Fourth of July 2011

What a blessing to live in a country like the United States of America!  I am grateful that I was born in this country and have the opportunity to change jobs as I please and especially as God gives me the opportunity. I have the opportunity to try to change my life and my body shape also.  Body shape is not much different than last time I posted but I'm holding my own. My doctor and I brainstormed last visit about ways to get past this plateau and I hope to begin one of those, exercise, this week.  With the new job, I can get up and walk before work, rather than trying to cram it in after work like I didn't do before.  So, a new plan, and hopefully some more weight lost. 

Today I get the opportunity to sing in a concert with 114 other people about our country and the people who live here.  Tucson experienced a tragedy this past year with the shooting of Gabrielle Giffords, our representative to the House in Washington DC.  Five precious lives were lost and a number of people were wounded and now live with those problems associated with that shooting, including Gabrielle Giffords.  Our city came together magnificently to support the victims and their families.  Part of our concert program will focus on this event.  A young man from the church we attend has written a song that can be found on U-tube about the shooting last January.  Go to U-tube and put in Matt Abney and watch and listen.  It shows our spirit pretty well.
Our troops in conflicts overseas are our second focus in the concert..  Without these men and women we could not truly be a free nation.  I pray God's blessing on each and everyone of them. 
I have been blessed to sing in this concert called Let Freedom Sing for several years and I am truly blessed every year I do this.  I get to sing with some people who have wonderful voices.  Those who direct and run this production are awesome and I'm grateful for them.  And we have the opportunity to raise funding for arts programs in the schools which are truly needed for our children.  Thanks to all who support Arts Express.

Thanks be to our Father who gives us these blessings of our country and those who live here.  We are truly blessed to live in the United States of America.

Things they are a-changing

Yes, things are going to be changing in my life and in Paul's life too.  I have been given the opportunity, by God's good grace, at a new job.  I will be working for a company that makes Blood Bank analyzers and reagents (as well as Chemistry analyzers and reagents, but since Chemistry and I don't really get along, that doesn't count today).  I will be traveling and helping transfusion services and blood banks to implement these analyzers and reagents.  I will be training their staff in the use of these items as well as be a resource for questions they may have.  I am very excited about this new job but also somewhat sad to leave the place I have worked for almost 14 years.  Most of all I will miss the people I currently work with but will see them from time to time as they will know be one of my customers. 
Paul and I have figured out that we will have more time together because I will not be working weekends, although I will be out of town three days a week, but not every week.  I will be working from a home office and primarily communicating by e-mail, phone and teleconference or audioconference.  My manager actually lives in Utah.  I know this will be a big adjustment but I definitely believe that God is giving us this opportunity to solve some debt problems as well as a chance for a new adventure in my career.  I plan on working on my Specialist in Blood Banking and hopefully taking that exam in early 2012.  It has been a long process but I know that this is a good company to work for with many benefits other than salary.  I praise God for this opportunity. 
As for the weight loss part of my life, it will be a challenge to be able to walk to the kitchen to get something to eat during the work time and be able to eat while I am working.  I will need to get on a schedule in that regard.  It will be nice to be able to have water at my work station though.  That could not happen in the lab (all those germs and such in the work place :)). 
God is most definitely in control and I know that all things will work together for good because I love Him with all my heart!

New Developments

The last month has and is continuing to be a series of rollar coasters.  I have applied for a new job, had 4 interviews, filled out paperwork, went pee in a cup and waited not so patiently.  Still waiting......should knew in the next few days if all is a go for me to give 2 weeks notice and start a new job.  I have to believe that God would not offer me the job and then pull the rug out because of things out of my current control.  I'll know soon but I'm tired of waiting and having trouble not worrying.  So much for life....
Gained back the four pounds I lost last month.  Shall I blame it on chocolate.  Probably.  The doctor put 1/2 cc of saline back in and I am hoping it will make a difference.  I will have to be very good about snacking and such with the new job as I will be spending a lot of time in a home office right next to the kitchen.  It will be interesting.  More info to come.
Hope all have a blessed week.

It's been about a year....

I found myself at the Leadership Training for Christ Southwest convention again this year in Phoenix, Arizona.  Only this year, I didn't have a wound vac on me that I carried around all of the time and I hadn't just had emergency surgery to remove the lapband that was infected.  Instead it's been just over a year since that time and about a month until my one year of having another lapband put in.  It has been an experience and something that I'm learning to live with.  It has taken time to make old habits go away, like eating as much as you want and expecting to not throw up.  I have learned to stop eating when my body says to or I will pay the consequences and that is no fun.  I have hit a plateau although I believe I have lost a few more pounds since last month.  I'm more learning to look at my body with 48 lbs gone and appreciate that I am thinner.  I haven't ever felt any thinner inside and appreciated that being thin enough to keep the weight off.  I am feeling thinner inside and enjoying having some of the weight gone.  I really think I can keep it gone and live like this.  It's a great feeling to have.  I hope you all had a good Easter and God bless you and your loved ones.

Still standing still

Relatively speaking in weight, that is.  I lost one pound this past month.  I'm really frustrated but am thinking I need to just listen to my body more.  Paul says that I talk to myself and that I even answer myself so I should be able to listen at least sometime.  I'm  doing better at not going past the point of no return.  I've found that if I eat too much and then throw up, I'm better off having only liquids the rest of that day or I will just keep doing it again.  I've had to learn this the hard way and have had a few miserable days.  This past week was better and hopefully I'll learn about eating less, etc.  I am staying in my smaller clothes, yeah, size 14, down from size 22 a year ago.  God is blessing me in this and I will keep going.  I have the best husband as a cheerleader and reminder of what is best and I will keep him around for another 32 years, I guess.  Tomorrow is Sunday and it will be a great day of worship with my family at the Gathering at Palo Verde. 

Chocolate and Quilting

What causes chocolate cravings?  I wish I could figure it out.  I am definitely having them.  It's hard to keep the calories down when eating chocolate.
Mostly doing okay with the band.  Ate one too many grapes at lunch today and had a difficult few minutes afterwards.  However, kept everything down, so okay.  Trying to eat just the right amount.  Mostly working okay with it.  Hopefully I'll lose this month.
Looking forward to a quilt workshop on Friday.  Lots of good things to learn.  The instructor was the 2010 Quilting Teacher of the Year and seems really good.  I really am looking forward to learning this method of paper piecing.  Ya'll have a great day.  God bless you all.

Where to go now?

Saw the doctor today and convinced him to add .5 ml saline to my band.  Maybe this will lessen the food intake.  I have to figure out how to limit the type of snacks to lower in calories.  I really don't like carrots for snacks anymore.  I think the years of dieting have really made me not like certain foods.  sigh...  The nutritionist gave me a list of things to try and that helps a little bit but I still gained this month.  I really think I just need to exercise so I'm signing up for the Walk 10000 steps program at work.  Paul and I have talked about walking before dinner for several months so maybe we can start that and go together or I'll just take my MP3 player and walk.  Hopefully I can do something that way to keep losing.  Time is the issue.  Never enough but I'm going to have to make the choices.  We went to Las Vegas and I did good there.  Saw some beautiful sights and some ugly sights.  People, people, everywhere, really glad to be home.