NSV or creepy encounter???

I am almost all caught up on blogs. I finally got to my special day on the BOOB's blog. It's like having my name in lights. Pretty freaking cool. And thank you for all the awesome comments. You guys make my day!!

I really need to be getting to bed but I just wanted to leave you all with something funny that happened today. I'm not sure if you'd call it an NSV or a just a creepy encounter....I'm still on the fence.

So I went over to the grocery store today to get something for lunch. I was standing at the deli counter waiting in line when a very elderly gentlemen, way older than my dad, had to be in his 70's, forgot his dentures, and smelled like Pepto Bismal, starts talking to me out of the blue. At first I didn't realize it was me he was talking to. He said something about how the prices of things keep going up. I was polite and agreed. Small talk in the deli line....me thinking I'd be nice because he probably doesn't get out much. Then the conversation talks an awkward turn....

Pepto Man: Do you live around here?

Me: No, I live south of here.

Pepto Man: names a few towns around here

Me: says town I live in (is this line EVER going to move? and why the hell did I just tell a weird old man that?)

Pepto Man: Do you like to dance?


Me: No, not really. (holy shit, this just took a really awkward turn...and is he trying to hit on me? Seriously??) 

Pepto Man: Would you like to go for a walk sometime?

Me: I don't think my husband would like that very much.

And then it was his turn at the counter and while he was talking to the deli clerk I ducked out of line.

So...I ask you...what the hell was that??? Seriously he could have been my grandpa!! Ewww!!! Double ewww!! I need to take a shower!!

Of course I was wearing Carmen's pants today so I'm going to blame it on her. It's all Carmen's fault!

And then.......

Time to catch up on blogs. You have all been busy little bloggers the past few days haven't you? We went camping over the weekend and yesterday we cleaned out the trailer and my youngest had karate. So I am just now getting to sit down and read blogs.

AND

I noticed I have a lot more followers. Thank you all so much for following me. If I'm not following you and you would like me to follow you please leave me a link to your blog in a comment and I'll be right over :)

AND

I was Blogger of the Day at BOOB's!! How cool is that? I haven't had a chance to read the blog yet, I just saw it for a second as I was scrolling through my dashboard to see how far behind I am. But, I'm headed there right now.

AND

I promised a picture blog. It's coming, I promise. But honestly, I might not get to it this week. We're going camping again for Labor Day, so there's a lot to get ready for that. And I really need to get some clothes together and in the mail. And I have made a commitment to myself to exercise for at least 30 minutes every day this week.

I'll be back...headed to immerse myself in blog heaven now :)

New Bandster & Mom's Chili

Hey Everybody! There is a new bandster in town and she could really use lots of Sisterhood lovin' and support. Her name is Angela and her blog is A Better Me :)    She had her surgery a week ago and she's having a really hard time right now. AND if things aren't crazy enough when you first have surgery....she became a new foster-mom to a 2 day old baby just 5 days before her surgery. Hell I could barely take care of myself after surgery let alone the thought of a new baby. She's a single mom with 2 of the cutest girls and now a new baby. Please visit her blog and give her a big hug!

I had lots of good ideas for blog posts this week, one of them with lots of pictures for Sandy Lee's picture-post challenge. Alas, it will have to wait. Hubby started back to school and started back to work all in the same 24 hours. And my son is finally growing, that's the good news. The bad news is his bones are growing faster than his ligaments. So when the bone in his foot grew, the ligament wasn't as fast and the ligament broke a piece of bone off his foot. It's very painful and he's miserable. No karate for 3 weeks. No jumping, no running, no kicking. It's been one day and he's already driving me crazy! I'll get the picture post up, just don't throw tomatoes :)

Tonight I'm getting Chili ready for the crock pot tomorrow. Actually, I'm putting all together in the crock and putting it in the fridge for hubby to put in the pot tomorrow. I have never done it the night before so hopefully it will turn out ok. And since I have the recipe handy I thought I'd share it with all my sisters here.


Mom's Chili

2 lbs lean ground beef, cooked & drained
3 cans kidney beans (I like to use 3 different kinds of beans)
3 small cans tomato sauce
3 reg cans stewed tomatoes (regular stewed tomatoes, the kind with celery, peppers, and onion)
1 small onion, chopped
1 tsp dry mustard (it has to be dry mustard)
2 or 3 beef bullion cubes
garlic salt or powder - couple sprinkles
1 glug worcestershire sauce
1 glug apple cider vinegar
3 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
little bit of brown sugar (I just get a small handful out of the canister)

Crock Pot: Combine everything together in a large crock pot (I have an oval one) and cook for about 6 hours on high.

Stove Top: Combine everything in a large stock pot. Bring to a boil. Simmer for 2 hours. It's much better in the crock pot but I have done it this way in a pinch.

This is thick chili, so if want it more saucy then only use 1 lb of hamburger. Or sometimes I'll only use 1 lb of hamburger and add more beans. This is great to freeze in individual servings for lunches at work. And it's a yummy mushy too!!

Random Thoughts, Why's, and Observations

I haven't posted for a few days so I thought I'd do a quick (is that even possible for me?) recap of the week. I'm going to use bullets so hopefully that will keep me from blabbering.

• That fill of .5cc I had last week? It's gone. I had an unfill yesterday. I only wanted about 1/2 of it taken out but the nurse took the whole damn thing. I'm not happy about it. I wasn't having night reflux or throwing up but I was getting stuck after 3 bites of anything, was having a hard time getting all my water to go down, and I noticed the past few days I was looking for slider foods to avoid the stuck. I feel much better now, but worried that I won't have good restriction when the swelling goes down. big sigh.

• My scales landed right back where they were last Friday, 287.2, so no loss this week. Not a big mystery why...I only exercised one day this week, the day I did 3.5 miles at the gym. And every meal except breakfast for the past week was an eat-out meal. I hate cooking when it's hot outside (ok, anytime really).…hate the smells, hate the left-overs tempting me, hate the grocery shopping and hate the mess & clean-up. Yes, I realize if I am going to really be successful at losing this weight then I need to at least get used to cooking at home.

• A few days ago the home page of Ro@m@n's was sporting GOLD METALLIC leggings. Seriously…do these look flattering on anybody?!? It's one of those things where you shake your head, blink a few times and try to make the image go away. And all you can do is ask WHY? The only place I have seen anyone wearing anything like that is in People of Walmart emails. I just don't get it!!

• I bought the dress for dress-up night in Chicago. I can't wait to wear it!!

• I'm not sure if this is an NSV or a fluke, but I haven't had any allergies this year. None. Not even a sneeze. For as long as I can remember by mid July I would have itchy eyes, sneezing, throat itched and would get a 3-mth sinus infection. I was miserable until we had a good hard freeze generally toward the middle or end of October. It was just SOP that I would be getting at least 2 kenelog shots, along with the osteoporosis scare that goes along with them. This year…I haven't even had to take a Claritin. I drive by the grain and potato fields every day so I know all the allergy crap is out there. But now, I roll down my windows when I drive by. The only thing that has changed is the 40 pounds I've lost. I'm not counting it out yet, but I'm gong to enjoy it while the allergies are gone.

• I'm leaving work today at noon. We're going to Jellystone (that's Yellowstone for you yung-uns that don't know Yogi bear). It's our first camping trip in our new camp trailer…it's not new, but new to us….we've never had a trailer before so I am so stoked!! And it's the first camping trip for our dog. She's 8 yrs old but she still thinks she's a puppy and she is going to love the lake!

• Inquiring minds want to know....will Drazil's real name be revealed in Chicago? Is she in the witness protection program? CIA? Does she even know her real name? Does Rambo call her Drazil? I've often wondered about this. In my head I see her as a Nikki. Should we all take a guess as to what her real name is and the winner will get a prize? Of course that means she would have to be willing to reveal her real name, and maybe it's more fun just knowing her as Drazil. Yup, I really need to get a life! LOL

• This one is for the BOOB's planners. Would it be possible to find out what sizes those that are participating in the swap need and/or want? I have a lot of clothes, but mostly in 28/26 sizes and I think most of us are in smaller sizes than that. It would be helpful if I knew that someone could use those clothes, otherwise I would like to send them to someone not going to Chicagoor give them to our local shelter.

That's it….ok, I really suck at short and sweet, I admit, I'm guilty! Have a fantabulous weekend everybody!!

I did it! I really did it!

Until today I have been consistently walking 2.5 miles on the treadmill, 2-3 times a week, and being exhausted when I was done. But this week I decided I was going to push myself to 3 full miles.  Today, on the treadmill at the gym, I walked and walked and walked some more. I just kept going. And I finally made it 3.1 miles, a full 5K....and I did it in 52 minutes. Ok, so the time isn't that great, but the fact that I lasted that long is a miracle in itself.

Then, when I passed the 3.1 mile mark....I kept going. Oh yes I did!! I walked for a full hour for a total of 3.56 miles.


I did a 5 minute warm up at 3.5 mph, then did 1 minute at 4 mph, then alternated between 4 minutes at 3.5 mph and 1 minute at 4 mph. The last 5 minutes I walked 2.5 minutes at 3.5 mph then 2.5 minutes at 3 mph. When I was doing 4 mph my heart rate was 128-129. I will be 40 in October, I weigh 287 pounds. So I think I did pretty good :)

I'm going to try to go back tomorrow and do the same thing. We'll see how sore I am in the morning.

Have a Terrific Tuesday everybody!!!

BYOC

1.  Do you remember your last dream?

*Yes - I had the same dream about my mom again. I am at a train station and I see what I think is my mom in the crowd ahead of me, but I know she died a long time ago. Then, she turns and I see her and I know it's her and I call out to her. She turns and looks at me and I know she sees me. Then she turns and runs to jump on the train. I run after her, calling for her. I am running to catch up with the train and I see her in the window looking at me, but never calling back to me. It's like she never died but was hiding from us all this time. I hate that damn dream!



2.  Which is your favorite body part of the human body and why?

*  On a man, my favorite body part is his arms. I don't like big muscle-busting body builder arms. That's just not attractive to me. And I never thought about arms before I met my husband. But I truly love his arms. He doesn't have obvious huge biceps, but you can definitely tell they are there. And when he puts his arms around me and I feel the strength and the safety in his arms I know there is nowhere else on earth I could ever feel that way. I love holding his arm when we are dressed up, my hand above the bend of his elbow. He tells me I'm his arm candy, and I like that.


On a woman, I like her hair. Is that a body part? I always notice a woman's hair. I have a hard time getting my straight, fine hair to do anything presentable. So, I am always impressed with women that have great hairstyles.

3.  Tell me about your first kiss...

* It was the summer before I turned 14, my family had just moved to a new state. I didn't even really have friends where we lived before, so a boy that wanted to talk to me was like the twilight zone. His was 16. He had the bluest eyes I've ever seen, was very tall, broad shoulders, and he shaved, in my eyes he was a *real* man. And my dad hated him, which made him even more attractive. Every time I was around him I felt like I was going to throw up, my ears would get hot, and I couldn't form complete sentences. I was so twitterpated. We talked almost every day when I would take our dog for a walk. He would wait for me in his yard. One day I was riding my bike and he stopped me and asked me if I had ever been kissed before. I lied. Then he told me that he wanted to kiss me. It was awkward and I didn't even know what I was doing. We dated for 2 years then broke up. We stayed friends and kept in touch until I was about 22, then we just kind of fell away from each other. My sister saw him a couple weeks ago, turns out he lives on the other side of the pasture from my best friend in high school. He asked about me. My sister told him I was married, and he said to tell me hi. awww memories...

4.  How big is your bed?

* We have a regular full sized bed. We cuddle most of the night so it works for us. I like being able to reach out my arm during the night and be able to touch him and know he's there.


5.  Repeat question....whose blog or comment stuck with you the most this week and why? 

*  I really have to say Kerri's answers about herself when she accepted her Versatile Blogger award. Specifically what she had to say about her son. I know what she is going through, I have been there, and my heart goes out to her. It took a lot of courage for her to put that out there, she is a very strong woman! I can't wait to meet her in Chicago and give her a hug!

When 4 becomes 10....a real honest-to-goodness band post

I had a fill today. It was very interesting. Not interesting like how does a kid get a matchbox car up his nose. But interesting like why the hell wasn't I told THAT!

I have had 3 fills, the first was 2 cc's, the second was 1 cc, the third was .5 cc. So, doing the math that would be 3.5 cc's. I wanted another .5 cc so that would give me 4 cc in my 14 cc band. Remember this...it will be important....and there will be a quiz.

Let me start at the beginning since I don't think I've ever really brought you along on a fill appointment before. I always weigh in first. Their scales are always about 3 pounds off from mine, but then I weigh in the morning at home and I'm always at the clinic in the afternoon. The scales said the exact same as they did 2 weeks ago, 291. No big surprise there. Two weeks ago I told the nurse I didn't want a fill. I felt pretty good, was staying full for 4 hours on about 1 1/2 cups of food and didn't feel that I needed a fill. About 3 days later I started losing restriction. The past week or so I've been eating a full plate of food and wanting seconds. I didn't eat seconds but I really wanted to. Oh...I did too eat seconds 1 time when we had a luncheon at work and I had 2 bowls of apple crisp with ice cream. It was damn good too!! And I've been hungry about 2 hours after eating. A fill was definitely in order.

To get a fill I have to talk to the exercise physiologist and the nutritionist. And they both have to agree to the fill. The exercise guy is way gung ho about weight training, not so much for cardio. I've been walking, not weight training. So he wasn't too happy about that. Weight training is still really hard for me to get in and out of the circuit machines but I told him I'd work on it.

Then the dietitian comes in the room next. She's new. I feel a little awkward telling her what I'm eating and how I'm doing. Didn't get a good 'vibe' from her. But she agreed to a fill so I can't complain too much.

The nurse comes in. She's new too! I had just gotten used to everyone that was there before and now the 2 people I liked the most are gone. Not feeling the love at that point.

So the nurse is looking at my chart and asks when I had surgery. Then asks me some dumb questions that are already in my chart, I don't have time for small talk, I need to get the fill and get back to work. Yea, I was getting a little testy by then. She did the fill, didn't seem to have as much difficulty finding my port as the other nurse, so that really impressed me. Then she's handing me the water to drink and she says......


wait for it.........


'That gives you 10'

Me: 10 what?

Nurse: 10 cc's of fluid in your band

Me: (thinking...What the fuck!) saying....ummm you said you were only going to give me .5 cc's (and I'm starting to freak out a little).

Nurse: I did give you .5 cc's. I drew out 9.5 cc's and added another .5 for a total of 10.

I guess I must have had that deer in the headlights look on my face because she showed me my chart. And there it was. At my first fill appointment I already had 2 cc's in my band, that the surgeon must have put in at the time of my surgery. My first fill was.....get this....6 mother effing cc's!! The pain I had in my shoulder I had for a week after my first fill and the ache in my neck and throat makes a little more sense now. After that 1st fill I asked the nurse how much I had and she told me 2 cc's. Obviously she meant before the fill, not after. I took it to mean 2 cc's after the fill.

So...I have 10 cc's in my 14 cc band. I am 3 months and 1 week out from surgery. I am a little freaked out. Does this make me a higher risk for erosion? Slipping? I feel like this is a lot of fluid so soon and there isn't a lot of room left for future fills in the next year. I'm close to the sweet spot, I had it for a couple weeks and then lost it. So what happens if I get to 12 or 13 cc's and lose it again? Where do I go from there? I was really feeling good that I haven't had a BP experience or thrown up anything. I attributed that to only having 3.5 cc's of fluid in my band. Now that I know I have 10, what does that mean? Do I really not have the restriction I thought I did? Am I just a really good chewer?

So how many cc's did you have at 3 months? How many cc's did you have at your first good restriction? 

In other news.....I found a black dress for BOOB's that I really like, it's classy, sophisticated, not clingy, perfect. But it's spendy. I don't know if I can justify the cost for a dress that I will likely only wear one time. If I thought it would still fit in December for the Army Ball I'd buy it in a heartbeat. On the other hand, I found a sassy blouse in a dark plum color that would be very cute with the black pants Carmen sent me. The blouse is a fourth the cost of the dress, not as dressy but would be acceptable. Decisions, decisions. Is anyone else going to wear dress pants? Or would pants be under-dressed? The fun, flirty side of me wants you all to tell me to get the dress. The practical, penny pincher says the blouse. What do you think....the dress or pants?

I've got some blogs to catch up on so I'm closing for now. Catch ya all later :)

Nasty Habit....revisited

Just had to make one quick comment. Believe it or not, I am capable of a *short* post. Sheeesh!!

So....the previous post I did about the questions on Dazee Dreamer's blog. Specifically the question about What is your nastiest habit? Yea, I decided I have nasty habit. And it's a juicy one.

**Gross out alert!!**

I like to pop pimples. Especially the big juicy ones. It doesn't matter if they are mine or my husband's or my son's, or anyone else's. I'll pop it! When my son was in high school and he was in wrestling his back would get covered in zits. I paid him a dollar a piece to let me pop them. It was awesome!!

In my defense...I inherited the trait. My mom was the same way. She would pin my dad again the sink, tell him to 'assume the position' and go to work on his back. She took my sisters under her wing and taught us the joys of popping the little suckers, the poppers, the squirters, the wormy black heads. Good times!! A good zit can turn a frown upside down :)

Ok.....I promise this is my last post today, really I do.

Clothes for the taking and Facebook

3rd blog today. I'm on a roll...or bored. Take your pick :)

I have 4 pair of Lane Bryant size 7 blue dot jeans. They are the boot-cut kind so they don't have a huge flair leg. I also have a couple other capris, 26/28 (3X) tops that either are too big for me now or will be by the time we all go to Chicago. If anyone would like these just let me know and I'll take them with me for you.

I have a Facebook page. If you are bored you can find me there at *****. I don't talk about my band on FB, but will talk about my weight loss. I would love to have more friends. Oh, and I don't play Farmville or Farm Town or any of the other games so if you send me a request for a game and I ignore it please don't get your feeling hurt...mmmkay??


It's hubby's Army Reserve drill weekend. So, we're just hanging out in the hotel today. K2 went swimming for about 1/2 hour then wanted to come back to the room to watch Shark Week. Been hanging out in the room most of the day. We normally come with hubby when he does drill; it's usually a relaxing weekend and I get to visit with the Reserve wives and girlfriends. Tomorrow is family day so we'll all be going to a day-long picnic. I always enjoy family day and the kids get to play with friends that they don't get to see very often.

My Soldier just got here so I guess we're going to get some dinner. I'll be back (in my best Arnold Schwarzenegger voice).

I'm doing another question & answer blog. This one comes from Dazee Dreamer at Crazy Daze & Nite Dreams. I like the questions so here it goes....

1.) Tell us one nasty habit you have--we all know you have one!

I didn't really think I had any nasty habits. I'm a lady, ya know! So, I asked my son. Without even hesitating you said 'You have the worst farts!' So there you have it. I have nasty farts. Hey, I live in a house full of boys, if you can't beat em, join em.

2.) You are able to hire one of the following-which is it? Maid, Chef, Gardener.

Maid!! Oh I would love a maid. My niece used to scrub my kitchen floor, do the windows and bathrooms, dishes, the whole house for $50. Then she got a real job and doesn't have time for me anymore. Spoiled brat. Now I have to do it. The thing is...since I have lost some weight it's not so bad to do all that stuff. It used to be that just mopping the kitchen floor would exhaust me for the rest of the day. Now it doesn't even phase me. But I still want a maid, at least to clean the bathroom. With 4 boys in the house the bathroom gets scary!!

3.) Would you sacrifice one of your fingers for half a million dollars?

This is a tough question. Can I pick which finger? I don't need my left thumb to type, so that would be a good one to lop off. Seriously though.....if I needed the money for my kids, like say they needed an operation or had a chance to attend Harvard or something then I wouldn't hesitate for a minute. But if it was just to have the money then I'm not sure I could do it. Half a million would pay off my house, pay for a few killer vacations, a new car and a new truck for hubby, and have a lot left to invest. But it's not enough that I'd feel comfortable enough to quit working. Hmmmm can I trade the finger for a love handle? LOL

4.) Tell us how your husband popped the question? (If you're not married how would you want someone to pop the question?)

My Soldier & I went to Jackson Hole for a weekend get-a-way for Valentines Day. Snowmobiles scare me and I hate being cold. So what better way to spend Valentines Day than being up before the butt-crack of dawn to ride on snowmobiles from Jackson Hole to Old Faithful in Yellowstone? It's about an 8 hour ride for the round trip, I was reluctant to say the least. Yellowstone in the winter is closed to cars, only a certain number of snowmobiles are even let into the park each day. And it is spectacular! If you have ever been to Yellowstone in the summer you know how beautiful it is. But it does not compare to the winter. It's like being on the moon. A whole other world. Incredible. Breathtaking. I was in awe!! And I wasn't cold. We got to Old Faithful about noon and as we were standing on the boardwalk and Old Faithful starting going off my husband pulled a little box out of his pocket, got down on one knee and asked me if I would spend the rest of my life with him. It was so beautiful! Everyone around us from the tour was staring at us. A little girl yelled 'Say Yes'. And I did. I started crying and my tears froze to my face. When we got back to town he thanked the tour guide for taking him out with his girlfriend and bringing back his fiancee.


5.) Is there anyone that has ever done you so wrong that you just can't forget or forgive them...at all?

 Yes. I don't really want to get into it here, now. I'm working on a couple posts that may or may not get published in the future that would talk about this. Basically I have the attitude that if you hurt me once shame on you, hurt me twice shame on me. I also believe in second chances, but trust is a biggie with me and if someone burns that then it's really hard for me to ever trust them again.

6.) Do you believe that people should wait until marriage to have sex? Why or why not?

I was raised to wait. But I didn't. I don't think it's realistic in our culture or times or whatever you want to call it. I think you can talk to your kids until you are blue in the face, tell them why you want them to wait, that sex is special and should be saved. But honestly, when they are in that situation, 75% of the time hormones will override parents words.

I have told my son that he should wait, gave him all the reasons why, but in the end I just hope that when he does have sex that he'll be smart and use condoms. I put condoms in his stocking last year at Christmas because I knew he was already having sex and wanted him to be safe. He's only had 3 girlfriends, the last one he was with for over a year. So it's not like he's being a gigolo. And for me, I can't imagine marrying someone without test-driving the merchandise first. I mean really, what if you got married and then you were totally incompatible in bed? What if he has some really weird fetish? Or wants you to do something you don't want to do? Yea...I say take the test drive.

That's it. I love Dazee's question & answer posts. I might do more of them. :)

BYOC....BLTN (Better Late Than Never)

**I've tried 3 times to fix the highlighting, but obviously I'm just making it worse. If someone can tell me how to do that I would really appreciate it.**

1. This is something a bit different and comes from my lovey dove Barbara (My NEW LIFE rules). It’s called “Which one would you rather?”….

Tom Cruise or
Tom Brady?

Mr. Big (Sex and the City) or
Tony Little (excercise nut)?

Whoopi Goldberg or
Making whoopi?

I have no idea who Tom Brady is...I don't remember anyone named Tom from The Brady Bunch. So yea, no clue. Tom Cruise is a Froot-Loop...he scares me. I'm sure one day Suri will write a best seller called Daddy Dearest. So my vote is neither.

Mr. Big! No contest. Chris Noth is yummy!! Tony Little is also a Froot-Loop. Tom Cruise and Tony Little should be locked in a little house with cameras for the next reality TV show. Tony could yell at Tom to jump higher and faster on the couch to burn more calories. Tom could turn Tony into a Scientologist. At the end the audience will vote them both off the show and into a nut house :)

Making Whoopi!! This is a trick question, right?!?!

2. I know some of us have discussed this before but I’ve been thinking and hearing it more in blog land as many of you are getting closer to goal. How do you feel about plastic surgery? What lengths would you go to in order to achieve it?

For me it's not a matter of *if* but *when*. I want to be healthy, yes. But I do not want to look like a melted candle. My thighs are HUGE. My thigh is only 2 inches smaller than my bra band. Yea, that bad. So, I will definitely need a thigh lift. BUT what bothers me more than that is my arms. They are already getting flappy and I hate it. I figure I can hide my thighs under jeans. I gave up on mini skirts in Jr High. But, I love me some tank tops. So, an upper arm lift will be priority 1. And since the doctor will already be there I want the thigh lift, boob lift (I'm a DD now, I'd love to lose enough to be a D or just a C). And a lower body lift. Not so sure about a tummy tuck...not sure how I would handle not being able to stand up straight for 5 months and losing feeling in my stomach. So I am VERY pro plastic surgery...I figure God gave us this gift and it would be such a shame to not use it ;)

3. What’s your favorite website?


Lately I spend the majority of my on-line time at Blogger. I love getting to know everybody and the support and encouragement I receive is priceless!


4. What’s your best tip for having a great vacation? (Yes, this is me being selfish….getting slightly nervous about my first vacay ever in 13 DAYS!)

Don't let yourself get so exhausted that you aren't having fun anymore. I like to plan a day about half-way through our vacations where nothing is scheduled for that day. We sleep in, lay by the pool, order room service and re-boot, I might not even put make-up on that day. It really helps me to not be so stressed out and keeps me from becoming psycho-mom.


5. Repeat question….which blog or comment stuck with you the most this week and why?

I am loving the BOOB's Feature of the Day. I look forward to it and read it first. I just hope I can match the blog with the face when I get to Chicago. I have a huge fear that I will start talking to someone about a post they did that really touched me and after I've gushed for 5 minutes they tell me it wasn't them. AWKWARD!

So much to catch up on...

I have a lot to talk about so I'm just going to jump right in....

I received a lovely package with the sweetest card from Carmen on Monday. She sent me some very nice black dress pants. They fit perfect!! I was a little worried when I tried on size 24 jeans this weekend and they fit. But the ones Carmen sent me are dress pants and they are a Lane Bryant 7 red dot. I love how they aren't saggy in my butt but they aren't clingy on my legs either. I love them! Thank you Carmen ever so much!! I will try to get a picture of me wearing them in the next couple days.

If you haven't heard yet on Stephanie's blog.....I am going to Chicago!! Oh yea baby!! I got the time off cleared at work and Hubby is very supportive of me going....so it's a go. I'm looking for a room-mate so if you don't have one and I don't scare you too much then holler at me. I snore but I don't bite ;-)  I can't wait to meet everyone....I am so freaking stoked! Can you tell I'm excited? Yea, just a little :)

To all my followers...I am really trying to get through everyone's blogs from the beginning of the year. I think I may have bit off a little more than I can chew. So, I am bending my promise just a little....I'm going to read at least the past full month through the current month. I'm so sorry, please don't hate me. When I only had like 30 or so followers it wasn't so hard, but now I have many more and I want to be able to get to know everyone. Please understand. And....I have been finding it difficult to find links to some blogs or maybe not everyone has one, I'm not sure. So, please help me find your blog by leaving a comment with a link to your blog if I am not already following you. And if I am already following you then please feel free to leave a comment anyway...no pressure...but if you leave me a comment I will heart you forever and ever ;-)

Good news on the band front....the scales have moved into the 80's. I loved the 80's...I graduated high school in 1988, big hair, big earrings, shoulder pads, parachute pants and hair bands. I still love the 80's. And this week I love them even more because they showed up on  my scales. But...all good things must end and I'm hoping that like big hair and parachute pants the 80's don't stick around long. I'm feeling a hankerin for the 70's. The scales today said 288...that's 1 pound from losing an official 40 pounds. FORTY POUNDS!! I love my band :)

AND I have received AWARDS. Yes, little ole me (ok so I'm not so little).

 I am SO flattered and shocked and grateful.....and very humbled (yes, I can at rare times, for brief nano-seconds feel that thing called humility). Thank you  Mary @ Being a Winner by Being a Loser and Amaris @ Distracted By Diets so much!! This really means a lot to me. I feel like I just ramble sometimes so that fact that you thought of me really means a lot.


Here are the rules for this award (and I hope it's ok that I kill 2 birds with one stone...ya know what I mean?)

1. Thank the person giving the award.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Nominate 15 newly discovered blogs.
4. Let your nominees know about the award.

1. See above.

2. Seven things about me...

• I love parrots! I used to do rescue and rehab with a bird club in another state. Geographically, it didn't work out so well. I have a separate room in our house designated as a bird room. My favorite parrots are African Greys, they are so freaking intelligent! I also love my Quaker parrot, he's such a love.
• I am not OCD...however, I am very CDO, which is like OCD but with the letters in alphabetical order the way they should be. I wrote a big long paragraph about this but then deleted it. I'll save it for a post another day.
• I really want to get my nipples pierced again. I want to do it as a surprise for my husband. I had them done when we met but then I had sinus surgery and had to take the rings out and they were closed by the time I got around to putting them back in. He asked me this weekend if I'd ever consider having them done again. October SO....BOOBS is the end of September. If I could find a place to do it in Chicago I could surprise him with it when I got home. Not sure how I would find a clean, respectable place in Chicago to do this....any ideas??? Anybody want to go with me?? I'll hold your hand and you can hold mine. Amy W, Stephanie, Pamela, Drazil?? Any takers??
• I only had to spend 3 months of my senior year in high school but I still graduated with my class. I was so sick of the drama and the cliques that I took summer school and night school so I could get enough credits to not have to go for the full year. A month after I turned 17 I was out of school, moved out of my parents house, packed up my car, and moved to Seattle. Best thing I ever did....never regretted it for a minute!
• I'm blunt, I don't beat around the bush, and I can get down right pissy when I get crossed. My boss says I'm abrasive. I say I get things done and I don't take shitty excuses. I do my job and I expect others to do theirs.
• I have had 2 partial hysterectomies. The first one was when I was 32, I had my uterus and right ovary removed, it was mostly elective. I was scared shitless of getting cancer and dying like my mom did and my right ovary showed signs of endometriosis on it, which was a pre-curser to my mom's cancer, at least that's what the doctor told us. When I was 35 I had the other ovary and my cervix removed. At least I know I won't die of ovarian cancer.
• I saved the best for last. Are you ready? Really? You might think you are, but you would never guess....

Are you sitting down?

 You'll never guess.....

I have been married 5 times. Yes FIVE. As in My Soldier is husband #5. I will be 40 this year, you do the math. It's ok, I'll give you a minute to pick your jaw up off the floor. Take a deep breath. It's ok.

It's not that I don't believe in the concept of marriage, the fact that I have been married so many times is because I DO believe in it and never gave up on it. I love being married to my husband!! Which is something I never could say before. I believe that life is short and that every woman and man deserves to happy, to be with someone that wants to be with them. And it takes 2 to make a relationship work. When one person gives up then all the love in the world cannot make the marriage work. I love my husband, with all my heart and soul, I love him! I can honestly say that I can see us growing old together, and that is something new for me. I'm working on a post to explain all this and husbands 1-4. It's taking some time and it's hard. But, like a post about my mom, it will be good for me. A cleansing of sorts. Please be patient with me, it will come in time.

3. Nominate 15 newly discovered blogs: (If you have already received the award please don't throw tomatoes at me, just add my name to the list of followers that think you are a motivational, rockin', versatile blogger)

Amy W @ Once Upon A Time...In the Land of Cheese & Sunkist
Drazil @ It's just Me, Drazil, & Sheniqua
Dazee Dreamer @ Crazy Daze & Nite Dreams
Scarlet Simple @ A 252 Pound Journey to Being Free 
Kate at Unleashing the Thin Girl
DiZneDiVa @ This one time at BAND Camp...
Jen @ It IS all about ME!
Grace @ Grace's Fat Chance
Cindylew @ Cindylew Who?? 
Mrs. Fatass @  Did I Just Eat That Out Loud?
Stephanie @ Dreams of Skinny High Heels 
Ice Queen @ Fat Like Me
Band Groupie @ The Sweet Spot
Kerri @ Just Me and My Band
Jen @ Jen's Lap Band Journey

Ok chickies...it's almost midnight so I'm off to visit dream land. Nite nite....don't let the bed bugs bite.

BYOC

I'm really far behind reading posts from the weekend. I wanted to do BYOC and update on the weekend and then I'm going to read all those comments in my In Box and try to get caught up on weekend blogs.

The weekend was great!! The Lady Antebellum/Tim McGraw concert was incredible, we had really good seats and I cried when Tim McGraw sang "If You're Reading This". I had a kraut dog at Wienerschnitzel, we were in Utah, of course I was going to have a kraut dog. We took flowers to my mom's grave...I miss her so much! DH took me shopping at the Hill Air Force Base BX and I got 2 new pair of pants and a new tank top and a new purse...yea, he spoils me. And....the pants are a size.....24!! Oh yes they are and they fit really good....and the tank top is a 1X, granted it's stretchy and it's a little snug across my stomach but the 2X was falling off my shoulders. And Saturday on the way home I got to meet another bandster...a real live one. She doesn't blog...yet. She's a journalist so I'm really hoping my sales pitch worked and we'll hopefully see her on here soon. Oh, her name is Amy. The best part was that I got to spend 36 solid hours with my husband sans kids. We really needed that.

Onto BYOC....


1.  What is your favorite genre of movies?  (comedy/romance/horror/action)

Is Twilight a genre? Can it be?? I say yes! I also like action/drama movies. Horror movies the least, except the Saw movies, loved the Saw movies!

2.  What do you order when you eat Chinese food?

 Pork & seeds, egg rolls, moo goo gai pan, chow mein, egg foo yung...not necessarily all at the same time :)

3.  Okay no one kill me for this one - and don't answer if you don't want to BUT I just saw some preview for Dr. Phil on swingers and I wondered - what's your take on swingers.....for it, against it, do it, would never do it, etc.?

I'd like to watch, but not sure about participating, does that make me a freak? I have family members that have been very active swingers, like advertising in magazines and going out of state for big parties. They stopped because there started to be some jealousy issues. They got divorced later...he has started swinging again...she still doesn't and says she never would do it again. When they were in the height of it I was very intrigued by it, my husband at the time really wanted me to to it. We tried a 3-some once and decided it wasn't for us. But for anyone else I say if it works for you go for it. Just be careful, have rules and follow them. I have seen what can happen you you don't.

4.  Let's go back to a repeat question.  Pick one thing you'll do one next week that is for your physical/mental health.

I am going to go to the gym at least 3 days this week.

5.  Repeat question.  Which blog or comment stuck with you the most this week and why?

Carmen's post about her mom. I actually read it 3 times before I could leave a comment. I cried every time I read it. So honest, so intimate, so powerful!!