Who'da Thunk That Large Would Be Good?

Well, so where've ya been? Oh… wait. I'm the one who hasn't written!  LOL  J  I've just been very busy with grandkids, big kids, exercising (yes, really… exercising) and just life in general. Sorry for the long delay in posts.

Okay, so let me tell you about some of the things that have happened since we last spoke… err… read… errr… typed… whatevah!

You should know, by now, that I go to the Y every weekday morning for water aerobics. They have an email newsletter that I subscribe to, and, at the bottom of one of them was a form to fill out to win a YMCA t-shirt. So, I filled it out and dropped it off the next time I went. That was before I had the bariatric surgery. And I won a t-shirt! It was a size Large and it was too small for me at that time, so I put it in my gym bag and there it stayed…. until a couple of weeks ago. After showering, I took out my towel and there, underneath it, was the t-shirt. I tried it on and voila! It fits! I was soooooooooooo excited! I put my really nice black dress slacks on and kept that gym-bag-scented t-shirt on as well! I was so proud of myself! That really was a thrilling moment! Not only because the Y shirt fit me, but because I knew what SIZE I was… I was a regular size Large! Have you any idea how exciting that is??! I have worn plus size clothes for many, many years now. To be able to wear a regular size Large is HUGE!

Then, just the other day, I decided to take out a black swimsuit I have, but haven't been able to wear, because it's just too tight around the belly and puckers around the crotch. But, I put it in my gym bag anyway because all my other suits were in the wash. I couldn't believe it when I put it on and it was actually loose! Almost baggy! It still puckers at the crotch, but for different reasons! It's baggy! LOL  Now, all my swimsuits are getting baggy, so I had to buy a couple of new ones for my cruise!

I decided to break down and buy some clothes for my cruise and Florida trip with the girls. I really had no shorts or dressy clothes that fit me. While I can get away with wearing baggy, somewhat ill-fitting clothes around here, I just can't go on a cruise looking sloppy! But, I didn't want to spend a fortune on clothes that may not fit me in a couple of months, so I went to the Salvation Army store! I got four pairs of shorts, one very lightweight skirt suit, one dressy rayon pant suit (okay, they're capris, but on me, it's a long pant suit!), and a couple of casual tops. With the two new swimsuits, I should be all set! I can wear shorts and pants in 14-16 size! Woohooo!  :D

My weight loss is definitely slowing down, as I'm able to eat a bit more food at mealtimes. However, I am down 7 more pounds since my last post… 68 pounds all together, so far. I have to watch my fats intake. I've discovered I really like fatty foods (no, duh, right?)… mostly buttery foods. I need to keep tabs on that and try to find something else that will satisfy that need for buttery things! I still get nauseous if I eat a lot of fat, but, even the little fat I have is too much, calorie-wise, according to the nutritionists I see weekly, and that may be why my weight loss has slowed some. But, that's okay. I wear a size Large. Life is good!  J

I've had my blood-pressure meds cut in half. I see my primary care physician on Tuesday and am hopeful that I will be able to stop taking those all together. My good cholesterol has dropped since my last blood analysis, so that might mean that I can also eliminate my cholesterol meds! You should know by now that eliminating all these meds was my reason for having the weight loss surgery! Losing weight is a delightful bonus, but I don't want to have to rely on prescriptions to live!

As I type, it is utterly delightful outside! It's 75 degrees on October 9, 2011, in northeastern Massachusetts! The leaves are glorious. The sun is shining brightly and I'm sitting in the house typing, when I could be outside admiring my Halloween Lily… what's a Halloween Lily, you ask? Well, it was an Easter Lily that I planted in a planter outside, after Easter. It is now in full bloom, right in front of the scarecrow. So, now, it's a Halloween Lily.  J  


Oh, and if you believe old wives' tales... we're going to get a LOT of snow this winter! Check out this beehive in my yard! It's about 50 feet high! We're gonna get buried!  

I enlisted the help of my grandson again to get a photo of me to put on the blog. He did pretty well. And, you'll see what I mean about ill-fitting clothes! LOL  


That's it for this week! Have a good week and I'll try to post again next week!  J

I Have Belt Loops!

"People are often unreasonable and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway.
If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway.
The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway.
For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway."   — Mother Teresa

I love that quote from Mother Teresa. I discovered that quote only recently and it rang a bell with me. It is how I have tried to raise my children. My words were not quite as eloquent… "yeah, people might take advantage of your kindness, but be kind anyway. Better to be known as a really nice guy that people will remember, than as a jerk who is soon forgotten." And, yes, we do get taken advantage of occasionally, but it is only very occasionally, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Not too much to report this week, as far as weight loss goes, but… get this… I have belt loops! I can now wear slacks with zippers and belt loops! I can now hang my phone on my belt loop, just like all the normal-sized people do! And, what's more, I can tie my shoes without holding my breath! And, I can wear a non-plus-size large! Have you any idea how excited I am? Oh! And, my towel wraps around my entire body, so I can run around scantily clad at the Y and not worry about things showing that shouldn't be showing! Oh! And one more thing... I can now cross my legs when I'm sitting. I am such a lady!  LOL Oh, the pure joy of it all! I'm tellin' ya! I should have done this a long time ago! People who have never been obese really have no idea how much effort it takes to do just simple day-to-day tasks, like tying shoe laces.

My weight loss seems to be slowing down these past couple of weeks. I think it might be because, while I still can only eat a small portion at a time, I've not been eating very healthily. I'll have to buckle down this week and just eat healthy things and more salads. I'm not eating much for vegetables. I need to work on that this week. But, I have belt loops, so all is right with the world!  LOL

Once again, I got lots of exercise this week! On Tuesday I went to water aerobics in the morning, and then had my group exercise in the afternoon, consisting of 20 minutes on a recumbent bike and 20 minutes on the treadmill, at 2.5 miles/hour and an incline of 5. On Wednesday, I went to water aerobics at the Y. On Thursday, I went to water aerobics again and then headed to the senior center for an hour of line dancing. On Friday I went to water aerobics. I think I'm beginning to like this.  And I have to thank my neighbor, Barbara, for keeping me going!  :)



This week, my 3-year-old grandson took my picture! I think he did a GREAT job! Thanks, Caiden! By the way, the boy LOVES those temporary tattoos! He's covered with them!

I decided to take my granddaughter to the 2nd Church today, as there was going to be a 9/11 remembrance ceremony involving the town's firefighters. I wasn't sure what I would be able to find to wear. While clothes that fit me are in the 18-20 range, I have no dresses smaller than 24. But dresses are wonderful things -- depending on the style, one can wear many sizes! Many of my size 24 dresses fall off me -- literally. But I found a sleeveless sheath with a matching short jacket -- made of rayon in a robin's egg blue. It looked really nice on me. It was very loose, but not so huge that it looked sloppy. And I found a pair of ivory sling-back pumps that I'd never worn -- actually forgot I even had them! (I'm NOT a hoarder! I'm NOT a hoarder! I'm NOT a hoarder!) I haven't worn any kind of heeled shoes in years! But, I did and I could actually walk like a lady in them! I added a pearl choker and, I must say, dahling… I looked mahvelous!  :)  My granddaughter had on a pair of black velour slacks with a very cute black and white top that tied in the back. She had black patent t-strap shoes and she wore nude panty hose! We were totally stylin'!  LOL  :) 

The ceremony was very nice -- short and sweet. The church has a gigantic flag that covers the entire front of the antique congregational church in the West village. It looked especially lovely today. The Fire Department members wore their Class A uniforms (dress coat and hats). They were all lined up outside the church while the minister spoke and prayed. After the minister finished her prayer, one of the firefighters read the Firemen's Prayer. Two of the firefighters walked across the street the lower the flag that hangs by the monument. It was a poignant community ceremony and I was proud to be there with my granddaughter and my fire chief husband.


When I am called to duty, God, whenever flames may rage;
Give me strength to save some life, whatever be its age.
Help me embrace a little child before it is too late,
Or save an older person from the horror of that fate.
Enable me to be alert and hear the weakest shout,
And quickly and efficiently to put the fire out.
I want to fill my calling and to give the best in me,
To guard my every neighbor and protect his property.
And if, according to my fate, I am to lose my life;
Please bless with your protecting hand my
children and my wife. . -- Author A.W. "Smokey" Linn

Well, that was my week. How was yours?  :)

Another week another pound... down 61 pounds

"By all these lovely tokens
September days are here,
With summer’s best of weather
And autumn’s best of cheer."

-   Helen Hunt Jackson, September, 1830-1885

I think, if I was just starting out as a new AOL member today, my new screen name would be AutumnLove. :)  Those AOL buddies of mine will understand. At least a million years ago (or so it seems), I discovered this nifty little pastime that I would take part in after I got home from work at 11pm. It took place in a chat room on AOL. The chat room was called the Game Parlor. I remember my very first venture into the Game Parlor. I was terrified that my next Amex bill would reflect thousands of dollars worth of time online. Back then, there was an hourly charge to be online. I kept asking everyone if there was an extra charge to play these word games. Everybody kept saying there wasn't, but I wasn't convinced until my Amex bill came and there was no extra charge posted, but I think my first online bill was over $100! Yikes! But I kept playing, because the games were fun, the players were fun and the game hosts were very welcoming. Each night, the same group of people, from all across the country, would show up to play the same games. Over time, we got to know each other quite well. The atmosphere was not unlike hanging out at your friendly neighborhood bar, with your favorite group of friends. After awhile, someone suggested that we all get together for a Game Parlor "Bash". And we did! We all gathered in New Orleans that first year. Then it was on to Las Vegas another time, Orlando another time and I even hosted a few friends here, at my house. What was really funny about meeting people at a bash was that nearly all of us only knew each other by our screen names, but we knew we couldn't go to the front desk at the hotel and ask them, "Hey, has Toonces checked in yet? How about ForTSumthin? Anyone seen LaMer?" LOL :D  Those first few bashes were a bit of a challenge, but we eventually learned everyone's real names. I still keep in touch with many of those friends I made online in the early 90s. Nearly all of them are on Facebook now!

So, when I opened my first online account, I had to come up with a screen name. I chose Judi Stickney… original, eh?  LOL  For whatever reason, that name was not available at that time, so I was given JudiS19187. How boring is that?? I discovered one could create multiple screen names on one account. So, after I ventured into the Game Parlor and found people with all kinds of fun screen names (one of my favorites was NewYorkJew… wonder where he is today), I decided that I, too, wanted a fun screen name. I love the Summer, but LovesSummer had one letter too many… the max was 10. So, I decided that SummerLove was perfect. Plus, I really like Neil Diamond's "Summer Love" song. So, SummerLove it was. And just like it is offline, friends gave me a nickname… I was "Summie".  :)  Some still call me that even today! LOL

But now that I'm getting older, I'm enjoying the autumn season more than the summer. The air seems cleaner, the sky is clearer, the days are warm and the nights are cool… perfect weather to do most anything!  And, so, were I to make an AOL screen name today, it would be AutumnLove.  :)

As my mother used to say, that is neither here nor there.  :)  This is week 13 post-surgery. I have lost a total of 61 pounds. Yes, it's only one pound more than last week, but I think I've eaten more this week than I have since before I had my surgery! We went out to a dinner dance on Friday night. The dinner consisted of cheese and crackers, with kielbasa for appetizers, three boiled lobsters, corn on the cob, salad, and mini cream puffs and mini cheesecakes for dessert. I ate two pieces of cheese, a couple of crackers, a couple of bites of kielbasa, about 1/4 of the salad, the entire ear of corn, and the claws and tail of one lobster. Later, I had a couple of the cream puffs and a mini cheesecake! I don't know how it all fit in that tiny little stomach of mine! But, it did and I didn't get sick! I danced more than I've danced in about 10 years! Slow dances, fast dances, medium dances. I was a dancing queen! And I had a blast!  :) I am definitely moving much better than I have in a long time!

I exercised a lot this week! Monday was line dancing, Tuesday was water aerobics and my group exercise at the hospital, Wednesday was more water aerobics, Thursday was line dancing and Friday, I went out dancing! Exercise every week day! Wow! Hopefully, I can keep up that pace this week as well! 

We took the family on a whale watch on Saturday. It was a challenge getting everyone up and ready to go by 7AM, but we made it there on time! And we saw whales! Not a lot of whales, but about five of them. The kids were all excited. This was their first whale watch and they loved it! The little ones were so well-behaved! Everyone was very well-behaved… even the older girls who almost always manage to get into trouble together! But they didn't. They were good girls.  Four hours on a boat and nobody went overboard! Amazing! But, after about two hours on the boat, my little grandson was ready to go home… "Daddy, I want to go home now." But, he got over that when another whale popped up.  Here are my handsome sons.

Today, I had them over for a cookout, which gave me yet another chance to cook up a storm! I made two pans of stuffed shells, a Greek pasta salad, a tossed salad, potato salad, marinated steak tips, hotdogs, fruit salad, and a ricotta pie with apricots! If you happened to have seen the link I put up on Facebook this week, it was THAT pie that I made and it was delicious!  My brother brought over some marinated chicken, so we cooked those up, too. We had a great time!

Well, that was my week. How was yours?  :)

60 Pounds in Three Months!

Well, here it is… the 28th of August. Irene came for a visit, in Tropical Storm form. Here's a photo of the devastation in my yard. Not sure what Glory's sticking her nose into!  :) 

It occurred to me, as I write this, that it's been three months since I started the liquid diet, two weeks before my gastric bypass surgery. In those three months, I have lost 60 pounds! That's 20 pounds each month! Today, I weighed in at 188. I am halfway to my original goal of 125. Amazing… simply amazing.

I apologize for not posting an update last week. I forgot and I was sick. I had another stomach bug and came down with an ear infection in each ear. Thank goodness I only have two ears! But, the illness put a damper on getting much exercise last week and I missed Tuesday's group two weeks in a row. :(  Illness is gone now and I'm feeling GREAT and I hope to catch up on my exercise and get back on track again this week.

So, anyway, I waited too long to get treated for my ears. I called my doctor's office, during office hours, but got voice mail and I didn't leave a message. Instead, I thought I'd run down to CVS's Minute Clinic to see what the nurse practitioner would do for me. I've only started getting ear infections in the past three to four years. Never had one before that, but now I get them once or twice a year. It's quite annoying, but I do know what I need to fix them. Even by the time I got to CVS, my left ear canal was so swollen that she couldn't get that ear instrument in it. She confirmed that, yes, I did, indeed, have an ear infection and the Minute Clinic's protocol says I need ear drops. I explained to her that I would not be able to get the ear drops IN to the ear and that I needed antibiotics to get the swelling down, from the inside out. But, no. She was only able to prescribe ear drops and I would need to follow-up with my doctor for antibiotics. Basically, a waste of my time and money. I was feeling pretty miserable and, by the time I was through with the nurse practitioner and ready to fill my prescription, there were 7 people in line at the pharmacy for their prescriptions. I never even filled the ear drops prescription. I won't go there again for an ear infection. So, by the time I got to my doctor, two days later, my right ear was also swollen up tighter than a drum. And my doctor, God love her, prescribed antibiotics, ear drops AND prednisone to help the swelling go down. Now, you KNOW I have a real issue with most prescription medications, but I really do appreciate those miraculous prescriptions that almost instantly fix simple ailments. And I do not have an issue with temporary medications. It's those drugs that are advertised nonstop on TV and in magazines that drive me crazy. It's all those drugs that appear to be just the thing to cure imaginary ailments or ailments that many physicians imagine you have that drive me crazy. But, again, I digress. Please read my first few blogs to get an idea on how I really feel about modern medicine.  :)

So, now that I'm feeling quite well, every day that goes by, I am feeling more and more energetic. Whether I'm exercising or not, I know I am definitely moving more than I have in a very long time! I don't like to sit for very long periods of time any longer. Even at the computer, where I used to love to sit for hours either working on a project or playing games. Except for using the bathroom, I could sit for hours on end and never move a muscle, except for my finger muscles, as they typed, or moved the mouse around. Not anymore. I get restless, even playing games… even watching TV. I get up during commercials and find something to do… dust, pick up trash, put something away. I just don't like to sit idle for long periods anymore. And I get up and do things that I would never have done just a short three months ago. I climb on furniture to get to things. I walk out to my car to get something. I go up and down my stairs more than once a day. Time was when I'd bring everything I would need for the day downstairs with me when I got up, so I wouldn't need to go back up there until it was time to go to bed. Now, I'm up there three to four times a day for one thing or another and I don't need to worry about making sure I have everything when I get up in the morning. When I was 60 pounds heavier, it really was such an effort to even move and I remember getting so down and frustrated and mumbling that to myself so many times… "It is such a freakin' effort to move!" Not anymore!!   :)

In fact, on Friday, I, Judith A. Stickney, went to Water Country! I would never have gone to Water Country 60 pounds ago!  Too much effort. Too far to walk from the car to the park.  Too much walking around the park itself! I would never have gone, but go, I did! And we had a ball! I met my Scotty and Kirsten and their two girls there and I had Cailey with me. The weather was absolutely perfect and we stayed until the place closed! So, I didn't get the gumption to go down any of the slides, but I did go into the wave pool with my youngest granddaughter, Taylor. I was content to watch over everyone's belongings and do a lot of people watching. The wave pool was just my speed and not far from the picnic table we put claims on. I ventured out, from time to time, just to see where the kids were and what they were doing… and to get up and move some! That was for the first half of the day. The second half of the day, we ventured over to the other side of the park, where there are two great areas for smaller children, but the older girls loved it just as much. There was nowhere to sit there, so, I did get a lot of walking around for an hour or so, just walking back and forth, trying to keep up with where the kids were. Then a few chairs opened up, so I plopped down for awhile. Overall, a great time was had by all!  Here are the kids on one of the kiddie slides. 

So, what do you do when there's a storm comin'? I cook. You know… just in case I won't be able to cook or get to a store for more than 8 hours. So, I made about 60 gwumpkies (golabkis), those Polish stuffed cabbage rolls. I made ground turkey ones and regular beef and pork ones. And I made a pan full of manicotti. Now that the storm is winding down, I'm thinking dessert. Maybe a peach crisp. I can make that without too much added sugar and may be even able to eat some of it, sans the required vanilla ice cream!  :)  I must look for a recipe!

Well, that was my week! How was your week? Talk again in a week.    :)  

Here I am with Caiden, bracing against Irene's wind!

I am ONE-derful! :)

I am delighted to report that I AM ONE-DERFUL!  I now weigh 197 pounds… forever out of the 200s! Yay!  I've lost 51 pounds since May 23. This is just unbelievable! If anyone reading this has even had just a fleeting thought of having bariatric surgery, all I can say is… DO IT! DO IT!  I wish I'd done it a long time ago! Read up on it! Go to an informational meeting. Salem Hospital has informational meetings all the time. Go to them! I was so afraid of having this surgery… terrified, really, but after attending the informational meeting and the monthly support group meetings… and after completing all the prerequisite evaluations and tests, I was more than ready to have the surgery. So far, it's working. I have every reason to believe it will continue to work, as long as I can follow instructions and manage to … oh… here's that dreaded word… EXERCISE!

But… here's more good news! I have exercised four days this past week! FOUR days! That's like a record for me! I tried the belly dancing (oh… quit yer laughin!) on Exercise TV. It's actually fun! I actually ENJOY it! Shhhhhhhhhhhhhh… don't tell Joanne that… I'll deny it! She's the personal trainer at group therapy on Tuesdays.  So, two mornings this week I did the belly dancing routines. There are three of them. One day I did all three. This morning, I just did one… so far. One day I went walking and then there was the group therapy exercise class. Four days of exercise. I can hardly stand it! So, I'm hoping this is the start of getting it all together! I just need to keep that up. It's much easier to get through if I can get it done first thing in the morning… well, after Kerry's gone. LOL  And I think my neighbor and I are going to start water aerobics Monday. If it works out, we'll go Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. So, there's three days right there! And I'd still like to take a look at the line dancing. I found a class right in town, at the Senior Center. They told me I could go as a "senior in training."  LOL  :)  Some of those seniors will probably outpace me in the dance class! Their classes are Mondays and Thursdays. I think I'd enjoy that, too!

I'm still working on getting enough protein and water in. I don't think I'll ever get enough water in. I used to drink MUCH more water before I had the surgery, but, since the surgery, I can only sip a little at a time and I just am not sipping enough in the course of a day. If I sip too much or too fast, it's not comfortable and feels like it's going to come back up… it did once. 64 ounces is the recommended minimum, and, when it's hot and humid out, they want us to drink even more. I don't know how people fit it in, but I continue to try.

Protein is another story. I've sort of given up on getting enough protein, which means, I may be losing some of my hair. Well, I know I am losing hair, but it isn't noticeable yet, unless you look at the bath tub or my hair brush. Yikes! Well, I've always liked hats. Even when I fill in the day's menu with Greek yogurt (it has more protein than regular yogurt), I still don't get the recommended 60-70 grams a day. I just can't eat that much. I can't eat beef. Beef makes me uncomfortable. I can't eat pork… same result. I don’t really like eggs. I can eat chicken and seafood, and that's what I've been existing on. I did discover that I really like turkey burgers and they really like me! I had one last night at a cookout we went to. I brought them and I had one and Kerry had two. We both thought they tasted just like beef burgers! I had mine on grilled Texas toast (to cut down on the carbs, I sliced one slice into two, before grilling -- thinner bread) with provolone cheese. So, okay… I probably added too much fat with the provolone cheese, but, I must say, it was DELICIOUS!  And, once again, I can feel normal at a function!  Yay!  :)  I have some veggie burgers in the freezer that I haven't tried yet, but, that may be another option at a future cookout.

I was with "my girls" last night… my best buds… the girls I go to Florida with each fall. They are a crazy bunch and I love them to death! We got to talking about Sanibel this year and, it saddens me, because I may not be able to go with them this year. ::sniffle::  :(   I may have to go on a cruise, instead. So sad. Here's the deal. In March I got an e-mail from Norwegian Cruise Line inviting me on a free cruise to enter their qualifying slot tournament. I looked at the e-mail and said, "yah, right… what's the catch?" So, I got out my NCL casino card and called the casino marketing number on the card, rather than the one on the e-mail. Yah.. that's right. I do have a casino preferred player card for NCL cruises. LOL  Kerry and I like the slots and, apparently, NCL knows that. And, yes, the e-mail was for real. They are inviting me and a guest to a free Caribbean cruise, to qualify in their slot tournament. I could choose from four dates, one the end of March, one the beginning of April, another at the end of July and the last one in October. Well, by the time I got the e-mail, the March cruise would be coming up in a week or so. That one was out. Kerry and I were going on a cruise the second week in April, so the April one was out. We were going to Maine the last week of July, so that one was out. The only one I could go on was October 22. So, I booked it. Now, if I qualify for the final tournament, I'll have to go on another cruise that leaves November 13. The girls are going to Sanibel on November 12.  :(  While no one, including me, wants me to lose the qualifying round, we all want me to go to Florida! So, we'll see what happens.  :)  In any case, I get the free cruise and, by using frequent flyer miles, I have free first class flights to get there as well!  ;)  And I DO so love cruising! But, I'll miss my girls!

Well, that's about it for this week! I am now officially ONE-derful! How are you?  ;)  Talk atcha next week!

Two More Down..... 75 to go! :)

Another week and another two pounds! One more pound to the ONE-derful Club!  Today, I weighed in at 200 pounds! Woohooo! I've now lost 48 pounds since May 23, the day I started the liquid diet, two weeks before the surgery.  And, I feel GREAT!  My standard comment this week has been… "I should have done it a long time ago!"   :)

Exercise… it's still a dirty word. I just can't get myself motivated to exercise on my own. I bought weights. I bought exercise bands. I borrowed yoga books from the library. I haven't opened the weights. While I did take the exercise bands out of the box, they have yet to be opened… really. The yoga books were returned… unopened. What's worse… I can't be trusted to get any exercise when left to my own resources. I have a neighbor who goes to water walking class with me. She couldn't go last week, so, neither did I. It makes me very disappointed in myself when I do that. Other than my support group day, I got virtually no exercise this past week. That's just not good. It's been my worst week yet for exercise. I didn't even reach my goal of getting to the Y to work out twice this week. Hell! I didn't get there even once this week! The only thing I did do was half an exercise class on TV. It was hip hop dancing and it was too fast for me… and there was jumping involved. I'm still too heavy to jump. Go ahead… I know you want to ask… What in hell were you thinking? HIP HOP??? Well, I thought it might be easier than belly dancing. Although, God knows, I have the belly for it!  :)  And, those were my two choices, as far as I could see. I'd like to do some line dancing. Maybe I'll look for that somewhere. I used to love line dancing, when I used to dance. Maybe… just MAYbe I can find something I like to do and just do it!

So, I'm at Stop & Shop yesterday, shopping for ingredients to make ground chicken stuffed peppers. They were having special gas points if I bought certain products, so I did. I bought the baby back ribs, the bag of frozen shrimp, and a family pack of chicken drumsticks, in addition to my stuffed peppers ingredients, when who should I bump into, but the therapist who directs our exercise at support group. I wanted to jump into the shopping cart to cover the ribs and drumsticks! God knows, I won't be eating them, but I didn't want her to think I would be eating those! Good Lord! I can't eat more than a bite or two of ribs and I might be able to eat half a drumstick. If she saw them, she didn't comment, but I don't even think she looked into my shopping cart. Thank God for her, really… else I wouldn't have gotten any exercise last week at all. She pushes us to do more than we've ever done before. While I absolutely hate it at the time, it makes me feel good when I'm done. I feel like I've accomplished something… something more than I've ever done before. She's very good at what she does. But I was relieved when we parted ways at the supermarket. "Yup! See ya next week! Bye-bye!"  :)

Two of my grandchildren were here this weekend. My grandson is my youngest grandchild. He'll be four in October. He can be the sweetest little thing and a minute later have you pulling your hair out. This morning, he decided to be sweet. I was up around 6:30 this morning. I was at the computer, wasting time until I could eat breakfast (1/2 hour after thyroid meds), when I heard him making his way upstairs. He's almost always awake before his sister and the both of them are almost always awake before their father. So, up they come to visit with Granny until Dad gets up. My grandson was still half asleep when he came up and crawled up on my lap to gaze out the window at the "pretty slowers" (flowers) hanging outside. I'd just bought the hanging petunia at Ingalsby Farm on Friday for $10!! What a deal! So, he hadn't seen it before now. He was just mesmerized with it. It's white petunias with deep purple veins and very full. He wanted to go outside to pick a few for Granny, but noticed that it was raining, so Granny sang him the "Rain, Rain Go Away" song… "Rain, rain, go away. Come again some other day. Rain, rain, go away. Little Caiden wants to play." The boy loves flowers and he loves it when Granny sings. Finally SOMEone who appreciates good music!  :)  He wanted me to sing it again, using his sister's name, instead of his. Naturally, I obliged. He decided he was tired and soon went back downstairs and back to bed for awhile. But, I cherished that time with him. It was a sweet rainy morning.  :)  And, just to give her equal time, here's my youngest granddaughter. Beautiful teeth, eh?  LOL 

That's it for my week! How was yours?  Talk to you again next week!  :)

Back From Vacation -- 3 to go to the hundreds!

What can I say about spending ten days in the forest with 15 other family members? One might think that nine adults and six children under the age of 10 -- all under the same cabin roof -- might make for a hectic week, yes? At times, yes, it was, but, for the most part, it was quite relaxing. I was disappointed that I didn't see one bald eagle, but, other than that, a great time was had by all! Low game sighting count this year… all we saw were one doe with her sweet little spotted fawn running through a meadow, one very healthy looking coyote, and one cow moose. That's it. :(

My sweet little granddaughters hopped on their 4-wheelers on day 1 and didn't get off of them until: 1) they broke; or, 2) when the time came to load them back on the trailers for the ride home. Granny never got on a 4-wheeler all week. I did, however, go kayaking… something I was unable to do just two years ago, because I couldn't get myself into the damned kayak! This year, I got in like a champ… it was the getting- out part that almost had me face down in the lake! LOL But, with a lot of help from Kerry (and we almost BOTH went in face first), I got out with just one wet sneaker. :) Getting to the lake was a 10-15 minute walk, each way, over rough, hilly terrain, so that was somewhat of a workout as well, and I made the trek twice in 10 days.

I was completely delighted to find that I'd lost 6 more pounds while I was away! Eating properly was a bit of a challenge, but I brought some soup and Greek yogurt to eat if there was something I couldn't eat on the menu. For the most part, I did the cooking (I'm one of those weird people that find cooking a relaxing activity -- even when it's for 15!). But, I couldn't make everyone eat chicken all week, so there were days when I had to rely on my soup -- most notably, those days when hot dogs and hamburgers were on the menu. But, I did eat some shrimp scampi (Hey! We eat really well at camp!). And I had some ham and bean hole beans! Yes, we cooked our beans all day in a real bean hole, in pots surrounded by hot coals from a fire that had burned all night the night before. And they were delicious! I had some turkey from the deep-fried turkey we had one night. I left the frying up to Frank, my brother-in-law and the turkey fryer owner. Our 20-pound turkey was perfectly cooked in one hour! And, on most mornings, I had an egg, one-half of an English muffin, and a slice or two of crispy bacon. I did bring my oatmeal, because eggs sometimes don't agree with me, but the eggs worked out well for me this week. Even though I fry the eggs, I only eat the yolk (the whites are too rubbery feeling to me -- it's a textural thing) and I scoop it out of the white with my English muffin, so I get little to no added fat with it. The last day we had two pasta dishes -- homemade macaroni and cheese and homemade baked ziti with meat sauce. I had neither, but the mac and cheese got rave reviews! I used up all the various cheeses we had left over from the week! There was cream cheese, shredded Mexican cheese, shredded mozzarella, sharp cheddar, and cheddar with horseradish. Everyone loved the concoction! :) No leftovers there, but there were leftovers of the baked ziti! The raccoons feasted on that. I made a few pies for dessert. We had strawberry rhubarb pie (it was purchased -- all I did was bake it), key lime pie, triple layer lemon pie, and sky-high peanut butter pie. They were delicious, but had too much sugar for me… even in the small 1/16 of a slice that I ate… didn't sit well with me. But, they were yummy going down!

Even with those six little kids and their four-wheelers, the injury count wasn't bad, either. We had one knee that was non-seriously cut from a piece of glass in "the pits," the gravel pit and the preferred place for these youngsters to ride their 4-wheelers. We had another who decided she wanted to try the "beans" she saw growing in the field, on the way to the lake. The "beans" were actually seed pods for the beautiful wild lupine growing there. A bit of panic ensued when her mother discovered the pods can be poisonous (on her iPhone). She just had a taste, spit it out quickly when she discovered the bitterness and hurried back to camp to wash out her mouth. She was fine. Another child had to be "iced" when he tripped over something on the front deck, smashed his shin and stubbed his toe. That was another ordeal, but he survived nicely. My fair-haired and fair-skinned 4-year-old granddaughter and her mother were covered with red welts from bug bites, despite the gallons of insect repellent they were doused with daily. Granny brought some Bite MD (When I bought it, I thought the label read "Bite ME".) that was used frequently during the week to get rid of the itch! A few other minor bumps and bruises, but all survived nicely.
My nearly 4-year-old grandson discovered the joys of peeing outside and headed to the same spot every time he had to go, peeing with great abandon. Oh, how he enjoyed making circles and loop-de-loops! LOL (TMI?) Now we're concerned he'll want to do the same when he gets home, to the horror of his mother, I'm sure. We tried to convince him that it's only a Maine activity. LOL We'll see how that works out. It may be his last Mom-sanctioned trip to Maine. LOL

Well, that was my last coupla weeks! How was yours? :) Three more pounds to the ONE-derful club… I'll be in the 100s!! Wooohooo!

Oh, Yes I Did!!!

Just a quick update to let you all know that I most certainly DID make it to the Y today and did 20 minutes on the treadmill at 2.5 mph and 20 minutes on the rowing machine, burning an average of 375 calories/hour. It really made me feel like I did something good! :) Maybe there is hope for me after all. LOL :)

Two More Pounds! Down 40 Pounds! :)

So, here it is… another week AND ANOTHER TWO POUNDS! Yay! I have now lost 40 pounds! Woohooo! Just 8 more pounds to go and I'll be below 200! I don't even remember when I weighed less than 200, which probably sounds pathetic to those of you who have never weighed over 200 pounds, but it's pretty darn exciting to me! :D

I had a much better week at my support group meeting this week. Instead of the recumbent exercise bike (which killed my knees last week), I exercised on the treadmill and rowing machine and was perfectly fine the next day. So, I think I'll stick to those and stay away from that recumbent bike! And, during those ridiculous relaxation sessions, I DID NOT close my eyes this time and that went well also. Yeah, I have these little weird idiosyncrasies, and, as I mentioned last week… one of them is closing my eyes while sitting around a table in a roomful of strangers. It's not relaxing. So, I'm not doing it!

Now, if I could just get myself to exercise more than once a week, I'd REALLY be doing something! I still go to the Y and do water walking twice a week, but that's hardly a good workout. THAT is more relaxing than sitting in support group relaxation sessions! LOL Have I been to the Y to work out, though? No. :( I just have to plan my time better and MAKE time to work out. A couple of weeks ago I bought a floor mat and some exercise bands that came with an instructional DVD. Have I even opened the box yet? No. :( And I found some great exercise videos on Xfinity On Demand. They have everything there! Have I tried any of them yet? Well, does just watching exercise programs count? ;) So, I've got some work to do on my exercise program. Maybe I just have to think about it awhile, before I actually do it. (Oh, I can justify just about anything.) LOL One of my support group goals last week was to get to the Y to work out at least ONCE this week and I haven't been there yet, which leaves me just one more day before support group to get there. I will get there Monday. (Yes, I will!)

Kerry and I went to Salem Willows Friday night with my brother and sister-in-law. For those of you who are not familiar with Salem Willows, it's a quaint little area in Salem, Mass. with a beach, fishing dock, park, kiddie rides, amusements and take-out restaurants. We go there for the Chinese pepper steak and chop suey sandwiches usually. We've been going there for those sandwiches since …. well, since before Kerry and I knew each other! His family used to go there when he was a young boy and my family used to go there when I was just a little girl. I loved the little boat rides and they still make me smile when I go there and see little kids riding on them now. :) But, anyway, I was a little scared to try a pepper steak sandwich… beef hasn't been agreeing with me lately and I really don't need the bread. So, I thought I'd try a small, half-pint container of chicken chop suey. And I ate it all! And, I didn't get sick! Yay! I can go to Salem Willows and get something to eat there! I can be normal! LOL So, that was a very good thing! I ate it very slowly, but I ate it and it was good! :) Then, we went over to the arcade and played some skeeball and slot machines. You only win tickets in the slot machines. But I won a LOT of tickets… over 1400! And I thought… wow! I'll be able to get that really nice plastic spider ring I'd been looking at! LOL But, nooooooooooooooo! I got a pink, sequined cowboy hat with flashing lights!! Yeeeeehaw!! :D You KNOW I wore it all the way home… yes, with the lights flashing! At one point we had a police cruiser two cars ahead of us. The cruiser was going very slowly. Kerry was somewhat concerned that we might get stopped for displaying illegal flashing lights! LOL :D We made it home without incident. :)

Well, that's it for this week! I'll try to post another update before vacation, but if I don't get to it before Friday, this will be the last update until August. Enjoy the weather! Enjoy your grandchildren (or children, if you haven't yet been blessed with grandchildren) and have fun!

Nothing to report this week :(

Well, no weight loss this week, but that's to be expected, so they say, so I'll be patient. I still feel great and, for the most part, I'm eating much healthier! And, instead of another old, boring photo of me, I'll treat you to a photo of my exceedingly handsome grandson (he looks just like his Granny, don'tcha think?) ;)

I had my appointment with Heart & Wellness this week, for the Risk Reduction Program. I like the exercise part. I like the nutrition discussion part. I absolutely hate the relaxation techniques part. I've got an issue with keeping my eyes closed surrounded by a group of strangers. Weird, I know, but it's not a comfortable… and HARDLY a relaxing feeling for me. But I will endure. Maybe next week we can do something that doesn't involve closing one's eyes.

I was on an exercise bike for 45 minutes! My poor knees could barely move that night. I did well while I was actually on the bike, but that's just not a good thing for my knees. I could hardly walk the next day. Maybe I'll try the treadmill next time. :) And… the darn group class doesn't end until 5:30PM… which is when my Zumba class begins, so I can't go to Zumba anymore. Boooo! Anne, the leader, said that would be too much exercise for me in one day, anyway. I didn't tell her that I'd already been to the Y for water walking before the class. LOL :) But, I'm thinking… hey! They said we need to fit in 3 hours of exercise each week, at a minimum… I'm just trying to get it all done in one day. LOL I will stop by Zumba on my way home each week, just to cheer on my girls! :)

So, no exercise on Wednesday, because my knees were killing me. But, I did walk to the fire station on Thursday. That was a good thing. That's 1 mile… actually just over a mile… and I did it in 30 minutes -- 2 miles an hour. But, nothing on Friday and, unless we can count going from store to store to store, looking for an Intex pool filter cartridge, size A, as exercise, than I haven't exercised again, since Thursday. That's definitely NOT a good thing. I did buy some exercise stuff at Ocean State Job Lots on Saturday, while I was looking for the filter cartridge. I got a yoga mat and a box of those gigantic elastic body bands. They've got a lot of cool exercise stuff there, so I might go back and get an exercise ball or some weights, too. But I want to sign up for a class at the Y, so I'll get more exercise and I want to look into a trainer, too. Wonder if they have them at the Y. It's not that I don't WANT to exercise… I just need someone to push me. I need a coach. Yeah, that's what I need.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of America came by this week to pick up clothing donations. They got a bunch of clothes from me! Already, I've got lots of things that I'll never wear again! I just LOVE that! What I love even more is that someday I'll need to buy new clothes! Wooohooo! :D Can't wait! But I've still got a lot of things that I can still wear without looking too frumpy. And I've got a few things that I have kept, because I love them, even though they're too small for me. So, I can wear those again, someday, too!

My grandson came upstairs to have me take a look at his "hair sut". He can't pronounce hard "C"… but I knew what he meant. His hair sut is just adorable and Granny made such a big deal over how he looks like such a big boy now! Then, off he went outside to run around. The boy loves to run! He loves to run and he loves to dig worms. Trouble is, my son (his dad) was having a fly problem downstairs and he couldn't figure out if these were new flies or those huge leftover winter flies that come to life as it warms up. Well, after a little housecleaning, he found a paper cup full of dead worms under a chair down there. I'm surprised he couldn't smell them! Yuck! No wonder there was a fly problem! So, now, Caiden's worms will stay outside. We almost had a huge butterfly in the house yesterday. He caught one and put it in a cup with a cover and came in to show it to me. As he took the cover off and I saw what was in there, I instantly pushed the cover right back on and shooed him outside with his catch, without trying to sound panicky. That thing was huge!! It was about the size of a luna moth, but beautifully colored. :)

Well, that's about it for this week. The kids have all gone home now. Granny's Adventure Park is closed until next weekend, so Kerry and I are going to head out to a friend's house for a barbecue. Have a good week everyone! Hopefully, I'll get more exercise in this week and have something to report next week! :)

Down 36 Pounds! Woooohooooo! :)

Sorry for being so late getting this out this week! My photographer went back home and I don't have a photo yet, but I'll post one as soon as I can. In the meantime, I'm excited to report that I'm down to 212 this week -- 36 pounds all together. I haven't started exercising yet, but was given the go ahead -- no, strongly encouraged to start walking as soon as possible. So, I try to get out daily to, at least, walk around the yard.  LOL  Hey, it's better than sittin' on my duff at the computer, or in front of the TV, right?  :)  I shall start walking, in earnest, on Wednesday (yes, I will!) and that should help me lose weight, too. I did get a bit of walking done yesterday, around Boxford center for the parade. Two of my granddaughters were with Grandpa, in his fire car, in the parade. They were soooooo excited!  :)  Did Granny remember to bring her camera to the parade? Of course not.  Booo!  L

So, Wednesday night my son, Steve, drops in with four lobsters his friend got in his trap. One had to weigh 8 pounds! It was huge! So I cooked 'em up and Kerry and Steve had some and I had a couple of bites. We saved the rest of it. Thursday, I went out and bought a 1/2 pound of sea scallops and made a lobster and scallop pie for dinner. I really wanted scallops, but, I ate about 1/4 cup of the pie -- all lobster -- and was really full. No scallops for me.  :(   Kerry ate what was left of mine. I think that's going to be the norm for us. I'll have a couple of bites and he'll eat the rest. Trouble is... I'll be getting smaller and he'll be getting larger!

I had an appointment with Heart & Wellness on Thursday. They're the folks who will get me started on exercising, on their equipment. I'll also have to endure lectures each week on stress reduction, anger management, relaxation techniques and diet & nutrition. Anyone who knows me knows I'm generally a good natured person. I rarely get stressed and don't get angry without good reason... and I'm an expert in relaxation techniques.  :D  I know I can be moody, but I am also mellowing with age… I just avoid people and situations that make me irritable. I'm finding that there are some people in my life that I just need to avoid whenever possible.  Not many, but there are a few manipulators, liars and just plain old mean people who are not fun to be around.  So, I avoid them. For the most part, they're older than me and I do try to respect my elders, as I was taught to do. When I think I can't, I remove myself from their company.

But, I digress… the handbook that Heart & Wellness gave me has about 40 pages on anger management, for God's sake! Okay, so maybe THAT makes me just a teensy bit angry. Okay, maybe I do have anger issues.  LOL  :)  I am not looking forward to the lectures -- maybe the diet and nutrition information will be helpful, but the other stuff is basically crap, in my humble opinion. And now, I shall rant... just a bit. Psychology is hardly a science, but many of those who buy into it will try to make you believe it is an exact science and of all the psychologists I've met, almost all of them are nuts and trying to diagnose themselves, which makes it very difficult for anyone who actually needs therapy to find a therapist who's halfway normal. Okay, I'm done. So, basically, I'm not really thrilled to have to go through the Heart & Wellness 12-week mind-warping program, but I will endure. If nothing else, the exercise will help me get started and I can follow-up at the Y. I'll only be at Heart & Wellness for about 3 hours, once a week, for just 12 weeks, so I'll need to continue exercising throughout the week… as well as for the rest of my life… and I'm a member of the Y, so Y not?  :) 

Everything else was good at my appointment. I met with a cardiology nurse, Ann, who gave me my exercise target heart rate... darned if I can remember what it is, but I have a card somewhere in my purse. I must dig it out before this afternoon, my next appointment! And I met with the dietician, Melinda. She was very helpful and interesting to listen to regarding my protein and water intake. Got some good tips from her on ensuring I get enough of both and I'm doing much better with both -- still not getting the minimum, but I'm working on it and getting better at getting it in.

Friday, I met with my PCP and my thyroid numbers are still too high. :(  So, I'm doubling my 50mg levothyroxine to 100mg day and she wrote a new prescription for the 100mg tablets that I'll pick up when my 50mg tablets are gone. In the meantime, I just take two/day, rather than one.  Otherwise, everything was good there, too. Oh, she was a bit concerned about my blood pressure, but I think it was a fluke. It was 168/80, I think. I've been taking it every day since my appointment and it's been 121/66, 108/62, 105/68 and 107/64. Nothin' wrong with those numbers! 

Here's something new! I'm finding that I sneeze a lot after eating. Not always right away, but shortly after I've finished eating, I'll start sneezing… sometimes just once, but, most times, several times in a row. Not sure what that means, but it's something new and strange that I'll try to remember to discuss with the dietician later today. And, I had my first experience with "dumping" yesterday, because I ate too fast, I think. I'd heard of dumping (I hate the term, but it's a fairly accurate description of what happens) in my support group meetings. Dumping can happen if you eat too fast, too much, or swallow without chewing/pulverizing the food. I had some grilled steak and chicken… just about 1/4 cup's worth and probably less, but I ate it without thinking and I really do need to concentrate on eating when I'm eating, so I chew chew chew, until it's completely mush, or I get that "stuck" feeling. The food feels like it's stuck in my esophagus and won't move. It usually goes away in about 10 minutes, but it didn't yesterday and, eventually, it came back up. I'm sure it's because I ate too fast and swallowed pieces that were too large. And it was really difficult to figure out how and where I was going to do this, because I was outside at a large family barbecue, but I think I pulled it off without making a spectacle of myself -- at least no one said anything to me.

Well, that's it for this week! Happy Birthday, America! Talk atcha next week.  J

Down 32 Pounds... and eating FOOD!

Well, I'm about to begin week 4 post-op and I am down 32 pounds. The best thing is that I can eat REAL food beginning this week, but, I've already tried some foods over the past week or so... with good results and bad! This really is a learning process!

I just finished dinner of grilled chicken and salad. Of course, I only had a few bites, but, still.... REAL FOOD! Yahooooooo!  :)  And, it didn't make me sick. Unlike earlier in the week when I tried some ground beef that had been cooking in a stroganoff-like sauce. OMG!! Sick! Sick! Sick! I had two small bites and was awake all night and still sick all the next morning! That was NOT good! But, it wasn't the ground beef. It had to be the sauce, because I had a small nibble of Kerry's hamburger a few nights before that and that went down just fine... no problem at all. But that stroganoff hamburger... no no no no no no no!

I think I'm getting overly concerned... no... obsessed, really, with trying to get enough protein. If I follow the diet I was given from the surgical weightloss program people, I'd only be getting about 30-40 grams of protein each day -- about half of the recommended 60-70 grams each day. I need real food! Real meat! Real chicken! Real tuna! There's the protein! So, I'm very excited that I can now have those things. And I shall have those things each day! Yay!

It's otherwise been a downer of a week. We lost two friends within a day of each other this week. One had been sick for quite a long time with Alzheimer's disease. He was diagnosed when he was in his 50s and he died at 64. The other was suddenly stricken with a lung ailment he endured for about a month before dying this past week at 72. The uncanny part of it all is that both of these guys hunted together with my husband for several years. And, their wakes and funerals are at exactly the same time, at funeral homes about 20 miles from each other! Somehow, we'll make it to both. Just all the more reason to live it up, while there's still living to do! May they both rest in peace.

Thank goodness for grandchildren! They can cheer anyone up! And, it's the weekend and, as usual, they come to Granny's house... playground... amusement park.  My two oldest granddaughters, Cailey and Juliana, 8 and 9, respectively, are so different! Juliana is a daredevil, while Cailey is overly cautious about everything... both, just like their fathers! So, last summer, my oldest son (Juliana's dad) was given a 50cc four-wheeler ATV by a friend whose kids had outgrown it. For you ATV-challenged folks, that's a small ATV recommended for 6-12 year old kids. It needed some mechanical work, but my boys are geniuses at getting broken things working again, and, in no time, that little four-wheeler was buzzing around the yard and we took it to Maine on vacation, where there are miles and miles of deserted dirt roads to ride on. But Cailey didn't have one. But, Juliana shared hers, and their cousins, Zach and Lex (whose families also go on vacation with us), shared Zach's ATV. And life was good.

Then, this week, my oldest son found another 50cc ATV on Craig's List for $200. It, too, needed work. Scott bought it and Steve worked on it to get it running. And, in no time, that bike, too was buzzing around the yard. Now comes the weekend. And we have two sweet little girls buzzing around the yard with their motorcycle helmets on, splashing through every puddle in sight, on their ATVs. I love to hear them giggle... and they were giggling with delight, so proud of themselves for getting all muddy... until (oh, you KNEW this was coming, didn't you?)... until Juliana -- the daredevil -- caught the corner of a trailer and ripped part of her bike body right off the bike!  So, they were back to sharing one bike, riding double, with Juliana -- the daredevil -- driving! Meanwhile, my 3-year-old grandson was toodling around in his little powerwheel Jeep, out of my view, when I heard a loud smack, followed by my grandson's wails. Apparently, the girls ran into him, flipped his Jeep over and he fell out and scratched his leg. Oh and how he loves showing off his leg and "all the blood" (truly, it was a scratch... no blood). All parties were fine, but that was the end of the ATVs for the weekend. It was fun while it lasted! LOL  :)

And, for those of you who are wondering, my little Glory's doing fine now. She's my other dog, a Jack Russell. She's stopped looking for Gizmo and, I think she's thinking that all this extra attention isn't such a bad thing after all. She always wanted to be an only dog.  :)

That's it for this week!

2 Weeks Post-Op: 29 Lbs. Gone

I think I'm getting goofier looking every week! LOL  Neither Cailey nor I remembered to take Granny's picture Sunday, so Kerry took this one this morning. Hot lookin' chicky there, eh?  LOL  But, anyway, I weighed in this morning at 219.2.  If my brain's still working right, I think that's 29 pounds gone. I started at 248. Yes? Hot damn!  I found this cute little tracker, so maybe, if I can find it again for the next weight update, I'll keep posting it. We'll see what happens.   



My visit with my PCP on Friday was fairly uneventful. She was impressed with my weightloss to date. It was 21 pounds there... with my sneakers and clothes on. I had my clothes and mostly weightless sandals on when I weighed myself this morning. She checked my incisions and listened to my belly. What ARE they listening for in there??  She seems fairly confident that I'll be able to get off all my meds relatively soon! Yahooooooooooooooooo! THAT is my real goal. The weightloss is just a bonus.

Our 39th anniversary was Saturday. It was a quiet day, spent at home with our son, Steve, and his kids. We get such a kick out watching them run around the yard playing and that's basically what we did... watched them playing. They played wiffle ball, they dug worms -- Caiden's very favorite thing to do. He's such a boy.  :)  They fed the fish. We have a small fish pond with about 9 fish in it. Caiden got stung by a bee, which was a bit traumatic, but he got over it fairly quickly. Nothing a little ice cream couldn't fix. Then we headed over to Kerry's Dad's place, on Stiles Pond (about 5 miles away), for a nice visit with his Dad for an early Father's Day. It was very nice sitting out on the deck all afternoon. Steve and his kids eventually showed up to go fishing, using the worms Caiden had dug earlier. A bit later, our other son, Scott, dropped by with his kids, to go fishing, too. They were catching fish left and right... sunfish, bass. They were having a ball! There's nothing I enjoy more than seeing those kids enjoying themselves.

Around 6PM, we were beginning to feel a few drops of rain and decided we'd intruded on Dad and Cil long enough and headed home. As we left the dirt road and got onto the pavement, the rain came down in sheets! We could hardly make out the edges of the road, it was pouring so hard! There were branches of trees in the road! Good Lord, I've never seen the rain come down that hard! Thank goodness, we weren't far from home! It was thundering and there was lightning and I was worried about Glory. She hates thunder and lightning. So, when we got home, I ran (okay... walked fast) into the house to look for her. She was nowhere to be found. She wasn't in her bed under my desk -- her favorite place to be. She wasn't upstairs in her room (yes, she has her own room) -- her second favorite place to be. She wasn't downstairs, where Steve lives. We called and she didn't come. She ALWAYS comes when called. Where on earth was she??!!  She couldn't possibly be outside. She HATES thunder and lightning. But she had to be outside, so out I went. The rain had dwindled to a sprinkle and I went around the yard calling her and whistling for her and I heard her bark! She WAS outside! Poor thing. I could hear her barking, but she wasn't coming. As I got to the garage part of the barn, there she was, just inside the garage doorway, barking, as if to say, "I'm so scared that I don't want to go outside without you. Please save me."  She was dry, so she didn't get caught in that downpour. She must've stayed in the barn during the storm.

The storm brought down some branches, which brought down some electrical wires, so around 8:30PM, our power went out. Kerry and I spent the evening of our 39th anniversary, in our wicker rocking chairs, out on the front porch, rocking to candlelight. It had been a good day.... and, for the most part, a wonderful 39 years.  :)

Follow-Up With The Surgeon

Today was my follow-up appointment with the surgeon. The first thing they always do is weigh me... with my shoes on. So, with my shoes on, I'm down 25 pounds since my last visit, before surgery. I know I've lost weight because, already, there are articles of clothing I can no longer wear. I have two bras that just hang on me... might as well not wear one at all, if I'm planning on wearing one of those. And, I have a pair of slip-on sneakers that are now too big for me. Isn't that GREAT??  Isn't that where we all want to lose, ladies?  Our boobs and feet??!!  Yipppeeeeee!  :D

But, I digress... back to the surgeon. He took that damned drain out! Yahooooooooooooo! I hated that thing! Now, it's gone and I'm soooo happy! I can drive, as long as I'm not taking the vicodin. Since I only have one left, and I plan on switching over to plain old Tylenol now, I can drive.  I can go back to water walking after I get my stitches out. The only stitches I have are the ones that were around the drain. They will come out next Friday. And that was about the extent of my visit. I have a follow-up appointment in six weeks and I shall see my own PCP tomorrow.

So, Kerry and I went to BJ's Wholesale to celebrate! LOL We bought hotdogs and hamburgers for Sunday and I'll tell the kids that I'm having a cookout. They'll come... free food.  Plus, it's father's day and they both adore their father. I'm happiest when I can cook for them. And, I'm feeling strong enough to get back to cooking, somewhat. We'll see how it goes over the next few days, as I finish my menu and get a food list together and shopping done. If nothing else, we WILL have hotdogs and hamburgers.  :)

My youngest granddaughter is graduating from preschool tomorrow and she couldn't be more pleased with herself! She marched in here this afternoon on a mission... "Granny, my graduation is at 4:45 tomorrow. Got that, Granny?" I confirmed that it was 4:45 and she was happy that the message was conveyed adequately and she ran off outside, back to her dad. Sometime later, I went outside and confirmed with her mom the time. It's 6PM. Not sure where the 4:45 came from, but she was very convincing!

That's about it for today. I'll let you know how I make out with the PCP tomorrow.  :)