Sunday, August 29, 2010

RED SHIRT




Mom, bought me this red shirt. It was WAY too small for me, but she bought it for after my surgery. Well... here it is! It fits! It is 4 sizes smaller than I've worn before! :-) She bought it for me because she thought it looked happy! :-) It does! And I am!

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

SAME

I weigh the same as my husband! :-)

I have weighed more than him for the past 8 years! So it's exciting to finally be the same! :-) And soon I'll be less! I can't wait!

Saturday, August 21, 2010

HEADACHE!!!

AAAAAGGGGHHHHHH! That's how I feel!

My headache is more than a small hindrance. It's more than a mere frustration. I don't usually get pounding headaches... but today I have one.

Today was DeGooyer Day today. We had a BLAST! We went to the Kentucky State Fair. We walked for hours (which is great for exercise and fun). There was so much to see and do! I especially enjoyed seeing all the cross stitches, quilts, and art work. I want to enter one of my cross stitches in the fair next year. Scott thinks I could win a prize for my work.... I also loved the craft fair part of the experience. There were tons of booths and it reminded me of when I was a kid and would attend craft fairs with my mom. It was one of the highlights of my childhood... and I still love attending them today! The whole family really had fun! AND the fair was completely indoors, so it wasn't too hot! :-) The only negative: my cephalagia (or in lay-man's terms: my headache.)

To remedy my headache, I am only alloud to take Tylenol, due to the gastric-by-pass surgery and the way medication is digested.... Tylenol isn't much. In fact, it is lousy at curing splitting headaches. I am also trying a bit of caffeine (which should also help). I'm drinking a coke icee. So far, neither remedy is accomplishing what they profess to do....

Thursday, August 19, 2010

WALKING

Well, Amy and I are off and walking! :-) Yesterday was our first day. We only walked a mile... but it was soooo much easier with a walking companion. I've never had a walking partner before! So this is great! Today we walked two miles. But we walked super slow today. The first mile was OK, but then Aaron (2 yrs) and Mary (3 yrs) wanted to walk with us. Aaron especially was fun to watch as he explored his world and tested his boundaries. He noticed EVERYTHING! And it made me grateful to experience his joy and enthusiasm over small things like mailboxes, acorns, and mushrooms. Mary also noticed every cat and spider web. It really made me appreciate Heavenly Father's creations! And I wasn't sitting... I was walking... and enjoying the "exercise!" We hope to keep it up. We want to walk 2 miles a day 5 days a week....

Sunday, August 15, 2010

CALLINGS

I have just been called to three different callings in our ward. Now that I have energy and can do more, I get to serve more! :-) Yahoo! I am now the ward chorister (I lead the music in church every Sunday), and I am the ward choir director (which is a no brainer for me and I'm looking forward to helping create a GREAT Christmas program in December) and the Primary Secretary (I love organization!) :-)

My good friend, Amy B., just called and let me know she is pregnant! I'm SOOOO EXCITED for her! :-) After she called I had a grilled cheese sandwich and 1/2 an hour later was throwing it up. I guess I get the "morning sickness" without the pregnancy/baby ... :-/

Saturday, August 14, 2010

NEW DAY

Last night we had TONS of fun playing games with our friends the Bettenhausens and the Thorntons. The only problem was there was tons of good food/treats. I ate WAY too much and got sick. I also tried to eat some mini hot dogs wrapped in bacon. That did not go OK with my tummy. At least I was only sick once....

Another thing that I have noticed is that my tastes have changed a bit. I still LIKE chocolate. But I don't LOVE it. In fact, I prefer Skittles or popsicles instead of chocolate. Strange.

Things sure do change when you go through this crazy surgery. One GREAT thing is that I fit into a Large Shirt (when I used to wear 3X). :-)

Friday, August 13, 2010

SHAVING

I shaved my legs today. That probably isn't exciting news to most people, but I noticed that when I shaved today, I wasn't uncomfortable bending over and reaching my legs. I've always dreaded shaving due to the fact that my stomach got in the way.... Today it didn't. I've never had to shave real often. I only shave 3 or 4 times a year. (I'm lucky that way.) But now it's not such a horrible chore. I have to say, it wasn't hard at all. :-) Yeah Me!

Thursday, August 12, 2010

WEDNESDAY

Happy Anniversary to me! We've been married 15 years! We had a GREAT time... except for when I was throwing up. For some STRANGE reason, I couldn't keep anything down today. I even called the bariatric center, because I had only eaten things that I was able to eat before. It was very disconcerting. About 5:00 P.M. my stomach calmed down and I was able to enjoy the rest of the day with my husband.

He and I explored Louisville. There are cool things around here (and anyone who wants to visit is welcome!) We also walked around a mall exploring (for exercise purposes). At 6:00 we ate dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. We shared a meal and it was DELICIOUS! Even Scott couldn't finish the portion of food that was left for him after my 10 tiny bites so he has leftover lunch today from the Cheesecake Factory. YUM!

After taking home our leftovers, we went to see the movie Salt. Armed with Orson Scott Card's review of the movie, we decided that would be our best best. It was really fun and unexpected. It really keeps you guessing...

After the movie, we picked up the girls from Chris and Hammond's house. Put them to bed and played Yahtzee. :-) I'm sooooo glad I married Scott 15 years ago! It was probably the best decision I ever made! He is a good man who loves his family, loves God, and enjoys his work. He makes life fun! And he has his priorities right! I'm blessed beyond belief.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

DO GOOD = FEEL GOOD

Dad always said, "When you do good, you feel good." It's true with surgery too. When you follow the rules (ie. eating the right foods, eating slowly, and walking daily) you feel a lot better! Today is a day of following the rules. I feel great! I have energy! And I'm not throwing up constantly. I guess I should follow my dad's advice. My dad also used to say, "Dads know everything!" I guess it's true! :-)

Monday, August 9, 2010

BURP

I used to never burp. Or if I did belch, I would make sure I was not seen or heard by others. I grew up believing that expelling gas in this way was rude. Then I watched the movie, "The Other Side of Heaven." I learned that in some places burping was actually considered polite.

People burp all the time. A burp (sometimes called a belch or by its medical term, eructation) is the release of gas from the digestive tract (the stomach) through the mouth. It is part of the body natural clearing mechanism for removing excessive gas in the digestive tract. This is caused by eating too fast or eating with our mouths open, which causes us to swallow air. Gas can also be released from food.

I have noticed that since my surgery, I belch more often. I still try to "hide" it and be polite, but more often than not, it is embarrassing and frequent. I'm not proud of my little burps. Although I'm sure my brothers would be proud that I've finally learned how to do it. I'm willing to bet that they would be even more excited if I could burp my ABCs! :-)

Sunday, August 8, 2010

GOOD SABBATH

I made a DELICIOUS soup today for dinner. I just threw things together I thought sounded good from our food storage. I put in white beans, canned pork, onion, garlic, salt and chicken boullion. It made the house smell GREAT! And it tasted good too! Kiara made homemade rolls to go with the soup. I only ate 1/4 of the roll, and about 1/4 cup of soup. I didn't think I ate too much, but I guess the bread expanded in my belly, because I still managed to loose some of the dinner. :-(



I also spoke in church today. For a copy of my talk, check out my other blog: sundyleamusings.blogspot.com. :-) Everyone said it was a great talk.

We are also putting our daughters to work. More work = happier kids! :-) We'll let you know how it goes!

Friday, August 6, 2010

ENERGY

I have energy! I can do things! Cleaning doesn't wear me out. Walking doesn't wear me out. (Although the humid heat here in Kentucky is icky! and I don't like sweating....) I feel young again. And I know it's from loosing the weight.

The first 6 weeks after the surgery, I was down. I felt tired. I was depressed. I had buyers remorse. Now I'm happy! I'm healthy. I have energy!

Thursday, August 5, 2010

LATE NIGHTS + PERSONAL HEALTH = BAD COMBO

I didn't go to bed last night. I blame it on Scott's friend, Chris. He lent me a book; "Ender's Shadow" by Orson Scott Card. I'm a total Card fan... and I hadn't read it. So I started it last night at 9:00 P.M. I finished it this morning at 10:00 A.M. I didn't sleep at all. FABULOUS book! I liked it better than "Ender's Game."

Well, staying up all day did not help my eating/bariatric health. It threw my eating schedule in a tizzy. I still ate the three meals I am required to eat (still small)... but I also snacked a little. Which I'm not supposed to do. I got a little sick at dinner. But I didn't throw-up. I just laid down and relaxed.

Besides not feeling well all day, I had to take dinner to our friend's home. Their mom/grandma passed away yesterday. I also had their daughter over for the day to play with the girls. Besides trying to keep the home together with three crazy, beautiful girls, and no sleep - I'm amazed I'm still awake writing right now.

Tomorrow I vow to do better. I'm going to bed EARLY tonight. I'm re-committing myself to my regimand.....

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

SHOES

I used to HATE putting on my shoes! I only bought shoes that slipped on, so I wouldn't have to tie or buckle or bend over to put them on. No more! :-) I discovered my new found "freedom" to bend over and touch my toes easily on Saturday. I went to the temple Saturday with some friends. When I put on my white temple shoes, I realized how easy it was to bend over and put them on. And then it dawned on me, that I put on buckled sandles the Sunday before without complaint. And I've been wearing tennis-shoes the entire week without asking my daughters to tie them for me - I just bent over to do it! :-) It's amazing what loosing a little bit of weight can do.

INTERNET PROBLEMS

Sorry I haven't been online for a couple of days... We had to have someone come out and fix our internet connection....