"What ever happened to...?"
"What ever happened to...?"
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When she was writing poetry and essays for her high school English teacher, Mrs. Aune, little did Motley native Nadia (Wilkins) Giordana know she'd use what she learned to write a book someday.
The 1966 graduate of Motley High School, now a
resident of the Dayton area,
recently finished writing "Thinking Skinny," a book
which shares her personal story of how she lost 88 pounds in 14 months without stomach surgery, pills or fad dieting.
According to Nadia, she is a woman like so many; struggling with weight issues, sincerely searching for workable solutions. "I've learned that if you
can envision the body you want, you can embody that vision; and it's not the individual diet you choose that matters most, it's the method you use with it," she said recently.
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She grew up on a farm, about eight and a half miles north of Motley on Hwy 64. Her parents, Norman and Sylvia Wilkins, farmed in that area until they went to Alaska in 1979.
"But that's a whole other story," Nadia laughed, sharing briefly about her parents' adventures which are recorded in a documentary journal, "10,000 Days in Alaska," written by her dad.
Nadia's memories of growing up in Motley are happy ones, she said. "I liked living on the farm; and in the summer sometimes we would go swimming at Pillager Lake." One of the best memories of all? Going to school, she said.
It was in school that she first developed a love for writing; and credits Mrs. Aune for teaching her a lot about writing fundamentals. "Mrs. Heroux probably taught me discipline... sticking to it and finishing what you start; and Mr. Phelps gave me an appreciation of literature and a decided sense of humor about it all," Nadia said. She also remembers taking an algebra class from Mr. Rassmussen, who was the school principal at that time.
Over the years, Nadia has written several short poetry collections; and in 2006, she wrote, "No Thank You, I'd Rather Be Myself," a collection of humor, essays, wit, wisdom; 'and other pieces of my mind,' she said.
"Thinking Skinny, " which she finished writing in July, is Nadia's first serious project, she said.
In addition to writing, Nadia is a small press publisher; and has published "Thinking Skinny" under the umbrella of her company, RMP Books. "That's not to say I wouldn't welcome the advances of a major publishing house," she said.
Being a writer, Nadia said, it seemed natural to her to keep notes during her weight-loss journey.
"Once it became obvious that my unique method was actually working for me, I first planned to publish the information as an e-book, or as a series of articles on my blog (www.nadiagiordana. com)," Nadia said.
She soon realized that she had enough material for a book and decided to make it happen.
"The idea for my specialized approach came out of my daily talks with God," Nadia said.
The writer believes that one of the most important points she makes in the book is that weight loss doesn't have to be complicated; and it doesn't really matter which diet plan you choose. "What matters," Nadia said, "are the methods you use with it and that you find something that will work for you permanently. I used focused visualizations (detailed in the book) along with a daily dialog with God to keep me on track."
Although she's had her share of struggles since she left Motley in 1966, Nadia has had many happy experiences to write about as well.
"I love being a grandmother; and growing heirloom tomatoes...a passion I share with my husband of 14 years, Chuck Kasun," Nadia said.
What else might her former classmates want to know about her?
"I have a grown daughter, Laura Behrendt, who lives with her husband and her two youngest children in Rogers," Nadia answered. "Laura's oldest daughter, Brittany, lives in Minneapolis."
It's hard to believe that 40-some years have passed since she received her diploma at MHS, Nadia said. "I'm still not used to the consolidation of the Motley and Staples schools," she added. "That will take some getting used to."
She still has family in the area, so Nadia gets back to Motley on occasion. "My brother, Paul Wilkins, raised his family (along with his wife, Ruth) in Staples until he passed away last June," Nadia said. Paul's son, Steve Wilkins lives in Staples with his wife and two sons. Ruth lives nearby.
At the moment, Nadia doesn't have plans to do a book signing/reading in the Motley area. "But, I would be open to that," she added.
In the meantime, to learn more about Nadia's newly released book, visit her website www.ThinkingSkinny. com. She can also be reached, via e-mail, at iinadia@msn.com.
