Thanks for the questions. 1. If it was 1 million I would pay off all our bills and get more suitable house so dh can fully retire. (Nothing big or ostentatious. Just a simple place for DH and I to be happy in our retirement) I would help my children with their NEEDS (not extras, they can earn them themselves) Start education funds for my 24 grandchildren and then look to the rest of my family. I have 2 sisters who are struggling single moms that could use some help. 2. I honestly don't know. I do have nice eyes but wear glasses so they look small. 3. My upper arms 4. I have many! Kaye is my nickname as I am Katherine. I would love to go by that but invariably people shorten it to Kathy and I hate that. I was named after my aunt Kay and am proud of that fact so have gone by Kaye for years. Some call me Sue (middle name) and some even Sam. When I was little, (about 4) I had long blond curls, one afternoon, my uncle took me out for the afternoon. For some reason he got me a boys haircut so the folks at church started calling me Sam. (It is a wonder he survived my mothers wrath! lol) 5. I was not a member when I was a teenager. I was raised Pentacostal. I want to start Institute, though. Great questions! Grins, Kaye

HERE, HERE!!! Very well said, Tracey!!! Grins, Kaye

I told anyone who would stand still long enough to get the sentence out of my mouth....haha....but I'm very open and talkative on a normal day. Part of why I tell everyone is because I want to share information, and teach others what I've learned, and help them understand this is an option for morbidly obese (MO) people. As for the band....I am rny , but my dear pal had a band the same day I did. She doesn't have much weight to lose, as I have 150 to lose.....but she lost 37 lbs very quickly, then it slowed, so she went in and had the band inflated and began to lose again. She is very pleased with it. BUT she didn't have alot of weight to get off....she is doing it more to control her diabites. As for your friends with complications.....I think the more you lurk and read, you will find HUNDREDS of people without any complications at all, and even those that do have them, most are still very pleased with their decision and results. Some aren't. But I honestly believe the greater percentage are pleased with it. I haven't had any problems other than those I create by overeating, or eating too fast, or that sort of thing. Research your doctor, find a good support group....and keep looking until you get one you are comfortable in. Make a buddy here and it will make all the difference. And if you decide NOT to proceed with the surgery, you are still very welcome to lurk and post here. There are many members of this site who are not post-op, and they still have alot of experience with being MO and it's ramifications. I see people apologize for deciding not to have surgery...and I wonder why they apologize.....because it's such a personal decision. I'm almost 3 months out and I've lost 53 lbs.......and I'm thrilled. I'm not a fast loser, but it's the best I've ever done in my life for weight loss. I feel so much better, my knees don't hurt, my clothes aren't squeezing my waist to death, and I was recently told, "You are so happy lately;..." and I know it's because I don't hurt anymore. Best to you. Tracey

Hi Kristy and everyone else. I am new to this group and am also looking into the surgery. I am hoping to start chatting with you all on this site. I also have the question of reactions from your wards... This is something I am really worried about. I have all of the feelings of failure going on and am really worried about "what people think". I know it is dumb, what do they think now? Will they think I am a cop out??? Another lady in our ward had it right before she moved into our ward, so no one really was too aware of her surgery. Anyway, I have read lots of the posts from you guys and am ready to be a part of this group. I'll look forward to posting again. Take care, Billie

1. If you won a million dollars today what would you do with it? A million dollars isn't enough money to do with it what I fantasize about. First and foremost I would pay my tithing and fast offerings out of it so it would go further. Some of the things that I fantasize about it money was no object - - our school needs money to add on and modernize. I would need at least a couple million for that. - our little, itty bitty, tiny county needs a new courthouse really, really bad and I would need at least 3 million for that. - our little, itty bitty, tiny town needs a new sewer system. I would only need $300-$400 for that. - My son and my daughter both had to drop out of college this year because of finances so I would make sure there was a college fund set up for my children. I'm a woman with very little needs so I wouldn't spend much on myself. Probably pay off my parents home and our home and maybe get a dependable vehicle (our cars are more than 15 years old). So you see, a million dollars wouldn't be near enough. 2. What is your best feature? This one is easy. It's my smile. I smile all the time. I have strangers comment that they like my smile. 3. What feature would you most like to improve on? I would like to improve on my FAT, FAT legs. I carry most my weight in my legs. Unfortunately, short of a leg transplant, I was born with and will live with fat legs my whole life. 4. Do you have a nic name? If so how did you get it? I really don't have a nic name. Some friends and family call me "Mel" but I really would prefer they didn't. 5. Did you go to Seminary as a high school student? I went to early morning Seminary all through high school. Great experience. Melody