Hello all. Just dropping in to say hello and to introduce myself and family.


This is my daughter, Charla

My daughter, Charla and my grandson, Alexander

My son, Charles and daughter, Charla

Me, at the Georgia Aquarium ... Me n hubby went!

This is Hutch, my hubby
I could not do this without my glorious God, who is my salvation! My husband is an ordained minister. My first husband passed away, and a couple of years after that...my mother and niece were killed in a car accident. I would not be here without God. I am also a leukemia and breast cancer survivor! Satan has been trying to take me out for a long time! But I have the victory and so do you! God bless you and keep you all!

Hello, My name is Gwen, I am married with three kids. I have two daughters 15 & 13 and a son 10. I live in the Suburbs of Atlanta, I have lived in a lot of placed, this is just where I ended up :-) As all of my kids are active in sports and I am getting older, I decided it was necessary to start exercising regularly and be healthy. It is always nice to surround yourself with others who have the same beliefs and goals!!

Hi, I was invited by Gwen B whom I had to good fortune of being friend-ed by within my first 24 hours of creating an account here. In April 2013 when I created the account I was just messing around trying new apps I found on my tablet. I didn't really have a goal but secretly yearned to feel better, eat better, move better, and to stop blaming "getting old" on my physical condition as though it was a normal part of life even though I know many people I could have sat in that "camp" with.

In 1998 (age 28) I graduated college with a BA and started/ finished married with two kiddos under 6, driving 45 minutes one way to get there, and for time managing a part-time job. I was also the heaviest I had been in my entire life (220'ish pounds and women's plus size 22 clothing) thanks to convenience, fast food, and no knowledge of healthy eating. I started experiencing hormonal problems of all kinds, couldn't walk up a flight of stairs and maintain the ability to breathe, and in general was a sad person. I lost my dad that year, the first person close to me who had ever died. He died of COPD and was not a smoker. My husband was having an emotional affair with the boy scout asst pack leader and after some wise counseling I asked him to move out. At that time I finally figured out that I did not have life all figured out with my pop psychology wisdom, I sought the Lord and the Lord picked me up and started a BIG work on me. I started walking for exercise and to relieve stress. I sought the Lord in bible reading/ church services/ bible studies and the Lord carried me through. Throughout this time my husband of 10 years filed for divorce and despite my arguments with the Lord in side me the Lord kept telling me I was still His wife. I finally hit my knees and said, "Fine Lord this marriage is so gone - you'll have to fix it because I don't know how."

The Lord did mend my family, my husband accepted Jesus as savior as did I and we renewed our marriage vows instad of divorcing. My life has been doubly blessed time and again (and not because i was perfect nor always submissive/ mild/ or meek). My son was diagnosed with aspergers syndrome (on the autistic scale) and as we learned to accept each other for whom we each were the Lord allowed me the opportunity to become a stay at home mom, a business owner, and later another opportunity back at school. In that time I believe the Lord told me to run and he would heal me. I did drop 65 pounds and maintained some half hearted exercises as well as an active lifestyle and became a STRICT vegan who grew a huge organic veggie garden, however I only dreamed of being a runner I never ran. In 2006 as my kiddos were leaving the nest for college and I was beginning a new in the world of work, I had three surgeries on my legs for varicose veins (inherited, 3 veins total were removed, the veins were 4 cm in diameter), had a biopsy on swollen lymph nodes (benign) , and I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia... no "real" injury just alot of muscle pain, everywhere. There were days I had a hard time getting my leg to move to get me out of bed and cried going up the stairs. I battled it with meds, chiropractors who had all kinds of expensive cures... none of which helped. I did quit the vegan lifestyle after the Lord gave me a "militant" vegan woman who claimed Christianity but wished her meat eating husband a heart-attack before divorcing him... eeek! I know it is not what goes into my mouth the makes me unclean, it is what comes out. :-) I I am thankful for the relationship I had with the Lord, he carried me once again.

In April 2012 I started exercising again and focused on balanced health setting goals spiritually, physically, ect.... A car accident in December set me back, but in April 2013 I found MFP. This was the tool and provided the wisdom I needed to do that which I knew I needed to do. Within 6 weeks of being here my church (of over 900 members) started a class called run for God to prepare interested members physically and spiritually to run a 5k. The 5K is a fundraiser to give units that offer clean water to third world countries with a high infant death rate due to unclean water. I will be a part of offering good health for those in another country at the same time I am preparing my body for the health that the Lord wants to give me.... the Lord is SO SUBTLE sometimes it's almost hard to see, LOL!

God willing and only by the power of HIS grace in me will I run my first 5k first weekend of October.

OK - It is labor Day and I was up early so I had the time to write my autobiography. Wishing a happy Labor Day to all here today! Now off I go into my new active life. :-) You do that too, ok! :-)