8 years ago tomorrow...

February 1, 2004 was Super Bowl XXXVIII but more importantly for me, it was the day that Nonnie (my Mom's Mom) left a body & mind that had been taken over by Alzheimer's Disease and within a moment was fully restored and whole in Heaven w Jesus.

 We had a pretty close relationship...I liked to go to her house and type letters on her typewriter to family and friends that lived "far away." I also learned a few cooking basics from her including how to make a GREAT pecan pie, fried chicken, ham & beans with cornbread and fresh sliced tomatoes w a little salt on them was a decent side dish. :) We shared a love for Little House on the Prairie and also enjoyed games shows like Wheel of Fortune and Family Feud (tried out for both together and made it on Family Feud which was a DREAM come true for her).

Like I mentioned before, there are a few people and their lives that have inspired me to look at my own health, nutrition and exercise these last 6 years and Nonnie was another one of those people. You see, when I look back at some of her lifestyle choices and habits I remember a woman that was pretty sedentary and never exercised. She used A LOT processed foods and Sweet n Low was a household staple. After meeting with a nutritionist 14+ years ago, the nutritionist pointed out that foods like that and others that were labeled "light" were actually in many ways WORSE then the real stuff. Why? Because the junk they had to add wasn't something your body knew how to process, so in order to process it, the body essentially wasn't able to fight other things going on-potentially increasing your chances of Alzheimer's, cancer, etc.

Now, did I change overnight? No...it has been a slow and steady process. Each step of the way, I could see the truth and the consistency in what I had learned and what life had shown me. Little by little, I started to exercise and removed things from my diet that are harmful and now I am taking it to another level...CLEAN eating and exercise as a part of life and both are fun.

I don't know if the disease Nonnie had or another one will "take me on" someday but I do know that armed with my Hope that is found in my Faith in Jesus as well as these lifestyle choices, I will certainly be stronger and more capable of the challenge.

So once again...thanks for "listening." I hope I haven't bored you too much but possibly given you a glimpse of what is going on with me through this experience. Yesterday I PR'ed my original 1 mile time at Canyon Crossfit...8:57 the first time I ran it BUT last night I ran it in 7:33! And I can honestly say that when I was running, I was thinking about this blog and running it for Nonnie! It was a good night and I will celebrate it for a long time!

Night friends...