First Giant Step For Leah and Wayne!

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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

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

The New Olive Garden!

Good Morning!  Is everyone getting excited for the 4th of July weekend??  I suppose if I didn't have to work on the 4th, I might  be looking forward to it, but alas, I will be at work bright and early.  That's okay :)  I really have no feeling about it one way or another.  Wayne has to work, and at 14, Adam is getting harder and harder to talk into doing things with Mom.  However, the weather is going to be spectacular, and HOT!  Awesome!

So last night the family went to the Olive Garden for dinner.  We went to support my Sissy (Laura), who just started working there.  She is waitress extraordinaire!  I'm telling you, Olive Garden is big doings in Carson City!  The place was packed!  Adam asked.."What's the big deal?  It's just Olive Garden"!  Well son, in Carson City, we don't have much excitement, so when we get something new, it's major news!  Ah, small town life!  Gotta love it!  You should have been here when In and Out Burger opened!  Anyway, it was a nice night out, and even though we requested Laura's section, and were promised that, we were seated in the lovely Amy's section.  Oh well...gives us an excuse to go back.  I was excited to find that even though it was "Olive Garden", I was able to stay within my calorie count, thus sticking to my RVL plan!  I had the apricot grilled chicken with veggies, and a bowl of Minestrone soup...500 cals!  Okay, I had a bite of a breadstick...let's be generous and say I had 600 cals!  Awesome that they have low fat and gluten free choices!

You know what helps me when going out to dinner?  Most restaurants have websites where they list the nutritional facts.  If you plot it out before you go, and not AssUMe that you will be able to make a choice on the fly, you will do much better!  Some of the items you THINK would be good choices, are actually a big ole bust!  Like a lot of the salads!  Shocking!!  Beware!!!   You think..."oh, I was so good, I had a salad for dinner"...when in fact you would have been better off with the burger!  LOL  Just make good choices, and have fun :)

Because of our culture, we have made food such a social experience.  For me, this is the hardest part of losing weight.  Every occasion, every gathering is built around food!  My Mother's (and Grandmother before her) first question when planning a family gathering is..."what are we going to eat?"  This is such a hard habit to break!  When you finally realize that you can enjoy company/family without it revolving around a meal, life is good!  Or when you realize that you don't have to join in on the food frenzy that is present to enjoy your time with folks.  I think I've finally gotten to the point where I don't feel left out and deprived.

Well, off to get the morning started!  Everyone have a good day!!!

Blessings to you all!

Leah

Grateful

I've been so Blessed by the friendships I've gained in the past few years.  I truly believe that God puts people into our lives for a reason, and I never take anyone for granted. I look at each relationship as an opportunity :)  To learn, to grow, to teach, or inspire.  Be still, listen, and God will let you in on His plan.

Wayne and I received our "Bronze" pins today, and I have to say thank you to a team that help us get here.  We don't take this journey alone, and we are humbled and thankful to everyone!  We look forward to helping anyone who wants to join us, or even pass us :)  We must remember that we can have everything we want, if we help others get everything they want!  I think this is the part of the business that I love the most!  Seeing others reach for their dreams, and see them light up when they start to believe it can happen!  Realizing that they can make a difference, and how good it feels to pay it forward!  How many people in traditional business really want to see you succeed?  Want you to achieve your goals?  Unfortunately not to many.  It's just not set up that way.  Sad but true.

Don't know what got me off on this tonight, but I'm feeling overwhelming gratitude right now.  Grateful for my family, and their undying support of my journey, and my efforts in building a future through this thing we call Monavie.  Grateful for my friends, old and new and grateful to a God that loves me no matter what.  Is life tough?  YOU BET!  But I nonetheless, I'm grateful for every twist and turn, and every lesson along the way.  God has a plan, and I can't wait to see it play out!

Have a great evening, and Blessings to you all!

Leah