I have been lurking and getting to know you all. I guess it is time for me to come out

My name is Barbara I live in WA State. I lived in Idaho for 37 years and still consider it to be home. I joined the church when I was 18 after being in Primary for years. I had WLS back in 1982. Boy, have things changed. I am in need of some repair now and plan the surgery as soon as I can get it after April 15th (I work for a tax accountant). I have wanted to have this done and just didn't think that it was possible to have things fixed again. I hope that I will make wiser choices this time. Lots of trauma since the old surgery. I have been over weight all of my life. I look at old pictures and by todays standard I was not over weight but back then I was. I was married just before I graduated from High School and before I knew it I had 4 children. We were Sealed in the Idaho Falls temple in 1974. I did love him but it was always a troubled marriage. After preasure from my husband I turned to wls. I thought it was a way to save my marriage. After the WLS and over 100lbs lose he left me for another women. He was excommunicated from the church. I was terribly hurt. The marriage did not end there. He was baptized again and we moved to OR state. Where he left me for another women again. That was the final straw. We divorced in 1991 as out oldest son was coming home from his mission. My church calling is in the Relief Society presidency. I had to give a lesson on journal writing and so I got out my old journals and read where in 1981 my husband refused to go to the Relief Society Birthday party with me because "He was embarrassed to be seen with me anywhere where food was being served". So now I am married again happily living in WA. Married to a non member who has held a church calling for 5 years. I was looking at the computer one night and found this web site and then in further looking I found all of the "Mormons". I was so excited. I have been looking and reading your posts. Just getting ready for the day that I would write to you all. Please contact me I love to hear from new friends. Sister Barbara

Hi Barbara , My name is Melody. I'm a fellow Idahoan. I live in Shoshone (South Central Idaho between Twin Falls and Sun Valley). I, too, am married to a non-member. Did I understand correctly that your non-member husband has held a ward calling for 5 years? I'm impressed. I wish mine would be more interested. He'll go to functions where there is food served but that's it. I had WLS 2 years ago. I've lost over 140 lbs. Right now I fluctuate between 118-120 lbs. It feels wonderful! I'm so glad you found this forum. We go through periods where we are active and then we go through quiet times. Please post often and let us get to know you better. Barbara it's nice to meet you. Melody

Melody, I have seen your face and you have a smile that I bet lights the room for you. I think people who have been over weight are very nice because we have had to work extra hard in our relationships with other people. It is so hard to over come some habits and nothing is as visual as over weight. Kind of like a deformity. Just think if someone is a gambler you can't tell by looking at them and a smoker unless you get close enought to smell them. Oh, and for my husband. Yes a ward calling for 5 years. It is in the Cub Scouts. We will have been married for 10 years this Oct. and he has missed church with me 2 times. An old friend from ID told me all we need to do is trip him over a big puddle and say a prayer really fast. He even went with the Deacons to General Conf. in Oct. I don't worry about him. I live with the peace that I know that he will join the church someday. I want him to be converted not just baptized. My ex family live in the Burley and Malta area of Idaho. I was born in Emmett. Grew up in Homedale and raised my children in Kuna Idaho. I do have old time family friends in Shoshone. Not memeber of the church but old friends of my parents. Hope and Ray Freeman. Well work this week was hard because I don't feel well. I am supposed to conduct in Relief Society on Sunday and I can't even talk. I guess it is a good thing I can still sit at the computer. I was so anxious to see if anyone wrote to me I checked in the middle of the night when I couldn't sleep. I suppose now I should pick up a little here I just don't know where to start. Later Sister Barbara

Barbara, hope you're feeling better. The crud is miserable. It sounds like we were practically neighbors. My husband was raised in Jerome and Rupert and we lived in Rupert when we were newly married 24 years ago. I've met Hope and Ray Freeman. Small world isn't it? My primary lesson tommorrow is on Abraham and the blessings he was promised. But it goes deeper than that, things I didn't know - Like when he was named Abram (that I knew) and he was put on an alter to be sacrificed but an angel intervened and he fled with Lot. This is a tough lesson for me because I just don't know that much about it. I've used a lot of prayer and thought about how to present this lesson. I'm hoping for the inspiration to really see me through it. I'm pretty ignorant when it comes to the old testiment things. This must be why I have this calling - so I can learn. Have a peaceful Sabbath. Melody

I am not good on Old Testement things either. I was in a class one time that started out as a diet but turned into a Bible Study. I found my self going to a Christian Book store and buying a whole new Bible. It was the what I like to call remedial (crap I am not even sure I spelled that right, guess I need spelling too). However I really liked the book once in a while to look at things really simply. It also was written to go a long with the AA 12 step program so it has intersting things in it. As for Hope and Ray Freeman. Hope's Father used to be my Santa Claus when I was little. Hope is a cousin to one of my Mother's good friends. We were all very close. Ray has passed away I think but I have not heard about Hope in a long time. I did see all of her family about a year ago when My own Mother passed away. Some of them even come from Southern CA just for her funeral. Do you know any of the Freeman kids. Anne would be about my age. I am 55. Pam was younger still and then they had a set of twins. I know that the boy married a girl from Homedale where I grew up. Well if you lived around Burley you probably know at least some of my family there. Mostly they are out at Malta and I am not close with them at all. Remeber they are my ex family. Their names are all Hansen, however I do have one ex Sister-in-law that we have always been very close. Her name is Alicia Ward and her and her husband run Dannys Brake service in Burley. I stop there everytime I drive through. My ex lives out toward Oackley. He is in one of the Oackley wards, with his 3rd wife who is a school teacher in Burley. Cindy Judd was her name. I don't know the woman and have know feeling either way for her, but I hope she dosen't get fat or her life will be miserable. So know tell me what kind of surgery did you have and how long has it been? I am going to go to BYU Women's Confernece this year. If all things go well I would like to schdule surgery between Women's Conference and a Cruise that we want to take to Alaska this year. I don"t want to think about all of the food I will be missing out on during the cruise but So be it, If this is what it takes then I really need to change my focus in life. I have canceled church for myself, I called the Relief Society President and tried to explain that I could not talk. I think she understood just by listening to me. I think I am going to stay home and sleep. I have not told you anything about my family. I have 4 children 3 boys and 1 girl. All are married and know divorces. 2 served missions and married in the temple. My daughter is married and becoming what I call semi active in church. Her 8 year old daughter has met some primary girls that she really likes and is asking to go to church now. My son-in-law is very anti Mormon but has let the kids be blessed and has also let them have blessings when they are sick. For years he would never allow the Home Teachers or anything. Now they feed the Missionaries and Wendy even goes to Enrichment meetings once in a while. My oldest son graduated Valavictorian (sp) of BYU i***** He now lives with his wife and 2 little girls in Mason OH. He is the only one that lives away from us. The rest are all here in the Portland area. Son # 3 just got married in Dec. in the Portland temple. He served a mission to Mexico and also served 6 years in the Navy. We are excited for him and his new marriage. Son # 2 is the in active one but he is still a very nice young man, He is married to a girl who had been married before and she had 2 little girls now they have 2 little boys. So in all there is 18 of us. Grandchildren from 16 to 1. 5 girls 3 boys. Well I think I will go eat somethig cold that would feel good on my sore throat. You have a great Sunday. Barbara

Hi there. My name is Christy Holmes. I used to live in Twin Falls Idaho and my mother still does live there. So get up that way every so often. My brother lives in Merridian. My son is serving his mission in WA right now. He has been out a year. He is currently in Ellensburg. I'm so proud of him. He is a great kid and wonderful missionary. He is so full of the spirit. I'm currently YW President. I've been married 34 years now and we have 5 children and 6 grand children with our 7th (a girl) due in July. My youngest son is the one serving his mission. My other sons served in Oklahoma and the Philippines. I've been a member my whole life. In fact I'm 9th generation Mormon. Yes, they were pioneers. I am a Special Ed teacher in an elementary teacher. I love working with my special kids. Well that is me...welcome to this board. Lately its getting more action. I wi**** got more. Nice to get to know you. Christy

So Christy where do you live now and how long ago do did you have surgery? What church calling do you have. I would just love it if yur son would come to Vancouver and convert my husband. He sees many positive things about the church and also thinks we live our Christian faith better than any other religion. He has trouble with the Joseph Smith Story. I can't figure out how you can believe in the revelation and not believe in the revelator. I guess it is just not his time yet. I told him once that "I was his wife and if he dies 1st I am just going to wait a year and have him sealed to me anyway, so he might as well join in this life than wait for me to have it done for him". Well I didn't go to church today I have a terrible cold and sore throat but that dosen't get me out of my Grandson's 5th Birthday party over in Portland. We will show up for just a short time and then come back home. Glad to hear from you Christy, I love to get mail. I will watch for Elder Holmes. Barbara

I live in Central California. I'm serving as YW President. I had my WLS 8/6/01. I'm coming up on my 5th year out. Daniel just left Vancouver...he was there from April until about a month ago. Perhaps you already have met him. I sent you an email about your husband. I hope you got it. If not, I'll resend it. Christy

I haven't seen Hope for years and years. There is a family of Freeman's in our ward. I asked them if they were related and she said "no". You asked what WLS procedure I had. I had the lap RNY. Great procedure. I healed really quickly. It's been good for me. You talked about your children. My husband and I have been married for 24 years. We have 1 son and 4 daughters. They range in age from 22 to 5. No married children yet. No grandchildren yet (better not, since non of them are married). All my girls are very active in church. My 22 year old son is very inactive. My husband wants nothing to do with the church and as such he has refused to allow my son to have the priesthood. This left him out on the guy activities so he finally went inactive. I don't know if he'll ever get involved in the church again. He's a good boy though. I think you're crud hacked my computer. I woke up this morning with the crud. I went to church anyway. I just couldn't talk or sing. Just croaked. No sore throat, no fever. Just congested and croaky. I made it through my primary lesson. Children can be very forgiving. Have fun on your cruise. Sounds like a lot of fun. Melody