In August, I found myself enjoying some peace and quiet at a rooftop pool in San Diego, taking selfies to send to Keith and rub it in that he wasn't there and telling him that I wish that he was there.
An afternoon at the pool wouldn't be complete without a frosty beverage.
The story comes in how the road led me to this peaceful pool time, not in being at the pool.
June 2014, my childhood classmate Kaya sent me a message to invite me to join her and others in a 30 day nutritional cleanse challenge in preparation for our 20 year class reunion. I declined and opted to eat healthy to meet my goals. For the next six months, I followed along with her teams Facebook group and watched as people transformed their lives while Keith and I struggled to find results. I went from being skeptical of the program to curious to wanting everything that they had. The final straw was when I saw the 30 day results from another friend who won the November 30 day challenge. I knew that if she could do it, so could I, but Keith wasn't convinced. It wasn't until just after Christmas that Keith changed his mind. I will never forget the moment. We were in the kitchen and we were talking about how we needed to make a change. We were tired of being tired, worn down and not feeling good about our physical selves. We had been working hard for years to eat well and exercise and we weren't seeing results. So... I reached out to Kaya and told her we were in. With Keith sleeping next to me, I quietly messaged with Kaya to get us signed up. I wanted it done before either one of us changed our mind.
We enjoyed New Years knowing that our 30 day nutritional cleanse would be starting soon. Our box arrived and it was a bit overwhelming but Keith sorted it all out and figured out what we were suppose to do. On January 3, 2015 we said "no more" to coffee and soda while nervously and excitedly said "yes please" to a 30 day nutritional cleanse.
The first few days were a challenge, but it was great to have each other. We would text each other throughout the day to encourage each other and give each other advice. On Thursday, we had our first full cleanse day and that night, we made chili to take to the mountains the next day. It was crazy but miraculously, we did very well for the cleanse day. On Friday evening, we drove to the mountains for ski lessons the next day. We were full of energy and chatted the whole way up. Half way to our destination it dawned on me... this is that we have been hearing about. THIS is Magic Day Five!
Usually, Friday nights we were exhausted and we didn't talk much. It took every ounce of energy to get in the car and get on the road. This day was much different. This day was full of energy and enthusiasm. This was it! This was the energy boost that we had heard about.
The next day was our first day of skiing while on our nutritional cleanse. I was nervous about how we would fuel our bodies for such an energy intensive day. I messaged Kaya for tips and followed them to the tee. It resulted in our strongest and most energetic ski day that we've had in years. We felt amazing.
Fast forward 30 days...
We felt better than ever and we had energy to spare.
Our results spoke for themselves.
Carrie was 20 lbs and 45" lighter.
Keith was 18 lbs and 31" lighter.
We were AMAZED and SO Happy!
30 Day Results:
We loved the results of our first 30 days, but we also knew that we weren't done with our journey. We took on another 30 day cleanse over February.
In February, a friend gave me this t-shirt that said "Made Strong" for something completely unrelated to muscles. I was shocked when this tiny looking t-shirt fit me so well. I had Keith take this picture of me to send to her. This was the first time that I really noticed that a change had occurred and I was going to take "Made Strong" to the next level.
In March, we continued with tracking our progress every 30 days. I began to reacquaint myself with the gym once a week, maybe twice. Keith had been working out 3 or 4 times a week for years and he began to notice results like he had never seen before.
I also went in for my annual blood work and the results were better than when I started the annual test when I was 25 years old. The proof was in the numbers and they were finally going the right direction after years of a slow change in the wrong direction, which I blamed on age. I can't wait to see what the results look like next year.
3 month results:
Only a week into our journey, we loved the products and results so much that we started telling our friends about it. What I did't expect was that they were going to want what we had; increased energy, weight loss and improved moods. With that, I unexpectedly became an entrepreneur and business builder as other people wanted in on this new found secret.
In May, I went to Phoenix for training. Kaya was there and we met our childhood friend, Tina for dinner. It was SO awesome to reconnect with these ladies.
That Saturday, we spent an entire day learning about all of the awesome products that Keith and I had fallen in love with as well as the business. It felt great to learn about this whole new world that Keith and I were loving and to be surrounded with like minded people who valued health and wellness.
It as also great to meet and connect with some of the ladies that had gotten to know through our Facebook team.
That night, we commandeered the fire pit at our hotel and chatted the night away about personal and professional goals. We were building new friendships and partnerships, it was amazing.
We also met a gentleman from Colorado who is also a professional photographer for he Discovery Channel. Lucky for us, we met him because we asked him to take our photo.
He then took photos of our wine glasses. We can now say that we have a photograph by a world famous photographer and my iPhone.
In May, Keith and I went to a Rockies game and after seeing this photo, I knew that we had come a long way since New Years Eve. I no longer felt like I had to strike a fancy pose to get the right angle and wear clothes that hid all of the unwanted places.
This summer, I put all of my new found energy to work and started attending Body Pump which quickly became my new favorite past time.
In August we took another round of after photos and placed them next to our original photos. In eight months, we had met our weight goals and were well on our way to our performance goals. Not only had we maintained our results but we were taking them to levels that we never though were possible.
That's how I found myself in Sunny San Diego in August. I had NO idea that January 4, 2015 would be a day that our lives would change forever. We will never go back to where we were January 3, we will only go forward. We are so thankful that we finally made the decision to make a change for ourselves and our family. It wasn't always easy, but it was always worth it. Our only regret is not starting sooner and waiting those six months but like any good advice, we're not going to live with regret. From here on out, it's upward and onward.
Onward all of the way to San Diego for Celebration!
Celebration is an annual event to bring everyone together to Celebrate personal and professional successes as well as to learn more about these amazing products and this awesome company.
Our first awesome opportunity came when one of our unbelievably generous team leaders invited us to join her on a sunset cruise around the San Diego bay.
Kaya, Carrie and Kristen.
Carrie and April, a new friend thanks to our online connection and this amazing business.
The sunset was gorgeous and perfect.
So much thanks to Jill, our amazing host. THANK YOU Jill for inspiring us and including us in this unbelievable evening.
Carrie, Jill, Kaya and Kristen
After the cruise, we grabbed a pedi-cab to head back to the Gaslamp District for dinner. Like everything that weekend, we made this ride a party on wheels!
On Saturday, I had a bit of time to myself so Elle and her family came to take me to Cornada for an afternoon at the beach. Remember that "Made Strong" t-shirt? Elle gave me that t-shirt that inspired me to be "Made Strong". Elle and her and her family just moved to Southern California and I think the absolute world of her. I was so thankful that we were able to spend a few hours together.
Elle and her daughter Sawyer may be the cutest beach babes ever.
I may keep Maxwell for myself, at least for a few hours. I think he might like me... or at least tolerate me.
I love this girl!
Miss you, Elle!
The adorable Shrefler family.
Elle, Maxwell, Sawyer, Casey and Mason
Miss Sawyer. Can I keep her?
Mr Mason, he's a keeper too.
I asked Mason and Sawyer to take a photo by the water. They were so cute about it.
They even snuggled a bit when I asked them too for the photo.
After some great fun at the beach, we grabbed lunch at Hotel Del. Sawyer may be trying to convince her parents to come home with me by this point. I'm fun, right?!
Back at the hotel, we were scouting out a place for a team dinner.
The four of us were like Sorority Sisters for the weekend. We may have been the smallest Sorority of all times but Stephanie was teaching us the ropes.
Kaya, Carrie, Stephanie and Kristen
With a dinner location scouted out, we went to pick up dinner. Who says that you can't nutritionally cleanse and eat good food? No way! We LOVE good food, especially this greek food from down the street.
It was so fun to meet so many team mates that I had only met online up to this point.
The next morning, I went for a workout with Kaya and she ran me up and down the stairs at the Convention Center.
Sweaty and Lovin' It!
This deserved a photo op at the top.
Stairs done, time to get down to business.
Thousands of people descended upon the convention center.
We were lucky to find a seat together.
Carrie, Stephanie, Karen, Kristen and Kaya
The day wouldn't be complete without a photo with the mascot.
Keith had bought me this charge special for this trip. Stephanie was excited about it too. We had to take a photo to tell him how much we appreciated it.
There were several new products announced, which we stood in line for forever! The bonus was that we got to sample the new organic coffee which is SOOO Good!
Another unexpected change for 2015 was not only that I would become a entrepreneurial business woman but that I would rank advance to Crystal Executive. Kendra rank advanced as well, so we all went to celebrate with Kaya at the Crystal Executive League Rally.
Kaya and her Crystal Executives.
Kendra, Kaya, Carrie
Crystal Executive Carrie
No celebration rally would be complete without a photo booth.
As much fun as we may have been having, there was business to get to the next day. The first order of business was to tackle these stairs again.
This is all new to me. I don't run and I don't run stairs... or I didn't. I couldn't believe how I conquered those stairs, two days in a row. I LOVED IT!
Kaya and Kristen went running so I was solo on the stairs. I was determined to push myself even further so I reached out to my Sister-in-Law Stephanie for encouragement. She runs stairs in her town and she inspired each and every set for me. It was awesome and felt like we were doing it together.
This day, the Crystal Executives were VIP's. Molly is another Crystal Executive on our team and it was so great to spend the day with her.
Who has great nutrition, unbelievable energy, more physical fitness than ever, a business rank advancement and two thumbs?
This woman!
We kicked off the morning sharing an all natural energy shot. A day really can't start much better than this.
There were so many people to meet, including Valerie Pawlowski. I liked Valeri's t-shirt and when I asked her where she got it she said that it was given to her as she is an Isagenix Athlete. This got us talking and she had just broken a world record for Kettle Bell at 51 years of age. I asked her for a photos and a nice gentleman took this photos.
That night when we went to grab some dinner, there was a sign from home saying hello, a Coors Light coaster.
Our final night was the night of the Gala. It was a formal event that I was invited to attend as a new Crystal Executive. Since I had a ticket for a date, I brought Stephanie as my date. I think that I scored on the date scale. I had just met Stephanie but I love her to pieces. I think I'll just scoop her up and bring her home with the Shrefler kids.
A few of us gals at the Gala in front of the fancy photo screen.
Kelli, Carrie, Kendra and Stephanie
The Gala
The Ladies of Isa-Shed
Sometimes, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!
Kaya, the one who got all of this started. If it wasn't for Kaya, we would still be dragging and wishing that we had a solution. Now, we are better than ever and we know that the possibilities are endless. Our gratitude is endless, Kaya. Thank You!
After a very full day of learning and celebrating, we concluded with a quiet moment for just us Isa-Shed gals. It was perfect conclusion.
Eight months ago, we would have never imagined where this road would have taken us. We are thankful each and every day for the changes that we have made and where we are going . I'm so excited to see where this road continues to take us and where we will go. There are no limits to what we are capable of.
No comments:
Post a Comment