It's THURSDAY here....what's NEW???

Ah, thanks, Floyd.....you're so special! Hope you get that back problem solved....being in pain isn't any fun at all. Ouchies!

Hope my feet touch the ground in the next week, I am so
excited about the trip....and looking forward to Frankenmuth as well.

It is time to dig out the sweaters and long johns - brrr cold.

As I sat with a pile of mending, the needle kept falling out of my fingers because they were so cold. I refuse to turn on the heat yet.

My daughter sent me slippers to warm the toesies. Slip them into the microwave for a minute and feet stay warm for a long time. Great idea.

Not much happening worth mentioning so I'll bid you all a GOOD DAY.
Annette

GOOD MORNING OFF FAMILY!!!!!!! lora nice to see you starting the post!!! sounds like you and mary are doing very well!!!! all i get in walking is bandit and at work and cleaning tables and cooking foods and serving...but hopefully soon i will get more exercise in ;)

well as most of you know i am moving into our OWN place soon!!!! still waiting to hear from her on when we come in to sign the lease and get the keys!!! rick has started packing his things and it sure looks bare down here!!! i think he is in a bigger rush to leave here than i am and thats hard to believe!!! i noticed last night that a couple more rolls of toilet paper was missing from our stash...went upstairs and sure enough!!! she has a roll in the living room (for kleenex) and another in her bedroom (for kleenex) saw a 4 pack she bought in the bathroom for toilet use!!!! some nerve huh??? she had to pick rick up from work last night because i was working til 5 and he told her we got the apartment and all she said was "oh". i guess she didn't think we would get it...hahaha we did get it and we are HAPPY!!!!!! i am very grateful for her hospitality letting me stay here and all but am happy to get out of here and on to my own life with rick. this morning when jerry left he made so much noise again and left the light on which shines in my eyes....while he went in and out several times doing who knows what...finally he left and did turn the light off...now if that were one of us that did that...OMG THERE WOULD BE HELL TO PAY!!!!! after i got home last night i made us a pot roast dinner that came in a box bob evans brand i think and baked potatoes to go with it...it was soooo good almost like home made!!!! diane came down and smelled it and i think she was jealous we had something good to eat for a change!!! oh well she brings leftovers home from her cafe so they have food to eat...not like they are starving or anything...i wouldn't let that happen no matter what....but having them stop every time they go in or out is bothersome to us!!!! respect our privacy what little we have down here!!!!! i don't think jerry knows that we are moving yet...but then who care...i told rick his mom will NOT get a key to our apartment!!! he agreed...oh another thing i noticed this morning...alot of cat food is missing from the bag...i am sure she took alot of that for her cats incase we took sassy right away when we move!!!! makes me wonder what else i am missing...i did find a couple of my bowls in her cupboard and took them back!!!! went to have some cereal this morning and no bowls!!! well the large ones were here but my cereal bowls...gone!!! you should see their cupboards!!! food and dishes everywhere!!! so unorganized!!!! not sure how rick became mr clean, neat and tidy!!!!!! maybe thats why??? LOL calgon please take me away!!!!!!!!!!!! (heard that if mixed with mr bubbles its a great feeling when you get out)

bandit has been itching up a storm here and i just checked him and damit he has fleas!!!!!! now i need to get some flea drops on him and nip this in the bud before we move!!!! dam it ****** me off!!!!! sighs....

last night while outside with bandit there was a deer across the street...small one...then another one came out and another one...omg the twin fawns lost their spots!!!!! they are almost the size of their mom now!!!! then all of a sudden there comes more deer out!!!! then from the woods on our side of the street more came out!!! omg there had to be a dozen doe's with their babies!!!! have only seen the bucks that one time and wonder if they will be around before we leave...poor things will be killed soon with hunting season coming up!!!! so sad...the other day we had maybe 2 dozen canadian geese in the backyard!!! one was a single and the others kept trying to chase it away..maybe they were afraid it would take their mate away??? i know they mate for life. going to miss the wild life here but will love my own place even more!!!!!!

today is september 11th and and remembering the towers going down and all those people trapped and killed....still breaks my heart remembering it...also my aunt lil passed this day also...sunday the 14th is the anniversary of my dads death...36 years ago he died...was a sudden death...he just got off work and was on his way out and collapsed...my older brother was there and tried cpr on him to no avail...he was dead on the spot from a massive heart attack. when my brother called me to tell me dad was dead i didn't believe him...back then my brother was into drugs and was always telling weird lies...i called my husband who was supposed to be at his mothers visiting her...he wasn't there...he was out looking a girls again...finally he must have stopped at his moms and she told him and he came home and took me to moms...i was devastated...just having my 2nd child just 3 weeks earlier and had planned on going to mom and dads so they could see the baby again...only dad was no longer with us....sorry for rambling on here its all in the past now...

better go do the laundry get my mind off things now....thanks again for being here!!! i love each and every one of you!!!!

hugs

Hi Lora and my OFF Family,

It's nice to see your post, hope you get some relief soon from all the drama of the last few months!  I will look forward to seeing you in Philadelphia on the 4th of October.  I will be attending with some other PA Board posters, Arlene and Ilene.

I have been more into lurking than posting lately, my personal life has been so busy, a non-stop whirlwind of social activity every weekend for the last couple of months, it makes me feel so blessed to have the life I am living now and WLS has given me the ability to participate more; I sometimes think about how reclusive I became due to the physical limitations my weight had begun to put on me, as well as my feelings of not liking my own appearance.  For now I am looking forward to the 2nd weekend in October, because it will be the first weekend I have absolutely nothing social on my calendar (lol)!

Tony is in Florida taking a vacation, visiting his sister and BIL and nieces, he'll be back on Saturday and I can't wait, he has become a very important person to me and I feel blessed to have made a connection there.

Well I guess I'll wrap it up here and just say, I keep abreast of the goings on in your lives and even when I'm not posting, I'm praying for you, all my new friends and family members, wishing for the best life has to offer each and every one of you and that if you are facing struggles that you each have the continued strength and help from God to carry you through whatever those challenges are.

Hugs, prayers and positive thoughts, Laureen

Good morning, Lora and all of my much loved OFF family.

It has been some what a crazy morning here. For some reason I couldn't get my computer to start. I am not sure what happened but I must have done something to it. It finally started and now everything on the screen is magnified and I can't for the life of me get it to go back to normal. No matter what I do it stays magnified. Maybe it is a good thing. At least I am not struggeling to read the writing on the computer. It is just a pain to have it go so slow when moving it to read. Oh well, sometimes we are never happy and have to have something to always complain about. Have you noticed that? We have to find something to worry about and to complain about. I guess that must be human nature. At least it is with me.

Nothing much going on here today. I like it that way. I was going to find homes for the stuff around here yesterday but I ended up talking on the phone most of the afternoon. I think just about everyone that I know called me and decided to tal****il their lips almost fell off. lol I have to admit that I didn't mind it because my old mouth kept up with them pretty darn good if I must say so myself.

Bill brought in the mail just now. I don't want to read it since it is probably nothing but more bills. Oh! no bills today so that is a good thing. Maybe that is saying that it might be a good day. lol Probably a dream on my part. Reality sometimes sucks the big one. lol

I better get going. I seem to be complaining more than I usually do and that is not a good thing. BAD ME! I need to thank God for my blessings. I have many and sometimes I lose track of them.

I too remember the fatefull day 7 years ago. I was on my way to Wal Mart for a job interview and the women said that they had friends there and they were so concerned. I was driving down a road when I heard it on the radio. My heart stopped I think. I am starting to cry just thinking back to that day. Such a sad and life changing day for all. I remember someone saying to me that it would soon be forgotten. I told them that would never happen because our lives have been changed forever. I still can't believe someone would even think that it would be forgottem. I remember being so afraid and crying and telling Bill that I was afraid. I remember hearing a plane over my house and screaming because there wasn't suppose to be a plane flying. I remember taking my mom down the main street afterward and flags flying and her saying "Look at all the flags flying." and telling her that we are at war. She was one who always flew the flag (just like my dad) and hated war because of WW2. She said what and I repeated to her that we were at war. All she said was that was to bad. It was then the true reality of Alzhiemer**** me hard. That was not my mom anymore.

I better get going. I am sending lots of love and big hugs to go with it. I am keeping everyone in my prayers and special ones are going up for those who need them.

Margo, I am keeping you and your situations in my prayers. I am saying them all through the day. Remember that nothing happens in God's world by mistake. I know it is hard to think about but it is really the truth. I am praying very hard for you my dear sister.

Hey everyone,  Been busy here but wanted to check in.
Lora, I admire your fitness regime.
Eileen,  What is AchievOne?
NancyB,  I love to read about your canning and would like to hear more about the illustration work.  Glad LilyRose is getting stronger.
George,  WOW you work lots.  It is good you get some balance with sports.
Susan, Have a bright, beaming, better than average day off.
Melissa,  Thanks for the 9/11 reminder.  I work for a Fire Dept.  We will never forget.
Pat, Your trip sounds like something to really look forward to.  Have a wonderful time.
Floyd, Congratulations on 33 years of marriage!!!!
Annette,  We had our first rain yesterday and the early leaves are starting to turn yellow.  September is our best weather time here but fall is definitely in the air.
Judy,  I can't wait to hear about you, happy in your new digs.
Laureen,  Wonderful social lives are the best gift. 
I've been fairly active here with a great new man in my life and a very supportive group of women friends.  Work is hectic right now but rewarding.  Did some housecleaning last night to get a jump on the weekend.
I have a question though.  My surgery date is coming in October and I'm not really preparing my self in any way.  Still eating normal and exercising little and this is making me somewhat nervous.  Only instructions I got from surgeons office is clear liquids on the day before surgery and try to lose some weight.  Should I be trying harder to prepare myself?  What do you suggest?
XOXO, Carmel Valley Linda

linda...i know how i ate before surgery and it wasn't pretty...but....i did have to eat foods that my wls makes everyone eat so that the liver shrinks for easier surgery on the person...sooooo if i were you and having to eat only liquids day before..i would try to lose some weight now to help your dr out while he/she does your surgery!! also you will shrink your liver too...just my opinion...hope this helps you out...

hugs

Thanks Judy,  I know that your sage advice is correct..  Now...if you could just give me a swift kick in the butt to get me started?  
CV Linda

Linda:

AchievOne is a prepared protein drink ... it's like a latte. So if you like coffee, you'd like this. It comes in little glass bottles. I get a case of 12 for $32 ... you can order it online too, and it's a little cheaper but then the shipping kills ya. You might be able to find it somewhere in your market. Anyway, it's 120 calories, 20 g of protein, very low carb and it has coffee in it, so I love it. It's my breakfast. It comes in four flavors: cappucino (my fav), mocha java, hazelnut and vanilla nut. I know, I know, people tell I'd be better off with a powdered protein and making me own, but I'm lazy ... I like this better. It's the only protein drink I like.

Linda, my bariatric center put me on a two-week supplemented fast. What that was was basically an 800-calorie, high protein, low carb diet ... we had to use their protein supplements to lose weight before surgery and shrink the liver. Now, your doctor isn't asking you to do that, but it wouldn't hurt. You could do your own with protein drinks and bars (the brand we used was called barix ... you can find them on obesity help and other sites ... I think netrition.com has them too ... they have chili and spaghetti and soups) or you could do something like slimfast but the high protein/low carb ones. You want to get your body as healthy as possible before surgery. Ask your doctor first, though. I'm not a doctor ... Does your surgeon's office have a nutritionist? Or any after-care program? If not, you might want to ask about a referral to one to get yourself ready for post-op too.

I find it amazing how many bariatric surgeons just do the surgery and then don't do any after-care; you really need the nutritional education and exercise direction too and the support groups, otherwise, you're going to go back to the old habits really quickly. And then they don't provide the psychological support either ... and we all know how much of our eating is emotional ... I know I would have gone backward if I didn't have my psychologist and all of my online sisters and brothers here on OFF to vent to and keep me on track.

Linda, please contact me if you have any other questions or concerns. I'd be glad to help you if no one is around to lend a hand or an ear.

Thanks Eileen.  You really rock!!!! 
AchievOne sounds like my new favorite drink and I will look for it. 
Your suggestions are right on.  There is a nutritionist and after care locally but it's a little confusing because my insurance is sending me to another surgeon in Fresno.  I have two follow up appointments with him then they transfer me back to after care locally.

With appreciation, Linda