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September 22, 2006 ~ HELLO! Where have you all been? Just kidding – I know I have been MIA for quite some time! In fact the whole summer has come and gone huh? Well it sure was a great summer and with the swimming pool in the yard it made the summer even better! Lots of swimming, family time, BBQ’s and spending time with family and friends. It truly has been a memorable summer and I am sad to see it gone already! As on 11:59 pm tonight summer is "officially" over and we move onto fall! Don’t get me wrong – I LOVE the Fall Season but it is really hard to transition back into this chilly weather that brings along sweaters, jeans and eventually snow boots, hats and gloves. THANKFULLY 3 weeks from RIGHT NOW Jason, Jaden and I will be in steamy Las Vegas for what is turning out to be our very first family vacation at a hotel … and of course we are looking forward to my Sister-In-Law Adrienne’s wedding (finally) to Chuck. Three weeks from today they will be husband and wife and we can welcome him into our family with open arms (and maybe a punch in the arm for taking so darn long!!!!) Jaden is getting excited for our trip … we are staying at Circus Circus and she is pretty thrilled to have an amusement park INSIDE the hotel she’ll be sleeping at. Jason is pretty excited too – he just LOVES those whole roller coaster thrill rides! I am looking forward to some warm and hot weather before we get to winter in Minnesota (usually NOT a pleasant thing!) I was packing up some of our summer things the other day and realized that we will need them in just 3 short weeks … what a nice thought! I am also excited about being a "normal" sized person for this Vegas trip. The first and last time I was in Las Vegas was the May before my surgery. I remember going shopping for shorts the week before our trip and having to get a size 28 – they were SO tight on my legs that when I sat down the fat spilled over the top of the leg … those are the same shorts that I keep in my closet as a reminder of things past. I also remember the flight back home from Las Vegas – it was a red eye and I was exhausted, I was a huge person in Las Vegas trying to walk through all the casinos and the Hoover Dam and after 4 days I was spent! Well I remember sitting down in the window seat, Jason always gave me the window seat because I felt better oozing into his personal space than a strangers. Anyway – the airplane’s air conditioning was out and the plane was SO freaking hot – and being a little overweight I was BEYOND uncomfortable … well the kicker came when I tried to put my seat belt on and it wouldn’t fit … I hid it rather well, Jason NEVER knew it wasn’t clicked into place – neither did the Stewardess either, she walked by and checked and just figured it was latched … well it wasn’t … that was the beginning of the worst plane ride EVER! Not only was it 2 in the morning, I was sweating everywhere, I was hanging over my seat into Jason’s lap, my seat belt wouldn’t fit, the seat wouldn’t recline and being as big as I was my stomach stuck out so far that it was as if the space between the end of me and the seat in front of me was a mere 3 inches … it was claustrophobic and a pure nightmare! I couldn’t wait to get off that damn plane and go back to being fat in wide open areas … actually this was the perfect was to seal my decision for Weight Loss Surgery … it made me realize that I can’t live like this anymore … it was an awful way to be … for myself, not for anyone else I grabbed my future by the hands and pulled it closer to me … fast forward 2 years and you have someone who has *happily* maintained her weight loss and still wear the same size I have for the past 9 months … I can still get into a size 14 but I prefer a size 16 simply because of the skin I have … when you sit down it looks like a roll of fat if your pants are too tight … I am most of the time comfortable being me for the 1st time in a LONG time … it is nice to look in the mirror and overcome the thoughts of being ugly, fat and worthless … I have never felt that about myself so I think it is easier for me now to feel good about myself … not to mention I have a husband who has always loved me no matter what size my pants were … yesterday was 9 years since that 1st initial ONLINE Instant Message on AOL when Jason and I first met … since then we have grown and changed for the better – we’ve been married 7 years already and we have the most amazing little 4 year old I could ever ask for … she is a joy to both of us and such a great little person – hard to believe she is mine … it was a wonderful summer with her – lots of swimming with a mom who, for the 1st time, wore a 2 piece bathing suit and not once did I wear a shirt over it in the water … nope – I went in and felt amazing about myself … Jaden had a great time swimming with her daddy ALL the time too … in fact they spent hours upon hours together in that pool this summer … I would find myself opening the window so I could listen to their laughter and my heart (ands face) would just smile from the sound! We have a great family and I am richly blessed … I no longer take everyday for granted … you have the ability to change your life for the better and that is exactly what this surgery did for me … I am still holding steady with my weight though I can’t obsess about it … I keep myself in check by making sure I can ALWAYS get into my non-stretch jeans … I started taking the bus to work so there is a lot more walking involved with my day than ever before so I am managing to get exercise into my routine … my diet is still restricted somewhat – no dairy still, at least liquid dairy products … gosh, that really kills my gut and makes me crawl into a ball and cry – I have still been eating a lot of soups and chili’s and my favorite food still seems to be red meat of any kind … which is a great thing too … I snack on things I shouldn’t but so long as I don’t go overboard I allow myself to live normally … I think that I will be a success story in the future because I WANT TO BE … you can’t expect the tool that was given to you to work if you don’t help turn the tool … you can’t hit cruise control and take a nap and EXPECT to remain the same … you have to work at what you have … that is the only advice I can give anyone … it is YOUR job, YOUR responsibility and YOUR Success … I have had a ton of help from family and friends and I truly couldn’t have done this by myself … I will hopefully post new pictures soon … until then – thanks for following me as I still jog along this road … I will post after we get back from Las Vegas with new pictures …

Love you all! Rebekah

May 02, 2006 ~ Hi ALL! Sorry for the long delay in updates! Things are going well here in wet and GREEN Minnesota! Actually we had a really beautiful April until the last 3 days when the month ended with 3" of rain – but aside form the grey rainy weather we have kept busy. I just finished the Walk America March of Dimes 5 mile walk around the Lake of the Isles and Lake Calhoun in Minneapolis. With the help of many friends and family I raised $600.00 to help premature babies. It was a lot of fun raising so much for a great cause and it was a great time at the walk as well. Jaden was going to come with me but with the 50 degree day and all the rain I decided to sneak out of the house and walk without her. She didn’t know any different so that was good. It was a really fun time walking with lots of people there and music, food, face painting and lots of activities to partake in despite the wet pants and hair! I am glad I got out of bed and did what I committed to do. I am paying for it now with an achy hind end and sore hamstrings but I think that is because my muscles were warmed up and massaged and then when we stopped walking we stood around in the rain and our bodies just cramped up faster. Oh well – I will just have to do it more often to keep up the pace. Other than that we are eagerly awaiting the warmer weather so we can get in the swimming pool. It is officially opened and ready for use but the water is really cold so we are all just staring at it with our tongues out. Jaden actually was driving me nutso to go swimming so finally I said okay – I think she was in it for 2 whole minutes … she hasn’t asked to go in again yet! Let’s see, what else? Well I have dropped 2 more pounds and now wear a size 14 pants and a med/large top – I prefer the large because I HATE clingy clothes on my body … so I am pleased to say I haven’t experienced the "bounce-back" weight and have even dropped a few more pounds and inches. It is still a struggle to tell my head "No I am NOT hungry" and I will forever have to use the tool I was given in a positive way – especially since I can eat just about anything these days and probably can eat 2 cups of food at this point. It is hard to keep to some basic rules such as not drinking with your meals but I try to keep the drink off the table – out of sight out of mind. I am still eating the same foods and don’t even dare to mix it up and try the things that were not sitting right a few months back. I stay completely away from any "liquefied" milk products. I don’t think I am lactose intolerant since I can eat cheese and other solid dairy products but any dairy that turns into a liquid pretty much kills me … so milk, ice cream, yogurt etc. are out of the picture. I was drinking Soy milk for a while but just stopped because water tastes better as an everyday drink. I drink my daily amount of water and have kept a water journal at work – I am getting anywhere from 48 to 72 ounces of water a day mixed with Crystal Light and or a Diet Soda here or there. I experience some severe bloating from the soda so I have cut that out as of late because I know I will feel more energized and not so blah if I stick to the healthy liquids. I have found a really GREAT new drink but with 32 grams of natural sugar I only drink one every few days – it is the new V-8 Fusion … it contains an entire daily supply of both fruit and vegetables in one bottle so I drink one every other day or so. I am addicted to coffee with non-dairy creamer at work but only 1 cup and then I move onto water for the rest of the day. As far as meals go, well I am still eating soup … I enjoy a can of Soup at Hand at work sometimes a ½ can with a sandwich wrap or crackers. I still avoid breakfast because I can’t seem to fit it in – I am trying to eat some cantaloupe or honey dew melon that the markets has packaged and cut up but I could eat it all in one sitting so I avoid getting too much of it. I am still a snackaholic when it comes to crackers, chips or popcorn. I swear it is the crunchyness that has me hooked but I feel that if it is all in moderation I allow myself to eat it. I have been snacking right before bed which is bad but it is usually a dill pickle or a bowl of green olives which is a good thing (no I am not pregnant!!!) I am still so thankful for the path I took and the journey I am still on. I am not sure who or what I would be like if I hadn’t dropped 130 pounds and got my health back as well as a more positive outlook on my life as well as people and things in my life. I am forever grateful for my family and friends for putting up with me and my moods – I am a hard person to deal with I know and I love you all for dealing with me. My husband loved me "before" and still loves me – and of course Jaden’s love has always been unconditional and I love her pure heart. Thank you to my parents for their guidance and to my mother-in-law for her support! All of my friends and family are the reason I am who I am and I will always love you! See you next time!

Love ~ Rebekah

March 16, 1006 ~ Hello everyone! Are you ready for spring? Well our hearts and minds are ready here but Mother Nature isn’t cooperating this week! I shouldn’t whine since we had a relatively mild winter thus far and haven’t had a double digit snowfall in over 2 years BUT getting whacked with two major snowfalls this week – both during rush hour morning traffic certainly didn’t put a smile on my face! On the other hand – all the beautiful fluffy snow stuck to trees really looks beautiful! I do believe it is still snowing right now – Monday morning we were hit with 12" of snow officially at the Airport and then it started snowing again last night and continues right now for an additional 4-9" around the metro area! Oh well huh? We live here for a reason – I just KNOW that the reason is not for the winter weather! On the fun side of things I did manage to take Jaden sledding after work Monday … it was too funny and I am surprised we went up the hill more than once. Jaden is so low to the ground that she was sinking in the high snow drifts and found it hard to walk … that had me laughing a bit which then made it harder to help her up – we both managed to fall face forward while heading up the hill but once we were up there and sitting on our sled we were both happy and excited. I know I haven’t gone sledding in about 10 years or so – no reason why – maybe because it required exercise and there was NO WAY I was going to exert myself over and over again! But this time, even though the hill was nothing compared to Monument Hill where I grew up it was a lot of fun and neither one of us were winded. Jason took some funny pictures of us – me with my mouth open yelling and Jaden with her eyes shut tight! We will just have to venture back out there this weekend since the temperatures are supposed to be in the mid 30’s! There isn’t too much happening other than waiting for spring! Well that and the fact that my baby turned 4 years old on March 5th! Jason and I are still wondering how she turned four SO fast!!! She had a great birthday with her friend and family – she got more for her birthday than she got for Christmas … our house is now riddled with Dora the Explorer and Polly Pockets but her face is filled with smiles. Her Dora Talking House is now almost too big for our real house – it is a pretty cool little village she has when all the accessories are added to the house – we spend a lot of time playing with that! My parents were her for a week over her Big Day and it was a nice visit – as always it sucked when they headed home – but we are planning a ROAD TRIP to NY this summer – maybe rent a minivan and bring Harley! After Jaden’s party on the 4th we headed to Buca di Beppo’s with some friends and family for have a wonderful dinner … then home to open all her toys (Thanks Dad, Mom, Adrienne & Carol!) I would still be opening them all if you weren’t there to help! On her actual birthday we headed to the Mall of America for Build-A-Bear Workshop and some rides at the Park @ MOA … then of course we had to eat at my parent’s and Jaden’s FAVORITE place – Rainforest Café … they have eaten there with her every time they come since she was first born so it is a nice tradition! We had a great time and Jaden enjoyed her time with Nanny and Poppy! She was home from daycare while they were here and the Thursday before her big day they took her shopping and she got to pick everything out on her own and can you believe NO PINK at all (except for her party dress – which had a million colors in it!) She had a wonderful time and so did I! It was a blast and I am proud to be the mom of a wonderful little 4 year old – that is what her comment is after pretty much everything these days – anything you say she responds with the answer and ends it with "Because I am 4!" Her teacher said she has never seen someone so excited to be a four year old! Well I am glad she is as happy as we try to make her! So that is pretty much all that is going on here – I am staying HAPPILY steady at the same weight and happy to say some of my size 14’s are getting baggy!!! Other than that things are great here … our entire house is battling a nasty winter cold but we will survive and are eagerly looking forward to opening our swimming pool in early May (but who’s counting!!) Well thank you to all who continue to follow along my journey … thanks to my AMAZING and BEAUTIFUL mommy for the support you give me even from 1200 miles away – you are my inspiration! And thanks to my sister-in-law for the tear jerking guestbook entry – I love you girl! Oh and can’t wait until tomorrow for Adrienne is going to endure a similar task – a 3 hour tattoo sitting at the same shop I got mine done … I will post pictures as soon as I take them – I am really looking forward to some one-on-one time with you! Olive Garden for lunch? Thanks again all!

Love ~ Rebekah

February 15, 2006 ~ Happy "Day After LOVE" Day! I hope this newest journal entry finds you well (for those of you who still check in on me!) Things here are doing fine … been eagerly anticipating Spring’s arrival and gearing up for my Little Pal Jaden’s 4th Birthday! Neither one of use (Jason or I) can believe that Jaden is about to turn 4 years old … where the heck did that time fly off to? She is very excited and asks daily when her birthday is! I finally told her that once she sees nanny and poppy at her house then her birthday is VERY close! I am so excited and eagerly awaiting the arrival of my mom and dad … they always come for Jaden’s big day and I am so excited that they get here TWO weeks from tonight! Jaden is excited and has all kinds of things planned for them to do with her; everything from watching "kid shows" to having art class, shopping, going to the movie and eating at Buffalo Wild Wings (Jaden’s favorite restaurant!) Her birthday planning is in full swing and this year I am happy to say that we planned ahead and reserved a banquet room at a hotel to hold all the people (33 so far!) and the BONUS is we have full access to the swimming pool area for the full 4 hours of use! So she will have a pool party on her birthday in March in Minnesota! How fun that will be. She has invited all of her little friends from daycare and of course our close family and friends. We have bought her the pink cowboy boots she really wanted but I am not sure what else she wants. We will be spending her actual birthday at the Mall of America playing at the indoor amusement park and heading to Build-A-Bear Workshop, followed by dinner at the Rainforest Café! We are all excited for the fun event planned! Last night we headed to the Tin Shed Tavern for Valentine’s dinner and the last time I had eaten there was pre-surgery! Well I ordered the Minnesota Specialty, TaterTot Hot Dish and I could have sworn the food was really good last time – well not so much this time … could be the excess GARLIC use or just that my stomach doesn’t like that dish post-op … this was one of the first times that I experienced the difference in food tastes and hated it versus liked it! Well other than the ability to NOT eat a single bit of seafood or fish of any kind – before surgery I LOVED it all and could LIVE on it so that is a disappointment but life goes on! I am actually experiencing a boring attitude towards the food I am eating … kind of a bland and boring feeling when it comes to planning and picking meals to eat and make. Not sure how to mix it up but tonight I am eating steak for the first time in a few months so maybe that will stir things up – I am getting tired of eating the same ol’ ½ a bagel with tomato soup for lunch and then chicken/pork or beef with rice and veggies for dinner … any advice is welcome! Let’s see I am staying steady at the same weight, inches, size and attitude towards my journey! I am very happy with how far I have come and I am "relatively" happy with my size at this point … I started using the gym here at work 4 days a week for my lunch hour and I noticed a happier attitude afterwards so I will plan on keeping that schedule since I feel so much better – of course once the summer sun melts the snow we will be heading outside for bike rides and walks around the neighborhood – oh and of course, the swimming pool will be opened and then we will do our water aerobics … I had a very rare "fat day" on Saturday and it thankfully only lasted a little bit but it seemed that no matter what I put on looked awful … I think I am getting tired of the "skin" hanging around my mid section but then I sit back and say – well would you rather be 130 pounds heavier to fill in the skin or just suck it up and deal with what you have – it is also a plus when Jason says he loves me and thinks I look great – SO after a little whining I felt fine! No worry – I have not gained s single pound, nor have I fluctuated between a 5 or a 10 (knock on wood and thank goodness) … but sometimes a person is allowed some pity me and bum time so that is all it was! Well I suppose I end my LONG winded tirade at this! Thanks to all of you that still visit! And of course Thank you to my Husband for being my rock – oh and to my sister-in-law Adrienne for the size 12’s and 10’s … what a nice goal to set! Until next time …

December 27, 2005 ~ Merry 2 days after Christmas Everyone! Well 2005 is coming to a swift end and I still look back and say where’d the time go? I notice it much more when I look at my precious Jaden and see how much she’s changed and grown and when did it all happen? Makes me really take time to sit back and Thank God for all the goodness and blessings in my life. Jaden being the very best part of it (with Jason coming in second of course). We had a wonderful Christmas but I must admit, now that it’s over, it was quite depressing for me. I wasn’t spending it with my family in New York due to uncontrollable circumstances so it left me with a lot of down time to sit and think and get a little down about it. I am happy to say it is over and now we can count down the days until Jaden’s 4th Birthday and of course my parents visiting! We did have a nice relaxing Christmas Weekend and Jaden had a great time Sunday Morning. My sister in law Adrienne and her fiancé Chuck came up Christmas Eve and we all headed to the Outback for dinner. It was nice to spend time with them. They stayed until after 9:00 and got to watch Jaden open up some gifts from Jason and I – of course her Christmas PJ’s – just like I always got as a child. She wrote her note to Santa, set out cookies and milk, took a bath and was tucked into bed by 8:00. Around 7:15 the next morning I heard Jaden’s radio turned up so I went downstairs to check on her. The first thing she said was "Is it Christmas yet? Because I heard Santa on the roof!" That was her cue to wake up and see what Santa had left her. She was so excited and 45 minutes later the toys were unwrapped and the putting together of toys began. She had a great day and once bedtime came around she hugged me goodnight and said, " Mom, I had a GREAT Christmas!" It made me cry happy tears and once again Thank God for giving me such a beautiful child with such a tender, sweet heart. Always thinking of others! So we all enjoyed our time together as a family and I am happy to say that I am officially wearing a size 14! I am so excited to say that – never thought I would ever wear this size again! To think 2 years ago I was almost too large to buy from Lane Bryant and now I am the smallest size available in the store – now that’s refreshing! I am feeling great and very happy with my journey so far – haven’t measured lately – but I am weighting in at 167 pounds for a total loss of 136 pounds since July 26, 2005! Holy COW … now that I’ve hit my personal goal of being a size 14 I am not sure what will happen next … I would like to join the gym to overcome these long Minnesota Winters and to jumpstart my skin tightening … it isn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be so that’s a plus! Well I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and that your New Year brings you peace, joy and happiness … thank you for supporting me through this life-changing event … and of course I love you MOM! Oh and based on the original chart to determine my BMI Pre-OP I am now at a BMI of 28.2 … what a change from a BMI of 50.4. Love you all … Rebekah

You have a BMI of 27.9

This shows that you are moderately overweight.
Your BMI is not high enough to qualify you for bariatric surgery.
The table below shows value ranges and what they mean.

Range Meaning
less than 18.5 Underweight
18.5 - 24.9 Normal
25.0 - 29.9 Overweight
30.0 - 39.9 Obese

November 07, 2005 ~ Happy FALL Everyone! I hope you are all doing well and staying warm and cozy! Thankfully we are having a fairly mild start to winter (so far – knock on a whole lot of wood) so we are still out and about enjoying the weather. We did finally get our swimming pool closed this past weekend, well Jason did! We are looking forward to the spring when we can re-open it and use it more than we have! We passed Sarah and Koz’s wedding Halloween Weekend and it was a blast. Sarah looked stunning and I must say I was so proud to have them both as our friends – CONGRATS again you two! The wedding was a ton of fun and we all enjoyed being dressed to the nines! Jaden looked adorable and my husband looked handsome as ever … I did squeeze into my dress and I must say I felt really pretty wearing it – great choice Sarah! I got to see a lot of friends that we haven’t seen in a long time and it was funny to see their faces when they realized who I was. At one point someone asked me who I was here with … I said Jason and the look on his face was priceless – you could tell he didn’t want to ask if I was his wife in case maybe Jason got divorced or maybe I was a "girlfriend" … it was pretty funny … once he knew who I was he was shocked and relieved at the same time! So the reaction of some was well worth the dress, the hair and the make-up. I am pretty sure Jason was proud to show me off to anyone who asked and of course my tattoo of my beautiful baby girl was visible so that sparked a few conversations and questions. Now that the wedding is over we have Thanksgiving to look forward to. We also welcomed home to Minnesota our friends Rian and Sara. They moved back here from California to be closer to friends and family – so we are excited to have more great friends to spend time with! Jaden found "another Sarah" that she adores which is cute! Thanksgiving is fast approaching so that means Christmas Decorations and plenty of eating … I should probably watch my eating this year because the honey-moon period is over but I am still managing to lose pounds without trying too much … I am down another 6 pounds since my last update but I am unsure when it comes to overall inches … so I will update that once I find out! I am hoping for some new cloths this Christmas since not only does my size change but my clothing style/interests have changed as well. I find myself drawn towards more professional/casual work clothes which is a big change from my sweatshirts and jeans! I am still not sure if we will make it home to NY this year because I have changed jobs – my boss is a little annoyed with the though of me leaving so soon after starting and I have no vacation time to use – so it comes down to costing about $1200 bucks for plane tickets plus I will be out a paycheck – no including gifts and spending money and before you know it I am out 2500 bucks PLUS my boss is P’d off about me being gone … so we are thinking about flying out after the Holidays – like February or so … not sure though – I won’t be hired direct here until April 10th so it might just mean we come out in the summer for the 4th of July for an extended time … we will see! Wishing I kept those frequent flyer miles from all those years we flew continental … maybe they would have paid off by now huh? Well enough from me … I will be back with inches lost this time around … so until then … HUGS from MINNESOTA! Oh and I posted some new pictures down at the bottom of the page from the wedding …

Rebekah

September 20, 2005 ~ OKAY! Let’s try this again … apparently my long-winded update didn’t post correctly – or rather, not at all so here I go again! I am sorry for such a long delay in my updates especially since I missed updating on my one year anniversary but I am still alive and believe it or not STILL managing to lose some pounds and better yet, inches! I am now down to 175 pounds for a total loss of 128 in 14 months! That is a pretty impressive thing and those are numbers I honestly haven’t seen since Junior High I am sure. But what’s even better in my opinion is that I have lost another 8.5 inches since my last update … for a total loss of 143.5" overall … that almost equals a NASTY 12’ of "stuff" that my body is missing … now visualize that … take a string 12’ long and put it on the floor … yeah, gross huh? I feel so much better about myself and that is the most important thing … oh and shopping has become a bad habit but a fun one too! We did make it home for my 10 year reunion and it was fun … I got into my Black Dress and surprisingly there were quite a few people that had no idea who I was … was it the smaller back end or the new blonde hair? Not really sure but it was funny to see people’s faces when I told them who I was. I also had an incredible time with my family and of course meeting my beautiful new niece Hannah … I was a HAPPY Baby Holder for the few days I spent with her – she is so beautiful! There is a new shutterfly link at the top on my page that has some new pictures of me in my dress and of me holding Hannah … it was VERY sad to leave her when it was time to head home – but I was able to bring my other beautiful niece home to Minnesota with us for 4 weeks … I had a GREAT time with Amanda and laughed a LOT with her around … not to mention Jaden had a blast and misses her greatly. I did a LOT of shopping with Amanda and it was a lot of fun to shop for the SAME clothes with her … she is such a great kid anyhow but to share clothes with her (not the same size – but style) was a great feeling! After spending a month with Amanda we all drove out to Cedar Pointe in Ohio to see the Roller Coaster Capital of the World. It was a LONG drive but we all survived and had a GREAT time at the parks. I was able to go on the Roller Coaster’s without fear of not fitting – HUGE accomplishment for me (didn’t fit in the Krakken at Sea World in 2000 and haven’t attempted one since!) I went on the Millenium Force with Jason and Scott and the THRILL was awesome … would have done it again if the lines weren’t SO darn long. Oh and then we spent a day at the water park and GUESS WHAT! I wore my bathing suit in PUBLIC without a T-Shirt or Shorts covering myself … yeah, who would have thought huh? It was a nice feeling to just walk around and actually feel comfortable! We all had a great time and next time we go (aside from flying) we will be sure to stay a lot longer! Let’s see, what else? Ahh, after spending the week at my parent’s house with a pool we decided to go ahead and FINALLY buy one for out yard … so now we have a pool too not only for fun but a good way to exercise next summer! Speaking of exercising … not really doing too much of that as of late but I did get laid off and found a new job in Downtown Minneapolis so walking is back on my agenda since you have to walk pretty much EVERYWHERE! Oh and my new job FORCED me to go out and buy new professional clothes so now I am the proud owner of suit pants and sweaters … I must admit I feel better looking in the mirror pretty much every morning – though there are still those days that I feel "Fat and Ugly" … thankfully those are restricted to when Aunt Flow comes to visit but I still get those feelings. So that about sums it all up – I am still alive and shrinking … still happy with my decision and still enjoying my time with Jaden and of course Jason too! It has been an amazing journey and thankfully I am still traveling it with no regrets! Here’s to all those of you out there starting these first few baby steps or to the ones I learned from – thank you for cheering me on!

Love ~ Rebekah

July 15, 2005 ~ Hello there everyone! Well I said I would be back to update and I know that I am a "few" days off but you should expect that by now! I am actually closer to my one year date than I am to my 11 month one! Oh well! Speaking of that – can you believe I am just 2 weeks shy of my ONE YEAR POST-OP ANNIVERSARY! I personally can not believe it’s been an entire year already! It has been a wonderful journey and a great time transforming into a new person. I only hope my personality hasn’t changed with the rest of me! Well some parts of my personality would probably be a welcomed change huh? Like my big mouth and slight attitude! HMMM! I have updated photos too so I will be sure to edit my shutterfly slideshow so you can see me wearing the same shorts I wore a year ago the day before surgery. In fact when I put them on and waited to see if Jason would notice – well he did (how can you NOT?) – Well he was pretty shocked with how HUGE those shorts are. He was even more shocked when I told him they were a little snug around the waist and thighs when I bought them for our Vegas Trip in May 2004. To think I "thought" I looked good wearing them! They are a size 28 and now that I am a size 14 I am pretty much ½ the person I used to be! Yup ~ I am wearing a size 14 as of now … but I do still wear my size 16’s because I am not going summer shopping for new clothes now (even though there are some GREAT deals to be had huh?) I actually have a pair of 18-16-14 that I still wear because they AL fit the exact same way! Isn’t that a little weird? So when you are out there buying pants and trying them on now there are more reasons to NOT get bummed out if your "normal" size isn’t fitting! Amazing how clothing brands can vary so drastically! Now as you can imagine I like to wear the clothes that say "14" on the tag – wouldn’t you? I still HAVE to be into a size 12 for my friends wedding at the end of October but I also figure that dresses are easier to fit into since they don’t have to go over your thighs like pants do so I am still very confident that I can get into that dress – and that will be a HUGE milestone for me! The last time I remember being a size 12 was when I was in 7th grade. I am also adding two other pictures of me wearing what most women covet – the infamous "Little Black Dress" … I went out Reunion Dress shopping last night and even though Jaden picked out a pretty pink with white polka dotted dress I found a beautiful black sleeveless dress. It made me feel beautiful and Jason enjoyed me in it too! In fact he said I could wear that a lot and that would put a smile on his face. So be sure to check me out in my first ever little black dress. Oh not to mention it’s a size 14 too! So other than all that I am feeling great! Oh and after just one month back on my Birth Control Pill I am HAPPY to say that my monthly visitor is back to "normal" so hopefully that will help reduce the anemia and bruising that I get every month! Oh and one last thing – I was lying on my bed yesterday and Jason came over to give me a hug – well he decided since he never carried me across the threshold after our wedding he would do it then – it was strange being lifted up like that and I screamed loud and Jaden came running to see what happened … it was pretty funny and once again a nice feeling! Well see most of you on the 24th when my mom hosts a coming out BBQ at her house! Love you all and thank you to so many that continue to support me and follow my journey! It wouldn’t be as fun if I couldn’t share it with all of you! LOVE YOU MOM!

Love ~ Rebekah

July 12, 2005 ~ I know I will be back tonight to update ... as of right now I am down 120 pounds total and a total loss of 135.0"! Looking forward to my 10 Year Hugh School Reunion! We leave for New York a week from tomorrow ... CAN'T WAIT! I will be back with some more "in-depth" information later!

June 24, 2005 ~ Added some new pictures so check out the website above ... be back in a few days with a new update! Love you!