Welcome to the Steely Sapphire Soldiers! This is a quick edition of the “Sapphire Roll Call”, an introduction to our Soldiers this round! Welcome to our Newbies and Welcome back to our Veterans! Normally, each week, you will receive a weekly newsletter, or “digest” highlighting all of our members. I, your Team Secretary, will be reporting the weekly happenings of the Sapphires. I will condense the week’s gossip, reported gains/losses/maintains, challenge results and any other pertinent information to keep YOU in the know. Those of us, who might be too busy to read each and every post, will be able to keep up with the rest of the team by reading each edition of the Sapphire Roll Call! I do hope that each of you takes the time to read each week as there is a lot happening in our chatty group, and it is very easy to miss something.

Let’s meet our team!!

Amy is from North Carolina and this is her third round of BLC with the Sapphires. She works from home and is working towards eating a more clean diet. She tends to lose weigh slowly, which frustrates her but she realizes that slow and steady is better than nothing at all! You can do it, Amy!

Angela is from British Columbia and this is her 4th round of BLC. She is engaged and has two kids. She just loves the Sapphires! She signed up for streaking this round, have you?? GO, ANGELA, GO!!!

Camille is from Nashville, Tennessee and she has been on and off with BLC since round Four! She is a fine oil painter and sometimes has a hard time finding the time to exercise. She is married and has a very supportive husband, who keeps her in line and doesn't allow excuses! She is a very busy gal with her deadlines, but she promises 100% participation on challenges! Welcome!

Carol is from California, and this is her first round of BLC. She is a Nana to three grand-kids and has been with Spark since May. She has lost 37 pounds so far! Woohoo! She has fibromyalgia which makes it difficult to sleep and sticking to a workout routine. She is excited to join the Sapphires! Welcome, Carol!

Carrie is from Nashville, Tennessee and she is a veteran of BLC. She lives with her two cats, her son and his girlfriend. She is hoping they find another place to live soon, as their differing schedules makes it hard on her to be consistent with her weight loss.

Christina is from Orlando, Florida and this is her first round of BLC. She has been married for 12 years, and has a very long commute to work every day, 1.5 hours each way! She loves to spend time at Disney with her hubby and gets some great walking in around the parks. Welcome!

Claire is one of our Co-Captains and is from Georgia. This is her seventh round of BLC. She is a first grade teacher and she loves her job! She joined a triathlon team while in college and enjoys training for them. She looks forward to competing in a few this coming Summer. Go Claire!

Deb is from Tennessee and this is her third round of BLC. She has four sons and three granddaughters, as well as step daughters and step grandsons. She works as a front desk and store manager at a marina on the lake where she lives, and her job is a stressful one lasting from April to November. Go, Deb!!

Ela is from Oregon and this is her second round of BLC. She is 28 and used to be a cook but is currently working at a nonprofit which makes meals for seniors in need. She is also in grad school. She lives with her fiancé and his five year old son, and they are set to tie the knot in July of 2014. She is excited to get fit for her wedding and her 30th birthday! Welcome, Ela!

Harmony is from Utah, and is a veteran of BLC, AND of BLC leadership! She is a stay at home mom, with two kids. Her husband works full time for the National Guard. She has a dog named Jaxson, who is a great workout buddy in the nice weather. She loves to do arts and crafts and cook and bake. She has a hard time finding the time to work out with her little one keeping her attention, but she has adjusted to walks with the stroller and some exercises with her little one! Welcome!!

Heather comes to us from Fort Irwin, California and this is her first round of BLC. She is a small business owner, and Army wife and has two fur babies. She teaches ballet, vocal lessons and tutors kids in English and Math. Welcome, Heather!

Holly B is from NY and this is her first round of BLC. She is a mom of three grown children and a substitute teacher focusing on Special Education, and she owns a small bakery. She is scheduled for a total knee replacement in March, which she is excited to finally be able to sleep through the nights without constant pain. She is also a horse and livestock show announcer in the summers. Her significant other is a four time cancer survivor. Welcome, Holly!

Holly L is from Northern Illinois, and this is her fourth round of BLC. She has been married for 25 years and has a 16 year old son. She works full time at a Housing Authority and loves to do all things crafty! She has been yo-yoing for far too long and decided to take 2013 by the horns and make this her year for weight loss! Woohoo, Go Holly!!!

Jan is from Texas and this is her fourth round of BLC, second with the Sapphires! She is a mother of two girls who gave her four grand-kids. She has been married for just about 42 years! She struggles with bad knees, but she pushes through with modifications. She works as a records manager at a police department and hopes to retire in a couple of years. She loves to read, crochet and craft! Go, Jan!!

Juanita is from Kansas and this is her fourth round of BLC. She loves to collect mice and has enough Mice Christmas ornaments to decorate a seven foot Christmas tree! She has been a member of Spark for four years and has lost almost 100 pounds! Way to go, Juanita!! She now knows that this is a lifestyle change, rather than a diet and her hard work has paid off. Go, Juanita!

Judy is from Nevada and has been a member of BLC since the beginning! She is excited to start this round with the Sapphires. She is married and a Realtor who enjoys gambling. She had a knee replacement two years ago and is trying to get the weight off to avoid the other knee being replaced as well. Go Judy!! Welcome!!

Karen is from New Hampshire and she is a veteran of BLC, and the Sapphires! She is married with adult kids and works as a Deputy City Manager and finds time for exercise to be a challenge. She just got a treadmill as a gift and is excited to use it this round! She loves to cook and challenges herself to eat well, but not eat “diet food”. Go, Karen!

Karlie is one of our Co-Captains and joins us from outside Seattle and this is her third round of BLC. She has had great success in BLC and is just shy of a 50 pounds loss mark. She has been married for 7 years and has two children. Her reward for her 50 goal is Photoshop! Let’s all cheer her on! Go Karlie!!

KJ is from Texas and she is a veteran of BLC. She is married for 23 years and has two children. Her daughter attends Texas Tech University and her son attends a school for children and young adults with special needs. She and her husband are learning to adjust to their house being so quiet, with both kids out of the house. She also works part time at the Johnson Space Center as a mechanical engineer. Go, KJ!!

Leslie is from North Carolina and this is her third round as a Sapphire. She is a stay at home mom with four children and is married to her high school sweet heart. She is an emotional eater who is slowly learning to turn elsewhere for comfort. She has committed herself to give up diet soda and is working on bettering her workout schedule. Go Leslie!

Lisa is Australian and has been living in Kosovo for the last four years. This is her first round of BLC! She has been married for 21 years and has five kids who she home schools. She is hoping that this round of BLC will get her back into the swing of things! Welcome!!

Nims is from Arkansas and she is a long time veteran of BLC. She is married and is expecting her first grandchild in June. She loves to read and is even a published writer! They eat all organic in her house hold due to her husband’s diet restrictions, and she is on disability from a work accident which has caused problems with her back and knees. Welcome!

Pam is from Michigan and this is her third round of BLC. She is very excited to be a part of the Sapphires! She is a teacher and has been married for 26 years, with one daughter and one fur baby. She plays guitar and sings and enjoys reading and working out. She just signed up for a local health and fitness center, where she will have exercise tailored to her needs. She has rotator cuff injuries and osteoporosis, which means she must modify exercises. Welcome, Pam!

Patty is from Indiana and this is her first round of BLC. She is an artist who is also a technical support specialist. She has been married for 23 years and has two children in college. She is excited to have a chance to spend some quality time focusing on herself and her weight loss goals. Welcome, Patty!

Shellon is from Northern Virginia and this is her fourth round of BLC, her first as a Sapphire! She works for the federal Government as an accountant and has an 18 year old in college. She loves to scrapbook in her spare time and is looking to get back into that. She is so excited to start this round and feels that 2013 is HER year! WOOHOO! Welcome!!

Shye is from Atlanta, Georgia and she is back to BLC after sitting out for a while. She is a single mother currently working through depression and an emotional eater. She is looking for lots of encouragement this round to keep her weight loss to a steady pace! We are here for you, Shye! Welcome!

Stasha is from Kansas Ciry, MO and this is her second round with the Sapphires! She had a fantastic loss last round of 23.9 pounds!! She works with special education children during the days and also works part time as a server at Olive Garden. She finds she has success with her eating because she plans her meals for an entire week at a time. She is down 62 pounds since March! Go Stasha!!!

Suzanne is our Team Captain and comes to us from the suburbs of Chicago. This is her 8th round of BLC. She has been married for 36 years, and has one son and lots of fur babies! She is closing in on her 100 pound loss and is excited to reach this goal! Go, Suzanne!

Suzie is one of our Co-Captains and is from Tennesse. This is her sixth round of BLC. She has worked for a mortgage company for 11 years, and she enjoys her job. She is currently training for a Nike Women’s Half Marathon in Washington, DC in April. GO SUZIE!!

Tina- I am your Team Secretary and this is my fifth round of BLC. I am from the outside of Boston, Massachusetts and am currently 23 weeks pregnant with my first child. We are expecting a Boy on May 15th! My weigh in’s will not count for this round, however, my challenge participation will. I am married for three years and my husband and I have been raising his two boys together since they were small. They are now teenagers. We are all HUGE Bruins fans, and are very excited hockey is about to start again! Yay!!

Yvonne is from BC, Canada and this is her fifth round of BLC. She has been married for 47 years with three grown children, and three grandchildren. She loves to read, play the organ and she teaches a group of teens at Bible Explorers. She loves being a part of BLC, as it is the only time she has been consistent with her weight loss! Go, Yvonne!

As I close out this special edition of the Sapphire Roll Call, I will leave you with this thought:
“Regardless of what came before or of what has yet to come, what matters most right now is how I choose to respond to the challenge before me. Will I lie down or will I fight? The choice is mine and I choose to finish strong.” ~ Dan Green ~ LET'S FIGHT, SOLDIERS!!!!

Keep on Sparklin’,
Your Team Secretary,
Tina