Moody Seniors celebrate the season at their annual Christmas Party last month. Photo courtesy of Addie Duke.

I don’t know how your goal setting and New Year’s resolutions are going, but it is mid-January and I am just now getting back to my weight loss program. I’ve had a few people ask me how it was going and many of us suffer with the same issue so I thought I would confess where I am with it.

I lost 17 pounds the first month in my personal quest to get off a few unneeded pounds, but then, as most of us do, I hit a slump and didn’t seem to have any additional results to speak of, plus the holidays were coming up, so I just put this on hold for a couple of months to give my body time to catch up with the rapid weight loss (and enjoy all those great holiday foods…lol…). Well, I have to confess that the homemade caramel cake and all of the holiday casseroles put a few pounds back on me, so I’ve taken a step backward. The good news is that as of Saturday, I am back on the program to try to lose the pounds I need to get rid of to meet my goal.

To give you an idea of what I am doing, I am seeing a weight loss doctor who prescribed an appetite suppressant, fat burner shots and a higher protein/less carb and sugar meal plan (plus 64 ounces of water daily). My husband and I are not heavy meat eaters so a high protein plan is more of a struggle for us. Also, eating half of my caloric intake at breakfast is the other hard part. It takes a lot of bacon and eggs to equal that many calories for breakfast!

A dear friend of mine is beginning the same weight loss program this month so we can be cheerleaders for each other. I’ll keep you posted on my progress this year.

Now for some news: The Music Room has opened up a Beginner Guitar Group Class, which will be offered on Tuesdays at 5 p.m. If interested, please contact an associate at (205) 702-6074.

The Moody Seniors are back in the swing of things. Their Christmas Party was very nice and most of the seniors came. Mayor Joe Lee and Commissioner Ken Crowe both attended. Both the Mayor and Ken have a big heart for the Moody seniors. The Christmas lunch was the best BBQ in town, Bowling’s BBQ, donated by Odenville Drugs. They also got a special unique treat from Tucker Malone from Parkway Pharmacy that morning. The Moody Senior Center is so blessed to have a City with a staff that cares about its seniors. Please fill free to call the Moody Senior Center Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. at (205) 640-2536 or go to their website. Their seniors are looking forward to their trip to Niagara Falls & Toronto June 12-18.

Did you know that Leeds has a Cajun food truck set up in the Pants Store back parking lot on Thursdays? It’s called Nelchie’s Cajun and her Facebook page is Facebook.com/nelchiescajun/?fref=ts

Scholarship Opportunities are available through Distinguished Young Women of St. Clair County. Eleventh grade girls graduating in May 2017 who are interested in earning college scholarships through this program are invited to visit DistinguishedYW.org and click on “Apply Now”. An informational meeting for potential participants and parents will be held on Sunday, Feb. 21 from 2-3:30 PM at Moody City Hall. Deadline to participate is March 11. For more information, please contact stclair@DistinguishedYW.org or (205) 640-3078.

The Moody Area Chamber of Commerce is now accepting applications for their new Corporate Liaison Program, which is a partnership between the Chamber and the local Business community. It is a brand new program to give Chamber Members an additional opportunity to network their business and serve in more of a leadership role for the Chamber. This is a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor and have more input as this program launches. Please contact Andrea Machen, Executive Director, at (205) 640-6262 for more information.

The GOING OUT OF BUSINESS sale continues at the Monkeys Uncle Christmas Store in Leeds. Prices have been 50% off with cash and 40% off with card purchases and now you can enjoy an additional 10% off the reduced price on most items in the store. The Christmas Store still has lots of merchandise to choose from and they have some very nice Christmas decor.

Eden Westside Baptist Church River Campus on Highway 78 will host a Breakfast for all of our brave men and women that serve our community. They will serve biscuits, coffee, and juice at 9 a.m. this morning, Jan. 21. For more information about this event or the River Campus, please visit edenwestside.org.

The Leeds Area Chamber of Commerce will host their monthly Chamber Luncheon at 11:30 a.m. today, Jan. 21, at Leeds First Methodist Church Family Life Center. Coach Keith Etheridge will be the guest speaker. Lunch is $12 with RSVP ($15 without). Please RSVP to Sandra McGuire, Executive Director, at (205) 699-5001.

Shades Mountain Air is coming to Leeds Theatre and Arts Center this Saturday, Jan. 23, presented by the Leeds Arts Council. Tickets are $10 and the show begins at 7 p.m. For reservations, please call (205) 699-1892 or email leedsartscouncil@windstream.net.

Moody City Council will meet at 6 p.m. on Monday, January 25, at Moody City Hall.

Leeds Board of Adjustments will meet at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 26, at the Leeds Civic Center Meeting Room.

Spring is just around the corner so be sure to SAVE THE DATE for several area spring events as follows:

The Leeds Greenwave Baseball and Softball Boosters $10,000 Greenwave Giveaway is scheduled for Saturday, March 12, at Celebrations in Pell City. The event will include dinner for two, along with door prizes and games, plus an opportunity to win $10,000. Tickets are $100 and you do not have to be present to win the $10k grand prize. Please contact a Greenwave Baseball and Softball Booster Member for tickets.

LadyBUGS Annual Charity Luncheon & Fashion Show is scheduled for Tuesday, April 12, at Cedar Grove Baptist Church hosted by the Leeds/Moody Professional Women. Proceeds will go to fund scholarships for four Leeds/Moody high school girls.

The Moody Miracle League 5k Run and 1 Mile is scheduled for Saturday, April 16. More details coming soon!

The Moody Masters Golf Tournament is scheduled for Monday, April 18, at Trussville Country Club (rain date is April 25). Please contact me if you would like to sign up for a golf team or as a hole sponsor. Proceeds from the tournament will go to the Moody Area Chamber of Commerce to fund the High School Ambassador Program, along with other chamber programs.

The 22nd Annual Creek Bank Festival is scheduled for Saturday, May 14, at Leeds Veterans Memorial Park. For vendor booth space and corporate sponsorships, please contact Sandra McGuire, Executive Director, at (205) 699-5001.

The 1st Annual Cruising the Creek Car Show will be held Saturday, May 16, in conjunction with the Creek Bank Festival. This event is sponsored by C & C Motor Company to benefit the Backpack Buddies charity. For more information, please contact Chris or Christy McCombs at (205) 365-7412 or (205) 283-0952.

Our thought for the week: “Excellence is not a skill. It is an attitude.”

I truly appreciate each of you who read my column and I really love sharing news so please remember to send your Leeds and Moody news to me at dona@adrbms.com. See you next week!