A Week of Wows (longish)

Week-Long Wow “Moment"

 

A bit more than a week ago, my youngest son and I embarked on a long journey in his rickety old truck with 225,000 miles already on the odometer.  All of his possessions and a good number of my tools were somewhere in that truck.  We drove from Minnesota all the way out to Puget Sound on the Pacific Ocean where he will be attending a school to learn how to build wooden boats.  Neither of us consumed any junk food or fast food during the entire trip.  We ate one healthy restaurant meal per day and otherwise consumed fresh fruit, cheese, and nuts.  It should be noted that road trips in my pre-WLS days were fraught with numerous calorie and cholesterol-filled stops at McDonalds, Burger King,and whatever else I could find.

 

We drove 1,000 miles the first day, culminating in a 4 hour nap taken during the wee hours in a Walmart parking lot just west of Billings, Montana when we were both too tired to drive any further.  I will admit to feeling like a vagabond …..for about 10 seconds until I decided that I was just too tired to care what other people might think of us just then.  We made it to Spokane, Washington by the second night, where we camped at a wonderful state park.  On the third day we made a side trip to Mount Rainier National Park, which was utterly spectacular.  We did a bit of hiking there and my son told me that he was glad that I could keep up with him now that I had lost so much weight.  I turned away from him so he couldn’t see the tears of joy in my eyes.  That third night we camped on Puget Sound, with hundreds of gulls squawking and the smell of the sea upon us.  We were both relieved that Betsy, the name he gave his old truck, had made it to our destination without protest or delay. 

 

He found a place to rent right away and we spent the better part of the next several days hiking in parks and exploring the delightful city of Port Townsend, Washington where he will be living for the next year.  My son is a night owl and I am not, so I would awake early to walk around Port Townsend to see their boat yards, galleries, shops and marinas.  When my son got up, we would meet and plan out our day.  On one of those days I had the opportunity to row a small boat called a wineglass wherry about a half mile out on the ocean and back.  While my rowing skills need work, it was a thoroughly joyful experience and one that I completed without breaking a sweat.

 

On my last day there, we hiked in Deception Pass state park on Whidbey Island.  My son told me that in the future he would have to remember to wear hiking boots whenever we made plans to go walking because his tennis shoes weren’t up to our vigorous forays into wild places….sweet music to my ears. 

 

All-in all, last week I walked or hiked more than 35 miles, camped out, rowed a boat on the ocean, maintained a healthy diet on a very long road trip and, most importantly, I was reminded what a remarkable, engaging, and creative young man my son has turned out to be.  Weight loss surgery and the support I have received along the way made that week of “Wows" possible.  I couldn’t be more thankful for that wonderful experience.

 

RP

 Not only WOW but WOWSER!     


    I am getting closer to those moments, and I think that the active life that we can attain is one of the several blessings this surgery makes possible.

    I think one of the important things you noted was the types of snacks on a long road trip. My old trips were just a constant drone of tires interspersed with the sound of crackling plastic of potato chip bags being ravenged.

     I do stop at Wendy's for a small chili and sometimes a few spicy chicken nuggets added (which then makes it 2-3 total meals,) but I do agree a road trip is a test of of our ability to make smart choices.

     Congratulations on you son, and your good job raising him. One of the tougher parts is helping them find a good career fit for their life lived for their benefit. So much better than making them conform to our idea of what we envisioned for ourselves. 

That is great RP!  It must have been awesome to spend such quality time with your son.

Wow! What a story -

It is trips like this with my dad that I treasure the most and one of the reasons that I'm planning on having this surgery so I can share natures gift with my kids like you just did with your son. What a great post.

What an awesome experience you had with your son. Congratulations on your achievements. Carol

RP...thank you for sharing this story....WOW is right!!!

Sounds like this was a great bonding time and making wonderful memories with your son !!

Congratulations on all your WOW moments!!

As I have said many times before YOU AMAZE ME!!!!!!

Thank you for sharing this with us....you keep me motivated!!

Hugs....connie d