Columbus Carpooling, BuddyingUp and Hosteling...
First, thanks everyone for such a good job on this site.
As the founder of ObesityHelp, I'm very proud of what you all have made our community. To you a big applause.
Next... time to start some hookups !!
Please help out with the following...
1) For everyone on their way 
to Columbus, please post here if you have room to bring anyone else.
2) ALSO... if you are in the Columbus area and are willing to help house OH visitors 
from out of town, then please post here as well.
3) Before attending the event, please pick a buddy. (This was co-founder JC's idea from a few years back). No one should arrive at the event alone, no knowing anyone there. 
Pick a buddy before hand.
Why these things above?
Because every OH event fails to serve some number of people who don't attend because of financial, transportation, or companionship issues.
Please, if you can, help us make these things non-problems for people affected.
Make good things happen!
THANKS!
Next... time to start some hookups !!
Please help out with the following...
1) For everyone on their way to Columbus, please post here if you have room to bring anyone else.
2) ALSO... if you are in the Columbus area and are willing to help house OH visitors from out of town, then please post here as well.
3) Before attending the event, please pick a buddy. (This was co-founder JC's idea from a few years back). No one should arrive at the event alone, no knowing anyone there. Pick a buddy before hand.
Why these things above?
Because every OH event fails to serve some number of people who don't attend because of financial, transportation, or companionship issues.
Please, if you can, help us make these things non-problems for people affected.
Make good things happen!
THANKS! 
Eric,
I will be coming from the Cambridge Ohio area early Saturday morning. Let me know if any of you need to ride. I will be staying at my moms house on Saturday night . I would love to stay overnight at the hotel on Friday and Saturday, but my budget wont allow that. I am bringing my 14 year old son so he can hang out at the water park for the day and hopefully I can afford to attend the party at the water park on Saturday night..
Cannonball!!!!
Love and hugs to all
Laura
Eric, Thank you for this most wonderful site that has brought so many folks together all sharing a common bond and goal. WE applaud you
This post of your has been calling my name for days now, me wanting to reply, well I don't know how well I worded this, but I hope what I am trying to express, encourages others to reach out to people and bring people together to make these events. BTW, I speak better than I write, 
I'm not sure if I am going to make the Columbus conference as I just got back from a wonderful weekend in Lexington Kentucky for the OH.com conference! I don't know if I have it in me to go alone again so soon, to walk in alone.. to be there alone.
So far the Lexington event was the best I have been to.. the speakers get better & better with each conference I attend. Dr. Monica always outdoes herself and is the MOST inspiring and caring woman there is. The second speaker I thought was the best from this event was Dx, for the Mens Only Group, however some of us ladies "crashed" his last talk and very glad we did, us ladies need to know the mens side of the surgery also so we may share with friends. Not only did he address Mens' Only issues, but taught us ladies a few things while doing so.
Addressing the issue of carpooling.. Folks please do find a friend.
I have been to 3 OH.com conferences thus far. I have driven alone on all 3 occasions, because I wanted to be there. If I was not an outgoing person this would have been, so very frightening to walk into alone. The rides are lonesome, no one to talk to, even though I have asked many and posted about carpooling, with no luck.
However I still feel kind of lost when I get to the events, that is part of the reason I volunteer to help in anyway I can, not to feel important or act like I am somebody, because I am just me. Me who needs the support and knowledge I get from these events and I always look for support wherever I can. OH.com IS my ONLY support, I have no Weight Loss Support Group to attend, there is 1 locally that is run by a Surgeon's group, I am welcome there, but I cannot really myself there as it is NOT my surgeon and my surgeons beliefs and how to's are a bit different than my dear Surgeon, Dr. Trace Curry, who I travel nearly 200 miles to see. I feel I got extremely lucky to have met my roommate Michelle on the grad board or else we would have both felt so very alone. Thank you Michelle!
After all that said, I drive alone, I walk in alone, I walk out alone. While I sometimes bond with members that attend the conferences, I feel as if I am pushing myself on them too, inviting myself, because they don't know me and the friendships weren't in place to start with. Sometimes I feel people look at me in a strange way, beause I DO GO ALONE, like who is she? Well I am Vickie, been onsite for nearly 5 yrs, started doing the HTML thing for you way back when. I love doing it and helping on this site any way I can!
But, I still feel all alone many times, no one to sit with, share stories with, we are there to learn, I feel part of these conferences should be just a meet & greet session.
I had a blast in Lexington, made new friends, met old & dear friends I have been onsite with here for years.. but I still left the conference in tears.. when it was over, it was over, everyone seemed to have evening plans with the friends they CAME WITH.. I was wanting to stay and hang with these friends, however I was excluded until what would have been dinner time. I could not sit in the lobby of the hotel for 2 hours and talk with no one. I asked what others were doing, they spoke of their plans and then walked away. Not a single invite to come up and lets hang for a while until dinner, I did not even share my phone # with anyone, no one asked, nor no one gave me theirs when I asked. I'm sure they would say, I didn't hear you. I spent an entire lifetime being ignored and invisible.. I still felt that on Sat. nite after the conference. I left in tears.. partly because I wanted to be a part of the whole experience, the other part.. I felt so very alone.
You would think that nearly 5 years of being on this site I would have made truer friends.. friends that cared about me.. perhaps they do, but I sure did not feel it. I stayed as long as I dared, hugging people for the last time and trying to find a place that I fit in. I still feel invisible even after losing 200 lbs. What the funny part is? everyone "claims" they like me, but then just walk away.
So people.. REACH OUT! I might be going on 2 yrs post-op, but I still NEED your SUPPORT & Friendship.
peace, Vickie
html volunteer
html mentor
photo volunteer
This post of your has been calling my name for days now, me wanting to reply, well I don't know how well I worded this, but I hope what I am trying to express, encourages others to reach out to people and bring people together to make these events. BTW, I speak better than I write,
I'm not sure if I am going to make the Columbus conference as I just got back from a wonderful weekend in Lexington Kentucky for the OH.com conference! I don't know if I have it in me to go alone again so soon, to walk in alone.. to be there alone.
So far the Lexington event was the best I have been to.. the speakers get better & better with each conference I attend. Dr. Monica always outdoes herself and is the MOST inspiring and caring woman there is. The second speaker I thought was the best from this event was Dx, for the Mens Only Group, however some of us ladies "crashed" his last talk and very glad we did, us ladies need to know the mens side of the surgery also so we may share with friends. Not only did he address Mens' Only issues, but taught us ladies a few things while doing so.
Addressing the issue of carpooling.. Folks please do find a friend.
I have been to 3 OH.com conferences thus far. I have driven alone on all 3 occasions, because I wanted to be there. If I was not an outgoing person this would have been, so very frightening to walk into alone. The rides are lonesome, no one to talk to, even though I have asked many and posted about carpooling, with no luck.
However I still feel kind of lost when I get to the events, that is part of the reason I volunteer to help in anyway I can, not to feel important or act like I am somebody, because I am just me. Me who needs the support and knowledge I get from these events and I always look for support wherever I can. OH.com IS my ONLY support, I have no Weight Loss Support Group to attend, there is 1 locally that is run by a Surgeon's group, I am welcome there, but I cannot really myself there as it is NOT my surgeon and my surgeons beliefs and how to's are a bit different than my dear Surgeon, Dr. Trace Curry, who I travel nearly 200 miles to see. I feel I got extremely lucky to have met my roommate Michelle on the grad board or else we would have both felt so very alone. Thank you Michelle!
After all that said, I drive alone, I walk in alone, I walk out alone. While I sometimes bond with members that attend the conferences, I feel as if I am pushing myself on them too, inviting myself, because they don't know me and the friendships weren't in place to start with. Sometimes I feel people look at me in a strange way, beause I DO GO ALONE, like who is she? Well I am Vickie, been onsite for nearly 5 yrs, started doing the HTML thing for you way back when. I love doing it and helping on this site any way I can!
But, I still feel all alone many times, no one to sit with, share stories with, we are there to learn, I feel part of these conferences should be just a meet & greet session.
I had a blast in Lexington, made new friends, met old & dear friends I have been onsite with here for years.. but I still left the conference in tears.. when it was over, it was over, everyone seemed to have evening plans with the friends they CAME WITH.. I was wanting to stay and hang with these friends, however I was excluded until what would have been dinner time. I could not sit in the lobby of the hotel for 2 hours and talk with no one. I asked what others were doing, they spoke of their plans and then walked away. Not a single invite to come up and lets hang for a while until dinner, I did not even share my phone # with anyone, no one asked, nor no one gave me theirs when I asked. I'm sure they would say, I didn't hear you. I spent an entire lifetime being ignored and invisible.. I still felt that on Sat. nite after the conference. I left in tears.. partly because I wanted to be a part of the whole experience, the other part.. I felt so very alone.
You would think that nearly 5 years of being on this site I would have made truer friends.. friends that cared about me.. perhaps they do, but I sure did not feel it. I stayed as long as I dared, hugging people for the last time and trying to find a place that I fit in. I still feel invisible even after losing 200 lbs. What the funny part is? everyone "claims" they like me, but then just walk away.
So people.. REACH OUT! I might be going on 2 yrs post-op, but I still NEED your SUPPORT & Friendship.
peace, Vickie
html volunteer
html mentor
photo volunteer Most Active
Recent Topics
