HappyHappyJoyJoy!

Hi sugar coated candy cane buddies!  =)

Hope everyone is having a wonderful, happy morning. Sorry it’s been awhile since I’ve blogged. I started a fun diary on this sight called “Diaryland.com” and of course it’s been busy with shopping, visiting, and getting ready for Christmas with the family.  Oh by the way, come and see my diary on “life-of-jj.diaryland.com” just for fun.  Anyway, I’ve been really good at not eating sweets or drinking pop except for once a week, and it’s made a huge difference on how good I feel lately.  =)  You go, girl~

Did you not just LOVE the Biggest Looser last night? I was quite impressed with the twins, and I’m happy they came so far together. But I was even more impressed with Julie and Neil - WOW, and WOW!  They looked amazing!  I remember being skinny and feeling pretty like that, and I’m determined to do it again. But being as light as Julie was? Somehow I doubt it….  LOL~

Anyway, have a happy day buddies and good luck with your goals. Have a merry Christmas and enjoy being with those you love. 

XOXOXOXOXO~

Happy Happy Joy Joy~

Dearest buddies,

I was doing so good today, feeling so strong and healthy and happy. Then my hubby called me with the worst news - a very dear friend of ours was in a dreadful car accident on Tuesday morning with his precious wife, Megan.  They were rushed to the hospital where Megan was pronounced “brain dead.”   She is now gone from our midst, returning to live with her Father in Heaven.  The news hit me like a ton of bricks.  Her husband suffers alone now in the hospital, and feels like he has no reason for living.  My hubby and I are going to the hospital here in a few minutes to be with him.  But what words of comfort could we possibly have to offer him?  He has a two year old son named Teacum, who will now never know his mother on this earth.  My heart aches for them.  Why do things like this have to happen to such good people?  What are the reasons surrounding these tragic events..?   Only our God knows and understands - it’s up to us to have faith in Him, and trust Him. However, we all still need support.

Please keep us and our dear friends in your prayers, buddies. I would really appreciate that.  I plan on going home tonight and holding my husband real close to me. We can never know fully what plan our Father in Heaven has for each of us, and though we have an eternal plan, our temporal mind still leaves us with shadows and discomfort with losses such as this, and the fear that it could happen at any time; the Lord calling one of our loved ones home sooner than we temporally expect. I am as much at fault as anyone, and I blame myself for not cherishing the mortal time with my family here on earth more than I have. I shame myself for waiting for experiences such as this to enlighten me to truths I already should know and hold more dear. 

With that said, take a moment to forget about yourself, and to cherish everyone in your life, hug them close and tell them that you love them. For you’ll never know if it may be the final time…

From my heart to yours buddies, I love and cherish you all…

Helllo Buddddies! 

So I was sitting here wondering…what is your favorite Christmas Carol, and why?  Enquiring minds like me would like to know.

Last night my husband took me to a really fun play called “From Rags to Riches.”  We laughed our buts off, the actors were so hilarious I practically wet my pants LOL~ Then after the play, all the actors came out again, along with the piano player, and each held a small candle in their hands. The house lights went low. And they all sang “O Holy Night” which is my ever favorite Christmas Carol.  Tears filled my eyes and the entire room was quiet until they finished singing and we gave them an extra loud applause.  What a beautiful song, and what a perfect way to end such a fun evening.  There was not one dry eye in the entire room! I never wanted to leave that place. 

It got me thinking today about my favorite Christmas Carol. My father, Verne, has the most beautiful tenor voice I’ve ever heard, and he always used to sing “O Holy Night” to us when we were children. It speaks so eloquantly and peacefully of the Savior, I can’t help but LOVE that song so much!!  I get goose bumps every time I hear it.  So I was simply being nosy and wanted to hear about your favorite songs.  I love Christmas!  It’s the most awful time to diet, but still the most wonderful time of the year!!!  Wouldn’t you agree??  =)

Keep up the good work, buddies!!!  Life is good….

I know a girl… a very skinny, pretty girl named D’Nae.  She is so skinny and so beautiful, and she works out every single day.  She also eats three very big meals each day, and never gains a pound.  Her stomach is rock solid hard and she loves to brag about it.   Last Friday she approached me and said, “What’s with the baggy clothes, Justus?”  I laughed and said that I love to hide my thick stomach behind thick shirts - that way, my secret stays in the bag. (LOL~)  I excitedly told her about my Body for Life Program that I’m working on, and she threw her arms around me (my goodness!)  and told me how proud she was of me.  She loves to see pretty people work out and get their sexy bodies back  =)    Well, I took the time to ask her what her secret was, and she told me about the 12 minutes of crunches that she does - DAILY.  She promised me that if I would continue my diet, and work on crunches every single day, that someday I’d look just like her.  Wow, was that a fun promise to cling to, or what?  Just the idea of looking like her was enough for me to throw my arms around her, and thank her for good advice that - deep down inside, I already knew.  But what the heck?  I’ve never done much crunches  before.  It will be a good, new and hard new  goal for me.  That’s what I need - hard!!   =)

So here I go - starting today I will work on my crunches every day!  And when I get a body that looks like D’Nae, then you’ll definitely be seeing some new pictures.  Unlike most people around the office where I work, I just love Mondays, it’s the start of a brand new week and new beginnings.  And tonight my husband is taking me to the theater to see a Christmas Play at Heritage Square. I’m so excited!!!  =)

That’s all for today.  Love ya all, buddies, and have a wonderful day smiling and holding on to that special holiday spirit.   Mahalo Nui Loa~

Happy Weekend coming up, buddies!  

Hope everyone had a good week and kept to your goals.   This is Day# 5 of my new Body for Life diet, and I’ve been able to go the entire week without sugar, chocolate and soda!  For me, that is something to celebrate because I’ve been so bad for the past 5 years. And wow, I almost cried when I looked into the mirror this morning and imagined myself a skinny girl again LOL~  So this has been an incredible and happy week for me.   And today is an extra special day because for this certain diet, Bill Phillips says to give yourself one “free day” where you can enjoy chocolate, sweets and all the other fun things in life that aren’t good for you because you’ve worked so hard, you deserve to give your body a treat.  I used to wonder how that was possible, but it really does work.  During the week, your stomach especially has “shrinked” (LOL~ is that even a word?)  because you’ve been eating right.  So when free day comes around and you get ready to eat lots and lots of fun stuff, you really CAN’T because A) you’re stomach is smaller. And B) it doesn’t quite taste as good as it used to, and you worry that you could ruin all the progress you’ve made, so therefore, you don’t quite eat as much as you fool your body into thinking you will.  Does that make any sense?   Oh well, there’s only a couple of things I’d like to eat today - I’m going to Church’s Chicken with my three buddies for lunch, and I’d like to drink some beer of the root when I get there (LOL~)  Plus, I’m going to a Ward Christmas party tonight with my best friend Laura and her family so I can dig in to ICE CREAM and other fun things. But I know I probably won’t eat much…

ANYWAY,  I’m happy and wanted to share happiness with my buddies. Be good to yourselves and don’t deny yourself a free day each week to treat yourself for a week well done.  Six days a week, keep to your goals and work as hard as you possibly can, but take the time on day 7 to rest from your labors and treat yourself.  (Just like God did on the 7th day when He rested - hee, hee!)  Life is too short for stressing.  =)   So be happy and enjoy every single minute of your life and the cool body that your God has given you.   Love you all, sweet sugar coated buddies!!!  Talk to you again soon!~

Happy Happy Joy Joy!!!!!

Jen Jen

The sun went down in Denver.  It was dark and cold. The wind was blowing outside as Jennifer stepped cautiously onto her scale.  Curses, foiled again!  Her weight had gone up 5 pounds. Ouch. How in the world did she allow this to happen? There was no chocolate chip mint ice cream in the house. There was no rootbeer or Cherry Seven up in the fridge.  (Thanks to the good advice from all her buddies LOL~)   Just negligence on her part for the past couple of weeks as she and her handsome husband had gotten all settled in their brand new home.  But now it was time to for neglecting her body to STOP!    Jennifer didn’t beat up the scale like she wanted to.  She didn’t cry like she normally would have.   Instead, she plopped down on her bed and opened her planner. The handsome husband joined her, and together they came up with a plan to help change their lives forever…

It is called the Body for Life plan. 5am this morning Jennifer rose. She put on her favorite sweats and headed for the workout room, her den. She put in her favorite video by Cory Everson to use weights to work her arms and shoulders. (Ouch and youzers, did that feel good!!)  She worked for half an hour and worked up a good sweat. And guess what?  The sun came up again in Denver. The wind had stopped blowing. And it was no longer dark and cold.  She had a plan. A good plan. A plan to change her life forever.  The Body for Life plan. 

Now here Jennifer sits at work, happy and energetic, glad she had worked out this morning.  She has a protein shake in the fridge. She will eat 6 small meals today, and snack on carrots and drink herbal tea and water. She is determined to complete the 12 week Body for Life plan, and loose the 20 pounds she desires, and have the body she always dreamed of.

Now is that a plan or what???

I know, buddies, you’ve heard this all before. But I am dead serious this time. I am GOING to do this. Yes, I’m sooooo happy this morning.  My life is feeling more organized already, and I’m only on day# 1 of my plan. But keep your fingers crossed for me this morning, because something feels different. I am only more determined to loose this dog-gone extra weight of mine. And I want to cross the finish line with my newest friends - all of you!

Let’s do this!!  No more drama, and let the new Body for Life begin!!!!

Aloha Nui Loa,   Jen Jen