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Church During the Time of Covid-19
I don’t really talk about my religious beliefs much, but since this is my IMHO blog, it’s all fair game here. I just haven’t. For one, I find that religion is one of topics that can get people very ‘heated.’ Especially here in the United States, where everything (and I do mean everything) is political in some way or another For another thing… as a Christian here in the United States, I feel very misrepresented by what passes for main-stream Christianity in my country. The ‘Christians’ who have the loudest voices seem to the be ones most willing to bend the word of God to fit their needs, rather than…
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White Spirit, by Amy Ravenel
Yesterday, I sat down with my brand-new, fresh out of the Amazon box copy of White Spirit by Amy Ravenel. White Spirit, the first of book of Ms. Ravenel’s Restless Spirits series, begins with Tristan Johnson, a psychic with erratic and uncontrolled abilities who can see the past (often to tragic results), moving into a new apartment. Through backstory, we learn that one such event led to Tristan isolating himself from friends and family alike, hiding out in his parents’ basement because he cannot handle what happens when he loses control of his gift. The fact that his best friends Zack and Kayla have gotten him to leave the basement…
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Not the Same
I’m not really going to talk about what’s happening at the border. I’m not. It’s a horrible, inhumane thing and there has got to be a better way. No. What I want to talk is this meme and the others like it I’ve seen on FB this past week. Do you how many friends and even family I’ve been tempted to block because of these memes? Seriously. It’s very eye-opening to see how truly ignorant people I thought to intelligent actually are. At least as far as military families are concerned. I’ll start by clarifying – my husband retired after twenty years in the US Navy back in 2014. As…
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Thoughts and Prayers
I have mixed feelings about the phrase “our thoughts and prayers are with you.” On one hand, it is the appropriate response when someone you know is going through a tough time. A disease, the death of a loved one, loss of a job, etc. Sometimes, just knowing that someone else sympathizes and is praying for you helps lift spirits and makes you feel the burden a little less. Sometimes, it’s the only thing that speaker can do. Maybe you live half way across the country, so they can’t stop in with a hot casserole and a shoulder to cry on. Maybe they’re too far away to drop by for…
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Big Changes in 2018
If you’re following this blog, you might have noticed a lot if posts about my weight loss surgery and the subsequent weight loss. So you’re reading this and looking at the title of the post and thinking… That’s a big change. You’d be right, too, but that’s not the event which promoted this post. You see, for the last 17 years, I have been, for various reasons, a stay-at-home mom. With my DH being in the Navy and subject to being deployed a LOT, it made more sense to be home with My Girl and Little Dude. To be able to care for them and be available for things like…
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Half Way to One Year
Well, today marks six months out from my bypass surgery. It feels like both a long time and hardly no time at all. Paradox much? But it’s true. I’ve been busy with life, so the days have gone by very fast. At the same time,June was so long ago that it’s coming back around again. I’m at the half way mark, so to speak. I’ve learned so much and yet still have so much to learn. We’ll start with today’s mug shots and stats. Current Weight: 162.6 lbs. Surgery Weight: 238.8 lbs Highest Weight: 248-55ish Goal Weight: 140-150 This makes for a grand total of 76.2 lost. As I predicted,…
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RNY at 5 Months
Yesterday was my 5th month Surgaversary. That’s right! I’ve made it months post-surgery! I’ll start off with the stats… Current Weight: 171.4 lbs. Surgery Weight 238.8 lbs. Goal (mini-goal): 150 lbs. I’m calling this a “mini-goal” because I went into this saying that I wanted to be between 140-150 because that’s where I remember being comfortable in my own skin. As of right now, that goal is about 21 lbs away from becoming a reality. I meet with my doctor and heart doctor next month for follow ups. The doctor will run blood tests to see how I’m doing on my vitamins, go over my diet and we’ll probably discuss…
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Eating Out After Weight Loss Surgery
An old high school classmate and one of his friends recently started a new adventure to open their own restaurant. Yesterday was the grand opening and like any good friend, I decided to go and have lunch there to support them. I ordered a cup of soup (broccoli and cheddar) and the toasted ham and cheese sandwich. As I was leaving with half my sandwich in a to-go container, I made the comment to my lunch companion that since my surgery, this was what eating out looked like. The truth is, if you have had weight loss surgery, your dining out experience changes pretty drastically. Especially in the beginning. Because,…
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Four Months and Blue Legs
Yesterday was my 4-month Surgaversary. It’s been a busy four months for me, so the time has flown by! For most of October, the ‘rapid weight loss’ has kind of slowed a bit. Instead of one pound a day like the first month, or 2-3 every few days, I’m averaging about 9 lbs every month. Which still isn’t bad, but it’s definitely slowed down for me. I’m still doing everything pretty much the same, getting my calories in, eating the amount of protein the nutritionist wants me to, and drinking my fluids. All 64 oz of them. But the weight loss is slowing down. I am not disappointed, though. Honestly,…
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Three Months
Yesterday was my three-month surgaversary (surgery anniversary). I spent it at a cross country meet, watching my Girl run. Even though I was never particularly good at sports and don’t really like exercise (I have mentioned this before), I have still managed to encourage my children to do sports and be active. The Girl played soccer as a child and runs Cross Country and Track through high school. My Little Dude does soccer and baseball. And sometimes thinks about wrestling. I know I encouraged this because I don’t want them to be like me, needing a surgery to help them lose weight. They do to be ‘all about sports’ or…
