spoonful of words! review of “If I Die, Please Bring Cheesecake to My Funeral

so i have the funniest little book to share with you today! Donloree Hoffman sent me her book and i giggled the whole way through! she documents all of her misadventures to health and i wish i could have been a fly on the wall! just ask her why she ended up in a triathlon and you will know what i mean! here is my favorite quote…

what was the deciding point to write a book? 

I had been ‘writing a book’ for the last 23 years. In fact, when I was in the fourth grade, I won a writing contest and got to go to an all day conference for future authors. I think my fate was sealed at the age of nine.

The tipping point for me was reading Seth Godin’s book, Linchpin, and realizing that successful people ‘ship’.

So I set a date, grabbed my 1,000 pages of writing, grabbed some of my favorite misadventures on my road to fitness, and didn’t look back.

have you always enjoyed writing?

I love words! I have always enjoyed creating an experience with words on paper. My mom has a binder for each of her kids from our growing up years. Mine is full of words, stories, and journal entries. There is barely a drawing to be found.

Its possible I came out of the womb with a pen in hand.

what motivated you to get active?

At the age of 19, I went to the doctor and was humiliated to find I was in Obese Class 1 and pre-diabetic. Even this news wasn’t enough to make me change my ways. ­­I felt like my health was too far-gone; what was the point in changing?

That same summer I wanted to work at a camp with junior high kids, except there was one problem. I couldn’t run across a football field without nearly collapsing and turning purple. The realization that I couldn’t play with the kids and be part of their lives in the way I wanted at camp was eye opening.

I realized my body was getting in the way of the life I wanted to live.

Looking down the road I was currently traveling, I only saw destinations like wheelchairs, oxygen masks, and sickness. These were places I did not want to go, not in the least.

I found a pair of runners at a garage sale that were my size, paid the $5 as listed on the orange sticker, and started on a new path.

i love your philosophy about cheesecake! What is your favorite flavor?

Today my favorite flavor is peanut butter chocolate. If you ask me tomorrow, I will most likely have a different answer.

 with all the activities/new sports you participate in, how do you keep it light hearted and for fun?  how do you find the joy in staying fit rather than doing it because you have to?

Every single morning my alarm rings very early and I roll out of bed. I could complete the early morning routine of eating, planning my day, packing everything up for the day, and hitting the gym with my eyes closed.

Some mornings I find myself at the gym at 6:25 wondering if I even stopped to ask myself if I wanted to come that particular morning.

Routine keeps me on track, but friends, goals, and new adventures keep it fun.

I love trying something new with someone who is afraid of the fitness adventure we are about to tackle. Training for a race or competition, meeting someone for an afternoon run in the river valley, or going on a biking adventure with my husband always stokes the fun factor for me.

My newest sporty adventure is squash. There is nothing quite like sprinting around a small court, lunging like a mad woman, and *smashing* the ball with all your might.

Training is something I take seriously, but myself? Not so much!

**i had a great time with this read and i highly suggest you check it out! honest, real woman stuff! thanks again to Donloree for sending it my way!  if you are interested, you can find her book on amazon!! 

xoxo