Master Sparky

There's a blog that I've followed for years (dooce - the authoress is hilarious. You'll find a link to her site over there on the right under "Favorites." She didn't start out as a mommy-blog, and even though she's got two gorgeous little girls now, I still don't consider her a mommy-blog. It ain't all about diapers and how to get your kid to play nice, etc. She writes about her life and her outlook, and she's just too damn funny), and back in October, she posted a picture that a reader had done of her two dogs. I knew I just had to have one done of Sparks, and this is what the young lady came up (thank you, Julie Watson!) She did a super job. I think she caught him perfectly (scroll down to the Thanksgiving post below to see a recent pic of him). This was that special Xmas present for my Special K this year. Very jazzed it turned out so well.

Merry Christmas

I just wanted to say Merry Christmas to my one or two faithful visitors. Hope your holiday week is special and that you're with the ones that you love.

Been visiting the folks every free day we can. Spent the afternoon/evening there yesterday; we brought dinner to cook for them (to give the boys a break). Steak for Pop, Wim and Kathy, and Mum and I had bbq chicken-less chicken :o) (made from tofu, but so good - I ate a lot of this right after my surgery). I was afraid she wouldn't even want to try it, but she did and she liked it! She's been eating much better since she's home from the hospital, but it's clear that she's not well. While we were there yesterday, she spent most of the time in bed. She had fallen a few days before and wrenched her back, so now bed is the only place it doesn't hurt. She asked the fellas to take her to the ER today so that they could get it x-rayed to see what's going on.

Not ready at all for Xmas. I've not mailed a single box yet, and it doesn't look like I'm going to in time for Xmas. Oh, well. I do what I can. I'm exhausted, and there's still so much to do.

I'm not a praying woman, but I'm going to ask that if you are, to pray for Mum. Right now, she needs all the help she can get.

Sorry for not posting

But life has been insane lately. My mother is terminally ill. She is not going to get better. I have not yet come to terms with this. She's too young. I'm too young. I'm not ready for this stage of my life. And then I feel even worse, because this is not about me. It's about her. A loving wife, mother, friend - I can't lose her this early.

And I can't stop crying.

Thanksgiving

What a busy week last week was! But it all worked wonderfully, both Thursday and Saturday. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves on Thursday - the bird came out perfectly (that's my Special K with "Bella" - yes, we always name our turkeys). She was beautifully moist and flavorful - and so big! 24 pounds. Thanks again, Miss P! Her son works at QFC and got a free turkey. He had no use for it, so she asked him if we could have it - wonderful!

And everyone behaved - no-one fed Sparky any treats. He was pretty much bored with the whole thing, I think.

One of the fellas brought him a toy elephant, though - very sweet. Spark's been sleeping with that thing ever since. He loves new toys.

And Saturday was terrific, too - so good to see R&W. Had a wonderful dinner with them, and then instead of going out for breakfast the next morning, we decided to stay in and have breakfast at home. So much better - gave us more time to visit.
Wonderful 5-day holiday - all went way too quickly, though. But it always works out that way, huh?

Maintaining

Nothing new - just wanted to say hey. Still obsessed with my weight, which goes up and down, but I know this will be a for-life thing.

Thanksgiving is coming - excited about that. We're going to have a housefull and then two days later on Saturday, R&W is coming to stay the night (our friends who moved to mid-California back in May - they're coming up to spend Turkey day with his family). We're going to celebrate both Thanksgiving and Christmas to take advantage of them being here.

Thursday will be family and friends - the folks, the big bro dude, T&J (w/o Mr. Big - he's not doing so well, poor baby - bitch to get old and have parts not work right), Miss P, Mr. T. and R.G. That will make 10 of us. Have to remember to tell everyone that no-one is allowed to feed Sparky anything. Don't want a repeat of our Xmas/New Year celebration at the beginning of this year. So many folks fed him tidbits here and there that come evening, he was puking his guts out. I was amazed to see what came out of him. I guess they didn't realize that they were ALL giving him treats. He's going to hate it, cuz he does love to eat, but I don't want him sick again.

If I don't post before then, Happy Thanksgiving!

Euphoria!

I was sitting on the picnic bench outside the bldg's front door today, taking my break, reading my book and drinking coffee. Weather today predicts lots of rain and wind, but right then, it felt almost balmy.

All of a sudden, the wind picked up and all the fallen leaf lions were swirling and dancing in circles. What a sight! And at that very moment, I felt euphoric, for lack of a better word - very happy; glad to be alive. Not sure why; sure, it was a pretty sight to see all the different colored leaves swirling all over, but I almost felt like this was a profound moment for some reason.

And as quick as it came, then it quieted down. I felt almost bereft. For just a few seconds there, nothing mattered; my weight, K being sick, Mum not doing well, bills that are due, workplace insecure - all that disappeared for a brief moment.

If I could bottle that feeling, I'd be a rich woman.

Up and down

It's enough to drive me crazy (ier!) - I so miss the honeymoon period, where I was dropping weight like there was no tomorrow. And what's so puzzling is when I look at what I eat daily, it shouldn't be enough to be putting all this weight back. But there it is. I would have thought that I'd level off, at least, and just stay at one weight.

Been better the past few days and dropped a couple pounds since the weekend. I did weigh in at 185 Sunday morning and this morning, it said 182. I do alright mornings into early afternoon, but mid-afternoon, I start getting peckish and look for unhealthy treats. I'll even bring in my protein bars or an apple, but that's not what my brain wants. So I go have a few jellybeans or candy corn, and once I do that, I think to myself that the day is lost anyway, go have whatever. Nights are even worse - I'll have dinner, but afterwards, while I'm watching TV and playing on the computer, I have my glass of wine and then I want to snack - chips, crackers and cheese, cookies - whatever's there.

My size 12s still fit, but they're getting snug. I don't have any other sizes and I refuse! to go buy anything bigger. I almost wish a doctor would sew my lips shut and just allow a hole for a straw. Almost tempted to go look up a hypnotist; trick my brain into thinking that eating is just to sustain the body - NOT FOR ENJOYMENT!

Dang. I know all the right things to do. It's like an obsession, but my will power is nil. Maybe I should go see a shrink.

The perfect Xmas gift!

Aren't these gorgeous?

Got a friend, Jeff - occupation; kick-ass photographer.

He's got such a good eye for color and composition (almost sounds like I know what I'm talking about, huh?)

You can check out his other stuff here:

http://www.sinnockphotography.com

and here:

http://jeffreysinnock.redbubble.com

and here, too:

http://www.zazzle.com/jeffreysinnock

Christmas is coming - makes a perfect gift!

Some fixes

I've figured out how to let folks comment without having to register first, plus I found a cool line that you'll see below each post. I've seen them on other sites and I think they're fun.

I've also started another blog. K's been telling me for a while to get this up, especially when I come home from the club with another story. If you're interested, the link is over to the right, under "My Faves."

Almost quitting time. Then home to walk the Sparkster - glad to see the sun shining (been raining all day and that pup don't care for the wet stuff). Than a nap. Before tonight. Cuz I'm old.

Sigh. Mega Faries, hear my inner wishes and let us win tonight. I'm ready to retire.

Still Big!

Miss T asked me Sat if it was funny yet. Told her no; still too close :o)

Nothing exciting going on. Holding steady between 175 & 180. I'm just not strong enough to say "no" to the cookie when it calls. And as long as I don't go over 180, I don't really mind. I'm in a good place. It might not be goal, but it's good. Christmas is coming; I'll be doing a lot of baking, so I just have to watch it.

I find it interesting that in my head I am still big. My belly bothers me; my thighs looks huge, but the clothes I wear tell me something different - that I'm not as big as I think in my head. Sometimes when I really look in the mirror, I still amazed to see my chin/cheeks and collar bone. I'm amazed how some outfits I have make me look really slender. Because what I'm seeing doesn't fit the mental image, and I have to wonder when that becomes the norm. It's been a year and four months since surgery. I've been at my current weight pretty much since January (up & down). When will my head catch up with the bod?

One of the other ladies here at work that had had the surgery said she met a woman who had WLS 7 years ago. She had initially regained 40 pounds, but lost that and has maintained her goal weight all this time. I find that inspiring. One hears too many "she gained it all back" stories, and I just can't have that happen. At first, I was very cocky with "that will never happen to me," but that was way before my appetite came back and before it got easier to eat. Now I can totally see how easy it is to let yourself go and not monitor stuff and get right back up there.

I have noticed that sugar affects me more now. Since day one, I could do sugar and I did (in my coffee; every day). I would have chocolate/candy once in a blue moon. Eventually, I was able to eat cookies/cakes/pies. And I never experienced the "dumping syndrome." Well, I think it's catching up with me. If I eat/drink sugar now, my heart starts palpitating, I get all hot and flushed and I feel a bit jittery. I'm told that this is the dreaded "dumping," (I was never quite clear - I thought it meant throwing up). Apparently, sugar now has a lot shorter route to the heart, since a good portion of my intestines have been removed/rerouted, so it's like a hypo-needle straight to the heart, and the heart doesn't like that. So that's another incentive to lower the amount of sugar I eat, cuz when I go into dumping mode, I can't stand it - very uncomfortable and disconcerting.

Always something.

Still not funny...

I'm hoping that when I think back on yesterday morning, that I'll eventually think it funny.

I told you I got the Acai berry stuff from Costco. 99% pure acai berry - pours almost like ketchup; thick and goopy. I've been taking the prescribed ounce daily since I bought it weekend before last. And it's not as foul as my brother-in-law intimated that it might be. I wouldn't call it yummy but totally doable.

Yesterday morning, I get back from walking Spark and we're ready to leave for work when I remember that I hadn't taken my ounce of Acai berry juice yet. So I go to the kitchen, grab the bottle off the fridge, shake it like it sez on the bottle and tried to open it. It wouldn't so I grabbed a tea towel and worked the cap. Before I knew what was happening, that shit exploded ALL OVER THE FLIPPING KITCHEN and ALL OVER ME!!! What a freakin' mess. Dark purple junk EVERYWHERE and I am not exaggerating here. K came running in after hearing the very loud "pop" and couldn't believe the state of the kitchen.

Took us 40 minutes to wipe that shit off the walls, the fridge, the cabinets, the dishwasher, the counter, the floor, etc. etc. etc. I was tempted to leave it until we got back home from work, but we were afraid it would stain, and we were right. On one wall that I did last, you can still see very faint splatter marks, so I'm glad we were able to clean it up so quickly.

Of course, that made us very late for work. Not happy about that at all. I felt like such a cartoon when I looked in the mirror. All over my new black slacks and my nearly-new black and white sweater. They're still soaking in the washing machine - didn't get a chance to run a load last night. I sure hope it comes out. Will be majorly bummed if they're ruined.

Co-worker told me it sounds like a processing problem and fermentation; that gas just built up so much due to the incorrect processing. Which kind of sounds weird to me, as I've been using it every day with no problems. Wonder why it would do that from one day to the next.

So, still too fresh to be funny. Did go to Costco today, though, and exchanged the bottle for a new one. I just hope it doesn't do it again.

It's working!

Back on track, for the most part. I've lost 5 pounds this past week that I had regained and that feels good. Still have the occasional something that I shouldn't, but I have the cookie/candy thing under much better control. Really lost it there for a while and had to redo my line of thinking.

And while I have my day-time snacking under much better control, I'm still fighting the night-time hungries. Dinners I do fine; it's while I'm finally at my computer with the TV on, with my glass of wine, and I'm relaxing. I'm trying to substitute stuff (pretzels instead of chips; little dill pickles instead of candies; that sort of thing), and for the most part, that's going OK.

But all of this has reinforced how much better I feel at this weight as opposed to what I once was. It feels good to have my jeans not straining at the button. I'm amazed what 5 pounds can feel like.

Just got to keep it up. I've realized this before, but this weight thing? It's going to have to be a conscious thing for the rest of my life.

Back on track...

I hope. I bought this Acai berry stuff from Costco (my brother-in-law recommended), plus I had Mega-T Green Tea with Hoodia tablets, and between the two, so far, so good. I don't feel all snacky today. Had my yogurt with my twigs and nuts this morning; having herring now and have an apple for my afternoon snack. Drank nearly a bottle of water so far. Probably TMI, but I've started a colon-cleanser regimen last night (also on my brother-in-law's recommendation). Didn't expect that to kick in so fast, but it has. Feeling less bloated, too, which is nice.

Just got back from the market. Had to go order a cake for a co-worker's anniversary for tomorrow. While there, I saw banana cake by the slice. Had one in my hand, thinking with coffee tonight for Special K and me, but then I put it back, cuz I knew it was more for me than K. She could care less about sweets (her thing is carbs and meats), so no biggie for her. At least until I am at my goal of 155, no more cakes. No more cookies. No more candies. No more chips. Not sure how long this mindset will last, but I like buying size L tops and size 12 pants - still dreaming about that size 10.

Just to have to tell myself that only I can make this happen. I will not be a statistic.

Same ole, same ole....

Nothing much going on that warrants a post. Having a very hard time maintaining my weight and it's all very frightening and confusing for me. I just don't understand how this is possible. After so many months of barely eating anything to go to gorging myself at times (it feels like gorging; I still get full very quickly, but I'm pushing the limits constantly) to the point of being uncomfortable - just doesn't make sense that my head is allowing my stomach to rule the roost. I just cannot gain it all back.

I just can't.

Honeymoon's over...

They call the first 9-12 months after weight loss surgery the honeymoon period, meaning you're going to lose weight and rapidly. I can see why - one's capacity for edible intake is severely limited, plus there's this overwhelming sense of just not wanting to eat. I can recall having to force myself many times, just because I knew I had to.

Sigh. The Honeymoon is (well, has been) officially over. And I believe my pouch has stretched out farther than I would have liked it to. I have gained weight back - I'm not saying how much only because it's so depressing and I cannot let it get to me.

All these things I thought I learned and trained myself on - out the window with the return of my appetite. Once I start eating, it's so hard to tell myself to stop. And because my pouch is still much smaller than my old stomach used to be, I can hurt myself if I go too far. It goes beyond feeling full - it can get painful, except it takes your mind, what, 10-15 minutes? to tell your stomach that it's full, so if you're not paying attention to what you're putting in your mouth, you can overfill it, and boom - ouch.

If I wanted chocolate, a mini-size was more than enough to satisfy my craving. Now I want the whole bar, so I have to cut that out all together until I get my head to a place where it understands moderation. Cookies - one was just fine. Now I want three or four. Just eating all kinds of crap that I shouldn't be and I know it while I'm eating it. So I don't understand how it is that this "want to eat" is so strong, after more than a year of hardly eating anything. One would think that the body is used to much less, so it doesn't need that much. So why the overwhelming hunger pangs?

I just refuse to allow myself to get back up there. My size 12 jeans still fit, but they're snug, whereas, for a little while there, they were just a bit loose (I wasthisclose to that size 10!) I know this comes off as vanity when I say my clothes aren't hanging as nice; therefore, I'm not feeling as pretty as I did, but it's not that. I am just SO AFRAID that I'm going to let myself slooooowwwwlllly gain it all back. And that's just not an option. I did not go through all of this just for a few months of being thin. I like being thin. I want to stay thin. I like writing that - I am thin and want to stay thin. I read back over some previous posts and I see "I like seeing what I see in the mirror more than what that "whatever" would have tasted" in several places.

Gotta get it back on the ball. Gotta up the water intake and cut out the crap. I was just too close to my goal to lose it now.

I'm not a praying woman, but dang - pray for me, 'k?

Lucky 13!

Happy Anniversary to MSL - it's 13 years today!

K, I love you so very much. Thank you for giving me your heart and keeping such good care of mine.

I'd love to sup with my baby tonight...

...but it's too darn hot!

Every time it gets very hot, this old song from Kiss Me, Kate (sung by the late, great Ann Miller) comes to mind.

It's not allowed to get over 90 degrees in the Seattle area - it just isn't. But apparently, someone didn't get that memo, cuz, baby, we are in the midst of a doozey of a heat wave. And I don't like it - no, sir; not one bit. Supposed to get over 100 today. If the weather folks are right, each day after today, it will start cooling off by a couple degrees per day, so that by the weekend, beginning of next week, we looking at mid-80s, which, while still hot, is way better than today.

Although, I have noted that while I still don't care for "hot," it does not bother me as it used to, pre-surgery. I'm able to tolerate it better now. So that's a plus, although I worry about Special K and I worry about Spark. They're not handling the heat well at all. K isn't able to sleep and feels totally drained. And even though we got Spark his summer cut last Saturday, he's still panting away. (I've got to get a pic of him up for you all - he looks so funny without his Westie skirt and fluffy butt.)

Last night, I ran a cool bath and sat in it for about an hour, reading my book, enjoying a glass of wine. Once I got out, I thought Sparky might enjoy getting wet (it was 10:00 at night and still well over 80 in the house - that's the bad part; when the evenings don't cool down enough to get comfortable), so I stuck him in the tub and got him all wet. He just stood there, tail wagging a little occasionally. He'd look up at me once in a while, as if to say "wow - thanks - feels good!" And once I took him out and dried him off, he did a happy dance/run through the house. He very obviously felt much better. And he felt better to the touch; it was apparent that the bath had brought down his body temperature.

I'm thinking we'll need to do that again tonight.

Twisp!

We had a wonderful weekend getaway - we did the Cascade Loop and stayed in a cute little town called Twisp.
This is on top of a mountain at Sun Mtn Lodge - a very pricey hotel. Very pretty but we loved our cabin. No view like this, but we had everything we needed in a cute little space and best thing, they allowed dogs, so we could take the Sparkster with us.

The cabin was just like a teeny house - had a living room, fully-loaded kitchen, bedroom and a bathroom. Best of all - a fantastic-working air conditioner, cuz man, we needed that! It was 97 degrees on Saturday. Wasn't too oppressive - it was a dry heat, but it was good to have air. Sparky liked it, too. The only thing we forgot to take with us was one of his toys, so he got a new souvenir from Twisp - a Rocky Raccoon plush toy - which he loves. It's the new best thing for him.
This is a neat tree over Lake Diablo, which we took on the way home through the Cascades. There's still snow up in the mountains - pretty amazing. Such a beautiful state we live in - do love it here in the Pacific North West!

Remember Mr. Big:?

Finally found the pics I've been looking for! Here's our Mr. Big (ok, ok, T&J's Mr. Big... semantics):

Handsome ole' dude, huh? He loved the parks as much as Spark does. Did I mention how big he is?

Just look at those legs! Just his legs are way taller than Spark - lol. He sure is a sweetie, though. And we've got to give Spark his air time, too:

It really was a lot of fun having Hersh visit us. When we did take them to the park, Special K would be way back where ever, because Spark walks soooo sllloooowww, whereas Hershey, with his long ole legs, would be way ahead. Then he would stop and we would have to go back to see where K & Spark was - it was really very cute how he always had to check on them. He was truly our protector that week. Very sweet.

I think it's time to go visit Hersh. And T&J, of course...

Eating out

I was just reading a co-workers blog (you'll find her link on the side over there, Lissa's Journey - go check it out; she's got some pretty insightful posts up) and her latest is about socializing and eating - how it's all intertwined, and she's right. And she's got some great alternatives up there (things to do in lieu of eating out), but there are times you've just got to (Father's Day, for example. My folks wanna eat - no walking around the lake for them; hell - my dad drives to the mailbox - it's like a short block away from their house; totally walkable - he cracks me up).

When I first contemplated having this surgery, I imagined that I'd never, ever enjoy eating out again, but I've found that there's always something on pretty much all menus that will not only satisfy my hunger, but that I will enjoy, as well. And I really thought that would never happen.

Last week, I had lunch with a co-worker; we went to a local bbq joint. It just smells so heavenly in there. My original plan was to just have the chili, but after the aroma, I knew I just had to have something meaty. But all the dishes were so huge! I told the waitress about my WLS and asked if I could order off the Buckaroo (kiddie) menu and she said sure, so I ordered the bbq baby-back ribs.

I thought I had died and gone to food heaven. I was able to eat a whole rib, and man, did that taste wonderful. Very flavorful. Didn't even need any Papaya pills. And surprisingly, the order was still huge - four ribs but very meaty, along with a coleslaw side. My friend was surpried, too - she said my meal would've been enough for her. And the best part - it was only $6 (and I took the remaining 3 ribs and brought them to Special K, who loved them, too).

Serving portions have gotten pretty ridiculous at most eateries (don't even get me started on Claim Jumpers, which I haven't been to in over a year and don't plan to anytime soon - their portions are monsterous!) Folks just have to realize it doesn't take all that much food to fill one up. But that's a whole 'nother subject.

Good to be able to eat pork again - I have missed it so!

"cation time

Well, our two-week road trip to Milwaukee got whittled down to a 4-day weekend to Twisp, WA (we're doing the Cascade Loop over State Hwy 20 - supposed to be very pretty). We found a lovely motel with cottages that take dogs (Yes, the Sparkster is coming - he does love to be with his people and he definitely loves his car rides) and - gasp - allows smoking in the room. Should be fun - looking very forward to it.

I had put in for a two-week vacation (over the 4th of July weekend, so 9 days) - it got denied. I'm in the hole with my PTO (those 10 days they made us take last December put me there; still digging out from under). So I tried 4 days - nope; denied. Only way to get any time off would be unpaid. We had already decided not to go to Milwaukee, as Special K's brother is still out of work and even though he's still throwing his annual party on the lake for the Big Bang (fireworks/4th celebration on Lake Michigan in Milwaukee), he can't afford to fly up (he lives in Arizona - pretty cool to throw this party annually for friends and family when half the time, he doesn't make it up himself). So since he can't go, we figured not to, either, since we won't get to see him. We then thought just to go to the Black Hills to see the fireworks at Mount Rushmore, and then swing by to see our friends who recently moved to Patterson, Ca. But we can't afford for me to take 4 days unpaid, so I'm taking just one and we're staying local.

Oh, well. Maybe next year. Then I'll have time built up again.

Not much happening on the "diet" front. Hanging steady at 169 (give or take a few pounds on any given day). Trying hard to up the water consumption; I think that alone would help, cuz I never did get very good at getting my 64 oz in daily. Just not thirsty most of the time, and I just don't think of it. I do drink a lot of coffee, but that's more so I won't eat :o) cuz I do seem to want to snack ALL THE TIME. Not sure what's up with that; I don't think I was this bad when I was heavy.

So, it's a short week. And the weather's been beautiful. I'm so grateful for our Washington weather; while other parts of the country are sweltering , we're comfortable.

This is one of the reasons why we put up with those nasty winters.

Two for one :o)

I find, over the past several months, that my appetite has returned with a vengeance. I find it very difficult to not eat when I'm obviously not hungry. It is a constant struggle, one I'm sure I'll be dealing with for the rest of my life. I suppose this what "normal" women go through - constantly having to monitor what they put in their mouths and what the scale says. Pre-surgery, I rarely worried about what I was eating or drinking.

I had, over the past few months, put back 6 pounds. I was 175 for quite a while. Very disappointing - mostly in myself that I haven't learned better self control. And it isn't as if I'm gorging on "bad stuff." It's probably the habit I've picked up of having a glass of wine every night. Empty calories. And chips. And cookies. I seem to still not be able to do a lot of foods, oftentimes foods that are healthy, but I have absolutely no problem getting cookies or chips down.

There are a lot of things I refuse to let myself have, such as boxed cereals (the Captain Crunch types) or boxed pastries (HoHos, Ding Dongs, Cupcakes). I find myself at the grocery store with these items in my hand, reminiscing how wonderful they taste, but I'm always able to talk myself out of buying processed sugar. If I have a cookie, it's from either the bakery or my own. Don't know if that matters much, except perhaps in quantity. If I bought a box of cookies, I'd eat a lot more than just one or two. It's as if I'm going to expend the calories on something I really shouldn't be having, it's got to be good; no crap. And I truly feel that if I can keep this in moderation, it'll be OK, since this is a life-long thing. I can't really expect myself never, ever to have a cookie again. That's unrealistic and unlivable.

But some good news (at least, for me): I've dropped those 6 pounds over the past week, and it's basically just having been too busy (and the first part of this week, too ill) to eat much of anything. So I'm telling myself to try and keep it going in this direction, since I do want to drop this last 20 pounds and call it good.

Cuz that size 10 is still calling out to me...

Through the years...

We were visiting my folks this past weekend, and my mother had cleaned out a dresser to make room for the big bro dude, who will be moving back in (out of work; lost his condo; same thing happening to 1000s of folks around the country). Poor bro dude - he was so proud of owning his own home. Poor folks - they shouldn't have to deal with a "kid" (he's 52) moving back in at this stage in their lives. Ah, well. It is what it is.

So, in cleaning out that dresser, she comes across a lot of items she thinks I might like, and she's right. She's always had lovely taste in clothing. One thing I noticed, though, is that sizes aren't what they used to be. She gave me several tops - all which fit, but all are mediums. I'm in larges now - mediums are generally still a bit tight, but these mediums fit like the larges do. Odd, huh? Just to clarify; these tops she's given me are from the 60s and the 70s. They're timeless; one wouldn't know they're that old, but it's obvious that over the years, the size table has changed towards smaller. That's probably because folks are more health conscious now.

I find this interesting. Wonder if anyone's done any research or studies on this. Another job for google.

She lives!

Hello! Man, I've missed being able to post here. I upgraded my IE browser to the latest 8.0 version and it seems it makes a difference.

This was taken at a hot dog roast my boss threw for our bldg a few weeks ago. On the left is another one of our gastric bypassers - Jenny, and in the middle is our captain of our Heart Walk team this year, Sam (I've been captain for the past 5 years; thought I wanted a break, though now I'm finding I'm missing it - go figure :o)

Sam has lost about 140 pounds, on her own. She's been seeing a nutritionist and sees her doctor regularly, but no surgery for her. I'm certainly not putting down surgery. For some of us, it was what we needed to get where we are, but if I could have lost this massive amount of weight without having altered my body, you bet I would have preferred that.

So our Heart Walk team this year is called "The Biggest Losers and our supporters." My Special K came up with that - pretty cool, huh? It's going to be hard this year; everyone's feeling the recession's pinch, but like I've been posting on the site and in my donation request e-mails, heart disease doesn't go away just because there's a recession. So I have to try. Click the HW logo to link to my page, if you have a spare $25 (or more!) to donate to such a worthy cause:

And we had a visitor a few weeks back. Good friends of ours took a trip to the East coast for a week and left their BIG canine companion with us. Bumming because I can't find the pictures I took of him - thought I had them here. Anyways, his name is Hershey and he's BIG. He's a sweetie - almost thinks he's a lap dog. Loves his lovin', loves his walks, loves his treats - BIG lovable galoot! Did I mention that he's BIG? Since we have little Sparky, anything else decent sized seems large, but damn, Hersh is BIG. Special K came up with "Mr. Big" just as the week was ending. What was so funny is that he is just like Sparky in that where ever you are, he needs to be. Where ever you're walking, he needs to be right in step with you. Going potty even - hey, he'll keep you company. Too funny. Sparky always sleeps on K's side of the bed - that's where his bed is, so of course, that's where Mr. Big wanted to sleep, too. One night K rolled over me to get out of bed to go the bathroom. Didn't want to step on DOG - OK to squish her honey instead - lol!

Then after the week was up, T&J came to pick up their Mr. Big and went home. All of a sudden, the house seemed a little empty. That Mr. Big? Welcome back here any time.

My apologies...

Not sure what's up - I usually post on my breaks at work, but for the past week or so, I haven't been able to get in and I keep forgetting once I get home. And of course, even though I finally remembered, I can't stay. Time to hit the shower and get it ready for work.

Stay tuned, though. Want to tell you about our house guest last week - Mr. Big.

A sunny afternoon...

One thing I have to keep in mind is that I am now a cheap drunk; by that, I mean, it doesn't take much to make me tipsy. Friday, Miss T and Mr J came to have lunch with me. They were running behind, so I had a glass of Pinot while waiting. Mistake. Big mistake. Pre-surgery, it was nothing to have a drink at lunch time. I could go back to work and function just fine. I have to accept that I can no longer do this. I ended up having to go home (T&J were terrific - they got me home safely) as I was three sheets to the wind, and that was only on one and not even a half glass of wine. Tch, tch. tch. Bad girl.

When they got me home, I let Sparky out to meet Hershey (big, lovable guy - he's T&J's canine companion), and J whipped out his new camera and took this shot:

He's so good - he even added his artsy style and faded the photo's edges. I love it. And he was able to get the Sparkster looking straight ahead (quite the almost impossible feat with that little stubborn guy.)

Had a nice time Friday - always good to see good friends.

Only 10 pounds away from "normal" weight!

I went to webmd.com and entered info to come up with:

As this shows, I'm only 10 pounds away from no longer being considered overweight!

Wow! Only 10 pounds. Amazing! Would be great if I could drop that by my one-year surgiversary on 5/25 :o)

Not even a full moon...

The night started off so well - found a parking spot on the very first level (usually have to go all the way down to the 5th level). Had a young lady hand me a $5 almost right off; looked like it was going to be a nice night at the nightclub.

Famous last words. It was the night from hell. Had 6 pukers; did any one of them (or their friends) tip me? No. Left their messes and split. One said she was going to (a friend of the puker) - I saw her hand a $5 bill to her other friend. That friend did not give me that bill. Had one young lady break a beer bottle - did she leave me a tip? No. Just a mess to clean up. Had "ladies" (I use that term loosely) just taking stuff left & right; tampons, toothbrushes, lotion, etc, etc, etc. The majority of them did not tip me.

I worked my ass off tonight - was not even fun. Tips were piss-poor. I'm just so pissed right now; if it weren't 2:28 am, I'd call the young lady I work for and quit. I need my honey to talk me out of quitting. But she's asleep (as she should be). I 'know' there will be bad nights; this isn't the first. I'm not sure why I'm that upset tonight. Most nights, the majority of the ladies who avail themselves to my stuff (I have everything and anything one can think of that someone might need on a night out; lotion, body spray, hair spray/mousse, hair things, tampons/pads, sewing kit, band-aids, eye drops, aspirin, Tums, cough drops, toothbrushes, floss, mouth wash, mints/gum/chocolates, oil blotters, safety pins, even flip flops in case someone's shoes hurt so bad, etc.) don't tip. I don't think they know (or care) that this stuff comes out of my pocket (yeah, I get to write it off my taxes, but that's beside the point). But generally, enough ladies make up for the ones that don't tip. Not always - definitely not tonight. Damn. Lot of nasties tonight. Even had a couple of girls that asked if I would hold their coats (that's usually good for a five or a ten) - nothing. And I broke the cardinal rule tonight. I was so disgusted by this point, that after they left the restroom, I opened the door and called out to them. Told them, just for future reference; it's customary to tip someone when they do you a favor. They just looked at me with blank stares. Clueless.

Absolutely nothing to do with weight loss, but hey, it's my blog. No-one's up to hear me bitch. So there.

And as I drove up my street, almost home, I see the moon. Beautiful half-moon, surrounded by a haze. And I think to myself "damn, not even a full moon to explain away all the crazies tonight."

No Sparky kibble for you!

Never knew eagles were so large. We were walking Sparky last night at Kelsey Creek Park, and we had heard an unfamiliar bird call earlier. While we were walking by the creek, an eagle came down and stood by the water - so close! That majestic bird was at least 3 feet tall. I swooped down and picked up the Sparkster real quick; wasn't sure if the eagle had spotted him or not, but I wasn't taking any chances. We hurried back to the car, but then we thought the eagle had flown off. Put Sparky back down so he could enjoy & finish off his walk, but then it showed up again, flying overhead. Too freaky - picked up the pup again and headed for the safety of the car. I've seen videos of eagles carrying off large goats, so I have no doubt if he was hunting and saw Spark, he'd nab him. So beautiful to see, but very disconcerning.

And two more pounds :o) Still working - lovin' that!

Size 12!

Went shopping at Costco Saturday; found a pair of very light pink jeans - size 12 - and guess what? They fit like a glove. So very jazzed. I feel so pretty wearing these jeans. JC Pennys had a nice sale, so we went there; Special K got a couple pairs of new pants and I got a bunch of Springy stuff - short-sleeved hoodie, shorts, capris, light tops. Very fun, oh - and a couple pairs of sandals.

And wonderfully, my co-worker is coming right into the sizes of all those lovely clothes that Miss R gave me, so I bagged them up over the weekend and brought them in to her this morning. I'm so glad someone will get use out of those pieces. Only things I kept were the vest (since it fits so nicely) and the black and white blouse, which I know is way too big, but I can't bear to part with it yet. It is just so my cup of tea, and it's a clingy type material, so it doesn't look too over big.

I had a revelation Saturday; Kathy and I were walking through a little mall from Rite Aid to Seattle's Best, and we passed a dress store. Typically my eyes would gloss over and I'd pass the store, not really paying attention to what was in the window, since 99.99% of the time, the store wouldn't have my size. I started doing that Saturday, when it suddenly occurred to me; wait a minute - I can fit into all these styles now. It's OK to look! If I were to see something I really liked, I could go in and totally expect them to have my size!

Wow.

Still working...

Wow - stepped on the scale this morning and another 2 pounds gone - 172. That makes a total of 161 gone. Still amazing.

A co-worker gave me a size 10 pair of black jeans. I thought, ok, cool - I'll fit into them one day, but Special K told me to try them on, and guess what? They fit (sort of...)! Now, I had to really suck it in to zip up, and it was a little hard to breathe, but I'm a lot closer to that 10 than I thought I was.

Of course, it's all just numbers. Just over the weekend, I tried on some 13s and 14s, and they didn't fit so well (although I think it was just a weird cut - if the waist fit, the legs were too tight; if the legs fit, the waist was all baggy). It all depends on the manufacturer. That's why while I'm mostly in large, some XLs fit nicely, too.

Miss R was cleaning out her closet (getting ready for their big move down to California next month :o( ) and gave me a huge bag of clothing for which she said she no longer had any use. Some really beautiful, quality items - nice suits, beautiful blouses. Only bummer (and she said this may be the case) is that most of it is too big. I'm wearing one of her blouses today; it's gorgeous but it is a little bit too big (16-18, per the tag). The only item that fit perfect was a little black vest - so pretty! I think I'll ask one of my co-workers here what size she's down to and see if she can get any use out of this stuff. Oh. A coat to die for - almost like a swing coat with a fur-lined hood. A beautiful evening coat. Could've really used that this past winter. I'd love to pass it on to someone that will get good wear from it.

161. Man. I know I overuse this word, but it's still just so amazing.

Mind set; nothing short of amazing!

I'm telling you - having gone from hating to shop for clothing to loving is nothing short of amazing, still. I'm nearly 11 months out - down to 174 and hanging, and I'm still in constant amazement over my body. It's like it's someone else's. I don't know if I can explain this right or not, and perhaps if you've never been very heavy, you won't understand, but I have a hard time, sometimes, seeing myself in the mirror. You may find me vain - it really isn't that, though. I'm staring because oftentimes, I still cannot believe that it is, in fact, me staring back.

Going clothes shopping brings this home even further. I "know" I'm now a large, but I'm finding it hard to bring larges into the fitting room and finding them fitting just fine. I'll start with XLs only to have to go back to get a Large. When I fit a pair of pants on and I see myself in the mirror, it's incredible to see (for me, anyway) me staring back. If you'd told me a year ago that I'd be fitting quite nicely into Larges and a size 13-14 pant, I'd say you were nuts. I don't think I really expected to do this well with the tool I've been given.

I feel my head is in a healthy place. I've gotten over the wrinkles (that took some doing!) and I've gotten over the sagging skin (it's actually not as bad as I thought it was going to be), but I still find that my mind is set back to when I was big. When I fit into something I once thought impossible, whether it be a top or a chair, I'm thrilled all over again. When someone tells me how small I am now, I'm flabbergasted - just this morning, a co-worker was asking if I was in a medium. Told her no, large - and she refused to believe me. Told her I was still at 174, and she responded that she was 185 (totally didn't look it - she's so much shorter than I am, and doesn't look that heavy at all).

Rambling now - not quite sure what I'm trying to articulate here, other than, even after all this time, it's all so amazing. I wonder when it will become the "norm" for me :o)

Said she who obviously never had a weight problem...

Funny how you never know someone else's story and make assumptions without all the facts.

This past Saturday night, the last trio of ladies in the restroom at the nightclub were doing their thing while chatting with each other; two were sisters, and they were all large. The sisters were very large, as I was at the beginning of my journey.

They were bitching about their bodies and how they couldn't lose weight since the birth of their babies, etc., etc. I was just wanting to start packing it up, standing off to the side, so I piped up "Come on, ladies - you are all beautiful!" One of the sisters looked over at me and said "Says the woman who obviously never had a weight problem in her life."

My jaw just dropped and I started giggling. They asked what was so funny. I replied "oh, I've lost a little bit of weight this past year." The third asked how much and I told her "158 pounds." They all shrieked - couldn't believe. Asked how I did it, so I told them, whereas the two sisters started with each other: "See, I told you that's the route we have to go!" "No, no, no - I'm not going to mutilate myself!" "But we're already mutilating ourselves with all this fat!" Back and forth they went. After congratulating me, they walked out still "debating" whether surgery was their answer or not.

Goes to show you - you don't always know just by looking what a person is all about.

More pictures!

Amazing how I used to hate having my picture taken - now I find I don't mind so much. This first one is our "birthday club." Since our birthdays are all so close, we go out for one dinner to celebrate all three. This year was the Cheesecake Factory - love that place. Such a wonderfully diverse menu, and it's all so good!

Here I am with Mr. T - haven't seen him since before Xmas! He came out our way and we went to lunch at the Coho Cafe. Always so good to see him! Such a sweetheart - we love this man.

And here are the two loves of my life - Special K and the Sparkster. This was taken out at my folks' house - Sparky's saying hello to a couple of the neighborhood dogs.

Got a new camera; well, it's not new, but it is to us. Rita gave it to us (A very nice little Canon digital - having so much fun with it), as she got herself a new one. Nice to have a working camera again.

New Clock/Calendar

How do you like my new clock/calendar thingy over to the right here? Pretty cool, eh? My cousin in Holland (thank you, Janny!) sent me a link to a web site, so I stole the code and changed the Dutch to English.

Weight's holding steady at 175. Jazzed about that, because I'm enjoying pretty much anything I get a hankering for. Saturday was hard - got sick twice. Had left over pasta - that hurt (you know how pasta tastes better the day after, and even better the day after that? No more - too dry, I guess.) and then we went out to dinner with friends. I had the Swimming Rama with chicken - again, too dry. Should've quit when I realized that. Usually Swimming Angel (or Rama, as this place called it) is soaked with peanut sauce, but this place used barely cooked spinach and hardly any sauce. I asked for extra, but it didn't help. I had to go to the restroom and give it back. Then I had to go to work right from dinner (at the nightclub - was a miserable night, even though I kicked ass in the tip dept.).

The weather was glorious yesterday - took Sparky to Marymore park (they have an off-leash area to walk your dog), and man, it seemed like everyone with a dog was there! So much fun. I just love seeing and meeting so many different doggies - too dang cute! Gonna be another beautiful, sunny day today (up in the 70s, they say), so I'm wearing some of my new Spring stuff - a beautiful tri-colored Indian-dyed skirt (peach/green/gray) with a brown camisole and a light shrug. Paired with my newish tan slip-on wedges - Very nice.

I just love how much fun clothes are again. And shoes!

No delete button...

Sorry for the blanks - we were looking into something; didn't pan out. I'm so disappointed that I don't even want to read about it, so after I put it up, I took it down. Can't find a delete in here, so my apologies. No biggie - life goes on.

Not in the mood to write - still bummed. Always thought I'd grow out of this type of disappointment. So much for that.

Kicked out of Yoga class

Well, not really, but I feel like it. Got a call today from the owner of the yoga place I've been going. Really confusing at first, complimenting me on my lifestyle change and my weight loss, but then it switched over to her receiving a couple e-mails, complaining about the scent of smoke during class. Apparently, several people are super-sensitive and the heat intensifies the odor.

Yes, I know smoking stinks to non-smokers. I try to be very considerate around non-smokers. But this takes the cake. I did not complain about the body odor in that room. First class was great - nothing, but the last two, especially once class gets under way, phew! I figured it's part of the program - gotta deal with it.

Guess not. The owner was very nice and hoped I could come up with a solution so that I can continue coming (ie: quit smoking), but dang. Like I'm going to quit for some strangers in a class that have hairs up their butts, or rather, noses 'cuz they smell smoke - heaven forbid!

So, gotta find some other form of exercise. Bummer.

Quiet

That's what it's been - quiet. Had a wonderfully restful weekend; did some cooking (corned beef and cabbage! One of my all-time favorites) and some baking (chocolate chip cookies with walnuts and snickerdoodles - brought those in to work; otherwise I would've eaten them. I find it funny that I didn't care much about baking when I was heavier, but that I love it now, when I really can't be eating that stuff) - watched an old movie with Special K - lounged around a lot. Did try to get some gardening in, but I've discovered that my yard is a mass of roots (we do have a lot of tall fir trees on and around our property), so that was a bust. And it rained. A lot. Sunday, we had a little bit of everything - snowflakes in the morning, sleet, hail, lots of high winds and sun breaks!

Ain't complainin' though - way better than the white stuff that sticks around.

Ouch

Well, I did it. Just came back from my first yoga session. Tried to go last night after work, but traffic was so bad on East Lake Sam, and I couldn't get there in time. I was going to try tonight again, but my businessman called; he needs me tonight, so I went at lunchtime for their "hour power."

Instructor says I did very good. I'm not so sure - I couldn't keep up. At one point, I got very dizzy and nauseous. I just got down in the beginning position (almost fetal but on your knees) and rode it out. I kept trying and that's what the instructor liked; that I stayed with it.

Very glad I went - looking forward to the next session.

Twins!

My aunt is here, with her gentlemen friend, from Holland for my dad's birthday. Very easy to see the family genes.

They came Wed night to spend a few days at our house, so that they could get some skiing in and to be a lot closer to SeaTac Sat morning for their flight back home.

But Mother Nature's not done with Winter yet. We had a lot of snow up in the mountains and the pass even closed for a bit yesterday, so they decided not to go (I'm so glad they didn't - lots of reported accidents up that way). They'll try again today. I hope they're successful - they both so enjoy skiing. I personally don't see the fun in hurling down a mountainside, dodging trees and other people and stuff, but they love it. I'd rather jump out of a plane - now that seems like a lot of fun!

And here's the birthday boy. It was a very nice get-together, even if half the food wasn't great, and the service even worse - good company can generally overcome anything.

Down another 2 pounds this week - very excited to see it come off. It's so odd, after months of dropping poundage like there's no tomorrow to have it come to a screeching halt, pretty much. I was hoping the honeymoon period would last a little longer (they say anywhere from 8 to 12 months), but, hey, I can't complain. Results have been good.

Besides, no one would listen :o)

Ooooommmmm

Thinking I need to up the exercise ante; twice a day walking just doesn't seem enough anymore. And I'm doing little things, like climbing stairs (today, I walked up all four flights at work instead of taking the elevator - felt the backs of my legs), parking further away from stores (I used to drive around and around until I found one fairly close to the entrance), arm and leg lifts, but I need more to tone stuff up. My angel wings seem better, but even though my weight is staying between 176 & 178, I feel like I'm getting a little poof up front (right underneath the bust; very odd).

So, I'm going to go for yoga. I'm not one for the gym; never liked exercise and still don't. I have a beautiful stationary bike in my living room, right in front of the TV - do you think I'm on that thing every day? Nope. Three days a week? Uh, uh. Once a week? No way. I've read some about yoga; Special K even got me a beautiful yoga mat a while back. So I'm checking some of the local yoga places around work, so that I can go either on my lunch or right after work.

This will be very interesting.

Happy B-day, Pop!

It's my dad's birthday this weekend. He's a leap-year baby, so he doesn't actually have one this year, but we celebrate anyways. He's going to be 77, and he's going strong! My aunt (his baby sister) and her gentleman friend are here from Holland. They got in late last night. We're all getting together Sunday for an early dinner down in Federal Way (it's about half-way between their house and ours). I'm excited to see my aunt. Now that I've lost so much weight, I look like I could be her twin. Very easy to see the family genes. Gonna try to get a picture of the two of us, so we can see the similarities, side by side.

Quiet week - had a tooth pulled and an abscess lanced. My mouth is much happier now. And snow - two weeks away from Spring and we had about 3 inches yesterday. Except for some left on lawns and trees, it's all gone, thank goodness. It's so pretty, but it's hell to try to get around with the streets all slushy and icy. Plus people (not all, but most) just don't get it. They drive like there's nothing there. So many accidents on the roads yesterday morning. We stayed home until we saw most of the road again, then we headed in to work.

And today, the weather is beautiful - hope it lasts through the weekend.

Yea! Stall broken...

I hope. Another pound gone this morning. Very happy to see that. I know I say I'm ok if I don't lose any more, but I really would like to get down another 20 or so, whatever that size 10 takes. I didn't realize that this part of my journey would be harder than the first part; I wouldn't have thought that possible, but it is. Since my appetite has returned with a vengeance, it is so hard not to continually snack. And I keep thinking if I keep busy, I won't have time to think about food, but that's not the case. It's all consuming, sometimes. Very disconcerting. When it gets really bad, I drink some water and start thinking about all of my new clothes and shoes and how much better I feel.

Sometimes, that works. But sometimes, the cookie wins.

A meme...

These are fun. Found this on another blog and thought, why not? Will give folks a little more insight about my love and me:

What are your middle names? Kathy's is Joyce and mine are Maria Renee Jacoba

How long have you been together? Wow - over 12 years, now; will be 13 in July.

How long did you know each other before you started dating? Kathy answered an ad I had put in the L.A. Times - we started dating right off.

Who asked whom out? Kind of mutual, actually, since she answered my ad. Our first contact was a 4-hour phone conversation, which at the end, we agreed to meet for coffee a few days later.

How old are each of you? I'm 50 and K is 56, soon to be 57 (in March). She calls me her young chick.

Whose siblings do you see the most? Mine - my brother lives up here in the NW, so we see him frequently. Hers are all out of state.

Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple? My want to spend and her want to save, although she can be a little shopper in her own right, and I've begun to like the saving part.

Did you go to the same school? Nope - she grew up in Milwaukee and I grew up in New York/Miami/Los Angeles.

Are you from the same home town? Nope. See previous answer.

Who is smarter? K, most definitely. She reads everything she can get her hands on and retains the information. I call her my good-idea honey.

Who is the most sensitive? Tied, I think - we're both pretty sensitive (give us a good tear-jerker and we're both bawling.)

Where do you eat out most as a couple? Varies - we like to try new places.

Where's the furthest you've traveled together as a couple? Milwaukee.

Who has the craziest exes? Haven't really discussed those at length, so I don't think either of us have had any crazy exes.

Who has the worst temper? That would be me. But once I blow, it's gone. K has a tendency to hold it inside and let it fester, although she's getting better at expressing herself.

Who does the cooking? We both do; depends on who feels like it. I make great breakfasts, and K's good at experimenting with new recipes or coming up with cool ones on her own.

Who is the neat-freak? Me - I like everything in it's place, where K lets stuff pile up. I've mellowed a lot to where it doesn't matter as much any more, and K's gotten better at not stock piling everything.

Who is more stubborn? mmmm, Dutch stubbornness here - German/Welsh stubbornness over there - tie, probably.

Who hogs the bed? Sparky. Definitely.

Who wakes up earlier? Me. I love getting up when no one else is up yet; have my coffee, read the paper on-line.

Where was your first date? The Swing Cafe (coffee shop) on Santa Monica Blvd in West L.A.

Who is more jealous? Neither of us have a jealous nature, but if I had to pick one, I'd say K - she thinks folks are always on the make for me.

Who eats more? That would K now that I have a pouch smaller than half of my fist.

Who does the laundry? K, usually, but I'll do it when there's a need and she's busy. But she's better with the laundry, while I'm better in the kitchen (cleaning-wise).

Who's better with the computer? I used to think K, but I'm finding out it's me. She knows more about innovative stuff/technology than I do, but it's usually me setting up the pc or new software or explaining applications to her.

Who drives when you go out together? Usually, me. K can drive, but she's a very cautious, slow driver, which would drive me batty. I'm the more forceful, aggressive driver, so I get us where we need to go.

The Big 5-0!

Had a wonderful birthday weekend. Lunch with the folks on Sunday, Special K took me to SeaStar for lunch on Monday (we both took the day off), saw a movie, played some bingo (didn't win), and shopping. Lots of shopping! So much fun. I actually almost have a full wardrobe again. That was my gift from K - clothes and a couple pair new shoes. God, I love new shoes.

And our party Friday night was a lot of fun. Seemed like it kicked off the weekend just right. Even though it was our team's holiday celebration (original date was snowed out; the second date was flooded out - three times the charm), they also had a card that everyone on the team signed (except for K - they didn't want her to know) and they collected money to give me a very nice sized Sears gift card. So very sweet. Oh, and they had a "princess set" for me to wear:

Came complete with a tiara, broach, earrings, necklace and a ring. So cute. Very nice of the team to do all that for me - I was blown away.

Teetering up and down between 177 and 180. I really have to watch the snacking. It seems all I want to do is eat these days and it's scaring me. Each day I wake up and say to myself that today I'll be good. But then the day gets underway, and it's a cookie here and some crackers there. I know I said I'd be fine if I didn't lose anymore, and that is certainly true. But I don't want to gain anything back. It would be so easy to let go and not be careful and end up pretty much where I was before, and that's just not an option.

I long for the days where food just did not interest me.

Roses!

I get into work this morning, and what's waiting for me on my desk? A beautiful bouquet of roses/carnations; very pretty pinks - love them! Plus a couple of mocha cups; little chocolate coffee cups filled with mousse - yummy! Gonna have one with Special K today and one Sunday when Mum comes (she loves these, too). All from Miss P - thank you, P! So sweet of her to remember my b-day.

Made me smile and I love starting the day smiling :o)

No Mouse Ears :o(

So, I don't get to turn 50 at Disneyland. That was the plan. Until T-Mobile/TLC Marketing messed it up.

We had free flight tickets from a promotion at the end of 2007. The forms asked for 3 different destinations, 3 different departure dates and 3 different return dates. I put in LAX only and gave a few choices for the dates, but not all that they asked for, as we don't have the luxury of going whenever we want. With that mandatory vacation that work made me take in December, I'm short vacation days for this year, and I certainly don't want to go in the hole with my 2010 vacation this early on in the year.

I even enclosed a letter, explaining why I wasn't filling in all the fields - told them I wanted to spend my 50th b-day at Disneyland. Think that mattered? Not a bit. They've got sticks up their collective asses - so rigid. I called both TLC and T-Mobile; no good. Very disappointed in T-Mobile - they've been great as our cell phone provider, but what good is a promotion if you can't use it? I don't get how they can ask for 3 different destinations. They don't let you know what you get until 2 weeks before - how are you supposed to plan for something like that? And you can't tell me that there aren't enough flights going between Seattle and L.A. to get us two little measley tickets. But because we didn't fill out all the fields, we "disqualified" ourselves. Bullpucky.

We could buy two tickets - would only run $300 - $350, but we didn't budget for that, and our car already bit a big chuck from our vacation funds a couple weeks ago. If we bought tickets, it wouldn't leave us much to play with.

Ah, well. We'll have a nice day, anyway. Folks are coming to take us to lunch and then Special K and I will go out that night (we're taking Monday off to recuperate :o)

As for T-Mobile? Come November, when our contract is up, it's Verison or Sprint for us.

Another one bites the dust!

And another one gone and another gone - another one bites the dust!

Came across a fellow WLS blogger, and all of his titles to his posts are song titles, so I couldn't help it. Gotta love Queen - now that's gonna be running through my head all day.

So, another pound gone - yea! Even though it's slower now, it's still exciting when I see the weight still coming off. Saw the folks last weekend - Pop's still stressing that I'm losing too much. Good grief. First I was too big; now I'm getting too small. I wish there was something I could say to him so that he wouldn't worry, but I guess that's a dad's perogitive.

He's got a point, though - Special K said the same thing; if I were to just maintain and not lose any more, that would be alright. And it would be. I'm in a much better place now. I can breathe, walk forever, climb stairs and hills, bend over with no effort - clothing is fun again. But I want more. Being told once I'd never be a size 10 has been something that stuck in my brain, and I want to see if I can. If I am too thin, then great; I'll have fun putting some weight back on. But I just have to see if I can.

Not sure why that's important to me, but there you go.

TGIF

Another acronym, but very true. What a week.

Tuesday, I was so excited and in such a good mood - couldn't wait to see the swearing in of our new president and then listen to his inaugural address. Even stopped at a Krispy Kreme for my free doughnut, plus get a box for my area (red, white and blue sprinkles!) and a latte.

Well, after two & a half months waiting for my new pc at work, they decide Tuesday morning is when they're going to set me up. Told them OK, as long as they were done by 8:55 so that I could log on and find a web site with live feed so I could watch.

Uh, huh.

Didn't happen - everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. They missed more than half my files, gave me the wrong version to my mail client - did not move over my Internet favorites list, etc, etc, etc. To cut a real long story short (I know - too late), I lost it. Had a melt-down; very embarrassing. I logically knew they could fix things, but I'm not sure if my hormones are off-balanced, or if I've got so much toxins in my system from not being regular, but I was a basket case. Made myself so upset that I threw up. And even after I calmed down (and yes, they were able to fix almost everything - still waiting for one thing; they can't figure out why it's not working), my stomach hurt. Bad. Carried over to Wednesday. I came in for a couple hours and then went home. Slept almost all day. Today is actually the first day I feel "normal" again (probably helped that I took a couple Ex lax last night and the earth finally moved for me).

So, I missed seeing history happen. I am happy, though, that it did happen. I hope this is the beginning of a new era for America, but I also hope that expectations aren't too high that Obama won't be able to deliver. Oops, 'scuse me - President Obama.

Proud to call him that.