Where Wanda and all our other missing people?

Hope all is well with your fingers, job and everything else, Wanda. We miss you! The board is awfully quiet lately! The weather is getting better and our lives keep getting busier but I hope we can keep this board active! Does anyone have any "Wow" moments to report? Sometimes I feel like my whole life these days is one big "WOW" moment! There are so many times each day that I just marvel at the difference in my feelings, attitude and overall satisfaction with life. After a lifetime of constant negative self talk, I feel so much more free and at peace. I know that I should never have allowed my weight to define how I felt about myself but I tortured myself with negativity over my appearance. This life is so very different and so much easier on me and my husband! CeCe

Well, I guess I kind of have a WoW moment..... I went to Costco today to get some pictures printed up... All of my surgery journey pictures.... I could not believe how far I have come... I am working on a scrapbook album with all of the pictures.... I will carry it proudly and show anyone that wants to see it.... The first couple of pictures in my album don't even look like me.... I am amazed to see the difference in the pictures..... I am more determined than ever now to keep focused.... The next set of pictures will be my before and after PS..... That may be a while but I know someday it will happen.... HUGs to All, Shawn M.

Shawn, A scrapbook is a great idea! When you are feeling a bit down about how things are going, a look at the scrapbook should put things into perspective, huh? I hope things are still going well in the eating department this weekend! We went out to Lowe's and a couple of other places late yesterday afternoon and ended up eating out. My husband thought Mexican sounded good and I went along because we so often go where I suggest. I ate too many chips and salsa and couldn't eat much of my meal! We both agreed that Mexican needs to be off the list for a long time! I felt very yucky afterwards!! BLOATED! CeCe

Shawn, I am not a scrapbooker but I think this is a great idea. I think we should all have at least a small photo album with pics of our journey. I think it would be very uplifting for the days we are down. Thanks for the idea! Hugs, Valorie

Sorry I've been MIA, but my brother-in-law died quite unexpectedly Wednesday morning. We buried him yesterday and I'm still quite numb from it all. He was only 57 and my sister and niece are still quite in shock. Actually, my whole family is, including his family. His family had all been together on Easter Sunday and again last Sunday since it was his Mom's 88th birthday. Thank goodness, everyone demanded pics being taken, with the whole family and each of her children with his/her own family. So we had good pics to display at the wake. It has really been a trying time for all of us and i know my eating this week has been totally out of whack. Eating the wrong types of foods and not drinking near enough what I should be. But regardless of the weight on MOnday, I will be posting. Hope everyone else has had a better week than me, Deidrah

Deidrah, I am so sorry to hear of your loss. Loss is always hard but to lose someone so unexpectedly is so tragic. Please pass on my condolences to your sister, niece and the rest of the family as well. I'm sure it was hard to even think about getting in your fluid and protein. It sounds like you live near your sister so I know you will be a big support for her. I cannot even imagine what she is going through right now! My husband will be 57 in May. That is so young these days. Did he have a stroke or heart attack? CeCe

Hi CeCe, Thanks for the kind thoughts! He had a heart attack Wednesday morning. He woke my sister up and then within a matter of minutes, he was gone. She called 911 and she began CPR. My niece, who is 18, tried to help but there was nothing they could do. The paramedics tried 4 times to shock him, but he was already gone at that point. The weird thing is, MOnday night he went to the ER with chest pain, but it was right-sided so they told him it was his gallbladder and sent him home. He had had stents put in 4 years ago, but no problems since then until MOnday night. It has been such a shock to our family, we are still trying to believe he is gone. Deidrah

I'm sorry that I've been neglecting my November buddies. I think of you often. My company asked me to speak at our convention this year. Work has been so busy, I haven't had time to prepare. I've been in a crazy frenzy to pull together some ideas. I hate public speaking! Also, we got a $100,000 grant for a special project..which is a blessing but it requires a lot of data collection and reporting. Then there is the legal crap that I have to put up with. Geesh! My life is complicated. Anyway---I am flying to San Antonio for the weekend (we are staying on the Riverwalk--it should be fun) before I fly to Arizona on Monday for the convention. This is the dude ranch trip that I might have mentioned a while back. On face value it sounds fun, but they expect everyone to square dance, ride horses, and rope cows. This is sooooo not our thing! The president of our company likes to take us out of our comfort zone---AND HE SURE HAS! I'm not feeling comfortable just thinking about it!! Just bear with me for a little while and I will be back in full swing shortly! I love this group and I want to be an active member. You all help me more than you know. Wanda

Wanda, Just know you are missed but we understand that you have a demanding job. I just wi**** wasn't so demanding right now!!! Your boss sure is making sure you earn that raise, isn't he??? I think he needs to double that raise!!! CeCe

I just told Randy the same thing! I had another twelve hour day and it looks like the rest of my week will be the same. I AM earning that big 16% raise! I'm dealing with OSHA inspectors tomorrow so the fun isn't over yet! I can't wait until I can semi-retire... Wanda