Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to everyone! It has been a quiet one for me. I woke up with
Theron at 3:30 this morning to exchange 1 present to each other, and we will open the rest with his parents next weekend at new years! Since he had to work today, I am in charge of cooking the turkey and the fixins! He will get home by 4 to carve the bird then we will have the feast. It doesn't feel much like Christmas since I am by myself most of this day, but I am glad I have my four legged companions!

It started snowing last night, so it was real nice waking up to a White Christmas! I can't remember when the last time we had one... several years ago! Enjoy the pics!

Continuing with my list of 'Because I lost weight...' I thought of a few more things to add:
1) I can see me collar bone! Wasn't sure if I even had one...
2) Movie theatre seats are more comfy... it's nice not having to squeeze into them...
3) I am not embarrest at the gym... nothing like an overweight person looking out of place at the gym.
4) I can look straight down and see my toes... amazing!
5) A guy at work flirted w/ me... This was pointed out to me by a co-worker... I was just being nice to the guy but my friend assures me that he was flirty... kinda funny I think...

Because I have lost weight...

I can't tell you how proud I am of this picture. It was a long hard road to get here. We both had worked hard! I am going to make a list here of all the things that have changed or is different in my life since I have had surgery.

I don't know where to start... and there is no particular order...

1) I have lost almost 120#. This was never possible without surgery. My Dr. and I have tried. I've spent my whole life trying!

2) I no longer have to worry about future health problems that accompanies obesity. For example Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, cancer, high blood preasure, etc.

3) My body is much more comfortable to be in. I am more flexable and agile. I hope this makes sense... I also have more stamina. This showed the most when we were in Colorado earlier this year. Usually the higher elevation makes us short on breath. This year we felt like athletes. We walked everywhere and hiked and was never out of breath. It was a great feeling.

4) Since we feel healthier, we find ourselves doing healthier things. For example... we hardly ever use the elevator... the stairs are more fun! It doesn't matter anymore how close our parking spot is at the store... we don't mind walking the extra distance.

5) At restaurants, we don't have to worry if we fit in the booth. They use to be really tight, or we can barely squeeze in them. Or the chairs were just plain uncomfortable and small. Now, most booths seem a little too big!

6) Shopping is such a joy now. Each year in the Fall we go to Branson and go shopping with Theron's parents. Gloria and I use to be similar in sizes. This year, however, I tried shopping in the same stores and nothing fit! Ha Ha, what a great fealing. For the first time ever, I am not limmited to the little tiny section of "Womens" or "Plus Sizes". I can walk into a clothing store now, and go anywhere in the store I want!!

7) I can be a lady and cross my legs. That has never happened before!

8) Clients will see me at work and a few of them claim they didn't recognize me until I said something to them. It's hard to beleive that my wt. loss was enouph to change my physical apperence. The thin person, that I always knew who was hiding inside me, finally came out.

If you have never been overweight, you may not understand what I am trying to say.

9)I am eating healthier and eating less. I am unable to eat high sugared foods (ice cream, desserts, etc.) or foods high in fat. They can physically make me ill. Stomack cramps, vomitting, etc. But that's ok. Splenda has become my best-friend. There are only a handfull of foods that bother me now that I didn't have a problem before... For example... scrambled eggs are not nice to my stomach, this includes omletts. Now eggs cooked any other way are ok. I know, weird. And breakfast meats are no longer kosher for me either... must be the fat content...

10) About a year before my surgery, I had a humiliating experience. I am sure just about every obese person has experience this. I was kicked off a carnival ride because I couldn't fit in it. It's a fear I have had everytime we go someplace that has rides. 'Would I be able to fit?' 'What would happen if I don't fit the ride?' It finally came true. From then on, I swore off rides. This killed me because I loved the rides. There wasn't any ride I wouldn't go on. Three months post-op we baught season tickets to Silver Dollar City. No longer did I have to worry if I didn't fit. I was able to enjoy myself!

11) Similar experince in flying. The seat belts never fit, I had to ask the flight attendant for an extension. I would receive it, after she used it to demonstrate how to use the buckle in their opening flight speech. Plus, I always thought that the chairs were realy small. Now the chairs seem quite roomy and my buckle fits fine, and then some.

12) Why is it cold all the time. Oh yeah, cause I lost almost all of my insulation when I lost my weight. One of the few downfalls... I am constantly cold, but it's well worth the discomfort!! I am glad that I have electricity and can use my electric blanket in bed at night!

13) I lost enough weight that I had to pull my car seat up so I can reach my pedals again. That was kinda weird...

14) We need to buy new temple clothing... And by next summer I get to have a whole new Summer wardrobe. By then I would have gone from a size 26/28 to a 10... maybe an 8 by then!

15) I am hopefull that we get pregnant this year, one of the main reasons for having the surgery.

16) With Theron haveing the surgery also, I think this life changing experience has brought us closer together. We understand what the other is going through... that is priceless.

17) I think I look younger.

18) I have lost a total of 55.75"! And I am still losing!!

I will add more as I think of them... but I think this is a good start!

One Year and 255 lbs. Later!

Our Official 1 Year Post-Op Pics:

Well, time has flown by! Our lives seem so mundane and routine, that I didn't think we had much to report on. We went for a weekend trip in Branson in the fall. We missed the pretty colors by about a week, but it was still pretty there. We had a chance to take pictures at the same place this year as we did 2 years ago. The difference is amazing!

Branson, 2009 (9 months post-op)

Branson, 2007 (1 yr. pre-op)

I found out recently that Mom and Dad are selling our beloved childhood home. It came at a shock at first, but I have been expecting it to happen. The house is just too much for one person, who is hardly there anyways... 30 years of memories soon will be sold to some stranger. I was able to go back there last weekend to salvage some items and get some pics of the old place. Matt... You better take care of mom's china!! Dad is moving into the new apartments as we speak, to a place next door to mom's place. That will be nice for the both of them.

Congrats to Amber and Sam on their upcoming first born! Good luck to the both of youkk! I visit with my Dr. next week. Hoping I will the the go ahead for Theron and I to start trying again.... Wish us luck!

Us near the mountain creak...

Near the same creak...

A distant view of the San Juans

Wild turkies off in the distance

A sunset on the aspens

We got to see dear everyday on our property!

A scenic view of the San Juan Mountains...

A mountain creak near our place

Apparently, dear really, really like aspen leaves...

Our view as we left the village of Crested Butte

Our Last Vacation of the Year!

The Columbine is Colorado's state flower

This poor yearling (it's young anyways) got himself stuck up a tree in the middle of
a local small village, Crested Butte

The infamous Rioa Grande Gorge

The ghost town of Dawson. Like other ghost towns in Colorado, it was a mining town. The town officially closed in 1950. It's population reached to 9,000. All that is left is the wagon tribute and the huge cemetary.

Ladybug's swarm the Capluin Volcano site.

I can't believe it has been since May since I posted! I don't have any kids to do any updates on... the pets are the same: eat, sleep, play, get into the trash... oh, Kaisee has found a way out of the backyard... need to fix the small fence somehow... Theron received a second calling, on top of his current calling which just got added upon. He is still the asst. ward clerk, but instead of being limited to membership, he now does membership and financial. He is also my asst. primary teacher. Apparently six five-year olds is a lot to handle... they are a chatty group! Both of our jobs are going well. Theron had put in for a supervisor for the BDO position... still waiting on that.

We recently got back from spending a week in Colorado with the in-laws. It was nice and relaxing. We also stopped on the way home and visited a good friend of ours. I wished we could have had more time to spend with her. It had been two years since she seen us. She said that we looked good and she barely recognized Theron. She apologized for staring at us! lol, she said we looked so different. We are home now, and our next break won't be until the holidays... what a drag! It's like being in school and waiting for the next holiday to end the monotonous days...

Enjoy the pics!

The last port of the cruise was interesting. Originally it was Cozumel. Swine Flu cancelled that for us about 2 days before we sailed. They had chosen Roatan in it's place. This was fine for us, we have been there before. We left the Caymans and were halfway to Roatan when it got cancelled. They had riots and it wasn't safe for us to go there. Within an hours time we had a new port and some excursions to go with it. I was surprised how quickly they were able to accommodate us on such short notice. We changed course and headed towards Belize City. Last year we went on a cruise to Cozumel, Roatan, and Belize City. Since we've been here before we decided to go on our own and shop. That is why we don't have any fun pics of Belize...

The koala and the swans were two of my favorite towel animals. The group pic is from our evening meal. We were grouped with two other couples. There's Mr. and Ms. Philadelphia (his name is Asad, can't remember hers...) they only came to dinner about 3 times. Then there is Mr. and Ms. Buffalo, NY. Her name is Rachel... I forget his. Extremely nice and fun couple. He is a cat person too... also with 3 cats. I regret not getting their contact info... would have liked to kept in touch with them... They like us, have the cruise bug! He enjoyed this cruise so well that he was already looking at other cruises! I did the same when we got home!!

Some under water shots of the stingray. At the top is not a mother and a baby, but a female (larger) and a full grown male (smaller). Like I said... very graceful creatures!!

Welcome to the Garand Caymans and the beautiful Stingray City. It's on a sandbar about 10-15 miles off the coast. The water here is about waist high and it's the prettiest water I have ever seen! The pics do not lie!! These creatures are about the most gentle things. They just glide right by you, looking for treats... Their mouth acts like a vacuum hose, they suck the squid right out of your hand... The guides were able to catch them and hold them. That is what Theron is doing, and yes, we are kissing it too!

That's our boat! Docked at the Jamaican pier. As we left Jamaica, the day was waning. The ocean has such beautiful sunsets... It's one of the things I miss back home... being at the beach watching the sun set behind the water... As we docked in the Caymans, we were met with this pirate ship. It's actually a tour , but still, it's pretty cool.

Pepe and his "homies". Here is the famous Dunn River Falls in Jamaica. It was a blast! The Jamaicans called all the females "princess". I thought that was cute! I took us about and hour and a half to climb up the waterfall. You couldn't tell that you were going uphill, I was too concerned about falling... One of the tour guides was holding my hand during a particularly slippery spot...

It's a good thing that iguana was tame... it was huge and restless!! The highlight of our cruise... Swimming with the dolphins. We had all sorts of interaction with them. They are like dogs... they love ppl, highly trainable, loves interaction, playfull and gentle and they beg for treats!! I learned first hand how powerfull they actually are... Our dolphin's name is Pepe, and as he swam away from me his tail fin hit me in the shin... the bruise lasted for several days... it hurt! Poor guy, I don't think it realized it hit me, that or Pepe didn't care... he was begging for more treats.