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Hi all, I haven't been posting here much in August for the plain and simple reason that I have not been giving my full effort to the 30-Day Challenge. No excuses or long-winded discussions on "why", I've just been doing other things.

I keep coming back to something one of my best friends in the whole world wrote to me earlier this month. Many of you here know her as Ms. Lisa - Gorgeous for God. And she truly is!

There is just something going on there that makes you not want to give 100% to your health, because otherwise you would give yourself 30 days and be done with it.

Once you find the block, the weight will fall right off you.

Dig deep. ;)

I have been soul searching and have not come up with my answer yet.

Here is what I do know:

I started my journey back in February of this year when Lisa asked me to go on a vegan challenge with her. Not necessarily raw at this point, just vegan. Starting from a meat-laden, restaurant-saturated diet this was a huge shift and a wonderful one. I was hooked.

Then Lisa found this site and turned me on to it in May - I was (and still am) very excited and supportive of a raw diet. I know in my heart it's harder for some to follow 100% than it is for others. I certainly fall into the "other" category at the moment.

Point is, though I haven't achieved the terrific benefits of following through with a full 30 days to blossom under this lifestyle -- I have made some dramatic changes in my life that will stay with me forever.

I am so stoked about this, you have no idea!

Since coming here in May, I have not had any processed food in my diet - nothing with a name or ingredient I can't pronounce! This makes me happy to know I am doing good things for my health, even if in small steps.

The way I look at it...I will celebrate the small successes whenever possible! :)

A couple of other things I noticed:

1. My kitchen counter fruit bowl keeps growing and is now the biggest darn bowl I own...and it's always full! I didn't used to have a fruit bowl on the counter at all.

2. The two vegetable bins in my fridge are always stuffed full of greens, onions, beets, carrots, etc...and they used to hold beer bottles.

3. My pantry is stocked with numerous bags of raw nuts, flax seeds, raw honey, coconut oil, cacao, dried fruits and lovely spices. Before you could look in there and always find chips and microwave popcorn.

And drumroll..please.......

4. I can't imagine life without green smoothies! I try to make them every day, not always successful, but they're never far from my mind or my cravings.

Basically, I've gotten to a point now where I'm getting downright stingy with what I eat. Meaning...if it's not vibrant and full of life, I think twice and KNOW it's going to rob me of vitality - not make me feel better. Honestly, I do choose the "other side" more frequently than I'd like, and that's the mystifying thing I'm still trying to figure out.

I haven't dug deep enough yet, obviously.

Weight, I haven't gained nor lost anything this year. The bright side of this? Yes, there is one. I put the brakes on further weight gain which had been my awful trend over the past 4-5 years, and I think this is significant. It proves to me that with lifestyle modification I can HOLD my weight. I feel more confident that when I get serious and lose the weight I need to, I will be able to maintain it afterwards. This is important to me.

I am going on vacation very soon -- spending a good deal of September in Hawaii (alas, not the Big Island....or StarFire I would be looking you up for sure). I am not setting up grand plans or expectations for my days in Paradise other than simply taking care of me. Mind, soul and body - relaxation.

My vision is that this break away from the stress and routine of daily life will inspire me to dig deep.

I wish everyone well and I will miss catching up with you every day. But, I will live in the moment...and come back hopefully refreshed and energized to do what I need to do to succeed in my personal journey for health and vitality.

Blessings and peace to everyone!