What is it Lassie? Timmy Fell in the Well?!

No.... I didn't fall in a well, I've just been so crazy busy at work lately that all I want to do when I come home is sleep... not blog~haha.

So, it's been  two whole weeks since I posted!  A LOT has happened since then, so I will pick out the important parts and try not to bore you to death =)  I am currently at 303 (as of this morning)... just one measly pound from the first major goal I set for myself... FIFTY POUNDS DOWN!!!  I am down to a 24 in pants (and could possibly get a 22) and in a 22/24 in tops (some I can even get an 18/20!).  I am so very proud of myself.  I haven't been in a size 22 since 2005, when I started college, so this has made me feel really good!  I mentioned last time that my surgeon was leaving and that they had an ungodly wait time for appointments.  I had an appointment scheduled for August 14th, then another for September something-or-other.  Well, yesterday I got a call saying that they had accidentally scheduled my August appointment during the surgeons vacation, and that they would need to reschedule.  My first thought was "HELL NO I'M NOT WAITING TIL SEPTEMBER TO SEE MY DOCTOR!!!"  Then, before I could verbalize my disappointment, the sweet little voice on the other end of the line says "We have an appointment on Wednesday at 1, how does that sound?"  Uhhh... it sounds FABULOUS!  So, I will be seeing the other surgeon in the practice tomorrow for a check-up and *hopefully* a fill.  I will let you guys know how that goes. 

Next on the agenda.... 80% of my clothes are now officially too big!  I have spent more mornings than not just standing in my closet, staring at all of the things that I can no longer wear without looking like I got dressed in a Hefty trash bag factory, and getting mad at myself for not going shopping yet.  So, since I am off for the entire day tomorrow (thanks to my having to work this Saturday =| ), I have decided to devote at least a portion of the day to buying a few new items.  Even my shoes are too big, and I have grown tired of feeling like I am wearing flip flops even when I'm wearing dressy pumps.  I do know how to sew, therefore I have put my sewing machine to good use and taken in a few dresses and skirts (since those are the easiest to do), so at least I was able to save those.  The majority of my other clothes I am considering taking to a consignment shop.  Lots of them have been worn less than a dozen times... and there are still tags on more pieces than I'd like to admit!  So, maybe I can get some cash to fund my shopping expedition tomorrow =)

Sewing and Cash... that brings me to my next topic.  I am sure that I have mentioned to you all before that I am getting married in March.  We got engaged in February this year, and decided to give ourselves plenty of time to get things together.  That being said, I am definitely the DIY type.  I love anything crafty!  So, I have decided to try to do/make a lot of the elements for our wedding and/or reception myself.  It will save us a ton of money, and it's something that I LOVE doing, anyway =)  I made my ring bearer pillow last weekend, and it looks pretty darn awesome, if I do say so myself.  I found a picture of one that was selling at Michaels Craft Store for $22... then I bought the supplies and made it myself to fit my color scheme.  I think I spent about... $5 over all?  I also have TONS of fabric left over, which I will be using in other projects, so really the cost was maybe $3.  No too shabby, eh?

So, with that, I will bid you all a good night and pleasant dreams.  I won't promise, but I will definitely TRY to post more often, rather than overwhelming you with 2 weeks packed into 2 paragraphs~haha.  

This is me during my last shopping extravaganza!  The new 22/24 me!

Ring bearer pillow for my wedding, hand crafted by yours truly. Don't fight ladies, I am taking orders now! =)

Cupcakes and Cameras

I know I am a little late, but hey, I'm late for everything... you guys should be used to it by now haha.  Weigh in day was Sunday: 309.2 =)  Considering all of the ridiculous things that have gone into my mouth this weekend, I will be eternally grateful for that!  My Dad came down to spend the weekend with us, and we decided (very last minute) to have a cookout for the 4th (even though it was on the 2nd... but hey, who's counting?)  I made a delicious and not-so-terrible-for-me angel food cake topped with fat free cool whip, reduced sugar crushed pineapple and yummy fresh strawberries.  It was sooo good!  I had a really good time with all of the people that came over.  It's a nice change for us to have people over rather than us going to them.  My Dad is an EXCELLENT cook (you can ask anyone.... I don't think you will find a single person to disagree).  He made some homemade chili and slaw- both of which were awesome, and we had hamburgers, hot dogs, and grilled chicken.  My friend also made an amazing fruit salad - I was in Heaven!


I know that I mentioned to you guys last week that I was heading to NoDa (the artsy neighborhood nearby) on Friday to sell my cupcakes.  I was really hoping that things would go well, but they didn't.  They were AMAZING!!  I sold EIGHT DOZEN cupcakes in just 4 hours.  When you're selling one or two per customer, that's a lot of cupcakes!  I made a good amount of money and gave out tons of business cards.  I will definitely be doing that again!  I also bought a new camera this weekend so I can take pictures of my little beauties =) 

Now, on to a more serious note.  I called my Band Doc today to make an appointment.  I am right at 2 months, so it's time for a check up, and probably a fill, too.  My dreams came crashing to the floor!  I was informed that my surgeon is leaving the practice and that there are no openings with the other surgeon until MID AUGUST.  Ummm.... no sir.  This does NOT work for me.  I have started learning my body, and I have learned that it's time for a fill.  A month from now I am afraid that I will be back to my pre-surgery weight.  Now, I know that's not a logical thought, but I just don't like the feeling of not being able to schedule an appointment for over a month.  This is especially irritating considering how they stress the importance of keeping good communication with your surgeon and keeping your check up appointments, especially in the first year after surgery.  I will try calling to see if they may have some cancellations here and there, and maybe be on the look out for a new fill doctor.  :-/

Pass the Cookies Please!

Once again, it's official weigh in day.  I am at 311.3... the same as last week.  I blame this on my period, or maybe the copious amounts of cookies and junk food I have eaten this week.  But hey, I can blame that on my period, too.  I have found that I am now able to eat MORE than I could before I got a fill.  I am not sure if this is thanks to my little visitor (because I have always been like a vacuum cleaner during that time of the month, sucking up any piece of chocolate or sugar in sight), or because I might need another fill.  I have an appointment in 2 weeks to check my progress and possibly get another fill, but I may call and see if I can't move that forward a little.  I don't want Mr. Scale to get back into his old habit of moving up instead of down.

On a side note, I have spoken about my cupcake business before.  There is an artsy neighborhood nearby (we are actually having our wedding reception there in March).  The first and third Friday of every month, all of the art galleries in this neighborhood open up their doors to everyone to come in and see what they have.  People also set up little tables on the sidewalks to sell their homemade goodies (soaps, jewelry, hairbows, etc).  There is also live music and things like that.  I will be setting up a table to sell my cupcakes this coming Friday.  This will be my first time trying this out, so I will let you guys know how that goes.  Fingers crossed, it will bring me a little business.  I am trying to build up some regular customers.

I am hoping next week at work will be calm and easy going.  My manager is leaving to go elsewhere after Friday, so this is the beginning of a big transition period for me.  Hopefully it won't be too stressful.  In the last month, we have hired FIVE new tellers.  This sounds great, it means we have more staff and less stress, right?  Wrong.  This means that we have five new people that pretty much need constant supervision .  After a few weeks this will be a positive thing.  I will only have to work 1 or 2 Saturdays per month, unlike July where I am scheduled for 4 out of 5 Saturdays.  That is the thing I am really looking forward to.  

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you!  In the last week or so I have had SEVERAL people tell me that they can really tell a difference with my weight loss.  This is a good feeling when I am having a down week.  Makes me smile from the inside out =)

NOT What I Signed Up For

I went to Virginia this weekend to spend Father's Day with my Dad =)  I had a three day weekend, and took full advantage.  I got to spend the entire day on Monday with one of my two best friends.  I love it when you can go months without seeing someone, but the second you are back together, it's like you haven't missed any time at all.  

I bought some cute new clothes at Cato.  I haven't been in one of those stores in a while because the sizes are always irregular and a lot of the clothes are poor quality.  Well, Lane Bryant seems to have the same issue on the quality issue, and quite frankly, I am tired of paying $60 for a pair of pants that I now will only be able to wear for a month or so.  The cute outfit I got at LB last week cost as much as a really nice dress (nice enough to wear as a guest to a wedding, but I could also wear it to work), 3 shirts for work, a skirt for work, and a sundress for lounging around the house in all from Cato.  Maybe I will add some pix soon... we'll see~haha.

Also, because I was in VA, I didn't have a chance to do my official Sunday weigh in.  However, I was 311.1 on Tuesday, which is down 3.9 pounds from last Sunday!  I was very pleased with that, especially since this week my "monthly visitor" decided to move in.  I have always had ridiculously irregular periods, sometimes going 6 months or more without having one at all (which is what happened this time - I haven't had one since Christmas).  So, when my visitor finally decides to show up, she brings the wrath of her six month absence with her.  I actually had to leave work today to come home and sleep because I was cramping so badly and I was having to "change" about once an hour... this is NOT what I signed up for when I decided to have surgery-haha!  They said that one of the many positive things that come from LapBand is that it will help you get on a more regular schedule if you have previously been irregular.  It also allows people who were previously unable to conceive to be able to have children.  I guess the excess weight puts too much stress on the female organs, so losing the excess weight and the raging hormones that come with weight loss kind of put your body in baby-makin' overdrive.  No thanks.  The only thing I have found so far in life that I like about children is the fact that I can give them back to whomever they belong to when I get annoyed with them.  That may change as I get older, but for right now, that's not on my immediate agenda.

It Hurts So Good!

This week has flown by!  Some really good things happened, though =)  I finally broke down and went shopping for clothes.  I was to the point where I was so busy trying to hold my pants up all day that I couldn't get anything else done~haha.  I know this is a good problem to have, but slightly annoying (and expensive).  So... I went to my trusty Lane Bryant for some new work pants and bras (this part I was more sad than happy about, but eh... such is life).  I mentioned in one of my earlier posts that I am a 26/28 on the top and bottom, though usually more of a 28.  So, I decided to get some 26 pants and give them a try.  TOO BIG!  Baggy in my crotch, butt, legs, waist... etc etc.  It looked like I was smuggling a small child in my pants or something.  So, on to the 24.  PERFECT =)  I haven't been able to wear a 24 in about 3 or 4 years.  I just stood there in the dressing room, grinning from ear to ear and staring at myself in the mirror.  I was also able to get into a 22/24 top, and even in some cases an 18/20 top!  This one, however, is both good and bad.  Good because I can tell a HUGE (no pun intended) difference in my back rolls - most of them have packed up and moved back to the bakery they came from!  Bad because my ladies have been shrinking along with the rest of my body.  I was a 46DD before, now I am a 44D.  Still more than enough, but I don't want this lady losing to become a trend!  I bought one pair of black dress pants, one cute shirt, and a couple of bras.  I tried on my new outfit for Daniel (my fiance) last night, and he proceeded to dry hump my leg.  It was flattering =) 

This weekend I am heading to Virginia to visit my wonderful family!  I haven't been up since Easter, so I am really looking forward to seeing everyone (and for everyone to see me).  Most of them haven't seen me since before I started the liquid diet, and I have lost a little more than 20 pounds since then.  Not that I will be fishing for compliments, but it's always nice when someone notices a difference in you, right?  

Daniel and I went and had massages last night.  It's been a while since my last one, and my shoulders were in dire need!  Daniel has never had one.. until now!  He loved it, as did I.  But, oh!  I am sore this morning!  It hurts so gooood!  I don't know why, but I don't feel like I have had a successful massage unless I am sore the next day.  That tells me that my muscles were really worked.  We went to a massage school, and I don't know if any of you have ever done that, but basically it's where students are alllllmost done with their training to become massage therapists and they need a certain number of clinic or practice hours before they can become licensed.  This may not seem like a big deal to you, but to me it means paying $25 for an hour long massage vs. $60-$75 at a spa.  I know a lot of colleges have the same type of program for their cosmetology students, and you can get hair cuts or highlights, etc at a really reduced price.  I'm not sure that I am quite brave enough for that one yet.  I mean, think about it.  If the massage therapist messes up, who is going to know but you?  Someone accidentally hacks all of your hair off and colors it green... yeah, everyone knows haha.

WHAT is THAT???!

Wow, I didn't realize until just now that it has been an entire week since I posted.  Bad me!  This week has been going really well, I have moved into regular foods, I just have to remember to chew, chew, chew!  I am starting to find the foods that don't work well for me, and those that do.  For example:  I can't really handle chicken breasts anymore unless it is smothered in some kind of sauce or cheese (really healthy, right?) because people tend to cook it too long and make it too dry.  I can, however, handle chicken nuggets.  Chick-fil-a is the easiest for me.... which I am NOT going to complain about considering that it's my favorite place to eat in the entire WORLD!!!  (Ok, that might be pushing it... but it's darn close!).

Today is the official weigh in.... 315.0 =)  Alllllmost 3 pounds down from last week.  2.7 to be exact!  I am getting to the point now where I have learned for the most part how much I will be able to eat.  Great!  Just in time for my first fill up!  Now I get to start the learning process all over again!  I have my one month check up on Wednesday.  My doctor probably won't do a fill that day, be he said he would see how I am progressing and go from there.

Ok, so enough about my band... a little more about my personal life.  Daniel (my fiance) and I are getting married in March 2012.  Last night we went to the wedding of one of my co-workers.  Believer it or not, but at the age of 23, it was the first real wedding I have ever been to.  Sure, I have been to weddings before, but they have been in someones back yard or the local church, and the reception consisted of all of the guests bringing a dish of some sort (mac and cheese, potato salad, green beans, etc etc), and we just ate what they brought.  Sounds more like a family reunion or something, right?  So, you can imagine how difficult it has been trying to make wedding plans when I have never even been to a wedding where the word "venue" is used and not "Aunt Susan's back yard".  We had a really good time.  It was at a local winery, and very beautiful (hot as hell, but that's another story).  Daniel actually danced with me (I was VERY surprised), I got to see people from work outside of the norm.  It was nice.  Now I have a few realistic ideas and I'm not trying to plan my wedding based off of some TV show on the Women's Entertainment network =).  

And... my last thought for the day.  Last night when we got home from the wedding and I was in the bathroom changing my clothes for bed.  Well, I just happened to be looking in the mirror while I was putting my pants on... and all I could thing was "OMG!!! WHAT IS THAT???!!"  I don't know how I have yet to notice this.. but my inner thigh has completely DEFLATED!  On one hand, this is great news... it means I am definitely losing inches.  But, as a woman, you KNOW this was not my first though.  All I could think of was a balloon that had been blown up waaaay too much, and then someone let all of the air out.  Yes, that is correct, I am comparing my inner thigh to a used up wrinkly balloon.  After having a mini meltdown (only about 30 seconds, and I was over it- I mean, I knew this was gonna happen, just didn't know it would be so soon!), I put my PJ's on and went on about my business.  Though I am sad about my wrinkly balloons, I can't help but smile.  My first really visible weight loss.  People have been telling me that they have noticed other parts, but I couldn't see it.  Trust me, I saw this!

Sorry for the super long post, I just had a lot to get out of my system.  I will try to break it up a little more next time instead of waiting an entire week to post =)

The Lost Teenager

My two week check up was on Thursday.  According to the scale at the doctors office I was down 16lbs since May 2nd (the beginning of my 2 week liquid diet), so that was nice.  My surgeon said that my incisions were healing nicely, and he gave me some good ideas for some mushy foods to eat.  I have been having problems even eating things as mild as yogurt.  I am having a LOT of gas (burping), so I think my tummy just doesn't know what to do when food gets down there...

Anyway... today is official weigh in day.  *drum roll please*  317.7 =)  So, down 3 pounds from last week!  My surgeon said to expect/aim for 2 pounds/week... so I am very pleased with 3.  Just think... even if I did only lose 2lbs/week... that's 104 pounds in a year.  THAT'S LIKE LOSING A TEENAGER!!!!! (And let's face it... I'm sure all of us have wanted to get rid of a teenager at some point or another...)

We did some yard demolition today with a little help (okay, a LOT of help) from my Dad.  We have been wanting to get rid of some bushes and a few small trees since we bought our house last February (2010), so we finally got to it!  We are having the house painted in two weeks, and I can't wait to see it all come together!  Added bonus:  a pretty good work out for me today, picking up branches and such =)