Ten Pounds Down! Wahoo!

OK, it's time! The first ten pounds is off--goodbye and good riddance.

My clothes are fitting better and I'm finding it easier to do things like getting up if I'm sitting on the floor. (The real kick in the pants for me to get started on this weight loss thing was going to the beach this summer and struggling to get up off the soft, squishy sand. Oh the humiliation!)

What I really need is for you to keep reading. I also need brave souls who will recommend this blog to their friends in the real world and the Facebook world.

So, If you want to sponsor me on a per pound basis, it's time to open your purse or wallet. Now, let's discuss for a minute about how this sponsorship thing works. My original idea was having people sponsor at $1 a pound, $2 pound or whatever--with my goal of ultimately losing about 40 pounds. I was asking that every time I lose 10 pounds, it's time to pay up. But if that idea doesn't work for you, and you can only chip in $10 or $20 total, please feel completely free to do that.

If you think breaking up your contribution into four separate units to too complicated or annoying, by all means feel free to give just once. I just thought the per pound thing WOULD BE MOTIVATING FOR ME, because the more I lose the more money the people in Haiti would get and the more houses we would be able to build.

I would really like to see the Chip In Meter MOVE! Do you understand Chip-In Meter? By clicking on the orange button marked "Chip In" you will be magically and electronically connected to Paypal and right into Heartline Ministries' accounts. If you have a Paypal account, it is really easy. The money goes right to Heartline without ever passing through me. You can pay there with a credit card or with your Paypal balance and you are emailed a receipt for tax purposes. Many people have Paypal because it is the only way to pay for things on eBay. But many people also don't have a Paypal account.

If you want to send in a check, please make it out to Heartline Ministries and write "Pound4Pound" on the memo line. That memo line is important! Checks can be sent to: Heartline Ministries, P.O. Box 898 Sunnyside, WA 98944. It probably makes the most sense to write one check. You can wait until the end of the Pound 4 Pound challenge on November 1st if you want me to prove my weight loss determination with results. Sending a check will also get you a paper receipt for tax purposes.

Lastly, a few people have just handed me money or checks made out to Heartline Ministries. If you know me and see me in your daily life, I can get the check to the ministry for you. When I'm giving away my bucks, I like to give to charity directly with no intermediaries, but if you want to save a stamp and a little time for yourself, feel free to just hand your donation to me. (A check made out to Heartline, please.)

And if you can't support me, please, please do keep reading. What I plan to write about this week is Heartline and what it was like to live through the earthquake and what they are doing today. These people are AMAZING. I can't wait to go to Haiti in November and help them.