A Tale of Two Childs

So I entered the Gold's Gym Challenge- On May 14th they announced the winners, but you had to pay 15.00 a ticket to go to the NGA Mountain States competition where they would make the announcement. It is a fitness competition where REALLY fit people come out in their skibbies and flex. I never knew they made bikinis with rhinestones, and I really thought there was a legal limit to how many spray tan's a person could get in one day...turns out there is not, and there are people who get about 5 spray tans in one day and stand in front of judges. To be honest, I did not realize people I go to the gym with actually do that kind of thing... anyway...

Well, I am quite frugal- and I think 15.00 is a pretty big price to pay to see something that I would never choose to see. I would not pay 15.00 to see a movie that I REALLY wanted to see, I would wait for it to come out to the Red Box...So I decided to go to the competition and hang out in the hallway and see if I could get away without paying for my ticket, just to hear my name... They actually have bouncers man the doors at these things. Apparently this is a big deal...

We got there at about 6:15 and I asked the ladies at the table if we could get away without paying... there was really no way... so I asked if I could loiter in the hall til they announced the winner of the local Gold's Gym Challenge- they allowed me to. Finally at about 7:15 they go to announce the winners, and ya know whose name they said first??? MINE! ! ! I won the challenge for the Womens Division! I lost 37.4lbs, 20.25 inches and 9.06% body fat! I was so excited and it felt great. After they announced my name, Caleb ran to get me a ticket (they would not let me in to get my prize even... I still had to pay) I ran up and got my prize and off I went!

One of the class fitness instructors saw me at the competition, but did not hear the winners announced. I went to her class the following Monday and she asked me if I was going to go into the bikini competitions... (HILARIOUS) I laughed and emphatically told her that would not be my cup of tea... but that I had gone to hear the winners of the golds gym competition. She said "oh yeah, I did not hear the winners...did you know who won?" I told her I did and smiled. She asked "who was it?" I said "ME!!!" I think that was my favorite moment of them all. She was so excited for me! I really felt like I had accomplished something!

Below is my essay that I had to write for my entry it could only be 250 words in length... I am really grateful for what the Gold's Gym Challenge taught me, mostly that I can accomplish anything that I decide to truly dedicate my time and energy to: now I just need to decide what to put my efforts toward next! ( :

Essay:
Exhaustion, frustration, strep throat. Stress, bronchitis, relief, elation... these are all words that describe the past 12 weeks as I completed the Gold's Gym Challenge.

I've never been the typical beautiful, small girl. I am tall with broad shoulders. I had gained weight since I got married and I work at a company that distributes for Hershey's Candies. Imagine an all-you-can-eat candy buffet, all the time- sounds great right? Perhaps to your taste buds, but not to the bathroom scale.

I took the challenge because I needed something to motivate me that had a clear deadline and the support that Gold's Gym could offer. I quickly found that I always knew HOW to get healthy, but never the drive. I knew I had strength to become who I wanted to be, but never tested it. I was scared of changing for the better, afraid of failing myself. To avoid disappointment - I just didn't try. I accepted mediocrity and stayed who I didn't want to be.

I distinctly remember one evening at the gym, I had lost 20lbs and felt great. I looked in the full-length mirror and was shocked at how small I looked. With my own eyes I was seeing myself as SMALL! I've always felt uncomfortable in my own skin. It's been a long time since I've felt beautiful. Thanks to the Challenge, I've found my strength and beauty within, finally I have made the lifestyle changes that I can take with me beyond this experience.

This post is more of a Journal entry than anything, but enjoy!
So since I gave Mr. Dickinson his "High 5" he has been trying to get me to stop. I had been in a hurry, and frankly felt awkward stopping- what if I was wrong and he was just waving- I would feel silly (welcome to my world) so today he held up his stop sign for me- so I stopped and turned around, and he gave me a box of Candy Nips. He thanked me for my nomination an told me he could not believe how many people saw the news. He is so cute! He told me he would be off in a few weeks (school is out) and he would see me in the fall. I need to write him a note or something. I am grateful for a new friend, and my box of Nips (:

Fast forward to this evening and I go to the wedding of a darling couple from our old ward and Caleb and I are sitting with friends, and up comes the man who owned the company I used to work for. He knew the people I was sitting next to then he asked if he had ever met me before, I told him I used to work for his company, so we had met a couple of times. He looked crushed that he did not remember me (I was not, it was what I expected), he is a very well known person in the community and knows a LOT of people. Me, not being able to keep my mouth shut, told him I only worked there for about a year, and that after I laid off nearly 500 (yes, five hundred...) people, my heart could not take it, so I had to leave. Now I work for a company that distributes for Hershey's- and candy makes me happy. He told me that was the reason why he could never run for governor. I told him I would vote for him... Needless to say, I got in my groove and carried on like this with the man, then he sat at my table...that did not make it any better. Luckily his wife saved him from my barrage of banter... Really I don't know at what point my brain stops working while my mouth keeps moving, but I reached that point too early tonight... perhaps I was in a sugar induced coma from the Cold Stone they served at the reception... I did get a good laugh, and I am still smiling, and I thank him for his kindness toward the loud blonde who probably made his evening a little more interesting- but who knows if that is a good thing!

P.S. The owner of my former company's wife throws Fairy Godmother Birthday Parties for little girls, she has a dress and wand and grants wishes and EVERYTHING- how stinkin cute! They are seriously such a cute couple, they know Caleb's Grandma and Aunt... it was a fun night!

P.P.S. Also at the wedding reception they had a photo boothe for ALL The guests, so Caleb and I got pictures, but struggled figuring out the timing so they all look AWFUL and they put them in an album for the happy couple... HILARIOUS- now we will be immortalized with our struggles, the camera was much too short for the top of Caleb's head... so there was much fidgeting and awkward photos... What a night!