Penni60

Tuesday is good for me darlin. I will be here. let me know what time to expect the call and I will alert everyone so that they know not to bother me. LOL!!

Bubbles: Love the name by the way. I self paid for my surgery. I did lots of research about both the banding and bypass and decided the bypass was just too radical for me. If you are looking for a good doctor then contact Inamed directly and they can give you a list of surgeons in your area. The other option is to see if someone on this site is from your neck of the woods and get some feedback from them. I went to Mexico for my surgery. I am using a US surgeon for my follow up care. IF you go the Mexico route then please set up a surgeon for your follow up care close to home before getting the surgery. I can give you my follow up docs info if you like. He is in Ventura, California. I didn't notice where you are located before responding to this post. Good luck on your search for the surgeon.

Hey Babs did you ever decide if you were going to Vegas? I seem to remember that you are and that you sent me some info but I can't seem to find it anywhere. So if you are going then please resend me your contact info mainly your cell phone and I will give you mine in the return email. Penni60@aol.com

Sounds like a plan there Lisa.

food menu sounds devine. Price is devine as well. As far as drinks go that can just be included in the final bill. Each person that orders a drink can just throw in a few extra bucks to cover the drinks. I will most likely just drink ice tea that night. But the next day all bets are off. My sweetie and I will have a vehicle and can transport 4 to 5 extra people. I think Teresa is driving as well and she said she can bring a few extra as well. I think Donali is driving but not sure. The rest can take cabs I guess. Who's name will the reservations be under so everyone will know who to ask for? How about LapBanders??? LOL!! Or if they require a name then Lisa you can give yours. Lisa or Delarla or Poorshah? LOL!!

Alex: I have had the same thing happen to me before. IT is scary and it HURTS like a Madre Huncher. LOL!! YEs, eat slowwwwwwwwwwwly. Chew lots. Take small bites. Can't stress that enough to all of us.

Is it October YET????? I am so ready for this trip. OK here is a list of people that have said they are coming. IF your name is not listed then please add it by copying and pasting the list. If the room sharing info is wrong or changed then please let me know. If there is an asterisk by your name then that means I have contact info on you. * Leatha (sharing room with Ginny) Ginny (sharing room with Leatha) * Penni and manly man * Carmen * Carol (sharing room with Vera) * Vera (sharing room with Carol) Terry (maybe sharing room with Carol & Vera) * Teresa and manly man * Donali and manly man * Delarla & 9 yr old hubby * Michelle Megan with sister and friend Rica Also here is the schedule of suggested events for the weekend. 8th = Friday night we have a dinner meet at some area restaurant or in one of the restaurants in the hotels. Buca DiBeppo or the german restaurant was a suggestion by Lisa. Head over to the BINGO and disrupt the proceedings. LOL!!! 9th = Saturday we plan on heading to Lisa's house for the day. Barbeque to start around noon. Gabbing till we drop. Prize to the most original scar design. Prize to either Penni or Lisa for who lost the most weight. LOL!! 10th = Sunday (depending on when people have to leave) do a brunch somewhere and say our goodbyes. And Sunday some are planning on taking an hour ride out to the middle of nowhere to explore abandoned gold mines and ruins at Cerbat, Arizona, which would take you over Hoover Dam (a double bonus.)

For those that have just made reservations, don't forget to send me your contact info like cell phone, where you are staying, etc. Send it in an email to Penni60@aol.com and I will send you back my cell phone. Here are the following people I have info on: Leatha Donali Carol (cadydid) Vera I don't have anyone elses info.

OK, the low down on the vacation of a lifetime. I left Los Angeles on the 27th of August to spend some time with my Daughter and family before heading to Jamaica. So, my mom wanted me to come and visit while in the area and I did. I was a good little "doobee". Anyone remember Romper Room? Sorry I digress. On the 28th I jump in the car with my daughter and head to Princeton, Kentucky and visit my mom and step-dad. She wanted us to be in on her planning her burial. So we head to the Mortuary after I take them all out to lunch. Now you have to understand she is not sick, dying, or in immediate danger of keeling over any time soon. She just wanted to get it planned so I wouldn't have to do it. That said when you get my mom, me, and my daughter in the same room watch out. We are a riot. My daughter kept asking my mom if she was going to try out the fit. I kept feeling the insides of the coffins. Did you know they have a nice soft padding inside for the body to lie on? WHY? You are dead you won't know and I might add you are stiff. Why would you care if it is soft???? LOL!!! Anyway we had a blast with it. The mortician thought we were lunatics I am sure. We then went to Dairy Queen where I had a milk shake. Yes I had a milk shake. And it was delicious. OK so finished that trips events and headed back to Nashville. On the 29th spent the day with my daughter and family. We just hung out and did pretty much nothing all day. I ended up getting a headache and then went to the hotel for the evening. On the 30th I was supposed to do lunch with Michelle (Shellyj) but things did not work out. BUMMER!! So I met another friend for lunch. Then went and picked up my best friend, ANN, of 10 years to spend the night with me in the hotel room so we could be off to Jamaica the next day. 31st, fly out to Jamaica. That trip is LONG and tiring. Customs and Immigration in Miami is horrible on the way home. I hate Miami airport. IT is huge and not very well laid out. But that is OK we were going to paradise so it was tolerable. We arrive at Sangster's Airport in Montego Bay, Jamaica. I will have a pic of that to come later. Just remember it is SMALL. TINY. LITTLE. None of those describe it fairly since the planes that land there are 757's which are HUGE. I at least am able to get through Customs and Immigration fairly fast and the weather is not too unbearable yet. I go to the Ritz Carlton desk for the shuttle bus to the hotel. Thank God there was no wait and once on the bus I was given a bottle of much needed Water. Ann was staying at an efficiency apartment hotel cause she wanted to cook most of her meals. WHATEVER!! I am gonna be catered to while I am on vacation. I can cook at home. LOL!! She met me about an hour later and we went to get some Jerk chicken for supper just down the road. Oh yeah She drives in Jamaica. She is an idiot. They drive on the WRONG side of the road. LOL!!! I am not that brave yet. Anyway, we stop at this roadside Jerk place for some chicken and a Red Stripe beer. YUM YUM!!! Get this guys. Here is how they serve the Jerk Chicken. You tell the cashier what you want. We got a 1/4 chicken a piece. They give you a ticket that you present to the cook. He procedes to take out a whole piece of chicken from the smoker under a tin lid. He places the chicken on a large stump he uses as a table. Grabs his rather large and ominous looking Machete and proceeds to chop up the chicken bone and all into whatever you ordered. He wraps it into wreynold's wrap and hands it to you with a couple of napkins. The tinfoil is your plate. NO JOKE!!! It is the most tender and juiciest chicken I have ever eaten. Delicious!! That was our first day in Jamaica. Sept 1st, Ann and I have appointments for manicures and pedicures at 10am. HEAVENLY!!! Then we have another friend, Karen, arriving at the airport so we go pick her up. She is staying with me in my room so we drop off her luggage and head to dinner then off to the bar afterwards. A couple of Yardie Martini's later and we are all ready for bed. LOL!! Yardie's have spiced Morgan's Rum, pineapple juice, coconut Rum, and something else I don't remember served in a martini glass. IT IS YUMMY!!!! Two and I am gone. Not sloppy drunk just a nice buzz going. I stop at that. Drink lots of water so as not to dehydrate and get sick. I don't get sloppy drunk at all ever. I just get happy. LOL!! So around 11pm we all call it a night. Sept 2nd, I get up and meet my girlfriend, Ann, who is staying at the apartment, to go walking then come back to room and wake up Karen so we can all go to Breakfast. After breakfast we head to the pool for the day. Of course we get burned but so what. The pool is wonderful. The sun is high. The water is warm and inviting. The conversation is men bashing. The drinks are flowing. We eat lunch poolside. Cool Rum soaked towels are offered by the pool staff to keep us refreshed. What more could you ask for??? Dinner later that night and then off to bed. One trip to the bar before bedtime was required. Sept 3rd, Ann had to run some errands so we tagged along and then headed to the pool later that day. Lounging by the pool is heavenly. Dinner and Bar again that night. Sept 4th, "White Witch" Great House. There is one of the sugar cane plantation homes that was NOT destroyed by the slave uprising years ago. Can you guess why it was not destroyed? The lady of the house was considered to be a "WHITE WITCH" by the natives. She practiced the art and was rumored to have killed three husbands and countless lovers. She was greatly feared. The house is gorgeous. I will include a picture in a seperate posting. AFter that tour we went into town and did some souvenior shopping. Then dinner and the bar. See a pattern?????!!! LOL!! Sept 5th, Beach today. Gorgeous sand, beautiful turquoise waters, warm waters I might add, drinks, jerk chicken, snorkeling, boat ride, red stripe, yum yum to it all. OH and this is my BIRTHDAY!!! We arrive at the beach around 10am. We leave the beach at 5pm. We all take showers and dress for my birthday dinner that evening. Pics to follow of beach and dinner. Sept 6th, REST DAY. We all do nothing all day. Rest in room. Pack and try to cram everything in our suitcases or carryons for the trip home tomorrow. SIGH!! After packing and having lunch we are both tired and wore out from the week's events. So we both take a nap. We wake up in time to see it is getting late and decide to order room service and not get dressed for dinner. We eat and then go to bed for the 5:30am trip back to the airport tomorrow. Sept 7th, travel day home. SIGH!! What a trip!! I just love Jamaica. I pray all my friends down there are ok after Hurricane Ivan slams them. Keep them in your prayers. They will be devastated and decimated. Here is a pic of two of our friends down there. The guy is Dalton, he has a major crush on me. The girl is Olive she is a sweetie. Her birthday was the 1st of Sept so we got her some nice perfume. More pics to follow.

Come on Vera. It is loads of fun. Hey I know the next LapBandTalk Bash we can all go to Jamaica. LOL!!!

Ditto call me

Here is the infamous POOL. The shot is from my balcony off my room. All the rooms had nice large balconies to set on. Very relaxing.

Here is the pic of the Jamaica airport. FYI: This is the airport where people are being directed to avoid the weather from Ivan. SMALL airport. I would not want to be there at all right now.

Where are you located in California??? I was banded in Mexico but use a Ventura, CA surgeon now for my follow up. I would highly suggest calling him to see what he charges. Dr. Helmuth Billy 124 N. Brent St Ventura, CA 93003 805-648-2227 Heather Jacobsen - Insurance Coordinator 805-648-2227 ext 105 Sara Reyes - RN for Dr. Billy 805-648-2227 ext 110

I am not sure about the PB phenom but here is what happens to me when I PB. I can be eating and not having any problems at all. Then I take one more bite and that was TOO much. I should listen to my body but NOOOOOOOOOOO I take one more bite and boom I PB. That is my fault. I can also not chew properly and take too big a bite and that can cause you to PB. It isn't strictly about having too much of a fill. It can simply be from not following the Band guidelines for eating. Lisa I am not sure why you don't PB. I do know if you continue to abuse you band as you say you are doing then you will have undone all the good you have accomplished. I think with all the stress in your life with the Harley purchase and the remodeling and the finance concerns you are doing the only thing you can think of to compensate and that is reverting to your old eating habits. Take the doggies for a walk when you get the urge to eat something bad. Clean the house. Rearrange the living room. Beat up Chris. Anything to keep from eating. Just my musings.

Abusing our bands HUH??? I just knew I was going to abuse mine while on Vacation but I didn't. I never once even came close to PBing. NOT ONCE. Then what do I do when I get home. I PB. YUP!! I do it. So, I think the low carb diet I was doing in Jamaica had a lot to do with it. I eat lots of high carbs when I get home and think it will be OK when I know it isn't. I just don't listen. I gourge myself with JUNK. I am feeling it too. I am tired, sore back, sore legs, achy all over and feel bloated. I did not feel this way in Jamaica. I only started feeling like this when I started eating JUNK again. Ok so I know what the problem is so why don't I fix it? Delarla, where is that Brain Band? Let's develop it OK. Makes a bunch of money and then retire.

WHOO HOO!! So happy for you. I too hit a milestone while on vacation. I wanted to get below the 250 mark for my birthday. I did it too. Isn't it a GREAT feeling? I am sooooooooooooo happy for you. Keep up the great work. I am so excited for you.

I am 5'7" presently weight 249 and can wear a 16/18 from Avenue or Lane Bryant on the top. The bottom is still a size 18/20 but it really depends on the way the clothing is made. Some clothes in Target or WalMart I can wear a size 16 and others I have to get a size 20. So the size thing to me is all relative. I just pick something I like then look for the size and certainly now go and try them on. Sometimes I am pleasantly surprised and others I am shocked it doesn't fit. LOL!!

VA VA VOOM oh yeah and the bikes are great too. LOL!! I love harleys too. Used to ride them years ago with my dad. I was much younger then. LOL!!

Teresa sure come on down. Just let me know when to expect your arrival and I will give you directions to our place. We are so incredibly easy to find. RIGHT LISA???

Kimberly: The rum soaked towels were for cooling off after being in the sun. I sucked on them. LOL!!!! They were refreshing though to put on the sunburns. I am peeling now from the burn but I am still tanned. WHOO HOO!!

Vera Yeah I am still the coordinator. Email me your info and I will include it in my palm pilot with the rest of the info. Penni60@aol.com

beautiful pic

Birthday pics

Me and Ann on the beach