M'best friend

I've known my best friend for 20 years or so...so long, we really have lost count.  

Years ago, she and her two towheaded little brothers showed up on my front porch and introduced themselves as our new neighbors.  New kids on Evie Court - what?!?  None of us were really sure what to do with these newcomers.  We may have been a little mean and tormented them for a few weeks until we realized they actually weren't awful AND they had another pool for us to swim in.  Amanda was a year and one half younger than me, but two grades below, and this was a major deal.  Being the mother hen that I tend to be, I took her under my wing as my little sister (that my parents never gave me no matter how much I tried to trade my brother in).  Now, we are so different I can't even begin to tell you about it.  The girl loves glitter...I love sweatpants.  I'm pretty sure she took the movie "Clueless" to heart and did everything in her power to channel Cher Horowitz every morning when she got ready for school.  I was very cool with rolling out of bed and showing up to school two minutes before the bell rang.  This drove her crazy since I was her ride to school.  What can I say?  Polar opposites.

With that said, there aren't many people who know me better.  She gets my weird sense of humor, that I hate asking for help (even when I need it) and that I love nothing more than girls night out with fancy drinks.  We have been through so much.  Our adventures together are, at times, legendary.  She can finish stories for me, make me laugh more than anyone and keep me entertained for hours.  She also knows how to trick me.

A year ago or so, I get a call from Mandy telling me about Shakeology and their three day challenge.  She was buying a kit, and wanted me to do it with her.  She gave me the shakes, portioned out for three days and we decided upon a start date for this little experiment.  Now, I'm going to reiterate my distain for shakes.  I really, really, REALLY don't like most shakes.  Texture is a huge issue, and Shakeology is way flakey.  (sorry Shakeology lovers.  Not a fan)  I barely made it through the three days.  It was not without major bitching, complaining and major sighing on my end.  But you know what?  It worked...I ended up losing seven pounds and more importantly, I was finally inspired to start losing weight.  All part of Mandy's master plan, that tricky lady.  She told me months later how worried she was about me, but didn't know how to tell me I was beyond chubby.  That isn't a fun conversation to have with anyone.  I'm just lucky I have a best friend that loves me enough to find a way to trick me into thinking it was my own idea!  She's the best. 

I bring this all up because I'm at a plateau and I'm going to do a shake challenge again!  This time I'm using the Body by Vi shake, because my friend has had some amazing results!  The big thing for me is that this shake is gluten free, and didn't upset my stomach when I tried a sample.  It also is really smooth and blends well with coconut milk and fruit, so I'm not dreading the texture issue.  You can check out my webpage http://jennhutcherson.myvi.net/challenge to learn a little more.  I'm going to take some before pictures (sigh.  I hate these pictures) so we can see if any change actually happens.  Right now they are promoting a 90 challenge, but I will be out of town at the end of of next month so I think doing it from the time I get my shake in until April 23 will be a good enough test.  

Have a great week, y'all!  I've hovered over the Heels and Hills website trying to decide if I should sign up for the 5k...anyone else wanna do it with me?