TT&TOT

My weight loss since I first began my WLS journey:




And since I had surgery:




As of July 5, I only have 16.5 lbs. to go to my goal! Woooohoooo!


Check it out!

Blogger now lets me make tabbed pages and I think it's really cool!

I have updated information about my weight loss surgery progress pictures and story under my WLS Progress page.

My book list and resolutions for 2010 are now listed on the "About Me" page. Please click away!

College started for my daughters and me this morning. This was a first for the youngest and she was excited. Apparently so was I because I woke up at 4:30 and couldn't get back to sleep! My older daughter isn't here because she's got a class now on one of the campuses.

So this is the first time I'm back in a classroom in over 10 years. I didn't quite finish my associate's because I got hung up on geometry. Thankfully, I don't need to have taken it to get my associate's here. I only needed algebra and I passed that with an A.

My classes today: college math and earth science (and lab). I think I will like all three of the classes and there are even 2 mature students (meaning older, like me) in the science class.

Two of the teachers had a rough start. Our math teacher didn't have any of her hand outs because of some kind of moving crisis. Our science teacher didn't have a syllabus or any handouts because who ever is doing the xeroxing is totally backed up. The science teacher was also late because she was given the wrong room and apparently didn't realize we're also meeting on Friday.

In the lab, we reviewed information about latitude and longitude. Sigh. In the good old days, teachers released us early on the first day of class to get our books. Not anymore! Now everyone wants to keep you until the last minute.

I had ten minutes to get from class to class and no time to eat today. That'll only happen on Wednesdays. On Mondays and Fridays I'll have a two hour break between math and science to eat lunch and go for a walk.

Would you eat a bowl of live crickets for $40,000? Explain why or why not? Yes, I would although I'd try to hold out for as much money as possible. Think of all the things I could do with $40,000! If the kids were out of school, that would be plenty to put down on a smaller house for TB and me. If not that, it would buy us a brand new car. If not that, we could have a lavish vacation cruise and another vacation somewhere else. That money sure would come in handy! Make me a legitimate offer and I'll eat those darn things all right!

Between the ages of 5 and 10, what was your favorite activity? I would say playing outdoor games with friends and cousins. I remember one game I played with neighbors and my friends on the next street. It was based on the TV series Combat and I had to play Sergeant Saunders. I had something of a crush on the actor, Vic Morrow, and I was a real tomboy so I could play the part. We also played other games of war and then I always wanted to be a John Wayne character. Other fun games included tag, freeze tag, Red Rover, Mother May I, Red Light Green Light, and many more. I can't remember the names of all the games I played as a child. Bring back the good old days!

Where do you keep it the rest of the year? Write about something that comes out of storage whenever a certain holiday rolls around. That would be our Christmas decorations! They are kept packed in boxes and those boxes are stored in our attic until the day after Thanksgiving. Then it's time to bring them out and decorate the house! We enjoy the decorations for six weeks and then it's time to pack them up again!

Wordless Wednesday

“Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one.” — Jane Howard

This is a timely quote for me. I’m at a peculiar stage in my life. All my kids are pretty much grown and are young adults. All still live at home with us partly for convenience (they’re still in school) and partly out of financial necessity. Young adults, though, don’t want to be children. No matter what and no matter how old they are, as long as they live at home they’re pretty much viewed as tall children. That can cause a lot of conflict.

When I was younger, my father would tell me that mother birds would have to push their young out of the nest so they could fly away. That always sounded so cold and cruel and I didn’t understand the concept. Now I do! My peculiar stage comes from realizing my baby birds need to fly away soon and build their own nests.
At the same time, though, I would be lost without my kids. Even when they are away one their own, I know I’ll always need them and to have them in my life. Thank heavens for cell phones and computers if distance is an issue!

Needing family goes beyond immediate relatives like parents, children and spouse. I have a brother that I don’t see or talk to very often but I need him in my life, not only for the person he is but for the connection I have with him throughout my life. My mother is a dysfunctional person and I’ve felt that lack of connection throughout my life. It continues to be a problem for me.

Families give you a sense of identity and a way to belong. You get part of who you are from your family, good or bad. That’s why you need them!


My favorite sport is ... bowling. I started bowling when I was in elementary school. There was a summer league in Baltimore that provided transportation to the bowling alley. My parents signed my brother and me up for it to give us something to do and we ended up loving it! The first league was a duckpin league. Duckpins are different than ten pins in that the pins are half the size and the balls fit in the palm of your hand. It might seem easier to do duckpins but it’s actually harder to control the ball.

When I got into junior high school, my brother and I switched to a ten pin league. For a couple of years, we bowled on a team with a neighbor friend. I participated in tournaments and that was a lot of fun.

As a young adult, I bowled on leagues for several years and usually served as the secretary. I enjoyed the responsibility of typing up team and individual stats and averages.

I stopped bowling because of the arthritis and injuries in my hands. The ball became too heavy to hold—even a 10 lb. ball. There’s no duck pin lanes around here. Oh well.

If I could be any age, what would it be -- list 10 reasons why

If I could know what I know now I would be 30 again because:

1. I would have a better chance at being employable after getting my degree
2. I would be in better physical shape
3. If I had the wisdom I had now, I definitely would be focusing more on my writing talents
4. I wouldn’t suffer from middle age brain like I do now
5. I would have more stamina
6. I would address the overuse symptoms in my hands right away
7. I would be able to do more things because of better stamina and better physical condition
8. I think it would be easier to deal with the loose skin from weight loss if I was younger
9. I could bowl again!
10. My reflexes would be quicker

CATS ON TUESDAY is a group of cat lovers who share pictures and/or stories about their cats once a week, hosted by Gattina.