20 Days And Counting!

This was our actual Christmas Tree a few years ago.  I loved our Tree!

Hey Ya'll,

Well, I survived another early morning wake up today.  Not to mention that I had to drive into Reno to get my car serviced in the pouring rain and high winds!!  LOL  But it is done, and now I don't have to worry about it until sometime next year....But again, I had a horrible nights sleep!  I still woke up or was up a good part of the night with pain in my Head.  I guess I should tell my Neurosurgeon just in case there could be something wrong.  But I am fairly sure that my Neck is just too tense, causing spasms of pain in my Head!

Oh, and I forgot to say that I have my Back Brace....it is not comfortable to wear at all.  It kind of helps with my lower Back pain, at least for a while.  But I find that it actually makes the pain in my Hips worse!  On Thanksgiving night, after we left my parents house, my brother, Walt and I talked for close to an hour at our cars.  I was in pain the whole time, but I was able to stand there (constantly shifting my position, and keeping my Legs spread to support my weight).  But at the 1 hour point, all of a sudden, pain shot through my left Hip and into my left Thigh, causing me to grab for Walt to steady me.  At that point, we decided we all needed to leave.  And once I was sitting in the car, the balls of both Feet were numb and had pins and needles pain in them.  Which is a new symptom.  For which I will tell my Neurosurgeons office when I see them in January.

I did get my new Calendar today.  It is called Out On The Porch.  I love this Calendar as it makes me want to sit on one of those rocking chairs in the shade of a beautiful porch watching the day pass, reading a great book.  Ahh....Well I can dream can't I???  LOL

Then I went and had my Nails removed.  I loved them, but I have decided that they are not worth the cost.  Not to mention the condition they left my natural nails.  So now I will have to wait for them to grow back out and get healthy.

20 Days And Counting!!

So as of today, I have lost a total of 11 lbs from my all time high this time around.  I started at a high of 228.8 (220.0 as far as the Surgeon knows), and I am supposed to get down to 210.  I still need to lose at least another 8 lbs in the next 20 days....But I haven't yet started the full on liquid diet.  It will begin in a few days, and then of course, there is the Colon Cleansing I have to do the day before Surgery!  I should lose at least a pound if not two with it....right???  But of course, I am not going to count on that to get me to my weight loss goal before Surgery.

Just In Case....I was only supposed to lose 10 lbs, but since I had gained almost 9 lbs after my consult with the Surgeon, that meant that I needed to lose at least 18 lbs to be where he expects me to be on Surgery day.  So....another 7-10 lbs will be enough to placate him.  I just hope that I can do it!!  This time around, I am finding that my will power is way below what it was back in 2009 when I had to do the same Diet for the Lap Band.  Hunger wise I am doing fine, but it is still hard not to eat more than I am supposed to!  Let's face it, if I had the will power to do this long term, I wouldn't need the Surgery!

Oh well, all I can do is try my best!  Now I have to dig in and do my best to get our taxes pulled together before my Surgery!!  I am so disorganized, that I am afraid that I won't have them done in time.  But I promise Walt, that I will try!!  I <3 nbsp="nbsp" next="next" p="p" so="so" till="till" time....="time...." you="you">
Aloha My Friends :)

And The Doctor Said....

Hey Ya'll,

Well, this past weekend, Walt said that I still sounded like I had Bronchitis and that I should try to get back in to the Doctor on Monday (yesterday).  Well, I wasn't able to get in to her yesterday, but I did get in today!  She said that my Lungs sounded clear, which is a good thing.  But apparently I still have Sinusitis!  She took one look at the back of my Throat and said, yes....it is still full of yellow mucous.  UGH  So I guess that I still have a Bacterial Infection in my Sinuses??

Anyway, since I am out of my Antibiotics, she gave me a new Antibiotic to try.  She said that it is an even stronger Antibiotic than the first one I was taking.  And lucky me, she actually had them in samples.  So she gave me another 10 days worth of Antibiotics.  She said that if I don't sound much better by next Monday, to call her and she would setup an appointment for a Scan of my Sinuses to see exactly what is going on!!  And I am supposed to be in Surgery 3 weeks from TODAY!!  So if this round of Antibiotics doesn't do the trick, we may be forced to postpone the Surgery....So please, think good thoughts for me that this time it works!!  PLEASE!





*****CORRECTION*****
Oh, and did I mention that it is (28 oops) 21 days and counting until my Surgery??

So this means that I had to get up at 7 am....to be at the Doctor by 9:15 am today.  And now I have to get up at 8 am tomorrow, in order to get my car to the Dealership to have the Oil Changed, Tires Rotated, etc.  I expect to be there most of the day.  So of course, I am taking my Kindle with me to read.  Now I just have to hope that I can read and not fall asleep!!

I hate to fall asleep in front of people....because I snore!!  Horribly!  I wake myself up snoring, horribly!!  LOL  I also need to stop and buy me a new 2013 Calendar too!  We already have at least 5 Doctor appointments setup for January, and I am running out of space on the borders of December to write them in!!  And since we don't have a Book Store near us with a great selection of Calendars, I have to go to the only Book store left in Reno, while I am there.  And yes, I have looked at the stores available to us for Calendars, but they don't have any of the ones that I like.  And if I have to look at it for a year, I want it to be something I love!

Hey, I just found out that Melissa Rycroft won Dancing With The Stars All Star Show.  Go Melissa!!  I thought she did great the season that she competed on, especially since she went in with practically no time to practice!  So winning it this time, shows that she was definitely in it to win it!!  Well, I better go for now, I need to start getting ready to go to bed.  Last night I had so much pain in my Head that I slept horribly.  And it wasn't a Headache per say...But Pain In The Head...and it moved from area to area, and at times it practically covered the whole Head!  So I just hope that I can sleep tonight without pain.  Wish me luck!

Aloha My Friends :)

My Pre-Op Diet Starts Tomorrow!

Hey Ya'll,

Well, I had my Thanksgiving Dinner, and I have had leftovers for the past 2 days, so tomorrow I start my Pre-Op Diet....It is supposed to be a 4 week diet, but I will only be on it for 3 weeks and 2 days.  I am supposed to lose 10 lbs, but that was based on what I weighed at my initial Surgeon Consult way back on Sept 12th.  I had since then actually gained 8.8 lbs.  So I knew that I needed to actually lose 18.8 lbs to be where Dr Kozar wants me to be at for Surgery.

Well, I weighed myself tonight, and I weighed 223.8.  So if this is the case, then I will only need to lose another 13.8 lbs.  When I did my Pre-Op Diet for my Lap Band Surgery back in 2009, I was supposed to lose 11 lbs.  I was only on the Diet for 2 1/2 weeks then, and I lost 17 lbs.  Luckily (or unluckily) for me, I tend to retain water really bad....Once I begin the Diet, I can easily lose 5-10 lbs in water weight alone!!  So I am fairly sure that I should have no problem losing 14 lbs.

Now!!  Whether I have as easy a time as I did with the Diet for the Lap Band is still to be determined!  I didn't have any trouble with it the first time, and I was absolutely not hungry at all....So this will probably end up being the total opposite!  LOL  So, wish me luck that I don't suffer too much, and that I am able to lose the weight I need to.  Please???

Here is a copy of my 4 Week Pre-Op Diet, for which I will be following it from week 2:

Week 1:
Breakfast:  Protein Shake
Snack:  Fruit, etc.
Lunch:  300 cal or less meal replacement w 1-2 cups veggies
Snack:  same as above
Dinner:  same as lunch
Snack:  Protein Shake

Week 2:
Breakfast:  Protein Shake
Snack:  same as above
Lunch:  Protein Shake and 1-2 cups veggies
Snack:  saa
Dinner:  300 cal/less meal replacement w 1-2 cups veggies
Snack:  Protein Shake

Weeks 3-4:
Breakfast:  Protein Shake
Snack:  1/2 Protein Shake
Lunch:  Protein Shake and 1-2 cups veggies
Snack:  saa
Dinner:  same as Lunch
Snack:  saa


So....Diet Here I Come! LOL

Aloha My Friends :)

The Best Thanksgiving In Years!

We get some amazing cloud formations here because of the almost constant winds we get!!

Hey Ya'll,

Well, we are back from California, and we are really glad that we went.  We got to see almost my entire immediate family.  The only one missing was my niece Tiffany.  Tiffany and her significant other was on their way from Missouri, but didn't make it to my parents house until sometime last night.

My daughter Christa prepared most of the meal for us.  Walt wanted to help her out, but she was so organized, that by the time we made it to her house, most of the work had been done, as she started to prepare it days in advance.  So we took what was already finished plus the 2 Turkeys over to my parents house to help her out.  Then Christa and her family arrived with the rest of the meal about 2 hours later.  By then, Walt had one of the Turkeys Deep Fried and ready to carve, and the second Turkey cooking.

So the meal was excellent.  It couldn't have been better!

Walt and I arrived at my parents house at about 10 am, and my poor mom was trying her best to put my dads socks on him.  She could barely stand there, and she has no strength herself, so I finished putting his socks on for them.  I saw first hand how totally useless my dads arm and hand are now.  He can't even move them without using his left arm and hand.  And because it is in constant pain, he basically just places the arm and hand where it feels the least amount of pain, which is usually across his stomach or chest.

We were alone sitting together in the living room and my dad told me that he couldn't even begin to tell me where it hurt, because it hurts everywhere!  I asked him if he had taken his Morphine yet, and he said yes.  It just hadn't kicked in yet!  We feel that his Lung Cancer has spread to Bone Cancer now.  The reason I say this, is because of the amount of pain that he is in throughout his entire body, and....Mt uncle drove my dad to his Chemo Doctor appointment last week, and the Chemo Doctor asked my dad if the other Doctor had set him up on Hospice Care yet....Which means that my dads Cancer is spreading and definitely not getting better! 

Once my mom and I got him dressed, and in his chair in the living room, he never moved out of it again that day while we were there, and that was from 10 am to 6 pm!  He didn't even move out of the chair to go to the bathroom....And trying to get him to eat anything is difficult.  He says that he either can't eat, or just isn't hungry.  So he is barely eating anymore.  This too is a bad sign, because as we all know, when the body doesn't take in enough nutrients, the body starts to shut down.

So of course, we are very concerned about my dad.  He looked like he was at least 85-90 years old, and he is only 78.  And we do not expect him to be here for Christmas.  Which I will miss....My Surgery is the week before Christmas, so I won't be up to driving to California.  Not to mention the fact that I won't be able to eat yet.  So we will be staying here in Nevada and spend Christmas with my Mother In Law.  Christmas is still a difficult Holiday for her, as my Father In Law passed away right after Christmas in 2009.  So we like to spend Christmas with her when we can.

My brother is doing very well now with his new leg.  Now that they have a new one for him that actually fits, he is walking well.  If you didn't know he has a prosthetic leg, you wouldn't ever know it by watching him walk.  He said that he has one of those legs/foot thingies that allow the person to run.  So once he is in his permanent prosthesis, he will be able to use it to play men's softball again.  Which he hasn't been able to do for 6-7 years!!

So, we had a really nice day visiting each other.  I just wish that my parents weren't in such poor health.  My dad told me that once we all left their house, my mom had to go to bed, and hasn't been out of it yet.  She gets so over tired and in pain, that she ends up bedridden for at least 2-3 days after one of us visits them!

So I hope that ya'll had a great Thanksgiving too!  Till next time....

Aloha My Friends :)

Have A Happy Thanksgiving!!

Hey Ya'll,

Well, I am going to make this really short and sweet as I don't have time for anything else!!  I have been working all day getting ready to leave early in the morning.  We are going to stop in Reno on our way to California to look at some guns.  Walt always wants to see if they have "the one".  And we have a nice Sporting Goods store in Reno.

Then we will drive down to Sacramento.  And I will probably read my Kindle, as it keeps my eyes off the road, thus making it a much smoother ride.  And definitely a less stressful ride!  As Walt likes to speed, and I don't....so if I don't watch, then I can't complain.

We are going to meet up with Walt's daughter Kat, his sister Susan, possibly his brother Mike, and maybe my daughter Christa and her family as well, for dinner.  Then Walt and I will go to Christa's house Thursday morning to finish getting the Thanksgiving Dinner ready.  Or should I say, I will be watching them get the dinner ready!  I will sit and talk with them and the grand kids.  Oh, and did I tell you that Christa is making my all time favorite cake???  German Chocolate Cake from scratch!!  She knows that this will probably be the last time that I can enjoy it!  Since I will be having my Gastric Bypass Surgery in 3 1/2 weeks!!

 

But Walt and I will go to my parents house about 2 hours before we are ready to eat so he can deep fry the 2 Turkeys at their house.  So I will spend the time with my parents then.  I don't want to over tire them, as just getting a shower, dressing and trying to sit up in the Living Room is more than they need to do.  So I will have a couple of hours to talk with them before the rest of the family arrives.  Then Walt and I will go home on Friday morning.

So what I wanted to say is....I hope that everyone has a great Thanksgiving!  I probably won't be able to post again until sometime this weekend.  So, till next time...

Aloha My Friends :)

Walt Was Right!!

Hey Ya'll,

Well, Walt made me go to the Urgent Care place yesterday, since I wasn't able to get in to see our PCP.  The Doctor took one look in my Throat and said that I definitely have a Sinus Infection.  But on top of that, I also have Bronchitis!!  So I am on Antibiotics, and using an Inhaler.  At least this way, I will be over it before my Surgery date!!  Which is now only 4 weeks and 3 days away!!  Otherwise, 31 days and counting!!  EEKS! 

So far, Walt hasn't caught my Cold, but his Lungs are not the strongest, and he almost always catches a Cold if he is near anyone with one!  He keeps trying to get close to me, or kiss me, etc.  Well, I told him that if he catches my Cold, I WILL be sleeping on the Sofa!!  I do not want to be reinfected with the Cold so close to Surgery!

I will do what I did before my Spinal Surgery (Neck) in March.  I call it my cocoon period.  The last 2-3 weeks before a major Surgery, I try not to go out.  I don't want to risk getting sick!  So if he even has the sniffles, I will be sleeping on the sofa by myself again!!  I did it for 2 weeks in March, I can do it again!  LOL  But why does it always have to be in the Winter or early Spring when it is cold??   Oh well....Que Sera Sera!

So now I am hoping to be totally over the Bronchitis, or at least not contagious, for Thanksgiving next week.  As we are driving to California to visit our family.  My parents health is still deteriorating.  My Dad's Doctors keep telling him that the Chemotherapy is helping his Lung Cancer, but I don't believe it.  His pain is still as bad as ever, and he has lost all use of his right Arm and Hand.  He has to hold it with his left Arm and Hand in the position that is less painful, in order for him to be able to sit and talk with you. 

And he is now on Morphine for pain as well as the other pain meds.  I have never heard of Doctors giving Morphine for long term pain control, when the patient is not in the Hospital, unless it is to control end stage Cancer pain....So either the Doctor is trying to fool my Dad, who has always said that he would rather give up, than live with pain like this if it isn't helping him.  Or my Dad is trying to hide his true prognosis from us.  Either way, we feel that this will be the last Holiday Season we have with my parents.  So we don't want to miss being with them.

Well, I better go for now.  So till next time....

Aloha My Friends :)

Photos Below:
1) Back row, my Sister Sheryl, Mom, Niece Cara, Daughter Christa, Granddaughter Emily.  Front row, Niece Tiffany and Me!

2) My Daddy and Me.  I just wish that he would have told me that it hurt him so much to have me sit on him!!  But he insisted!

3) Standing, my Son In Law Mark, and Grandson Walker.  Sitting, my Uncle Emery, who is selflessly taking care of my parents when I can't be there for them....

Christmas Layout A Bit Early!!

Hey Ya'll,

I just wanted to make a really quick post saying hi, and that I know this is a bit early, but I just couldn't resist switching to a Christmas Layout!!  And I was afraid that if I waited until after Thanksgiving, I wouldn't have the time to do it!  So I found this really cute Layout and decided, what the He**!  I hope that you like it, it makes me smile.....

The photo above is of one of my Sister's In Law.  She was getting ready to ride in a local Parade.  She loves Horses, and rides all the time.  In fact, she is one of those special people that goes on Endurance Rides all the time.....like 100 miles rides!!  I couldn't do it, so I say....more power to you if you can (I wouldn't be able to stand up when I got off the Horse)!!  LOL  She also loves to run.  She runs special trails that wind up and around Lake Tahoe!!  Sometimes the runs are a minimum 50 miles.  And we are talking at elevations over a mile high!!  This woman is "Super Woman"!!  I couldn't do it, nor do I ever want to!!  Oh, and the reason that I have not mentioned her name, is out of respect for her privacy.  She gave me permission to use the photo, so long as I didn't mention her name.

Well, I have had a Cold now for going on 2 weeks.  It appeared to be getting better, then all of a sudden it took a turn for the worse again!!  I think that I am just starting a new Cold, but Walt thinks that it is going into Bronchitis!  So he made me call the Doctors Office this morning to try to get in to see her.  But we forgot that she isn't in on Fridays.  So I am still waiting to hear back from their Office to see if I am to see the other Doctor in the practice, or if maybe they will just call in a Prescription for Antibiotics (hopefully).

And now on top of me being sick, Walt started to get sick yesterday....This is not a good time to be sick!  We are supposed to drive to California next Wednesday to visit with our family for Thanksgiving....And since we are not expecting my parents to survive another year, we feel that this will be their last Holidays with the family, and we want to be there.

Anyway, I just wanted to say....I hope that you like the new layout of my blog, early though it is!!  I made the "Executive" decision to remove a lot of "stuff" from my blog, as it was just taking up too much space.  So I removed all of the "Buttons" (cute as they may be) from other Blogs that I follow, and I also removed all of the "Awards" that I have been given through the years.  And last but not lease, I removed all of the Blogs from my Following/Reading list that haven't posted in a YEAR or MORE!!  Which were quite a few!  I figured that if you haven't posted in a year or more, then you probably aren't going to post anymore!....

So....Till next time....Send good thoughts my way that we get over this....whatever it is, fast!!

Aloha My Friends :)

A Big Welcome To....Dani !!

Hey Ya'll,

I checked in this morning, and found that I had a new Follower!!!  Her name is Dani, and Dani was Banded on 5/31/11.  Dani is one of our sisters from the land down under!!  So if you haven't found her blog yet, check it out and give Dani all the support we all can use!  Just follow this link to Dani's blog: A New Era, and say hi.  So Dani, I want to...."Welcome you to my Nightmare"!

Aloha My New Friend! :) 

Bypass & Sleeve Patients -HELP !!

Hey Ya'll,

As I inch ever so much closer to my Bypass Surgery, I am beginning to freak out about the Vitamins I need to take after Surgery!!  When I attended the last Class at my Surgeon's Office, they gave us some samples of the Vitamins that they promote and sell.  They are pictured above and called Bariatric Advantage. 

Well....they tasted nasty!!  I couldn't even chew them up and swallow them completely, I had to spit them out!!  So I asked my Cousin Lisa, what Vitamins that she takes, and she takes the Vitamins from her Surgeon's Office (Celebrate)(below). 

Lisa also tells me that hers aren't much better!

 

So I was hoping that some of my Blogging buddies that have had the Bypass or Sleeve Surgery could help me out by suggesting a better tasting alternative to what I have access to.  Yes, I said better tasting.  After the Surgery, I won't be able to swallow extra large pills as most Multiple Vitamins are, so I will need to chew them up!

Do you purchase yours through your Surgeon's Office?  Or do you purchase them online or through a store like GNC???  Please Help Me!!  Have you found any that actually taste good?  Are there any good Multivitamins, Calcium, Iron, etc that are in Gummy form that are the equivalent to what is sold in the Dr's Office's???  I can buy Gummy Multi Vitamins at Costco, but they aren't even close to being equal, to the horrible chewable's from the Dr's Office.  I would have to take 2-3 of them to be equivalent!

Any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated!  And the sooner the better!!  LOL  As my Surgery is only 5 WEEKS AWAY!!  Hoping for some good suggestions (and I am afraid that it is in vain)....till next time.

Aloha My Friends :)

New Hampshire, Vacation Part 2 !!

With My Best Friend Kelly And Her Son David At An Apple Orchard, Picking Apples!

Hey Ya'll,

Well, as I said in my last post.  I made it to New Hampshire by 5:15 am.  I was exhausted for sure...but I was sure happy to be there!  And of course, since I had been up for so long, and was going on pure adrenalin by then just to keep going.  I wasn't yet ready to sleep!  So after I ate my breakfast, I unpacked my luggage (after taking photos of my room of course!), then attempted to call home to let everyone know that I was there and safe.

However, I realized that I didn't have phone service there, so I had to rely on emails.  So I emailed Walt, and asked him to call my parents to let them know I was there and ok.  Then I emailed everyone else.  But...I still wasn't ready to go to bed, so I watched some TV for a bit, then took my meds (including my sleeping pill), and went to bed after placing the Do Not Disturb sign on the door!!  Kelly knew that I was arriving early in the morning, so she waited until after she got home from work to contact me, thus letting me get some rest.

Late that afternoon, I get a call from the Front Desk saying that I had a package, so I opened my door and started to walk to the Front Desk, when I realized that Kelly was standing there with a big bunch of Balloons, a beautiful Bouquet of Carnations (which happens to be my favorite Flowers), some Mints, a Card, and a huge smile!!  Even though we hadn't seen each other for years, it was like it was only yesterday.  She is truly a Best Friend!

Most people have a lot of friends, but I don't.  I have friends, but only 2 Best Friends.  Kelly is one of them, and Nadene is the other.  Nadene, if you are reading this, I really hope that we get to see you in February!!

Anyway, since I had had a long day before getting some sleep (about 24 hrs up by the time I actually went to bed), Kelly decided to just have a private dinner with me that night.  So we went to Olive Garden, since she loves it too, and no one there wants to go there with her!  Then we came back to my room and talked for a couple more hours, until she needed to get home, as she had to work the next day.

So....since I wouldn't see Kelly until about 3 pm, I decided to eat my left overs from dinner for lunch.  Great idea, right?  WRONG!!  My room had a refrigerator and microwave, so I thought, no problem, I will reheat my dinner.  Well....that was a huge mistake!  I ended up dropping the container with my extra Spaghetti Sauce all over the Carpet in front of the Microwave!!  I felt so bad.  Luckily I had bought a roll of paper towels for my room the night before, so I mopped up as much of the Sauce as I could, straightened up the room, then called the Front Desk telling them of my accident.  I then left the room so they could come in and clean the carpet for about an hour.

I felt so bad making Housekeeping go above and beyond the normal cleaning, that I went to the Front Desk and asked for an envelope.  I then put a $10 bill in it, sealed it up, and gave it to the Housekeeper.  She was really sweet about it, and thanked me profusely for the extra tip.  However, that was the last time I let my room be officially cleaned while I was there (9 nights).  Because I really don't make a mess, I straightened my own bed, especially since I had to sleep on a row of Pillows, that way I could keep them on the bed, and not have them taken off, and have to figure out which pillows worked the best in what position!!  So I just requested an exchange of Towels periodically, and to have my trash taken, and replaced with new trash bags.

While I was there, Kelly and her son David came over several times to go swimming in the Indoor Pool and Jacuzzi.  Well....David swam, while Kelly and I relaxed in the Jacuzzi!  LOL  We also went to a Flea Market, a Highway Stand that specializes in making homemade Maple Donuts, and an Apple Orchard.  All on different days of course!  And Kelly came over several times to my room alone and we just had a great time talking....and no, we never ran out of things to say!!  LOL

I did eat dinner at their house a couple of times (Kelly is a great cook), but I wanted to take out Kelly's husband Rick at least once as well, since he was being such an angel and letting Kelly spend as much time as she could with me.  So one day, Rick and David were out checking the Flea Market and Yard Sales in their area, so I figured that that would be a good day to take them to dinner.  So we went to Chili's as both Rick and David likes it there.  And it was a good thing...as the next morning, both Rick and David (not to mention Kelly's daughter and son that live on their own) came down with a horrible Cold!!

So I basically stayed away from Kelly's house after that, as I was trying to stay Cold free, as I didn't want to be sick while trying to fly home.  So after that, Kelly just came to my Hotel and visited the last couple of days.  In fact, the last day there, Kelly had to work, and then they were going to celebrate Kelly's older son's birthday.  So I used the excuse that I still needed to pack before leaving for Salem, MA the next day, and I didn't want to intrude on their family birthday party.

Well....one thing that I haven't mentioned as yet.  But I was barely able to sleep the whole time I was in New Hampshire!  I mean, I was usually up until 6 am almost every night, then if I was lucky, I would get an hour to 3 hours sleep, which was the main reason why I didn't want Housekeeping to disturb me.  I was taking sleeping pills, but they just weren't working....during the whole time I was gone, which was 11 nights (or was it 12?), I only got about 20 hours of sleep total!!

So, even though I told Kelly that I was staying in my room so that I could pack that night and go to bed early....NOT!  I ended up staying up most of the night again!  Luckily for me, my check out time was 11 am, so I got dressed, went out and filled my plate of breakfast at 6 am (again!), then went to bed for a few hours, got up, showered and dressed, checked out at 11 am, and drove over to Kelly's to pick her up!  As she was going with me to Salem!!

So now that I have talked your ears off yet again....till next time when I give my Vacation Part 3 about Salem and my trip home!!  Oh, and I have included a couple more photos below, and you can click on the photo to enlarge it as well.

Aloha My Friends :)

This was my Hotel room.  Very nicely appointed.  Everything that I needed.  And you can see the Balloons that Kelly brought me attached to the Desk.

My Flowers....Kelly tried to get as many Carnations as she could, but also included a few other types.  They stayed open and smelling great the whole time I was there, so I took them to Kelly's house when I left, so she could also enjoy them at her house as well!!  That's part of the reason that I love Carnations, they smell great, but not overmuch, and they last a long time!

This is a photo that I took in Keene, NH.  I just had to take this, how often do you see an Apothecary Store?  Nowadays, you see a Pharmacy!

And me being born and raised on the West Coast, we never see towns with an old fashioned Town Square with a Gazebo!!

Just another view of the quaint Gazebo.

And you just don't see many Main Streets like this anymore.  I love it!!  But because it was such a Main Street, once parked, it could be hard to back out of the space, trust me!!

Now....how many of you remember the Movie Jumanji, with Robin Williams??  Well, they filmed part of it in Keene, NH.  Here is a mural they painted for the Movie that the Town has left in place!!  Locals to the Town, must have thought that I was crazy, or at least knew that I was a "Tourist", taking photos of an old Mural!  LOL

My Cousin...My Inspiration!!

This is my Cousin Lisa!  Lisa underwent Gastric Bypass Surgery on Halloween 2011.  Lisa is 5'6" and started out weighing 321 lbs. 

Another photo of Lisa.

And this is Lisa now....weighing 130 lbs less, in just under a year after Surgery!!  Lisa, I only hope that I do as well as you did!!














Hey Ya'll,

So as you can see from the photos above, I have a Cousin that has had the Gastric Bypass, and has done very well with it.  But she isn't the only one in the family to have had the Bypass.  Lisa's Mom Nancy, also had it done in 1985!  Nancy reached her goal weight, and was an inspiration to us both to do well!

Lisa, I wish that we lived closer to each other!!!  I could really use someone to help me through the upcoming Surgery, and the most difficult period....the first few weeks and months.  Walt will be here for me of course, but talking with someone that I know that has gone through it, is different!  And I know that you will be here for any and all questions online, but it would definitely be easier if you were right here! LOL

And now for those of you that want to continue to read on, I will tell you Part One of my New England Vacation story to see my Friend Kelly.  And I need to warn you, it is pretty long....But with me what else is new??  LOL  So, the day of my departure started out sooo well!!  LOL  If only it lasted all day!  My flight was supposed to depart at 12:30 pm PST, and arrive in Boston at 10:45 pm EST.  But when I arrived at the Airport to check in, I found out that my flight was going to be delayed for 2 hours!  Which meant that I would miss my connecting flight in Chicago!!

The reason for the delay, was because the plane from Chicago was having a Mechanical problem, and had to be repaired.  And to top it off, once the plane did arrive (3 hours late!), they had to do a super fast turn around, as the flight crew was making a turn around flight, and they only had so long before they had to be back up in the air to avoid a mandatory overnight stay!  So we were boarded very quickly!

Then of course, we were then 3 hours late to Chicago.  Luckily, I thought to pick up a Cheeseburger from McDonald's in the Terminal in Chicago....I'll explain why later.  So all of us from the original flight, were obviously placed on different flights to our final destinations.  Which put me in Boston at about 1:30 am....instead of 10:45 pm.

And we were the last flight to land and park at the Terminal we were directed to.  I only know this because....the Terminal was empty!  Of course I didn't know this yet, because I had to wait for my Walker to be brought up from the Cargo area of the plane (and let me tell you, I waited so long that all of the passengers were off, and the flight crew was leaving).  Luckily for me, the flight attendant that was in charge of the First Class (of which I was in, thanks to Walt), wouldn't leave me until my Walker was brought up so that I wasn't alone there!

Once my Walker was brought up, he helped me to open it up and put my "stuff" on it, then he walked with me up into the Terminal.  But since I had needed to use the restroom before the plane landed, not to mention the extra long wait for my Walker, I couldn't go any further without using the restroom inside of the Terminal!!  When I walked out of it on my way to pick up my Luggage, I realized that the Terminal was empty!!  Empty except for the Security Guard that asked me if I was the last person in the restroom so he could clear the Terminal.

So I walked as fast as I could which isn't very fast...to the luggage carousel, and they were already getting ready to take my luggage to be locked up in the uncollected luggage place.  I quickly said....wait!!  That one is mine!!  So after proving it was mine, he gave it to me.  So here I am, pushing a Walker with the seat loaded down with my Tablet, Kindle DX, GPS, Camera, Pee Che with all my paperwork in it, my Purse, etc, etc, etc. and trying to pull the large piece of Luggage!

So a Porter came running up, and started to put my luggage on his cart.  I tried to tell him that I could do it.  I didn't want to have to dig out a tip, not that I was too cheap, I just didn't want to have to dig into my purse, I just wanted to get to my rental car and drive to my final destination that night, and I was really tired!!  He refused to take no for an answer though, so I told him which Car Rental company I was going to, and he took me to the place to wait for the Shuttle to arrive.

Now remember, I had been up since about 7 am (PST) and it was now 2 am (EST) (16 hours).  I was very tired, but I didn't let that make me a Jerk!  The Car Rental Shuttle arrived and picked me up.  The guy was really sweet and refused to let me pick up anything to place in the Shuttle.  He even put my Walker in for me.  At the next stop for pickups, this couple was there as well as a group of girls, and the first thing the husband said was...."Do you know how long we have been waiting??".  And of course he was practically screaming, and screaming it over and over!  The Shuttle driver tried to explain to him that the last customer that he had picked up and taken to the rental place, had Bone Cancer, and was in extreme pain, so he tried to drive slowly and carefully, trying to make the ride smoother.  But the JERK wouldn't hear it!!

Once we arrived at the Rental place, I let the Jerk and his wife, and the group of girls get off first.  The driver didn't even try to help them to exit.  And I am glad, as they didn't deserve it.  But once they were off, he got out of his seat and quietly placed my stuff out onto the sidewalk.  I told him that he shouldn't let that Jerk ruin his night!  Then I gave him a good tip.

So, by the time I waited for my turn to finish the Rental checkout and get on the road, it was 3 am!!  And I didn't see a single place to pick up a soda or burger anywhere.  Luckily....I had the burger from McDonald's (remember it?).  And I had also got a soda from McDonald's at Chicago, and I had asked the flight attendant to fill it up with a fresh diet coke with ice for me before we landed in Boston.  So I had my drink, and an ice cold, practically dried out burger.  But it was better than nothing!

Now remember this, I have never driven on the East Coast.  Luckily Walt bought me a GPS to take with me.  But even with it, I was afraid that I wouldn't get out of Boston before the town came alive and I wasn't the only one on the streets!

Oh, I forgot to mention that they had had a major Thunderstorm that night, and it was still raining while I was trying to get out of Boston, so I couldn't see all of the street markings very well.  And the GPS gave me probably the worst way out of town.  Oh, and did I forget to say that not only was it 3 am when I drove off the rental lot, but I also had to drive to Keene, NH??  So I was trying to follow the GPS, I didn't have it set right, and I could barely hear the directions.  So I was trying to find someplace to pull over, so that I could increase the GPS sound.  Which was easy, if you knew how to use it!!  But I didn't, so I had to stop in order to figure it out! 

But I couldn't find anyplace to pull over "legally"....The route it gave me, had me driving through town, and all of the streets said "No Parking"....Finally, when I was on a street that had some homes on it.  I found a sign that said "no parking, unless a resident, or you had handicapped plates".  Well, I have a handicap placard.  So I pulled over, plopped my placard on the rear view mirror, and fixed my GPS.  So, once I could actually hear it, I was able to drive better, since I didn't have to look at it all the time to make sure that I didn't miss a turn.

I was just praying that I would actually get out of Boston before the people started to drive into town to work!  Which I did!  But I still had the drive into New Hampshire.  And I couldn't believe the roads there.  I am from the West Coast, where a Freeway or Highway is usually a 3-4 lane major road at least.  But these Highways were mostly 2 lanes, and periodically I came to a roundabout, or stop light, or stop sign!!  Oh, (and I promise that this will be the last "oh" in this post), did I mention that the speed limit kept changing from 35-55 mph?  So I finally I made it to Keene, and the sun was starting to come up, it was 5:15 am....

So I checked into the Hotel, and was told that I was lucky, they had had a 6 hr power outage because of the storm that went through that night!!  But the power was back on!  And they had just put out the Breakfast fare (which was included), and generally was supposed to start at 6 am.  But they knew that I was delayed the 3 hours, putting me there so late, as I had called to advise them of my delay that morning as soon as I knew I would be arriving so late.  So they said...Hey!  The Breakfast is already out, go ahead and eat!  So I took my stuff to my room, went back and filled myself a plate of fresh hot food, and took it back to my room to eat!!

So, now that I have bored probably bored you to tears with my vacation woes...till next time....

Aloha My Friends :)