I started my own self-imposed pre-op diet on Monday. This means I'm trying to eat less and incorporate a protein shake as at least one meal replacement. I'm attempting to lay low on the carbs and sugar, also.
So far so good, though I have had some rotten headaches. According to my calculations, I've lost 9 lbs since I started "caring" again and 6 of these pounds have been since my last doctor appointment 2 weeks ago.
On Tuesday, I had to have a gall bladder ultrasound in preparation for my upcoming surgery. Good news is that I did not have a gall bladder baby, Phew! lol. It was a fairly quick and totally painless procedure, but the really cool thing is that I met a woman in the waiting room (her daughter was having an ultra sound) who had the gastric bypass done 7 years ago by my surgeon and she sang his praises (and looked like she had never been overweight a day in her life). The ultra sound tech had the lap band done 3 years ago by my surgeon and also sung his praises. Even though I am quite confident in my decision to have this surgery and with the surgeon I selected, it still made me even feel better about that decision having met these two women.
Today, I had my EGD (upper GI endoscopy) which is the second procedure required pre-op. There is so much hoopla over a 10 minute procedure, sheesh!
I had to fast from 10pm last night until it was all said and done. My mom came and picked me up at 5:45 am as we had to be at the hospital by 6:15. I filled out some paperwork and then they took my mom and I back into a different waiting room. I had to pee in a cup to prove I wasn't pregnant and then they took me back.
They took my vitals and then had me change into a gown and lay down. Next came the IV and then my mom was brought back to hang out with me until I got whisked away into the operating room. I remember them helping me turn onto my side and then the next minute (it seemed) I was waking up in the recovery room. I had a pretty bad cough waking up from the anesthesia, so the nurse gave me ice chips and then raised the back of my bed and got me some water. That helped.
I had to chill out for 15 minutes or so and then they brought my mom back. The nurse gave my mom some instructions and then I found out I had a hiatal hernia. I actually suspected I did after reading so many posts on the forum I belong to. I also found out my stomach was a little inflamed, thought not sure why. The nurse explained neither one of these things would prevent me from getting my surgery and so all is well for moving forward.
I believe the hiatal hernia will be fixed during surgery as I've read that the surgeons usually do this during the VSG surgery. I will have to ask my doctor when I see him on 9/3.
I was discharged and then my mom and I went for breakfast. I am so happy my parents having finally accepted I'm doing this. It's a huge relief off my back! =)
I just woke up from a 2 1/2 hour nap a few minutes ago and I don't even feel guilty for taking the day off of work (well maybe a little bit).
Next step: Pre-op appointment at the hospital on 9/3 followed by my last appointment with my surgeon. Time is flying by and keep getting more and more excited with each passing day! =)
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Thursday, August 8, 2013
I'm back....
Oh my, I sure have been gone a long time. Over a year, it appears, since my last post.
I've been thinking about returning to the blogging world. It's interesting, though. Last time I started blogging I was in the process of losing tons of weight and embarking upon a running adventure. This time, I shall return to blogging to hopefully capture another attempt at the same.
Let me explain.
By the end of May 2010, I had officially weighed in less than ever before as an adult....well to be fair...even as a teenager. Then I started putting it back on. At first it was just a little bit, but then it became a lot. It's easy for me to go back and see how and when and why it all happened. Hindsight is always 20/20, after all. I also have an extreme talent of self analyzing, for the record.
Injury launched my downhill spiral. For those of you who have read my blog before, you know I ended up with a pelvic stress fracture during a half marathon.
Reentering the dating world after a long, long, long hiatus continued the tumbling. Triggers, triggers everywhere I guess you could say.
Work stress became the icing on the cake. Literally, I guess. I mean what better way to solve problems than to stuff one's face with cake, right?! The sad thing is that I knew better. I know better. Why did I never have a shut-off valve?
I just let my weight become a reflection of my misery. I've let it define me.
Well...not any longer. I've decided after much thought and research to embark upon a new adventure. Some of you will cheer for me. Others will disapprove. The bottom line is that for the first time in a very long time, I've never been so sure about something in my life.
I am scheduled to have a vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG) on Monday, September 19, 2013. This means that 85% of my stomach will be removed endoscopically through 5-6 incisions during an approximate one hour surgery. I will have to spend one night in the hospital and take one week off of work to recover. My new stomach will allow me to eat no more than 4 oz at a time and I will have to learn how to listen to my body to know when I am full.
I began the process of seeking out a surgeon in March. By early April, I had my first appointment. At that time I was opting for gastric bypass. I received approval from my insurance company (BCBS) in late May, but too late for me to go ahead and follow-through with the surgery until the end of the summer. Summer, as many of you know, is my busy season at work and it just wouldn't be right to remove myself from the game for a week or more essentially for elective surgery.
My parents are very leery of this whole thing. They feel surgery is too extreme a measure. I understand their thoughts. I get that I have proven I am capable of losing 100 lbs on my own. I have not been able to keep it off, however. I feel like this surgery will give me the tool to lose the weight and manage the maintenance process. If I could, I would have the surgery tomorrow.
In these next 5 weeks, I will continue my research as to the best protein shakes and vitamins for post-op, as well as seeking out helpful hints to deal with all the curve balls that may be thrown my way. I will pursue camaraderie and fellowship from the different on-line forums for my specific surgery and I will make an effort to lose as much weight as possible pre-surgery.
I shall keep you posted!!!
I've been thinking about returning to the blogging world. It's interesting, though. Last time I started blogging I was in the process of losing tons of weight and embarking upon a running adventure. This time, I shall return to blogging to hopefully capture another attempt at the same.
Let me explain.
By the end of May 2010, I had officially weighed in less than ever before as an adult....well to be fair...even as a teenager. Then I started putting it back on. At first it was just a little bit, but then it became a lot. It's easy for me to go back and see how and when and why it all happened. Hindsight is always 20/20, after all. I also have an extreme talent of self analyzing, for the record.
Injury launched my downhill spiral. For those of you who have read my blog before, you know I ended up with a pelvic stress fracture during a half marathon.
Reentering the dating world after a long, long, long hiatus continued the tumbling. Triggers, triggers everywhere I guess you could say.
Work stress became the icing on the cake. Literally, I guess. I mean what better way to solve problems than to stuff one's face with cake, right?! The sad thing is that I knew better. I know better. Why did I never have a shut-off valve?
I just let my weight become a reflection of my misery. I've let it define me.
Well...not any longer. I've decided after much thought and research to embark upon a new adventure. Some of you will cheer for me. Others will disapprove. The bottom line is that for the first time in a very long time, I've never been so sure about something in my life.
I am scheduled to have a vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG) on Monday, September 19, 2013. This means that 85% of my stomach will be removed endoscopically through 5-6 incisions during an approximate one hour surgery. I will have to spend one night in the hospital and take one week off of work to recover. My new stomach will allow me to eat no more than 4 oz at a time and I will have to learn how to listen to my body to know when I am full.
I began the process of seeking out a surgeon in March. By early April, I had my first appointment. At that time I was opting for gastric bypass. I received approval from my insurance company (BCBS) in late May, but too late for me to go ahead and follow-through with the surgery until the end of the summer. Summer, as many of you know, is my busy season at work and it just wouldn't be right to remove myself from the game for a week or more essentially for elective surgery.
My parents are very leery of this whole thing. They feel surgery is too extreme a measure. I understand their thoughts. I get that I have proven I am capable of losing 100 lbs on my own. I have not been able to keep it off, however. I feel like this surgery will give me the tool to lose the weight and manage the maintenance process. If I could, I would have the surgery tomorrow.
In these next 5 weeks, I will continue my research as to the best protein shakes and vitamins for post-op, as well as seeking out helpful hints to deal with all the curve balls that may be thrown my way. I will pursue camaraderie and fellowship from the different on-line forums for my specific surgery and I will make an effort to lose as much weight as possible pre-surgery.
I shall keep you posted!!!
Monday, March 19, 2012
I'm still ticking!
Apparently I've just turned into a bad blogger. I can't say for sure I will get back to my regular blogging self anytime in the next century, but what I can do is blog when it's feasible and not blog when it isn't. Sounds fair to me!
Since we last parted ways...
I've suffered the loss of a friend. My friend was Friday Night Lights. I watched all 5 seasons on Netflix and then...felt empty. For 5 seasons I lived in Dillon,TX. For 5 seasons I "cared" about football and the lives of my many "friends". For 5 seasons, I got all caught up in the drama and then....nothing. Empty. I'm trying to replace my friend, but so far nothing has hooked me yet. I will let you know if/when that changes.
Since we last parted ways...
I've traveled to Huntington Beach, CA to visit my brother and sister-in-law. I arrived on Friday, 2/3. Eddie took me to our Surf City Marathon Expo where I stocked up on all sorts of goodies. Have you ever tried the Halo brand sweat bands? OMG! I have never in my life worn a sweat band that truly did not allow sweat to drip in my eyes. Best. Sweat Band. Ever. I also purchased a visor with a built in sweat band, but I've yet to try it out. I then purchased a pair of Experia Cool Max PINK socks which are awesome! We all know how much I enjoy NUUN, so I bought a few cylinders of various flavors to tide me over. Wouldn't you know I would forget my SPIbelt? No worries...I bought a bigger one at this Expo which totally holds everything I need - including my cell phone! =) Yes, I totally dropped a small fortune, but it was well worth it!
After the Expo, we headed to Slater's 50/50 - Burgers by Design. Eddie had been telling me about this place for quite some time. He wanted us to be bold and daring and try the Peanut Butter and Jellousy. We had amazing service and we were even encouraged to each pick out a burger and then they would split both burgers for us so we could each have half of the other's burger. We decided on the PB&J burger (pb, strawberry jelly, bacon, burger on a honey wheat bun) and the special of the month, the Pizza Burger (1/2 beef 1/2 Italian sausage burger, fried cheese sticks, red pepper pizza sauce, and pepperoni on a Ciabatta roll). Though we both enjoyed the pizza burger, we agreed the PB&J burger was the MOST AMAZING BURGER EVER! I might have convinced him we needed to go again to experience it in all of it's glory once more before I left.
Saturday was more or less a chill day with plenty o' carbo-loading.
Sunday was race day. Eddie and April had never done a half before. This was my 8th. I was, of course, walking the race since I have not been running for almost a year now. I have to say that it was probably the most boring course I've ever been on. You may recall that I did the OC Half back last May and the course, though VERY hilly, was fantastic taking us along the beach, cliffside, and through some beautiful neighborhoods. The Surf Side City Half was a different ballgame all together. We started on the Pacific Coast Highway (or the PCH as the cool kids call it) and with the exception of a 2 mile detour off a side road which looped back to the highway, we remained on the PCH through the finish line. Although I did appreciate the beach scene, it wore out its welcome at the 8 mile turn around. I will say that the runners and walkers in the race were incredibly friendly and supportive. The staff members working the race were helpful and sweet dispositioned.
A few cool / mentionable moments. Around mile 3, I met an older couple. We were chatting as we walked and they told me the best experience they have ever had was walking the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer two years in a row and that they looked forward to walking it again this year. What you don't know is that I've been listening to the advertisements for the Houston Walk on 96.5 thinking that this may be something I want to participate in. More on this subject in another post, but needless to say, I took this as a sign I needed to walk the walk! Near mile 4, I hit up a hydration station and disappointingly noticed they didn't have any Vitalyte available. I knew I needed electrolytes to help stave off the calf cramps, so I asked oned of the volunteers and he said he would look for some. I told him thanks, but not to worry about it and kept marching along. He apparently found some and ran it over to me. What a great guy! Then, around mile 6, I was traipsing along and some really awesome girl who was on the other side of the highway about 4 miles ahead of me came running across the median to give me a bracelet and some words of encouragement.
Overall, I was okay with my performance. I maintained a decent consistent pace through mile 8 and then it went completely downhill when the calf cramps blasted me around mile 9. I had a hydration plan of only drinking the Vitalyte at all stations, but the first one didn't have any and then I was only able to find it at the second and third. By the time I hit the 4th station, they were out. I hit up a medic tent around mile 10.5 and got a cup of Gatorade that took me to the finish line, cramps and all. I didn't end my race listening to music, so there is no finishing song on this one.
I think it's time I buy some salt pills to take with me on my journies. =/ Any suggestions of brands?
We pigged out on pizza Sunday evening. I think I was trying to replenish the 2260 calories I burned during the race.
April and I got foot massages on Monday. Then I headed back to Houston on Tuesday.
Wednesday was a pamper-me day. I got a MUCH needed haircut in the morning followed by a 70 minute hot stone massage that I purchased via Living Social a long time ago. Although the massage was relaxing, I have to say that I still prefer my deep tissue torture sessions. ;)
Thursday, I had eye surgery...AGAIN. 6 years ago, I jumped on the lasik bandwagon. Right before I was to have standard lasik surgery, the doctor decided he would prefer to do a procedure on me called Epilasik. This was as a result of my astygmatism and it meant a longer recovery period. I remember being totally miserable for about 5 days or so. Well several months ago I noticed that my vision had changed and since I had paid for a "warrantly" of sorts on my surgery, I was entitled to free touch-ups as necessary. I went through the whole process with Lasik Plus before they determined the procedure would be beneficial to me. This time they decided to do PRK surgery - slightly different than Epilasik and a longer recovery period. I wasn't able to return to work until the next Tuesday and even then...my eyes were not as they should be. My left eye was slightly over-corrected and my right eye was lagging behind. It made for a very unbalanced vision causing me eyestrain and glaring issues. It has since improved, but is still not perfect. My doctor basically told me to have patience.
I'm sorry for the lack of pictures in this post. Not only am I bad blogger, but I'm a terrible picture taker, as well. =/
I have so much more to catch you up on, so hopefully I will get to writing another post ASAP so you can share in my family's excitement!
Since we last parted ways...
I've suffered the loss of a friend. My friend was Friday Night Lights. I watched all 5 seasons on Netflix and then...felt empty. For 5 seasons I lived in Dillon,TX. For 5 seasons I "cared" about football and the lives of my many "friends". For 5 seasons, I got all caught up in the drama and then....nothing. Empty. I'm trying to replace my friend, but so far nothing has hooked me yet. I will let you know if/when that changes.
Since we last parted ways...
I've traveled to Huntington Beach, CA to visit my brother and sister-in-law. I arrived on Friday, 2/3. Eddie took me to our Surf City Marathon Expo where I stocked up on all sorts of goodies. Have you ever tried the Halo brand sweat bands? OMG! I have never in my life worn a sweat band that truly did not allow sweat to drip in my eyes. Best. Sweat Band. Ever. I also purchased a visor with a built in sweat band, but I've yet to try it out. I then purchased a pair of Experia Cool Max PINK socks which are awesome! We all know how much I enjoy NUUN, so I bought a few cylinders of various flavors to tide me over. Wouldn't you know I would forget my SPIbelt? No worries...I bought a bigger one at this Expo which totally holds everything I need - including my cell phone! =) Yes, I totally dropped a small fortune, but it was well worth it!
After the Expo, we headed to Slater's 50/50 - Burgers by Design. Eddie had been telling me about this place for quite some time. He wanted us to be bold and daring and try the Peanut Butter and Jellousy. We had amazing service and we were even encouraged to each pick out a burger and then they would split both burgers for us so we could each have half of the other's burger. We decided on the PB&J burger (pb, strawberry jelly, bacon, burger on a honey wheat bun) and the special of the month, the Pizza Burger (1/2 beef 1/2 Italian sausage burger, fried cheese sticks, red pepper pizza sauce, and pepperoni on a Ciabatta roll). Though we both enjoyed the pizza burger, we agreed the PB&J burger was the MOST AMAZING BURGER EVER! I might have convinced him we needed to go again to experience it in all of it's glory once more before I left.
Saturday was more or less a chill day with plenty o' carbo-loading.
Sunday was race day. Eddie and April had never done a half before. This was my 8th. I was, of course, walking the race since I have not been running for almost a year now. I have to say that it was probably the most boring course I've ever been on. You may recall that I did the OC Half back last May and the course, though VERY hilly, was fantastic taking us along the beach, cliffside, and through some beautiful neighborhoods. The Surf Side City Half was a different ballgame all together. We started on the Pacific Coast Highway (or the PCH as the cool kids call it) and with the exception of a 2 mile detour off a side road which looped back to the highway, we remained on the PCH through the finish line. Although I did appreciate the beach scene, it wore out its welcome at the 8 mile turn around. I will say that the runners and walkers in the race were incredibly friendly and supportive. The staff members working the race were helpful and sweet dispositioned.
A few cool / mentionable moments. Around mile 3, I met an older couple. We were chatting as we walked and they told me the best experience they have ever had was walking the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer two years in a row and that they looked forward to walking it again this year. What you don't know is that I've been listening to the advertisements for the Houston Walk on 96.5 thinking that this may be something I want to participate in. More on this subject in another post, but needless to say, I took this as a sign I needed to walk the walk! Near mile 4, I hit up a hydration station and disappointingly noticed they didn't have any Vitalyte available. I knew I needed electrolytes to help stave off the calf cramps, so I asked oned of the volunteers and he said he would look for some. I told him thanks, but not to worry about it and kept marching along. He apparently found some and ran it over to me. What a great guy! Then, around mile 6, I was traipsing along and some really awesome girl who was on the other side of the highway about 4 miles ahead of me came running across the median to give me a bracelet and some words of encouragement.
Overall, I was okay with my performance. I maintained a decent consistent pace through mile 8 and then it went completely downhill when the calf cramps blasted me around mile 9. I had a hydration plan of only drinking the Vitalyte at all stations, but the first one didn't have any and then I was only able to find it at the second and third. By the time I hit the 4th station, they were out. I hit up a medic tent around mile 10.5 and got a cup of Gatorade that took me to the finish line, cramps and all. I didn't end my race listening to music, so there is no finishing song on this one.
I think it's time I buy some salt pills to take with me on my journies. =/ Any suggestions of brands?
We pigged out on pizza Sunday evening. I think I was trying to replenish the 2260 calories I burned during the race.
April and I got foot massages on Monday. Then I headed back to Houston on Tuesday.
Wednesday was a pamper-me day. I got a MUCH needed haircut in the morning followed by a 70 minute hot stone massage that I purchased via Living Social a long time ago. Although the massage was relaxing, I have to say that I still prefer my deep tissue torture sessions. ;)
Thursday, I had eye surgery...AGAIN. 6 years ago, I jumped on the lasik bandwagon. Right before I was to have standard lasik surgery, the doctor decided he would prefer to do a procedure on me called Epilasik. This was as a result of my astygmatism and it meant a longer recovery period. I remember being totally miserable for about 5 days or so. Well several months ago I noticed that my vision had changed and since I had paid for a "warrantly" of sorts on my surgery, I was entitled to free touch-ups as necessary. I went through the whole process with Lasik Plus before they determined the procedure would be beneficial to me. This time they decided to do PRK surgery - slightly different than Epilasik and a longer recovery period. I wasn't able to return to work until the next Tuesday and even then...my eyes were not as they should be. My left eye was slightly over-corrected and my right eye was lagging behind. It made for a very unbalanced vision causing me eyestrain and glaring issues. It has since improved, but is still not perfect. My doctor basically told me to have patience.
I'm sorry for the lack of pictures in this post. Not only am I bad blogger, but I'm a terrible picture taker, as well. =/
I have so much more to catch you up on, so hopefully I will get to writing another post ASAP so you can share in my family's excitement!
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Whirlwind Recap
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| What would Christmas be without a decorated goose? |
So, with that I do a quick recap of events.
Christmas
As some of you know, for 33 years, I have spent Christmas in Chicago. With the upcoming arrival of the first grandchild to my parents, our family opted out this year because we couldn't stomach the idea of younger sister Linda having the baby without us being around and we also couldn't stomach the idea of spending Christmas sans Linda and Craig.
We all gathered to my parent's house on Christmas Eve and ate too much food and watched Christmas movies. Older sister Cathy, brother-in-law Jay, and I all decided to stay at my parent's house for the long weekend.
We all gathered again at my parent's house on Christmas Day and ate too much food, watched Christmas movies, and opened up presents from my parents. Normally we would have exchanged our sibling "Secret Santa" presents, but we decided to wait until New Year's Eve so that brother Eddie and sister-in-law April would be able to join us.
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| I lost our competition because my door knob was disproportionate to the door and house. But I'm not bitter...oh no. |
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| The whole line-up - Jay's, mine, my mom's, and Cathy's. Cathy won. Whatever. |
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| Linda, Craig, and Coco just a few days before Ethan's arrival. |
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| My cute mom and dad. |
Nephew time
My nephew, Ethan Edward, was born on December 28th. He was a whopping 10 lbs, 4 oz and measured 21" in length. Linda and Ethan remained in the hospital until New Year's Eve day. Linda started her own blog, so for more info go here.
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| Sweet Ethan on his birth day. |
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| too cute for words |
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| It's hard work being this adorable. |
New Year's
What a great way to bring in the New Year! We got to enjoy our little Ethan and we had Eddie, April, my aunt, my uncle, and my two double cousins - Nicole and Danielle all in from out of town to share in the excitement and anticipation of a brand new year filled with wonderful opportunities! We also had our sibling "Secret Santa" gift exchange, ate too much, watched my dad play Bejeweled, and brought in the New Year in the Spa sipping on champagne.
Freebirding
While my two double cousins, Nicole and Danielle, were in town, I made sure they experienced a burrito the right way - a la Freebirds (vs. the wrong way - a la Chipotle's which they do have at home back in Chicago). Danielle opted for the daintier "Hybird" while Nicole and I want all hungry-hungry hippos and ordered "Monsters". The verdict: those cRaZy girls prefer Chipotle. Whatever.
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| Nicole with her spinach Monster |
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| Danielle with her wheat Hybird |
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| A toast to the New Year - Freebirds style! |
Wedding
What does a year look like without a family wedding? I don't remember. We have had one every 1 to 1.5 years in our family for the past 5 years. This year, we all gathered in Springfield, IL for my cousin Anna's wedding to her new bride, Nicol, on Jan. 14th. I have two words for you: Photo Booth! Have you ever been to an event with one of these things? OMG - soooo fun! My cousin Rachel and I kept going in there - sometimes by ourselves and sometimes with a group and laughed the night away.
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Chicago
I was supposed to drive back with my family to St. Louis to grab our flight back to Houston, but work duties called me to Chicago instead, so I caught a ride with double cousin Nicole and her boyfriend Justin back to Chicago. I spent the next 3 days in meetings designed to improve the operations of our company. Have you ever spent 3 full days in meetings? Wow - it was really hard for this girl with A.D.D. who is used to multi-tasking the days away.
Now what?
Those of you who "listen" to me FB or Twitter, know that I like My Fit Foods. I'm just sooo not in a cooking mode right now. I haven't been for quite a while, actually. My Fit Foods has fresh prepared meals you can just pick-up, warm-up, and eat. I've gained back a lot of the weight I had lost. I'm not happy about this, but not being happy about it doesn't change the situation. I've tried to restart South Beach time and time again and I keep failing. My mom thinks this is because I enjoy life's challenges and I already conquered South Beach (um...before the weight gain) so now I need a new challenge. Younger sister Linda and her hubby, Craig, have started Weight Watchers Online. I've decided to follow in their footsteps - so basically I'm food tracking and I'm eating most of my meals via My Fit Foods. I'm kinda squashing most of my racing for now because I've not been training and it's becoming a bit of a joke (that isn't funny). I have plans to get back into the groove, one mile at a time.
So...please forgive me for getting behind in my blogging and blog reading. I will make a concerted effort to stay on top of such things moving forward!
Cheers to a Happy and Healthy New Year!
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Three Things (x 2) Thursday
Totally random. No pictures. So sorry....
#1 - If a medication warns "may cause drowsiness" or *insert side-effect here*, my body is all up on it. In other words, I'm the worst kind of mcwimpy.
#2 - I have never ever never in my entire life pressed the infamous "snooze" button on any alarm. I just flat out reset it for another time if it is inconvenient for me to wake up at the time of the unwelcomed interruption of my sleep.
#3 - I REFUSE to eat clam chowder. No, I've never tried it...or even clams all by their lonesome...but the very idea grosses me out.
#4 - With the exception of Target, Z-Gallerie, and Hobby Lobby, I prefer to avoid stores and shop on-line.
#5 - I appear to be a Groupon junkie. In under 2 weeks, I have purchased 6 Groupons. Um...all purchases were made with the intention of pampering myself or providing me with entertainment. I'm selfish like that...
#6 - I have an obsession with the show Gossip Girl. I feel like a cougar for being ridiculously intrigued by one of the actors who is *only* 10 years my junior. In 3 weeks time, I have watched all 4 1/2 seasons. Don't judge...
Okay, that's all I can come up with.
#1 - If a medication warns "may cause drowsiness" or *insert side-effect here*, my body is all up on it. In other words, I'm the worst kind of mcwimpy.
#2 - I have never ever never in my entire life pressed the infamous "snooze" button on any alarm. I just flat out reset it for another time if it is inconvenient for me to wake up at the time of the unwelcomed interruption of my sleep.
#3 - I REFUSE to eat clam chowder. No, I've never tried it...or even clams all by their lonesome...but the very idea grosses me out.
#4 - With the exception of Target, Z-Gallerie, and Hobby Lobby, I prefer to avoid stores and shop on-line.
#5 - I appear to be a Groupon junkie. In under 2 weeks, I have purchased 6 Groupons. Um...all purchases were made with the intention of pampering myself or providing me with entertainment. I'm selfish like that...
#6 - I have an obsession with the show Gossip Girl. I feel like a cougar for being ridiculously intrigued by one of the actors who is *only* 10 years my junior. In 3 weeks time, I have watched all 4 1/2 seasons. Don't judge...
Okay, that's all I can come up with.
Monday, November 28, 2011
M.I.A.
Apparently I went missing again. Not from the real world, but I've been relatively quiet on the social media front. I think, as a whole, I'm not very happy with this year. That makes me sound like a spoiled brat when you read what I've been up to in my absence, but doing things and feeling things are sometimes two VERY different things. Does that make sense?
October 18th was the last time I blogged. 6 weeks ago. Bad Blogger. Here are the highlights of things that happened during my disappearing act...
Painting Class
I bought a Groupon for one of those painting classes at Merlot to Masterpiece a while ago. It took a bit of coordination to get some friends and fellow bloggers (Kim, Amanda, Marg, and Britt) together, but we finally managed to swing it. Here is what the "goal" was supposed to look like:
Here was my finished (and framed) product:
The group shot:
Vacation
I headed to Chicago at the end of October to hang with family and participate in The Monster Dash. My cousin Courtney and I walked 13.1 decked out in Angry Birds gear. It was Courtney's first (and I'm told last) half and I promised her we would stay together. I never left her side and we finished it.
While in Chicago, I made sure to eat all my favorite foods. I hit up Portillo's twice - the first time for Italian beef and the second time for hot dogs. We may or may not have managed to get the car towed while on our hot dog run during rush hour traffic downtown. =/
I managed to pick-up some of my favorite candies from Fannie May - most notably Trinidads.
Of course, the best breakfast in the world can be found at Walker Bros. Pancake House. Carbo-loading at its finest.
Post race, Courtney and I indulged on the BEST Chicago-style pizza EVER - Lou Malnati's.
Although it's hard to beat the BBQ of the South, Famous Dave's is quite delicious especially when hanging out with some wonderful cousins!
While downtown, I got to experience Chicago from the tourist perspective instead of my usual in and out of our designated commitments routine. It was a nice change of pace. I saw the famous Forever Marilyn statue (26 feet tall) and the Cloud Gate.
Management Meetings
Not even 2 weeks after my Chicago vacation, I set-off for Chicago again for my company's annual Management Meetings and Award Banquet. Every year a book serves as the theme for the meetings and the upcoming year. This year, Ubuntu! was the chosen one. The basic concept is that "I am because we are" and that "we are all in this together". In short...teamwork. I have to say that some of my disgruntlement regarding work this past year has been as a result of a lack of teamwork, so this book and theme were much needed and appreciated (and will hopefully pay off).
After arriving in Chicago on Thursday, 11/10, all the managers (traveling from 12 Service Centers located nationwide) were whisked away to check into our hotel and then managed a caravan downtown to meet up with all the management of our headquarters to the Signature Lounge at the 96th Floor of the John Hancock building for a marvelous dinner (and an open bar).
Friday was filled with various meetings and followed-up with our Award Banquet. Upper management has been really great about giving us monthly and quarterly statistics so most of us had a basic idea of our rankings in each category, but there is always one award whose recipient is always a mystery - the Service Center (SC) of the year award. This award originated 8 years ago. My SC won it for the first time in 2008. We won it for the second time in 2009 becoming the 2nd SC to manage a repeat. Then came 2010...we had dreamed of a 3-peat just to end up in 6th place (boo!). I had a plan to win it back. I can honestly say I worked the hardest I ever have in all my 12 1/2 years with this same company. It paid off! Now the only problem with being #1 is that there is a large target on your back! =)
On Saturday we spent half a day finishing up our meetings and then it was off to my aunt and uncle's house to hang with family for the evening. Wouldn't you know we managed to get our happy Lou Malnati's pizza for dinner!
Thanksgiving
Apparently I like to fly every 2 weeks. =/ I only get sick EVERY time, but no big deal. So we decided to resume our annual Thanksgiving trip to Vegas despite the fact that younger sister Linda and brother-in-law Craig were not going to be able to join us because of the upcoming arrival of their first child. Older sister Cathy figured out that this was our 15th Thanksgiving in Vegas. We spent 14 of them in a row, but detoured to Orlando last year for a fun-filled week in Disney and Universal Studios.
My parents stayed at the Venetian while the "kids" resided in my grandmother's condo located a couple of miles from The Strip. This year was a bit different, though. Normally we manage a movie or two walking from The Venetian all the way down to the Showcase movie theater by the MGM. This year, we didn't see a single flick. I also normally hang out at Casino Royale, but...not this time. I mostly gambled away at The Venetian, the Palazzo, and the Las Vegas Hilton (because it was located across the street from our condo).
We did swing a show - taking in Sting at Caesar's Palace. It was in the Celine Dion theater, so a more intimate setting. I loved listening to the background story of how his songs were conceived and I have mad appreciation for his violinist who made amazing music!
The ladies swung a spa day! My mom treated older sister Cathy, sister-in-law April, and me to a spa treatment at the Canyon Ranch Spa located in The Venetian. I chose a European facial and experienced rejuvenation in my skin! I literally felt my skin glowing the rest of the day. Upon completion of our respective services, we spent over 2 hours in the wonderment that is the spa-experience...the Hot Tub, Steam Room, Sauna, Herbal Laconium, the Igloo (yes, as cold as it sounds) Salt Grotto, and Wave Room while sipping on orange-infused water and delicious herbal teas.
Though I pretty much came home a big loser, I had some really nice hits throughout my gaming that kept the days fun and entertaining. My favorite slot machines this year were Quick Hits and Hot Shots. I will definitely be revisiting them next year!
And that's about it in a nutshell. Hopefully I will be posting more frequently since it is now "the most wonderful time of the year!" I leave you with this pretty dress displayed at The Venetian:
October 18th was the last time I blogged. 6 weeks ago. Bad Blogger. Here are the highlights of things that happened during my disappearing act...
Painting Class
I bought a Groupon for one of those painting classes at Merlot to Masterpiece a while ago. It took a bit of coordination to get some friends and fellow bloggers (Kim, Amanda, Marg, and Britt) together, but we finally managed to swing it. Here is what the "goal" was supposed to look like:
Here was my finished (and framed) product:
The group shot:
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| Top Row - Amanda, Me, Kim Bottom Row - Marg, Britt |
Vacation
I headed to Chicago at the end of October to hang with family and participate in The Monster Dash. My cousin Courtney and I walked 13.1 decked out in Angry Birds gear. It was Courtney's first (and I'm told last) half and I promised her we would stay together. I never left her side and we finished it.
While in Chicago, I made sure to eat all my favorite foods. I hit up Portillo's twice - the first time for Italian beef and the second time for hot dogs. We may or may not have managed to get the car towed while on our hot dog run during rush hour traffic downtown. =/
I managed to pick-up some of my favorite candies from Fannie May - most notably Trinidads.
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| The beauty of a Trinidad lies in its decadent layers of rich, creamy real dark chocolate, covered in a golden toasted coconut shell. |
Of course, the best breakfast in the world can be found at Walker Bros. Pancake House. Carbo-loading at its finest.
Post race, Courtney and I indulged on the BEST Chicago-style pizza EVER - Lou Malnati's.
Although it's hard to beat the BBQ of the South, Famous Dave's is quite delicious especially when hanging out with some wonderful cousins!
While downtown, I got to experience Chicago from the tourist perspective instead of my usual in and out of our designated commitments routine. It was a nice change of pace. I saw the famous Forever Marilyn statue (26 feet tall) and the Cloud Gate.
Management Meetings
Not even 2 weeks after my Chicago vacation, I set-off for Chicago again for my company's annual Management Meetings and Award Banquet. Every year a book serves as the theme for the meetings and the upcoming year. This year, Ubuntu! was the chosen one. The basic concept is that "I am because we are" and that "we are all in this together". In short...teamwork. I have to say that some of my disgruntlement regarding work this past year has been as a result of a lack of teamwork, so this book and theme were much needed and appreciated (and will hopefully pay off).
After arriving in Chicago on Thursday, 11/10, all the managers (traveling from 12 Service Centers located nationwide) were whisked away to check into our hotel and then managed a caravan downtown to meet up with all the management of our headquarters to the Signature Lounge at the 96th Floor of the John Hancock building for a marvelous dinner (and an open bar).
Friday was filled with various meetings and followed-up with our Award Banquet. Upper management has been really great about giving us monthly and quarterly statistics so most of us had a basic idea of our rankings in each category, but there is always one award whose recipient is always a mystery - the Service Center (SC) of the year award. This award originated 8 years ago. My SC won it for the first time in 2008. We won it for the second time in 2009 becoming the 2nd SC to manage a repeat. Then came 2010...we had dreamed of a 3-peat just to end up in 6th place (boo!). I had a plan to win it back. I can honestly say I worked the hardest I ever have in all my 12 1/2 years with this same company. It paid off! Now the only problem with being #1 is that there is a large target on your back! =)
On Saturday we spent half a day finishing up our meetings and then it was off to my aunt and uncle's house to hang with family for the evening. Wouldn't you know we managed to get our happy Lou Malnati's pizza for dinner!
Thanksgiving
Apparently I like to fly every 2 weeks. =/ I only get sick EVERY time, but no big deal. So we decided to resume our annual Thanksgiving trip to Vegas despite the fact that younger sister Linda and brother-in-law Craig were not going to be able to join us because of the upcoming arrival of their first child. Older sister Cathy figured out that this was our 15th Thanksgiving in Vegas. We spent 14 of them in a row, but detoured to Orlando last year for a fun-filled week in Disney and Universal Studios.
My parents stayed at the Venetian while the "kids" resided in my grandmother's condo located a couple of miles from The Strip. This year was a bit different, though. Normally we manage a movie or two walking from The Venetian all the way down to the Showcase movie theater by the MGM. This year, we didn't see a single flick. I also normally hang out at Casino Royale, but...not this time. I mostly gambled away at The Venetian, the Palazzo, and the Las Vegas Hilton (because it was located across the street from our condo).
We did swing a show - taking in Sting at Caesar's Palace. It was in the Celine Dion theater, so a more intimate setting. I loved listening to the background story of how his songs were conceived and I have mad appreciation for his violinist who made amazing music!
The ladies swung a spa day! My mom treated older sister Cathy, sister-in-law April, and me to a spa treatment at the Canyon Ranch Spa located in The Venetian. I chose a European facial and experienced rejuvenation in my skin! I literally felt my skin glowing the rest of the day. Upon completion of our respective services, we spent over 2 hours in the wonderment that is the spa-experience...the Hot Tub, Steam Room, Sauna, Herbal Laconium, the Igloo (yes, as cold as it sounds) Salt Grotto, and Wave Room while sipping on orange-infused water and delicious herbal teas.
Though I pretty much came home a big loser, I had some really nice hits throughout my gaming that kept the days fun and entertaining. My favorite slot machines this year were Quick Hits and Hot Shots. I will definitely be revisiting them next year!
And that's about it in a nutshell. Hopefully I will be posting more frequently since it is now "the most wonderful time of the year!" I leave you with this pretty dress displayed at The Venetian:
 |
| display dress made entirely of paper and ribbons |
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Losing someone...
Someone near and dear to me passed away today. Had I known death was on the table, I would have done things differently. I would have called him. I would have visited him. I would have made sure he knew how much I cared.
Death really puts things in perspective. It's sad that it comes down to that, though. It really is.
I woke up this morning and thought I better call this person.
I grew more and more frustrated as the day progressed and I kept coming up empty-eared as I tried to contact him. At first, I called his hospital room directly just for another man to answer the phone telling me he must have been moved. Then I called the hospital to reach him, growing more anxious as the seconds ticked by before my call was transferred. I was then told his line was busy and asked if I wanted to speak to the nurse's station or if I wanted to call back. I opted to call back. This was the routine for 3 additional calls placed today. I finally gave up at the end of my work day, vowing to reach him tomorrow.
Only problem is that there is no tomorrow. As soon as I drove into my garage this evening, I received a phone call that he had passed away this afternoon.
Had I known? Maybe, in the back of my mind. Was it still shocking to me? Yes, yes it was.
Who was this man? He was one of my employees, a team member. He always managed to put a smile on my face. I knew him long before I became his "boss lady" (as he liked to call me) because my father hired him about 8 years before I joined that very same team. He helped move me into my dorm room in college. Then he helped move me out. He always asked me how my monsters were doing and how my training and races were going. He came to me when I was doing well with my weight loss so that I could help him do the same. He called me while on the road just to check in and see how everything was going. Many a tall tales this man spun, much to my delight. He had a booming voice that would announce his presence long before he was seen. He had a way with words that was both funny and endearing. He had great respect for my family and a genuine love for our company, always taking pride in his work.
We may not like all of our employees or co-workers, in fact we probably just tolerate the vast majority of them. That was not the case for me with this guy. I loved him and will miss him terribly. He may no longer be on this earth, but he will never be forgotten. RIP Big Papa.
Death really puts things in perspective. It's sad that it comes down to that, though. It really is.
I woke up this morning and thought I better call this person.
I grew more and more frustrated as the day progressed and I kept coming up empty-eared as I tried to contact him. At first, I called his hospital room directly just for another man to answer the phone telling me he must have been moved. Then I called the hospital to reach him, growing more anxious as the seconds ticked by before my call was transferred. I was then told his line was busy and asked if I wanted to speak to the nurse's station or if I wanted to call back. I opted to call back. This was the routine for 3 additional calls placed today. I finally gave up at the end of my work day, vowing to reach him tomorrow.
Only problem is that there is no tomorrow. As soon as I drove into my garage this evening, I received a phone call that he had passed away this afternoon.
Had I known? Maybe, in the back of my mind. Was it still shocking to me? Yes, yes it was.
Who was this man? He was one of my employees, a team member. He always managed to put a smile on my face. I knew him long before I became his "boss lady" (as he liked to call me) because my father hired him about 8 years before I joined that very same team. He helped move me into my dorm room in college. Then he helped move me out. He always asked me how my monsters were doing and how my training and races were going. He came to me when I was doing well with my weight loss so that I could help him do the same. He called me while on the road just to check in and see how everything was going. Many a tall tales this man spun, much to my delight. He had a booming voice that would announce his presence long before he was seen. He had a way with words that was both funny and endearing. He had great respect for my family and a genuine love for our company, always taking pride in his work.
We may not like all of our employees or co-workers, in fact we probably just tolerate the vast majority of them. That was not the case for me with this guy. I loved him and will miss him terribly. He may no longer be on this earth, but he will never be forgotten. RIP Big Papa.
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