Nikki

This post is to one of my closest friends, cheerleader, support person and overall badass: Nikki.  Happy Birthday Girl!

In May of 2013, I told Nikki I was going to try to start eating healthier and that I wanted to lose maybe 50 pounds.  When you’re morbidly obese, everyone knows you talking about dieting every now and then and tell those around you you’re going to try.  The response from most is just a passing “ok” with the added feeling of “yeah right” behind it.  But Nikki didn’t make me feel this way.  Right away she offered advice as she was naturally a better eater than I was.  She would comment that my pants were getting loose even when I didn’t believe her myself.

That’s the number one thing I love about Nikki: No Judgement. Ever.  I never feel judged by her or looked down upon.  She is one of the best people I’ve ever met.

Over that summer I lost 30 – 40 pounds and returned to work in the fall.  Nikki and I didn’t see each other much that summer since we both travel, work and enjoy every last second of our summers.  When we got back to work, she jumped on the band wagon.  We started having ‘pot luck style’ lunches where we and a few friends would bring different things for lunches that week.  She would force me to try new things that I didn’t even know I liked.  Where would I be without her encouraging me to eat hummus or black bean burgers? My life would be so sad! We would check in and talk about our weight and what sucked that week.  Since we were under the same stress it was really easy to counsel each other.

That January I joined my gym.  She joined too!  They were running a groupon so she bought one and would come workout with me in the beginning.  She quickly found that my gym wasn’t her style, but since we had started together, I could always talk to her about what was going on at the gym.  She started running, biking and 5k training while I worked on strength and cardio.  That spring, we both got new jobs.

We still make it a point to get together and we still check in about our weight and how things are going.  We love to go to a local vegetarian restaurant where she turned me on to THE BEST bean and quinoa burger EVER. We’ve ran a 5K together and are running a 7K together in March.  She constantly reminds me how much of an inspiration I am for her, but she’s just as big for me.

Nikki is an amazing Mom.  When I’m at her house, I hope to be the kind of parent that she is.  Not only is she finding time for herself and her health, but she models those healthy choices for her son Will and her hubby.  She’s also an amazing teacher and advocate for her students.  She’s involved with galleries all over town and is often looking for charities and causes to support.  So while Nikki thinks I’m the support for her, it’s really the other way around!  I think you’re amazing in everything you do.  So the HAPPIEST of birthdays to my kick-ass friend.  You go girl!