That's What Friends Are For!

My whole life I've been blessed with amazing friends.  Before I get into talking about some friends who mean a lot, I just want to say that my sister has always been my very best friend.  As well, my Mom has been a friend that I couldn't live without.  And my Dad...  most fathers and daughters are not "buddy-buddy" (but WE are certainly good friends!) Dad was always my number one fan and remains that way to this day!  I love you Dad and Michelle - thank you Michelle for your friendship too - you're always there with a listening ear!  Now, let me tell you about some others!

The very first memory I have of a good friend is Lorna.  Lorna's parents and my parents were friends before they were married.  We went to elementary school together for a couple of years and then she moved away.  But we always kept in touch and wrote letters (yeah, remember those things!)  She is still a dear friend to this day.  And she is also a HUGE inspiration in my life.  She has Cystic Fibrosis and is awaiting a double lung transplant.  Her lung function is 26% so it's crucial she get new lungs soon.  And because of her size, she requires pediatric lungs.  Lorna's Mom posted a picture of her on Facebook a few months back that hit me like a smack in the face.  I was just starting the Optifast Shakes in preparation for my surgery and doing a whole pity-me party.  When her Mom posted this picture, it really put things into perspective for me.  Here is my friend who can barely breath, working out to make her body stronger for her eventual lung transplant, and I was complaining because I couldn't eat a burger!  Thank you Lorna for being such an inspiration to me.  I love you and pray that God will bless you with amazing health SOON!

The next friend that comes to mind who has been in my life a long time is Nicole.  Our earliest memory of each other is playing in her kitchen while our parents were downstairs chatting.  I was about 5 years old.  They had a box of "Promises" on their table.  

We were fooling around and wasted water on them and were so afraid we'd get in trouble.  Well the years went by and because our families were friends, we saw each other from time to time when my family would visit their town.  But when my family moved to her town in 1987 we soon became the best of..... enemies! haha  We really didn't like each other for a long time.  And there is no real reason for it.  But THANKFULLY, during university, we came to know each other in a whole new way that turned into the best friendship I have ever known.  Nicole is the most amazing friend anyone could ever ask for.  She has been there for me through all the highs and lows.  We have the most amazing memories (that are just as vivid today as they were 15 years ago).  And even though we live so far apart, we will never be closer in our hearts.  I love you Nicole and thank God for your friendship and loyalty.  You are amazing!

I have many friends that have become forever friends.  And even though distance separates us physically, we still remain close.  My friend Andrea became an instant, amazing friend when we moved to NL in 2003.  It was like we were friends our whole lives.  She just "got" me!  Andrea has been such a role model for me.  Stelios and I didn't have any children together when we met Andrea and Brad, but when I was pregnant with Gabrielle AND Michael, I would watch Andrea so closely because she is the most amazing mother and wife.  Their children are amazing and I wanted so badly to be half as good a mother as she was.  Andrea, thank you so much for showing me what a Godly mother looks like.  I love you and thank God for bringing you into my life!

Cheryl is another friend who I met at a very young age but we actually lost touch for a number of years until we were in high school.  And when we were in university together, we just clicked.  She's just as crazy as I am.  We have the type of friendship where we can say anything nasty to each other and we just laugh it away.  Our friendship is one of a kind, and I'm so thankful for her!  She brings so much laughter into my life! Thank you Cheryl!

I probably shouldn't have even started this post now that I think of it.  I am going to leave out friends who have made an profound impact on my life ( but you know who you are!)  Charla was my best friend in grade 6.  We lived in the same city for that one year.  But the friendship we built has lasted to this day.  It was our common love for God that made our friendship so strong at such a young age.  Thank you Charla for being such an amazing example of God in my life!  My friend Tonya became one of my best friends in Jr High School.  She was the Pastors daughter, which meant she moved around a lot.  It was hard on our friendship, but we always stayed close and wrote lots of letters (there's that word again!)  We don't talk much these days, but she is still on my "list" of great friends!  

Some other friends that are on that list are Geraldine, Denise, Jon, Pam, Karyn... there are many and I would use up half the world wide web to talk about each friendship in detail because they are all such amazing friends!)

You're probably wondering why I'm posting about friendship instead of weight stuff.  Well it's because I've been reminded this past week of how important friends are in any journey we're going through.  I have gained 6 new friends in the past couple of months who have been my rock in recent days.  They are all from my Weightloss Support Group.  It's so amazing to have friends who are on one of the same journeys we are.  Outside of this surgery, we don't have a WHOLE lot in common.  But this surgery has brought us together as friends in way that is actually very new to me.  And it's fantastic.  I love these girls and thank God so much for their friendship and encouragement.  Manda, Becca, Barb, Linda, Dawn and Shantelle; thank you for coming into my life and making me laugh over the past few weeks!  You are a huge blessing in my life!

So about my weightloss journey this week... It's been a great week in that regard.  The scales started moving again after being on a stall.  Yesterday morning I had the privilege of watching a half marathon and was inspired to start working towards running it myself next year.  I have noticed a lot more NSVs this week too.   The biggest one is when I went to Tim's with my WSG girls.  I have avoided tables and booths for years where the table or chairs couldn't be moved because I just couldn't fit in them comfortably or at all.  I would always try to get to the restaurant before my other guests arrived so I could pick a table with chairs that weren't attached.  Well I was telling this to the girls the other night and my other friend, Manda (who has lost over 200 lbs - WAY TO GO MANDA!!!!) said she was the same way.  So the other girls told us to go try sitting at such a table now!  So we did!  And by golly, WE FIT!! Not only did we fit, but there was lots of room to spare!  This picture doesn't really give an accurate view of how much room I had because I was sitting side on, but let me assure you, there was lots of room!  I know to some this may not be a big deal, but to me, it was huge!  No more clamming up when going to a restaurant or somewhere with pre-fitted seating. These and healthy improvements are what make this journey so exciting.  I don't care if I ever fit into a size 4 jeans.  I want to be healthy and comfortable with my surroundings!  And I'm on the road to that goal!!!

Well this past week I lost 4 pounds which makes it a total of 88 lbs!!!  I will be joining a gym this week, thanks to Dad and Michelle (an AWESOME birthday gift!)  So I'm hoping that the weight loss will continue at a steady pace since I'll be getting into the time when it slows down normally.  Again, I want to thank everyone who has sent me messages of  encouragement and support this past week.  Almost every day I go to my computer and receive some kind of message that gives me warm fuzzies and reminds me why I'm sharing my journey.   I thank God for you, and mostly, I thank Him for being Who he is in my life - my Father and Provider.  Thank you God!

Total Loss: 88lbs