checked out the new Nikon Coolpix camera for me. It passed all of his tests and recommended that I buy it. I did and he now has one too since he liked mine so much. Here are some of my first photos.

Enjoy and I hope to post more often now that my life is back to balance.

My brother taking advantage of a photo opportunity with a mother goose and daddy goose.

Mommy with little ones. Before our photo shoot was over, I was feeding the mother goose bread from my hand.

Practicing taking close up shots. I took this picture with the flash on and liked how the camera picked up the detail of the sky. It was the middle of the day when I took the photo.

Going Home

I'm sitting at the airport waiting to board my plane. I've enjoyed my time in New Mexico, but I'm glad to be going home.

In the past month, I've traveled west twice. Once to California by car and then this trip to New Mexico by plane.

I like to travel, but I think I'm approaching my traveling limit. This is unfortunate since I have another trip next week to Lake George, NY.

I'm glad that I can sleep on airplanes. I see the gate attendant is getting ready to call passengers to the plane. I guess I need to sign off for now.

See you when I get home.

Going West Again

In a few hours, I'll be packing for another trip west. I will be flying this time and my destination is Albuquerque, New Mexico.

I'll be speaking at this conference.

I'll be returning home on Thursday night, will be home until Sunday, and then I'm off again on another adventure to this conference.

Life in the garbage business is certainly interesting and never dull.

Signs that Spring has Arrived

How does one actually tell if spring has arrived in NNY? Here are some signs to look for:

1. You spend the whole day raking your lawn and work up a sweat;
2. The temperature is above 50 degrees;
3. The snow banks are gone;
4. Flocks of geese fly overhead in the North direction;
5. You can open your windows to get fresh air blowing through the house without the worry of your furnace turning on;
6. The sun comes up before 7 AM and sets later than 8 PM; and
7. One goes kayaking for the first time since last fall; this was me yesterday.

I'm glad that spring has finally arrived in NNY and replaced the 8 inches of snow that I had in my yard last weekend. I just hope spring stays around until the hot days of summer come.

What will be My Next Adventure?

I returned home last night after helping friends (Jong & Jiwon) drive to California. I'm glad to be home and truly enjoyed my trip. I miss my friends already, but I know that we'll stay in touch through emails and frequent phone calls.

We spent 52 hours driving across the country last week in reaching our destination. I have a great sense of accomplishment for this achievement. I wonder what my next adventure will be: perhaps a road trip to Alaska. Anyone want to join me? If so, here are some tips that will help you along the journey:

1. Pray & ask God to before you and with you;
2. Don't give up the goal even during times that you think you can't make it;
3. Be willing to sleep in any position that the car you're travelling in allows;
4. Schedule regular bathroom breaks and don't try to hold it too long;
5. Travel with people who'll accept you even after spending 52 hours with you in the car;
6. Compose music even though you're not a musician - makes the journey more interesting;
7. Stay in touch with family and friends through instant messaging on your Blackberry; this makes the trip more fun.

Okay. That is all from this one adventurous traveler.

We Made It to California

We crossed the AZ/CA state line about 6:15 PM and arrived at my brother's house at 11:45 PM. Other than being tired, we are well.

The moving company will be delivering Jong & Jiwon's household items tomorrow morning. They are both excited to see their new apartment in the morning. I'm excited too, but I'm going to sleep in and catch up with them later in the day.

The drive across NM and AZ was beautiful. I recommend doing the drive if you ever get the opportunity since the mountain views will take your breath away.

I'm off to bed now.

California - Our Next Stop

We are at my sister's house in Albuquerque, NM getting ready for our next leg of the journey. We arrived here after 13 hours of driving from Joplin, MO. The drive was great and we drove through Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico. The drive through Texas was the most uninteresting since it was flat and you could see for miles. We did come across some tumbleweed along the highway in Oklahoma.

We are planning on departing for California around 8 AM Mountain Time with an expected time of arrival in CA around 8 PM Pacific Time.

For those of you in NY, the temperature here is 71. It was nice getting out of the car and feel the warm breeze and not the cold winds that we've had in NY.

Marathon Driving

After 26 hours of driving and riding in the car, we've arrived in Joplin, MO. This city is located on the MO and OK state line and is about 1.5 hours east of Tulsa, OK. We originally wanted to reach Tulsa, but decided to call it a night and check-in to a lovely Hampton Inn. We plan on leaving at 7am and head to my sister's house in New Mexico. Tomorrow's drive will be a mere 10-12 hours; this is nothing compared to the 26 hour marathon that we just completed. I'm off for a shower and catch some sleep.

Road Trip

This evening I'll be leaving with two dear friends and heading west. I'm helping my friends drive to southern CA.

The plan is that we'll depart this evening around 8 and drive all night and tomorrow. We hope to be in the Tulsa, OK area by tomorrow night. Thursday we'll be spending the night in Albuquerque, NM with my sister and then arrive at my brother's on Friday night. My brother leaves near where my friends are moving to.

Please pray for our safe travels and that our travel plans go smoothly. I'll post when I can to give you updates.

Grocery Bargains

I'm always shopping for a bargain and I found an ad tonight that caught my eye. It read: "Yes, here is the catch of the season. At Loblaws" Here are some of the prices:

1. White bread: 2-1lb, 2oz loafs for $0.15
2. Bananas: 5 lbs for $0.25 (sure beats the $0.59/lb I paid earlier in the week)
3. Beef roast: $0.17/pound
4. Del Monte coffee: $0.19/pound (I wonder if this coffee will ever be served at CFC's canteen?)

Now these are bargains that seem too good to be true. They are since they were advertised in a 1940 paper that I saw at the 1844 House restrauant tonight. Check the ladies room out if you every dine at this establishment and you'll find lots of interesting information from the 1940's. The information is contained in newspapers that serve as wallpaper in the ladies room. I wonder what wallpaper is in the men's room?

Snapshot of my Life for the Past Month

Wow, I can't believe that my last post was on March 5. Here is a summary of what I've been up to since then.

1. My mom became ill on March 8. She wasn't aware, but she had gallstones and was hospitalized for a week. She had her gallbladder removed on March 14 and then came home with me the next day. She is still staying with me for RR. She has a Dr's appointment on April 3 and I'm sure that she will receive a good report. Until then, she is enjoying her time at the cabin with me and my cats. I love having her around and will miss her when she goes.
2. In between driving back and forth to the hospital and going to work, I got my first head cold since last year. I took advantage of having mom around the house and asked her if she would make me her secret cold remedy that she used to give to me as kid. She did and I was back in action two days later. Thanks mom.
3. I'm also preparing for my cross country drive to California. I'll be leaving next Wednesday and driving across the country with two friends that are moving there. I'm looking forward to the trip, but will miss my two friends when I return from California on April 10.
4. I've been watching the ice melt from the rivers in anticipation of the upcoming kayaking season. I can't wait to get back out paddling. I bought a wet suit this past fall and I'm sure I'll try it out when I return from California.
5. I've been coaching a girls basketball team. The team is part of the Upward Basketball program that is held at church. This is the third year that I've coached and I experience great enjoyment working with the girls. We have our last practice tomorrow night with our last game on Saturday.

These are the things that have occuppied my life for the past month. I hope to be able to post more often now and especially as I travel across the country next week.

Travel Plans

Some good friends of mine got a job in the LA area and I will be helping them move from NY to CA.

This means that I'll be making a road trip next month. It will be the longest road trip that I've been on since we'll be driving from NY to CA. We estimate that it can be done in 3 days; I'll keep you posted as to how we do.

I don't mind driving cross country and am looking forward to it. I will get to see my sister and brother too as we make our journey west. We are planning on spending one night with my sister; she lives in Albuquerque, NM. My brother, who lives in the LA area, is helping my friends find an apartment. My brother and his wife have had dinner with my friends when they were in the LA area interviewing for the job.

After arriving and staying a few days, I'll be flying back to NY.

I will miss my dear friends when I return to NY, but I'm happy for them that they found a job and I know that they will enjoy living in southern CA.

Channel 7 News Broadcast

I had another interview yesterday with John Friot, Channel 7 News. See here to view the interview.

News10Now Appearance

Visit the News10Now website to view my interview with them about the Tribe's biodiesel project.

More Media Opportunities

The Tribe and Clarkson University released a press release about our biodiesel project. Since then, I've been flooded with phone calls from local newspapers and TV stations.

I was interviewed by a local CBS station from Burlington, VT earlier this week. They also shot footage of our garbage truck in operation. News 10 Now and Channel 7 news have also been in contact with me. They both want to interview me and shoot footage of our truck and transfer station sometime next week.

Who said that the garbage business wasn't exciting? One of the aspects that I like most about my job is the variety of duties that I get to perform. One day I find myself being interviewed for a TV show and the next day I could be tossing garbage bags into the truck. It doesn't get any better than this!

Shopping Fun

I spent part of yesterday shopping for a garbage truck.

This is exciting for me and my staff. There are so many options to choose from, but I think we've narrowed it down: 4x4 a must; Chevy chasis-yes; dual steering wheels-absolutely; 21 cubic yard box-you bet; and power everything-most definitely. Color-who cares as long as we can pack as much garbage in as we can.

Film Making "Building me the Future!"

I spent three days this past week with Rich (camera man) and Drew (sound man) filming footage for a documentary that will possibly appear on PBS and the Discovery Channel. The documentary is about the biodiesel project that I manage for the Tribe.

What is biodiesel? It is alternative fuel that is made from used vegetable oil (UVO) that can be used in engines that use conventional diesel fuel. The Tribe is working with Clarkson University in designing and manufacturing a biodiesel production system that will make biodiesel from UVO from the Tribe’s casino. The intent is to use the biodiesel to fuel the Tribe’s garbage trucks and other diesel operated equipment at the Tribe’s transfer station.

The project is partially funded by Engineer Without Borders (EWB). EWB is a non-profit humanitarian organization established to partner with developing communities worldwide in order to improve their quality of life. EWB is currently providing funding for 30 projects worldwide and selected a total of 3 projects to be filmed for the documentary. The Tribe’s project is the only one in the United States that was selected to be part of the documentary.
Spending three days with Rich and Drew was exciting, exhausting, and interesting. Rich and Drew have been in the film making business a long time and have many film making stories. They have worked with some well-known actors: Anthony Hopkins and Donald Sutherland to name a few. They have spent nine weeks living in tents on Devon Island in the High Canadian Artic filming a picture about life on Mars; Rich brings a polar bear tooth with him on all his filming assignments that he got on this trip. I must admit the tooth is impressive and larger than I ever thought a polar bear tooth would be. Rich has won an Academy-Award for filming “A Story of Healing”, a documentary about doctors of Interplast who volunteer their time and skills to change the lives of children with deformities.
Rich and Drew were fun to be around and I truly enjoyed hanging out with them. They sure know their business and I felt very comfortable having a camera in my face many times throughout the three days of filming. They will be back at least two more times in the next year to get more footage.

I am honored and humbled that the Tribe’s project was selected to be part of the documentary. I am truly thankful to God for all the recent media opportunities that have been opened to me. Who knows what God has next for me….maybe an appearance on Oprah :).

Acts of Kindness

I decided to stop at one of my favorite dining establishments on the way home from a friend's house last night.

I pulled my car into the parking lot and noticed that a man was laying in a snow bank with other people hovering over him. I parked my car and quickly grabbed my wool blanket that I keep in the car and placed it over the man. The man in the snow bank was large in stature and I quickly learned from the others that he had slipped and fell on some ice. One of the waitresses from the restrauant was cutting his pant leg and I surmised that she was a also a member of a rescue squad since she had an EMT bag with her. I noticed that cold snow was holding the man's head and thought that must be cold on his head. I walked back to my car, grabbed my spare work pants, and walked back to the man. I said "lift your head up and I'll place these pants under your head so that your head won't be so cold." He looked up at me and said "who are you and you're so nice to care." His eyes told me how shocked he was that a total stranger would care enough to make sure that he was warm as he laid there. The ambulance came and off to the hospital he went.

In situations like I found myself in last night, I often ask "how would I like to be treated if I were in the same situation and what would Jesus have me do?" This question always leads me to show acts of kindness and help someone in need if I have the means to. After all, isn't this what Jesus did when he walked the earth and wouldn't He want me to do the same?

Fire Up Club Report

The Fire Up Club has been meeting for the past four weeks. The membership continues to grow every week; there are now 32 ladies making lifestyle changes in order to live healthy today and in the future.

A couple nights ago I received a call from a member. She was excited to share with me a testimony about what God is doing in her life through the Fire Up Club. This member agreed to write about it so that I could post it to the Fire Up Club blog.

I posted her testimony just a few minutes ago. Click on the Fire Up Club link above or to the right to read about it. Check it out since I think that you'll be inspired by her story.

Close Calls

I spend about 50% of my time traveling the highways of the north country in my Toyota Prius. My defensive driving classes have taught me to always expect the unexpected to happen when driving. I'm glad that I had this knowledge this morning.
I was traveling back from the transfer station to my main office. I was about to go around a curve in the road when something caught my eye. On the bend of the road, there was a truck pulling a trailer and another car pulled over on the opposite shoulder of the road. My initial thoughts "strange place to be pulled over, they are not completely off the road, I better slow down." I began applying gentle pressure on my brakes when all of sudden I saw another vehicle passing them in my lane. It was an tractor-trailer heading straight for me. I quickly applied more pressure on my brakes and began to map out my escape route to avoid a head-on collision. After a few seconds, I determined that the tractor-trailer would get by me without hitting me and it did; sigh of relief!!

I'd be lying to say that I didn't have a few thoughts like "this is it for me, good bye world, and hello Jesus." I'm so thankful that it didn't turn out this way, but it brought me comfort knowing where I'm going to spend eternity when my time does come to depart this world. How do I know? I have a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ His son. The Bible promises me that I'll spend eternity in heaven because of my faith in Jesus.

I thank God everyday for giving me Jesus so that I can spend eternity with Him in heaven. Jesus you're the best gift that I've ever received and I look forward to seeing You one day in heaven.

Featured Reader - Nutrition Twins Newsletter

The Nutrition Twins have published their most recent newsletter. My weight loss story is featured in their newsletter and on their website.

Check here to see the story.

Eating & Wearing Your Cake

My office held an open house this past week since we moved into a new building. All of the staff brought in food to serve our guests.

One staff member brought in a traditional strawberry filled cake. This is a cake that is loaded in the center with strawberry filling and is covered with a layers of white frosting. The cake was beautifully decorated for the occasion.

I was making my way around the table to put all those healthy snacks on my plate. I admired the cake with no intention of having a piece since I choose not to eat any desserts. As I was making my way around the table, I heard one of my colleagues say "Laura, you need a napkin since you wearing some of the cake." I looked down and my pants were covered with some of that delicious looking white frosting. I also got some on the bottom of my jacket. I quickly grabbed a napkin and began to remove the frosting my clothes. I also made a trip to the ladies room in hopes that some water would help to remove the frosting.

The lesson learned is that although I didn't eat the cake, I can still wear it whether I choose to or not. I told my co-workers this and they all laughed with me. It was a good laugh.

Going Shopping

I admit it...I like to shop. In particular, I love to shop for new clothes and I've shopped a lot this past year since I dropped by 5 sizes . It is fun to shop!

This year I also get to go shopping, but it is for something entirely different than clothes. I get to shop for a new garbage truck. You are probably saying "that doesn't sound exciting, who would want to do that?" My answer is a seasoned garbage professional like me.

There are so many options for me to consider: front-loading; rear-loading; side-loading; single versus multi compartment; dual steering versus single steering; engine size; etc. etc.

Perhaps when I'm shopping for a garbage truck this year, I'll come across some nice clothes that I can buy too. After all, a garbage professional like me needs to have matching clothes for my new garbage truck.

Fire Up Club

The birthing of the Fire Up Club came with the New Year.

What is the Fire Up Club? Simply put: it is a group to help ladies make lifestyle changes that allow them to live healthy today and in the future. I decided to create the group after several ladies in my church requested help regarding their weight.

To learn more, click on the link that is shown to the right under my links section.

Enjoy.

Reflections about the Year 2006

One word describes my life for the year of 2006: transforming.

My physical transformation is the most obvious to people. I loss 42 pounds and have been maintaining my weight within 1 or 2 pounds.

I'm thankful for my physical transformation, but I'm more thankful for the work that the Lord has done in my soul, which is less obvious to people.

The people that are close to me know that God has been doing a deep healing work in my soul, which has allowed me to draw closer to God. It has not always been an easy road to walk this year, but God has always been with me and has used many of you to help me along the way. I won't mention names, but you all know who you are and I'm forever grateful for your friendship and love.

I'm sure that the transformation work will continue in 2007, but I also sense that God is bringing me into a new season. A season where I will pour out into the lives of others. My only prayer is that in my pouring out that people will be touched by God's deep love for them and His transforming power.

In concluding, let me share some of my most favorite posts with you for the year 2006:

God Truly Hears & Understands

A Day with My Best Friend

A Birthday Outing

Before & After Photos

Laying Behind the Old & Receiving the New

Sledding

After work yesterday, I made a trip to Malone, NY to visit good friends. My friends had emailed me earlier in the day and asked if I was interested in going sledding with their family. I said sure.

I was amazed to see that there was about 3 inches of snow on the ground in Malone since the rest of the north country that I traveled through all day had no snow. My friends shared that Malone always get snow.

We loaded the sleds into my car and the rest of my friend's family piled into her car. After making a side trip to drop off the neck strap to her daughter's saxaphone, we made our way to the sledding hills. I surveyed the two hills and decided to go down the smaller of the two. My first trip down found me rolling over sideways and getting lots of snow in my face. Somewhere from deep within my memory banks, I was beginning to remember what and what not to do when sledding; I recall rolling sideways can be prevented if I positioned myself right on the sled to begin with - it is just a matter of physics. My second trip down was perfect. Feeling the confidence build, I decided to walk up the big hill and make my first trip down the big one. I must admit I had second thoughts when I got to the top of the hill. I was amazed at how small my friends looked at the bottom of the hill. My friends encouraged me to launch ... so I did. What a blast!! I ended up going down the big hill about 8 times. It was great fun!

Our sledding outing ended with all of us throwing the light snow at each other; it sure did feel good going down the back of my neck.

If you're looking for some winter time fun, go to Malone since they have snow when no place else does.

Christmas Presents

As a small child, I would always hurry to the tree on Christmas morning with excitement. I was truly amazed to find the number of presents that were under the tree for me. Over time, I lost the true meaning of Christmas since I thought it was all about the number of presents that I would get.

God brought back the true meaning of Christmas to me a few years ago. I was in San Diego visiting my brother, Wayne, during the month of December. Wayne and I went to his office one day. It was a long car ride and I made a visit to the ladies room when we arrived. As I was washing my hands, I noticed a Red Cross poster that had the following words printed on it: "What to Give? Give the gift of life. Give Blood." I stood there motionless as I read the words. The Lord began to show me the true meaning of Christmas.

Christmas is time for giving. It is nice to receive material gifts, but Jesus gave more than this; He gave His blood so that I may the gift of life and life more abundantly here on earth and in heaven. He did this out of His abundant love for me. This is the greatest Christmas present that I could receive.

I sometimes ask myself "What to give?" I now know to give the gift of life - give love. This is the greatest gift that I can give anyone during the Christmas season.

December 19 - Woman's World Magazine

The December 19 issue of Woman's World Magazine is available beginning today. For those of you that don't know, the magazine interviewed me and sent a professional photographer to my house for a photo shoot; see here and here to learn more. The magazine said that they wanted to feature my story about my weight loss. As you can imagine, I have been anxiously waiting for the December 19 issue to come out.

I received my complimentary copies last week. I opened the envelope with much anticipation of reading the story and seeing my picture only to discover that the magazine decided to only use quotes from me. They decided to focus the story on how snacking helps you to loose weight and included pictures and 34 recipes of snacks that you can eat. If you get the magazine, the article appears on pages 20-21 and my quotes are near the end.

Although the direction that the magazine decided to take with the article is disappointing to me, I am thankful for the opportunity of being interviewed and participating in the professional photo shoot. I am more thankful for my success with loosing weight and being able to maintain my weight within 1 or 2 pounds since May. I never thought that I would be able to loose the weight, but I have and now it is time to help people do the same.

I'm starting a Fire Up Club at my church beginning in January. The purpose of the club is to create a community for ladies to loose weight and get healthy in a mentally supportive, emotionally safe, and spiritual encouraging environment.

I'll be teaching ladies the eating principles based on the book titled "Fire Up Your Metabolism" and help them to incorporate the principles into their eating. My vision statement for the club is "Changing Lifestyles...Living Healthy." Changing the way I eat and my relationship to food (lifestyle change) has allowed me to live a healthier life. My desire is to help other people do the same.

God's School of Wilderness

The Lord prompted me to pick up a book this past weekend that I had read several years ago. The book is written by Charles Swindoll and it is titled “Moses-A Man of Selfless Dedication.”

My eyes scanned the table of contents and saw the chapter titled “The Desert: School of Self-Discovery.” I turned to this chapter and began to read. Here are some of the paragraphs that grabbed my attention:

Apart from the desert experience, you and I might live out our lives without ever hearing or knowing what the God of the universe desires to tell us. The wilderness-like desert changes that. In that lonely place, you find
yourself stripped of all the things you hang on to for comfort – all the stuff you felt you needed through life but really didn’t need at all.

Why does God lead us through desert places? Let’s get the answer from Moses, who had advanced degrees from God’s School of Wilderness. It is so that He might humble us, that He might test us, and that the true condition of our heart might be revealed. Not that God might come to know you (He already does), but that you might come to know you. There’s nothing like the desert to help you discover the real you. When you strip away all the trappings, peel off the masks, and shed all the phony costumes, you begin to see a true
identity – a face that hasn’t emerged for years. Maybe never. That’s what the desert did for Moses. That is what it has done for me, in the wilderness sojourns of my own life. It will humble you. It will show you your strengths and weaknesses. It will help you discover yourself as never before.

God never puts us through the blast furnace in the desert to ruin us. He does it to refine us. And in the midst of that howling wilderness, through the process of time, the stinging sand bites through the rust and corrosion, and we become a usable tool in His hands.

There has been numerous times in my past when I have had the joyful experience of rubbing shoulders with men and women who have been tempered in such a desert. You can always tell – sometimes within moments – when you have met individuals so refined by God. They are some of the most secure, genuinely humble, gracious, honest individuals one can imagine. It took the desert to do it.

I don’t like being trained in God’s School of Wilderness, but I must agree with Charles it is a place where I discover conditions of my heart and allow God to show me things that need changing in my life. It is a place of self discovery for the very purposes of being refined so that God can use me to touch lives of others. And yes I want to have the fruit that results from being trained in God’s School of Wilderness: security, humbleness, graciousness, and honesty. For these reasons, I’ll keep going to God’s School of Wilderness when needed. How about you, will you go too? Just think, maybe we can be in some of the same classes and help each other out.

Discovering the Peace of Christmas

I attended a Women In Ministry (WIM) event today at my church. The theme was focused on discovering the peace of Christmas.

The guest speaker shared that discovering the peace of Christmas is found by discovering the peace of who we are in Christ and that we always have a home in God. This is a place where we are accepted just as we are.

The home concept awakened my heart since just recently the Lord spoke to me about my home, or that place where I'm accepted just as I am.

On my recent trip to California, my brother and his wife talked a lot about me moving to California. I began to think what my life would be like there: I could easily find a job; it would be great living near my brother and his wife; there are certainly a lot of things to keep me entertained there; the weather is great; etc. etc. I guess I didn't realize how serious I was considering a move to California until I came home.

I was sitting in my living room Tuesday night sipping on a cup of coffee and listening to my favorite music. It was during this time that the Lord spoke these words "you are home, where you belong." I began to be filled with God's peace like never before; a peace that I can't find words to describe what it felt like. I just know that God confirmed to my heart that I'm home. I can truly say that this is a place where I truly feel accepted and loved in spite of my weaknesses and shortcomings.

Home is a great place to be! I wouldn't want to be any place else. Thank you Lord for showing me where my home is and discovering the peace of Christmas.

Cockroach Patrol

I flew the red eye flight from LA to Chicago on Monday night. The flight departed LA at 11:10 PM (PST) and arrived 3 hours later in Chicago. I slept the whole flight. The only thing that woke me up was the announcement from the pilot that we were 40 miles from the airport and that we would be landing in 15 minutes. I was truly amazed since it seemed like we had just departed LA.

Not much was happening at Chicago O'Hara airport at 4:30 AM. There were a few shops and restaurants open. It was not the hustle and bustle of activity that I was accustomed to, but I did have an interesting experience while I was waiting to board my plane for Syracuse.

My carry on bag was between my feet and I was using it as a table to hold my Bible. I was leaning over reading my Bible when I saw something dash out from under my chair. It was an ugly bug and it was making its way towards my carry on bag. I lifted the bag and bug ran right by it. I'm so thankful that I saw the bug since it turned out to be a cockroach. It made its way to the seats that were across from me. There was a gentleman sitting on the end seat across from me. I kept a watchful eye on the cockroach to see where he would make his next move. Sure enough, he turned 90 degrees and started making his way towards the gentleman. I soon realized that the cockroach had every intention of climbing up the man's pant leg. You say, "how did I know this?" Answer: when the cockroach climbed on the man's shoe and seemed very interested in the bottom of his pant. I calmly said to the gentleman "Excuse me, sir, there is a bug on your shoe and you will want to get him off from you." The young lad looked up at me in a daze and said "what". I repeated myself and then he looked down at his feet. Horror filled his face when he saw the massive cockroach about ready to make his way up his leg. The man yelled "get him off from me!!" and began shaking his foot. The cockroach did fall off from him and ran to the other side of the airport. Another gentleman standing on there saw the cockroach and ran over and stepped on him.

The gentleman that was sitting across from me couldn't thank me enough for letting him know about the bug on his foot. He was relieved once he shook it off.

Lesson learned from this experience: be on cockroach patrol when you travel since you never know where one will appear.

I'm Home

I arrived home today from my long red-eye flight from LA last night. My flights were all on time and I landed in Syracuse at 10:15 AM EST. After stops in Cicero & Watertown, I got back to the cabin around 4:00 PM.

I have many stories to share about my trip home, but am too tired to write about them now. Check back in a day or so ... I certainly will be rested by then.

Traveling Home

I can't believe that a week has passed already and it is time for me to travel home.

My stay at my brother's has been relaxing and exciting. I truly enjoyed my time in southern California and would consider moving here if I felt the Lord leading me to leave NNY. The weather is great and the people here are friendly. There are also many choices for entertainment & food here. The best part is that I have family leaving here and it would be great to hang out with them all the time.

To my friends and family in NNY, don't worry I am coming home and am excited about that too. There are certain aspects about the north country that I truly miss; i.e. my cabin, cats, less traffic, and most of all my friends and family.

I'll be leaving for the airport in about 45 minutes. My brother is getting ready to take some family pictures before I leave. I guess I need to sign off for now.

See you all soon.

Visiting Vineyard

Today we ventured out to visit a new church - Vineyard Church @ Anaheim, see here.

Wayne informed me when I first got here that there was a Vineyard church near were he lives. I asked if we could go since I've heard a lot about Vineyard churches and wanted to have a Vineyard experience.

I was impressed by the size of the church. The sanctuary had signs indicating north, south, east, or west entrances. We entered through the north entrance and found seats. Worship had already started and it was better than anything that I've heard on any of the Vineyard's CDs; it is true that live worship is better than any recorded worship. The Pastor was laid back, but shared a powerful message about giving and forgiveness. After service, we stopped by the Newcomer's area and picked up our free guest packet, which included a free Vineyard CD and coffee gift certificate at their bookstore cafe. We visited the bookstore and all got coffee. We truly enjoyed sitting in the cafe and sharing stories.

We decided to stop by a Chinese restaurant on the way home for lunch. This was no ordinary Chinese restaurant that one would find in Potsdam. The wait staff brought carts loaded with food to our table and we selected different dishes. Most of the dishes contained food that I couldn't eat. Consequently, I ordered off the menu.

This past summer I remembered ordering sticky rice when I visited a Thai restaurant with Theresa and Blanche this past summer. I asked Irene if this restaurant would have sticky rice and she said yes. We ordered sticky rice. It was not what I had in mind since it was wrapped in some sort of kale leaf. Three waiters came to our table to inquire what exactly I wanted. I said sticky rice with mango. They all agreed that they had that and departed the table. One waiter returned within minutes with a bowl full of rice that looked like it had hot peppers in it. I shook my head and informed him that this is not what I had wanted. The waiter then asked me if it was the sticky rice dessert. I said yes. He departed with the dish he had brought and appeared minutes later with what looked like what I was expecting. One bite, though, told me that it was not. That was ok because Irene liked it and she brought home with us.

This is my last evening in southern California. I travel back to NNY beginning tomorrow night. I'm taking a red eye flight and will arrive in Syracuse Tuesday morning. I look forward to coming home and getting back into the routine of things. I'm sure that my two cats will be happy to see me too.

Ocean Fishing

I got to experience my first ocean fishing adventure today. It was all that I could imagine and then some.

We arrived dockside around 6 AM. First order of business was to pay for the trip, get fishing licenses, and rental tackle. We then boarded the boat and were on our way to Catalinia Island. After about 2 hours, we arrived and fishing lines were in the water.

I dropped my line in and immediately I had a fish on. It was a mackeral and the deck hand informed me to throw it back since it wasn't good for eating. My two nieces, Whitney & Nicole, got their instructions from the deckhand and dropped their lines. Within in minutes they both got fish called bonitas. The deckhand let us all know that bonitas were good for eating and that we could keep them. My brother and I kept on catching mackerals while the girls kept reeling in the bonitas. I finally caught a bonita after about 2 hours of fishing. Wayne also began catching bonitas and we were all pleased with our catch. Later in the day I caught a couple of calico bass that I kept.

All in all, we had a great day on the ocean. We caught most of our limits for bonitas. The deckhands cleaned them for us and we had some for dinner. They were yummy.

Here are some pictures of our day.

Whitney & Nicole

Where we spent the day - aboard Daveys Locker

Calico Bass

Wayne waitng for a bite, above. A bonita, below.

The Day After Thanksgiving

The ladies of the house decided to venture out for shopping today.

Irene, Nicole, Whitney, and I arose at 6 AM (PST) to hit the shopping trail. We were off at 6:45 AM and arrived at the mall. To our amazement, there were several other hundred shoppers already standing in line at Mervyn's waiting to pay for their merchandise. That didn't deter us and we made our way through the store. Irene, thinking ahead, decided to hop at the end of the line and save us all a spot. The line was so long that all of us had time to shop while we each took turns holding our spot in line. Two and half hours later we were all at the cash register paying for our great bargains. I got a pair of tennis shoes (Irene informs me that this is the proper term for sneakers in the LA area), a black turtleneck, and a couple V-neck T-shirts; all for a whopping $60.00. Being the adventurous shoppers, we all decided to walk around the mall and window shop. We did stop at a coffee shop for what else - coffee. I had pumpkin spice coffee and it was yummy. The mall began to get overcrowded around 11 AM and we decided it was time to head home.

We arrived home and showed my brother our bargains. He too adventured out and went shopping at a local tool shop. He has very nice woodworking shop in his garage and needed tools and hardware to complete a project for Nicole. He didn't have to wait in line as long as us to pay for his merchandise.

I spent the rest of the day relaxing and even got a 1.5 hour nap in. We are currently are watching a movie and looking forward to going to bed early.

Deep sea fishing is on the schedule for tomorrow. We will be getting up at 4:30 AM (PST) since we need to be at the dock by 6 AM. Check back for the fishing report and pictures.

Thanksgiving Morning

I began to think of all the things that I'm thankful for as I arose this morning. My thankful thoughts continued to flood my mind as I went for my morning walk and did my stretching exercises. I've concluded that I have a lot to be thankful for.

God has blessed me in so many ways. My list of thanksgiving to the Lord is endless. The neat thing is that my list will continue to grow as I continue following the Lord. This is how the Lord designed it to be - to continue pouring out His blessings upon His children. I'm so thankful that Jesus died and rose again so that I can know God through Jesus and enjoy His bountiful blessings in my life. Thank you Lord!!

Another thing on my thanksgiving list, is the fact that I get to spend the day with my brother and his family. This is first time that I've seen him and his wife in about three years. I also have met two of my neices for the first time and will spend the day with them too.

I'm also thankful for the beautiful weather in southern California. The sun in Northern New York has been elusive this fall and I'm truly enjoying the sun and warm weather here in California. I think that this is the first Thanksgiving that I'm wearing shorts and short sleeve shirt. It is nice.

I wish all my family and friends back home a warm and happy Thanksgiving. I encourage you all to think about what you are thankful for this day and lift your praise of thanksgiving up to the Lord.

Visit to Huntington

My sister-in-law, Irene, informed me that we were scheduled to have afternoon tea at the Huntington Tea Room, which is located at the Huntington Library. My initial thought was great, but I found it strange that a tea room was located at a library.

As I walked through the main gate, an attendant handed me a brochure and I found myself admist a beautiful botanical garden. I quickly began looking at the brochure and learned that the Huntington Library is a private, nonprofit collections-based research and educational institution. The Huntington consists of a library, museums with art collections, and botanical gardens. The Huntington was established in 1919 by Henry Edwards Huntington, who was born in Oneonta, NY. Information in the brochure stated that:

"Huntington was a man of vision -with a special interest in books, arts, and gardens. Durning his lifetime, he amassed the core of one of the finest research libraries in the world, established a splendid art collection, and created an array of botanical gardens with plants from a geographic range spanning the globe."

I must say that I was pleasantly surprised when I walked through the main gate of the Huntington Library. Irene and I headed to the cafe for lunch and then we spent about an hour walking through the botanical gardens. We also visited one of the museums. Many of you know that I don't like museums, but this one contained the Gutenberg Bible; something that I truly enjoyed seeing.

Irene and I met my brother and two neices at the tea room for our afternoon tea appointment. We enjoyed their special tea, Holiday Season, and all the snacks; there were even healthy snacks that I could eat with lots of veggies.

We paid a visit to the gift shop prior to leaving. We all bought souvenirs and left the feeling very satisfied with our visit.

Here are some pictures of our visit.

My two neices, Whitney & Nicole

Me enjoying my snacks & tea.

A flower in one of the gardens.

Window Washers

I had a two hour lay over in Chicago yesterday. It was during this time that I noticed a four man team of window washers doing their job. Two of them were on the inside and two of them were on the outside. The guys on the outside had to use extenders to wash the windows since the windows were above their heads.

Two things that I noticed about the window washers. First, they worked well together as a team since the inside guys guided the outside guys where the streaks were after their first wash. Although they were only washing windows, they took their job very seriously, did it with excellence, and made sure the windows were sparkling clean when finished.

I couldn't help to think about the scripture that tells us to do our work as to unto the Lord. I don't know if any of the window washers were Christians, but they certainly seemed to be doing their work as to unto the Lord.

The four window washers will never know that I was watching them, but I learned a valuable lesson from them: no matter how unimportant the work may seem to be I need to do it as unto the Lord.

Arrival Downey

I arrived safely at Downey, CA. My flights were all on time. Actually, my flight departed Chicago about 15 minutes early; the plane left the gate, went right to the runway, and we were off. I fly through Chicago all the time and this was the fastest that I've ever flew out of there.

The plane arrived 40 minutes early into LA. I called my brother to let him know that I had arrived and he was amazed. I met my brother outside the baggage claim area. He picked me up in his bright yellow Ford 150 4x4 pickup truck. I couldn't miss it since it looked like a school bus. I'm not sure why he needs a 4x4 in southern California; it was 91 when I arrived. Tomorrow is supposed to be in the mid 70's.

I was also able to have breakfast with my dad this morning. We met at the Cracker Barrel in Watertown. My dad will be leaving for Flordia next week and this was the last chance for me to see him before he departs. We had a good visit.

Plans for tomorrow include playing golf and enjoying the weather. Later in the week we may go deep sea fishing. This is something that I've always wanted to do.

That is all for now.

Going West

I'm traveling tomorrow to Downey, CA. I am leaving the Hybrid in NY and flying to Downey since California is too far to drive. Downey is 13 miles south of Los Angeles.

I'll be visiting my oldest brother, Wayne, his wife, Irene, and Irene's mom, Eunice. I'll also get to meet two of my neices for the first time too.

What do I plan on doing while in Downey? Golf, pay a visit to Disney Land, and be a beach bum. Sounds fun, right? I can't wait!!

I'll be gone for 8 days. I will be posting to my blog during my time in Downey; so check back to find out how much fun I'm having.

Speedometer Shock

I had just pulled out of my driveway and began my long drive to work. Down the road I traveled noticing the morning rainshower that seems to be the norm these days. I was feeling pretty relaxed as I continued down the road and then I noticed the speed on my speedometer: 89.

I was shocked and began to think how can I be going 89 when I had just pulled out of my driveway; I also didn't feel like I was traveling 89 on the highway. The information on the speedometer didn't match what I was sensing to be true. My internal warning lights began flashing to me that something was wrong. I then looked at the units after the speed and was greatly relieved to discover that they were Km/hour. Switching back to MPH showed that I was traveling at 52.

Lesson learned: check your units on your speedometer when in doubt of your speed.

Whirlwind

Have you ever felt like your life was riding on a whirlwind? This is how I've been feeling since last week.

I can't believe that a week has passed since I had the photo shoot at my house. I haven't really had time to process it all. I can only say "Wow!!" I sometimes pinch myself to see if it is true...I'm going to appear in a National Magazine.

I am truly humbled and honored to have this opportunity to share my story about my weight loss journey. It is certainly a journey and one that is not over. Although I don't need to loose anymore weight, I am on a journey to maintain my goal weight that I reached in the middle of May. I am 42 pounds lighter than I was in January 2006 and I intend to stay at my goal weight.

Since the photo shoot, I've been on the local radio station that broadcasts from the Reservation and traveled to Rochester. The radio station broadcast was a special live promotion that we did at the transfer station on Saturday. After this, I hopped in my car and headed south to spend Saturday night with friends. On Sunday afternoon, I continued my journey to Rochester where I crashed at my luxurious room at the Radisson; it was nice getting off the whirlwind for few hours.

The reason I traveled to Rochester was to attend training that taught me how to work with people. I sure did learn a lot. After a quick trip to Wegmans (I wish the North Country had a Wegmans) I headed north and arrived at friends in time to watch the Giants beat up on the Cowboys on Monday night football; I'm a die hard Giant fan in case you didn't know.

I'm back home now and getting back into my routine. Speaking of routine, I need to sign off and head off to the financial class that I'm taking at church.

See you later.

Before & After

Wow!! The change in my appearance didn't really hit me until I received some of the photos from the photo shoot.

I have much to share about the photo shoot, but I've been on the run ever since yesterday. I'm hoping to post sometime on Sunday since I'll be traveling again; I find that I have more time to write when I'm traveling. So until then, enjoy the pictures.

The picture at the bottom was taken Christmas Eve 2005. This was a week before I started eating according to the principles in the Fire Up Your Metabolism book.

Photo Shoot - Woman's World Magazine

The photo editor from Woman's World Magazine contacted me today. She informed me that my story has been selected to appear in the December 19 issue. Please see my post from 10/6 to learn more about my interview with the magazine.

After a few phone calls back and forth, the photo editor arranged for one of their photograpers to come my house on Wednesday, October 18 at 4pm. They will shoot photos of me in two outfits of my choosing; it is a good thing that I'm going shopping for winter clothing tomorrow since I don't have any that fit me. At the magazine's suggestion, I have made arrangements to get my hair styled and to have makeup put on. Carina will be styling my hair and Connie will be applying make up.

They will be taking several full length shots of me and take pictures of me in my kitchen preparing my favorite snacks, which are a peanut sandwhich on whole wheat bread and yogurt with cheerios and fruit.

I never dreamed that I would be appearing in a national magazine when I started my weight loss journey in January. I am so blessed and I thank the Lord for the opportunity of sharing my story through a national magazine.

Dust Bunnies

As I was changing earrings this morning, one of the clasps slipped out my hand and went behind my dresser. I decided that I would hunt for the clasp when got home from work since I was pressed for time.

This afternoon I arrived home and decided to look for my lost clasp. The first thing I did was move the dresser away from the wall. "Ooh gush! Look at all those dust bunnies and other little debris behind my dresser" I said to myself. I didn't let the mess deter me from my task at hand - finding my lost clasp. After looking for a couple of minutes with no success, I decided to get a flash light and the vacuum cleaner. I shined the light behind the dresser and still didn't find the clasp. I then decided to move the dresser farther away from the wall and this is when I saw the clasp. It was underneath one of the legs of the dresser. I then made all those little dust bunnies disappear through the use of the vacuum cleaner. The carpet was cleaned and I promptly put the dresser back into its place.

All the time I was looking for my clasp, I begin to think about how those little dust bunnies hid behind my dresser until I moved the dresser. Up to this point, I had no idea that they were there; they remained hidden until I had a purpose to move the dresser.

The Lord began to show me that those little secret dust bunnies are similar to things that we keep hidden inside of us. Sometimes we aren't even aware that there are hidden dust bunnies that God wants to expose and shine His light on. The hidden dust bunnies are no surprise to God, though, since He knows and sees everything.

God patiently waits for us to invite Him to move our dressers so that the dust bunnies are exposed. He can then shine His light, apply His cleaner, and set us free from those hidden dust bunnies.

Interview With Woman's World Magazine

I received an email yesterday from the nutrition twins inviting me to be interviewed by Woman's World Magazine; see here. One of the editors of the magazine contacted the nutrition twins and wanted names of ladies who were successful in following their Fire Up Metabolism eating plan. The nutrition twins submitted four names to them and I was one of them.

One of the writers for the magazine interviewed me today via the telephone. They were particularly interested in knowing how snacking in between meals helped me to loose weight. My answer: snacking gives me freedom to eat more food without feeling guilty and I don't get hungry in between meals. I realize now that snacking is a normal part of my daily routine and I rather enjoy it.

I'm not sure if they will publish my article. I'll keep you posted if they do and let you know what issue it is in.

Speaking of snacking...it is time for me to have my evening snack. Off I go to enjoy my yogurt, cheerios, and fruit. Chow!

Laying Behind the Old & Receiving the New

2 Cor 5:17
17 What this means is that those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun!
NLT

This scripture tells me that I am a new person, not the same anymore, for my old life (old feelings, thoughts, & identity) is gone. I have a new life and identity!

Wouldn’t it be great if I could freely accept my new life & identity and have the old just disappear? Often times, though, there is action required on my part to lay behind the old and receive the new.

I’ve been in a season where God has allowed me to come face-to-face with some old feelings and thoughts about myself. I’ve also seen how much of my identity has been based on these old feelings and thoughts. Of course, this old identity doesn’t match up with what God’s Word says about who I am in Christ.

A couple years ago I taught women’s Sunday school class based on Neil Anderson’s book titled “Victory Over Darkness.” Chapter 4, “Something Old, Something New” describes that I need to believe that my new identity is in the life of Christ and commit myself to grow accordingly. I need to believe this regardless of how I feel or think about myself.

In preparing to teach Chapter 4, God gave me a ceremony to have the ladies perform in class. The ceremony, which I called “Discarding the Old & Putting on the New Celebration”, involved ladies writing on 3x5 index cards old man feelings, thoughts, or other old man stuff that they wanted to get rid of. The ladies were then invited to come forward, rip the cards up, and throw them in a box, which became known as the old man coffin box. The ladies had the option of sharing with the class what they were tossing away, or privately sharing with me, or not sharing at all. After they ripped and tossed the cards away, they received a love shawl and were prayed for.

About a month ago, I felt the Lord calling me to go through the Discarding the Old & Putting on the New Celebration since I have never done this. I invited four of my closest friends to my house last week to be a part of the celebration. I asked one of them to make me a love shawl and another one to lead the celebration.

As I prepared for the celebration, God revealed specific old man feelings and thoughts that I was to share and toss away. These were things in my life that remained in the dark until God shined His light on them, exposed them, and now it was time for me to lay them down.

My friends all arrived and it was time to begin the celebration. Pound! Pound! My heart began racing as I began to open my mouth and share. I shared the most difficult thing first, ripped up the paper, and tossed it into the old man coffin box. I began to move onto the next, when the prayer leader asked if we could stop and have them all pray for me. I said “yes”. They all came over to me, laid hands on me, and prayed for me. Tears came pouring out as they prayed. Half a box of tissues later we moved onto the next thing. I felt a sense of liberation with each thing that I shared, ripped up, and tossed. There were no more index cards in my hands. Everything that the Lord led me to share I had shared.

My friend who made me the love shawl came over and wrapped me in it. They all laid hands on me again and prayed a blessing over me. After prayer, one of my other friends indicated that she had something for me. She went and got another love shawl that she had made. She explained that she was led by the Lord to make me one too. She said that this love shawl symbolizes that I’m washed white as snow by the blood of the Lamb and that I’m God’s girl.

The last thing we did as part of the celebration was to place everything that I ripped up in a paper bag and burnt it. As I watched the torn pieces of my old life burning in front of me, I felt a sense of liberation and that it was time to accept and walk in my new life in Christ. After all the pieces were burnt, I stomped on the ashes and said to myself “it is finished, time to walk in the new!”

It has been a little over a week since I went through the Discarding the Old & Putting on the New Celebration. I can honestly say that I feel like a new creation in Christ, I’ve come to know deep in my heart that God truly loves me unconditionally and that He will never leave nor forsake me, and that I’m always God’s girl. I comfortable with being me now and I don’t have to hide behind a mask and pretend to be someone else. I am truly walking in my new life!

To my four friends that participated in the celebration, thank you for being there for me, loving me, and listening to me. I truly love you all and may we continue to grow together in Christ.

Wind Power

I found this funny. What do you think?

A Yielded Heart

God has me in a season where I'm truly learning what it means to have a yielded a heart. Here are some of the things that I've learned.

A yielded heart:

• is soft and supple;
• can be shaped and molded into God's perfect will for my life;
• surrenders to the Lord and is obedient no matter how I feel;
• goes through trials & tribulations with God to come out victorious on the other side;
• leads to more freedom in Christ;
• receives and accepts God's forgiveness and unconditional love; and
• pleases God.

I desire to always yield my heart to the Lord since it is a wonderful place to be; a place where I sit at the feet of Jesus yielding to His perfect will for my life.

Trash Tidbits

The articles below appeared in my recent WasteAge magazine. I thought that you all would find them interesting.

Drinking on the Job
Aug 1, 2006 12:00 PMBy Jennifer Grzeskowiak

If you've ever been to a fraternity party, you know people will drink some pretty unusual substances on a dare. In a more serious context, a landfill manager in Southwold Township, Ontario, recently gulped down a glass of treated leachate to prove that the Green Lane landfill isn't harmful to the environment.
Apparently, it wasn't the first time he had drank the concoction, which he described as slightly sweet and not completely unpleasant. This time, however, the manager imbibed after the government approved a 10-million-ton landfill expansion, creating concern that Toronto might begin hauling its waste to the site. And you thought chugging a gallon of milk in an hour was weird.
Source: London (Ontario) Free Press

Davy Jones' Garbage Truck
Aug 1, 2006 12:00 PMBy Jennifer Grzeskowiak
As the old saying goes, “Women need men like fish need bicycles.” Apparently, however, fish do have a use for old garbage trucks. In June, Thailand submerged the bodies and chassis of 189 trucks off of the southern coast to create artificial reefs and attract more fish. In their former life, the trucks, which were cleaned and disinfected, were used to pick up waste in Bangkok.
As part of the queen's project to help marine life and fishermen, the government previously has dumped trains and drainage pipes. Bicycles-built-for-two have yet to make the list of items.
Source: The Bangkok Post

Fishing Report

I picked up my fishing buddy, Michael, bright and early on Thursday morning. Our destination was Clayton, NY to spend the day fishing with my dad.

Our first stop was at the Sunoco gas station in Potsdam; I needed my cup of Gulliver's hazelnut coffee and Michael needed a bottle of water. Next stop was Dunkin Donuts. It is a tradition that I bring donuts for the trip when I go fishing with dad. We got 6 donuts. I let Michael pick out three of them and said that he could have some, but that he would have to wait until we got on the boat.

On the way to Clayton, Michael and I had a conversation about castles. I shared with him the story about Boldt Castle. I knew that we would arrive a few minutes late, but I thought it would be neat for Michael to actually see the castle. There is a spot in Alexandria Bay, which is on the way to Clayton, that you can see Boldt Castle. We made the side trip and Michael with impressed with it. I also shared with Michael that the Thousand Island Bridge Authority owns Boldt Castle and that I used to paint the bridge during the summers when I college student. On rainy days, we would go to Boldt Castle and paint the steel rafters in the attic. Another interesting point: one of the muskies that was caught on my father's boat is displayed in the billards room at the castle.

We arrived at the marina and my dad greeted us. After quick trips to the bathroom, we all jumped in the boat and my dad skillfully maneuvered the boat out of the boat slip. I'm truly amazed how my dad maneuvers the boat in & out of his slip since it located in the corner the building and there are always boats behind him that he has to avoid hitting.

"Time to open the donut box", I said to Michael. We opened the box and to our amazement one donut was missing. I asked Michael if he had already had one and he said no. Strange I thought since I know we got six donuts and the white frosting to the one missing was on the box. Michael grabbed a donut while my dad and I passed on having any. My dad did have two later in the day and the missing donut remained a mystery.

We got to our first fishing spot, baited our hooks, and dropped our lines in the water. My dad provided Michael with instructions of how to drop his line down and Michael caught on quickly. We were there for about 15 minutes and didn't get any bites. "Time to move, why stay in a spot where there is no action," said dad.

We were on the move to waters located in Canada when dad decided to try one more spot on the US side of the St. Lawrence River. We had our lines down for about 5 minutes when Michael informed me that he thought he had bottom. I grabbed his pole and brought the line tight. The jerking of the line revealed to me that Michael had a fish. I gave him the pole back and told him to begin reeling. He was reeling and all of a sudden the pole bent over and the line went out to deeper waters. My dad and I looked at each other and said "he either has a northern pike or muskie." After a few minutes of reeling, the fish was netted and in the boat. The fish was a northern pike measuring about 28 inches. Nice fish, Michael!! After a picture, we threw the pike back into the water. I encouraged dad to give Michael the traditional fisherman handshake: shake hands before washing the fish slime off. Dad originally hestitated, but then decided to do it. Michael didn't seem to mind. This is a sign that Michael is an experienced fisherman now - he has had the traditional fisherman handshake.

Michael ended up catching a few perch at this same spot. By the time that we were on our way to Canadian waters again, Michael had out fished me in quantity and size. Not bad for his first time out.

On the ride to Canada, Michael asked a lot of questions about the tackle and instrumentation on the boat. He was able to see the us cross the border line on dad's GPS unit. It was pretty interesting. Michael also got to see how my dad finds fish with his depth & fish finder.

My dad and I shared how fishing was a lot different then when I learned how to fish. We didn't have all the fancy instrumentation. We used to go to a spot, put our lines in, and wait for the fish to bite. Now if my dad doesn't mark any fish in an area, he doesn't stop to fish there.

We were at our next stop and Michael caught his first small mouth bass.

We ended up keeping the bass. After dad placed it into the fish well, Michael walked over to him to initiate the tradtional fisherman handshake. My dad looked at him, laughed, and shook Michael's hand.

We caught a total of 6 small mouth bass, two perch, and Michael's one pike. All in all it was a good day of fishing.

Michael learned a lot about fishing. He eventually was able to bait his own hook and take bait off from his hook when it was dead. He also got a lesson in cleaning the fish, but I don't think he enjoyed this part as much as fishing. He also got to eat some of what we caught on Saturday night since we had a fish dinner at his house with the rest of his family.

Thanks for letting my dad and I share our fishing knowledge with you Michael. It was great to spend the day with you and teach you all that we know about fishing. You've graduated from fishing 101 to fishing 102 now and remember what your mom said about the bait that we use in fishing 102.

Michael and I had a conversation about the mystery of the missing donut on the way home. We concluded that my dad must have given one to the marina owner since he was standing next to the boat when we boarded the boat.

Gone Fishing

Tomorrow I will be fishing with my favorite fishing guide in the whole world - my dad. Check out his website.

Dad has a charter business and has been a professional guide for the past 32 years. He certainly knows all the hot fishing spots in the Thousand Islands.

My dad taught me all that I know about fishing. I think he had a fishing pole in my hand before I could walk. I was 17 when I caught my first muskie with him. What a thrill to reel in a 53 inch fish weighing close to 40 pounds; this prize catch hangs on my wall today.

I also got to be the first woman to appear on the Rod & Reel show with my dad. Again, I was 17 when this happened. Bill Saiff, the star of the show, kept out fishing me early, but my dad kept warning him that I would finish strong in the end. This I did do and out fished Bill for the day. What a thrill for me and my dad; I know that dad was proud of me and my fishing accomplishments.

I will be bringing a novice fishing buddy with me tomorrow. He has only fished once before for about 30 minutes with me earlier this summer. We caught 2 Rock Bass. I'm hoping that we catch something a little more exciting tomorrow.

It is neat that I get to share my dad's fishing knowledge with a novice fisherman. Of course, who could he learn better from than my dad.

Check back in a few days since I'll probably post some fishing stories and pictures.

A Birthday Outing

Yesterday was Connie's birthday and we celebrated on Monday. We spent the afternoon in Lake Placid and then had a marvelous dinner at the Mirror Lake Inn. For those who have never been, I highly recommend going sometime.

Appetizer - Bowl of French Onion Soup

Connie's Dinner - Grilled Rosmary Chicken served with roasted baby veggies & house potatoes

My Dinner - Grilled Pork Loin with blueberry chutney & sweet potatoes

Surprise dessert for Connie.

Vacation Time

As of 12:00 pm yesterday, I am officially on vacation until September 5. This is wonderful!!

Here is a snapshot of what I'll be doing:

• sleeping in until 6 or 7 am each morning (I know you're thinking that is not sleeping in, but is for me since I get up at 4:30am to go to work);
• spending time on the St. Lawrence River with some great friends - thanks Dave & Connie for inviting me to share the cabin on the river with your family;
• lots of kayaking;
• some golf;
• visiting family in the Thousand Islands; and
• washing & re-caulking my log cabin.

I'm off to the river now. What fun!!

Unexpected Bed Guest

My mom and I arrived home Saturday night after seeing the Sound of Music production. It was late, 11:45 pm, and we both were dreaming of finding our beds. I kissed mom good night, headed up to my room and was anxious to jump in my waterbed. I decided to fluff the covers up before I made the final splash. When I did, I found an unexpected bed guest - a dead mouse.

My cat, Shadow, is an exceptional mouse hunter and I figured he had brought it to me the night before to show me his proud catch. I guess I was too sound asleep to notice his trophy and he buried it underneath my cover. I quickly got a paper towel, swooped the little guy up, and threw him out the door. I then went to bed and had a restful sleep.