reconcilation

a few years back, shortly after chris and i had separated, i met a guy named traylor through my friend julie. she wanted me to meet him because he was [and is] a solid christian who had been through a divorce and at that point, i just needed to meet anyone who had lived through it and seemingly come out on the other side in one, still faithful, piece.

at that point, he had been divorced almost four years, shared custody of his four children with his ex-wife and shared with me that he still had some hope that they would reconcile someday. really? i thought... and said out loud. really? his wasn't the kind of hope spoken from desperation or some other unresolved issue. it was a quiet hope. an optimistic hope. i knew it was not some unfounded hope that stemmed from unresolved longing, but i could sense that it was hope in the Lord that stemmed from his faith. he was clearly not a man stuck in the past or unable to let go, but had somehow learned how to balance singledom and faith and hope for the future all while remaining hopeful that God would someday restore what was once irretrievably broken.

a couple of years passed by and our mutual friend julie mentioned in an email that he had remarried. good for him, i thought. i was happy for him. geniunely. and wondered how and when God had led him away from the hope of reconciliation and into a new life with someone else. when and if i see him again, i thought, this is what i would ask...

last week, i was walking out the door with the kids at don pepe and we ran right into traylor. "hey, i heard you remarried", i said. "yes, i remarried my ex-wife, melody", he said.... "after six years of divorce".

i had no idea. eleven years of marriage. four children. six years of divorce. and then, reconcilation. i could not stop the chills on my skin, the tears in my eyes or the joy in my heart for them.

click here to read the transcript from their marriage: http://traylorlovvorn.com/?page_id=104

"Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up." Psalm 71:20

drum roll: boot camp results!

sandestin 06.20.09

week 3 of boot camp

success is subjective: i don't feel the least bit suicidal when looking a photograph of myself in a bikini. that is the measure of [my] success. granted, i was slightly reluctant to post it for all to see, but then again - this is me. i never had unrealistic expectations of perfection, i simply longed for the day when i would feel comfortable. i longed for the day that the reflection in the mirror or in a photograph would at least resemble the person i was on the inside. and so, this is me. . . inside and out.

boot camp was an awesome experience. it helped me push myself in ways i wouldn't have otherwise, moving me out of the confines of my spa-like gym and into a field at 5:30 in the mornings. no fancy equipment - just orange cones, a set of weights, a mat and fifteen other dedicated people... and one awesome trainer [who we affectionately refer to as the Jillian of Birmingham]. if anyone asks about it, i respond by asking, "have you seen the biggest loser?"... yea. it's just like that. lots of sweat. tears. vomit. it's pushing yourself - physically, mentally, emotionally - in a way you could never achieve on your own - and the results that campers obtain are incredible.

as of this morning, nine of the women in my camp had measurements taken and the collective total from those nine girls was over NINETY FOUR inches lost - nine of which i'm happy to report were my own my month-end results were: I dropped my body fat percentage by 3.1% to 26% and lost a total of NINE inches: 3 inches off my hips, 2 inches off my waist, 1 inch off each arm and 1 inch off each leg.

i was over 200 pounds, a size eighteen and 41% body fat when i started this journey three and a half years ago. i was carrying over eighty pounds of fat on my body. it took me the better part of two years to learn that the scale would eventually no longer be a measure of success. as a lifelong weight watcher, that was the hardest habit to break. for a long time, i would try to look back and remind myself of how far i've come and somewhere along the way, my focus shifted to how far i wanted to go.

results aside, it was just incredibly rewarding to complete something so grueling as a boot camp ... the physical and mental strength you build over the course of a single month is worth the effort alone. so much so that i talked my bff/workout pal, Stacs, into signing up for July and together, we're going back for more... stay tuned!

for more info. on boot camp, check out http://www.extremefittraining.com/.

mia at bootcamp

some of you know i'm doing a fitness bootcamp the month of june. i will blog about it soon, but suffice it to say that it has been an incredible experience (imagine your own personal version of the biggest loser) and it has really helped me take my level of fitness to the next level. let's face it, if i'm passionate about fitness to the point of finishing my degree and doing it for a living, i'm going to have the body to go with the book knowledge. i'm halway through and looking forward to the results. you can register to win a free bootcamp here:

http://www.extremefittraining.com/boot-camp-giveaway