Feeling Blessed by God

Yesterday started out as any ordinary day. I got up, got a shower & dressed, fixed Christopher's lunch & got him ready for another school day. Other than the fact I was getting dressed earlier than usual so I could attend a Way-FM networking breakfast, it was pretty much the same as any other day. I waved good-by to David & Christopher as they drove off to work & school and then started my day. What I didn't know is that God had some pretty cool blessings tucked into this day that I didn't expect!

After the Way-FM breakfast, I went to Best Buy to purchase a USB hub (I've outgrown my current USB outlets) and a replacement power cord for my MP3 player since my original one got lost & the battery is running low. Isn't it amazing how God can use such a routine non-exciting event to bless us? Here's how it happened:

I found the power cord for my MP3 player & then went in search of my USB hub. I found one that would meet my needs, but the price was a little high. I decided to walk down to Costco, since it's not that far away, & see what they had to offer. They had NO USB hubs, so I headed back to Best Buy. On my way back, I passed Staples & decided on a whim to go in & see what they had to offer. I was certain they would be more expensive than Best Buy, but decided at least it would make me feel better about my Best Buy purchase! :) Well...not only was it less expensive (by a dollar), but I suddenly remembered that I had a rewards check from Staples that I could apply to the purchase. I was thinking it was about $30 or so, which wouldn't cover the cost of the hub, but would certainly help the ole' pocketbook! ;) So, I went out to my car to retreive the rewards check (it was in my Daytimer) and to my surprise, it was $54!!! This would completely cover the cost of the hub! I also picked up a pack of mechanical pencils for David because a certain almost-5-year-old child continues to take them off David's desk & they seem to disappear after that. It's tax time, so David NEEDS his pencils!!! ;) I got the hub and 24 mechanical pencils for LESS than it would have cost me to buy the pencils alone ($5.28, tax included)!!!

BUT...God wasn't finished blessing me yet! As I was getting back in my car, my Blackberry buzzed to let me know I had a new email. Since I wasn't driving yet, I took a moment to read the message...and I was blown away! It was a message letting me know that I had been chosen as a winner in the SWFLmoms.com Beautiful Loser contest!!!! I'm so excited! As some of you who have been reading my blog awhile know, I've thought many times about signing up to be on NBC's Biggest Loser...but the thought of leaving my sweet hubby & precious son behind for so long (especially with little or no contact) kept me from turning in any of those completed applications! Now, I don't have to! I can be a Beautiful Loser and stay at home! :) I don't have all the details yet, but here's what I know:

• Training will begin on Monday.
• I'll have 8 weeks with a personal trainer in a group training session.
• I'll work out for an hour a day, 5 days a week with the personal trainer
• I'll receive an eating plan from a nutritionist (I think)
• I'll be blogging at least twice a week about the experience on swflmoms.com

So far, that's all I know. I'm supposed to receive another email sometime soon to let me know what time on Monday I'll meet with the trainer & the other winners of the contest. As I know more, I'll let you know more. Please be praying for me during this journey. I have struggled with my weight my whole life & would love to finally find that healthy weight for me. The exercise is a big thing because I've never been an exercise girl...so I'm hoping after this "boot camp" of exercising 5 days a week for 8 weeks, I'll develop a habit of exercise that will become a part of who I am for the rest of my life! :)