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Saturday, July 23, 2011

First Giant Step For Leah and Wayne!

My Zimbio
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Well friends, Wayne and I stepped out of the box.  Yes, I know we've been in Monavie for 3 years now, and it seems like this should be old hat, but we planned, and pulled off, our first hotel meeting!  Now we've done the weekly home tastings, and attended plenty of said meetings, but this was truly an exciting time for us!



Our good friend, mentor, and the one who keeps us warm and cozy (but not too cozy) under his wing, Blue Diamond Executive Mike McCormick joined us, and shared his extreme knowledge, and went over and beyond!  He rocked the room for sure!  Diamond Exec Vincent St Louis also drove all the way from Sacramento, and brought his great wisdom and many of the awesome Team 212!  We were truly Blessed to meet these fine folks!  It was exciting to meet those who I've been friends with on Facebook for years, finally face to face!  Rick Zeller who is just shy of a 100 pounds loss, was my inspiration from the early days of the friends and family RVL kick off! So to have him join us, and share with the group was an honor!  We learned lots, and created new friendships for a lifetime!

Now, there one one young lady there by the name of Kirstin.  Kirstin is a 21 year old that is about to change her life for ever!  Kirstin has a goal to lose 190 pounds, and reclaim her life!  She told me that I was an inspiration, but I've got news for her, it's people like Kirstin that keep me motivated and inspired!  I was so touched and honored to meet her, and to share her dreams and goals!  You are a Blessing to me Kirstin, and we now have a unbreakable bond!  You and I are going to take the world by storm!  Watch out Monavie!!!  Kirstin, I will be there with you when you skydive, and I will be there to watch Monavie celebrate you on the stage in St Louis!!!

I don't want you to think we pulled this off by ourselves, oh no!  We had so much help from everyone!  My wonderful, and precious Sister Laura, Bill and Donna, Judy and Dan, Karen and Jerry, and of course Mike McCormick!  We are gonna put Northern Nevada/California on the map!


Blessings to you all!
Leah

Monday, July 11, 2011

A Great Summer Weekend!

My Zimbio
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What a wonderful weekend!  On Saturday, Adam and I packed it up and went to South Lake Tahoe for a bike ride!  We rode from the Keys to Baldwin Beach, stopped for lunch at Camp Richardson, and even saw a bear!  What was that bear thinking hanging out on the bike path in the middle of the day??  Yogi was looking for a picnic basket I guess!  

Yesterday our entire Challenge team (all four of us, plus Alex) went for a hike down the waterfall at Silver Lake!  Just a beautiful day!  A brief rattle snake scare, but other than that, it was a gorgeous day!  I love getting out and sharing the day with nature, and family!  God is good!  Was gonna add some video, but we are experiencing technical difficulties!
Wayne and Alex at the top of the falls

 Adam actually looking like he was enjoying himself...Even though there was a lot of complaining, I think he had a really good time!  
A classic Wayne and Leah Shot!

 Leah and Laura enjoy a quick boost of energy!  Thanks Monavie!  

Next, Mt Tallac!  Might have to wait for the snow to melt off of first!  

Blessings,
Leah


Saturday, July 9, 2011

Adam's Story

I just realized I've mentioned my son Adam, and I've told you he's on our RVL "Lose For MORE" challenge team, but I haven't told you how he's gotten here.

As a Mother, this is a difficult subject to talk about, let alone admit there is a problem with your child. Well, as I started this journey, I had to take a long hard look at my family, and I realized that I had taken my child down the road to obesity right along with me. No, I'm not blind, but you don't want to admit that it's truly a problem that needs to be addressed. Then when you come to that realization, how do you throw the bus into reverse? How to you talk to your child about a weight issue, and not make them feel self conscious, and develop a poor self esteem? It's a fine line for sure. So, it was time to take off the blinders, and take action.

I think back when he was this cute, almost too skinny kid, and I can put my finger on the moment that the tables turned. We enrolled Adam into some after school classes, and I would pick him up from school, and have to rush him to a class that was about 15 miles away. He was always hungry of course, and we weren't going home for our usual after school (healthier) snack, and so McDonalds became our daily routine. Well, guess what, soon enough, that's all he wanted, and what the heck, it was fast and easy. It's not like it happened over night, but sure enough, the pounds slowly began to creep on. The odd thing is that it's just not weight, I think it's all the hormones in their meat (just my opinion), but he started to grow! Now Wayne and I are tall, but not out of the ordinary, however, now my now 14 year old son is pushing 6 ft tall. Hmmmmmmm.

My first course of action was to lead by example. First to jump on board was Wayne, and that was fantastic, because now we had both parents on a roll. Then my doctor hit me square in the eyes, and when she saw how well I was doing, asked how my son was doing. Well, I was honest and said he was still struggling, and she asked..."who does the shopping? Who goes through the drive thru?" Who likes to deny their children of anything, even the foods they love? But she was right, it was time for some tough love. Well of course, Adam was having no part of it. Even though I changed my shopping habits, and stopped the fast food, he was still over eating. Instead of one turkey sandwich, he was eating two or three, and the entire bag of pretzels. Did he do it in front of me, NO, and being a working mom, it was hard to monitor.

Then MonaVie gave me the enormous gift of making me the May "Lose for MORE" Challenge Winner. Now this peaked Adam's interest. What speaks more to a 14 year old than money. I don't really care at this point what motivates him, as long as we can get a foot in the door. After we returned from Salt Lake City, and the Imagine Convention, I told Adam about a young man I met by the name Petey Dandini. Petey is 16 year old boy who has lost over 100 pounds on RVL, and is just an amazing person. I showed Adam his pictures, and I think he could more than relate. He told me he wanted to try the shakes. Wow, you don't even know what a huge step this is. Then we had our first heart to heart about his condition. It was the first time Adam was honest with me about how he felt about his body, and didn't try to convince me that he didn't care. I said "just think Adam, in less than a year, you could be buff like Petey!" He said, "no, I don't need to be buff, I just need to be normal." It was all I could do not to burst into tears right there in front of him, but I kept it together, and promised him that we would work together to make that happen.

Then Monavie gave us another gift. The "Lose For MORE" Team Challenge. Now not only did Mom have Monavie cash, but he could win some for himself! Talk about motivation!! He even let me take a "before" photo of him (he runs from the camera) to post on his RVL website!  So our team, as you know, consists of our family (including my sister Laura), and we are off and running! You can read my Blog entry about "The Best Bike Ride Ever" I posted a few days ago, to see how Adam is doing with his exercise.

Weigh in yesterday showed Adam at a 7 pound weight loss in two weeks! I wish I could explain the joy on his face when he stood on that scale! Now it's more than just the thought of winning some money, it's actually becoming much more for him. He sees that he can do it, and it's about how he feels about himself. Wow! That's all, just Wow!

If you want to leave encouraging comments for Adam, I know it would mean a lot to him!

Blessings to you all!

Leah

Thursday, July 7, 2011

No, We Are NOT Just Any Old Juice!

http://monaviemediacenter.com/news/cardio-protective-effects-study

This is amazing! Did you know that inflammation is the leading cause of degenerative disease? We are talking about chronic inflammation, the kind that you don't feel, the kind that effects your major organs and you have no idea it's lurking until it's too late!

The Department of Agriculture does not research just any juice! This is big news folks! Follow the link and take a peek!

Blessings,
Leah

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

The Best Bike Ride EVER!

Okay, so Monavie is now having a "Lose For MORE Team Challenge".  So we've a entered a family team consisting of Wayne, my Son Adam, my Sister Laura, and me of course!  I'm so excited to get Adam on the program!  He is 14, and I've all but killed him with "kindness".  Unfortunately, it was time for a little tough love, as I've dragged him down the same path to obesity as we've all been down.  So, he finally agreed, with some inspiration from Petey Dandini, to get on the RVL program.

Doing the shakes is one thing, trying to get him away from the video games to do a little exercise is quite  another.  It's been a process, but we started slowly by getting him out (kicking and screaming) to ride his bike around the block one time. Then two, then three.  Now I've gotten him to ride to the local elementary school, which is about 1.5 miles away, and coming home is all uphill.  He's done great!

Today, we were having a major thunder storm, and Adam comes to me and says..."MOM!  Aren't we going for a bike ride?"  I said..."Adam, it's raining!"  He's says..."Mom, you are on MY team!"  So off we went, in the rain, on our daily bike ride!  It was the best ride EVER!!!  I can't tell you how proud I am of him! Watching him transform is the best gift a mother could ever ask for!  Then!!! Wayne gets home from work late, he missed our boot camp workout (which I also did in the rain), so he decides to go for a bike ride instead.  Who jumps up and says..."I want to go with you!"??  ADAM!   I'm blown away!

Watch out Monavie, The Carlson's are on a roll!

Blessings to you all,
Leah

Monday, July 4, 2011

Happy Independence Day America!

Wishing all my friends and family a fabulous 4th of July!  I just got off of work, and wanted to take a few moments to pop on and say HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!  Now the question is, what to do?  Do I stay home and avoid the crowds, or do I go ahead and mix it up :)  Oh, so many choices!  I do however have to be at work bright and early in the morning!  It is however a gorgeous, HOT, day!  So no matter what I decide, it's a win win situation.

I've been getting Adam out for daily bike rides.  When we first started this adventure, he would balk at having to get out on the bike, and now it's...."Mom, are we going for a bike ride today??"  I think he's actually enjoying seeing the light of day!  Anytime I can get him away from the XBox, is a good day in my book!  We started with one lap around the block, then two, then three, and now we are riding to the local elementary school.  He's doing a great job!  Next year, the "Death Ride"!  LOL!!

BTW, I'm at 105 pounds now, and as my friend Tom Anderton says, it's so much easier to tolerate the heat when your 100 pounds lighter!   Each day is new and exciting!  But the heat is an especially big deal!

Go out, and be safe friends!  Enjoy your Independence, and CELEBRATE!

Blessings to you all

Leah

Saturday, July 2, 2011

Here Comes The Bride!

Well it happened!  Today, I was able to fit into my wedding dress!  I got married 15 1/2 years ago, and if you've read my blog from the start, you'll know I got married shortly after my Liposuction disaster!  So, I had started my weight gain, but hadn't reached my critical proportions at that point.  This has been a milestone I've been waiting to hit  from the start of my journey.  So I may not be at my goal, but at least I'm the woman he married :)  Feels so good!!!

Shall I share my next milestone with you???  Crazy as it seems, I have my Jr High School Graduation dress hanging in my closet (size 12)...That's next!  Why do we keep these things?  I don't know, but now I'm glad I did!  I have the photo from that day as well...as soon as I hit that goal...I'll post a split screen shot!  LOLOLOL  Good times!

Took my son on a bike ride just a bit a go, and you would think I was trying to kill him!  LOLOLOL  Guess what???? He lived!  It's only a 96 degrees or so, and let's just say we don't live in a flat area!  We both rocked it...nuff said!

CML!

Blessings,
Leah

Friday, July 1, 2011

It's Gettin' Hot In Here!

Wowzer!  Summer finally hit in a big way!!!  We went from Winter to Summer in 5 seconds flat!  Um...doesn't spring fall in there somewhere?  Seriously, Snow in the upper elevations last week, and this week, almost 100 degrees!  So, looks like we could have some flooding this weekend.  Let's keep our fingers crossed!  The weekend has that Holiday feel already.  Do you notice how it just feels differently?  Even though I'll be working Monday, and have no plans at all for any part of the weekend, it still feels nice :)  So I hope it feels just as nice for all of you, and that you have a wonderful weekend planned!

Just wanted to share this amazing story.  It's about friends in the Reno area that are on an amazing road trip to bring awareness to brain injuries.  Their son Josh, who is a world class dirt bike racer, had a devastating crash, and this is his story :) http://monaviemediacenter.com/news/monavie-distributor-bike-ride-brain-injury-awareness  If you feel lead, please make a donation to this more than worthy cause :)

Wishing you all a fantastic 4th of July weekend!

Blessings,
Leah