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.

What Enemies Are You Facing?

Psalm 18 is written by David after God delivered him from all of his enemies. In David's case, his enemies were other humans, but the Psalm can also be applied to other forms of enemies. What are some of these other enemies?

One for sure is the devil. John 10:10 states "the thief comes but to steal, kill, and destory, but I (Jesus) have come to give you life and life more abundantly." The devil doesn't want us to live the abundant life that Christ died to give us. The devil works overtime to keep us from this abundant life through two other forms of enemies: (1) Sin and (2) Thoughts and feelings.

Sin can separate us from God for eternity if we don't confess our sins and ask God to forgive us.

Our thoughts and feelings are perhaps more subtle forms of the enemy. Our thoughts can shape how we feel about certain things and ultimately shape what we believe. If our thoughts go contrary to God's Word, then they have the power to draw us away from God and keep us from enjoying the abundant life that Christ died to give us. The devil can also use our thoughts to deceive us into feeling and believing certain things about ourselves that leads us away from God.

No matter what enemy we face, Psalm 18 provides insight to have God deliver us from them. Verses 2 & 30 tell us to that God is our strength and shield provided that we trust Him. Verses 32 and 38 indicate that God arms us with strength for the battle. Verse 37 tells us to pursue our enemies and don't turn back till they are destroyed.

In summary, trusting God gives us a shield and strength for the battle that we must pursue to have victory over our enemies.

Pursuing our enemies means that we have an active part in determining whether or not we are delivered from them. Pursuing means that we must stand ready with the sword of the Spirit (Word of God) when the devil comes to entice us into sin or influence our thoughts and feelings about ourselves. All that we do, think, feel, or believe must be compared to the Word to determine whether it is an enemny that intends to harm us. If enemnies have been discovered, then we boot them out with the Word of God and we can experience God's delivering power that David did.

God will deliver you from all your enemies no matter what you are facing today. Put your trust in God, He'll give you strength & a shield for the battle to pursue your enemies and experience God's delivering power.

Summer Fun

I've been enjoying the summer. Here is some of what I've been doing.

I have a new past time - kayaking. I got my kayak last weekend. I'm truly enjoying it and love being out on the water. I'm amazed at all of God's creation that I get to enjoy as I paddle across the waterways of NNY. Just today, I was able to get within 50 feet of a Blue Heron as it was searching for its next meal. I also got an up close view of a painted turtle in the water since I paddled right over it.

A Sunday morning kayaking trip with my friend Theresa. How do you like my paddle, Theresa?

Teaching some of my good friends all that my dad taught me about fishing.

A night of watching friends tubing on Norwood lake. Oh, by the way Ben, you can let go of the boat.

A Day With My Best Friend

Early last week I decided that I would drive to Old Forge to purchase a kayak. I didn't want to go alone and began to think about who I could invite. I thought "I'll ask my best friend to go and spend the whole day with me." I was fortunate that my best friend didn't have anything scheduled and would love to go.

My best friend met me as I woke up on Saturday morning. We had breakfast and coffee together; it was the beginning of a great day!

We then went to a meeting at 9am. During the meeting, my best friend began to show me that there are some things in my life that are hindering our relationship. I may not have liked what I was hearing, but I knew the things that were shared were true. My best friend was gentle in sharing and I truly felt loved during the whole time. I'm so thankful for this.

At 10am, my best friend and I hopped in the car and we began the journey to Old Forge. "Oops" , I said to my best friend, "did I tell you that I was going to Watertown first?" My best friend didn't mind and said lets go. We were on our way.

As I drove, I pondered what my best friend shared with me about our relationship. Tears began to roll down my face and I could feel the volcanic eruption beginning inside of me. I pulled the car over and the weeping began. As I weeped, my best friend held and comforted me. My best friend began to speak to me through the lyrics of the following song that was playing on my CD player:

Who am I, that the Lord of all the earth
Would care to know my name
Would care to feel my hurt
Who am I, that the Bright and Morning Star
Would choose to light the way
For my ever wandering heart

Not because of who I am
But because of what You've done
Not because of what I've done
But because of who You're
Chorus:
I am a flower quickly fading
Here today and gone tomorrow
A wave tossed in the ocean
A vapor in the wind
Still You hear me when I'm calling
Lord, You catch me when I'm falling
And You've told me who I am
I am Yours, I am Yours

Who Am I, that the eyes that see my sin
Would look on me with love and watch me rise again
Who Am I, that the voice that calmed the sea
Would call out through the rain
And calm the storm in me
I am Yours

Whom shall I fear
Whom shall I fear
'Cause I am Yours
I am Yours

Written by Mark Hal
Music by Casting Crowns
Song based on Psalms 52 and 139 and Ephesians 2
© 2003 Club Zoo Music / SWEC Music
(Admin. by Club Zoo Music) / BMI.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.

My best friend: cares to feel my hurt; hears me when I call; catches me when I fall; looks at me with love in spite of my sin; and calms the storm that rages inside of me. The journey continued after all the weeping was over.

During the rest of the trip, my best friend kept showing me how loved and accepted I am. I didn't have to worry about being perfect; I just needed to be who I am - a child of God.

We arrived home around 10:20 pm when my best friend said to me "Go to bed, Laura. I'll stay with you through the night and be here in the morning when you awake."

You have probably gathered that my best friend is Jesus. I am so blessed to have Him as my best friend and I look forward to spending many more days with Him.

Washington, DC Attorneys & Hourly Rates

Today I received a bill from an attorneys office that is located in Washington, DC. The bill was suppose to be sent to the St. Regis Hotel, which is located in DC, but came to me under the name of the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe.

The amazing part of the bill was the hourly rate for the attorney. Can you guess what it was? How about $470 per hour.

This is truly amazing that an attorney can make that much per hour. Lets see ... that is $18,800 per week for a 40 hour work week. I can't even imagine making that much money in one week. Perhaps I should think about switching careers. I always said that I would make a good attorney. What do you think?

Enjoying the Weekend

At last, the weekend is here. My plans for the weekend include traveling with friends to Purchase, NY. The reason for the travel is to take my friend's daughter to a music camp; she will be spending a week there.

We will be making a stop near Lake George where we will spend the afternoon relaxing and swimming - this is what weekends are for. We'll spend the night at my friend's family resort and then travel to Purchase tomorrow. On the way home, we intend to stop and shop along the way.

I'm sure that I'll drink plenty of coffee during the trip too.

I hope you all enjoy your weekend.

Coffee Time With God

Ok, you all know that I love to fellowship with a cup of coffee in hand since drinking coffee and having good conversations with friends is one of my favorite past times.

Last week God encouraged me to get a cup of coffee and hang out with Him. Until then, I had never thought about having a cup of coffee while hanging out with God. What a great idea!!

I followed the leading of the Holy Spirit, grabbed a cup of Gulliver's hazelnut coffee (one of my favorites), and found a spot near the Racquette River. I was truly amazed how the Lord began speaking to me about various things as sat with coffee in hand. The rushing waters of the Racquette River also soothed my soul and brought me the peace of God, which I so desparately needed on this day. I truly enjoyed drinking my coffee and being with God.

Since last week, I've gone back to the same place with coffee in hand to have a personal time with God. Just yesterday, the Lord led me to Psalm 23:2:

....He leads me beside waters of rest. He restores my soul.

Sitting beside the Racquette River allows me to find a place of rest, be at at peace with God, and my soul gets refreshed and restored as I spend time with the Lord and drink my coffee.

Thank you, Lord, for inviting me to have a cup of coffee and hanging out with You. I'm am truly blessed.

Today's Struggles Are Tomorrow's Successes

Last night I watched TD Jakes' message entitled "Nothing Just Happens." This was a powerful message about understanding that God has a plan and purpose for us and that nothing just happens. God uses all things, good and bad, to work His purposes out in our lives.

In the message, TD Jakes shared two points that really helped me to reframe some of my thinking about struggles that I encounter:

1. Yesterday's struggles are today's successes
2. Today's struggles are tomorrow's successes

As I ponder these two points, I can clearly see how my yesterday's struggles have contributed to the successes that I enjoy today. This brings me hope that the struggles I go through today will become my successes tomorrow.

I may not fully understand the reasons why I go through struggles, but it doesn't matter since I trust God that He will work them together for my good (Rm 8:28) and the struggles will become my successes in the future.