Honored, humbled and speechless

Imagine my surprise when I log on to my email for a brief 10 minutes yesterday afternoon and read this post over at the Gag challenge. I was in tears, humbled, honored, and yet truly shocked! Here are the catagories that I recieved nominations in:

This woman received nominations from GAGGERs in the categories of Inspiration, Encouragement, Long Term Goals, and Immediate Non Scale Victories.

Oh my! I am still a bit speechless, but will try to express the words that are in my heart, and on my mind after reading this post. First, I guess I will say thank you! Gag was birthed when I wasn't allowed to participate in a challenge because of the lack of amount of weight I had to lose. I was in an uproar not because I wanted to win, but because it was looked up on as if you had less then 20 pounds it wasn't fair to others who had more to lose. No matter how I put up my plea about how much harder it is for me to lose then those who have more, beause I AM so close to goal, I wouldnt' win anyway! LOL. Never the less, I was determined to not only lose it, but to offer a chance for someone else to join me who maybe had been told they couldn't lose it, wasn't good enough, etc.. whether it be someone else, or themselves to make that rule. It was difficult for me , because it had grown bigger then I had ever imagined! And my life was changing drastically from day one. (In a good way) I was (and still am) very thankful for Christine and Sue for taking on the challenge from where I couldn't continue. They actually kicked it up a notch, and I couldn't be more proud! Birthing the idea, promoting it, and starting it was just the beginning. NOW Gag is doing so well, and I am honored to have been a part of it, and always will be in my heart!

I was just in awe yesterday, because it was just last week when I realized that I truly was trying to live my life ( and always have, always will) to be an inspiration to others. So, for those of you who nominated me for that ~ thank you!! It just goes to tell me, that not only am I feeling it, but others are too! God is so good!  For those of you who nominated me for being an encouragement, you have NO idea how much others have encouraged me ~ much more then I could ever possibly be. I thank you for feeling encouraged, because to be honest, it gives me a drive within to be better at that. For those who nominated me for long term goals ( though I really am not sure quite what that means) I want to say "WHAT?" LOL Just kidding. I am honestly a Type A personality person so, I am always making goals, and I am not complete until I complete that goal. I am very goal driven in my life ~ not just weight wise, but everything I do. I thank my momma for that. I thank God for that. I thank you for noticiing! And last, but NOT least for those who nominated me for Immediate Non Scale victories, I say this. YOU can experience this too! Start looking for the good in things! STOP always focusing on the scale, and even the size! Making it through  a meal, and taking the full 20 to 25 minutes to eat it is a victory! Drinking your water for the day, is a victory! Taking even just 15 minutes to exercise is a victory! If I can get from 227.5 to 150 (where I am today).... and still going, YOU can too! No it's not easy, but it gets easier.

This award goes to a woman with an unshakable faith in God, a strong desire to keep people around her connected and working toward a common goal, and who (as one GAG Challenger so eloquently stated) has already achieved the greatest gift of all: Being Happy With Who She Is!

To see, that this is how I am viewed by others, brings me much joy. Not a pride ~ but a joy! And I have to say that being happy with who I am, for the first time in my ENTIRE life ~ is worth every effort that it took to get here, AND every ounce of effort it takes to stay here. I now see more things I am encouraged to change, but they don't seem so far away. They don't seem so impossible. I am 36, and I LOVE ME! I love all that I am about, and if I never lose another ounce I am OK with that! Everyday I am feeling so encouraged by LIFE itself, and to experience every ounce that I can out of that, my days are blessedly full. I no longer have to look to others to find acceptance! I no longer have to look to others to find approval. I accept me for who I am, and I definately approve of who I am. I pray that my life will continue to inspire others to seek out themselves, and to truly find who they are ~ and LOVE themselves for that. That is what Gag is about. That is what the Beautiful You is about!