TerriDoodle

WOW, Michelle!! Your husband takes WONDERFUL photos!! Is he a professional?? I love the skateboarder in New Orleans (I dug a little deeper in the blog)....and so many others. I'm envious of his talent!

I'm here...where is LAURA?? And TracyK I've still been working on these PPT slides...busy day! Tracy - I am sooooo glad you changed your mind. I was VERY, VERY disappointed that you didn't think you could make it . Thats just way wrong. I mean if Kat can change her NAME in order to make the trip, then surely you can manipulate a man, for cryin' out loud!!!

Oh, and I can't go to Spivak's support groups -- I have another obligation on Tuesday nights.

I'd KILL to weigh 155#!!! If you're losing, I wouldnt get a fill. I'm pretty much max'd out and I can tell you that being too tight is no fun! I'm okay for now but I couldn't take a drop more!

Great Lynn!! Thanks for sharing that! I won't be shopping for a tummy tuck...that's not my priority. I figured that's the kind of work that the PS does that speaks at the support groups. But still, I'll bet that Spivak can give me a referral for whatever i want done. I'll wait a few more months before persuing it...hopefully can lose at least another 20#! (I'm starting to wonder!)

I've seen members post here who were denied 3 or 4 times before they were approved!! APPEAL, APPEAL, APPEAL...Your doctor probably knows the routine and can be very helpful. Find out what you need to do and then do it! Be persistent!! You can do it!! I've seen it done many times!

Terry = 3!

Here are the things I've noticed that can affect the restriction of my band: Irritation from previous PB or sliming Stress Trying to eat after a workout Time of day (later is better) temperature of food texture of food (obviously) Amount of attention paid to chewing/swallowing Whether or not there are other people at the table with me I don't have periods, but that is a big factor reported all over the board Anytime within 2 weeks after a fill can be tricky Lots of factors here...so any combination of these can cause problems. For me the trick is this: chew, swallow, wait. If you feel pain, slow down. If not, chew, swallow, wait again! It's a ballet!!

Careful, Judy....you'll give Kat Question Mark Envy. Let's not get her more riled up than she already is.

Betsy - How's things with the GERD ....did cutting out the sweeteners do it for you?

Gina! I love your new avatar! We can FINALLY see who we're talking to. Each picture has gotten a little closer and closer....and now we can see how beautiful you are! Yea!!! WOW!! Isnt that the coolest!! That sounds like a LOT of work! How long have you been working on it? Have you always been in the travel biz? Do you have partners or what? Forget the questions...just give us the entire history! Kat, you always always crack me up!! Are the inlaws irritating you AGAIN? LOL So funny!! I never, never had sleep problems until I hit menopause (at the 'young' age of 46-47) and then sleep almost became impossible. I know you had your female organs all removed (right?) but maybe it's some other kind of hormone related problem or just something we go thru at this age. It sucks, I know. Just a word of warning, however. I started taking Tylenol PM because a friend recommended it. My doc said it was fine, but that all it really is is Benadryl (!!)...which is cheaper, so I would take that at night. Well, I didn't heed the label warnings which said to only take it for 7 days max in a row...and I became terribly irritable and depressed and finally figured out that was the reason. Have you ever taken yoga? OMG, they teach you so many wonderful methods of relaxation...it's very helpful. Or relaxation tapes? They work wonders as well. Try em all! You are under strict VIOLET ORDERS to take it easy today!! Let others do for YOU for a change!!! WOW!! What a great weekend!!!!!! What model did you get?? Drop top per chance?? I had a loaner car once....a little 330 or something and I LOVED driving that car!!! I swore that next car would be a BMW (I was driving an Avalon at the time) and for 3 years kept dreaming and planning which one I would get. In the meantime, Richard (dh) got a nice bonus and bought himself a beautiful red Lexus GS300. He drove it for a year and decided he wanted to go back to an SUV, so I got the Lexus. LOL.... I am way spoiled now!!! I still love Beemers, though and so does Richard. I'll drive this Lexus til the wheels drop off, I'm sure....but I still dream of having a little BMW drop top! Your weekend sounds absolutely heavenly. You might find this interesting.... kinda wierd subject but .... I typed out and put in our safe my "last wishes" because they're so NOT traditional! I wanted to make sure it was understood what I wanted. But I hate hate hate funerals...probably a throwback from attending my father's when I was 8 and being horrified at looking inside the casket. I just think they're horrible all the way around. Anyway, not surprisingly, I want to be cremated. And as for a 'memorial service' I just want all my friends and family to gather at a restaurant or someone's home and have a great meal and lots of great wine and just sit around and enjoy each other's company. That's all. But I want them to gather to celebrate life AND death....and if my name happens to come up in the conversation, they are welcome to talk about how wonderful I was. That's ok. As for my ashes, I want my husband, children and my 3 best friends to spread them at the top of Enchanted Rock on a breezy, clear Spring day. It's a special place in the very heart of the Texas Hill Country and it's perfect. Speaking of which....it's a perfect day again here. Think I'll get my shoes on and go for a splendid walk. HAYDEE!!! Forgot to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! :happybday: Hope you had a great weekend with your girlies! Love you all!!

Hi Diane - I just wanted to congratulate you on getting your TT. You look fantastic and I am so very happy for you!!! I can only imagine what a relief it is to get the worst behind you and only great things to look forward to now!! How exciting for you!

Hi Ya'll! We had a great time at the SPCA Mutt Strut! It's a beautiful day here today and the weather was perfect...sunny and 80 degrees. Saw dogs of all shapes and sizes...from Pomeranians to Pyranese! After that Hannah and I went to Old Town Spring...a historical section of a suburban town where they have lots of cute shops and we wore ourselves out there! I was BEAT when we got home and I haven't done much since!! The kids are at the movies and I'm going to hit the shower and get in my jammies. Kat - are you feeling better now?? Are you able to eat ok? Laura - Sorry about the DH trouble

Wow. What an emotional day for my Violets! Tracy - Having to "give up" possession of my children to live with their father was the absolute hardest thing I ever had to do ... but they were not adjusting well to their new schools and missing their friends in their old neighborhood and it's what they wanted. I sobbed for a week solid. And I wasn't even giving up a nano-fraction of what Damon is giving up. I admire him so much for doing the right thing because I know it went against everything in his being to sign those papers. Just as a young mother has to give up a baby for adoption because she cannot raise him is a great act of love, so is Damon's sacrifice. It will haunt him daily and forever. It will change him....hopefully somehow for the better. I know he has been a creep in so many ways, but in the end he did the right thing. I hope now he will just stay gone until Robby is of age where he can make up his own mind whether or not he wants a relationship with him. As Robby grows up, make sure he understands that his dad made a big sacrifice for him and that to sign those papers took a lot of courage and humility....and that in the end he did it because he loved him.

Most divorced parents have "joint custody" and an event like elective surgery would need to have the consent of both parents...at least that's the way it reads in my decree.

I am so sad (major understatement) to hear about those of you who were abused as children...the percentages are staggering. I've always wanted to get involved with the organization here in Houston that advocates for child victims of abuse but don't have the courage....I don't know if my heart could take it. I hate that about myself.

Not so much just 'in the evening'...but all day long while at work, especially. For example, yesterday I took the stairs 3 times where I normally would have taken the elevator (I work on the 6th floor). And I manage the deficit more from the other end...the eating side. I just like the feeling of control I have from hard numbers it provides. I am really looking forward to analyzing things after I've been wearing it for a month or so. I'm in a major plateau right now, so I'm hoping this will be helpful. Making a few changes to my exercise, too. Bottom line: I love my band(s)....both of em!!

It's quiet in here lately. Or is it just my imagination?

I've been wearing mine for 5 days now....it's a winner!! I really like it! Two thumbs up.

Here's a Body Bugg fun fact: You don't have to wear the bugg every day (like if you're wearing a sleeveless top or one with tight sleeves). I have been wearing mine every day this week and find that I burn pretty much the same calories during the day while I'm at work: 880-950 calories. So on days that I don't wear the bug, I can just plug that in as my calories burned for that time period and strap it on when I get home. I didn't have any problems wearing it under my clothes this week...and nobody noticed it that I know of.

Yea Jane!!!! Good girl!! I'm glad you're feeling better.One day at a time now. Pamela - Is the aide OK? What do ya'll do to kids that get into fights? In our school district they have a "zero tolerance" policy and the kids go straight to alternative school..."A-school" as they call it. It seems to keep the kids in line. My kids say they feel safe and don't have trouble with gangstas or anything like that....which is amazing considering it's a very mixed bag of kids. They also installed lots and lots of security cameras all over the schools this past summer which will be a great help in showing what "really" happened...as well as showing it to parents who don't believe their little angel could ever do anything like that! My daughter got punched in the face late last year but fortunately a teacher saw the whole thing....and THANK GOD my daughter didn't fight back...she just walked away! I was so proud of her for having the smarts to do that. She didn't get hurt beyond a slight shiner and the girl that hit her went to A-school. This year they stay far away from each other. (Oh, and the girl did end up calling Hannah to apologize.) I've got the day off tomorrow, going to the gym first thing, then the grocery store and then I get to do some beading! :mad: Saturday I walk in a 5K for the SPCA. I raised $750!!! I'm very excited about that. I'm not gonna confess nuthin'!!! :heh:

As Gayle said, you didn't hurt your band....but you'll get 'stuck' again someday! That's a promise! LOL

My doctor charged $12,900 and that included hospital, anesthesia and one year of follow-up (fills). It did not include any pre-op testing which might be required if you had serious co-morbidities like heart disease, diabetes, high BP, etc. You will find that the prices range anywhere from $10,000 - $20,000. It pays to shop around but I do advise that you have a surgeon close to home...or at least have a place close by to have your fills done after the surgery. If you line up a different place to do your fills, they may charge anywhere from $75 - $300 for a fill. Some may charge in a lump fee like $1500 for a year, something like that.

Well said, Judy!!

OMG Tracy!!!!!!! That's the best news I've had all year!!!!!!! Thank you, GOD Thank you, Lawyer Thank you, Shreck!! Thank you, Shreck's GF!! Thank you, Charles!!! Thank you, Judge! Thank you, Angels in heaven! Thank you thank you thank you thank you!!!!!!!!!!!! What a wonderful day!!!!!!!