My heart is just overflowing with the love that I have been shown in response to my last post. Seriously, if I could bottle this feeling I’d spend the rest of my life handing it out to everyone.
A little bit of background if you’re not one of the amazing women in the Facebook group. As you well know, Andie Mitchell is my absolute favorite blogger, author of an incredible memoir, and releasing her first cookbook in March. Though our communication has only been through this world wide web, I’m quickly moving her up my list of favorite people. Ever.
She recently partnered up with Gina Homolka of Skinnytaste and together they have formed a powerhouse closed group on Facebook for those that have bought Andie’s memoir and Gina’s new meal planner (for details on how you can become a part of this phenomenal group, go here). This group is incredible in that Andie and Gina are running it themselves and have been active every day, suggesting recipes, offering advice, encouragement, you name it. These ladies have gone above and beyond and I am even more impressed with them than I thought possible.
I have been a part of groups on Facebook before, and it has never met my expectations. Either the host of the group was barely, if ever, active, or the members themselves just seemed out for themselves and there was just unorganized chaos and no sense of unity. I hope if you read my letter to these women, you realize that Andie and Gina’s group is NOTHING like this!! We’re sitting at just under 400 members and I have never “met” a more sincere, encouraging, uplifting, and positive group of women.
Every post is greeted with encouragement and advice, virtual hugs, and laughter. We’re the biggest group of cheerleaders I’ve ever seen, united in our goal to lift each other up and get healthy in the process. Andie and Gina have said they will back off the frequency of their own posts after February 15th (not leaving entirely) and at first that made me a little nervous. Now that I’ve been in the thick of this group for a while though, I have no doubt we will carry this amazing group on for the rest of the year and make Andie and Gina proud.
I stated to the group that I wanted to help others ultimately, but I knew I needed to work on being kinder to myself first. The amazing thing about this environment is I feel like I finally have a safe launch pad for the new me. A place where I can stumble, fall, and get picked right back up. I truly want to continue my goal of doing 30 things that scare me. Writing that letter and opening myself up to almost 400 people was one thing. Flying to Florida by myself in January was another. I know I’ve got to pick up the pace if I’m going to accomplish 30 things (not by my birthday, but just over the course of the year), but I feel like I’ve done some pretty brave things so far, and with 400 people cheering me on, I feel pretty good.
I highly encourage getting involved in the group yourself, but if you don’t, I will be posting throughout the year about these amazing women because seriously, how could I not? 
