A New Day

[CaGottaBand 498]

Hello all. I'm so sorry it has been so long since I have been on here. It has been a very crazy summer to say the least.

My previously, somewhat, healthy father in law was admitted to the hospital on July 5th becuase he couldn't breath. It quickly got worse. He was hospitalized for 3 weeks and then released with hospice. Once home he got "better". Up and moving around and even the hospice nurse said she didn't think he needed to be on hospice. That gave everyone a lot of hope. But sadly he died five days later, he was 11 days shy of his 55th birthday. Of course there is a ton more to this story...he was a functioning alcoholic, a smoker and we found out that he had been using meth for quite sometime.

My husband is one of four siblings and organizing the funeral and dealing with the aftermath has been problematic to say the least...he's the executor and his sibling are not happy about it. I think they think he is going to rip them off or something. It's been very stressful and is no where near over.

But again, I'm sorry for not coming on here at all. I want to say I just didn't have time...but there's always some time to catch up. I'm sorry.

Anywho, I'm doing good. Down a little over 40 lbs and no fills yets. I've been trying to make it a point to exercise every morning and just take better care of myself in general. Oh and I just had my one year Smokiversary on Monday (did I tell you guys I used to smoke? Yup, smoked for 17 years). Mike is absolutely over joyed that I finally quit and we celebrated on Monday with a trip to Cold Stone Creamery. I got a very tiny frozen yogurt with caramel and almonds...it was delish.

I hope you are all doing well. I tried to catch up a little...but the shear volume is just too much. I did see that Janet had her knee surgeries!!! That is awesome!

And Dee and Teri met! Again, awesome!

Oh and I saw Michelle is in Onederland, congrats!!

And Dawn has way too much candy right behind her desk...I 100% could not control myself around that much goodness!

Looking forward to catching up with all of you guys. Bye for now

Oh and on a weird tech note...I lost all my friends sometime in the past couple months. I looked at my profile and I now have zero friends...very weird.

[CHEZNOEL 4,061]

CAGotta band! Yay! you are back! We missed you and were worried about you

Janet, happy you able to get home so soon. Don't over do it wonder woman!

Dawn, so happy Brad was pleased with your surprise visit. The dog and cat look happy to be reunited!

Carole... It was 89 here today but supposed to be mid 70s over the weekend. Our fall my come yet.

Diane... I think you are the only one who did yell at me to go to the doctor about my spider bite...I went this afternoon, and now have a sore butt from a mammoo dose of steroids to stop the swelling and itching.Seems to be pretty fast acting.

So I guess you know you are in trouble when Doreen calls you to get your bum to the doctor. My sore bum is grateful for the support. So Carole all is improving steadily now. Some of the swelling has already gone down. Yay. The shot was supposed to stop the itching as well, and I don't know about stopped but it is much better.

Doing mostly good with the fill from this week, now at 6.0 instead of 5.6. I definitely had slipped into eating too fast, so it is good to have feedback again.

Bye for now!

[MiniMi 1,468]

Omg! Welcome back Nicole! I see you are doing great with wl! No fills?? You rock! Yvonne lost 20 then gained 6, has had 3 fills but still eats as usual. She is waiting for the band to stop her before she changes. I try to encourage her ( we are doing kickboxing next thurs together) but I had a feeling from the get go she was gonna have as rough time changing.

I want my lifetime range to be 170-180 so that is what I'm working on. I don't want to do all this work to still feel fluffy! So 15 lbs to go to hit the top of that range and 25 to hit the bottom! (Omg did I just say that?)

Once the sale goes through and I get my CPA I am going to sign up for a marathon. I need it for my mental well being. This whole process has shown me how many inner demons I quieted with food. Now I'm quieting them with movement. Gotta keep on....

Thought you guys would enjoy reading the new essential oils e-magazine http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/a020f6aa#/a020f6aa/1

[Maddysgram 6,159]

Yay, Nichole is back. We were worried about you . Congratulations for giving up smoking. Ithink that is even more important than losing weight. You go girl!

Sorry about the family problems.

Dawn, glad you have this time with Brad. You're getting a glimpse how things are going to be. Is there any hope on working your current job from Omaha?

Terri, sorry about the bug bite, but glad you did get your butt to the Dr. I can relate to injections into the arse. I lost count.lol

Happy quilting and scrapbooking.

Michelle, you are amazing, Are you related to the Energizer Bunny aka Dee? After I finish here, I'm going to check out the party page.

I too was so happy to be overweight, congrats!

Carole, I'm looking forward to meeting you for a stroll.

I have a feeling Jack is enjoying his diy projects.

Have you planned what your first meal is going to be, after the counters are put in?

On FB, is that a picture you took of the tree's changing? It was so beautiful.

Dee, loved the pictures of the boys. They look so happy.

Thank you from Maddy for sending her balloons. She loves her balloons.

Sorry you had to have band emptied and pray everything will be ok. I have always had to take Prilosec and after being banded, I can feel if I have forgotten to take it.

Di, would love to hear from you....

I got home at 9:30 this morning. I was discharged in record time.

As long as I have Percocet in my system, I'm ok. When it runs out, its a b***h. I know it will only last for a short while and be well worth it. So for a few days I will stay in bed and take 10min walks in between times.

Thanks for all your well wishes!

Love ya!

[dee257 1,516]

~hugs~ hello girls...

Wow nice to see us all back here...well almost waiting on Di...

Nicole..I was just asking Terri about you today...so very sorry you have had some heart breaking weeks..But very proud that you are eating right and living a healthy banded life...

Janet..so happy your home..your breaking all sort of records this year I think....and God love Maddy...Cj giggled every time Id talk to him about sending the pretty lil girl balloons !!!

Terri Im sorry about your sore hinny...but very glad you went and had it checked..I have watched to many medical shows...

Carole..you must be busy on another home improvement project...so awesome...I have a small hunnie do list for my hunnie tomorrow...lol

Dawn..I thought I had shared about how we came to get CJ...our lil Isaiah was in the hospital for 5 days when one night the dr came in and sat on the bed and told me they found a huge mass in his chest...they talked about cancer..and asked for my preachers number and family...they called and told them they were transporting Isaiah to the Childrens Hospital....I don't remember much after going to my kness crying...it was the worse hours of my life...my baby was only 4....God heard all our prayers and a week later after bone marrow test and biopsies he was discharged...God heard our prayers !!!!

When I came home from the hospital I had so much spam emails and I almost just sweept them all out but God made me go through them and there was a mail from a agency asking if Id be interested in a lil boy with many medical problems...I begged Charlie...because he was already saying NO WAY...he was saying what we just went through with Isaiah how could I want a child that would come with medical issues...I assured him I was just going to meet him...I didn't want any more kids either...well ONE look at his smile and hearing his giggles...I knew he was my baby !!!! and he had been in a few different homes where they didn't work out..and the foster mom who had him told us...she saw a instant bond with us all...the saddest part of this story is...CJ was adopted when he was 11 months out by a family...When he was 5 the police raided the home on a tip from a neighbor and found 4 boys 2 mentally challenged woman and CJ locked in a basement !!! CJ was 5 and only weighed 25 lbs...one boy was actually found in a home made cement room with no lighs ..just kneeling on a blanket..the older children told the police..Oh that's the toy room...so so sad....that all that makes CJ so much special to us all...and to hear him giggle and smile all the time keeps my faith ....

Our Kaleb came to us through his 13 yr old mom who was 7 months preg when she came to us...Jakie came to us as a new born whos mom didn't know she was preg and already had a 3 yr old she couldn't care for...and Isaiah was born in the back of a ambulance by the same mom as Jakie on St Pattys day...she left the ambulance and told them to give the baby she couldn't think of a name for to the family that took her other baby...

Im not that special....its them boys that are everything to me...

love ya all

[Sojourner 2,446]

Good Evening All,

Well, between FB and LBT, I am clueless...some more mean people out there I guess. That's why I usually stay in our space here...no fuss, no drama. Just friends!

CaGottaBannd? Did I get that correctly, I hope? Welcome back...you were missed. Sorry you had/have family issues to cope with. And you have done so well so far with Banded life...keep up the great work!

Terri, very happy you went to the doctor and that you are feeling better. I have allergies to bee, yellow jacket, and wasp stings. I have to have an EPI pen with me when I am outside. I worry about others who have sensitivities to insect bites/stings. I had a friend nearly die if anaphylaxis, so I get concerned. Rest, and very happy you get feedback now...

Dawn, you are correct. Jack does enjoy all of the DIY projects, some more than others. He enjoys working with wood, building walls (over engineering everything), installing wiring, and designing kitchen and baths. An engineer with many talents. The best part is I get to customize projects as we go along. The down side is that our chaos usually lasts a little longer. But you end up with things finished the way you want them. It's good to read that you are feeling more in control now. And you are so right, giving back to the community is an important aspect of being validated in life. We always encouraged our sons, Brent has done dental work on children in Haiti, Jay volunteers for Habitat for Humanity, and Seth has been an active organizer for fund raising at the various hospitals he worked at, and also while in the USMC. And I always had at least a couple of pro bono clients who were referred to me through EAP and could OT afford private counseling. Excellent for Audrey to have this environment to learn in!

Dee, thank you for sharing your experiences about your children...what horror stories there are. Amazing that CJ survived...you truely are an "angel on earth"! And thank you for getting after Terri to get to the doctor!

Miclelle...congrats on your progress to goals, and having longer range goals as well. Those who do that are more positioned for success. Keep up your excellent work!

Diane, how was today? We are concerned for you...please let us know how you are doing...

Janet, how wonderful it must be to be home again...and with good drugs! I'm so glad that you are on the recovery path now. Be thinking where we can go for a walk this time...seriously! And I wanted to clarify my cover picture was actually taken last October when were up here. Sunday I will be going to Buckeye to take my weekly picture. We see more color on the trees every day, but the trees are still predominantly green here! So, now relax between physical therapy sessions, and continue to take good care. Please keep us posted as to your progress!

We found the Watauga County Animal Shelter thrift store today, and dropped off several boxes of donations. They are quite a ways out of the Boone city limits, but a nice drive for a good cause.

We have not decided on our plans for tomorrow, but it is going to be too beautiful of a day to be indoors. Low tonight projected to be 42, high 66...so happy to be here!

I hope all enjoy their Saturday...hugs!

[Sojourner 2,446]

Postscript to my previous post...too many interruptions from Jack!

Dee,

I am sorry you had to get your band unfilled...but it does help to calm the stomach down. I've continued to have varying degrees of restriction with no Fluid. And I am too concerned about my long term welfare to ever get Fluid in my band again. You should be able to maintain your portions and not gain weight. So, NO worries!

I hope you feel better fast!

Big cyber hugs...

[CHEZNOEL 4,061]

Good night ladies!

[MiniMi 1,468]

~hugs~ hello girls...

Wow nice to see us all back here...well almost waiting on Di...

Nicole..I was just asking Terri about you today...so very sorry you have had some heart breaking weeks..But very proud that you are eating right and living a healthy banded life...

Janet..so happy your home..your breaking all sort of records this year I think....and God love Maddy...Cj giggled every time Id talk to him about sending the pretty lil girl balloons !!!

Terri Im sorry about your sore hinny...but very glad you went and had it checked..I have watched to many medical shows...

Carole..you must be busy on another home improvement project...so awesome...I have a small hunnie do list for my hunnie tomorrow...lol

Dawn..I thought I had shared about how we came to get CJ...our lil Isaiah was in the hospital for 5 days when one night the dr came in and sat on the bed and told me they found a huge mass in his chest...they talked about cancer..and asked for my preachers number and family...they called and told them they were transporting Isaiah to the Childrens Hospital....I don't remember much after going to my kness crying...it was the worse hours of my life...my baby was only 4....God heard all our prayers and a week later after bone marrow test and biopsies he was discharged...God heard our prayers !!!!

When I came home from the hospital I had so much spam emails and I almost just sweept them all out but God made me go through them and there was a mail from a agency asking if Id be interested in a lil boy with many medical problems...I begged Charlie...because he was already saying NO WAY...he was saying what we just went through with Isaiah how could I want a child that would come with medical issues...I assured him I was just going to meet him...I didn't want any more kids either...well ONE look at his smile and hearing his giggles...I knew he was my baby !!!! and he had been in a few different homes where they didn't work out..and the foster mom who had him told us...she saw a instant bond with us all...the saddest part of this story is...CJ was adopted when he was 11 months out by a family...When he was 5 the police raided the home on a tip from a neighbor and found 4 boys 2 mentally challenged woman and CJ locked in a basement !!! CJ was 5 and only weighed 25 lbs...one boy was actually found in a home made cement room with no lighs ..just kneeling on a blanket..the older children told the police..Oh that's the toy room...so so sad....that all that makes CJ so much special to us all...and to hear him giggle and smile all the time keeps my faith ....

Our Kaleb came to us through his 13 yr old mom who was 7 months preg when she came to us...Jakie came to us as a new born whos mom didn't know she was preg and already had a 3 yr old she couldn't care for...and Isaiah was born in the back of a ambulance by the same mom as Jakie on St Pattys day...she left the ambulance and told them to give the baby she couldn't think of a name for to the family that took her other baby...

Im not that special....its them boys that are everything to me...

love ya all

OMG I DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO SAY!

[dee257 1,516]

Good Morning girls...

OOO its so cold here....well for me it is any way....The boys have football games today one at 2:30 and the other right after that.....Gosh Im gonna be sporting my hat and gloves for sure !

Carol I don't know how you do it with no fill....all I wanna do is eat right now...Im gonna cry when I get on the scale at drs office on Tuesday..tomorrow I go for the upper GI...im pretty sure everything is going to look good...because I can eat anything I want ( snd believe me I have since the unfill ) with no pain...

~hugs~ hope you all have a great Sunday !

[Sojourner 2,446]

Good Afternoon All...

I'd this FB or LBT? I have enjoyed our spontaneous chats on FB...

Dee, you just have to take responsibility to manage your hunger, and learn to tell yourself NO. I can usually go a full 3.5 to 4 hours between meals. If I do need a snack, then it is either 1/4 cup low fat cottage cheese or a teaspoon of Peanut Butter.

I allow myself 2 Snacks a day, but I usually only have one. It is not the best scenario, but it is what can work for me with a continuing commitment to exercise.

Terri, did your Fitbit show up yet? How is your arm today? I hope that it is better...and you are off the meds soon?

Janet, how are you today? Has the swelling subsided any yet? Keep us posted on your progress...you are an amazing woman to already be back with some of your favorite things...aka US!

Dawn, how is the remote working schedule working for you? When will you know if you will be permitted to do this full time?

Diane, I hope you have had a peaceful and restful day!

Michelle, I hope you have enjoyed your busy but fun filled weekend...

Nicole, if you read this, I hope you are continuing to do well...

Taking a break after finishing up staining the deck...I decided I did not care if I had a clean car this week...

I hope everyone enjoyed their Sunday...have a happy Monday!

[CHEZNOEL 4,061]

This is LBT! Arm is better but on meds til Wed. I have been on liquids today after my stuck with the cake last night.

Doreen hope you don't freeze at football!

Janet keep healing.

Diane, love the haircut.

Carole, real mountain woman... Deck over car!

Nicole if you are still out there would you resend your address? I can't find it.

Dawn, home yet?

See ya on FB.

[dee257 1,516]

Thank you Carol..

I know I have to get a grip on my eating when im not as tight....Im sure I can...just sorta starved myself the last 2 weeks being so tight...

[dee257 1,516]

Terri..believe it or not by game time it was beautiful here....I was actually warm !!!

Our boys lost again but they played so hard....OMGoodness my Jakie was on fire...he got a sack...lots of tackles and both boys got to run the ball...I was so happy Charlie was able to get to this game...

Glad your arm is better...don't frget to take your meds !!!

[dee257 1,516]

Janet hope your enjoying your meds....and that your resting that new knee...

Dawn. and Michele..hope your enjoying a stress free weekend....

Diane I missed seeing your new hair cut !

Im working tonight 10:30 till 6 am....rush home get the kids off to school then the GI....see you all on the flip !