The Puzzle is Finished!

I finished the puzzle last night, although I have to say that without Jeremy's help, I wouldn't have gotten far. Here's a couple of pics of the finished puzzle:

I liked this one, but probably because it was a frog - and I *love* all things frog. Our next one is also a 500 piece - and the subject matter is really cool:

I can already see the black sky being loads of fun. I don't know what it is about puzzles that are just... well, relaxing. Nothing beats sitting across of Jeremy, in silence, working together almost seamlessly. Reminds me of when we worked Matterhorn together. *smile* Now I'm going to be thinking about that all day. And I am most definitely not complaining about that!

I love my husband.

~yawn~ ... ((streeeeeetch))

It was tough getting up today. My eyes would open, then close. Couldn't keep 'em open for the life of me. I finally got up a little while ago. I would've stayed in bed, but I have some cool pictures to share. I was too tired to get them on here last night. First, here's the progress of the puzzle - J's been working on it with me and pretty much did the frog by himself:

We actually finished more of it last night when we got home. It's really coming along, but now I'm afraid that we won't make time for it since the holiday weekend is over. Now, we didn't just work on the puzzle all weekend, J got his office just about set up with all the wiring for the network and cable. And, we even got a few boxes out of the way.

Last night we went and had dinner with his parents in San Clemente. They spend a week there at the end of May every year for his mom's birthday. We had dinner on the pier. Part of the tradition is his mom and I share a bucket of steamed clams the first night:

Oh, the yumminess that is steamed clams... *happy sigh* We had a great dinner - J had a steak, and I had part of a crab cake:

Finally, we had to get a picture of us together on the pier:

A very good night.

Saturday... in the Park..

Actually, we were at the beach. I wanted to try out my new tripod that my mom got me for my birthday (thanks mom!). I wanted to use it at the bridge dedication, but as I was setting it up, I got denied. The party who denied me shall remain nameless. So, I didn't use it then. And turns out, I didn't use it today, either. I wanted to get a longer exposure of the sun going down over the water, but we couldn't see the sun from where we were; it was behind a cliff. So I just shot by hand. Since I was using my film camera, I gave Jeremy my digital to take some pictures. He did pretty well:

Where you see the bottom of the stairway - that is not underwater during low tide. it was high tide when we were there today. Usually you can walk at least 20 feet out to the tide pools from that stairway. Here's a great creative shot that Jeremy took:

So, we had a nice time there. We didn't stay long - there were a bunch of high school kids all dressed up for some kind of event at the Ocean Institute, where we parked. But it sure was nice while we were there. One thing that amazes me more than watching the ocean, is the sound of the ocean waves crashing against the shore. It's unmistakable - if I had to relate it to another sound that was just as unmistakable, it would be the sound of a Space Shuttle Launch. Either way, when you hear it, you pretty much know what it is.

Last night, J and I worked on our puzzle a little bit. It's going to be a hard one, at least I think so. Jeremy thinks it won't be. We made a little bit of progress:

We finished probably what will be the easiest part of the puzzle. This is what it's supposed to look like once it's finished:

That whole "vanishing act" thing scares me. Just kidding. But it'll be fun, that's for sure! Okay, I'm out. It's Saturday, so I get to work on my eBay listings. Oh, crap - is it after 10pm already?

Dana Point Pedestrian Bridge Dedication

The last week or so, Jeremy and his boss have been working on installing cameras on the new pedestrian bridge in Dana Point. They've put up quite a few, and have run wiring and conduits over the span of the bridge. I know they worked hard, so I decided to show up to the dedication of the bridge to show my support. It had a great turnout! Here's a picture of the crowd:

Oh wow - I didn't even notice when I took the picture, but the gentleman in the purple shirt and khakis is actually the architect for the bridge! I wish I remembered his name... but it escapes me. I really wanted to get a picture of him with the bridge, but as you can imagine, he was pretty busy.

The Dana Point City Council was there, and the mayor gave the dedication speech. I couldn't get a picture of her, or of the ribbon cutting - I never believe Jeremy when he says this - but I think I am too short! Anyway - here's the plaque commemorating the bridge and City Council:

And the bridge itself - looks AWESOME! I have to go back and get up close pictures of the murals on each side, because with the traffic and crowd, I really couldn't see anything. But, here it is - in all it's glory:

It sure is beautiful. Stay tuned for those pictures of the murals. I'll probably go back out tonight and get them.

WTH? I'm used to no whales - but no DOLPHINS?

Jeremy and I went whale watching this afternoon. We've only had luck seeing a whale one time (the first time we went) and even then, we only saw a little of him. But usually, there are a crazy number of dolphins. And the last time that I went with my mom-in-law - holy smokes! I swear to you, there were hundreds upon hundreds of dolphins - everywhere - as far as the eye could see. It was amazing.

But today, on MY BIRTHDAY, nothing. Not a single dolphin. We weren't really expecting to see a whale, as it is blue whale season and they don't have a migratory pattern like the grey whales do. But at least some dolphins? Nope. Nada. Zilch. We saw a ton of pelicans, though:

And, of course, the obligatory sea lions:

But no whales. And no dolphins. We had fun anyway:

I hope everyone has a great night!

Puzzles, Red Pin Bowling and FINALLY - the scale moved!

I'll start at the end and go backwards. When I had surgery, I had a mini goal of being under 200 lbs by my birthday. Well, my birthday is tomorrow (the 19th) and I did not make that goal. However, I'm getting closer - the scale has been friendly to me the past couple of days, and I am down to 215.5 - that's from 251 on surgery day, and 291 from the beginning. So while I did not make my mini goal, I am grateful for what I have accomplished. I mean seriously, 35.5 lbs lost in a little less than 3 months! When have I ever done that before! And even better - 75.5 lbs lost since I started my WLS journey. How can I be anything but grateful? And of course, the support I have had over the last year has been amazing - my family and friends, to them I cannot thank enough. Especially my husband, Jeremy. My love, my everything. He has loved me through everything - not just my battle with weight, but with so many other things.

I think part of the reason the scale has moved, is because I've started "exercising" a couple of times a week. Granted, I do not get out and exercise AT ALL. I try to be more active each day, but having had pain issues the first couple of months, it's been hard. I'm slowly overcoming that. Anyway, I mentioned before that I am on a bowling league. It is so much fun! J and I bowl with a couple of girls from his work (hi Bobbi! hi Sea! and I cannot leave out Windy! hi Windy!). It's a couple of hours worth of exercise on Thursday nights - and it's fun, so it's not like REAL exercise. Then, the last couple of weeks J and I have been going bowling on Monday nights. It's Red Pin Bowling, and it's $10 an hour for the lane. We usually get in 3 games per person during that hour - so let's break it up. 6 games at $10 = about $1.67 a game. Yeah - good deal! Anyway, they have different things they do - the main thing, is if you get a red pin as the head pin and get a strike, you win a free game. They have other things too. It's just great fun!

Finally - today. Jeremy came home, and we figured we were going to go bowling, so he needed to take a nap and rest. So, I went into the living room, played around with a couple of boxes, then settled at the dining room table and started a puzzle. Now, I love puzzles. I hate that I haven't done more of them. But, I have one now, and I have finally got it started. I finished the border, check it out:

I'll have to post the picture of the puzzle when it's supposed to be finished - it's a tough one for only being 500 pieces! Anyway, I'll take more pictures as the puzzle progresses.

Well, I'm tired. And tomorrow's my birthday! J is taking me whale watching tomorrow night, so watch for pictures in the next couple of days. Usually, we only see dolphins - so here's hoping we see a whale! It's blue whale season, though - and they do not have a migratory pattern like the gray whales do. We'll see how we do.

Later!

A beautiful day in Dana Point...

So today was my first Tide Pool docent shift in Dana Point. I have got to say, that it was probably one of the most soul lifting things I have done in a while. I talked with a few people, but didn't have my official vest until after my shift was almost done, so I didn't approach many. There was a class there from Orange Coast College, and I looked like I could have been one of them. But, now I have a vest - check it out:

It has the Dana Point city logo, and you can't really see it, but underneath it says "Tide Pool Docent". I am completely and utterly stoked. My next shift is on 5/31 from 9a-1p so if you are in the area, please feel free to stop by and say hello! We spend half of our shift actually down in the intertidal area and then the other half by a table we set up. There are usually 4 of us, so we split up in groups of 2.

So, it was a beautiful and peaceful day. A great way to lead up to the beginning of my week - which includes a trip to the DMV to renew my license. I have to take a written and vision test. So not looking forward to both! I studied some today, so I think the written part will be a breeze. But the vision - I don't know. I mean, my eyes are fine - I can see well enough to drive, but my right eye is not fully developed so I have a blind spot. That whole "cover your eye and read the chart" thing is just a huge pain when I'm talking to someone other than my optometrist (who I've had for the last 4 years). They don't get that I can see great with both eyes - they just don't get it.

Well, it's time for sleep. Being out in the sun today kind of made me tired. I'll talk to you all soon!

Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to bed I go...

I have seriously been feeling soooo tired lately. Since I started taking the Lamictal I have been getting great sleep, and so have been getting up earlier in the morning - like 8:30 or 9. Well, the past week or so I've just been wanting to sleep in - and we're talking major sleeping in, until like 1 or 2. I haven't been staying up any longer than usual, and over the past week or so I've really stepped up my protein, so I don't think it's that. In fact, I really have no idea what's going on. I have my 3-month follow up with my surgeon on the 26th, and I actually just had my blood drawn today for that appointment (8 hour fast). Kaiser is great, because they send you notifications when your tests are done and you can look them up online. My CBC came back, and all of the items are within normal range. I don't think the vitamins show up on the results, though.

This weekend is trying to be a busy one for me. Tomorrow I have an OH (obesityhelp.com) support group in Huntington Beach. I've missed the first two, and I'm cursing myself because I really should be going to them. So, tomorrow - I will go! And Jeremy doesn't know it yet, but I'm going to ask him to come with me. We'll see how that goes over. In fact, he may read this before I actually ask him, so J - will you go with me??

Then tomorrow afternoon someone from OH is playing with his band at the Swallows Inn in San Juan Capistrano. I think that it would be a great time! It's right now the road from us. Have I mentioned how much I love living in Orange County?

I'm super excited about Sunday - I have my first Dana Point Tide Pool docent shift! So, if you're in the area, come on down! We're right behind the Ocean Institute in Dana Point on Dana Point Harbor Drive. Low tide is around noon-ish, but the docents will be there from 10am-2pm. We have some great hand-outs that show what critters you can find in the tide pools, and there are caves to explore too! I didn't get a chance to go out to the caves during training, because it was right after my surgery and I couldn't walk that far, so you can bet on Sunday I'll be walking out there. I'll also be taking my camera to take pictures of all the great animals. I just have to decide if I'm going to take my film or digital camera. I'm thinking digital until I see what kind of pictures the Canon take. I have to pick up the first couple of rolls next week.

I weighed myself today. I will admit, I'm somewhat of a "scale ho" - I'm always stepping on the scale. I've officially lost 35 pounds since surgery, and 75 pounds since my gallbladder surgery in July. I'm such a sloooow loser with my RNY, it's hard to not get discouraged. But, like I've said - I'm working on that. I haven't measured lately so I am probably losing inches. I have noticed that I can do things I haven't been able to do for a long time. Crossing my legs was the first, but now I can sit indian style on my office chair. No big belly in the way! But the down side is that my favorite jeans no longer fit me - along with most of my other pants! I can handle wearing the bigger shirts and blouses, but the pants - OMGosh - it's awful. Well, my mom said that I could buy a special outfit for some special outing. I'm thinking that will come up soon. But at the same time, I hate buying something new when the hope is that I will not fit it in for very long. We'll see. Maybe I will find a thrift store when I get my Social Security check next week.

Okay, I think I'm going to go check on the man and see if he needs some help in the office. I guess I should pay attention to Paco, too. Poor bird. Although, he just got his wings clipped, so I could probably get him on his perch on the patio. I'm looking forward to the fall semester - we're eventually going to get a patio table and chairs, and I can really see myself sitting outside on the patio with Paco hanging out on his perch while I do homework. Yeah, I need to work to make that happen, because it sounds wonderful.

I go now.

WTH??

So, over the last week or so, I've completely ramped up my protein intake, since I found some great RTD protein shakes at Costco. Just in shakes alone, I'm taking in 40g of protein, plus I usually eat at least one to two protein rich meals per day. So, I step on the scale this morning, and it hasn't moved. I know that I'm getting in all my fluids and vitamins (well, except calcium, still working on that). The only thing I can think of is that I'm eating too many carbs. I have to do a search on OH.com to see if I can find how to split the difference.

Eggface just posted a great blog today on how to make some French Onion Bites (her crustless quiches...) check it out here. She says they are a great item if you love french onion soup; which I do! Have to make a run to the store soon.

I still haven't conquered her blueberry muffins. I keep going to the store, getting all the ingredients - then not doing it. I actually haven't been cooking hardly at all lately. I think a lot of it has to do with my mood - it's not quite stable yet with the new medication. It's working out great so far - although the past couple of nights, I've had some baaad nightmares again. I'm not willing to chalk it up to the medication quite yet; although I haven't been exposed to anything scary recently (I'm sensitive to scary movies and stuff - instant nightmares). But I've only been on the new medication for a few weeks so I'm going to give myself some more time to adjust before I decide that it's not a good medication for me. If it's not, I'm really not looking forward to going through the medication revamp period again. It's not only tough on me, but I imagine it's tough on J as well - my mood swings can catch him off balance sometimes.

Now you know that I've got to blog about the biz! Things are moving along much more slowly. I decided to only start auctions once a week instead of every other day, for two reasons. First, it's cheaper that way! My eBay invoice for last month was over $200. Yeah, can't really afford that. I'm just not doing the sales yet to warrant that kind of expense. And second, I'm starting school again next month. While summer I'm only taking one class, and it's online; come Fall Semester I'm heading into school full time. The Fall Schedule is out, so I was able to pick out my classes and figure out my schedule - and I'm just not going to have time during the week to work on eBay, other than fooling around a little. So, I'll keep my store open and take care of any sales that happen that way as they come, and set my auctions to finish on Saturdays. That way, I have the time to commit to my studies (which is kind of scaring me right now...). I'm not nervous about my summer class; it's Medical Terminology. I went to Medical Assisting school (it was 14 weeks, M-F, 8-5) and I did really well with the class work, so I know that the Terminology will be easier for me. Not easy, just easier. In Fall, however - all my classes are on campus. I've got English 100, Math 20 (I suck at Math) Photo 103, and Poly Sci 100. I'll be in school Monday thru Thursday. We'll see how that goes!

Anyway, I should roll. I have to check the mail and make another iced tea. I hope you all are having a great week!

The Greatest Experience I've Had....

Was being at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, at night, to watch Endeavour launch. The launch was supposed to happen on our last night in Florida (we spent a week there hanging out at the Disney parks). But, as it almost always happens, the launch was delayed; I believe because of bad weather at the abort site in Spain. So, we extended our trip a day or so and went back to KSC the next night. Jeremy had some connections with his local congressman, so he was able to hook us up with seats in the VIP section; right next to the astronauts' families! It was still about 3-5 miles away from the launch pad, but closer than if we were on the causeway.

Jeremy had his camera (film at the time) and so he gave me the responsibility of taking video. It was so exciting! J even called our friend Alex right before the launch, then put the phone down on the bleachers while the shuttle took off so Alex could hear the launch. Amazing. Since it was night, it was hard to really see the shuttle on the pad. But the water spray started.... the engines ignited (and according to Jeremy, insert Paula's crazy reaction here)... the sound- oh my gosh, the sound of the engines - nothing else quite like it. Finally, the countdown clock reached zero, and the shuttle catapulted itself into the sky. I can't really describe what I was feeling. Awe? Definitely. Emotional? How could you not? Patriotic? Absolutely. But there are so many other emotions it's hard to really tell you what it was like without actually witnessing it. A couple of seconds after Endeavour lifted off the pad, the fire trail lit up the night; and it was like the middle of the day. You could see everything. We watched the shuttle until we could see it no more. I think once we got back to our car, we were both pretty silent. To absorb what we had just seen took time.

So, right now, Atlantis is getting ready to launch for a repair mission to the Hubble Telescope. It's supposed to be the last mission to the Hubble. The shuttle is supposed to launch at 2:01 EST, or 11:01 PST. I have NASA TV running on my computer right now. They just now are releasing their T-9 minutes scheduled hold, and will start the last 9 minutes of the countdown

I've gotta go watch this!

I should change the title...

To "Ramblings of a Bipolar 1 Patient", because that's about all I have to talk about today. I was supposed to leave tomorrow morning to go on a camping trip to Yosemite for 6 days with some WLS surgery friends. Well, with me being the "worse case scenario" thinker, and having a whole bunch of "what if's" running through my head - I pretty much gave myself an incredible amount of anxiety to the point where I don't think it would be safe for me to be so far away.

I didn't just come to this realization; it took quite a few days for me to figure out what I was feeling and why. All I knew, was that I was feeling "unstable". That's the term I use when I really don't know what I am feeling. It's kind of a catch-all word for me. Anyway, I cancelled the trip, and while there is some ease of anxiety from knowing that I am not going, there is still some residual feelings. I have started going to group counseling, I finally found a Kaiser group in Aliso Viejo (that's where my PCP and Psychiatrist are) and they have sessions every Tuesday and Friday. Plus, I see my personal therapist every 2 weeks. So, I'm slowly getting back into treatment, where in Corona I saw my psychiatrist maybe once every three months. I have found the services in Orange County to be much, much more accessible than in Riverside County. Even Urgent Care is run better. Maybe it's the population difference between the two areas; I don't know. It's just better.

So anyway - onto a different topic for now. Jeremy has been bowling on a league for Dana Point for a few months. Well, now I get to bowl too, as one of their team members has a bun in the oven. So this past Thursday was my first time in about 27 years bowling on a league. Although I did pretty much about as well as I expected, I think I am starting to feel more comfortable. Jeremy bought me a bowling ball (it's bright pink!) and bag (it's black with - guess what - pink!). I had bought shoes last year (they are pink too!). So, yesterday I had a crappy day, because I had decided that I wasn't going to Yosemite - and I thought that throwing a bowling ball around would get rid of some of the stress. So J and I went bowling. We were about halfway through our 3 games when they turned off the lights. It was hard! I couldn't see my mark or anything. I ended up doing okay - in fact the last game was my best, but I can honestly say that I do not like Cosmic Bowling. And now today, both Jeremy and I are extremely sore. We barely made it through all 3 games last night. But, it was fun - I definitely needed it. And we'll see how it helps on Thursday.

Well, I'm pretty tired, so I'm gonna finish up what I can on the computer and try to get some sleep. Tomorrow is Mother's Day. It's a little tough on me, because although I'm technically a mother, in practice I am not. People who know, I think, do not know how to approach the situation. So I don't bring it up. I hate making people uncomfortable. But, I hope all you mothers out there have a great day and that the people around you spoil you! And to my mom, who lives sooooo far away, I love you!! And I hope you have a great day. I'll probably end up talking to you before you read this.

Good night everyone!

What a couple of weeks... and "Balls of Fury!"

So this past weekend Jeremy and I went to Las Vegas for his bowling sweeps. He bowls on a city team every Thursday. I've been going to watch, but this summer one of the team members is expecting a baby, so I am going to take her place! So, starting this Thursday I will be an official member of the team, "Balls of Fury"! I'm very excited.

But there's a catch in all this. Jeremy and I do what we can to spend quality time together, but we both also recognize that we need our separate "alone" time. For me, it's easy. I'm home all day long by myself (I've become friends with our mailman due to craving conversation). So I can get what I need done, and when he comes I'm ready to be social. For him, it is quite different. He spends all day talking to people and actively thinking and he pretty much gets worn out, so when he comes home, he just wants to take a few minutes to process. Of course, I haven't seen him all day, so what do I want to do? Talk to him! Tell him EVERYTHING that happened to me that day and everything that's going on in my head. It's hard for him to tell me that he just needs a few minutes to wind down - and it's hard for me to catch myself. So we're working on that. But the bowling has been his "thing" and now I'm doing it too. So, we just have to make sure that we take the time to do separate things. Again, easy enough for me - a little more difficult for him.

A couple of good things happened while in Las Vegas. One, I did not touch a slot machine. Not one! Jeremy got $25 free for signing up for their Club (we stayed at South Point) but I stayed in the room and worked on eBay stuff while he played. I am very proud of myself! Granted, I have NO money (until I get my next Social Security check in a couple of weeks) but all the same. Secondly, somehow - I think it was all the seafood I ate over the extended weekend - I lost 4 lbs in 4 days. I'll take it! And it's been going down again from there since I got home. Again, I think that what I had been eating has had a lot of protein. And two "wow" moments for me, one in Vegas - and one last night at Costco. The night before we left Vegas, Jeremy let me buy a shirt in the gift shop that I had been eyeing all weekend long. I got an XL - right off the rack - and it fits beautifully! I'm a little afraid to wash it, though - I don't want it to shrink! Then last night at Costco, I was browsing the clothes (I get my PJ's there - usually cotton, they are so comfortable!). Anyway, I wanted the PJ set, but couldn't find it in an XL - so I said "what the heck" and got the Large, thinking I would shrink into it. Well, we got home - and I was curious so I put it on - - - and it FIT! And it's LOOSE. And it's a LARGE! That's from a *cough* 3X that I was in before my gallbladder surgery in July of last year. I still can NOT believe I was that big. *blech* But I'm doing great now - I am very happy. I am officially half way to "goal" - I've lost a total of 72 lbs! And 38 of that has been since surgery on 2/23. I'm what they call a "slow loser" - mainly because I had a hard time in the beginning getting enough protein in due to pain issues. But I appear to be past that, and found a good RTD (ready to drink) protein drink at Costco that I will have 2x's a day.

And then, there's "the biz". Taking all the time in Vegas to work on auctions while Jeremy was playing with his $25 seemed to have worked - I did shorter auctions (5 days instead of 7) and I have gotten 4 sales this week so far - one a big order on a wholesale lot going to Canada. The rest are single items going anywhere from Agoura Hills, CA to North Carolina. I've actually have had quite a few people buying my things that are from Texas. I do not make much money on my eBay sales - I use the opportunity to get a catalog into their hands, and hopefully word of mouth to their friends. Then I use what profits I do make to buy more catalogs. I need 1000 of the catalogs for a bulk mailing, but it's expensive to get that many at once, so I order some everytime I get a sale on eBay. I have also been using Vista Print for some items like postcards, and return address labels and such. A friend who has her own theraputic massage business in Wisconsin told me about this great thing she was doing with Vista Print's free business cards - she made a gift coupon out of them! So of course, I had to follow her lead; and they came out great!

So here's my plug - if you or anyone you know would like my catalog, just shoot me an email at micheles_treasures@earthlink.net or leave me a comment here and I'll get your address. Or, if you like, you can check out my eBay store at: http://stores.shop.ebay.com/micheles-treasures-and-gifts.

I don't know when I'll get to post again - I am leaving for Yosemite on Sunday for 6 days. I'm going to be taking a ton of pictures, so you will definitely see them when I get back and download or develop them (I shoot with both a digital and film camera). Until then, everyone have a great week/weekend and don't forget about MOTHER'S DAY!! CALL YOUR MOTHER!!