Talk to me about Zumba...

I hear SO MANY of you talking about your obsession with Zumba.  And I'm curious... What is it about Zumba that you love so much?  I *want* to love Zumba (I have yet to try it, btw) but I have to admit that the class description just doesn't sound like my cuppa tea.  I hate dancing.  I have no rhythm and I'm obviously a fat-ass, so I just look ridiculous.

So sell me on Zumba.  Tell me what you thought of it before you tried it versus after you tried it.  Tell me what you DO in Zumba and whether you liked it right away or if it took a while.

I wanna be ZUMBA-fied!!

Wheeeeee!!

Tonight a friend stopped by and we were chatting while the kids were playing in the front yard.  She asked how I've been doing since my surgery and I told her that I'd lost about 27 lbs.  And then she said, "Yeah, I can totally tell.".  She said she really noticed on Sunday at church because she hadn't seen me in a few weeks.  She said she noticed it first in my face (omg yay!) and also in my waist/torso, and arms.

*insert jaw drop here*

Needless to say, I was giddy.  She is the first person besides family and my best friend to notice my weight loss.  I know 27 lbs. isn't a lot in the grand scheme of how much I have to lose, but I was starting to think maybe I wasn't looking any different.

But not anymore!  Now I know its starting to show.  And I couldn't be happier!  I can't wait to lose another 27 lbs. and see what people say!

Random Train of Thought...

I haven't had much to blog about.  Mostly because I haven't been able to make sense of my thoughts enough to be able to put them into words.  But I think I'm ready.

First, lemme start off by talking about hiking Devil's Backbone.  It.Was.Amazing.  I have lived here for 29 years and am ashamed to say that I've never been there before.  It was unlike anything I have seen before.  And it was all amplified by the fact that I accomplished something I didn't think I was capable of!  My best friend Liz and I hiked the 3.2 miles up to "the keyhole" and back in a little less than 90 minutes.  It was a much harder hike than we had anticipated and there was one time where we both literally almost turned back.  But we pushed each other and ourselves and before we knew it, we reached the keyhole.  And this is the view that awaited us... (pictures truly don't do it a bit of justice, btw).  We're going back to hike it again this Saturday.

The whole way up to the keyhole, Liz and I were talking about our struggles to lose weight (she's doing it the old-fashioned way and KILLING it, btw).  We talked about how we've let our weight hold us back from doing so many things and how we use phrases like, "When I lose the weight..." and "Someday when I'm thinner...".  I had never hiked Devil's Backbone before.  Not because I don't like the outdoors or because I am afraid of the snakes that lurk on the trails, but because I thought I was too fat to do it.  So instead I sat on my fat ass and ate more and got fatter and got further and further away from doing any of the things I've wanted to do.

When the trail turned up towards the keyhole, we both looked up and said, "no way can we do this, but damnit we're gonna try".  And it was hard.  There was one point where we both stopped and contemplated going back down.  But then we looked back and saw how far we'd come and decided to just go another 10 yards.  And when we did that, we realized we could go another 10 yards.  And then, before we knew it, we were at the keyhole and on what felt like the top of world, looking out over the most gorgeous landscape that has been right in our own backyard our entire lives!  We were giddy.  We laughed and jumped up and and down (as much as two exhausted fat chicks can) and hugged.  We climbed through the keyhole and sat on the side of the backbone on a crop of shaded boulders and rested.  And we talked more. 

We talked about how the hike wasn't nearly as hard as we thought it would be.  And how we surprised ourselves with how well we did.  We talked about the realization that NOT doing these kinds of things was just an excuse to stay unhealthy.  And that if we waited until we "lost the weight" to do things, we'd never get there!  And one point Liz even turned her cellphone camera on me and recorded me saying what I'm sure were very profound things (lol).  I realized that for literally the first time in 29 years, I am taking control of my physical health and well-being.  I am an active participant in my own life.  And I am the only one that can determine whether I will succeed of whether I will fail.  If I can hike Devil's Backbone for the first time at 271 lbs. I can sure as hell do anything else I put my mind to!

NSV & SV All-In-One!!

I'm headed out the door to go hike Devil's Backbone (not as threatening as it sounds, I promise) with my best friend.   

But before I leave, I wanted to share two awesome victories!  The first is that I finally dropped below my lowest low as of this morning!  I've been gaining and losing the same three pounds for the last couple of weeks but I've been working hard to get more exercise PLUS I got a fill on Thursday.  So when I weighed myself this morning I was down to 270.4!  I can't believe I'm almost in the 260s!!!

The second is a NON-scale victory and its still surreal to me.  Last night my best friend Liz came over and we went for a walk.  She asked if I've been having fun fitting into my old clothes and I confided in her that I'm too scared to try them on.  I'm worried that, even with my 25+ lbs. weight-loss, I'll still somehow be too fat for my "skinny jeans".  Being the no-nonsense friend that she is, she declared that I would try them on the moment we got home and they would fit and it'd be awesome.

And you know what?  SHE WAS RIGHT!!  Ohmyword, they totally fit!  They're not two sizes smaller or anything, but I certainly couldn't come close to wearing them seven weeks ago, or even three weeks ago!  It was so awesome!

Ok, I gotta go now cuz Liz is here and we're gonna kick Devil's Backbone's ASS!  HOLLA!!

My First Fill

So I got my first fill yesterday afternoon.  I wasn't as nervous as I thought I'd be, surprisingly enough! 

My doctor came in and talked to me a little bit about how I've been doing and why I think I need a fill.  He is pretty conservative with his fills and he said that he was a bit hesitant to give me an adjustment because I've been losing weight well and I'm feeling *some* restriction when I eat too fast or take too big of bites.

I explained to him that I am hungry after a meal within two hours and I'm avoiding eating more often because of sheer willpower.  So he decided to do a small fill.

He had me lay on the exam table with a round pillow under the small of my back to pop my tummy up.  I could feel my port better than I ever had before and it was kinda cool/creepy.  He numbed me with a bit of lidocaine (sp?) and that burned for just a second.  He explained that he numbs his patients before a fill simply because he'd hate to not be able to get the port on the first try and have to wiggle the needle around w/o and pain meds.  I was happy with that explanation as I am NOT one for pain, so I just relaxed, realized I wouldn't feel anything.

So he inserts the needle and I can feel a bit of pressure, but zero pain.  It takes him a minute or two to find the port and I can feel him hitting the side of it, which was a weird sensation.  But he finally got it and drew out 4cc which he put in during my surgery (which I didn't know about!).  Since I already had 4cc, he decided to only give me 1cc more to bump me up to 5cc in a 10cc band.  He removed the needle, drank my water, and that was that!  I was on my way out of the office within 15-20 minutes of walking in the door.

I was on liquids from yesterday afternoon until about noon today.  I haven't had any problems with anything so I had a grilled chicken snack wrap from McDonald's this afternoon on the way home from our trip up to the mountains.  I took tiny bites, chewed well, and waiting in between bites.  Everything went down perfectly, no problems.  But if I had eaten it faster or with bigger bites, I can tell I would have gotten stuck.  AND... the little wrap filled me right up!  Its been almost 2 1/2 hours since my meal and I'm good to go!

Tonight I'll have some tuna salad probably and tomorrow I'll give some other foods a shot like my morning cereal or some turkey bacon.

But the ominous first fill is over and done with and it was just like everyone promised... NOTHING to worry about! 

My personal trainer is a dirty, dirty whore.

Let me preface all this by saying that "she" is not a real person.  She is my fitness trainer on EA Active.  I have named her Mona and, like I said, she's a dirty whore. 

I dislike this chick so much that half-way through my workout today, I changed my trainer from Mona the Trick-Ho over to the handsome male trainer who I have adoringly named "Andrew".  Andrew is cute.  Andrew is motivating and encouraging. 

Mona, on the other hand, infuriated me with her condescending attitude and fake-y compliments.  She would infuriate me to the point that I would end up hollering at her during my side-lunges-with-toe-touches to.  And when she made me re-do a rep because I didn't do it right, I literally wanted to jump through the tv screen and throttle her.

But Andrew, my sweet Andrew, makes me feel no such thing.  I don't feel unbridled rage when he tells me its time for running kick-backs (which SUCK, btw).  And when Andrew tells me I "really took charge of that last set" of shoulder presses, I smile and say, 'Why, thank you Andrew'. 

I think Andrew and I are going to be great friends.  *nodding*

Tomorrow's the big day...

Tomorrow afternoon I go in for my first fill.  I'm not nearly as nervous as I thought I'd be, but I'm sure that will all change when I actually arrive at the doctor's office. 

Mostly, I'm just excited.  I'm looking forward to seeing what a fill will do to my restriction.  I know that realistically the first fill doesn't do much and the restriction doesn't last long.  But I can't help but think that *maybe* I'll be one of those bandsters that gets one fill and VOILA!  Sweet Spot City, Population: Me!

I'm a little anxious about the pain/discomfort of the needle, but so many people have told me that it was "nothing" and not nearly as bad as they had anticipated.  But I'm a huge weenie and I don't love needles, so I'm nervous.

One thing I'm a bit worried about is the timing of the fill.  We are going up to the mountains directly from my fill appointment and spending the night in a hotel and swimming and playing with the boys.  I plan on taking plenty of stuff to make protein shakes and, of course, plenty of water to drink.  But do any of you think doing this will be a problem?  We planned the trip before my surgery and this is the ONLY day I could get a fill appointment for the next month!  Oy. 


I'll let you know how it all went Friday night when we get back from our little mini-vacation!  Wish me luck!

Now that THAT'S out of my system...

Confession Time:   I was a very VERY bad bandster last night.  **hanging head in shame**

I've mentioned before that my biggest "fat girl" issue is nighttime eating.  For the most part, since my surgery almost seven weeks ago, I have been doing a fantastic job of curtailing my nighttime eating urges.  But last night... notsomuch.

For some reason I got a hankering for kraft mac&cheese around 10:30pm.  The boxed kind with powdered cheese?  Yeah, that stuff.  Its sooooooo good, but soooooo unhealthy.  I tried to ignore Fat Jenny whispering in my ear, "go ahead.  you know you wanna do it.  all the cool kids are eating it".  But about15 minutes later I gave in and made the damn mac.  The whole time I was preparing it I was cringing, knowing that this was a mistake.  But something in me just made me keep going.  It was kinda scary!  I told myself that I'd just eat half of what I made but we all know that didn't happen.  I ate it all.  FAST. 

And you know what?  I didn't enjoy it like I used to.  Sure, the first few bites tasted oh-so-yummy.  But after I was done with the bowl I realized I didn't feel so good.  I felt stuffed and over-full and just nasty.  And the deliciousness of those first few bites were totally overshadowed by how I felt after I was done.

So, now I know... that kind of food just simply isn't worth it anymore to me.  Sure it might taste good for a couple of bites, but after that I know I just won't be able to enjoy it anymore.

And that epiphany is kind of freeing!  Next time Fat Jenny whispers in my ear that I'm really missing out on something that I use to binge on late at night, I can tell her to go take a hike.  Because I'll remember how I felt last night around 11:15.

And it just wasn't worth it.

NSV courtesy of my hubby...

My husband rarely mentions my surgery or my weight loss.  Not because he isn't supportive (he is!), but because I think he worries about crossing that invisible line that all women have regarding discussions about their weight.  He has never once commented that I look like I've lost weight, but if I mention how much weight I've lost he'll tell me how great it is or how proud of me his is.  But he never mentions it on his own.

Well, on Friday night we were at the swimming pool with the boys and we were at the picnic table eating our dinner (Subway, yum!).  I mentioned that I could already tell that my bathing suit was fitting differently and how I couldn't wait to buy a new non-fugly bathing suit for next summer.  And out of the blue my sweet husband said,

.
.
.
.
.
.
wait for it...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

"I can totally tell you're losing weight, honey.  I can tell just by looking at you that you're smaller."


*dies*  

WHAT?!?  Really!?!  That just happened?  I was GIDDY with excitement and I think I asked him about a dozen times, "Are you serious?  Really serious?  You're not just trying to make me feel good?!"

And then he said a very typical man-thing.  He said, "Yeah, totally.  Your butt doesn't look as big as it did six weeks ago."

*face palm*

Well, I'll take compliments any way I can get 'em, I suppose.  Especially from him.  Because looking good to him is really important to me.  I know he loves me at any size, but it'd be nice to have my husband think I look hot, kwim?

So, yay for my first hubby NSV!

A Fun Day... (w/ photos!)

So this isn't a terribly band-related post but I wanted to share anyways...

This morning my sister Kelly and I took the boys up the canyon to a park called Viestenz-Smith Park.  Its a gorgeous mountain park on the Big Thompson River.  Its a place we grew up going to and we love taking the boys.

To the right is a shot of the view from down inside the park.  Gorgeous, huh? 


So we walked all around the park but mostly we played by the river.  Because of all the winter snow and spring rain, its running really high and fast, so we couldn't really get in it.  But the boys had a ton of fun throwing rocks and sticks in the water and climbing on the rocks.

Here are a few cute shots of us playing at the river... 

This is my younger sister, Kelly.  As you can clearly see, we look NOTHING alike.  She's 5'11", thin (size four or six), very tan, no freckles... We are just complete opposites in appearance.  I love her so much, but its not always easy being her fat sister, know what I mean?  But she's so supportive and encouraging.  She really is my best friend.  ♥

We had so much fun at the river and ended our time with a picnic.  I can already tell that I've lost weight because I am more comfortable moving around and being active.  But I still cannot wait for the day when I don't DIE OF HEAT/SWEAT everytime I get outside.  But overall it was a fantastic morning and I can't wait to do it again!

First Major Stuck Episode...

So I've gotten stuck a few times in the six weeks since my surgery.  But its usually just a few seconds of "that feeling" in my chest and then it passes and I can continue eating.  And its usually because I've taken too big of a bite and/or not chewed well enough.

Well, my friends... I am officially in the club of bandsters who have been STUCK.  Like, really stuck.

OMG, I NEVER want to go through that again!!  Ever.

The enchiladas that I was supposed to make last night before I tried to slice-n-dice my thumb, I made tonight.  And they're not very band-friendly so I decided to grill myself up a small chicken breast with seasoning on it.  I realize now that I haven't ever had just a plain chicken before as a bandster.  Let alone grilled (read: slightly dry-er) chicken.  That should have been clue #1.

So I sat down to eat my chicken and I took what is a "normal" bite for me these days.  Still probably not as small as I should be (I still don't have any fluid in my band), but not huge.  And I chewed it up pretty good and swallowed.   And then I did it again, but I didn't wait very long between bites.  So I started to get that tight feeling in my chest.  That should have been clue #2.

I waited for the tightness to pass, and it did in about 30 seconds.  So I, being the absolute MORON that I am, popped in another small bite. 

Commence pain.  Holy smokes, I've never been that stuck in my life!  Nothing made it feel better.  And it would come in waves to the point where I had to get up and walk around to keep from wanting to die.  And then the slimming started.  I didn't know what people were talking about when they said they "slimed" during a stuck episode.  Well, I sure know now!  It was so nasty!  DH suggested I take a drink of water to help the food go down and I growled at him that that was the STUPIDEST idea ever and to just shut up and leave me alone.  I was like a woman in labor, people.  NOT to be messed with.

After what felt like an hour but was really only about 10 minutes, I finally felt the food go down.  Thats such a weird feeling, but I was so excited to get some relief I didn't care.  SWEET RELIEF!!  HALLELUIA!! 

Anyways, I am now officially terrified of chicken breasts.  Hell, I'm a little afraid of chicken in general now!  I'm getting my first fill next week, and I'm kinda glad I had this experience beforehand to gently remind myself of my limitations.

But I never want to do that again.  Ever. 

More Drama

While slicing up red peppers for our dinner tonight (chicken and black bean enchiladas), I instead sliced my thumb.  Bad.  On a just-back-from-being-sharpened CutCo knife.  It wasn't pretty and it hurt like hell.  I knew it needed stitches so we scooted the boys off to the neighbor's while DH drove me to the ER.  Thirty minutes later I was the proud owner of five stiches (my first ever!) and a sore/numb-ish thumb.

Dinner was obviously abandoned mid-prep and there was blood all over the peppers, cuttingboard, and sink.  So we decided to get pizza for DH and the boys.  I was fully planning on making myself something delicious and nutritious.  But when we got home and got the kids back and fed and settled, I decided to throw caution to the wind and indulge.  I had two small pieces of pepperoni pizza (very well-chewed) and it was GOOD!  More calroies/fat than I wanted in a dinner, but it was just once so I think I'll survive.  Plus, those two pieces filled me right up when before I could have eaten four or more slices.

So yeah, I had pizza for dinner.  Probably won't be able to do that after my fill next week.

And just to give my readers something to look at, here is a cellphone pic of me sporting my awesome thumb bandage outside the ER!  Disregard the disheveled hair.  I got woozy and nauseaus while they were numbing me so they slapped a cold wet rag over my face/neck.

And just remember, folks... Anyone can be cool.  But it takes practice to be this awesome. 

Until next time...

Vomit and the Mommies that Loathe It

Not much to report band-wise.  Still down 25lbs.

Woke up early to get myself and the boys ready to go swimming at my sister's pool again.  Just as I came downstairs to fix breakfast for the boys, Lil' C (age 4) pukes all over the couch and living room floor.  And then runs to the bathroom and pukes in the kitchen on the way.  Poor sugar is now running a fever and feeling pretty yucky.  I've been busy cleaning up the vomit.  Just another day in paradise...

I never did get breakfast (what with the projectile vomiting and all), so I grabbed a turkey spinach wrap out of the fridge (that I made on Friday) and am eating for the first time right now at 10 a.m.  Its not satisfying at all (I've had one a day for several days now) so I think I'll toss the rest of it and scramble me up an egg with some mushrooms.  I've been coming in around 55-ish grams a protein a day and I need to try to bump it up by 10 or so.  I want to avoid as much hair loss as possible in the next several months!

Well, that's it for me.  I'm going to check out some gyms this week and see if I can't get a good deal on a membership and maybe some personal training.  Until then, its Wii EA Active for me!

A Quick Hello...

I don't have much to write about today.  I'm down another couple of pounds to a total of 25 lbs. lost in a little over a month post-op.  I'm very excited to see the scale moving again.  Who knew that eating right and exercising were the key to weight loss?  ;)

Last night the family and I went downtown to a summer festival and bbq competition.  We ate dinner beforehand so I wasn't tempted to indulge in all of the award-winning yummies surrounding us.  But MAN, did all that barbecue smell good!!  We walked ALL OVER downtown (probably a couple of miles total) and had a wonderful time together.  We're going back this evening for their carnival and fireworks show.  Should be a good time!

Quick tip:  I tried the new Kellogs Protein Plus cereal this morning.  Tastes like horse food (ok, not quite that bad), but has 9 grams of protein per serving (not counting the milk)!

Mouth-Watering...

Yesterday was a drizzly, gloomy day here in Colorado so the boys and I headed to the library.  I decided to see if there were any books out there about Lap-Band surgery and I stumbled upon a recipe book called Recipes for Life After Weight-Loss Surgery by Margaret M. Furtado and Lynette Shultz. 

What I like about this book is that its full of easy, practical recipes that are designed for WLS patients.  At the top of each recipe, there is a timeline as to when they recommend you eat this food post-op.  They also include the full nutritional content of each recipe with an emphasis on calories, protein, and fat. 

Last night I made one of their dinner recipes and it was a huge hit with the whole family!  It was Lemon Barbecue Meatloaf and it was SO easy!  I made asparagus to go with it and some baked sweet potato fries for the boys.  I only ate about 3 oz. of the meatloaf, a few pieces of asparagus (my favorite veggies) and a couple of fries and I was totally satisfied!  And I got almost 30g of protein! 

Today I'm going to the grocery store to get stuff for some of the breakfast/lunch recipes from the book.  I'm going to try their Turkey Tomato Spinach Wrap, Mushroom and Swiss Omlette, Turkey and Herbed Cream Cheese Wrap, Carrot Dill Muffins, and more! 

My mouth is watering just thinking about it!

Have any of you stumbled upon an amazing resource for practical and yummy recipes for WLS patients?  I'd love to get your input!

Getting My Fat Ass Back on the Wagon.... STAT!

Helly.  My name is Jenny and I'm a fat chick.

((altogether now... "Hi Jenny..."))        

In true Fat Chick fashion, I've been pushing my band's limits these last few days.  I've lost almost all of my restriction (going in on 7/22 for my first fill) and because I'm still so new at this lap-band thing, I'm falling back into old habits.

I've been eating at night again.  That's probably my Numero Uno bad habit besides portion control.  The kids go to bed at 9pm, DH is at work, and I eat.  Its something that I have avoided these past few weeks, but have started to fall back into again.  It must stop.

I haven't been eating my protein.  I know I'm going to regret this in a LOT of ways.  And I know not getting enough protein is going to keep me hungrier.  I need to get back on the protein wagon.

I haven't been listening to my band when it tells me "enough is enough".  Yesterday I broke down and had a bagel with peanut butter on it.  I know bagels, for the bandster, are the devil's work.  But I wanted to see if I could do it.  And damnit, I REALLY wanted some peanut butter!  So I toasted my bagel, topped it with delicious PB and ate it.  And no, I didn't not eat it slowly.  And I did not take small bites.  And when I started to get "that feeling" I just waited a minute or two for it to pass and kept right on going.  Even when I knew I was too full.

*hanging head in shame*   I'm such a cliche.  Could I BE more of a fat chick?

Anywhoozles... today is a new day.  And I have two more weeks until my first fill and I REFUSE to un-do all the work I've done so far.  I cannot rely on the band alone to lose the weight for me.  I will NOT be one of those bandsters.

So, gimme some encouragement ladies!  Gimme a verbal ass-kicking!  Because this fat chick needs all the help she can get!

**Insert Fist Pump Here**

Remember how I was complaining that I wouldn't get my first fill until nine weeks post-op?  So I called the doctors office today and they squeezed me in on July 22nd for my first fill!  That's six weeks post-op and only two weeks away!  I'm so stoked that I don't have to wait until August 10th!

Musings...

We had a wonderful holiday weekend here in Colorado.  We spent yesterday afternoon at my parent's house bbq-ing and watching the kids swim in the pool.  My mom, who has been an amazing supporter of my lapband journey, went out of her way to make me some delicious tilapia for dinner while everyone else dined on t-bone steaks.  YUM!  I am NOT a fish person, but the tilapia was delish! 

About 6pm the rain rolled in and we spent the rest of the night in their house playing games and watching baseball.  Even the local fireworks show was cancelled.  C'est la vie, right?

In Lap-Band news... I'm down another pound or two this week, which really surprises me.  I've lost almost ALL of my restriction and can eat anything I want including white breads and raw fruit/veggies.  But I'm really watching my portions and drinking TONS of water, so I think that helps.

I've decided to call my doc this week and see if I can get in for my first fill before he leaves for vacation.  The idea of waiting nine weeks post-op for a fill is starting to freak me out.  If I can just get it two weeks earlier before he leaves, I think it would make a huge difference.  I'm not trying to fool myself... I got this surgery for a reason.  If I could lose weight on my own willpower, I wouldn't have gone through all of this, kwim?  I need restriction!

Well, I gotta go.  The sun is back out in full-force and I promised the boys I'd take them swimming at my sister's pool.

Until next time....

Diagnosis: Take Two

Apparently medicine isn't an exact science.  Who knew?  So they've reevaluated my "asthma" diagnosis and are now leaning more towards walking pneumonia.

Yeah.  Awesomesauce.

I got a chest x-ray and will have the results on Tuesday.  Until then, I'm on no fewer than five different drugs to combat whatever is ailing me. 


I have to admit, that as much as it sucks being sick, I would rather have pneumonia any day over asthma.  Asthma is no joke.


Stay tuned...

BYOC

Ok, so I haven't done one of these before, but I figured it give it a shot since I'm in no mood to blog on my own.  I just found out I have adult-onset asthma, which explains my asthma-like symptoms since January.  And I'm really upset because I feel like crap all.the.time and I can't be active until I get my breathing under control and I'm just really really grumpy about it!  Hopefully answering these questions will cheer me up at a bit, or at the very least, save you all from more of my woe-is-me complaining... 

1. Seeing that it's a patriotic holiday of sorts I thought of this one: Where were you on September 11th?
I was asleep in bed, three months pregnant with our first son.  Jeff was in the shower listening to the radio when he heard about the first plane.  He woke me up and told me "somethings happened in New York" and told me to turn on the TV.  It turned it on in time to see the second plane hit the second tower.  It was so surreal.  I still didn't fully grasp that it was a terrorist attack.  The most horrifying moment came a little bit later when the first and then the second tower collapsed.  Jeff said, "no, it was just another explosion" and I said, "no, the tower just fell" and when the smoke cleared, sure enough the towers were gone.  It was a terrifying day.  I was so scared for my unborn baby, bringing him into a world that was suddenly thrust into a war.

2. What is your idea of fun? If given the chance to skip work/life for an entire day, what would you do? (assume you'd be by yourself)
I would make a beeline for the bookstore or library.  I'd grab myself a latte on the way and just spend hours browsing the books and flipping through them.  Then I'd come home and take a 2-hour nap, wake up and freshen up, and head out to do some shopping.  Ahhh... sounds divine...

3. What are some of your quirks?

Let's see... I read magazines back-to-front.  Its something I picked up from my mom.  I also cannot stand to run my windshield wipers unless I absolutely have to.  I prefer salty to sweet, most oftentimes.  I have a shower ritual that goes...shampoo, condition (not rinse), body wash, rinse conditioner, face, shave.  It always goes like that.  Always will.  :)

4. Repeat question. Pick one day and one healthy thing you'll do for just that day next week.
I will get my water in tomorrow.  I love drinking water, so there is no excuse for me to not be getting in all my fluids!!

5. Repeat "Make someone a superstar" question. Whose blog or blog comment stuck with you this week and why?
Tracy Z's blog is my favorite.  Her and I both live in Colorado and we both started out near the same weight.  She is spunky and sassy and sarcastic just like me.  And she's a total inspiration!  She's lost almost half of her desired weight and doesn't let anything stop her!  She's inspired me to put myself out there instead of always waiting "to lose the weight" before I try new things.

Ok, thats it for me.  I'm exhausted because, you know, breathing is hard and stuff.  *glare*  But I think DH and I are going to take the kidlets to the pool this afternoon.  Nix that idea.  Just looked outside and the clouds are rolling in.  Awesomesauce.

On to plan B...