The Final Countdown!!!

YUP - the last quarter of 2020 is almost here, 10/1/20 officially begins this Thursday! What a year 2020 has turned out to be, don't you agree? (And here is a interesting/scary thought: it still isn't over!)

As in many other years, 2020 had its share of highs/lows ~ but, I would say, for me, the highs were extremely high and the lows were very low. Probably one of the lowest points for everyone was the pandemic ~ COVID-19. Another extremely low point for our family is that we recently lost my sister-in-law (she was only 63). She suffered a stroke during 4th of July weekend. She was doing well and getting better, but right after Labor Day, she suffered another stroke. This time, if they were to operate, she would have been in a vegetative state; it was decided to let her pass. My husband comes from a relatively big family ~ a yours, mine, & ours situation and if you stood all of the siblings in a row, she would have been the one that you would have never imagined to have a problem. She was in great shape, yet had high cholesterol and that was probably the biggest factor in her passing.

A highlight of the year was the wedding of my nephew and his new bride - right before the USA was shut down for the pandemic. Even more near and dear to my heart was the wedding of my DD and SIL (actually 2 weddings) in the midst of things being shut down/areas s-l-o-w-l-y reopening/possibly shutting down again. . .the engagement on 12/31/18 to March of this year was fine ... then EVERYONE began to struggle.

The events surrounding the wedding became extremely complicated. First DD's shower was canceled. DD and one of her bridesmaids had their weddings planned within 7 weeks of each other and they were in each others weddings. As it got closer to DD's first date in June, it became apparent that it just could not happen as planned and it was postponed until August. Shortly after that, her bridesmaid decided to postpone her wedding as well. Then DD and her future hubby talked and asked my GF and her hubby if they could have a small wedding at their home (just immediate family) on their original day. DD's bridesmaid decided to do the same with a small, intimate family wedding in the backyard of a family member. Right before DD's elopement, the Governor decided that it would be OK to have small gatherings of 25, so we had 24 at that outside event. The following week, right before DD's girlfriend's backyard elopement, she (the girlfriend) was diagnosed with breast cancer - 25 years old, talk about unfair!!! Of course, because things were so strange and everything was shut down, there had been no bridal shower or bachelorette party for either my DD or her GF. Since the GF was diagnosed, they wanted to make sure that her bridal shower and bachelorette party happened before she had too many treatments. So her parties were planned/executed as quickly as possible, outside events and they happened before DD's August wedding, DD's wedding was at a large venue in PA and because of capacity rules and the fact that the venue was private, they were able to proceed. They had the grand ballroom which normally holds about 500, DD's wedding was much smaller than we originally thought it would be and was just around 100 on the actual day. DD and DSIL moved into their first condo a few short weeks after the wedding and her bachelorette happened last weekend, bridal shower was yesterday.

Here's a picture of them at their 6/6/20 wedding:


Here's a picture of them at their 8/8/20 wedding party:




SO ... what does ANY of this have to do with SparkPeople and/or weight-loss? Actually, nothing ~ and actually, everything! You see, with a year like we all have had ~ everyone had highs/lows. Many struggled this year with job loss situations or they struggled to execute their 'other' job of being a school teacher to their children. Some of us struggled with isolation and loneliness; others struggled with the pain of losing a beloved family member or dear friend to COVID, or like our family ~ a sudden, unexplained loss. All of this upheaval in our lives can cause havoc to our daily routines and we can easily lose our way and ourselves as we strive to survive each and every day.

SparkPeople provides a refuge for those that are struggling and feel broken; for those that are seeking support; and for those that are seeking a new like-minded friend to share their journey with. If YOU feel like you have been 'a little off' or 'struggling', I invite you to check out the 2020 Fall 5% Challenge.

The Challenge description says:
'Race to Fascinating Places - 8 Weeks this Fall. Join a supportive team and let's have fun as we lose 5% of our weight, make new friends and improve our health!'
Starting date: OCTOBER 3RD

The 5% Challenge is a member-led Challenge and the 5% Challenge Team will become a private team once we begin our journey on Saturday, October 3rd. Do you feel as if you are struggling? Do you feel like you are somewhat lost and are looking to get back on track? Do you feel that support of like-minded individuals might be the 'extra push' that you might need to help you be successful? THIS is YOUR INVITATION to check us out ... we hope that you will consider taking this journey with us!
Here is the link to the 2020 5% Challenge Community Page where you will find additional information, and, if you are inclined to do so, sign up. (last day to do so is Friday 10/2:

www.sparkpeople.
com/myspark/groups_individ
ual.asp?gid=71783