Random Musings #8: Six Months Edition

Big ups and mad props to all my homies! (man, what the hell is wrong with me?) I hope you all had a lovely weekend - mine was nice, and fairly uneventful. So... Since I can't really think of any clever or witty opening remarks today, I'll just get straight to it. ? It was 6 months ago today that Dr. Hans Schmidt cut me open, stuck some mechanical-type gadgets in through the incisions and re-arranged the ol' plumbing. Since then, every day has gotten better and better. I think, that instead of going on and on about it (as I certainly am known to do), I'll let this picture do the talking for me. http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i229/Gyrofork/6MosBeforeeAfter.jpg Sometimes I need that side-by-side comparison to really wrap my head around this whole thing. ? Growing up, I was allowed to eat whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. I never had to ask permission to go to the fridge or the pantry and shove whatever crap that was there (and believe me, there was a lot) into my chubby little face. Now, I'm not blaming my parents here... but, proper nutrition and exercise were not top priorities in our house. I refuse for that to be the case for my daughter. I realized before she was born that having me for her father automatically increased her chances of becoming obese. Vivian will be two years old on September 12th and has NEVER had any of the following: cookies, candy, lollipops, cake, soda, white bread, McDonald's (or any other fast food), Kool-Aid, and a long, long list of other foods that almost killed her Daddy. When you ask her what her favorite food is, she doesn't say "ice cream" or "pizza"...she says "bananas" or "string beans". The other day, my mom told me that when she sees how we feed Viv, she feels guilty about how she did it when I was a kid. I decided not to disagree with her. ? After all the talk about Surf Taco - I figured we should give it a go. We checked it out on Saturday and everyone enjoyed the food as well as the casual, laid-back atmosphere. All of the food is fresh and not expensive at all. I had half of a California Chicken wrap on a whole-wheat tortilla... tasty. We got a kids sized meal for Viv that was supposed to come with a soda - I asked the guy if they had apple juice. After he told me that they did, I asked if it was 100% juice. Stunned, he said, "yes, and that's the first time anyone has asked me that question." I was surprised by that... but, then again, maybe not that surprised. Here's a pic of how much fun we had: http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i229/Gyrofork/DadVivSurfTaco.jpg Vivian and Daddy love salsa. She doesn't eat the tortilla chips... she just uses one to scoop up the salsa and then slurps it off. Well, that's it for me - I'm off to actually do some work and earn my paycheck instead of musing on company time all day. Have a good day. Be Well, A.J.

AJ: I looked at your pictures: First, your daughter is adorable. Second, WOW! I met you at your first OCWLS Group meeting, and I knew you shrunk, but what an amazing difference! Congratulations! I'm glad to see your post re: Vivian's eating habits...I hope when I have children that I am able to break the cycle. I haven't tried the wraps yet at surf taco, just the salad, but I did buy a pint of salsa, what a yummy treat! Angie

As usualy, awesome, AJ! -- Like the new pic that shows that you have hair under that bandana! Love, love, love the Before and After pic! I well remember your first OCWLS meeing and am thrilled that you have kept on coming, and become an important and valued member of our little group! Vivian is adorable - she's going to be a heartbreaker - first of all, her Dad's! Looking forward to seeing you Friday at CMC. I think I'm going to try Surf Taco tonight - bring home some takeout. Hugs, Nannette

AJ, You look great!!! It's amazing how 6 months can change your life. Vivian is so cute!!! Jolie

all I can say is WOW!!! Keep up the good work. Also your daughter is beautiful.

Thanks so much Toni! I hope your recovery is going well. Maybe we'll see you on Friday. Be Well, A.J.

AJ~ I looked at your pictures, they were both great! The before and after not only do you look about 200 pounds lighter, but you lost about 30 years too! Way to go! I can't wait to start losing, pounds and years! You have given me new hope that I might actually reverse the aging process Your daughter is adorable, and Nannette is right, you will be the first man that she loves, but with that, comes the fact that you will also be the first one whose heart she breaks. It's not all that bad, enjoy these innocent years, because in the blink of an eye-you will be shopping for prom dresses!(or paying for them anyway!) My daughter is almost 17 and she is an exceptionally good kid, but the years have gone so fast-way too fast. Enjoy Vivian... cherish every "I love you Daddy"... every simple question she asks 10 and 20 times in the course of a week, every silly spill or drop she might have, accidents in the middle of the night, all of it Have a great week, and as usual, I loved your rantings/ravings/musings. Michelle Brennan

You look marvelous darling- just marvelous- hehehe- I think we should have a mtg one eves at surf taco- we are there at least 1x a week- maybe next week we can meet up- I am sure ben and vivian would love hanging out missed you on Saturday and this weekend we are camping so that is 2 weekends in a row- yikes-we had friends in again this weekend- plus I am back on those pills again so I am worn out vivian is adorable say hello to everyone for me and nancy dee

Dee - You mean to tell me that you're not even gonna be at the meeting on Friday? Wow... stood up three times in two weeks. Sorry to hear that those pills are kicking your butt again - quite the bummer. Hopefully, this will be the end of it. So, send me an e-mail and let me know when you'd like to hit the taco joint. I'm always up for a good time. Have fun camping (Whoa... sleeping in the woods... bugs... woodland creatures... heat & humidity... yikes.) -A.J.

-Dude! - (In guy speak..that one word says it all.) I guess I gotta go try out the Surf Taco thing.. The name keeps bugging me, as it makes me think of fish tacos..which are something that has -never- sounded good to me. I'll be missing this months meeting as the old lady will be away and I'll be watching the kids.