minpinmom

Last night was super boring - but Tara is my fav, I think she will be voted off first chance they get because she is the strongest competitor (weight and challenges). For some reason I don't like the mother daughter duo Shannon and? I can't figure out why - but they just kinda irk me. I am getting bored with brown - neither can win the game and I get to see enough not losing with my own weight loss, I wanna see people work it and drop it. They just don't do it for me. I am in a bad mood tonight, lol, tomorrow I will be all, awe, I didn't mean that about the brown team, the boy is so young and the dad is hurt. I wish Dan was back, I could route for him. Yellow needs to shut up, suck it up and cry in the shower. Ugh, Im sick of them. BUT I have an inkling the prettier one may win - seems the prettiest girls make it to the end. - I think Tara will be a hottie too. I am normally not this vocal - but last night was boring - so I had time to think about it. :-) Ugh, I am rambling.

Good to know - I will keep an eye on it - I know when we got back we had all these messages on our Home Answering Machine - telling us that a purchase was being made internationally with my CC. (Every time we bought a souvenir or anything in Mexico - it called, and we bought a LOT) I had that added as part of my fraud detection - and forgot - good thing I didn't say to freeze the account when a purchase is made! I made that mistake when I went to Europe!

I posted this on Myspace and thoguht you guys might find it entertaining. Okay, so we went on our first cruise ever. It was awesome. We took the Carnival Ecstasy out of Galveston on a 5 night cruise to Mexico. It was very cheap - about 300 a person. Don't get me wrong - it was the tiniest cabins ever - but so worth it! It was pretty cold starting off - Galveston was overcast and probably around 50 degrees. I was surprised at how many people WORK on the ship. You can't turn around without bumping into someone asking if you need help. The food was awesome - and way too much of it. If you haven't been on a cruise, everything is included but your drinks and your tips. When you board, you give them your Credit Card and they give you a Fun Pass - everything gets charged to it. The first thing they do is charge 10$ a day per person for tips (very reasonable) if you order drinks (anything other than water), they charge your card. There are a couple places where they have coffee, tea, juices, etc. buffet style - so you can get around the drink thing if you work at it. We gambled in the casinos - watched shows, attended all sorts of events and sales and had a blast. Our first stop was Cozumel. We had pre-chosen and pre-paid for an excursion in Cozumel. A 3-reef snorkeling trip by boat. It was to take all day. They picked us up at the pier, we boarded their boat and were off. The water was so gorgeous - you could see the bottom no matter how deep. There were about 60 of us total (I think 2 boats). The guides spoke perfect English and were awesome. We stopped - got on our gear and jumped in. We swam quite a ways over some reefs and our boat caught up with us. This took about an hour or so. This is where it gets crazy. We all get back on board and the guides start acting funny - started speaking in Spanish to each other and something just didn't seem normal. We sat there for about 15 minutes, just kind of bobbing up and down in the water when a small emergency boat comes flying up. They board and ask for a lady - her and her husband were sitting next to Eddie and I - they took her to the side, spoke to her in private, she started crying, ran over, grabbed her stuff and told us something happened to her Dad (on the other boat). Her and her husband get on the emergency boat and they speed off. We asked the guides what happened and they said that her father had swallowed too much saltwater and they called an ambulance as a precaution - but that EVERYTHING was fine. We continue on to our next reef. Things start getting weird again - everyone speaking Spanish - and we are going super slow in circles - they finally stop - the guides go up top (where the captain is), we all get our gear on - they come flying back down - tell us to take the gear off - that the US Embassy and the Maritime something or other said all Americans have to disembark immediately. So they take us to the nearest pier - which is in the middle of the jungle - we have to step off of the boat onto barrels to get to the shore. We are met with 5 camera crews from local news stations, police and ambulances. Our friend was there with her husband and mom. Her dad had drown and was in the ambulance. We had to walk through the jungle about a half a mile to an area where taxis could come pick us up. They took us back to the boat and refunded our money. The family was from our ship as well. They were already taking their luggage off when we returned. Carnival was trying to keep it all hush - hush - but since we were sitting with the couple - we knew more details then most. It was really sad. We also have their disposable underwater camera - they left it when they got off our boat. Carnival wouldn't give us any information to get it back to them. I can't imagine losing a family member on vacation - I hope they are doing okay. We spent the rest of the day shopping in Cozumel. We had lunch in Pancho's Backyard and spent too much money on souvenirs. Can you believe a bottle of Don Julio Blanco was only 30 bucks? It is well over 100 here! I was totally stoked! We got back on the boat that night and woke up in Progresso. We took a van ride into Merida and took a tour of the city by Segway. It was the MOST fun! I loved it. I can totally rock and roll on those things. We toured a museum, had Sorbet and ended the day with a couples massage on the beach in Progresso. The rest of the cruise we spent relaxing, gambling, shopping and eating. What fun. I did get a bit sea-sick - I had the patch - but still felt the motion of the boat mostly in the evening (I think they speed the boat up at night). The last day at sea was warm and breezy - we arrived in Galveston to near freezing temperatures! I guess that MAY be the reason we are both sick now. If you ever get to go on a cruise - do it! And invite us - I am about ready to plan my next!

I posted this on Myspace and thoguht you guys might find it entertaining. Okay, so we went on our first cruise ever. It was awesome. We took the Carnival Ecstasy out of Galveston on a 5 night cruise to Mexico. It was very cheap - about 300 a person. Don't get me wrong - it was the tiniest cabins ever - but so worth it! It was pretty cold starting off - Galveston was overcast and probably around 50 degrees. I was surprised at how many people WORK on the ship. You can't turn around without bumping into someone asking if you need help. The food was awesome - and way too much of it. If you haven't been on a cruise, everything is included but your drinks and your tips. When you board, you give them your Credit Card and they give you a Fun Pass - everything gets charged to it. The first thing they do is charge 10$ a day per person for tips (very reasonable) if you order drinks (anything other than water), they charge your card. There are a couple places where they have coffee, tea, juices, etc. buffet style - so you can get around the drink thing if you work at it. We gambled in the casinos - watched shows, attended all sorts of events and sales and had a blast. Our first stop was Cozumel. We had pre-chosen and pre-paid for an excursion in Cozumel. A 3-reef snorkeling trip by boat. It was to take all day. They picked us up at the pier, we boarded their boat and were off. The water was so gorgeous - you could see the bottom no matter how deep. There were about 60 of us total (I think 2 boats). The guides spoke perfect English and were awesome. We stopped - got on our gear and jumped in. We swam quite a ways over some reefs and our boat caught up with us. This took about an hour or so. This is where it gets crazy. We all get back on board and the guides start acting funny - started speaking in Spanish to each other and something just didn't seem normal. We sat there for about 15 minutes, just kind of bobbing up and down in the water when a small emergency boat comes flying up. They board and ask for a lady - her and her husband were sitting next to Eddie and I - they took her to the side, spoke to her in private, she started crying, ran over, grabbed her stuff and told us something happened to her Dad (on the other boat). Her and her husband get on the emergency boat and they speed off. We asked the guides what happened and they said that her father had swallowed too much saltwater and they called an ambulance as a precaution - but that EVERYTHING was fine. We continue on to our next reef. Things start getting weird again - everyone speaking Spanish - and we are going super slow in circles - they finally stop - the guides go up top (where the captain is), we all get our gear on - they come flying back down - tell us to take the gear off - that the US Embassy and the Maritime something or other said all Americans have to disembark immediately. So they take us to the nearest pier - which is in the middle of the jungle - we have to step off of the boat onto barrels to get to the shore. We are met with 5 camera crews from local news stations, police and ambulances. Our friend was there with her husband and mom. Her dad had drown and was in the ambulance. We had to walk through the jungle about a half a mile to an area where taxis could come pick us up. They took us back to the boat and refunded our money. The family was from our ship as well. They were already taking their luggage off when we returned. Carnival was trying to keep it all hush - hush - but since we were sitting with the couple - we knew more details then most. It was really sad. We also have their disposable underwater camera - they left it when they got off our boat. Carnival wouldn't give us any information to get it back to them. I can't imagine losing a family member on vacation - I hope they are doing okay. We spent the rest of the day shopping in Cozumel. We had lunch in Pancho's Backyard and spent too much money on souvenirs. Can you believe a bottle of Don Julio Blanco was only 30 bucks? It is well over 100 here! I was totally stoked! We got back on the boat that night and woke up in Progresso. We took a van ride into Merida and took a tour of the city by Segway. It was the MOST fun! I loved it. I can totally rock and roll on those things. We toured a museum, had Sorbet and ended the day with a couples massage on the beach in Progresso. The rest of the cruise we spent relaxing, gambling, shopping and eating. What fun. I did get a bit sea-sick - I had the patch - but still felt the motion of the boat mostly in the evening (I think they speed the boat up at night). The last day at sea was warm and breezy - we arrived in Galveston to near freezing temperatures! I guess that MAY be the reason we are both sick now. If you ever get to go on a cruise - do it! And invite us - I am about ready to plan my next!

Wow! I thought she meant $5000.00 down to get in a house - that is crazy - I had no idea.

I agree with everything yall said. I don't like the Jo-elle, sad to see Jerry go home, but would have made the same decision. But dang he looked good at the follow-up, he looked 10 years younger - color me impressed. I really like this season - way better than last. Can't wait for next week. W

I want a new black one - I was hoping they would give a good discount for those of us with an active one - but 189 isnt much of a discount.

I think this season is going to rock. Seems like a very NICE bunch of people. I am totally jazzed and cant wait for next week. I also wanted to add that I don't think it is exploitative - I think it shows the contestants and viewers WHERE they are physically - without that - you couldn't see how far they have come. I love Big Medicine - Mary Jo and Dr. Lamonaco frequent the support groups at University General - they are so freaking nice and normal and what a great show. If you ever get a chance to hear Mary Jo Rapini speak - GO!!! I have paid to see her twice. Is anyone watching DietTribe on Lifetime?

Loved the show and thought it was appropriate that both Vickie and Heba almost fell = I guess grace comes in many forms. I will admit - Heba had the most amazing transformation. She was beautiful. I think Vickie's husband gained weight since the update show - did anyone else think so? I was surprised that Colleen didn't lose more - don't get me wrong - she looked awesome - but I was thinking she would come back looking as tight as Aly last season. Her dad - WOW, what an inspiration. I am so proud of him. Michelle was so gracious - she looked awesome - loved her necklace too - what a hottie. I can't wait for the new season.

Well, the drama continued until 5:30 Monday night, when I got the call that I had been approved for Dr. Spiegel to remove my gallbladder the next morning. I was so excited. We got there about 6:00, the place is freakin awesome. I got to see Dr. Davis (Big D off of Big Medicine), he has a patient in the pre-op right beside me - yes, I know I am easily amused. Everything went fine - but I had to tell Dr. S that I was so nervous I couldn't swallow my own spit - so he unfilled me during surgery. Everything went fine, but the pain was much worse than with the Lapband. I don't know why - but I am still really hurting (1 week out). With Lapband - I was back at work in 3 days and with this I didn't go back for almost a week. Now, I am one of the ones that doesn't take pain killers - so I can truly tell when the pain is worse - and this one sucked ass. But I am feeling better every day. I have a HUGE Christmas Party we are hosting this Saturday with 20 guests - wow, I don't know how I am going to get everything done - but it will all turn out. Everyone knows I just had surgery so hopefully they won't expect my normal gala. I don't know how much fluid Dr.S took out - he told me - but it didn't stick with me, it was in recovery and I was busy - uhm, waking up I guess :-) I am able to eat ANYTHING - wow, how soon did I forget to chew- chew- chew. Without the band sending me reminders - I eat just as fast as everyone else. I have enjoyed bread. I have had a few rolls over the past week - and I even ate part of a Hamburger. I am trying to make healthy choices - but I am also trying to take advantage of the fact that for a week I can eat the things I can't eat later. Its a hard line to walk. I go in on Thursday for my follow-up. He is planning on filling me back up - but I think I am going to see if he will wait another week - when I get in a lot of pain (usually at night after a full day of work), I feel sick to my stomach and I don't want to cause a problem with my band. I also don't want to be on liquids for my party. Well, thats my update for now. I haven't stepped on the scale - I am still swollen and think it will just make me sad :-)

I can't wait to see what everyone looks like. I still dislike the blue team, but still can't wait to see them. W

Wow, I am surprised at your experiences. I love Dr. Spiegel and he and his staff work with me on my fills. He does the barium so that he can be more aggressive with his fills (and cost me less in the long run). I am sorry that you guys have had such bad experiences. I hope you find a Dr. that helps you work your band.

Well, I haven't blogged in a while - things have been crazy. I am down 47 lbs! WOOHOO. But I am having problems with my gallbladder. Friday I met with a surgeon, he scheduled surgery for today - I went in on Saturday to my LapBand Dr. for an un-fill for surgery and he said HE wanted to do the surgery, he didn't want another Dr. doing it and it would give him a chance to look at my port. So, Saturday I called the Hospital I was scheduled with and canceled the surgery, along with calling the surgeon and letting him know. Dr. Spiegel scheduled surgery for tomorrow (Tuesday). I had to call first thing this morning to get a new referral to see him for the gallbaldder problem and call the Hospital and get my blood work trasnfered. Wow, this is where my world gets really upside down. I get a call that Dr. S is not in network - (mind you, he did my LB in Feb). They tell me, he is in Network as a General Sugeron with a specialty in Bariatrics, but it won't be covered unless he does something with my band during the surgery. I freak out, call his office, they say the insurance is crazy they are in-network. So I have been playing advocate, calling everyone, trying to get any inforamtion I can. So far I haven't even been successful in getting the freakin (please substitue the actual word here:-) blood work faxed over! On top of that, my nerves are shot - so my band was too tight to eat yesterday - I couldn't get 2 bites down and I am fasting today for the surgery tomorrow (that, lets face it, isn't going to happen) I am pissed, I feel like I want to puke and I need a valium, which I can't take in CASE I have the allusive surgery tomorrow. I hate insurance.

I finally got the call at 5:30 tonight that Tricare had approved Dr. Spiegel to do the surgery in the morning - I am pretty sure that his office had to fudge on the orders to get it done - cuz my insurance wasn't budging at all. They still didn't get my blood work faxed over - lol, can you believe that? Crazy, the girl at the Hospital that called said that it shouldn't be a problem - thats part of the reason they have you come so stinkin early - is in case something like that happens. I will have to have more blood-work done in the morning. Ugh, one more needle poke oh and the IV, damn, I almost forgot about that stupid IV. I hate those. Surgery (barring any more incidents), should take place at 9:00AM. We have to be there at 6 and it is down town - so we will be leaving here at 445 and hope it is early enough for no traffic. I have a sick feeling when I get there - something will go wrong and I won't be able to have it. I guess I am just thinking negative now. I am hoping to come home same day - we will see. My insurance likes to make you stay overnight. Well, it has been a long, long day. Thanks for all the sweet comments and thoughts and prayers, please remember me tomorrow.

Thank you. I am on hold right now trying to find out something - anything. I hate being in limbo. W

Well, I haven't blogged in a while - things have been crazy. I am down 47 lbs! WOOHOO. But I am having problems with my gallbladder. Friday I met with a surgeon, he scheduled surgery for today - I went in on Saturday to my LapBand Dr. for an un-fill for surgery and he said HE wanted to do the surgery, he didn't want another Dr. doing it and it would give him a chance to look at my port. So, Saturday I called the Hospital I was scheduled with and canceled the surgery, along with calling the surgeon and letting him know. Dr. Spiegel scheduled surgery for tomorrow (Tuesday). I had to call first thing this morning to get a new referral to see him for the gallbaldder problem and call the Hospital and get my blood work trasnfered. Wow, this is where my world gets really upside down. I get a call that Dr. S is not in network - (mind you, he did my LB in Feb). They tell me, he is in Network as a General Sugeron with a specialty in Bariatrics, but it won't be covered unless he does something with my band during the surgery. I freak out, call his office, they say the insurance is crazy they are in-network. So I have been playing advocate, calling everyone, trying to get any inforamtion I can. So far I haven't even been successful in getting the freakin (please substitue the actual word here:-) blood work faxed over! On top of that, my nerves are shot - so my band was too tight to eat yesterday - I couldn't get 2 bites down and I am fasting today for the surgery tomorrow (that, lets face it, isn't going to happen) I am pissed, I feel like I want to puke and I need a valium, which I can't take in CASE I have the allusive surgery tomorrow. I hate insurance.