StandStillVille

I have reached my first plateau since surgery.  Can I tell you it bites big time?  I have been sitting at 257 all week and have not gotten the scale to budge.  Of course, VBS has not allowed me time for any walks or biking either, which is probably not helping.  By the time I get home from work, I have enough time to do a little house cleaning or laundry before it is time to head back to the church and by the time I get home at night, it is getting dark outside.  I'll be glad to get back to my routine.

I had heard in the WLS community that plateaus happen, but nothing can really prepare you when you have been happily averaging about a pound lost each day to suddenly come to a screeching halt.  My eating hasn't really changed much other than really making an effort to have more protein in order to get that number up by my six month check up.  So is there a magical way to jump start the scale into moving again?  Of course, I can't be too upset at the moment because the gal who used to wear a 3x shirt, had on a 1x last night that was a little big, but still, it will be a relief to see the scale moving downward once more.

Saturday is Aaron's birthday and we are heading to Frederick to go bike shopping.  He wants a new bike and The Brit is also in the market for one.  So after Saturday, we will be a four bicycle family for the first time ever. 

Isn't life wonderful?

I have been reading "The Shack" and am finding it totally interesting.  Not a dull read at all and there have been lines I have had to go back reread a few times to be able to grasp what the author is saying.  While a work of fiction, the Holy Trinity is just presented in a way that for me anyway, helps me to understand it better.  I have always grappled with that concept and though the author may not have it right (none of us will know what is right this side of heaven) it is definately helping me in this life.  Go buy it.  Let me know what you think.

NonExistent Spare Time

Bloggy friends, I promise to play catch up on your blogs after this week is finished.  It has just been insane and I'm tired and I have a second slide show to make on Movie Maker for the finish (YESSSS) of VBS on Friday night.  It has just been crazy this week and in all honesty, I have not even had to time to put my thoughts in order about what to even blog about!  I am currently downloading 195 photos to peruse to see what is good and what is not so good, and then I have to decide upon music for the show, blah, blah, blah.  I actually enjoying making these; I just prefer to be able to take my sweet time doing it, but that is not the case this week.

And of course, half the pics, the kids have red eye, so I have to fix that.  This could be a long process.

Quality posts coming soon to a blog near you!

Short and Sweet

I am really tired tonight so this is going to be really brief.  VBS is in full swing and kicking my butt.  I've been working in the morning until 12:30, running errands afterwards (to the store, to the library, to the vitamin store, Borders, blah, blah, blah), getting home to tidy up and then leaving for the church again by 5:30 (I have about two spare hours between getting home and leaving again, at least the last two days.).

I'm also currently getting over a dumping episode.  Thankfully, I do not barf when I dump; at least so far. Basically, I get really hot, and feel like I'm going to toss my cookies, then get really sleepy.  My mother gave me fruit at VBS and now I wonder if it was fresh or canned in heavy syrup, because dang!  Blah!  So not fun.

Has anyone heard all the hype about "The Shack"??  My sister was telling me how good it is, and my other sister read it and bought it for my mom.  I went on eBay and all the copies had numerous bids on it.  On Amazon, it had nearly 400 reviews.  I went to Borders today to get it, thinking I would have to go to the Religious section to find it, but there were dozens of copies everywhere in the store!  I just started it and am not very far.  You Christian gals, might want to check it out and let me know what you think.  I'm gonna go read now.

RSS Hugger

Through reading my WLS blog friend's post, I discovered and just signed up for RSS Hugger.  From what I've been reading, it hooks up bloggers (me) with readers (you) by finding out what both of our interests are.  In this case, my blog has much to do with weight loss surgery and my feeling has always been that if I can help someone make the decision to have or not to have it, or answer any questions about the process, both post-op and pre-op, I am all for it.  I am a pay it forward kind of gal! 

So, I am scoping out RSS Hugger to see what it is all about and I'm excited.  I love new toys that help people to find my little blog and I will love using it to find the blogs of others as well!

Life, On-Line

Last night, after all the men in the family had headed upstairs to bed, I ventured to the board that I shared with Jane and about 7 other women.  I went back through the archives, reading old posts that I had posted and reading the responses from these wonderful women, including Jane.  I wasn't surprised to find myself reduced to tears of mourning for this dear friend that I have never met face to face.

The really hard part of grieving for an on-line friend is that if you don't have on-line friends, chances are, you don't "get it".  How can people who have never shared lunch, share a friendship?  Years ago, people had Pen Pals and though I never had one, I have to liken my on-line to that.  Anyone who had a pen pal, I'm almost certain came to care about that person so why would an on-line friend be any different?

As an adult, I love and cherish my girlfriends, some of which I have never met face to face.  Nina, Juli, Jane, Ruth, Jo, Jaime, Ellen, Jeanette and Jan, I have known for nearly ten years.  I have laughed and cried with them, rejoiced and mourned with them.  A few years ago, we lost another member off this same board and it was every bit as painful as the loss of Jane.  A few years ago, another member lost her son in a car accident and my heart ached for her as a mother and a friend.  Some have battled cancer and we support each other and cheer each other on when the good news happens. 

Andie, who I have spoken of before, has been my friend for 6 or 7 years now.  We have exchanged Christmas and birthday gifts and shared in each other's trials and struggles through written words in a chat window.  I have probably spent more time talking to her in chat on any given night than I talk to any one of my face to face girlfriends in one day.  How can I not come to love and care about her as if we lived next door to each other?

My blogging friends, I have not known as long, but they have been an endless source of information and support for me through my surgery and weight loss.  No one I know face to face  (other than Celia and we converse via email alot) could have provided me with such knowledge.

Deyse and Gaby, I have spent most Saturday and Sunday evenings chatting with for the last few years.  Their lives are different from mine as one lives in Mexico and one in Brazil but we have an amazing rapport as we share our lives.

My friend network is very diverse; some I go places with and some I just spend hours talking to.  Does that make one group more important than the other?  Not for me.  I love them all.  That's why Jane's passing is so hard for me and for all the other women of that board who loved her.   We are a small, intimate board of women, just there to support each other in life and in faith.  I know them well and would not be the same person I am today had I not known them.

Many of you have probably seen this little poem, but I love it as it says exactly what it is I feel.

Dear Lord,

Every evening as
I'm lying here in bed,
This tiny little prayer
keeps running through my head.

God, bless my mom and dad
And bless my little pup
And look out for my sister
When things aren't looking up.

And God, there's one more thing
I wish that you could do
Hope you don't mind my asking
But please bless my computer too.

Now, I know that's not normal
To bless a motherboard
But just listen for a second
While I explain to you, my Lord.

You see, that little metal box
Holds more than odds and ends.
Inside those small compartments
Are a hundred of my 'friends'.

I know for sure they like me
By the kindness that they give
And this little scrap of metal
Is how I travel to where they live.

By faith is how I know them
much the same as you
I share in what life brings them
From that our friendship grew.

Please take an extra minute
From your duties up above
To bless this scrap of metal
That's filled with so much love!

Celebrating Life

My friend, Jane, who I asked you to pray for died yesterday evening.  She was sixty years old.  Sixty year old women who are full of life and laughter really shouldn't die, yet we live in an imperfect world where bad things happen.  The good news is that she is now Home, out of pain, out of the hospital and with her Lord and Savior.

I wasn't sure what to blog about today because I've been feeling sad over Jane's passing.  Knowing what I knew of Jane, I was certain at the last minute she would pull through as she struck me as the kind of woman who would simply say, "To hell with the odds!  I'm not going yet!".  Yet, that was not to be and last night, I lost a friend. 

But as I walked around the park a few minutes ago, I was thinking about what to post in light of this sad news.  I was just going to state that Jane had been called Home and leave it at that, but somehow, that didn't seem fair and it certainly didn't seem like something Jane would have wanted.  She was so funny and full of life and there is no doubt in my mind that she is in heaven, cracking everyone up with puns and jokes.  So in thinking about Jane, it just seemed fitting to talk about celebrating life, even if it is mine, because since surgery, I have found so many reasons to celebrate.

I did about a twenty minute mile today, which while not great, was better than it would have been in the fall.  Physically, I felt fabulous doing it; there was a gentle breeze blowing and the sun was shining and reflecting off the lake.  I love putting my ipod on Shuffle and getting the surprise as to what song comes on next, as with 312 songs, it is always a surprise.  Today it was Rascal Flatts and Chris Rice and Abba and Casting Crowns and Natalie Grant.  I love the music blocking all the outside noise and allowing me to focus more on what I see and smell.  It was rejuvinating.

I need to start some strength training soon in preparation of horseback riding (Ironically, I believe Jane loved horses as she was collecting the Breyer ponies).  I don't want to finally get into the saddle only to suddenly find myself on the ground.  We're planning on rejoining the YMCA once the kids go back to school, but maybe I can get The Brit to do it sooner and we could alternate evenings or something while the kids are still on vacation.  My upper arms need work!

I am finally at a place in my life where I feel as if anything is possible; that my dreams really are within reach.  I've always had dreams, but only now do I really believe that they are attainable.  God has given me an incredible opportunity to truly live.

Rest in peace, Jane Rowan.  You'll be sadly missed down here, but yet, I kind of like knowing you are up there looking out for the Mags and I know when I'm called Home, you will be there waiting to greet me.  Keep a special eyes on your PICC too because she is really going to miss you.

A Delightfully Calm Day

After a lousy week, today has been a vast improvement.

Slept in a little and then headed out to get my nails done.  After that, I finished my slide show of the mission trip as we are viewing it tomorrow in church and then Robyn and Lisa came over to "knit".  "Knit" is apparently girl talk for "talking" because no yarn was actually touched.  Lisa, sweet gal she is, made me a sugar free fruit trifle for my birthday and man, is it good!  No sugar added angel food cake, lots of fruit, sugar free pudding, sugar free cool whip, sugar free YUM!  Tasted delightfully  sinful for sugar free and I love it when that happens.

Robyn brought protein, er, shrimp and fat free cream cheese with cocktail sauce and healthy chips (Sun Chips and another kind).  I love my friends who are looking out for me even though they don't have to! Of course, Lisa looks amazing as she has lost like 71 pounds!  What really cracks me up, is the weight loss makes her look taller!  Now, how does that work?

Tonight, we went to dinner with Paula and her family and some of the youth group kids, and that is always fun.  Of course, my mother informed me yesterday that "You must be having a second childhood as you want to ride horses and some of your best friends are teenagers."  Yeah, so the war still wages apparently.  I guess that only kids ride horses, though many of them have hormonal issues as they look really old!  I love my youth kids too as they are fun, but we don't run around together.  Kirk and I have always been close; he has always been a kindred spirit for me and as he says, I have never treated him like a kid.  And you know what?  If these teens help to keep me young, I'm all for it.  I not only have a good time with them, but I listen to their problems when they have them and try to offer advice as an adult.  The kids trust Paula and I and that is worth it's weight in gold.