Happy Halloween Phoenix Style....

 

Hope everyone has a fun and safe Halloween!!!

The Versatile Blogger Award

Versatile: ver-sa-tile [vur-suh-tl] or, especially British, [vur-suh-tahyl]: capable of, or adapted for, turning easily from one to another various tasks, fields of endeavor, etc.: a versatile writer.

Word information source: www.dictionary.com

Here is how the award works:

1. You thank the person who presented you with the award.

2. You tell 7 things about yourself.

3. You award 15 other newly discovered bloggers.

 

I want to thank Cat from One Slim Cat for nominating me for this award. I have followed her pretty much from the time I started blogging. She is not only One Slim Cat but One Cool Cat also!! I Love reading her blog..

 

7 things about me:

 

1. I was born weighing only 5 pounds 3 ounces, and had to be put in the incubator to be cooked more. I sure made up for it in later years!!

2. I am the youngest of 6 children, I was definately and oops baby, my Mom was 43 when she had me. You know what they say....the best is saved for last!!

3. Even though I am a serious pale face I am actually part Native American. My grandpa was full blood, my Mom half and me a 1/4. I actually am registered and receive full benefits from my tribe the "Kickapoo's".

4. I have a famous wrestling brother "The Million Dollar Man" and now my nephew wrestles as well in the WWE. Check out the movie Marine 2 he plays the lead part and is such a hottie. (Is that a weird thing for an Aunt to say??)

5. I grew up in Napa Valley and I don't drink wine.

6. I am a Registered Nurse and work in Hospice.

7. I was in Judo for 15 years, so watch out I can kick some bootie!!

 

Now the fun part, other bloggers to nominate. 

Amy from Finding Me She is my Bestie Blogger Friend.

Lolli from Bandipes

Rachel from Fat Fish in a Skinny Sea

Elizabeth from Outside V. Inside

LaniBani from Watch This Space..

I didn't do fifteen but that's okay.

If you have not checked out these gals blogs please do! It has been so much fun getting to know all the bloggers new and seasoned..

Saturday Morning Funny..

Hope everyone enjoys their weekend. Last night I won 2nd place with my famous White Bean Chicken Chili at the Chili Cookoff. In about an hour I will be with about 13 boys at the Skating Rink for my two sons Birthday party, Woo Hoo! At least I can count it as my exercise today, that's if I don't break a leg!!! I will try to get some pictures to post.

Weekly Weigh In

Today's Weight 208.6
down 3.3 pounds this week!

Ten Things Thursday

1. I did survive Zumba but it kicked my arse....
2. I have been having so much fun with my sister visiting that I haven't had much time to check blogs. I will get caught up though.
3. My coworker brought in a bunch of her clothes that don't fit her anymore and they are super cute. My self perception is off  because I looked at them and thought...those wont fit, but sure enough they all did!
4. More and more people are commenting at work to my weight loss and positive attitude. They will say things like "look at you miss skinny minnie" I swear I have never been called that in my life!
5. This weekend is super busy for me with a Chili Cookoff, the boys Birthday parties, school parties and Halloween. I am so glad I have much for energy these days it will definately help out!
6. I told myself I will try Zumba again next week....
7. I am loving the cooler weather Phoenix has been experiencing this week, it almost feels like fall.
8. I ate a couple bites of a burrito this week and the tortilla went down, I was super scared of getting stuck.
9. When I am in the shower and I look down I can actually see the my unmentionables now as my dang belly aint so big!    
10. My sis took a picture of me tonight after I got my face painted and I was literally shocked at how much my face, chin and profile looks different! What do your think???

                                                                          Before

Tonight

You are what you eat....

Hope everyone is having a fantastic Monday! Thought this was a funny cartoon. If you haven't picked up on it yet, I am a jokester at heart! Looking forward to Zumba class this evening at 5:45pm. If you don't hear from me because I died of exhaustion, its been nice knowing you!!!

New Blogger Alert

Hey All, we have a new Blogger that is scheduled for Lap Band. Check out her blog and give her your support!

Ashley's Blog

I joined the Gym!

Last night I stopped by LA Fitness and rejoined. Sadly, I had a membership before that I payed each month and never went but a few times. Well, the new me is going to do everything I can to change that. I know exercise HAS to be part of this equation. I hope to be like you all soon and looking forward to my Zumba classes....cause right now sitting my but down on the couch is way easier!!

Friday Weigh In

Today's Weight 211.9
2.0 pound loss this week
Total loss 31.1 pounds

Ten Things Thursday

1. My Sister in Law had her first baby Tuesday, a little precious, beautiful girl. That makes me an Auntie in law!
2. My Hubby came home from Houston tonight from a business trip and he was so sweet to give the boys their bath to give me a break.
3. We have had some sad, tragic things happen at work this week. 2 days ago a nurse I work with had to have emergency open heart surgery.  She is young. The doctor said she was lucky to be alive because her arteries were more than 90percent blocked. I am praying for her a speedy recovery. Then this morning I am checking my Blackberry only to find out another nurse I work with lost her fiance' who was killed on his motorcycle coming home from work last night. He is only 40. She is in my thoughts and prayers as well.
4. The old me would have probably ate through my sorrow today but I didn't and I am proud.
5. I had to visit the "Lady Bits" doctor this week for my annual checkup and for once I didn't feel like the fattest person ever in stir-ups!!
6. My new/used size 18 pants are starting to get baggy already.
7. My Sister is coming next week for a visit and I am super happy. She will be here for Halloween and my boys Birthdays- Yea! Did I mention she is a chef? I will have to practice self control and she always makes yummy dishes.
8. My Blood sugars have been running great, wondering how long before they take me off my diabetic med. That will be the ultimate!
9. Just looked into rejoining my Gym so that I now that I am cleared can take my exercise up a notch.
10. Happy to be alive, well, and working on improving my health. So thankful I have found this blog community and the help and friendship it provides. Finally, have a great TGIF tomorrow!!

Tuesday Funny and things that go Fizz

Well I can definately feel the difference with the .5cc fill they added yesterday. Today I had the Pintos and Cheese from Taco Bell and I could only eat 1/2 of the cup. Also, that pressure in the chest, burps thingie is back. I had forgotten what that felt like.
Also I have found a really cool drink called ZipFizz to add to my water. It is a natural energy drink that has tons of Vitamin B-12, which I know bandsters can be lacking in sometimes. Have any of you tried it?  You can get it by the case at Costco. It comes in Pink Lemonade, Grape, Citrus and Orange. Just be careful to drink several gulps from your water bottle before you add it or it foams over. I learned that the hard way!!! By the way, its not carbonated even though it has Fizz in the name. Pretty good stuff and it gives you an afternoon boost! Its also something different than Crystal Light. Hope you all had a great Tuesday and an even better Hump Day tomorrow!

First Fill

Today I went to see the NP to get my first fill. The NP was super cool and nice. She said I was doing wonderful and pleased with my progress. They took measurements and I am down 1/2 inch in my neck and 5 1/2 inches in my waist! She decided to give me a small 1/2 cc fill today. So I am back on liquids but that is okay. She numbed me up first and it didn't even hurt. I am just amazed by this whole process.

Friday Weigh In

Today I weigh 213.9 !!!
I am down 2.6 pounds this week!
Total weight loss 29.1!!!!
Tomorrow is my One month Bandiversary and I will be celebrating up in the cool mountains this weekend. Have a great weekend my friends!

KelliBelliBand Meets Finding Me

I went to my support group tonight and I finally got to meet Amy(from Finding Me), Yaa! It was so funny though because we were both outside the building with the leader since had locked herself out and I looked over and thought I wonder if that is Amy? When she wasn't looking I whispered to the leader "is that Amy" and out loud she says "No, its Frank!" She thought I was asking what her little doggies name was. too funny. Anyhoo, Amy finally says "you're not Kelli are you?" and I said yes. I guess we both look slightly different then in our pictures since we have both lost some weight. I am happy to have bandster close to me that had the same surgeon. I have learned so much from her already. Well after about 40 minutes someone finally came and unlocked the building for us and we had our official meeting. We talked about Mindless eating and got some great pointers. It was a good evening.

Every Taste, Every Bite, Every Lick

So how many of you remember this saying from weight watchers? I do but when I was in WW I never really would record everything I ate. I would start out in the morning but would fall short by the end of the day. Well I have now been keeping a strict record of what I have been eating this week and I realized its NOT much! But thats okay because I haven't really felt hungry. I hope this feeling lasts a bit longer because I feel like my band and I are working in sync together. I am using the fitness pal tracker on my phone and it is a great way to keep it all together. On another note I went thrift shopping this past weekend and bought 4 pair of work pants in a size 18! I was in 20/22 sizes before so I will take that as another NSV, woo hoo!

Friday Weigh In

Just a quick update, today was my weigh in and I was 216.5, a total loss of 3.8 pounds this week! So I will have to update my ticker but I think thats about a 26 pound total weight loss. I am starting week 4 post op and feeling good. I got to begin on solid food today and I was a little nervous how it would go. I did good. I had about a tablespoon each of chicken salad and tuna salad. About a 1/4 piece of swiss cheese and one bite of a tomato. I chewed and chewed and chewed and everything went down okay. Yeah! I was at work around a bunch of people so I was scared it would get stuck or something. I want to take it slow. Happy Friday my lovely blogger friends. Have a wonderful weekend!

Turkey Waddles and Wedding Rings

I thought it was strange a bit when they took my neck measurement at the doctors office pre-op but now I know why! I am noticing as others are too that my "Turkey Waddle" is getting smaller!! Now when I bend my neck down I only have one neck roll and not two! I would say thats a great NSV for sure. In other news.....
I haven't been able to wear my gorgeous wedding ring set for about 3 years now. When I had lost 50 pounds in 2007 I had it sized down and then I gained it all back. I didn't have the heart to have it resized back up again. So I went out and bought a Cubic Zirconia and have been wearing it since. I know it maked my hubby kinda sad as he knows how much that ring meant to me. Well...last night I dug it out of my drawer and low and behold it went on my finger!! I was estatic so I called my hubby up to see and he was very excited too! Granted I had to get it off with a little soap but in another 5 pounds I think it will be safe to wear again. It brought tears to my eyes. So between my Waddle and my Wedding Ring I would say I have my first 2 NSV's, yahoo!

Band Campster

We love to go camping as a family and decided to take off to the mountains this weekend.It is absolutely beautiful and relaxing. A few weeks ago when we went I was on my liquid diet. This time I am able to eat soft foods which has been great. I made homemade lentil soup and chili that are yummy! Riding on the Ranger today was just a bit to bumpy for me yet. Right now we are just relaxing by the campfire and enjoying the night. Life is good!