Gobble Gobble...

Hey all - I've been horribly absent from Blogland lately. Just can't seem to get my blo-jo back.  Really, there hasn't been anything too exciting going on to tell you about!

I love Thanksgiving and normally it's one of my most favorite holidays, but this year, eh.. just not feeling it.
Last year at this time, it was my first day of regular food b/c it fell just about 3 weeks after my surgery.  I remember being nervous about not being able to eat much but it all went down just fine. It's so funny to think back at when I was just banded and all the things I "thought" I would never be able to eat, drink, etc.. 

This year, it's just me and Timmy cooking for ourselves. It'll be much different but I'm sure it will be good.  We are having an ongoing battle as to whether or not to actually cook a turkey b/c I know I'll only be able to eat a little and it seems like such a waste and so time-consuming. I would prefer to just get a turkey breast but we'll see!! I do love me some green bean casserole so you can bet that there will be plenty of that. We are going to "party hop" to a few of our friends houses that day so it should be fun.

I always miss my family on Thanksgiving and this year is no different.  I can't wait to see them all in about a month up in the great white north of Northern Michigan for Christmas.

Hope you all have a happy thanksgiving!! Gobble Gobble!!!

**sorry for the blandest post ever.. hope your turkey doesn't turn out this bland!! ***

Eighty is GREAT-y...

Well, I finally hit 80 down yesterday.  I let out a little "yahooo" when I got on the scale in the morning. My weight loss is so slow but I'm at least moving in the right direction!!

This past week or so has been crazy. We have officially moved into our new house and now the unpacking and setting up begins. I haven't been too hungry which might have contributed to my stellar weight loss this past week. 

I'm off work today to unpack. I may take tomorrow off as well or work from home b/c I haven't been feeling too hot and I have a dr. appointment mid-day.   I have to say I'm a super fast unpacker..  now just need to find where my nails and hammer are!

More later!
xo,js

1/2 Marathon - CHECK!

so today was the big day.. the day I have been training for for the past 2 1/2 months - getting up every Sunday, walking a new distance...

We got up at the crack of dawn.. (these 1/2 marathoners mean serious business)

Jen 1, Jen 2 (me) and Jenn3!

Both the Jens are runners but Jen1 wanted to walk the course with me and Jenn3 ran and beat her Personal Record (go Jenn!) and then met up with us around mile 7 and walked the rest of the way with us.  She's a freaking rockstar!!  She also served as group photographer, getting action shots.

We also walked with a woman from work's daughter Courtney. The woman, Mary,  who is 56 was about a mile ahead of us with her other daughter the entire time.. she's also doing the 3-day this upcoming weekend and has more energy than anyone I know!! 



After a couple of trips to the bathroom (who knew they give you a boatload of water in these races!!) we finished just under 4 hours. I do have to say had it been without the two trips to the bathroom, we would have finished around 3:30.. which I would have been happier with but hey, we didn't get picked up by the sweeper van AND we weren't the last ones on the course!!  WooHOO!

Overall, I'm glad I did it.  It wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be this morning when I started remembering my lack of training this past week!!  I do have to say that the training walks we did over the past couple of months would have been so much better had we had refreshment stations at each 1.5 mile!!

Tim made a comment that pretty much sums up how I feel about this - "just think Miss Magoo, 2 years ago, you NEVER would have even thought of walking 13.1 miles.. I'm so proud of you"..  I feel the same way about myself today!!  So, what's next?? 

xo,js

Birthdays, Bret Michaels, Bandiversary and Beautiful Brides..

Hey all!! So, it's been a long time since my last post!! I had totally planned on doing a big 1 year Bandiversary blog but life got in the way and time just slipped past me!! So, unfortunately for you, you will get lots of babblings and bullet points.. with some pictures thrown in!!! 

• My Birthday was awesome!!  It's really my favorite holiday of the year and there is no shortage of me lettting everyone know that it's my special day. I mean, it's borderline obnoxious!!!  My girlfriends took me to the State Fair to see Bret Michaels.  I love Bret Michaels, not in a "Oh I think he's hot (because I don't!)" kind of love, but I genuinely love him as a person.  I know he has the whole "Rock of Love" personality scuzziness, but other than that, I think he's a good guy, total survivor, and bad - ass rocker. Plus he lives here in Scottsdale too. Anyways, here are some pics of the night.. super fun!



• My 1 year Bandiversary was on October 29th. I am officially 79 lbs down. I wish it were more but I'm totatlly happy with my progress and I've always known I was a slow loser!! I don't diet, I enjoy life, I still drink (sometimes a little too much beer!) and I know that if I were more disciplined, I'd have lost more but I'm good!  I don't make excuses, I don't blame my lack of weight loss on anything other than the fact that sometimes I indulge and don't exercise as much as I should be. I know that the lapband is not a miracle cure for my obesity, it's a tool and if I dont' use it correctly, it won't work.  Barbara said it best the other day in her blog - stop making excuses and suck it up buttercup!!! Loved it!
• This past weekend, we headed to Chicago for our friends' Margo and Steve's wedding. It was spectacular!! I don't know if I've ever seen two people more in love on their wedding day and a more beautiful bride! There was so much laughter, dancing and love that I'm full on it all still.  I love my friends.  (Deb - I'm sorry we never connected. I'm hoping to be in chicago again soon!)
  
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•  Our move is next weekend.. and we are in serious packing mode!! This weekend we are having a garage sale to hopefully get rid of lots of stuff!  I'm so sorry to the girls I have promised Sisterhood clothes too.. I've been so busy that I've been seriously slacking on getting those packages out. I hope to do it this weekend!!
• I'm meeting Vickie for lunch tomorrow! I'm super excited as I haven't seen her since July! 

Ok, that's all I have for now. I wish I would have more to say on my 1 year but I don't!!  Life is just chugging along.. 

hope you are all well! xo,js



Reflections on my 38th Year...

Tomorrow is the 1st day of the end of my 30s...  and I gotta tell you, life is way better now than it was at the end of my 20s.. (actually everything but the fact that I met my husband when I was 28 and then got engaged at 29 and married at 30)...   We were looking at pictures the other day of about 8 years ago and we decided that we've both aged well..  I attribute most of it to Antonio but I know it's more than that. I live happily, void of much drama, surrounding myself with people that I love and that love me back. I am lucky. I realize this. 
So, on the eve of my 39th birthday, I'm reflecting on my past year..

1.  6 days from my birthday, I had my sugery.  I remember going out for my birthday dinner last year with Joy and Michelle and having a glass of wine (b/c I had googled "can I have a glass of wine during my pre-op" and found Southern Jen's blog!!!) and a piece of meat.. I think that's all I had.  I was worried I'd never be able to eat the same things I loved.  Fast forward to this year, for my birthday lunch with Michelle and Joy on Wednesday, we went to Chipotle.  I had about 1/2 of a burrito bowl and a cupcake.  The only thing different was that last year before my pre-op, I would have eaten the entire bowl, some chips and guacamole and maybe 2 cupcakes.. 

2.  This year I found out who I could count on and they were people that I didnt' expect it from. Many of my  friendships have gotten stronger and I've met some kickass people "on the internet".

3.  My relationship with my husband has had it's ups and downs (mostly due to my BIL's involvement in our lives this summer) but it's made me realize how much I truly and deeply love that man. He's a total pain in the ass at times (as am I!) but together, we work.

4.  Work has been challenging but has always remained the best place I've ever worked. I love the people I work with and some have become some of my closest friends.

5. I've put myself back on the list. I do things for me now, not just for everyone else.  I still am sensitive to other's needs but everyonce in a while, I say NO.

Now, if I could only get rid of the gray hairs and the pimps that have appeared on my chinny chin chin the last couple of days, life would be pretty much near perfect. 

Stay tuned to my 1 year bandiversary blog next week!!WooHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

hope you all have a great weekend!
xo,js

Aches and Pains, Bumps and Bruises...

Ladies (and the very few gents), I am a HOT MESS....   I am walking around looking like I got run over by a truck and then rear ended by the same truck..  why you ask?

Because Sunday, I tried to be Superwoman..

• I walked 12 miles for a training walk - Oy..   wasn't so bad until I hit abut mile 11 and then the bitching commenced..  oh, my legs hurt, oh my feet hurt, oh, I'm getting sick of walking.. blah blah blah..  Thankfully that was the last of the long training walks - we go down from here and then the 13.whatever is in 3 weeks and then this girl is checking it off her list and is dunzo.. 
• I started packing.  I did not lolly gag around.. I bought 6 huge bins from Target and proceeded to pack up all the glass in my kitchen, my entire china cabinet and then purge purge purge.. it's amazing what you can collect in 3+ years..  I made piles for the trash, piles for the garage sale and piles to take with.. I must have kicked said bins at least 3/4 different times and then proceeded to run into many a bin while moving around the dining room, thus the bruises!!
• I shopped - went to Best Buy for a TV, grocery shopping, target, Old Navy.. you name it, I went there.

Usually on my training walk days, I tend to take it easy after I've been out in the hot AZ sun walking for 3 hours or so, but something in me told me I needed to get moving and get packing. Glad I did, but my body hates me for it today. Yesterday was rough..  does it ever get easier?

Friday FIVE - and a major NSV!!!

Happy Friday all!!! I'm hoping that you all have some fun plans for this weekend!! Me, notsomuch!  I don't have anything planned and I like it!  Thought I'd do a quick little five bullet point post to fill you in on some things..

1.  thanks to those that responded to my last two posts - the first about the voting for my Aunt and Uncle's project in memory of my cousin - KEEP VOTING!!!! and the 2nd about the clothes. I'll be packing up some stuff this weekend and hopefully shipping out quite a few boxes to many of you!

2.  Have I mentioned that we are moving in about 3-4 weeks? If not, we are! I'm super excited about it so I think we'll probably start packing this weekend. We are ready for a change and our new house is fantastic!!!  Lots of space for visitors!

3.  Had a little pity party this week which is pretty unlike me.  I was feeling sad about some friendships I have here and putting more effort than I get out of them and consistently feeling as if I'm the back-up friend and I hate that feeling.  I'm pretty much over it, but it still sucks when you feel that way.

4. MY NSV - I got a dress for the wedding I'm going to in Chicago in a couple of weeks!  It's a funny story. I went to Dillards and found two dresses I liked. One was $89 and the other was $189 so I grabbed both in a size 20..  the one that was $189 was not too cute on so I was keeping my fingers crossed that the other would work. I tried on the 20, it was too big, so I walked out, grabbed the 18, again too big. So, I walked out again and grabbed the 16 thinking there's no way this is going to fit and I'm going to be bummed b/c this will be one of those where you are exactly right between the two sizes and I didn't want to have to deal with getting the 18 altered. Miracle of all Miracles, the 16 fit!!!  AND, it still roomy enough that I might have to get it altered a little in the arm holes.  Here it is:  full shot of the dress, close up of the rosettes all over it and then me.. don't mind the hair please!!  Also, bonus is that I already had a pair of pretty comfy peep-toe sling-back wedges that look cute with it. So, all I need is a little pashmina and some big earrings to go with it (I'm thinking hot pink pashmina!) thoughts?

5.  This weekend is another big Training walk - 12 miles.. Oh lord help me..  if you don't hear from me next week, I'm off to the side of the road somewhere crawling trying to get home.

Have a great weekend!
xo,js