Do I know what today is???

Of course I do ... IT IS THE MONTHLY ANNIVERSARY OF THE DATE I TOOK MY LIFE BACK FROM MORBID OBESITY.... 6 years and 5 months ago today...

I am determined not to forget the 5th day of every month and every year since that day on 2-5-07 when I had my RNY gastric bypass surgery and I took my life back from morbid obesity determined that it would be for good.  This was my commitment to me a promise to myself that I WILL KEEP.  This day is my monthly surgery anniversary and I too will celebrate it as I celebrate every day that I am blessed with the miracle of a new awakening...

From a highest weight of 327 pounds to a total loss of 203 pounds and maintaining for 6 years and 5 months today I went from this...

to this....

4 years and 8 months ago exactly at 18 months post weight loss surgery I had an insurance paid infraumbilical panniculectomy.... this was me after getting home from the ambulatory surgery suit ... at my lowest weight...

and this was yesterday  7/4/2013... at my maintenance weight today....

and could not decide whether to wear the green or the red bikini teeeeee heeeeeeee who would have thunk ... my old fart arse in a bikini today? 

I spent an awesome day yesterday ... I swam laps in the pool and relaxed at home finally beginning to unpack my collection of porcelain and handmade dolls ... I have a doll collection with dolls from all over the world... some are from my travels... others are gifts from friends and family members abroad who know just how much I love love love dolls .... and I keep them all .... because somewhere in my heart remains a girl with a great love for dolls... 

Here I am yesterday taking a break from setting up my dolls enjoying half a mango from Trade Joe's ... YUM ... I cannot imagine life without a serving of fruit per day.... I can no longer manage nor want to a whole mango ... but I love a half of one or cutting it up in cubes in my salad ....

and me and my toy poodle Pierre trying to get at my mango ...

This morning I took my picture in front of one of my several doll displays .... I finally got to unpacking my dolls since I moved in December ... lawdy .... there are at least 9 bins of dolls from all over the world left to unpack...

I also had my dolls assorted at my former house ... there were two chests and over 9 bins when I packed them all ...and will get to these next...

so far this is the doll display I worked on yesterday...

 I am trying to find my larger porcelain dolls that I had sitting and decorating my rocking chairs ... they were at least 37" tall and beautiful .... I am still awaiting the molds to repair my dolly that my son gave me... in the meantime I stuck a fan in her hand after using epoxy to glue the broken pieces of her face bac****il I can fire up my kiln and pour and bake and paint her a face...

This is me this morning...

and this is my empowerment collage ... my entry in my digital journal "A Picture a Day Keeps the Pounds and Inches Away" .... DO I KNOW WHAT TODAY IS???? you bet! it is the monthly anniversary of the date when I took my life back from morbid obesity... I AM NOT GOING BACK! I have choices and a commitment to ME!!!!

Thanks for allowing me to share .... SNIPPETS OF MY JOURNEY!!!

"Change your thoughts and you change your world." ~Norman Vincent Peale

Your Awesome!!! Im one of your biggest fans!! Congrats!!

Thank you Brenda ...and I am your fan too.... I am STILL drooling over yours and MissCalla's homes ... I have some awesome ideas developing from both you guys sharing your pictures of your awesome homesteads ... I have so many extra rooms in this huge house that I am getting some great ideas .... now your to die for landscape and awesome home I will live through your pictures vicariously ... I LOVED LOVED LOVED the bear, the deer, your AWESOME kitchen, but the logs and the woodwork OMG to DIE FOR....

Awww Thanks so much!!!

Happy monthly anniversary!! I love that you still celebrate every single month. You are such an inspiration. Thank you for sharing yourself with us here! I love seeing before and afters. It's so motivating. Good luck getting all your dolls unpacked! :)

Thank you Nicky ... it is my goofy way of keeping myself encouraged ... I was a royal mess physically prior to surgery and having had a post-op complication and a lengthy recovery I am determined not to ever forget ....

I will definitely need good luck unpacking all the dolls YIKES ... it should have been done months ago but some of those labels came off the bins and I get all overwhelmed with all the other unpacked stuff in storage areas in the basement so I have been pulling a Scarlet O'hara LOL "I can't think about that right now. If I do, I'll go crazy. I'll think about that tomorrow." 

I just came to the loser's bench on tuesday, july 2nd, although I have been a member of OH since December. I have read many of your posts and am always inspired by photos and words of encouragement! Thanks for always being such a woman of positive words! Thank you so much!

Connie

Thank you Connie ... How AWESOME of you landing on the loser's bench 3 days ago today CONGRATS TO YOU!!! I wish you nothing but the best on this never ending but most awesome journey .... you have my full support and encouragement in any measure that I can ... thank you for allowing me to share my goofy snippets ... they do keep me encouraged .... 

Thanks for sharing your daily post with us. You and your amazing XS clothes! I wish I had half your fashion sense! My husband has better fashion sense than I do and he is helping me learn not to dress like a morbidly obese old lady. I am making progress and now own a multitude of colorful camisoles in size small! I could never have imagined this before. Hope you have a supet FFriday!

I love love love a colorful camisole .... how awesome you now have several of them in size SMALL too WOOT and WOOT again for you!!! what an awesome start ... now just jump in and get bold my beautiful sista ... how great to have the support of your DH too .... you DO have a fashion sense ... we all do ... I for one don't know what the heck I am doing half the time .. I just know I love love love fabric and colors and shapes and I just dare to put them all together .... CONGRATS on your awesome progress and I wish you a super fabulous Friday too!!!