Today was our first day back to school after spring break.  It was so hard dragging my butt out of bed at 5:30 this morning.  It was nice to have some quiet time to myself but I found it "too" quiet.  It's weird.  You look forward to the kids going back to school, then you miss them terribly.  Or, am I just one of those "strange" moms who actually LIKES their kids. LOL

We're working hard on getting the business going.  Three out of four car magnets have come in.  The business cards came in today.  Just have to get the phone line moved and ready for an answering machine.  I have to get a website up...at least a small one.  I'll do the blingy stuff when I can get around to it.  Between the business and working on my 25th class reunion, my free time is gone. LOL  I think my right hand flies in the air WAY too often.

I've posted my 10 month "front" picture.  I still feel like I look HUGE in my pics.  Does that ever change?  Intellectually I know I'm wearing size small tops and size 6-8 pants.  So, why do I feel huge?  Hopefully this will change.

Other than that, things are fairly quiet around here.  I'm shocked too. LOL

Wow!  Just 10 months ago at this time I was in the ER chatting with my surgeon about how wonderful life was going to become.  At 11 am on 5/25/07 my life changed when my surgery began.  I'm so grateful for every success, irritation, disappointment, "dump" and everything else that has made this journey a success.

It is so unbelievable to me how quickly 10 months has gone.  I looked at my "before" pics this morning and I barely even remember her.  She was tired all the time and just really didn't care.  Now I look in the mirror at this face that always has on lipstick and makeup and the hair is "done"...not just tossed in a ponytail.

I've been "reminding" Mark for days that I MUST have my pics done today.  He blew me off for my 9 months and I'm still angry about that. lol  I took a pic of my scale this morning.  Never in my life, or during my research OR talks with my surgeon did I ever expect to see 144.4 on a scale.  Sure, I thought maybe 244.4 was doable.  I cruised past that one. lol

I'm so grateful for all my friends on the May board.  I could never have been this successful without the love and support from all of them.  We've been through a lot together.  I can't wait to pop in on the May 2008 team and wish them good luck!  They have no idea what's in store for them. :)

Yup, you read that correctly.  She finally wore me down.  My best friend, Susie, has been belly dancing about 16 years.  She's a beautiful dancer.  It takes her a while to get to her classes and she hates to go alone.  Certainly at 265 lbs there was NO WAY I was going to even dare try it.  Belly dancing is a beautiful, sensual art and there wasn't one bit of me that felt sensual or beautiful at that weight. lol

So, last night she came over to teach the basics to Brittany and her pal, Autumn.  Susie made me learn with the girls.  We donned hip scarves that make beautiful, jingly noises when moves are done correctly.  Mine was black with silver swirls and long, black fringe.  No coins to jingle but cute all the same.  We had a blast.  She went home, I took Autumn home and Susie called me later yelling at me. LOL  She told me I was a natural and that was it!  She WAS teaching me!  No excuses!  So, it looks like I'm learning the beautiful art of belly dancing. lol

Britt and I got up this morning and put one of Susie's CDs on and practiced the moves she taught us last night.  I realized I was having FUN!  I felt it a little this morning.  Belly dancing really is a workout.  So, I'm going to order my own hip scarf and get a nice leotard to wear with it.  I have a bunch of yoga pants so I'm all set there.  For the first time I'm not embarassed to have someone see me dance.  And, ya know what....I love it!!!!

It's been a while since I've posted here.  Not much going on.  I'm still working for Mark, still trying to get my office cleaned out for renovations and still working on my new business with Susie.

But, this morning I hit a new goal!  My dream was to hit 145.  I hit 145.0 yesterday morning but, of course, my camera and scale will NOT work together.  So, I never got that coveted picture.  So, I hop on this morning and the scale says 144.8!!!!  Holy crap!  I run, grab my camera and.......of course....the batteries are DEAD!  Here I am running around the house naked trying to find AA batteries when I remembered there were a ton in the laundry room.  Last week while Mark was away I decided to wash my laundry room and kitchen curtains.  These curtains have been there for YEARS.  I wash them on delicate...twice...and toss them in the dryer.  I pull them out.  They're all freaking SHREDDED!!!  So, YIKES!  I'm naked, there are no curtains out there and I gotta find them?  So, I tried and tried.  Someone must have moved them.  I gave up and tried and tried to make the camera work but it wouldn't.  So, hopefully I'll get the pic tomorrow morning.

I made the lemon cheesecake recipe yesterday.  It's posted on the recipe forum.  I got everything fat free/sugar free.  Made it, kept it in the fridge a few hours and had a tiny piece around 9 pm last night.  I dumped big time.  WTH??? lol  So, I'm sure that's why the scale moved.  So, as yummy as it was, I tossed it.

Everything else is the same old same old.  We have off next Friday to start Spring Break.  I can't wait!!!!!  It's almost walking weather time again!!!!!

Warning:  This is going to be a long one.  Thank goodness I've calmed down since Saturday!

Saturday morning I woke up with horrible pains near my belly button.  Now, I'm not an alarmist and going to a doctor and/or hospital is WAY down on my list of priorities.  Cleaning the toilets is higher on the list.  So, I couldn't take it anymore.  I know people on OH who have had problems way post-op so I posted to the main RNY board.  Dawn, who is incredible, told me to get my butt to the hospital.  I know what she's been through so I listened.  By 9 am my mom was here to pick up Britt and off we went for the hour drive to the hospital in Vineland.  I only went there because my surgeon operates there and my local hospital in Salem would be clueless what to do with me.  So, we're called back and put in Trauma Room 1.  I had the BITCHIEST little blonde-haired nurse!  She never told us her name and, honestly, didn't come in to check on me too often.  Around 11 am they gave me Dilaudid for pain.  Uh huh.  What does Dilaudid do?  Takes the edge off AND puts you to sleep!  Mark said I slept off and on for 2 hours and Nurseypoo never did come in.  I had to go to the bathroom and went how the ER Doctor and Nurseypoo told me to go.  Ready for this?  The nurses hanging at the nurse's station YELLED AT ME for "cutting through".  WTF???  I told them this is how the doctor told me to get there.  So, I go back into my little cubby, sit down and get another horrible pain.  I'm in tears and the doctor comes in with Nurseypoo.  I told him about being yelled at for walking the way he told me to.  Mark asks Nurseypoo to leave the room and he lets the doctor have it about the way she's treated me.  From what I understand, while I was being yelled at, she was yelling at him, from another patient's cubby no less, that she is NOT a waitress and I have to do things for myself.  WTF???  I didn't ask the bitch to take me to the rest room!  So, Mark's on the phone with my surgeon's answering service who sends in one of his associates.  So, they move me to another section.  My new nurse, Shannon, is fantastic.  They took me to XRay and for a CAT scan later.  It turns out my bowels were fairly full though I'd already gone #2 three times while being at the hospital.  The pain was subsiding so at 7 pm we finally left.

Pre-op I'd had IBS for about 17 years.  What the heck do I know about constipation???  But, it kind of makes sense since my weight was up to about 149.6 during the week.  It's happily back down to 147.0.  So, I have some meds and Miralax and hopefully all will come out well. ;)

But, I will NEVER go to that damn hospital again!!!