Hawaii Bound Bandster

New Information On My Dad...

2012-01-27T21:14:00.000-08:00

My Daddy on Christmas Eve 2011

Hey All,

Just a real quick post to update you on my family. I promise, I am in the process of writing a new post about ME, but I wanted to get this out so that it didn't get lost in my extra long post to come!! LOL

My Brother had his Leg/Foot Amputated from about 6 inches below the Knee on Monday, and did so well, that he got to go home on Tuesday. Where I am sure that he will recover much easier than in a Hospital with constant noise, etc....we all know that one for sure. At least if you had to stay in the Hospital!!

My Dad had his Hip Biopsy and it was determined that he has Bone Cancer, but in his words, "the Doctor says that it is the good kind"....duh! What kind of Cancer is a good kind??? He said that according to the Doctor, he would have at least 5 years to live.

He went in for a full Body MRI yesterday, and a full Body CT Scan today with Contrast. They discovered a "spot" or "something" in/on at least one of the Lungs. So the Doctor is scheduling my Dad for a Biopsy of the Lung next. We figure that the Doctor is just trying to figure out how far the Cancer has spread. So your good thoughts and prayers are needed.

Aloha My Friends :(

Thank You For Your Prayers And Good Thoughts....

2012-01-23T20:31:00.000-08:00

This photo was taken at Waimea Falls Park in Hawaii, and yes, I did take it!

Hey Ya'll,

I just spoke with my Brother. He went in early this morning for his Surgery and is doing ok. He said that he keeps looking down and wondering why his leg is lighter and where is Foot is....He told me more than my SIL had told me about his time in the Hospital a week ago.

She had told me that his Foot had not been Infected, nor had it caused his becoming so ill, thus needing the weeks Hospital stay to recover. He told me that his Foot had gotten Infected, and did cause his Blood to get all wacky, as well as his Diabetes out of control.

He said that once his Surgeon got the MRI results back, he knew that just scraping the Foot wasn't enough, and needed another Surgery. He said that even then, the recovery would be at least 4-5 months, and he could not guarantee that it would be enough to save the Foot. Now remember that by now, he is friends with the Surgeon, and the Surgeon knows how much he didn't want to lose his Foot.

So my Brother asked him if taking the Foot would make it easier to recover and get rid of the Infection. The Surgeon said that by taking the Foot, it would change everything! So he said lets do it, I'm tired of fighting it. So the Surgeon had another Specialist call him to discuss the different Prosthesis's available. Luckily his Daughter's Boyfriends, best friend works at this Prosthesis Office and he was discussing them with my Brother as well, before he even went in to the Appointment. I am not aware of what kind they chose, but I am sure that it is one that will enable him to be active again.

So thank you all for your thoughts and prayers, he really appreciated them!! Now he can get on with his life and stop worrying about whether or not his Foot will become Infected. And he can go back to work full time!! He has been scraping by financially trying to keep their heads above water, as he couldn't work like he needed to. He owns and operates his own Diesel Truck, so if he didn't work, he didn't get paid....we all know how that goes I'm sure!

I will post more later, till next time....

Aloha My Friends :)

Good Thoughts And Prayers Needed!!

2012-01-23T00:12:00.000-08:00

My Brother, even in this photo taken in July 2008, he couldn't go swimming like everyone else, for fear of Infection in his Foot. Hopefully now he can enjoy his life again!

Hey Ya'll,

I will be keeping this short and sweet. At 5:30 am, my Brother will be checking into the Hospital. He is to have the Surgery today, to remove his Foot and lower Leg, somewhere between the Foot and the Knee.

He was always such an active person before his accident, that took the use of his Foot. The only good thing about this Surgery, at least we have high hopes, that it will give him the ability to run again. So please keep good thoughts/prayers for him. I will keep you posted.

Aloha My Friends...

Even More Bad News....

2012-01-21T01:58:00.000-08:00

Isn't this photo just beautiful?? I wish that I could take credit for it, but it is one of Walt's. We took it at Pearl Harbor. You can see the USS Bowfin Submarine with a fantastic Rainbow in the distance.

Hey Ya'll,

Well, it has been a few days since my last post. A lot has been happening in our family. So much DRAMA and worry!! As I said a couple of posts ago, one of my Cousins in Arkansas has Stage 4 Bone Cancer in the Hips, Femurs and Spine.

Now we find out that my Dad also has Cancer. He went back to the Doctor today, and when he told the Doctor about his Shoulder/Arm killing hurting him so bad, that he can barely sleep at night. The Doctor immediately asked him how long this has been going on, my Dad told him since before Thanksgiving.

The Doctor had previously told my Dad that his Cancer was in the early stages, which is good. But since finding out about my Dad's newest site of pain today, he took even more Blood from my Dad for testing, and is going to setup a whole body scan for my Dad. My guess is that he has Bone Cancer as well.

The problem with all this is that he is trying to conceal his true problems from my Daughter and I. He told me that even if he does have Cancer, it isn't a bad one....but my Sister who lives with my parents, mentioned on her Facebook page, that he does have Bone Cancer....It is like pulling teeth getting him to admit his full medical problems. But my guess is that he doesn't want us to worry about him when there is so much more to deal with in the immediate future!

My Brother, whom I also wrote about in the last few posts....well, he did go home from the Hospital, but when he went in to his Surgeon's office yesterday to find out about his latest MRI scan of the Foot, he apparently found out that it was indeed necessary to have it removed! The Surgeon told him that the recovery time for the Amputation would be 2-3 months. When my Brother asked him if the recovery would be easier and quicker if they removed more than just the Foot, the Surgeon said yes.

Now remember that the Surgeon and my Brother have become friends through the years of his taking care of my Brother since the Accident, so he wouldn't lie to him, or sugar coat it at all. So my Brother went back in to his office today to discuss the Surgery, and it was decided that they would remove the Foot and part of the lower Leg from about halfway between the Foot and the Knee. This way, they are hopeful that he will be able to have much more use of the lower Leg and Foot, as in being able to twist the Leg right and left, whereas he hasn't been able to do this since the Accident. So hopefully, he could resume an active lifestyle again, and begin playing Softball, etc. Trust me, if there is any way that this would be possible, he would do it!!

But...on the good news front, we got our Truck back!! Thank goodness, as it turned really cold the day after we got it back. It was bad enough before, but then the temps dropped down into the single digits, and poor Walt had to drive to work before Sun up....then drive home after Sundown! So we are thankful to have the Truck again.

We have decided to save up to buy my Can Am Motorcycle in the future. We will sell the Gold Wing to help pay for it. As a reminder, here is a photo of me sitting on one at the dealership!! I love that Bike!! It puts a big smile on my face just to think about it.

Anyway, I will go for now, sorry that this has been such a Debbie downer post!! Till next time....

Aloha My Friends :)

If you look closely in the background to the right of my Head, you will see our White Gold Wing Bike.

And you can see the Gold Wing a little better in this photo in the background.

You're Gonna Think I'm Crazy, But....It happened Again!!

2012-01-16T01:04:00.000-08:00

Could This Be My Guardian Angel???

Hey Ya'll,

First off, I want to say that my Brother was released from the Hospital last night. He ended up staying in the Hospital for 6 days! He was very happy to get home, and was able to sleep for the first time in over a week!! Thanks to all that sent good thoughts and prayers his way!!

As for my Cousin with Cancer. I found out that she does have Stage 4 Bone Cancer. The Cancer is in her Hips, Femurs and Spine (ouch!). Apparently, the Cancer had begun spreading from her Stage 4 Breast Cancer that she battled about 6 years ago, which turned into Bone Cancer. When I heard that her Breast Cancer was at such a late Stage 6 years ago, I was afraid that this would be the ultimate outcome. She is through trying to prolong her life with Chemotherapy and Radiation. She is now being treated with Drugs to reduce the pain involved, trying to make her remaining time easier to bare. Which is sad, she is about 3 years younger than myself, and her Mother died of Breast Cancer just a year or two before my Cousin finally went in for a Breast checkup herself, and found her Cancer at such a late Stage....So any good thoughts or prayers her way would be very much appreciated.

Now for the Crazy stuff! First off, I want to say that this incident that I am about to talk about is my 3rd strange occurrence in the past couple of years or so.

****The first incident happened when we were still living in our house. I would Crochet late into the night sitting on our sofa while watching TV. This one night, I started to get a Headache, so I took something for the pain, and laid down for a few minutes. Before I knew it, I had started to drift off to a light sleep. I became aware of feeling like something, or someone, was playing with my Feet and lower Legs (like lightly touching/ticking). At the same time that this was happening, I could hear what sounded like a small group of "people", standing about 10 feet away from me, talking quietly and very rapidly, so that I couldn't make out what was being said. When it became obvious that I was alert, it stopped.

This happened a couple more times over the next half hour, but each time that I heard the "voices", they were getting nearer to me, eventually it sounded like they were standing right next to me, which really freaked me out. I decided to get out of there, and go to bed! After that night, I never took a rest in the dark, in that room!!

****The second incident was the most amazing experience I have had so far. This is where I believe that I had "someone/something" watching over me that night. Basically, we had been living in our RV for just under 2 weeks, and Walt was still commuting to Sacramento for work, from Carson City where we were living at the time. Because of the weather this particular trip, he ended up being gone for about 9 days instead of 4! Luckily I had plenty of food in the place.

Anyway, we had been having problems with our Circuit Breaker, and the night after Walt drove back down to Sacramento, I woke up to a loud BANG! at 3:45 am. As soon as I made sure (by turning on my flashlight and pointing it down towards the far end of the RV), that I was alone, I got up to see what had caused the bang. I realized that the Heater had tripped the Circuit Breaker during the night. I could see my breath when I breathed, so I checked our clock that tells the indoor temperature, and the temperature in our Bedroom was down to 33 degrees! What had woke me up, was a Lock-N-Lock container holding bread. The reason that I believe that it was either a "Guardian Angel" a "Ghost", or "something else" that saved me, is that the bread container was placed where it would literally be impossible for it to JUST FALL OFF!!

It was behind a barrier, and tilted at an angle that made it impossible to just fall off....And NO there was no Earthquake either!! I grew up in California and have lived through many Earthquakes. And because our RV is only 40 ft long, and the distance from our Bed to the Kitchen is only about 15 feet, I would have heard the dishes and glasses clanging together, had it been an Earthquake....So I reset the Circuit Breaker and went back to sleep. But every since that night, when I am alone over night, I always ask that my Guardian Angel protect me while I sleep....Just In Case!! LOL

I had found out later, that several people had died in this RV Park. Think about it, a lot of Retirees live in the RV Parks as it is so much less expensive. A lot of them moved in with their spouses, and stayed even after one had died. So some of these Deaths were not discovered until later. And at least one of them had died during a night like the one I encountered, because of extreme cold....maybe this is who woke me up??? I also found out that there had been several Suicides there as well....anyway!

****The third thing that happened to me was just last week. I was in one of the laundry rooms on the site of our RV Park, doing our laundry (duh!). I was alone in the laundry room at the time. Walt had returned home from work by then, but was at our RV waiting until I needed him to help me carry the laundry back. While I was waiting for the clothes to finish washing/drying, I was sitting at the table provided, reading my Kindle. All of a sudden, I felt like someone had come up behind me (I was facing the door and didn't see or hear anyone come in) and squeezed my Butt with both Hands!! It truly felt like real Hands on me, I totally jumped in my seat, and turned around expecting to see Walt there laughing at me....only I was totally alone....still. It was the freakiest thing!

So that's my latest "weird" story to relate. Hopefully you don't think that I am totally crazy!! LOL Well, I am going to end this as I have a Headache....still, and I want to relax my Brain so that I can get over it! LOL So my friends....till next time.

Aloha! :)

Nothing But Lots Of Sad And Scary News Here :(

2012-01-12T23:16:00.000-08:00

My Brother standing next to my Dad at our July 4th Barbeque and Swim party in 2008.

Hey Ya'll,

I'm sorry that I haven't really posted much lately, but there has been so much drama going on in our family this last week.

Tuesday, my Dad called me to let me know that my Brother was in the Hospital. He didn't know too much (mostly because the Family tries to hide the worst of any news from him, as he is in such a delicate state himself), so once we were off the phone, I called my SIL for the full report.

She has been by my Brother's Hospital bedside since last Sunday. Apparently, he fell ill with what they thought at first was the Flu, on Wednesday of last week. By Thursday, he couldn't eat anything. And by Saturday, he was in extreme pain and discomfort. So Sunday morning, my SIL forced him to go to the Emergency Room.

Once he was seen by a Doctor and tests were run, they were extremely concerned that my Brother was Septic, and his Organs were possibly failing him. They thought this because his Diabetes was out of control. His Blood Sugar Level was OVER 500, his Blood Count and Blood Oxygen was extremely LOW, and his Foot (the one that he has to have Surgery on all the time) was Swollen and very painful.

Luckily, they determined that he wasn't Septic, just Pre-Septic, so they admitted him to the Hospital, but didn't place him in Intensive Care like they wanted to at first. Within the first 24 hours (I think), he had been given 3 Blood Transfusions, which helped bring his Blood Count and Blood Oxygen back into the normal range. And his Blood Sugar Level was down to 146 by late Wednesday night. So other than his Foot, he was on his way to recovery. We are just so thankful that he got treatment in time to save him. As he could have died....

Now for his Foot. He had broken it a few years ago stepping down out of a Diesel Truck. The Doctor that was originally taking care of him, did not send him to the proper Specialist soon enough, and by the time my Brother forced the Doctor to refer him (about 6 weeks later), the Bones in the Foot had already healed in the wrong position! Think of the Foot like this. Normally the Bones lay flat across the Foot while standing on the floor. My Brother's Bones had healed, to where they were shaped more like a Church Steeple.

The Surgeon he went to really did the best that he could for my Brother, but unfortunately, it was too late to give him a normal Foot shape again! This Specialist/Surgeon was really pissed at the 1st Doctor, as he said that that Doctor basically screwed my Brother from having a normal life after the accident. Because of this, he could no longer walk normally, or run at all!! Before the accident, he was really athletic, always playing Baseball on Mens Leagues, etc. So now, he can only walk straight, he can't even twist his Foot right or left, only up and down (kind of). And this also makes it VERY difficult for him to drive his Diesel....try driving a huge Diesel Truck constantly having to shift up and down with a Foot that is always in pain....

Other than this totally changing his LIFE!! He has to have Surgery periodically, to re-scrape the Heal Bone down. This because the Bone continues to regrow, causing it to grow through the Skin of the Heal! So he is constantly taking Antibiotics to control Infection. And this is the Surgery that he just had done....yet again!! The Surgeon has told him that he recommends the my Brother allow him to remove the Foot, giving him a Prosthetic, but my Brother isn't ready to lose the Foot. Also, during the years, my Brother and his Surgeon has actually become friends. And because he hates what the 1st Doctor "did" to him, he refuses to "bill" my Brother for any of the Surgeries or Office Visits. He bills the Insurance, and accepts what payment he receives from that as payment in full! What a friend!

Anyway, on top of all the drama and scare with my Brother over the last week, I just found out late last night, that one of my Cousins, who lives in Arkansas, has Cancer again! She is younger than me, and has already battled Breast Cancer about 6 years ago. Unfortunately she now has Bone Cancer and it is in stage 4. She called my Mom and Dad and our Aunt, to tell them of her new Cancer, and that there isn't anything that can be done for her. I think that she waited until there was no hope, before she advised them about it, so that they wouldn't worry for such a long time....who knows? But she is in desperate need of prayer and good thoughts. I realize that there isn't any way to save her, but I would like to hope that she goes fast, and in as little pain as possible....good thoughts and prayers would be appreciated. I have included a photo of her at the bottom of the post.

Now, for us, we are ok. We have talked out what was bothering us a couple weeks ago now and are doing great again! As usual, one or both of us over stresses and gets overly concerned. What can I say, we are both neurotic!!

We put our Truck in the shop to get the Transmission redone, so that it would be able to pull any size/weight of RV that we wanted to. It was only supposed to take about 2 days....well, it has now been about 2 weeks! The problem is that with the Truck in the shop, we only have the Motorcycle to get around on!! So I have basically been house bound....the last fill on my nails, was almost 4 weeks ago! So they are really showing the growth, and the need for a FILL!! LOL

Anyway, the main problem is that poor Walt has had to ride the Bike to and from work. now remember that this is Winter, and the temperatures are a LOT colder right now! He leaves early in the morning before the Sun has come up, and returns after Sundown. We have been having temperatures dropping down into the teens over night here. So him having to ride the Bike before Sun up, when it is still below 20 degrees, sometimes as low as 9 degrees, it is really cold!! At least coming home, it is still at least around 32 degrees, or possibly higher. So we are really looking forward to the Truck getting finished....I really feel for poor Walt. Luckily he only has to ride about 6-8 miles each way. We really hate to say it, but thank God this Winter we have not had the Snow and Ice like we did last year! Can you imagine him trying to ride the Bike in the Snow/Ice???? We probably would have had to rent a car....

So, with saying all this....I guess I will go for now. Got lots to do to get our Tax information pulled together so that we can get them sent off to our CPA. Till next time....

Aloha My Friends :)

My Cousin is in the center in Purple shirt. She has lost a lot of weight. I can tell by her Face, Neck and Chin line. She is still wearing her "bigger" clothes.

A Big Shout Out To Sarah (Fat On The Inside...) !!

2012-01-11T01:22:00.000-08:00

Hey Ya'll,

I almost didn't check back into my Blog tonight, but decided to anyway, before I began the process of trying to talk myself into go to bed, and hopefully sleep....And I found that I had a new Follower!! Her name is Sarah, and Sarah is a recent Bandster, having been Banded on October 23, 2011! Sarah is from the UK....I love saying that...I love the UK! Anyway, if you haven't found Sarah's Blog yet, please follow this link: Fat On The Inside..., and give her a big hello and all the support we can give her!! So Sarah...."Welcome to my Nightmare!"

Aloha My New Friend :)

Tag....You're It :0)

2012-01-10T00:16:00.000-08:00

Tag.... You're it :o)

I was tagged today by Banded For Me :o)

The Rules :o)
1. Post these rules.
2. You must post 11 random things about yourself.
3. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post.
4. Create 11 new questions for the people you tag, to answer.
5. Go to their blog and tell them that you've tagged them.
6. No stuff in the tagging section about ‘you are tagged if you are reading this.’ Blah blah blah, you legitimately have to tag 11 peeps!

My Random 11 :o)
1. I love my Kindle! I don't know why I waited so long to buy one!

2. Lately, I am using my own photos in my blog, instead of random photos on the net.

3. I love the Queensland Salad at The Outback, and the BLT Salad at the Cheesecake Factory. They both have the BEST Honey Mustard Dressing!!

4. In High School, I was on the Drill Team, I loved the precision of it!

5. I can't wait for the final Twilight Movie to come out this year!!

6. I Have 2-half Sisters, and 3-half Brothers! But I only know one Sister and one Brother.

7. I have 2 Best Friends. Neither one lives near me anymore. One lives in Virginia and the other lives in New Hampshire...

8. I love to shop at Yarn Shops and at Costco!

9. My favorite song of all time is...."At Last" by Etta James.

10. I recently started to wear Acrylic Nails on my fingers and Gels on my Toes, and I love them! Especially the Gels on the Toes. I can go 6 weeks without them looking bad, and the polish lasts!!

11. The one bad thing about living in the RV, is that I currently do not have the space to Paint! Hopefully we will upgrade to a larger RV in the future.... :)

Banded For Me's Questions :o)
1. Do you have, or would you like to have Artificial Nails? I do have them now, and I love them!! My natural Nails grows crooked, and bends down, etc. So they look horrible!

2. What's your daily goal for protein intake? I stopped counting my Protein intake a long time ago. But when I was tracking it, I always tried to take in what my Surgeon recommended. Now unless I am eating crap....I mostly eat Protein anyway, so I figure that I am ok.

3. Favorite item on the work desk? My iMac Computer!!

4. Who would you pick to solve your murder: Criminal Minds Team or CSI? Of these two choices, I would pick CSI. Otherwise, I would choose the team from Bones!

5. What is your favorite flower? The Carnation...it smells so pretty and delicate. It doesn't overpower you with scent, so it doesn't bother my allergies. Plus it lasts so long!!

6. What book are you reading now? "An Echo In The Bone" by Diana Gabaldon, one of my favorite Authors!!

7. What is your favorite sport? NHRA Drag Racing. I love to watch the Top Fuel Dragsters, and the Funny Cars run!! What can I say....the smell of Nitro is addicting! LOL

8. Are you usually late, early or always on time when meeting with someone? I try to be right on time, if not a bit early.

9. Have you / would you ever bungee jump? I haven't tried it, but I definitely would if I could....But out of fear that I would injure my Spine further, I can't!!

10. What would be your dream career? Probably a successful Painter.

11. Do you believe in first love? Yes.

My Questions To Those That I Have Tagged:

1. Do you have, or would you like to have Artificial Nails?

2. What Restaurant makes you all time favorite Salad?

3. What was your favorite Book as a Child? (mine was "Island Of The Blue Dolphins")

4. Were you Athletic in School?

5. If you are ever somewhere like Las Vegas, do you gamble?

6. What is your favorite Movie?

7. Do you prefer a solid color for your Mani/Pedi? Or do you like to get all fancy and jazzed up with colors/glitter, etc?

8. Do you prefer to Fly or Drive to long distance Destinations?

9. Are you a Crafty person, and if so, what do you like to do?

10. Where is your favorite dream Vacation destination?

11. If money were no object, and you were given the chance, would you up and leave your job to Travel the Country in an RV? If not, why?

And Who Am I Tagging? (First off, I want to apologize to all that I didn't nominate. As it was, I had a hard time finding many who hasn't already been nominated!! But since we could only nominate a few....)

1. Sandy Lee (The Weightloss Rollercoaster)

2. Sheila (This One Body)

3. Nikki (Bands, Babies and Bellies)

4. Lyla (The Former Big Fat Professor)

5. Annie (Band-Aid Baby)
6. Amber...(Thin At Heart) Fat In Reality
7. Tessie Rose (Band Me Baby)

A Big Shout Out To Poonapalooza !!

2012-01-08T16:15:00.000-08:00

Hey Ya'll,

I would like to welcome my newest Follower!! Her name is Leigh and her Blog is titled: Poonapalooza. Leigh is someone I consider to be very strong, in that she has lost 50 lbs since September 2011 without having Surgery! Oh how I wish that I could be that strong! So if you haven't found Leigh's Blog yet, please follow this link: Poonapalooza, and give Leigh the support to continue losing!! Yea Leigh!! I know that you can make your goal....just keep on doing what you have been doing!! So, Leigh...."Welcome to my Nightmare!".

Aloha My New Friend :)

A Warm Welcome To...Annie :)

2012-01-06T18:34:00.000-08:00

Hey Ya'll,

I just checked in, and found that I had a new Follower!! Her name is Annie, and Annie's Blog title is: Band-Aid Baby! Annie was Banded on October 1st, 2010, and has already lost 80 lbs!! Annie, you are doing fantastic!!
So if you haven't already discovered Annie's Blog, please follow this link: Band-Aid Baby!, and give Annie a big hello, and support we are all so good at!!

So Annie...."Welcome to my Nightmare!".

Aloha My New Friend :)

A Big Shout Out To Strawberry Confessions !!

2012-01-04T11:03:00.000-08:00

Hey Ya'll,

I just woke up about 45 minutes ago (the phone rang.... :( , (now remember that I didn't get to bed until almost 4 am!!)), so anyway....I decided to stay up, instead of going back to sleep. I turned on my computer and checked my blog, and low and behold....I have another new Follower!!

She goes by Strawberry Confessions and was Banded only 6 days ago, on the 29th of December!! So this makes Strawberry Confessions, a very new Bandster!! If you haven't found Strawberry Confessions blog yet, please follow this link: Strawberry Confessions, and give her a big hello. This is the time that most new Bandster's can really use all the help, support and guidence that they can get, and I know how supportive our Bandster Clan is!!

So Strawberry Confessions...."Welcome to my Nightmare!".

Aloha My New Friend! :)

A Big Shout Out To Rockband Barbie !!

2012-01-03T21:18:00.000-08:00

Hey Ya'll,

Well, it has been a long time since I have had a new Follower. So I was totally surprised when I checked my blog tonight and found that I had a new one!!

She goes by Rockband Barbie, and was Banded on November 7th, 2011. So she is new to Bandsterville, and could use all the support that ya'll can give her!! So if you haven't found Rockband Barbie's blog as yet, please follow this link: Rockband Barbie, and give her a great big hello from me!! So Rockband Barbie, I will be Following you too! And...."Welcome to my Nightmare"!

Aloha My New Friend!! :)

Happy New Year!!! And Our Ireland Story...

2011-12-31T22:03:00.000-08:00

I love this photo of the Fireworks over Disney!

Hey Ya'll,

Happy New Year Everyone!!

****After writing this post, I realized that it turned out to be the story of how my Grand Parents died and how it effected me, so if you don't want to read it, I totally understand. However, some of what happened in Ireland is comical! At least I can laugh about it now!! LOL ****

****And it is partially a Debbie Downer post too I'm afriad.****

I am home.....alone, but that is ok. I am fine being alone, it is just the way that I am home alone that is a bit worrisome. Walt is upset with me for some reason that he has yet to discuss with me. I got a bit upset last night, when it became apparent that he was still miffed at me (it apparently started before Christmas), so of course I let my imagination run wild, and asked him if he was leaving me too! I say too, because he knows that both of my parents are in delicate physical condition, and could pass on at any time. So to think that I could lose both of my parents and him too, was just too much for me to even think about last night!!

We were both supposed to go stay a night or two with his Sister's and Mother, in a Townhouse at Lake Tahoe this weekend. Well, I found out yesterday that only he was going. He neglected to tell me this. So this kind of sent up a red flag to me. So when I realized that something was still wrong last night, it really worried me. He is being nice and friendly, but not quite the same. So I do worry. I don't know what I would do if he wanted to leave me. I am not sure if I would want to. I have nothing without him. No way to support myself, no where to go to, not even SSI or SDI. So I am just hopeful that it is all my imagination.

I am sure that it is just my imagination, and I am thinking the worst....! Walt is very comforting and has always been there for me in the worst of times. He got me through losing the last of my Grandparents about 11-12 years ago. And he knows that I will need him even more when my parents pass on. I will not be able to call anyone to inform them, I cannot do it. He said that he will do it, and Kat said that she would help too.

When my Brother called to advise me that my Grandmother called died. Walt and I were in a Restaurant, and had just ordered our food. Right after my Brother gave me the news, I passed the phone over to Walt and he finished talking with him, while I just sat there with tears streaming down my face! I couldn't stop them or control them in any way. So when the waitress came over with our food, Walt asked her for a LOT of napkins!! So I ate as best I could, and blew my Nose almost continually. People were looking at us like Walt must have told me he wanted a Divorce or something!! I'm sure that's what they thought, and felt sorry for me!

And to make things even worse....we had already made plans to eat Dinner with Walt's parents for that night. So after going home, and crying most of the afternoon, I felt that I would be able to meet with my In-Laws for Dinner (I figured that I had cried myself out). I did ok, until Walt told them that my Grandmother had died that day. Then I broke down and started to cry again!! But, I managed to get myself under control after a while, and a trip to the ladies room. And it wasn't like her death was a surprise, we knew that she could go at any time! But she was like the glue that held our family together, and life just hasn't been the same since her passing!

My Grandparents had been together for about 70+ years. They were from the South and grew up very poor. They married very young so that they could begin their lives together. She was a bit under 14 and he was only 15 yrs old! So they had spent their whole lives together!! We knew that once she was gone, that my Grandfather wouldn't last long. However, he actually lasted a little bit longer than we thought, but most of it was with Alzheimer's and Dementia (about a year).

A year after her Death, Walt and I took Kat and Russ to Ireland for a 2 week Bus Tour (the first and last one we have gone on, not that we had a bad experience). We had about 5 days left on the Tour there, (the Bus Tour was over Christmas/New Years), when my Grandfather passed. Christa called me to tell me herself. I was asleep, as it was about 1 am in Ireland....and I was alone, as Walt was downstairs in the Pub of the Restaurant, with the Tour Guide and Bus Driver (I don't know how he could drink so much at night, and be totally sober, and the smoothest driver we had ever seen the next morning!) having some drinks. But he came up to our room shortly after. When I told him, he said that we would do our best to get back home in time for the Funeral!

With Christa doing all the foot work here in the States, getting the proper information needed, and having it faxed to our Hotel, and Walt dealing with the Airline on our end, (luckily the Tour Guide and Bus Driver was nice enough to drive Walt back and forth from the Hotel to the Airport, etc) so he could prove a Death in the family, so they would change our Airplane seats for the day before we were originally to leave, and without charging us for the change!!

We wish now that we had just waited for our actual day to leave, as we would have made it back in time anyway! We can say now that we wished we had waited, because we now know what we would have missed!! The flights leaving Dublin, flew out non-stop from Dublin to the East Coast of USA every other day (which was the day that we were originally scheduled to fly out on). The opposite day, the flight left Dublin, and flew across the small Country, to land in (I am almost positive) Shannon to drop off some, and pick up more passengers.

Which in itself was fine. The problem was that when we were checking in at Dublin, we of course had to go through Customs....which was very embarrassing!! Russ didn't know any better, and only took one pair of shoes with him (which he was wearing), and kept them on the whole flight over there which was a very long time....think about it, we left from San Francisco, then changed planes on the East Coast, then flew to Dublin.....so like I said, he never took his BOOTS off the whole time, and they were very moist, and SMELLY the whole trip, as they never had a chance to completely dry out between wearings! We (in fact everyone on the tour) was very sad for poor Kat, who had to share a room with him the whole time!! LOL

So anyway, (sorry, got off on a tangent again!), during check in, they decided that they needed to check through ALL of our luggage!! After I had so carefully packed it (at least mine and Walt's!! I wasn't going to touch Russ's). When they got to Russ's, we ALL (Kat included), said YOU REALLY DON'T WANT TO GO THROUGH THIS ONE!!! Of course they did, thinking we were hiding something. But they figured out pretty fast that we weren't hiding anything....but the smell!! But they had to at least pretend to look, since they made us open it up!! LOL We tried to warn them!

But! Like I said, that would have been all fine and dandy, it was after all, after 911, and they had to be more careful! But because we only flew across Ireland, and was staying on the same plane, you would think that they would allow the current passengers to just stay on board! But NO!!!! We had to deplane, taking all of our carry on stuff, etc, and go through Customs AGAIN!! But this time, we only had to declare what we had, they didn't bother to check inside....now that I think about it, they were probably warned not to!! So then we had to re-board, etc all over again.

And....even then, it probably wouldn't have been too bad, but we had someone that boarded in Shannon with a BABY right behind us, that cried most of the trip!! And even that wasn't the worst. We were seated in 4 of the 5 center aisle seats, and very near a toilet. And there was something wrong with it. You could smell fumes or something from it. Walt stayed in the back of the plane most of the flight, so that I could lay across our 2 seats most of the way (and to get away from the smell, and flirt with the cute Stewardess too).

I had the worst Headache and Backache, that I could not get rid of no matter how many pain killers I took!! And believe me, I took a lot! It is a miracle that I didn't over dose on that flight, since I was taking both Vicoden and Tylenol 3's, on top of extra strength Tylenol's!!! And it was a VERY LONG FLIGHT! About 11 hours I think (or was that the whole flight time from Ireland to San Francisco??? It's been too many years and I am too old to remember anymore).

We landed on the East Coast, and of course had to deplane, as we of course had to go through Customs yet AGAIN (for the 3rd time now in one day!!). So we deplaned, collected all of our luggage, then we had to go to this humongous area with many lines full of passengers, needing to go through Customs!! We almost didn't make it through in time to make it to our last fight of the day which was to take us to San Francisco. But at least we were on a different Airplane, and this flight didn't smell, so my Headache started to let up. By the time we were in San Francisco, we were really glad that we had chartered a Limo to drive us through the San Francisco traffic back to Sacramento!!

It was a REALLY long day, and to have to have driven the last several hours, would have killed Walt! So at least we got to stretch out in the Stretch Limo, and the Limo driver was nice enough to pull off the freeway and let us order a pizza to eat while riding home!! By then, pizza sounded fantastic! One thing we decided after that day, was that we would NEVER take a flight to Europe that wasn't a non-stop flight unless absolutely necessary!! LOL We had taken a non-stop flight from San Francisco to London, and returned via Paris to San Francisco on a prior trip. And although long, you don't have to go through Customs so many times, and....no plane changes!!

So we made it home in time for the Funeral, and once home, I also got a call from the State of California offering me a job! So I had to get my Finger prints, and photo for my State ID, etc on the day of the Funeral. So I left, right after the Funeral, went downtown Sacramento for that, then drove back for the Wake....What a day!!

*********
A side story here, I am sure that if you are still reading, you can at least get a chuckle out of my long story!! While we were in (I think, like I said, my memory isn't great anymore) Galway, Ireland, we were there for 2-3 nights. And the first night that we were there, they had several other Tour Buses staying there too, so the Hotel had a big Holiday Dinner for all of us, with a Show, music and dancing, etc. There was several Buses of elderly people as well (even to me, they were elderly!), but let me tell you....

Well, I realized that I was coming down with the Cold that one of the other passengers had when the tour started. So after Dinner, the kids and I went to bed, leaving Walt to have some drinks with the Tour Guide and Bus Driver....well, of course I couldn't sleep well with Walt not in bed. So about Midnight, I got up, put my clothes on and went to see what he was up too! I could hear the laughter and music going on downstairs. I tried to look over the banister to see him. I saw a lot of the elderly still up and having rip roaring good time!! Most of it was going on in the Pub by this time. I didn't want to embarrass him, so I went back to our room, put my pj's back on, and went back to sleep. I woke up again at about 1 am, and he still wasn't in bed. So I put my clothes back on, again and did the same thing as before.

I still couldn't embarrass him, so I went back to our room and back to bed again. And again I woke up, this time at about 2 am, and of course, he still wasn't in bed. This time, I swore I was going to go down there and make a huge scene and get him back up into bed. But of course, nice me, I just couldn't do it.

But I was furious!! He finally came to bed around 2:30-3 am. He knew I was pissed! And of course, he had to tell the Tour Guide and Bus Driver the next morning, before I got downstairs for the days tour. And of course, so did the WHOLE bus load of passengers!! So for the rest of the trip until the last day, they would ask Walt if I was still pissed at him!! LOL

When I got the call from Christa, of course Walt told the Tour Guide and Bus Driver (you got it, they were fast friends during the trip!) the next morning, and by the time that we boarded the bus for the next days tour, and continuing on to the next stop. The whole bus load knew of my Grandfathers passing. We were to spend a couple of nights in Sligo before we drove back to Dublin. And usually, the Tour Guide would move us around throughout the bus so that no one was stuck in just one seat, but under the circumstances, they gave us the last 4 seats the last few days so that I could have some privacy to cry without everyone watching.

Plus I am sure that they didn't want me to bring anyone down. I tried to not be overly upset, but like with my Grandmother, I couldn't stop crying for awhile. But by then, everyone was very friendly and everyone felt really bad that I was having to go through this, especially being so far away from the family. Lucky for me I had Walt. He has been my rock for so long now, I don't know what I would do without him! And even though he has a Life Ins policy, I would rather him be here with me, than to have the money....
********

So, now that I have totally bored everyone to death that actually read the whole thing, I want to apologize and say that I hope you all had a great New Year's Eve!! And I hope that next year is the best one yet!! Till next time....

Aloha My Friends :)

Shopping Day In Hawaii :)

2011-12-30T21:30:00.000-08:00

Hey Ya'll,

First off, I want to start out by sending good thoughts to Etta James! She is the singer of my all time favorite song, "At Last". She recorded "At Last" in the 60's, and was considered a Blues, Rhythm & Blues, Gospel, Soul, Jazz, and some say....Rock & Roll Singer. But, of her many great songs, "At Last" is the one that will always make me want to get up and dance to, with my husband!! It just calls to me. I read tonight that she has Terminal Leukemia, and suffers from Dementia. Although she battled Drug Addiction throughout her life, she never gave up the fight, and I will always remember her beautiful voice, even long after she is gone.

Now, on to some funny (at least now I can say funny) things that happened in Hawaii. On the second day we were there, we drove to Walmart to buy me a Foam Mattress pad, plus supplies. We decided that in order to help cut costs, and since we had a full Kitchen, we would eat Breakfast and Lunch in the room, and try to not eat out more than once a day. And yes, I said a Mattress Pad! Marriott's is always saying how great their beds are, but let me tell you, my Back and Hips disagrees with them!! And of course, they will not provide even a thin egg crate foam pad to help out. So we decided it was worth it to buy one for ourselves, since we were to be there for 2 weeks!

We drove to the closest Walmart, expecting it to not be a problem finding a pad there. We got really lucky in finding a parking place immediately, since someone was pulling out! But that was to be the only lucky part of that trip!! I have NEVER seen a store as packed as it was!! We could barely move our shopping cart, the aisles were so clogged!! But after asking a Sales Associate about the Pads (since we didn't see any where they should have been), she said that no, they were completely out! So we bought me an inexpensive pillow (yes, I even had trouble with their hard pillows!!), some water shoes for Walt, and some non perishable food items, laundry detergent, paper towels, and toilet paper (the paper products at the Resort was....let me just say, that we preferred to buy our own!! LOL) we left that Walmart as soon as we could, meaning we were there for way over an hour!! Luckily, as busy as they were, we didn't have to wait at all to check out!

So on our way back to the Resort, we went to Target and Costco. Had we only known how bad the rush was at Walmart, we would have never gone to there! At Costco, we bought a case of soda for each of us, some fruit, snacks, and a swimsuit for Walt (since I forgot to pack his). We looked for the Mattress Pad at Costco too, and they didn't have one either!! So we finished the shopping trip by buying what we considered perishable items at Target. And after almost giving up, we found Mattress Pads there, so we decided to spend the $100 and buy one, then drove back to the Resort. All of this took about 3-4 hours!!

So after this, we decided to NEVER go back to Walmart there in Hawaii again....After that day, we went to Target and Costco for any additional items needed. LOL Luckily, at the Resort, we borrowed one of the rolling carts that you can transport your luggage on to your rooms (that they keep down in the parking garage for guests use), to load up our goods to take to our Suite, otherwise, it would have taken several trips!! After getting back and unloading everything, and putting the 2 inch Mattress Pad on the bed, we decided to crash for the rest of the day. We were exhausted!!

So, it seems like everytime that we left the Resort even just to do a little bit of shopping, etc, it would take at least several hours....so the days seemed to fly by way too fast. I will leave with a few more photos below that I took during the trip. I hope that you enjoy them. Till next time.....

Aloha My Friends :)

This was one of 3 pools at our Resort. This pool was the one in front of our wing of Suites.

And another view of the same pool.

This is a partial view of a 2nd pool at our Resort. This was the "quiet" pool, meaning adult only pool.

And a partial view of the 3rd pool. This one had a slide for the kids. Other wise, a loud pool full of kids!! LOL

The Koi Pond

A view of the Lagoon in front of our Resort. There were 3 or 4 Lagoons on the whole property. We were lucky and had a Lagoon just for our Resort, meaning it wasn't shared by another Resort on the property.

And believe it or not....we found a wild Mongoose!!

Christmas At Our Hawaiian Resort

2011-12-28T22:10:00.000-08:00

I took this photo during one of the nights that we were there. I wanted to take photos of a Sunset, and this was one of them! I loved the way the Sun sent beams up into the Sky, behind the Clouds!

Hey Ya'll,

Well, my parents aren't doing well....but I wanted to do something to brighten up my blog, hoping to lift my spirits. So....I changed my blog layout....yet again!! I hope that you like it. I changed it from the obvious Christmas look to one with Bears and Snow. I am also going to keep this post short, as I just don't have it in me to post much right now, but I promise that I will post more later.

So here goes....being in Hawaii at Christmas time is really strange. As everyone knows that it is Christmas, but it is so....WARM! But they do try to at least bring some Christmas cheer in, by adding Christmas Lights and Christmas Trees, etc. We were out shopping during our time there, and I couldn't get over how many females were walking around in the Winter Boots! Like Uggs, etc! I guess they figured that, it is Winter somewhere, so by God, they were going to wear their Winter Boots! As it is the only time they can wear them and not look totally ridiculous!! Although....being in Hawaii and wearing Winter Boots is a bit ridiculous if you ask me!! LOL Oh, and while they were wearing their Winter Boots, they were wearing their Summer Shorts and T-Shirts!! LOL Go figure!

Today I rode the Bike an hour (each way) to watch the movie Breaking Dawn: Part 1, before it leaves the Theaters! I was supposed to see it while in Sacramento, but our Daughter Kat (who loves the Twilight movies) worked the whole time we were there, and I didn't have the heart to remind her that she was going to go with me, as she wouldn't have had much sleep that night!

I am going to end this now, I will be calling my parents tomorrow to get an update on them. My Dad was supposed to go back to his Doctor today, to find out the results of his latest tests. I am hoping that it isn't the worst....Of course, knowing him, even if it is, he will probably hide it from all of us as long as he can. Just so we don't have to suffer too long worrying about him. It's his way. So till next time....here are a few photos I took of some of the Christmas decorations at our Resort. I hope that you like them.

Aloha My Friends :)

This was the entrance to our Resort with Poinsettias surrounding it.

This was the wing of the Resort that our Suite was in. Our Suite was in the left hand side of the wing that was a bit shorter, and our Suite was the 3rd from the top.

This is part of the main area where there were many couches, and chairs that you could sit in to view the gorgeous Christmas Tree!

And this is the same room, looking in the opposite direction. If you enlarge the photo and look at the far end, you can see one of the most gorgeous Sunsets in the background!!

A closeup of the Christmas Tree. I swear that I didn't intend for the photo to come out this way....but, the angle of the photo makes the Christmas Tree look like it is hanging from the Chandelier!! What do you think??

And last but not least, a photo of some of the twinkling lights around the Palm Trees! So pretty.

Merry Christmas Everyone!!

2011-12-25T10:07:00.000-08:00

Hey Ya'll,

I hope that everyone is/will have a great Christmas today. We spent most of yesterday at my parents house, and had a really good time. My whole immediate family was there, and my parents were really happy to see us all. We had a really nice Christma dinner, but in the back of our minds, was the fact of knowing that this may very well be the last Christmas we spend with my parents....

My Mom's Doctor told her that she has a Bone Disease in the Head, and that she needs treatment, or she will go Deaf, as it involves the Bones above and around the Ears. She has to either take a pill every day for the next 6 months, or an Infusion that will make her sick and/or give her bad Headaches for a couple of weeks. Does this sound like Chemo to you?

My Dad's Doctor told him that he isn't doing well at all, and is running a lot of tests. Mom said that it doesn't look good for him. All along we thought that my Mom would go first, but my Dad may actually be worst off right now. So please have good thoughts for my parents.

Merry Christmas,
Aloha My Friends

MERRY CHRISTMAS To All....

2011-12-23T17:35:00.000-08:00

Hey Ya'll,

Well this is going to be an even shorter post than originally planned. This is my 4th attempt of writing this post!! Since we are away from home, I am on our Tablet, and it is not cooperating with me!!!! And the worst is that I cannot upload any of my photos to my post unless I am on my Computer at home....(sigh)

We will have 2 Christmas Dinners this year. One tomorrow with my family and the second on Christmas with Walt's kids and Carolyn (my SISTER, Walt's ex-wife).

So...again, like I said in a prior post, my wish is that everyone has the Best Holiday Season this year (just in case I forget my passwrd again, and I m unable to access my blog again). LOL

I feel naked, unable to even change the font color, let alone adding photos!!! So, if this ends up being my last post until we return home. Merry Christmas everyone!! Till next time....

Aloha My Friends :)

Tommorows Surgery, And Day One In Hawaii!

2011-12-19T23:41:00.000-08:00

This is a view of the Lagoon in front of our Resort. The Ko Olina Resort has 4 separate Lagoon's!! But I believe ours was the best one!

Hey Ya'll,

Well, tomorrow is Walt's Vein Surgery. He is having it done with a Local Anesthetic, instead of under General Anesthesia, but he still needs someone to be there with him, and to drive him home. Of course I would have been there for him even if I wasn't needed! The procedure is supposed to only take a short time. When Carolyn, Walt's ex-wife had her Vein Surgery this Summer, she was even able to meet us for Lunch afterwards! But still, if you will, keep good thoughts for him that there are no complications.

Now for getting started with our Vacation to Hawaii. I will break it up into several posts as there is so much to say.....This trip, we decided to use the time we had banked from our Timeshare, and stay at the Marriott's Ko Olina Resort on the West side of Oahu. We were so glad that we did. The weather on the West side was so much nicer than any other area of the Island. It didn't start to get sprinkily (sp) or rainy, until the last 3-4 days of the trip. Which really helped keeping it dry, and the humidity way down!! In fact, the humidity was the least I have ever had it there!

Before the trip, I wanted to try to do something about my Facial hair....sorry you younger gals, but unfortunately, as you age, you start to grow hair where you really don't want it....like on your Face!!! So I bought a Facial removal cream at Costco, made by Olay. Luckily for once, I followed directions and did a test on my forearm, to see if I would have a reaction. I was only to test using the cream that would be placed directly on the skin, below the actual removal cream, which was supposed to help protect the skin. Well....I had a fairly bad skin reaction to it! It took about 4 days for it to disappear. Imagine what I would have looked like, had I actually used it on my Face???

Now, the other thing that I wanted to do before leaving, was to put color in my Hair. I haven't colored my Hair in almost 2 years. Even then, I only used the wash in kind, that disappears in 24 washes. And of course, you would think that after having the reaction to the Facial hair remover cream, that I would have done the test with it too??? Well, since I had used it in the past, of course I didn't. Well, it caused my Scalp to break out really bad....I looked like I had a really bad case of Dandruff!! You could see big patches of scales. Luckily it started to clear up fairly quickly. Within 2-3 days, it just looked like regular Dandruff, and it stopped itching.

All this before we had even left town!! I also wanted to go with nice looking Nails and Toes, so I went and got a Pedicure with Gel, and a Manicure with Acrylic Nails. I really liked them. I wasn't sure that I would. But even Walt liked them, so for now, I think that I will keep them. I just went back today to get my Nails redone. But this time, I had them shorten them even more. They think that everyone likes their Nails super long. But unfortunately, I can't type well if my Nails are much longer than an 1/8th of an inch! And they had done the first set at somewhere between 1/4 -3/8th's of an inch. I loved the look, but typing was horrible! I guess that it was a good thing that I couldn't blog, it would have taken me forever to try to type it out!! LOL

So, we left home on Thursday after Walt worked a half day. We drove down to Sacramento, then left our Truck at our Daughter's house and took a small Limo to Oakland, where our flight was to depart from the next morning.

When we arrived in Oakland at the Hotel that we were staying at for the night, our friend Aggie picked us up and we went to a really nice family style Italian Restaurant. I ordered a half order of Spaghetti, and I still only ate about half of it!! I would have taken the left overs to our room, but we didn't have a microwave to heat them up the next morning anyway. But we had a great time, and had a really nice visit with Aggie! Walt really misses working with her, but she is really happy being "retired" and taking care of her Grand Kids!!

So the next morning, Friday, we took the Hotel shuttle over to the Airport to take off for Hawaii!! We were lucky enough to get a great rate on First Class tickets, so we were able to fly fairly comfortably. Walt really has trouble flying long distances (for that matter, any distance) in Coach class. Even in First Class, his legs still wanted to stick out in the aisle!! LOL And before we knew it, the flight landed in Hawaii.

The worst part of that day, was getting on the stupid Highway going West, from the Car Rental company. We rented a car from a company that wasn't directly on the Airport site, like we normally do, so it took us almost a half hour just to get on the Highway going the right direction! Luckily for us, Walt took our GPS with us, so when we realized that the Highway wasn't going to be as easy to get onto as we had anticipated, we stopped and he got out the handy dandy GPS, and it eventually got us on the right track!! We used it from then on! LOL

Of course, I knew that once we were on the H-1 heading West, all we had to do was to continue driving West and it would end up at our Resort. The Resort....ahh! It was truly beautiful. The photos on their website did not give a false impression. It was even more beautiful in person. And our Suite....we didn't want to leave. It was perfect.

We had an end unit, so we only had someone on the one side of us. And because of this, it gave us 2 separate Lanais!! The main one was the whole width of our Living Room, and was large enough to have a table with 2 chairs and a chaise lounge with ottoman. The smaller Lanai only had a table with the 2 chairs. If we had the end Suite with the full 2 Bedrooms, instead of just the One Bedroom, we would have had 3 Lanais!! As the 2nd bedroom had it's own Lanai as well....If any of our Children had been able to come with us, we would have opted for the 2 bedroom Suite for 1 week. But since they couldn't get away, we chose the 1 Bedroom Suite for 2 weeks!! And we are glad we had the extra time. But it would have been nice to have them with us too.

So, now that I have made this a whole book just to describe getting to, and the day of arrival in Hawaii, I will leave for now. I have things to get done, before I go to bed. I have to get up early to take Walt to the Surgery Center in the morning. So I am going to leave you with photos of our Suite and the views from it. I will put more photos on later with other postings....we literally took thousands of photos between us, but I will try to keep my blog down to just a few hundred!! (kidding) I hope that this doesn't over whelm you! Till next time, if I don't get another post in before Christmas, I hope that ya'll have the best Christmas ever!!

Aloha My Friends :)

This was the area on our floor, that you could go relax in if you wanted to.

This was the Entry Foyer into our Suite.

And this was the view into the main living area of the Kitchen, Dining Room and Living Room from the Entry Foyer.

The full Kitchen. The Laundry (room) was in the Kitchen behind the doors on the left side. It was a God send!

And looking towards the Kitchen from the Living Room. The Laundry (room) was behind the doors next to the Fridge.

And the Living Room, with the main Lanai through the drapes.

The main Lanai.

The view from the main Lanai. We could see one of the Pools, the Mountains, the Ocean and a couple of the other Ko Olina Resorts.

A closer look at the Ocean from the Lanai.

The Hallway with a small Desk leading from the Living Room to the Bedroom.

Looking into the Bedroom (and it's small Lanai), then on into the 2 Bathrooms!

Looking from the center Bathroom, with the large Bathtub into the Bedroom.

Looking from the Bedroom into the center Bathroom with the louvers open.

And last but not lease, a view into the main Bathroom. It had a large Shower which we loved. Since we both prefer to take showers!!

We're Back! :(

2011-12-16T22:00:00.000-08:00

Trust me, the Resort looked this beautiful!! The photo didn't lie!!

Hey Ya'll,

Well, I thought that I would be able to post while we were in Hawaii, but....I forgot my password (it is automatically generated on my computer at home so I don't have to remember!), and no matter how many variations I tried, of what I was sure that it was.....well, it wasn't!! So alas, I was not able to post while gone.

We had a great time though, and I have so much to post about. But right now we are tired. We just got home today, so I will try to post more asap!! Between us, we took thousands of photos, and Walt uploaded them each day from our Camera's memory, so I am not sure how soon I will have access to them on my Computer, but as soon as I do, and I can start to look at them, I will begin posting them, assuming of course they turn out! LOL

On a serious note, Walt has his Vein Surgery on Tuesday morning, and then I have to drive him back to the Surgeon the next morning, for a follow up. Then we will be driving back down to Sacramento (hopefully) on Thursday for Christmas. So if I don't get another chance to post more before then, I hope that EVERYONE has a great Christmas!! Till the next time....

Aloha My Friends :)

We're On Our Way Tomorrow!!

2011-12-01T01:26:00.000-08:00

We're On Our Way!!

Hey Ya'll,

Well, it is now after 1 am, and we leave Nevada for the Northern West Coast of California for the first leg of our Hawaiian vacation in less than 11 hours!! Walt was going to work until about noon, then pick me up on our way out, but he has decided that he may just leave a little earlier, so that we can enjoy Lunch on our way out of town. Especially since we won't be eating until Dinner with our friend Aggie!!

As for being able to blog while we are gone....I'm not sure if it will be possible yet. I think I will be able to, but...I can't promise. LOL Normally we would take our Lap Top with us to keep in contact with the world with. But we ended up replacing it with a Tablet instead. I have never used a Tablet, so I am not sure how much I will be able to do with it yet. I believe I will be able to post some on the blog, but I doubt that I will be able to post any photos until after we return home.... :)

So we drive to California tomorrow, have Dinner with Aggie tomorrow night, then fly out on Friday morning! We will be returning in mid December, so just in case I am not able to post, please bear with me. If that is the case, I will post as soon as I can. We both have new Camera's, so I am just hoping that SOME of the photos turn out!! LOL

Today, I went and had a Manicure/Pedicure done. I am glad now that I changed my appointment from 1 pm to 11:30 am. I arrived at 11:15 and I still didn't get out until just about 2:30!! I rode the Bike to the appointment and it was COLD!! This was the coldest daytime temperature that we have had since last Winter. It wouldn't have been bad if I didn't have to get out in it, and especially if I didn't have to ride the Bike! It was only in the low 40's but we had high winds all day! In fact, the wind is still blowing!! So the wind chill was pretty low! It felt like it was freezing....

Anyway, I had the Pedicure done in Gels for the first time. So far I like them, we will see how long they last. And my Manicure was originally going to be Gels too, but when I found out that they only applied the Gel over your own Nails, without extending them....I decided on doing the Manicure with Acrylics. This is because all week long, everything was going wrong with my Nails and I had to file most of them down to almost nothing, so since I wanted some length, I chose to try the Acrylics. And for a festive look, I had them done kind of in the Pink and White look, but the tips look like they were dipped in glitter. Which makes me feel younger, or at least like I am a woman....then I look in the mirror, and realize that I am NOT the 98 lb Teenager anymore!! LOL I am a Middle Aged, over weight woman, with Rosacea (and while I was younger, I NEVER had problems with my skin!!).

Anyway, I guess I better go, I still have lots to do, and I want to go to bed early tonight so that I can get up a bit earlier tomorrow than I normally do, since I have "stuff" still to do before we leave. Like last second packing of items we still needed to use tonight, and in the morning, etc. Plus we need (or I should say that I need) to drain all the tanks, and get the RV ready for us to be away....so, till next time....

Aloha My Friends :)

This is where we will be sitting on Friday morning!

Whew!! I Finally Got Them All In!!! LOL

2011-11-27T00:24:00.000-08:00

Hey Ya'll,

Well, it is now after midnight, and after working most of the day, I finally got all of my Follower's Blogs info in my new Blog Layout! At least I hope that I got them all in! I Follow so many Blog's that my Eyes are blurry! So if you would like to make sure that I didn't miss yours, check out my Blog on the right side column, under "My Blogging Friends". They are listed time wise, so you know when you posted last. If you don't see your Blog in there, let me know and I will make sure that it gets in immediately!! Like I said, I Follow so many, and right now....my Brain is in a FOG! I may have missed a few! LOL

So Walt and I are getting ready for our trip to Hawaii, and Walt is taking the Computer that he has use of from work, so that he can actually do some work while away....We figured that we could use it to at least check e-mails, and to use it to up load our photos until we get back....well, that isn't going to happen! We had our own Lap Top Computer that we have taken on trips in the past, but gave it to our oldest Daughter Christa and our Grand Kids for their use, as she Home Schools them.

We had been planning on buying a new Lap Top Computer anyway, so we gave it to her a few months ago. Well, now we HAVE to buy either a new Lap Top, or possibly a Tablet to take with us. So now we are scrambling, looking at ads for sales on them. We know that the stores are running sales from now through Christmas, but we need it this week, in fact, we need it before Wednesday!! So we will go out shopping tomorrow, and possibly buy one then. Even if we do, I will probably still go out on Monday (Cyber Monday) to see if we could get a better deal than we already got! Who knows? We shall see.

Anyway, not too much happening now, at least now that I have finally finished my Blog!! LOL So I am going to go make myself something for Dinner, since I haven't eaten in hours!!! LOL More to come later, till next time.....

Aloha My Friends :)

What Do You Think Of My New Christmas Layout??

2011-11-26T00:52:00.000-08:00

Hey Ya'll,

Well, I did it again! Since I consider Fall to be over once Thanksgiving has come and gone, I have changed my new Layout to reflect Christmas! Unfortunately, I had to revert back to a 2 column format instead of the 3 column I have had the last time. Once I tried the 3 column, I decided that I liked it much better!! But the Layout that I liked best is in 2 columns so....we will have to deal with it for a few weeks!!

And the next thing that I am NOT looking forward to, is having to input my Followers all over again!! I had only got up through the H's for the last change as it is, and now I have to start all over again!! So please bear with me as I will do my best to get them all in within the next week before we leave on Vacation!

I hope that everyone had a great Thanksgiving yesterday! We went to one of the local Casino Buffets here in town and they had a really good spread of food. Much better than we expected in fact. I ate ok, I didn't over eat like I used to. But Walt....well, he ate so much that he couldn't sleep! He went to bed, but was up and down with Stomach problems, that he finally got up for a while. He managed to go to bed for good about 3:30 am!! And he knows better than to eat that much. He can't even eat a normal meal after about 5-6 pm without having problems! Oh well....live and learn! LOL

The biggest problem with yesterday was that Walt invited one of his co-workers to Dinner with us and we had a good time. Unfortunately, they talked work most of the time....we ended up sitting there at the table for almost 5 HOURS!!! I am very sure that the wait staff was happy to see us leave! LOL We were there for so long, that I was tempted to go get some more Chicken or Turkey to eat!!

Today, Walt and I went for a walk after we returned from eating Lunch out. Then, because no one was at the laundry room, we decided that I would go ahead and do the laundry today instead of waiting for Monday. This way, I only have to wash a few loads on Monday or Tuesday. I already have most of Walt's clothes picked out and put aside to fold and pack. I am just waiting for Monday so that I have the RV to myself, and I will be able to fold, etc without Walt and I getting into each others way!! Then I only have a few items left on my list to accomplish before we leave on our VACATION!! Yea!

Anyway, I guess I will go for now. I will start putting my Follower's back in tomorrow, if all goes as planned.....till next time....

Aloha My Friends!!

Happy Thanksgiving To All!!

2011-11-24T00:07:00.000-08:00

Now isn't this a pretty sight???

Hey Ya'll,

Well, today is Thanksgiving, at least it is somewhere, at any rate!! Since I am up so late, technically it is here too, but it will be over 12 hours before we celebrate it. LOL But until then...we can always think (dream) about what feast is to become!

But anyway, my hope is that everyone has the best Thanksgiving ever! And if you are one of the newly Banded, don't panic, you can still enjoy most of your favorites, just be careful, and chew, chew, chew, and wait in between bites! I was Banded on Nov 19th, 2009 and I ate a small amount of each of my favorite foods on that Thanksgiving!!

Of course, I was one of the naughty ones, and started eating "mushies" the day after Surgery! We were out of town, staying in a Hotel near the Hospital that my Surgery was performed in, and believe it or not....they didn't offer Soup in their Menu that could be ordered to the room! Not even Oatmeal (except at Breakfast), so I was forced to eat Tuna Casserole for Dinner, in the Restaurant (yes, I was eating Lunch and Dinner the day after Surgery in a Restaurant), and I had the BEST Egg and Cheese Omelet for Breakfast! So if you are really new to being Banded, you may want to follow what your Surgeon says....I was lucky and didn't have any problems.

This past week I have been running around like a chicken with it's head cut off, trying to stay ahead of the game in getting ready for our vacation to Hawaii....which is in 7 days! Normally I am so far behind, that I am up packing until the wee hours of the morning that we are to leave!! So far, I have everything done like getting the Cash, Traveler's Checks, buying the last of our Christmas presents etc, that I wanted to do, and had originally planned on doing next week.

So next week, all I have to do is do all the laundry, pack the clothes, make sure all the Bills are paid that will be due before we return, defrost the Refrigerator/Freezer (the small RV Fridge/Freezer needs defrosting at least once every other week, if not every week!!), shave.....and I plan on coloring my hair with a wash in color. Since it has been almost 2 years since I did, my hair is totally natural and getting REALLY gray!! LOL I also have made an appointment to get a Mani/Pedi done in Gels. This is about the only time that my nails looks decent! And I have never had them done in Gels before, so this should be interesting....

This vacation, I intend to stay on top of everything and not be panicking on Thursday when we leave for California which is the beginning of our trip! So I guess I will go for now, still have lots to do!! But I want to leave with some photos of my latest Afghan that I just finished for my Mother In Law for Christmas. We are giving it to her tomorrow, since we won't see her at Christmas time. The colors didn't turn out well in the photo. The colors are an Off White, a soft Baby Yellow, and a soft Mint Green, but the Green looks more Blue in the photo....it is really hard to get the colors to come out right when taking the photos in our RV as the lighting isn't the best....but here it is! Oh, and the last photo will be me tomorrow after Dinner!! LOL So, I hope that ya'll have a great Thanksgiving, till next time.....

Aloha My Friends :)

One Of THOSE Days!! :(

2011-11-19T15:34:00.000-08:00

I keep picturing myself here in this hammock reading a good book, and doing nothing.....

Hey Ya'll,

Have you ever just had one of those days, were you were so tired, that all you wanted to do was sleep, and was in so much pain, that it feels like someone beat you up during the night??? Well that's how I feel today....my Neck, upper Back, left Shoulder, left Forearm, left Wrist and Hand, feels like I want to have Surgery to replace them!! Basically I feel like a Mac Truck just ran me over!! LOL

And to top it off, Walt wanted me up earlier than he normally wakes me up on the weekend, and I just couldn't get up, so I went back to bed after.....well you get the picture I'm sure. So in hopes that it would make me want to get up, he turns the heat on in the Bedroom! Usually this will work, as I hate sleeping when it is too warm. But because of how I am feeling....I slept right through it.

Unfortunately the heat just plugged up my Sinuses giving me a headache as well! So now I am up, and have been for a couple of hours. But I feel like S***, hurt all over and am just a Bear today!! Oh, and I forgot to mention that Walt heated up a meal that I purchased for the 2 of us to eat, and because I wouldn't get up, he decided to punish me and eat it all!! Knowing that it would piss me off, then he gets upset at me, because I am upset! But today, I could care less, because I feel like.....crap!

Anyway, I have been working my hands off trying to finish my MIL's Afghan, that we are wanting to give to her on Thanksgiving (since she won't be here for Christmas)! I believe that I may be able to get it finished, if I continue to work at it like I have been. So far, it is a bit over 2/3's done. So if I can work another 10-12 inches plus the border, and of course, weave in all the ends (of which there are a lot!), then it will be finished!! So hopefully by Monday night, I will have it finished.....I hope so, then I will have more time to get things done for the vacation, instead of having to wait until the last minute.

But!! I can say that most of our Christmas shopping is done! Over the years, we have made an agreement with most of the adults in our family, that we wouldn't buy for each other, just for the kids. Now of course, we do still buy/make gifts for our Parents, my Uncle, our Children/Grandchildren and of course my Brother and Sister's Children. So....we have pretty much got it all done! We have a few trinkets to purchase in Hawaii, but other than that....our Christmas shopping is done! And I would like to say thank you to my Daughter Christa, for giving us the tips on what the Grand Kids really want, so we could buy them online in advance!!

So....we are now in the homestretch, counting down the days until we leave for Hawaii. We only have 13 days.....only 13 days! Where did all the time go?? I have so much to do in order to get ready. I am hoping to be able to start packing by next Weekend at the latest. The unfortunate part is that I COULD start to pre-pack, but we have no place to put the clothes, nor do we have the floor space to keep the luggage! That is my biggest problem. I could start to pack, but I have no where to put the packed items in the meantime. Remember, we are living in a 5th Wheel RV!!!! So to say that I am becoming stressed, well....that would be an understatement! LOL So, till next time.....

Aloha My Friends :)

We Got It!!

2011-11-17T14:22:00.000-08:00

Here is a photo of the small Limo we will be driven in.

Hey Ya'll,

Well, after negotiating back and forth a few times, we easily came to an agreement with our Limousine Company of choice, for them to drive us round trip from Sacrament to the Bay Area and back, for our trip to Hawaii.....We originally wanted to take a Stretch Limousine, but we decided that we didn't want to pay the high price they were wanting for it. The owner of the Limo Company determined that since it was just Walt and I going this trip, we would be able to fit both of us, all of our Luggage, and my Walker, into the smaller Toyota Camry Hybrid they have. So we have decided to go with it. This way, they can do all the driving and we can relax during the 2nd half of our trip from home to the Bay Area Hotel, and back.

Once we are there, our friend Aggie who had moved to the Bay Area, will pick us up and we will go to a nice Italian Restaurant for Dinner. Aggie is a great friend and one of the sweetest people you could ever want to know. Walt used to work with her, and he really misses there time together! But she retired and is now working part time taking care of her 2 grand children! So...we get a chance to have Dinner with Aggie and get caught up! Of course, we still have to contact Kat and let her know that our Truck will be parked in front of her house for 2 weeks, and Aggie to let her know that we will not have our Truck with us, and will need her to pick us up for Dinner!! LOL Just 2 more details to have to remember to deal with.... :) So what else is new???

The Hotel we are staying at near the Airport, provides a free shuttle between the Hotel and the Airport so luckily, we do not need our Truck there. And after thinking about it, we decided that although the Hotel provides us free parking for the 2 weeks, we didn't want to leave our Truck at the Hotel, out in the open that long. So we will leave our Truck at Kat's house while we are gone. So, the owner of the Limo Company agreed to drive us round trip for the same price that we paid (for a Stretch Limo) years ago. And this price includes the Tip to the driver. However, we will probably tip him extra on top of it anyway!

So, except for deciding exactly what we want to do while in Hawaii, all my research is done! I have us booked in First Class seats (I got a great deal....), and I have our Rental Car on hold. Since we both have new Camera's, we will probably spend a lot more time driving around the Island than we originally planned. Usually we want to go and just "relax". Basically do a whole lot of nothing! I do want to get some nice photos, and I know that Walt does, but I also hope that we are not going every single day! I would like some rest too. Especially since I will be spending 2 days of our trip doing laundry!!

To save from having to take additional luggage, and clothes for the 2 weeks. I am packing for 1 week, then I will wash all of our clothes for the second week. Then I will wash them again, the day before we leave for home, so that I don't have to do laundry as soon as we get home!! Luckily, we have a 1 Bedroom Suite with a separate Living Room, full Kitchen/Dining area with full size Washer and Dryer!

But after extensive research, I have found a ton of places worth going to, both for a fee and many are free, that would be great places to take beautiful photos at. Some of them are lush Gardens. We will probably do at least one hike, maybe more. One of the hikes ends at a small Waterfall, with Gardens all the way up to the Waterfall. But like I said, I would like to have some days off, where I am not doing laundry or running around on my feet a lot!! So....we shall see. We have purchased enough memory for our Camera's, in order to easily get us through the vacation. At my highest resolution of 16 mp, I have about 6385 photos that I can take, and Walt has about 20,000 (I am using one of the extra Memory sticks and Walt will use up to 3 of them, plus what came with the Camera's)!! So I think that we are set! LOL

Well, I guess I should go. I need to try to get my MIL's Afghan done by Thanksgiving! I am not sure if I will get it done, but I am hopeful. I would have had it done in time, but I stopped to do all the research!! Anyway, till next time....

Aloha My Friends :)

Here is a photo of one of our Resorts Pools at night....doesn't it look so inviting??

Time Is Flying By...Walt's Surgery Is Approved!

2011-11-16T03:41:00.000-08:00

Only 16 days until Hawaii!!

Hey Ya'll,

Again, I am sorry that I haven't posted in a while. It's been almost a week! But I have been researching my Brains out for our trip to Hawaii! You would think after visiting Hawaii (8) times that we wouldn't have anything left to see....but that is NOT the case! LOL The main difference this time, is that we have new Cameras, so we want to go on hikes, etc where we can take some (hopefully) beautiful photos!! Neither one of us has taken more than a couple photos with our Camera's as yet, so we are hoping that our photos turn out at least decent!

I have also been researching the Airline's, as well as the Transportation Safety Administration's websites, to make sure what we CAN and CAN'T, take on board the flight! With the rules changing daily (it seems)....Funny story (NOT!), my Niece, her 9 yr old Son, and her significant other, flew back to New Jersey last month to visit with her Father whom she hasn't seen in years, in fact so long, her Dad has never seen her son. None of them had flown before, and didn't know the "rules". So she packed large "normal" sized containers of shampoo, etc and had them in her Carry-On bag.

She had her significant other carry it for her, so she could keep her eye on her Son through Security (he is extremely ADHD). They almost didn't allow the significant other through Security! The Security people acted like he was a criminal or something. My Niece just had no clue that they couldn't carry these "normal" sized products with them. Luckily, they got through, after Security confiscated the items in question....I'm sure she will NEVER make that mistake again!! LOL

But I digress, to save time and not have to carry way too much on Board with us this trip, I am leaving my Bi-Pap Machine home. I haven't been using it, and I know I should, so I figure whats another few weeks to start using it again. Anyway, I am supposed to use it every night, because I have not only Severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea, I also have.... Central Sleep Apnea! My Pulmonologist Doctor said that Central Sleep Apnea is very rare, only about 5% of OSA patients have CSA. And that most patients that do have it, are either the Elderly, or someone with Neurological problems, etc. Well, I am another year older now, and I feel old....but I am only 56! LOL

The difference between OSA and CSA, is that with OSA, the Throat collapses down during sleep causing loud snoring, etc. Usually with weight loss, it can be cured (most of the time). But with CSA, it is the Brain that is at fault. It is a Neurological condition, where the Brain forgets to send the signal to BREATH! During the day, it isn't a problem, because we are awake, and we know to breath. But at night during sleep....if the Brain doesn't send the signal to breath....well, depending on how long you go before taking a breath (assuming you do!), it can mean anything from just gasping for breath (not a pleasant thing to have to deal with, it is like being suffocated), to a Stroke, Brain damage, a Heart Attack or the worst case scenario...Sudden Death!

I haven't told Walt (he will know now though, since he reads my Blog!), but I have had a few nights lately where I woke up all night gasping for breath again! Part of it is due to my gaining weight back, hence the OSA acting up again, but the other reason is beyond my control (the CSA), hence why the Machine is necessary!! I know....slap my hand for not doing what is right! But I hate having to sleep with a Machine! If it were just me, it wouldn't be so bad, but obviously I sleep with Walt, and if I am unable to get a good seal on the Mask quickly, then I can't get comfortable with it at all, not to mention that it is louder since it is leaking air, and I worry that Walt won't be able to sleep well!! When this would happen, I just gave up and took it off for the night!

Anyhoo! Back to our trip to Hawaii. I am trying to not over pack us this trip like I usually do! We will be gone over 2 weeks total, but our Hotel Suite has a full sized Washer and Dryer in the unit, so I can pack us for (1) week instead of the (2) weeks. I will just need to do laundry between weeks, then again just before we go home so that I don't have to do laundry as soon as we get home! I will only have to Iron/Steam Walt's work shirts when we get home. But we will still have so much S***, that we will take at least (1) large piece of luggage each, if not (1) medium sized one too! Luckily, we are allowed to check in 2 pieces each, if necessary for free!

Another thing that I have been researching the last couple of days, was the cost of taking a Limousine from Sacramento to the Bay Area and back, after our trip, leaving our Truck at our Daughter's house. Walt will be working a half day, the day we leave for the Bay Area, then driving from Nevada....The last (2) times we took a vacation that left out of the Bay Area, we took a Limousine (mostly because we had to be at the Airport early in the morning, and they were willing to pick us up at an ungodly hour!) and it only cost us $300 round trip! So we figured, maybe it would be worth it to see if it was worth the cost this time too!

The lowest price I was quoted was....get this, 67% higher!! Now I realize that several years have passed, but this still seems a bit high! So I told the owner of the Limo Company that we have used in the past (which gave us the best quote as well), that we weren't expecting such a high quote, and that we would probably just drive ourselves. He was so desperate to get the job, that he asked me exactly how many pieces of luggage we were taking, so he could better judge if we could use a smaller vehicle, thus a lower quote.

He also asked me what was the maximum amount we were willing to pay. So I replied tonight giving him a better estimate of our luggage requirements, and what we were willing to pay. Which I am sure he is laughing about! Either that or seriously trying to find a way to do it for that price! We told him basically $50 higher than we paid the last time, but that price was to include the gratuity (so in essence, it would be for the same price)! So I am expecting him to reply tomorrow saying thanks but no thanks, he doesn't need the job THAT BAD!! LOL We shall see....you never know in these times. Maybe we will get lucky??

I can't believe this, I just checked my emails, and I have another response from the Limo Company, saying that the highest amount we were willing to pay wasn't a ridiculous amount, and to contact him. Of course, this would be for a smaller vehicle, not a Stretch Limo. But then we would be able to relax the second half of the trip to the Bay Area and let someone else worry about the traffic! So now it is in our court to decide if we want to continue the negotiations. I am hoping that Walt will do this, I really hate to haggle price! Plus, at this point, I am just the go between anyway. Walt and the owner (if we so choose to continue) will have to come to the final agreement! I will keep you posted....Cross your Fingers and Toes!

Anyway! Walt has had horrible looking Varicose Veins in his lower Legs. They look horrible just to look at (not to mention they look super painful). But in the past, he has always stressed that they didn't hurt, they just looked bad. Well, Carolyn (Walt's ex-wife) recently had both of her Legs taken care of, due to very painful Varicose Veins. So "we" talked Walt into going back to the Doctor, to see what she thought (our new Doctor). She gave him a referral to a Specialist.

The Specialist said that technically they aren't going to kill him, but that he feels that a lot of the problems that Walt has been having has been because of them. At least in his worst Leg. So the Doctor sent in a request for Surgery approval, and we found out today that it was granted!! The Surgery is scheduled for Tuesday, December 20th. Right after we return from Hawaii! I am glad....I was concerned with us having to sit on a plane for 5-5 1/2 hours each way, that it would be scheduled before we leave! All we would need is for him to get a Blood Clot from sitting so long! In fact, it is probably something we should be aware of anyway....especially since his Veins aren't in the best of conditions!

So, last Friday, Russ and Carolyn came and took me to purchase my new, much smaller Office Chair! Russ was more than happy to do this, as he was getting my much nicer and bigger/plusher Office Chair! LOL So while Russ was putting my Chair together, Carolyn and I went shopping! Normally I could have put the Chair together myself (I think...), but getting it home on the Gold Wing....well that was another matter. LOL

Not to mention that we didn't have room for both Chairs here, until Russ could have picked it up! So, I have a new Chair. It is nice, but not anywhere near as nice as my old Chair was. But it fits in my small Office so much better! In fact, so long as I am not reclined back in it, we can actually close the Bathroom door in my Office Bathroom without having to move my Chair way out of the way! If only it had a higher back to it, it would be much more acceptable. I'm used to being able to rest my Neck/Head on the Chair, and this Chairs back comes about 6-8 inches short of being able to do that, so my Neck and Shoulders have started to bother me again. :(

So, other than that...not too much is new here, including my weight! Oh, I forgot, I spoke with my Mom about her last Doctor appointment, and her Doctor is having her go through all kinds of new Tests. One of them is going to either be an MRI or CT (she can't remember). She believes that they are looking for Bone Cancer or something....I sure hope it's not that. Because if it is anything like that, it is too far along to be able to do much for her except give her major pain drugs. At least maybe then, she won't be in so much pain!

So on that note....till next time.

Aloha My Friends :)

I Lost A Follower.... :(

2011-11-10T12:23:00.000-08:00

Hey Ya'll,

Well I just have a really quick post to say....I lost another Follower today. I always wonder what I said or did that caused someone to stop Following me....I know we always say to others, when this happens to them, to not let it get to you.

I post about my personal life, not just about the Band, so I guess my life was just too boring (hangs head in shame). Oh well, I can only post about what interests me, and what happens in my own life. I can't post what I think will interest everyone else!

And like I said, I am still in the process of adding back my Followers in my sidebar. When I changed my Blog Layout for Fall, my Follower's sites disappeared! And since I Follow so many, it is taking me longer than I expected to get them added back in. I am currently up through the H's. I hope to start with the I's today....

Till Next Time....

Aloha My Friends :(

And Now....To Get Somewhat Caught Up!! LOL

2011-11-09T22:48:00.000-08:00

This is how I felt last Saturday!!

Hey Ya'll,

Well, so much has been happening, and I have so little time to get so much accomplished!! As you may have noticed from one of my Ticker Tapes....our Hawaii trip is finally almost here!! We leave 3 weeks from this Friday! I can't wait to get to Hawaii, we haven't been there in about 3-4 years....it's hard to say, one year seems to roll into another!! We are leaving out of California instead of Reno, as we were able to get a great deal for a non-stop flight from there. In fact, we were able to get 1st Class tickets, the Rental Car for the 2 weeks, and a Hotel the night before we fly to Hawaii, and the night we return, for about the same price as just one 1st Class Airline Ticket on any of the other Airlines!! And we love to fly this Airline...it is the only one we fly when flying to Hawaii.

We bought Walt a new Camera a couple of weeks ago. One that he has been wanting for a while, we used part of the money that we saved for Hawaii. I believe it is considered a professional Camera. And Walt decided to buy me a new Camera too!! It is a Sony Cyber-Shot HX9V. Now I just need to figure out how to use it before we go to Hawaii!! Which is on my list of things to do!! Like I said, so little time, so much to do!!

We moved last weekend. Walt is now working in Carson City, instead of Sacramento, and we wanted to make his drive a bit easier, so we moved to the South area of Reno, which will make his drive about 20-30 minutes shorter. And with Winter coming very fast, it will make a huge difference! The problem with the move, was that I had to ride the Bike towing the Bike Trailer, while he drove the Truck towing the RV. I still only have Summer Riding Gear....and the temperature was about 38 degrees for a good part of the ride. My riding Summer Riding Gloves lets the air flow right through them!! So my Fingers were freezing, to the point that I was beginning to worry that I would get Frost Bite. Luckily we didn't have to go too far! Even driving slow, we made it in about 30-40 minutes.

I should have had Walt take a photo of me before I took off all my gear, it would have been hilarious! I was wearing a pair of Winter under pants, under my jeans, which were under my Bike Riding Pants with their liners attached. Just on the bottom! Then on the top, I was wearing a Thermal top under my T-Shirt, which was under a lightweight Jacket, which was under my Riding Jacket with its lining attached! I looked like the Sta Puff Man (Girl!)!! I could barely bend my Knees or Elbows, and Walt had to help me get off the Bike when we got there, because I couldn't bend my Knee enough to get my Leg across the seat!! LOL So I was warm enough, except for my Hands.....I have since bought a pair of warmer Gloves! I felt like the photo of the Sta Puff Man above!! LOL

Another thing that I have been researching, is looking into finding a smaller chair for my "Office" in the RV. I have a great chair now, but....it is a full size chair in a small room! I have to move the chair just to close the Bathroom door. And our Son Russ, needs a chair. He is super tough on chairs.....having gone through at least 4-5 in the past 3-5 years!! So I am giving him my chair (how long it will survive him....who knows!! LOL), and we are buying me a smaller chair, that hopefully will fit better in my Office.

Russ and Carolyn (Walt's Ex-Wife), are coming to Reno on Friday for a Doctor's appointment. So they will help me out, by picking up the chair at the store, then Russ will put it together for me here at the RV, then take my chair home with them. We will also eat Lunch/Dinner as well I am sure. Totally looking forward to that!!

Walt would do this with us, or for me....but he is leaving tomorrow to go to Sacramento to spend the weekend with his Daughter Kat. It is her 29th Birthday tomorrow!! I can't believe that she was 8 years old when we first met....my how time flies!! She has been wanting to go to this real expensive Restaurant, that Walt and I have gone to a few times, for several years now. And Walt had promised to take her there. So this is the year they go. I just hope that the Dinner lives up to her expectations. It is a great Restaurant, but really high priced (it is considered an exhibition Dinner where you can participate in making the Dinner as much, or as little as you want). So I have the next 3 nights alone....I love my Walt, but it is nice to have some alone time too.

Of course, I will be spending a good part of tomorrow doing the laundry, then spending at least half of Friday with Russ and Carolyn, so I won't be alone a whole lot! LOL And I will only have the Bike for transportation and it is getting cold here. Walt is taking the Truck for several reasons. Mostly because he is having the Windshield replaced while down there, and....let's face it, he is driving over the Sierra's, and you never know what the weather will bring in the Mountains this time of the year!! It has been in the 20's overnight, every night for at least a week now (here in Nevada). Where did Fall go?? Well, I guess I should go for now. Till next time.....

Aloha My Friends :)

The Versatile Blogger Award....!!

2011-11-09T20:50:00.000-08:00

Hey Ya'll,

I can't believe that it has taken me so long to post!! As usual we have been busy, but that is no excuse for me to not post at least a little something, to keep up with what has been going on! I can't believe that I was nominated for The Versatile Blogger Award!! And I am sorry that it has taken me so long to respond, so here goes.... :)

So here is how it works:

1. Thank the person who nominated you.

2. Tell 7 things about yourself.

3. You award 15 other Newly Discovered Bloggers.

So....I want to thank both Lolli from Banipes and Banded Cupcake for nominating me!

And...7 Things About Me That You May Or May Not Already Know!!!

1) If I had went to College at a younger age, I would have liked to be a Doctor or Nurse. (Funny story....I was in a Biology Lab in College, checking out one of the Cadavers, and my Stomach wouldn't stop growling....the younger students couldn't believe that I was HUNGRY and STARVING looking at a Cadaver!! They wanted to throw up!! What can I say, I was hungry!! LOL)

2) I love to Dance!! I was a born Dancer, unfortunately since my Back and Spinal problems, I literally can't Dance anymore. Even one slow Dance can be too much for me, and I will have to force myself to finish it (in pain of course). One of my early aspirations, was to be a Professional Dancer!!

3) I Love to FLY! Both in small Private Planes, and large Commercial Airplanes!! I grew up flying in small Private Planes with my Dad. After Walt and I were married, Walt also got his Pilot's License. He has his Private, Twin Engine, Commercial and IFR Certificates (I'm not sure, but I think that is all....), and he loves to fly as much as I do!! If I can get where we are going faster in a Plane, why drive??? LOL

4) I Love to Travel!! I would love to return to London and Paris, and I don't want to leave this Earth before visiting Scotland!!

5) I Love to Crochet and Oil Paint! Unfortunately in the RV, I don't really have the space to Paint now, but eventually I will start Painting again....I just hope that I don't lose the techniques that I had learned....!

6) I have 2 Tattoo's. One is a decent sized Celtic Cross with Filigree which is on my lower Back (funny story....because of my pinched Nerve in the lower Spine, the only pain that I had was when she was Tattooing directly on the Spine!), and the other Tattoo is a large scene on my left Calf depicting a Sunset, Palm Tree and a Lei of Hawaiian Hibiscus and Plumeria Blossoms (and because I had so little pain from the 1st Tattoo....I thought that this one would be a piece of cake too....NOT!! It was pain from the first cut!! LOL). I have photos of both Tattoo's in my Blog, if you are interested in seeing them!

7) I Love to Swim.....in a Pool! I am Claustrophobic, and I am Terrified of ANYTHING that Is, or Could Be, in the Water (yes, I let my imagination go berserk!)....so combine that with my Claustrophobia, and I Just-Can-Not-Swim, in Anything That Is Not A Pool!!! LOL

Okay, so I am now supposed to nominate 15 Newly Discovered Blogger's!! I will try....LOL I would have nominated Lolli from Banipes and Banded Cupcake, but they were already nominated, and they nominated me!! So to make it fair, I decided to nominate the most recent 15 Follower's of mine. Although I did not nominate Kelli, from KelliBelliBand, as she has already been nominated, and was the one that nominated Lolli from Banipes, who nominated me....So here goes....!!

Terbear287 at: http://terbear287.blogspot.com/

Brenda at: http://bandstermomma.blogspot.com/

Lucy at: http://luckylucyslapband.blogspot.com/

Jess at: http://chiquitanotme.blogspot.com/

Dwindling Dame at: http://lap-bandlady.blogspot.com/

Kelly at: http://banded-army-wife.blogspot.com/

Vicky at: http://myshrinkingbelly.blogspot.com/

Kristin at: http://myjourneybeingbanded.blogspot.com/

Mari at: http://thetaleofabandcalledbeyonce.blogspot.com/

Rachel at: http://fatfishskinnysea.blogspot.com/

JRD at: http://canuckbanditmusings.blogspot.com/

Cece at: http://bandedforboots.blogspot.com/

Dee at: http://deekajungumbo.blogspot.com/

Dr J at: http://futurefertilitygoddess.blogspot.com/

Mary at: http://untilmycuprunnethover.blogspot.com/

Aloha My Friends :)

A Big Shout Out To TERBEAR287 !!

2011-11-02T21:31:00.000-07:00

Hey Ya'll,

Well, earlier today I had checked in and saw that I had a new Follower. Unfortunately we were getting ready to leave for Dinner, so I am just now giving my customary Shout Out!! She goes by TERBEAR287 and her Blogs name is: Just Stuff To Say, (does this sound like anyone you know??? LOL).

I haven't had the chance to read much of Teri's Blog yet, but I don't believe that Teri is Banded. However, when has that stopped us from Following someone, and giving them support in any way that they choose to lose weight??? Teri is on a diet though, as she has a Ticker Tape on her Blog (but I would Follow Teri even if she wasn't on a diet!).

****UPDATE****

I got an email from Teri, and she informed me that she is in the very early stages of Pre-Qualification for Surgery!! So she REALLY needs our love and support....we all know how hard it is in the early stages waiting for Approval, etc....LOL

Teri seems to be a lot like me....meaning, she posts about her life, not just her diet, etc! LOL And from what I have read so far, she seems to be a lot of fun too. So if you haven't found Teri's Blog yet, please follow the link I provided, and give her the love and support we all need (and say hello from me)!! So Teri, "Welcome to my Nightmare!". LOL And Happy belated Birthday!!

Aloha My New Friend :)

A Big Shout Out To Banded Cupcake !!

2011-10-31T21:52:00.000-07:00

Hey Ya'll,

I just checked my Blog and found that I had another new Follower! She goes by Banded Cupcake, and her Blog site is.....TahDah....: Banded Cupcake. Banded Cupcake is so new that her Surgery is actually on Wednesday. THIS Wednesday (11/2/11), so please follow the link provided above and give Banded Cupcake the love and support she needs right now!! So Banded Cupcake, "Welcome to my Nightmare!", we will all be waiting for you to Blog post Surgery, letting us know that all is well, and you are doing ok.

Aloha My New Friend :)

Another Shout Out! This Time To Lolli!! :)

2011-10-31T01:48:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry Lolli, but this is the only photo that I could find on your site. I didn't even see an icon, or I would have used it! If you prefer that this photo not be on here, let me know, and I will delete it immediately!

Hey Ya'll,

I can't believe my great fortune! I just checked in, and found that I have another new Follower! Her name is Lolli, and Lolli was just Banded on Thursday, Oct 27th! So Lolli really is a new Bandster!! If you haven't found Lolli's Blog yet, please follow this link: Bandipes (Like Recipes, But For The Band!), and give Lolli all the love and support she can use in this very early stage of her Journey!!

So Lolli...."Welcome to my Nightmare!".

Aloha My New Friend :)

A Big Shout Out To Brenda !!

2011-10-31T01:17:00.000-07:00

Hey Ya'll,

Well I just checked into my Blog, and found that I have another new Follower! Her name is Brenda, and her Blogs name is: Bandster Momma: One Momma's Journey From Fat To Fit!. Brenda was Banded on April 5th, 2011 and has already lost 114 lbs and is only 29 lbs from goal!!! Truly fantastic Brenda!! I totally envy your dedication and will power to stay strictly with your diet! If only I could.....

So if you haven't found Brenda's Blog yet, please follow the link and check it out and give her the support to meet her goal in the shortest period of time! So Brenda, "Welcome to my Nightmare"....

Aloha My New Friend :)

A Big Welcome To...Lucy!!

2011-10-30T17:09:00.000-07:00

Hey Ya'll,

First off...I want to apologize to my newest Follower! I just now realized that I had a new Follower....When I open up my Blog, I always look at the number of my Follower's to see if it had changed. This works....most of the time. Unfortunately, she started to Follow me at the same time that I LOST a Follower, so the number stayed the same!! I finally looked at the icons, and realized that I had a new icon and didn't recognize the photo or name....

Soooo, after all this, I would like to introduce my newest Follower! Her name is Lucy, and her Blog name is: Lucky Lucy's Lap Band. Lucy was Banded on Sept 8th, 2011 and has lost 16 lbs already!! So if you haven't found Lucy's Blog yet, please follow my link to her Blog, and give Lucy the love and support we all need in this Journey!!

So....Lucy, "Welcome to my Nightmare"!

Aloha My New Friend :)

Sorry For The Confusion!!

2011-10-30T16:51:00.000-07:00

Hey Ya'll,

I don't know if you noticed, but I changed my Blog Layout a couple of days ago, and until my hubby Walt, told me today, I didn't realize that My Blogging Friends didn't follow me too!

So I am in the process of inputting them back in, but since I Follow sooo many great Blogs, it will take me a couple of days to get ya'll back in. So far, I am up through the D's. But since our Internet comes and goes, depending on time of day, etc. I only have a window of time each day that I can do a lot of stuff on the Blog until the Internet slows down to a trickle....

So if you don't see your blog listed (on the left hand side of the Blog under all of the Button's that I have grabbed), just check back in a day or so, and I should have them all in by then!!

Aloha My Friends :)

I'm On The Losing Track Again!! :)

2011-10-30T13:22:00.000-07:00

Here are the Maui Jim Sunglasses that I choose! Walt let me buy them this week, so I wasted no time in getting them! It was a hard choice between the Black frame with Gray tint, or the Tortoise frame with Bronze tint. But since I have problems with the sun and glare, I went with the Black/Gray as they are darker. So now I am ready for Hawaii....well...almost!!

Hey Ya'll,

How do you like my new Fall Blog Look??? I was going to choose a great one that was darker, but I felt that it looked too much like Halloween, and that it would be outdated after tomorrow, and before I change to a Winter look. So I choose this one since it definitely looks like Fall!!! LOL

In my last post, I finally faced the music and came clean with my weight gain....at that time, I was back up to 189.0 lbs. This morning I am down to....184.2, giving me a weight loss of 4.8 lbs so far! Lets hope that I can keep it up!

I had Lunch with Carol, one of my Sister In Laws on Friday, and then we went to Joann's to get the materials for me to make her one of the Tote's that I have been making. We changed it up a bit this time though. Instead of me making the handles out of the yarn, as the pattern calls for, she is choosing to have leather straps attached. So this will be interesting to see how it turns out!! I will keep you posted on it. But before I can start her Tote, I need to make my Mother In Laws Afghan, that we are giving to her for Christmas. We won't be seeing her at Christmas time this year, as she will be in Hawaii, so I am trying to get it to her in time for Thanksgiving!

I am finishing up the Chef Bear today that I am making for Kelly, one of my BFF's (I have already finished the Tote Bag) so that I can get it in the Mail tomorrow since her Birthday is the 10th. Now I just have to figure out how I am going to get the box with her gifts, and the even bigger box with all the Books that I am sending her, On The BIKE!! I think that I can fit the smaller box in the Trunk, but I will definitely have to strap the bigger box onto the back seat somehow!! Then drive carefully....straight to the Post Office!! LOL

By the way, if anyone is unaware of this....I found out (It's on the USPS website (buried of course)) that if you are mailing Books, CD's, DVD's, etc, so long as you are sending only this type of material, you can Mail them via Media Mail for a TON LESS MONEY!! But you cannot have anything personal in it, such as a note, photos, or letter. It must be only the Media items!! The last huge box that I sent to Kelly with Books, weighted about 40 lbs and only cost me about $17.50 vs $191 sending regular mail with large box!! Even sending it in 3 of the Large, Priority Flat Rate Boxes would have cost me over $45 after tax and extras that is attached....I am so glad that I figured this out!! LOL

The Company that Walt is now working for, is holding a Bowling night to Benefit some local Charity a week from Monday, so he is going to attend it! I might have attended it too, but it is in Carson City, and I would have had to ride the Bike there and back, and it is getting cold here! And I do not have Winter Riding Gear to keep me warm! Plus, because of my Spinal problems, I am not supposed to do anything like Bowling....but if I was living close, I would have at least attended for support!! Oh well, Walt should have a good time with his co-workers. It will give him more time to bond with them. It is always hard to start a new job.

Walt also told me that he would buy me a new Camera to take to Hawaii (we bought his new Professional grade Camera this week). I don't do well with Camera's that are too fancy, and with too many choices....I like a point and shoot!! So I will just get me a newer Camera similar to the one I have now, with better abilities. My old Camera was given to me 6 yrs ago this Holiday Season!! I can't believe that it has already been 6 yrs. Oh well, I better go for now, got lots to do, and lots of research to do for my new Camera as well. We leave for Hawaii in 1 month and 2 days!! Till next time.....

Aloha My Friends :)

I'm So Horrified And Ashamed!!

2011-10-26T18:43:00.000-07:00

No matter how hard I try, I can't get the Orange or Yellow colors to come out right in the photo! But you get the idea right? This is the Afghan that I gave my Mom last weekend. This photo shows half of the Afghan so that you can see the pattern. Of course she loved it, since it came from me! And she did get the idea that I took from the colors of the Bird Of Paradise Flower. Which was my Grandmother's favorite Flower.

Hey Ya'll,

Well, it has been 3 weeks since my last post, and almost that long since I have been able to read others posts as well. And as bad as that is, it isn't what I am Horrified and Ashamed about!! What I am Horrified and Ashamed of, is that I have been avoiding the scale now for quite some time (I know, slap my hand!!)....I knew that I had gained weight. In fact, I knew by the way my pants fit that I wore over this past weekend, that I had gained at least 15 lbs.

Well, I stepped on the scale this morning, and....to my utter horror (just in time for Halloween!), I weighed 189.0! Which means that I have gained 19.4 lbs in 6 months (since April 30th)!!! So if you look at my weight stats above, I have changed my weight tape to my now current weight, to keep myself accountable! This is one of the hardest things that I have had to do since my Weight Loss Surgery....to admit to EVERYONE that I have gained back so much weight, and post it in my Ticker Tape as well....But I knew that I needed to do this, to try to keep myself accountable to both you and myself. :(

I am going to try my best to stop my GRAZING, which I have been doing all day long for months now!! I no longer have any sweets in the home now, as I know that if they are here, I can't stop myself from eating them, until they are completely gone! I am not one of the lucky ones, that has the will power to Eat Just One....I have to Eat Them All!! So I am going to do my best to not buy anything for the home, that I can graze on. Keep your fingers crossed that this time I can get myself back on track and stay on track!!

Especially since we are leaving in 1 month and 6 days (no, of course I am not counting!! LOL) for Hawaii!! I had high hopes after losing down to within 30 lbs of my goal 6 months ago, that I would be down to my goal by then. But now all I can hope for, is to lose down to about 175-180 lbs. If I can get below 175 I will be thrilled. I will keep my blog updated as the weight comes off (notice that I said that it will come off???). I am doing my best to be positive right now. I will try to update my weight change at least once a week, assuming that it changes each week.

So, in 5 weeks and 1 day, we will be driving to California, which is where we will be catching our flight to Hawaii the next day. I can't wait! I have just one purchase that I still need to make for the trip. Walt promised me that he would buy me a new pair of Maui Jim Sunglasses for the trip (I love Maui Jim Sunglasses). We decided that my Distance vision wasn't bad enough for me to have to wear RX Sunglasses now (Reading is another story!! LOL I DO need glasses to read), so a pair of good Sunglasses (non RX) is much less expensive than a pair of RX Sunglasses, of much lesser quality. And since I can still pass the DMV Vision test, then I am ok!

Walt went to a Vascular Surgeon last week, about some ugly looking Varicose Veins in his legs. And luckily the Surgeon said that although they look horrible, they aren't as bad as they look, however, the ones in one of the legs could be causing a lot of the problems that he has been having, so he is going to contact our Insurance Co and find out if they will cover Surgery to remove the bad Veins. I will keep you posted....

Our oldest Daughter Christa finally made it up to visit with the Grand kids a couple of weeks ago. They got a late start though, and didn't have enough time to do everything that we were hoping to get accomplished!! So hopefully she will be able to make it up one more trip before the full Winter hits the Sierra's. I hope so, since we forgot to give her some "stuff"!! Plus the kids didn't get to explore Scheel's, one of the biggest two story Sporting Goods store anywhere! We got to Scheel's just in time for the kids to take the last Ferris Wheel Ride of the night!! But no time to shop....Not to mention that Christa didn't get to shop at the Outlet Stores that are attached in this group of stores. :(

Last Thursday, Walt and I rode the Bike down to Sacramento. On Thursday, we had appointments to get our hair cut, then after the cuts, we met my parents for Dinner at one of our favorites Mexican Restaurants in that area. By the time we made it to our Daughter Kat's house, it was around 6:30 pm. Then we had to leave by 7 am the next morning, in order to ride to our friend Don's house (2 hours away), in order to get our new back tire put on the Bike. So by the time we made it back to Kat's on Friday, it was 7 pm. I stayed at Kat's on Saturday while Walt took the bike to get the Trike Wheels back on.

So Kat and I went to Lunch at The Cheesecake Factory, then shopping at the Mall. The Cheesecake Factory has the best BLT Salad!! Of course I substituted the Cheese and Dressing, but it was so good that I will probably order it every time that I go there from now on!! In fact, I was checking out to see if they have a Cheesecake Factory near where we will be staying over night, the night before we leave out for Hawaii. One of our friends lives near the Airport, and we will be eating Dinner with her that night, so we need to figure out where we will be eating while there (insert picture of me drooling about now).

So Sunday, we rode back up to Reno. Walt had threatened that I was going to do all the riding back up, since we would have the Trike Wheels on. But he ended up riding it back. Probably a good thing, since I have never ridden the Bike except on fairly flat ground. Definitely not over the Sierra's in traffic! The thought of having to worry about Walt on the rear commenting on how I was riding (down shift, up shift...), that I was glad to not have to deal with it and just enjoy the ride.

I did ride the Bike on Monday though, to get some shopping done. And this time I actually got on the Freeway (in not the best conditions). This is amazing since they are doing major roadwork on the Freeway around here and the "Spaghetti Bowl" as they call the Interchange here, is horrific in the best of circumstances. Everyone avoids it at all costs!! LOL But I braved it in order to go to Cabella's (another huge Sportsman's Store) to save some time, in order to get another T-Shirt for my Grandson Walker. Of course, they didn't have his size in stock once I was there, even though they told Christa over the phone that they did!!!

So Christa called back that night and complained. They promised her that they would ship one out directly to her postage free, since Reno is the closest store to her, and she lives in the Sacramento area, and they also promised they would enclose a pre-paid return label to return the damaged T-Shirt!! So we will see if they follow through as promised. If so, then we will be very happy with them, if not, then Corporate will be getting a nasty notification about their Customer Service....

The weather here is quickly turning very cold! It is already getting down close to the 20's overnight. Now remember that this is the Desert! I was not expecting it to get this cold when we moved here. But last Winter was a very cold one, with lot's of snow! More so than usual they said. Lucky us, our first Winter and it was one of the coldest! But at least this Summer, turned out to be a mild one! I don't even think that we had a day where the temperature went over 98 degrees!! At least not while we were here. And I will take the cold over the heat any day!! LOL

So I have finished two new Afghan's. One I have already posted photos of, and my Mom's which I have a photo above. I have one more to make for Christmas, and that is for Walt's Mom. Luckily she lives near us, so it isn't any real rush to get it done. However, I will still attempt to get it done by Thanksgiving if possible, since we will be spending Thanksgiving Day with her, and we will not be here for Christmas (neither will she, she will be on vacation!!).

I am also making a Tote Bag for one of my BFF's Kelly, who lives in New Hampshire for her Birthday. Unfortunately, the colors that she wanted it to be made in, makes it not as thick and stable as I would like. The colors are in softer yarn, which makes the Tote kind of flimsy, meaning that it won't stand up on its own as well as others that I have made. But at least it is in the colors that she wanted....I am also going to make her one of my Bear's. I will probably make her the Chef Bear. And I would also like to make her a new hat for Winter since I have the perfect colors for it!!

Oh well, so much to say but this is getting to be so long already, so I will just have to continue it another time....so, till next time.....here are some photos of the Afghans, etc that I have made recently.

Aloha My Friends :)

Again, this is showing half of the Afghan. I was hoping to get the colors to show better, in different lighting, etc. But the Orange and Yellow just will not cooperate!

This is another photo of Hannah's Afghan. Hopefully you can see the colors better in it as well. The colors reminded me of the Ocean, so calm and serene.

This is a photo of the Chef Bear that I made for our friend and Hairdresser Roxanne!! This is the first time that I have tried to put a name on one!

Christa in the play Shooting Range in Cabella's.

Walker in one of his favorite hats, and yes, he had at least 3 knives on him (real knives too)!!

Emily having a great time!!

And of course me! I don't know how I did it, but I managed to find the only gun in the Shooting Range that gave more than 10 points per shot! I managed to get a high of 660 out of 20 possible shots!

Fall Is Definately Here!!

2011-10-05T19:56:00.000-07:00

Yes, it went from ZERO Snow to this overnight!! With high winds as well!! It is only time, for the Snow level to hit us too!! We are at about 4400 ft above sea level and the Sierra's where this photo was taken is at about 5774 ft above sea level!!

Hey Ya'll

Well if I had any question of it being Fall a week before, I don't now!! LOL The winds that we were getting here almost daily, seemed to stop during July-September. Well....they are back!! Last night it was so windy that it Blew Over Our Huge Gold Wing Motorcycle!! That Bike is almost 1000 lbs!! Too bad we didn't already have the Trike Wheels on it, then it wouldn't have been tipped over! Oh and did I say that it rained too?? Right now at 6:30, it is already down to 46 degrees, and it is supposed to drop down into the 30's overnight! This is only the first week in October....I wonder if we are going to have another Winter of above normal Snow fall for our area, like we had last year?? Just yesterday, we were still running the Air Conditioner!! And now we are bringing out our Ceramic Heaters....What a difference a day makes! LOL

Now at this time of year, when it rains up here in the Reno/Sparks/Carson City area, or down in the Sacramento Valley area, it usually means that it is SNOWING up in the Sierra's! And it did! See the photos above the post, and at the end of the post! The Sierra's had high winds with Snow, instead of Rain!! So I am hopeful that it isn't too late for Christa and the Grand Kids to come up for their Birthday visit!! Her car isn't new and they don't like to take it for a long drive, especially in Winter weather conditions. So I am hopeful that the major storms holds off for another week so that they can come up at least once!! So please cross your fingers and toes that the weather gets better and holds for at least a week!

We've been really busy lately, getting our new Corporation up and running for the Business. Since we moved out of California, we needed a Company for Walt to do his work through, and we decided to close out the California Company and open one in Nevada. Especially since we have made Nevada our new home. So we have been busy getting the Corp up and running, opening Bank Accounts, etc. A big pain in the A**!! LOL But something that is necessary.

We were a bit concerned that because of the Bankruptcy last year, that the new Bank would turn us down for opening up the new Accounts. But we were pleasantly surprised that they not only allowed us to open the Business Accounts, but Personal Accounts too!! This means that we will eventually close out our California based Bank Accounts in the near future as well.

Like I said in an earlier post, we rented another smaller Storage Unit (half the size and interior/climate controlled) last month, and so far we have just about everything in it that we intend to keep. We only have a few items left in the larger Unit. But we are hopeful that this is the last month that we use it! Technically, we could squeeze in the "stuff" from the larger unit into the new smaller unit if necessary. We still have my Cream colored Arm Chair, that we are getting rid of and the Kitchen Table and Chairs from our RV that we want to sell. Walt hopes that we can get $100 for my Chair (which we paid around $400 for and is still in perfect showroom condition, having been barely sat in, and never by a child!!), and at least some money for the Table and Chairs. We are going to place them on Craig's List and see if we can get something for them....

Here is a photo of the Chair, do you think that it is worth $100??? If not, what do you suggest we sell it for???

I have finished Hannah's Afghan which I posted photos of in an earlier post, and I am almost finished with my Mom's Afghan too!! We are planning on taking them with us to give to them, when we go down to Sacramento in a couple of weeks. We really need to get down there and get the Trike Wheels attached to the Bike....especially since the Winter is starting sooner than expected!! We need to get it done while we can still ride the Bike down and back!! Otherwise, I will be stuck without transportation during the Winter again!! I will post photos of my Mom's Afghan soon!! Hopefully in a couple of days.

I have been reading a lot of the blogs of those who attended the 2011 Boobs weekend!! It sounds like ya'll had a really great time!! I so wish that I could have attended....but, like Walt says "we are going to Hawaii (my dream vacation) in a couple of months", so I can't complain, and....we are flying First Class!! We managed to get great rates. So....maybe one of these years, Boobs will consider having its gathering here on the West Coast???? There are a lot of us that would love to attend from this side of the States!! LOL

Walt just got home from work, so I guess I should go for now. Till next time.....

Aloha My Friends :)

A Sneak Peak At My Newest Afghan!!

2011-09-29T11:56:00.000-07:00

Hey Ya'll,

I am ashamed to say that last night I had another stuck episode! I had some pieces of Hot Dog with mustard, and some Cottage Cheese. I didn't even finish it all and I realized that I was going to be stuck. Sure enough, I started to slime....then before you know it, I was vomiting the Hot Dog and Cottage Cheese up! But I immediately felt better! On a better note....

Here are a couple photos of my newest Afghan, that I am making for my Mom. I an making it in squares, that will be sewn together. It is in the colors of a Bird Of Paradise flower! I am making two different patterns. The original and a reverse pattern. And of course I changed the pattern that I am following! The original pattern that I am going by, only calls for 3 colors, and 6 rounds. I am making it in 5 colors and 9 rounds!! It just wouldn't be made by me, if I didn't change the pattern in some way....LOL At any rate, it definitely looks Tropical, which is what I was going for! LOL

And it will definitely be colorful. Both Walt and I love the colors, and think that it will be the prettiest Afghan that I have made yet!! And remember that the colors didn't come out as pretty in these photos, as they really are in person....I am using a bright yellow, bright orange, fire engine red, a plum (Vanna's choice wild berry) and bright green. In fact, the red and green kind of reminds me of Christmas green and red!!! So without further ado....here are the photos, I hope that you like them!!

This is the original pattern where it goes from bright to dark. And please excuse the towel that it is laying on!!

And this is the reverse pattern. And like I said, the colors aren't nearly as pretty as they are in person!!

So.....I hope that you like them so far. They look so much better in person! Till next time....

Aloha My Friends :)

A Big Shout Out To Chiquita (Jess) !!

2011-09-28T17:34:00.000-07:00

Hey Ya'll,

I just checked in and found that I have a new Follower! Her name is Jess, and she was recently Banded on June 3, 2011.....AND....Jess has already lost 45 lbs!! Yea Jess! So if you haven't found Jess's blog yet, follow this link: Chiquita....Yea Right!, and say hello!! So Jess, "Welcome to my Nightmare!".

Aloha My New Friend :)

Another Tragedy.....

2011-09-27T23:57:00.000-07:00

Hey Ya'll,

Long time no post!! LOL We have been busy....and a lot has been happening here! Since my last post, we have had another tragedy occur here in the Reno area....Last week from Sept 21st through the 25th, was Reno's Fall Street Vibrations Event, which brings in about 25-30 Thousand Harley Motorcycles to the area! We do not own a Harley, but we have always loved the look and sound of them! And there were plenty here staying in our RV Park, but I didn't get any photos of them. Alas, we decided that for our purposes, the Gold Wing is best for us, at least at this point in time.

Anyhoo, apparently the commotion was between two rival Biker Gangs which caused a lot of trouble in the City of Sparks, which is adjacent to Reno. On Friday night the 24th, the President of the San Jose, CA chapter of the Hells Angels, was shot and killed, and two members of a rival CA Biker Gang, called the Vagos was shot, but was/are in stable condition in the Hospital (in fact, I heard that they had to lock down the Hospital, as so many of the Gang showed up there!).

The shooting took place just outside of the Trader Dick's Bar which is inside of John Ascuaga's Nugget Casino. The following morning, another man riding a Motorcycle in that same general area, was shot in the Stomach in a drive by shooting. Police are still looking for the car that the shots were fired out of, and the injured man is in stable condition....So the City of Sparks canceled the balance of the events planned for the rest of the weekend. However, the Street Vibrations events taking place in Reno, Virginia City and Carson City continued on until Sunday evening. And....they reported that because of the massive amount of traffic during the 5 days of the event, there were 84 crashes and 23 arrests were made. But, other than the Hells Angel killed by gunfire, there were no other deaths!! Which is amazing.....

Luckily, Walt and I were not in Reno or Sparks during this trouble. We were in Carson City working at our Storage Unit with our son Russ. We originally rented a 10x20 Unit, and all along Walt wanted to condense it to a 10x10 Unit. He had originally hoped this would happen by the end of last year....I knew better. However, through all of our mini trips there removing small amounts at a time, before we realized it, we had removed about 50% of the "stuff" that we have stored in there!

So we rented a 10x10 Unit on Friday, and spent the weekend sorting through what was left in the original Unit, deciding if we want to keep it at all (other wise, throw away), keep for now, and keep for long term. The "stuff" that we decided to keep long term, we moved over to the smaller Unit stacking it so that the "stuff" that we know we are keeping long term was under my Love Seat, that I am still hopeful to get to use again....and or at the back of the Unit. The rest was placed up front for us to continue to go through.

All that remains in the original 10x20 Unit is the matching Chair to my Love Seat, that we have decided to give away, the Dining Table and Chairs from our RV that we removed, and some odds and ends. So hopefully, we will have it cleaned out completely by the end of November at the latest!! Considering that we went from a 4 Bedroom house with 3 Full Sets Of Living Room Furniture, to what is in our RV and the 10x10 Unit in less than a year....we feel we have done great!! And a lot of our family and friends got some awesome furniture and or appliances!!

We are anxiously waiting until our Daughter Christa drives up with Walker and Emily (the Grand Kids), to spend the day here. Emily turned 8 in August, and Walker just turned 11 this month. So when they come up, I will take them all out to Lunch, then spend the rest of the day shopping!! I will let them pick out their Birthday gifts themselves (unless Christa has issues with their choices!). Christa will be taking my full keyboard Electric Piano home with her so that they can use it until we eventually get a larger RV that we can place it in. So at least they can use it, and learn how to play it. She is hoping to be up next week....

We just found out a day or two ago that Walt's Mom fell again. This is at least her 2nd fall in one year if not the 3rd, and she has fallen about 4 times in the last 18 months to 2 years! She will be 82 yrs old in January, and we are getting more and more concerned that she will have a serious fall soon. So far, she has only become bruised, and hasn't broken any bones. But at her age, it is inevitable that she will break something. She refuses to move into an Assisted Living kind of place, and she lives alone....so yes, we are concerned about her. We are not sure who will pass first, my Mom or Dad, or Walt's Mom. But basically she is much better health over all than my parents, who are only in their mid 70's!

We are riding the Bike down to Sacramento in a couple of weeks, so that we can visit with family and friends, and attach the Trike Wheels to the Bike. This way I can ride it (when weather permits) this Winter, while Walt drives the Truck. Since he has to drive to and from work in the Winter conditions, he is more likely to need the 4x4 Truck (remember that he had the accident last Winter (in the Truck) and it needed to have the body repaired both front and back!

I can ride the Bike so long as the road conditions isn't too bad, and yes, I will ride very carefully!! I can use my current Summer riding gear this Winter (to save money). However, I will wear thermals under my clothes to help with the colder weather. BUT! I will be purchasing Winter Gloves to wear!! My current gloves are made for Summer, and air flows right through them!! Not to mention WATER!! LOL Then at the end of Winter, we can purchase me some new Winter riding gear when they go on sale, for the next Winter season.

I have finished the Afghan that I was making for our family friend Hannah in Sacramento. I am now making an Afghan for my Mom that we want to give to her in a couple of weeks!! Then I will start the Afghan for Walt's Mom....do you see a trend here?? LOL Yes, I do love to make Afghans. And I have yet to make one for Hannah or Walt's Mom. I did make one for my Mom about 25 yrs ago....but it is long gone! So I wanted to give her one more, and it is in the colors of the beautiful Bird of Paradise flower. I chose these colors because it was my Grand Mother's favorite flower, and it always reminds both my Mom and I of her. Till next time....

Aloha My Friends :)

Here is a photo of Hannah's Afghan which I have laid across our King size bed. Sorry! I guess I didn't make sure there weren't any wrinkles in the Comforter!

A Big Shout Out To Dwindling Dame !!

2011-09-23T00:31:00.000-07:00

Hey Ya'll,

Well I was checking back into my blog tonight, and found that I have another new Follower!! She goes by Dwindling Dame, and was Banded 2 wks ago on September 9th!! So if you haven't found Dwindling Dame's Blog yet, follow this link: Dwindling Dame to her Blog, and give Dwindling Dame the love and support she will need in these early days of her new life!! So Dwindling Dame....."Welcome to my Nightmare"!

Aloha My New Friend :)

A Big Shout Out To Kelly !!

2011-09-22T12:07:00.000-07:00

Hey Ya'll,

Well I just checked into my blog this morning, and found that I have a new Follower!! Her name is Kelly, and this is the link to Kelly's blog: Life Of A Banded Army Wife. Kelly's husband is stationed in Germany. and I am soooo jealous because Kelly gets to visit all those beautiful Countries over there in Europe!!

Oh well....back to her stats! Kelly is being Banded TOMORROW in Frankfurt, Germany!! Kelly has already lost 12 lbs on her Pre-Op Diet alone!! So if you haven't already found Kelly's blog, please follow the link that I provided and wish Kelly luck tomorrow, and provide all the support we know that we are all so great at giving!! So Kelly.....I will definitely be thinking of you tomorrow, and when you can, let us know how you are doing so that we know you are ok. And...."Welcome to my Nightmare!".

Aloha My New Friend :)

Such A Sad Accident-Please Send Thoughts And Prayers!!

2011-09-16T19:43:00.000-07:00

If you look closely just to the right of the person in the foreground and to the left of the pole, you can see the plane heading straight towards the ground!

And here is a photo taken after the crash showing the debris of the crash site. It appears that the plane was totally demolished into small pieces...

****UPDATE****

The last information given out, is saying that the death toll is now up to 11. But based on survivors information, because the Pilot did his best to veer the Plane away from the Grandstands, instead of 100's to possibly 1000's of Deaths, there was only 10. However, 10 is 10 too many. Unfortunately, we are used to hearing about crashes that killed the Pilot, but this is the 1st year that a crash involved the Spectators....

Hey Ya'll,

I just wanted to make a short post to send out a request for prayers and good thoughts, for those that were either injured at the Reno Air Races today, and to the Families of those that were killed. Yes, killed....luckily Walt and I didn't attend the races this year, as we were considering doing. Many of you may remember my posts talking about our love of Flying and Airplanes. But we have never actually attended the Reno Air Races. But now that we are living here in Reno, we were thinking about going this year.

Today at 4:30 (the last race of the day, the Gold Heat (the fastest planes)), a P-51 Mustang called the Galloping Ghost, lost control while flying around 400 mph, and although it appears that the pilot attempted to miss the Grandstands, he just couldn't miss them entirely. The plane crashed either into the first 2 rows of the Box Seats or just in front of them in a particular set of Grandstands. As of right now, it is known that at least 2 Spectators are dead as well as the Pilot. At least 75 are injured, with 54 seriously enough to be transported to the Hospitals, with at least 25 Critically injured. So please, send your prayers and good thoughts that this is the worst that is reported, that no others will die through the night.

Sorry for the sad post, but I wanted to report this sad accident in hopes of love and prayers to be sent out this way, to the injured and to the families of the injured and dead, as they will need it in the coming days.

Aloha My Friends :(

This is a photo of the pilot Jimmy Leeward taken next to the Galloping Ghost at last years race. Jimmy was 74 yrs old. It is believed that something went wrong with the Airplane, not anything medically with Jimmy.

A Big Shout Out To Vickyd !!

2011-09-12T15:21:00.000-07:00

Hey Ya'll,

Well I'll be....I just checked into my blog again, and found that I had another new Follower!! I had just started to Follow her today as well!! LOL Her name is Vicky, and Vicky was Banded on Dec 2, 2010. And get this....Vicky has already lost 105.6 lbs!! I REALLY need to read Vicky's Blog, to find out what she is doing..... :) So if you haven't found Vicky's Blog yet, here is the link: My Shrinking Belly, now stop goofing off and follow it to her Blog!! LOL So Vicky...."Welcome to my Nightmare!".

Aloha My New Friend :)

A Big Shout Out To Kristin !!

2011-09-12T14:45:00.000-07:00

Hey Ya'll,

I just checked into my blog, and found that I have a new Follower!! Well....actually I started to Follow her first! LOL Anyway....her name is Kristin, and Kristin was Banded on 11/07/07. Like me, Kristin did well in the beginning, then slacked off and regained some of the weight she had lost. But now Kristin is BACK...and on the straight and narrow, of eating what is good for her!! I on the other hand, still have to get myself back in check!!!!! So yea Kristin, you are doing great! Keep it up! :) In case you haven't found Kristin's blog yet, here is the link: My Journey Being Banded. Oh, and it appears that she will be one of the lucky ones attending the 2011 BOOBS, so many of you will get to know her personally (you lucky people)!! So Kristin...."Welcome to my Nightmare!".

Aloha My New Friend :)

A Warm Welcome To...Kelli :)

2011-09-08T20:57:00.000-07:00

Hey Ya'll,

Well, I just checked my emails, and saw that I had one from a new Follower!! I had just started Following her tonight, and was shocked at how fast she Followed me back to my blog!!

Her name is Kelli, and here is the link to Kelli's blog: KelliBelliBand. Kelli is a brand new blogger and will be Banded next week on the 15th!! So if you haven't found her blog yet, please follow the link I provided and give her the love and support she will need in this new adventure!!

So Kelli....."Welcome to my Nightmare!".

Aloha My New Friend :)

My Latest PB And....Life

2011-09-06T20:26:00.000-07:00

This seemed appropriate since NHRA had their Indianapolis Race this past Weekend!!

Hey Ya'll,

Well, it has been a long time since I last posted....sorry! I had another bad session of being Stuck the other night!! What's so funny, I had read Lap Band Girl's post on Sunday about her having her 1st PB. She has had her Band for a some time now, and was so careful that she had never had one! Well, shortly after I left a comment on her post, I realized that I was going into a full blown STUCK/PB episode myseslf!!

TMI ALERT, TMI ALERT!!

Yes, I was praying to the Porcelain God for a while.....I hate it when I do this. I knew I shouldn't have eaten all of the small portion of Steak that Walt gave me, as he accidentally over cooked it. Thus making it a bit dry, and again....thus making it harder for me to chew and digest. I also had a few bites of Spaghetti that Walt made (the sauce was only Stewed Tomatoes chopped up in the food processor and some herbs added, which made it a very low calorie meal, and I love Stewed Tomatos!!). Unfortunately, since the Steak was so dense and dry....the Spaghetti was not going to go down without a fight!! So I was in agony for a couple of hours, which included several vomiting episodes until all of the Spaghetti was eventually expelled!! Sorry, TMI I know!! But oh how much better it feels after I am able to expel something!! At least for awhile, if there is more to come up!

Since Walt is now working for Nevada, we decided to start up a Nevada Corp for him to work through as he is an Independent Contractor, especially since we are now Nevada residents! Because of this, we have both been doing a lot of research regarding Nevada Corps, and where we want to open up Bank Accounts for the Business, etc. We also are wanting to change our Cell Phone Company, now that our latest Contract is up....so we are researching all the different options there too!! LOL

I have done the laundry twice since I last posted....I am trying to make it easier on myself, and instead of doing the laundry once every two weeks, I am trying to do it once a week. I am not really doing a lot less as far as how many loads I do, but I am not doing loads that are as full, so I have less clothes to fold, thus making it easier for me!! I kind of like this....and I really don't mind doing the laundry, I just hate putting it away!! LOL In fact, right now, this is about the only time that I get any personal "fun" reading in!!

We have also gone on another Bike ride (Motorcycle for any new readers), though not quite as long as the other ride was a couple of weeks ago. And it wasn't as hot, so it was a nice ride. We went to where my Mother In Law lives, and took her to lunch (in her car of course!!). So we had a nice lunch to catch up with her, and made plans to have Thanksgiving with her this year. Since my parents aren't doing well (they as well as our Kids/Grand Kids, live in California), we really wanted to make sure to spend Christmas with them!! Who knows, this could be their last Christmas, and we don't want to miss spending it with them.

My Mom went in and got the Lab Work done that her Doctor ordered. The Doctor that she saw when she fell and split her Head open, told her that she has Melanoma Cancer on/in her Scalp. I spoke with her last night, and she said that she has an appointment for the 13th to find out the results of the most recent Lab Work. I will keep you posted once I hear from her regarding them....

I went in to my Doctor last week, to get my own Lab Work Test results. And as suspected, the Doctor told me that my Vitamin D and Calcium is low, and my Cholesterol is high. She wants me to up my Vitamins and recheck my Labs in 3-4 Months. She doesn't want to panic about the results and said that she wants to see if the Vitamin D and Calcium goes up, and hopefully the Cholesterol goes down!! She also doesn't want to panic about my High Alt (SGPT) levels. Of course, I didn't tell her about the high incidence of Liver problems in my family....she doesn't want to put me on any more RX Medications if she can help it, as I already take so many!! So we shall wait until the next Labs to determine what course of action we will be taking. And thank you to all who offered their love and support for both me and my Mom!! I <3 all of you!!

Walt and I went to the annual BBQ Rib cook off they hold here on Thursday (the first day of the Fair). Walt was so hungry when we got there, that we ate at the first BBQ stand that we came to. It was good, and I am sure that we would have had good BBQ no matter which vendor we ate at!! Of course, I could barely touch my meal!! I had so much left over, so we brought it home with us. After eating, we walked around to check out all of the different vendors. It was fairly warm, but luckily not extremely HOT!! Walt ended up eating snacks from several different vendors! Which included, Ice Cream, Chocolate covered Strawberries, Lemonade, Churros, etc, etc, etc. Of course, I couldn't even consider eating anything else for fear of getting stuck!

I had told Walt that he could eat anything that he wanted (even the Ice Cream in front of me), and that I would wait until we left. That I would drive through Dairy Queen, and take me a cup of Ice Cream home to freeze, and eat later when I could actually eat.....He didn't think that I would really do it! He wanted to go straight home, even though we had parked close to the Dairy Queen. He thought that if he didn't let me drive through it then and there, I wouldn't get my Ice Cream....Well, you can't keep me from my soft serve, especially since I didn't say a word about all the crap that he ate there!! So I took him home (I was driving), let him out and said that I would be right back, as I was going back to Dairy Queen!! It was soooo good too! LOL

Recently we have had some issues with our rear toilet in the RV. It has been continually filling with water (luckily it fills slowly). Causing me to have to flush out the water from the toilet several times a day to keep it from over flowing....then at night (or early morning in my case), I had to go outside and turn off the water to the RV so that the toilet didn't over flow during the night when I went to bed....it wasn't difficult, just an inconvenience! So our RV Repair guy came by on Saturday (on his way to the BBQ fair of course) and fixed the problem (for the second time!!).

When he came out for the same problem the first time, Walt wanted him to install a shut off valve at each toilet so that if we had continuing issues, we could shut off the water to the toilet itself. Ron our RV guy, didn't want to do it. Well....this time he did!! LOL So, if we have any problems in the future, at least we can shut the individual toilet water off leaving the rest of the RV with water until we could get it fixed.

I am hoping that my Daughter Christa and my Grand Kids Walker and Emily will be coming to visit me in a week or two! They are planning on driving up from Sacramento for the day, so that we can go shopping with the Kids and have lunch to celebrate their Birthdays!! Since we live up here in Nevada, we weren't able to go to their Birthday parties this year. Emily turned 8 in August and Walker will turn 11 in September!! I can't believe how fast they are growing up....how time flies!!

I just finished making one of my BFF's her Birthday gifts. She lives on the East Coast now, so I am going to mail the gifts back to her as soon as I get confirmation of her current address. And I am now making our friend Hannah, an Afghan for a Christmas present. It is turning out really nice too. I will take a photo of it when it is completed and post it. The colors are a pale Mint Green (they call it Pastel Green), Turquoise Blue and White. Which is what I have been working on at night lately. Once I finish it, I will start working on my MIL's Afghan that I am making her for her Christmas gift. I am also hopeful that I will have time to make one for my Mom too. I made her an Afghan over 30 years ago, and I would like to make her a new one before it is too late!

Well, I guess that I should go for now, got lot's to do, till next time.....

Aloha My Friends :)

A Big Shout Out To Mari !!

2011-09-06T17:59:00.000-07:00

Hey Ya'll,

I just checked in and saw that I had a new Follower! Her name is Mari and she is hoping to get a Surgery date of October 29th (which is my Brother's 54th Birthday)!! Mari's blog is titled: The Tale Of A Band Called Beyonce. So if you haven't already found Mari's blog, please follow the link provided and give Mari a big hello and all the Support she can use!! So Mari...."Welcome to my Nightmare!".

Aloha My New Friend :)

A Big Shout Out To Rachel !!

2011-08-29T00:48:00.000-07:00

Hey Ya'll,

Well I just checked in, and found that I had a new Follower!! Her name is Rachel and she lives and works in the beautiful City of Paris, France!! I have only been there once, but I fell in love with it while we were there for that one week!!

Rachel was Banded on July 27, 2011 and has already lost 13.6666 lbs (6.2 kg)!! So Rachel is another newbie, and can use all the help and support we can give her. So if you haven't found Rachel's blog yet, follow the link I will be supplying and give her a big hello! Rachel's Blog name and link is: Fat Fish In A Skinny Sea. So Rachel, "Welcome to my Nightmare!".

Aloha My New Friend :)

Send Good Thoughts Our Way!!

2011-08-24T23:34:00.000-07:00

My Mom And My SIL Robin Taken Christmas 2009

Hey Ya'll,

Well, this week has been a bit hard. Yesterday I found out that our Daughter Christa and the Grand Kids, are in danger of an explosion....Apparently a Train that was moving through their City (a Propane Tanker) started fire and....is still on fire. The City/Fire Dept/Police Dept issued a mandatory evacuation within in a 1 mile radius of the burning Train.

Christa, like several of her neighbors, decided to stay in their homes. Of course, if they are caught, they could get into trouble. It has even been said that if anyone is caught trying to get through the barriers to return to their homes, they could be put in jail....So Christa's husband Mark is unable to return home, as he was working out of town when this occurred. My Uncle, who lives in an apartment in their home, the home was separated into several smaller units years ago by a prior owner (their house is one of the original houses in the City). They have since taken over most of the original house again. But my Uncle was visiting my Mom in the next City, when this occurred, so he too is unable to return home...So here they all are, unable to return home and no change of clothing, etc....

And of this morning, it looks like they may not be able to return the their homes for several days, and of course, the main problem is that if the burning propane car actually explodes, it would send out flames for quite some distance and flying debris and metal for up to a mile. They state that if this occurs, it would be a catastrophic event. Christa's house is within the mile border. So keep good thoughts that nothing happens and she didn't make a bad decision in staying home. Also, because they aren't supposed to be there, they can't make any noises, and I am guessing no lights on at night either!

***UPDATE***

I just found out that they are going to allow residents back into their homes tonight at Midnight!!

Another bad thing that I found out today, is that my Mom fell a few days ago, and she didn't tell me because of what was discovered during the Doctor visit. She said that she didn't want to worry me until she had more information.....Luckily she only cut her Head open. In her physical condition, she could very easily have broken several bones!!!

But because she cut her Head open pretty good, they took her into an Urgent Care kind of place as I think this happened over the weekend. She needed about 6 staples to close her Head up (which she said was very painful even though they supposedly numbed her scalp). But upon examination, before the Doctor would do staple the wound closed, he told her that he wanted her to go in for some X-Rays first. She said that she was expecting one X-Ray, they took about 8-10 X-Rays. He then told her that he could see several Lesions (Melanoma) (she says in her Head), so I am assuming under the skin. He told her that she has Melanoma (Skin Cancer).

So my Dad called their regular Doctor on Monday, and asked why they never said anything about it, and what was to be done. The Doctor was angry that the "other" Doctor told my Mom that. He said that Lesions do not necessarily mean Melanoma. But he set her up for immediate Blood Work/Urinalysis to be done. Of course, my Mom can barely move anymore and doesn't feel up to washing her hair, etc in order to go to the Lab. But I made her promise that she would try her hardest to get in tomorrow. As Melanoma is the deadliest of the Skin Cancers!! She also told me that in her last Blood Work, her White Blood Cell count was either too low or too high (I think it was too low). So please keep good thoughts for her.

And the Blood Work/Urinalysis I did a few weeks back is in and I have an appointment with the Doctor tomorrow (the Doctor's Office called and requested that I go in for the results). I was sent a copy of the test results from the Lab as well, and of course I am no Doctor, and cannot interpret them....but some of the numbers are obvious. My Vitamin D is LOW, my Calcium is LOW, my Cholesterol is HIGH, and the number that bothers me the most I think, is my ALT(SGPT) level is HIGH (10 points higher than the upper level).

When I looked this up, it says that it "could" indicate anything from "something not so bad", to Liver Damage, Hepatitis, Cirrhosis or Cancer (among other things). Of course, I am expecting this to be on the mild side. Unfortunately, since my Cholesterol is High, I am not sure if I can be treated with drugs like I was in the past. In the past (several years ago now), I was given Lipitor to control the High Cholesterol, and I know that it can cause damage to the Liver.....Most recently, I was given Celebrex to treat the Arthritis in my Neck, and I believe it too can cause damage to the Liver. So I am afraid that I may have to go off of several of my Medications. If so, I am afraid that my Neck will flare right back up again, especially since it is just now getting under control....I will keep you posted.

On Sunday, Walt and I took a nice ride on the bike. We rode down to Carson City, then headed East for about 60 miles, then turned back South to Reno. All in all, we were gone about 5 1/2 hours. We made a few stops along the way, including eating lunch. All in all, it was a nice day, not too hot. A great day for a bike ride.

So.....other than this, nothing much happening here!! Except that Walt starts his new job here in Nevada on Monday! Till next time.....

Aloha My Friends :)

A Big Shout Out To JRD !!

2011-08-22T21:13:00.000-07:00

Hey Ya'll,

Well, I checked back into my blog and found that JRD has joined me too!! And guess what???? JRD's Surgery date is the same as Cece's!!! What a coincidence!! Both of my newest Follower's that started to Follow me on the same day, has the same Surgery date!! Yea guys!!

So like I said in Cece's welcome, JRD was Banded on July 21st, 2011!! And she has already lost 15.2 lbs! Go JRD!! So if you haven't found JRD yet (and Amy W has, so if you haven't, you are way behind!! LOL), then follow this link: Canuck BANDit Musings, to her blog and give JRD the love and support we are so good at giving each other!! So....JRD, "Welcome to my Nightmare!"

Aloha My New Friend :)

A Warm Welcome To...Cece :)

2011-08-22T17:52:00.000-07:00

Hey Ya'll,

I finally got home from running all around town, not to mention back to Carson City to take care of some business, when I checked into my blog and found that I had a new Follower!! Her name is Cece and Cece was Banded on July 21, 2011!! So Cece is a true newbie, that can really use all the help and support we can give her. So if you haven't found Cece's Blog as yet, please follow this link: Banded For Boots, and say hi!! So Cece....."Welcome to my Nightmare!".

Aloha My New Friend!!

What A Week! R U Sure I Had A Birthday?

2011-08-20T21:04:00.000-07:00

Just thought that I would share this photo that I took from my Truck, while sitting at an Intersection during Hot August Nights here in Reno, of this classic Corvette.... Classic cars were everywhere!!

I Want To Apologize Up Front, For All Of The Photos That I Have Included At The Bottom Of The Post!!

Hey Ya'll,

Well last Sunday, Walt and I drove down to Sacramento. Originally I was going to drive myself down on my Birthday (Aug 17th (now age 56 and proud of it!)) so that I could have lunch with my Family, then drive myself back up to Reno....But since Walt got a job up here in Nevada.....this week will be his last week working down in Sacramento! When our Daughter Kat, married and bought their first house, we helped (or should I say.....we did most of the painting) paint the majority of the inside of her house. What we didn't paint at the time, we said that we would paint later on. Well, finally Kat decided that it was time to do it, and since this week is Walt's last week down there. I decided to go down with him last week to help paint. This way, Walt doesn't have to paint this week, which will be his last and he can enjoy spending time with family and friends for lunch and dinner each day!!

My only stipulation in helping paint last week, was that I didn't want to paint on my Birthday. Which is why we drove down on Sunday. This way we were able to figure out what supplies we needed, and for Walt to wash the walls (Sunday) so that I could start painting/cutting on Monday morning. Luckily, we only had to paint her spare Bathroom, the Closet in her 3rd Bedroom, and her Kitchen Pantry. So I primed the walls all day Monday (about 7 hours), then finished with painting them all day Tuesday (another 7 hours). But at least they were done, and I had my Birthday off!

So on Wednesday, Kat and I met up with my Parents, Christa and my Grand Kids, and my Sister-In-Law Robin for lunch. We originally were going to eat at one of my favorite Mexican Restaurants close to where my Parents live, but Kat doesn't really like Mexican, so I changed it to Chili's Restaurant so she would go as well. Which was fine for everyone except my Parents. They both have trouble eating anything that takes a lot of chewing (I forgot). So I wished that I had stayed with the original Restaurant. Especially since my Mom thought that she was going to get to eat Mexican (her favorite), and she so rarely gets out of the house.....Oh well, next time I see her, I will have to take her a plate from there to make it up to her.

Just before we left the Restaurant, I gave Emily and Walker their gifts that I made for them. I made Emily the Crocheted Baby Bear and Ballerina Bear as well as a new Crocheted Hat for this Winter, and a kid sized Crocheted Tote Bag in her favorite colors (Pink and Purple) of course!! OMG! I just realized that I didn't take a photo of it before I gave it to her, since I only finished it the night before....I made it different than Christa's, and I added some hand made Flower's to it too!! Maybe I can get Christa to take a photo of it for me and send it to me online....?

For Walker, I made him a Crocheted Hat and a Mom and Baby (set) Crocheted Alligator! He really seemed to like them too. Plus, Walt bought him a Hat from Cabela's (a local Sportsman's store here) for wearing outside hunting, etc. I told them that since we won't be there for their actual Birthdays (Aug/Sept), we would celebrate their Birthdays when they come up here to visit (hopefully this week or next).

Both kids really want to go to Cabela's, and to Sheel's (also a huge Sportsman's store (they have an indoor Ferris Wheel)). And Christa wants to go to one of our local Outlet Malls. Plus we will be eating lunch and who knows, maybe dinner too, depending on how late they are here before they have to drive back down to Sacramento. So I told them that they can pick out their Birthday presents while here. They seemed to like that idea! LOL

So while Walt and I were down in Sacramento, we ate at an Italian Restaurant, called Johnny Carino's on Sunday night with Kat. I decided to break with tradition and eat their Lasagna (I usually eat Spaghetti and Meatballs). It was fantastic, the best Lasagna I have ever eaten!! Then of course our lunch at Chili's on my Birthday, then we came home on Thursday. And no, I didn't get to eat out for Dinner on my Birthday. Which is kind of a tradition in our Family. But Elliott, our SIL wanted Walt to make his BBQ Meatloaf, so Walt made that for dinner on my Birthday. He promised to make it up to me....I am still waiting!

Today, Walt and I had a bit of a blowup. Walt goes through "things", I can't really say what. But sometimes he seems to have a stick up his butt, and he is moody and an asshole (sorry) all day, and even he doesn't know why sometimes. Well, today seemed to be "one of those days". I just got sick of it, and blew up right back, so as of right now, we are not really on speaking terms....so if he goes down to Sacramento on Monday morning without taking me out for my Birthday dinner, I just may have to take myself out to dinner while he is away!!! At least it would be cheaper! LOL

Before I forget, the Friday before we drove down to Sacramento, Walt had his first Colonoscopy. They found and removed 3 small Polyp's, and sent them for testing. We got a call while in Sacramento from our Doctor letting Walt know that they were all benign as was expected, so all is good!! :)

Well, I guess I will go for now. I have a lot to do. I want to make a couple more Tote Bags and Hats for gifts, plus I am making 2 Afghans for Christmas presents. So I have a bit of work to do!! LOL So....till next time, I will leave you with a TON of photos of just SOME of the cool Classic Cars/Trucks that was staying here in the RV Park. We didn't want to drive into downtown Reno, since they tend to get about 800,000 people here for this event every year!!

Aloha My Friends :)

This one was probably my Favorite!!

This guy reminded me of Darth Vader's Helmet from the rear!!

Talk about ORANGE, and LOUD! They usually drove in around midnight!

A Classic in the making....

I'm not too sure that this one will EVER make it to fully restored Classic!!

Not too sure if you can tell, but this Motorhome is HUGE!! At least 45-50 ft long. And it towed a giant Trailer just as high (I never did see what was inside of it!)

Thanks Jen For My Button!!

2011-08-12T00:13:00.000-07:00

Hey Ya'll,

I just wanted to make a quick post to say THANK YOU to Jen from Jen's Lap Band Journey, and Just Foolin Blog Designs!! She made this beautiful Button for my blog. I pretty much left it up to her as to what it entailed. And I Love It!! Again, thanks Jen!!

Tomorrow morning I have to wake up early (at least early for me, like 7:30-8:00, remember that I don't go to bed early) so that I can drive Walt to get his first Colonoscopy!! Lucky Walt....I do know what he will be going through, since I have gone through two so far myself! LOL The biggest problem is that he hasn't been able to eat since last night, and he is the type that gets a horrible headache if he doesn't eat at regular intervals....so he has been a bit of a Bear tonight....at least I will be able to take him to eat lunch afterwards (assuming he feels up to it)!! I will post more later....till next time.

Aloha My Friends :)

2011-08-10T13:27:00.000-07:00

Hey Ya'll,

I just noticed that Dee is back!! Dee used to be one of my early Follower's, and we used to comment back and forth a lot....then she dropped out for a bit. BUT....now Dee is back!! Unfortunately, Dee has been having some issues with her Band, and could use some support, so if you haven't already started to Follow her, please use this link My Kajun Life. and say hi!!

So Dee....."Welcome BACK to my Nightmare!" LOL

Aloha My Friend :)

A Big Shout Out To Dr J !!

2011-08-09T00:30:00.000-07:00

Hey Ya'll,

Well, I decided to check back in even though it is fairly late, and I saw that I had a new Follower!! She goes by Dr J, and the link to her blog is: To The Future Of Fertility.... Dr J was Banded in December 2010, and has lost 62 lbs so far!!! Go Dr J!! Dr J is counting down (10 Months), to her Wedding and is hoping to be able to get pregnant, once she loses enough weight, like so many Bandster's!! So if you haven't already found Dr J's Blog, please follow the link I provided and give her a big Hi, and all the support we all need. So Dr J...."Welcome to my Nightmare!" LOL

Aloha My New Friend :)

The Doctor Wants To See Me!! :(

2011-08-08T13:02:00.000-07:00

This is what downtown Reno will look like this week!!

And these are a few of cars that were here in past years!!

Hey Ya'll,

Well, I woke up this morning and found that my Doctors Office called, and left me a message that the Doctor wants to see me regarding my Lab work, that I did last week....she was checking for Rheumatoid Arthritis and Cholesterol among other things. So keep your fingers crossed that it is only the Cholesterol that she is concerned about, and not that I DO have RA!!

Other than that, not too much to report here. Except that this week is Hot August Nights here in Reno, and I get to look out of my window (or walk through the RV Park), and see all of these Cool Cars driving by!! The 6 day event starts tomorrow, and more RV's towing their fancy Trailers, with their Fancy Cool Cars in them, keep pulling in!! I just wish that I had the guts to go walking through the park and take photos of the ones that are out of their Trailers!! Maybe I will sit outside early this evening and get a few photos of some that drive by.....till next time.....a few more cars below!!

Aloha My Friends :)

This car was parked not too far from our RV! I took this photo from inside our RV, so I hope that it shows ok.

The same car, closer up. So I hope that it isn't blurry!!

And this car was parked 3 spaces away from us, and I took this photo from inside our RV as well...

A Warm Welcome To...Mary :)

2011-08-08T00:27:00.000-07:00

Hey Ya'll,

I just checked in, and found that I had a new Follower!! I had just started Following her tonight myself!! So I was happy to see that she has already reciprocated! Her name is Mary, and this is Mary's blog link: Until My Cup Runneth Over.... Mary is planning on having the Sleeve done, and I for one am rooting for her to succeed!!

Mary is almost finished jumping through all of the Insurance hoops, and is hoping to have the paperwork submitted to her Insurance Co, for Surgery approval by the end of the month!! Also, did I mention that Mary has quit smoking, and is now on day 28??? So if you haven't found Mary's blog yet, please do, and say hi for me!! So Mary....."Welcome to my Nightmare!" LOL

Aloha My New Friend :)

A Hijacked Survey From Ms M!!

2011-08-05T16:59:00.000-07:00

This is a photo of the 1st Tattoo, that I got in April of 2007. It is placed on my lower Back, and the only time it hurt (because of the Pinched Nerve in my Lower Spine), was when she was Tattooing the Red Cross (which was placed directly on my Spine). The Black Filigree didn't hurt at all. I could hear the Tattoo machine running, and I could feel pressure on my skin, but no pain!! Which is why I thought that the Tattoo on my Calf (done the next year) wouldn't hurt either. Wrong!!!!! LOL It hurt like (h***)! Three hours of pure pain! Oh well, live and learn!

Hey Ya'll,

Well, not too much happening here right now. I have been taking my new RX Celebrex for Arthritis in my Neck for a few days now. It appears to be working. As I said in prior posts, my Neck has been killing me now for 6 wks and 3 days. But I have noticed that the pain is slowly diminishing, thank god!! It still hurts, but for the most part, is now bearable. So I am hopeful that within a week to 2 weeks, it will no longer hurt me.....

Other than that, I don't have too much to say. Walt and I went to the new Doctor we were referred to by Carolyn (Walt's ex-wife), last week here in Reno, and this Doctor has scheduled Walt for a Colonoscopy (hee hee...I have already had 2, so I know what to expect, and as far as I am concerned, the only part to be afraid of, is the "Prep" crap that you have to drink the day before!!). He had been making sure that he didn't have one before this, but she advised him to get it done! And, she had us get some major Blood Work done. She is testing me for about twice what she is testing Walt for. One of the things that we are looking for in my Blood Work, is Rheumatoid Arthritis....we are hopeful that my Arthritis is just the normal everyday kind, and NOT Rheumatoid Arthritis. But I do have some of the symptoms of it, and my past Blood Work had shown RH Factors in it. So to be safe, we are re-checking for it.

So other than that....all's well here. However, we are expecting the RV Park here to fill up in the next day or two though, with RVs towing some really cool cars (some have already arrived, but they are keeping their cars inside their Trailer carriers), as Reno has an annual gathering called Hot August Nights, which brings hundreds of Cool Cars! I am hopeful to get a few photos of some of them before they take them into downtown Reno to show. If I do, I will post some later. Here is a couple of websites that discuss the event this year (they are expecting about 800,000 people!!) Hot August Nights Reno-Sparks, and Hot August Nights Reno-Tahoe. So this should be exciting!! However, Walt and I will probably try to stay as far away as we can get though....just think of the traffic???

In closing, I found this Survey on Ms M's (Fatscapades Of a Redheaded Chick) blog, and thought it was great. So here it is!!

Till next time....

Aloha My Friends :)

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
Yes, my middle name is after my Grandmother.

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
Last night

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
Sometimes

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
If I eat Lunch Meat, it is usually Ham or Bologna.

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS
I have a Daughter, a Step Daughter and a Step Son that I love dearly.

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
Yes.

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM?
Sometimes

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?
No. I lost them at the age of 17.

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
If it weren't for my Neck and Spinal issues, I would.

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
Life, Cheerios and Honey Nut Cheerios.

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
Yes

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
Call me crazy, but.....VANILLA!

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
Eyes and Smile.

15. RED OR PINK?
Pink.

16. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?
I try to please others, and not do what I really want to do.

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
My Grandmother (Mama Myrt).

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO COMPLETE THIS LIST?
Of course, it is always interesting to read about others.

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
Gray capris... no shoes.

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
Ghost Hunters Internanational.

22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
Razzle Dazzle Rose.

23. FAVORITE SMELLS?
Ocean Air, Carnations, Melons and Baby Powder

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
My Mom

25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?
I Stole it from her Blog, but...Yes!

26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH
NHRA Top Fuel and Funny Cars

27. HAIR COLOR?
Blonde, but now turning Gray very fast!!

28. EYE COLOR?
Blue

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
No

30. FAVORITE FOOD?
Mexican, Italian, Steaks....

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
Both.

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
Descent

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
Black with a Disney Logo on it. My friend Nadene brought it back from Disneyland for me.

34. SUMMER OR WINTER?
Neither, I prefer Spring or Fall, not too cold or hot.

35. HUGS OR KISSES?
Both

36. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
New Moon (Book 2 in the Twilight Series)

37. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
Sand and Rock Garden.

38. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT?
Glee, LA Ink, House Hunters, etc.

39. FAVORITE SOUND(S)
Waves rolling in (especially at night).

40. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?
Beatles

41. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?
France

42. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?
Not that I can think of....

43. WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
Southern California

44. HOW DID YOU MEET YOUR SPOUSE/SIGNIFICANT OTHER?
Long story... involves a Bar, but no drinking was involved....we met dancing at a Country Swing Dance Bar. :) But he likes to say that he picked me up in a Bar, even though I only drink Diet Coke!!

A Big Shout Out To Jackie !!

2011-08-02T14:32:00.000-07:00

Hey Ya'll,

I just checked in and found that I have a new Follower!! Her name is Jackie and she is having Lap Band Surgery in 2 days, on Thursday, 8/04/11!! So if you haven't found Jackie's blog yet, follow this link: Jazzing Up Jackie, and give Jackie a big hi and good wishes!! So Jackie, "Welcome to my Nightmare!". I will be thinking of you on Thursday!!

Aloha My New Friend :)

Oh The Pain!!! :(

2011-08-02T12:49:00.000-07:00

This is a photo we took from our balcony while on vacation in Mazatlan a few years ago.

Hey Ya'll,

Well, Walt and I went to the new Doctor that we wanted to try, here in Reno (she's great, but not like our Doctor's in Sacramento!) last Thursday. The main issue that I wanted to talk to her about, was getting relief from my stiff Neck!! It is now 6 weeks as of today that it has been like this.....

The Doctor thinks that the Arthritis in my Neck is worse and something set it off to hurt really bad again! Whatever the cause, it hurts!! This reminds me of when my Fibromyalgia first flared up, my Neck, Shoulder's and Back hurt so bad, that I was contemplating suicide. Until I told my Neurologist how bad it hurt, and she changed up my Meds!! This new Doctor gave me a sample card of Celebrex (3 days worth) and an RX for it, to try to see if it helps. She didn't want to give me a Muscle Relaxer because of all the RX's that I take (17, however, some of those are creams and lotions for my skin). I have taken Celebrex before, after the FDA took Vioxx off the market. Too bad, Vioxx worked the best!!

I am now out of the samples I was given, and my Insurance is still in the process of approving the Celebrex RX....Right now, my Neck hurts so bad, I am trying to eat lunch and it kills me to open my Mouth to take a bite!! So today I would say that my pain was at least at a 9 on the scale from 1-10! I took a Tylenol 3, so hopefully it will take the edge off of the pain soon....

The only thing that keeps me going when my pain is like this, is that I don't have to try to go into work and function in this condition. Before I "Retired", I was on FMLA for my Medical problems, but I was missing so much work, that I wasn't going to be able to re-qualify for FMLA in the next year, because I wasn't working enough hours!! It is a catch 22, you have to work a minimum number of hours to qualify for FMLA, but when you can't make it in to work....you won't qualify.

Anyway, I am sorry for the Debbie downer post today, I just needed to vent a bit. I will be calling the Pharmacy soon to see if they have received the ok from my Insurance to fill my RX. As I had noticed some relief from the pain and stiffness while I was on the Celebrex, especially with it combined with the Tylenol 3!

Till next time.....

Aloha My Friends :) :(

A Big Shout Out To Bel !!

2011-08-01T19:46:00.000-07:00

Hey Ya'll,

I just checked back into my blog and found that I have a new Follower!! Her name is Bel, and she has been Banded since Jan 29, 2009. Bel was fortunate enough to lose enough weight in the beginning, to become Pregnant with her 1st child, a Son, and is now back on the losing track trying for Baby #2!! So if you haven't found Bel's blog yet, please follow this link: The Fit Mother, say hi, and give her the support she can use to attain her precious goals!! So Bel...."Welcome to my Nightmare!"

Aloha My New Friend :)

What A Bummer!! Still No Pain Relief! :(

2011-07-31T19:52:00.000-07:00

Here is the 1st Afghan that I have made just for Walt!! He has waited patiently.....well...sort of!! LOL This Afghan is huge! Of course, I had to make it over sized for my Walt. It measures about 7 1/2 feet long by 5 feet wide.....and HEAVY!! Of course, it has to be heavy, since I made it with double yarn! LOL And I figured out the color pattern using the colors that Walt chose....Hope that you like it!!

Hey Ya'll,

Well, it has been a while since I posted last....again, except for welcoming new Followers!! But as usual so much has been happening, yet so little.

As I have posted several times, my Neck has been killing me! It started on June 21st. I have seen 2 Doctor's here in Reno about it and neither one would give me an RX for a Muscle Relaxer because of all the Medications that I take!! The 2nd Doctor that we saw on Thursday, thinks that the Arthritis in my Neck is getting worse, so she gave me an RX for Celebrex and a sample of it to hold me over until I can get the RX filled. So along with the Celebrex, I have been taking Tylenol 3 (Tylenol with Codeine), and between both, I have enough relief that I can function.

I used to take Celebrex years ago, until they took it off the market for a while. Once it was put back on the market, my Neurologist didn't give me a new RX for it, but kept me on the new RX I had gone too. It worked, but I had to go off of it a couple of years ago too, because I was retaining so much water and swelling up so bad, that my Legs, Ankles and Feet hurt constantly. So I was taken off of it, which helped some with the swelling, but then my pain levels went up again. But we managed to keep them under control for the most part. Until recently.....

Walt is also concerned that maybe I slipped a Disc in the Neck, since it is almost 6 weeks now with no relief. So we will probably give the Celebrex a week to see if my Neck will finally calm down, and if not, then we will call our Internist to see if he will give me a referral back to my Neurosurgeon, to see if perhaps I re-injured my Neck....here's crossing my fingers that I didn't.

Oh!! And one of the things that I have been doing to help with my Pain-In-The-Neck, is applying an Extra Strength Creme Rub on my Neck. Which helps....but unfortunately, the other night I guess that I didn't wash my Hands well enough, after applying it before I went to bed. I rubbed my Eyes, and....ouch!! I had Mentholyptus in my Eyes!! Talk about weird!! I wasn't sure if I would call it painful, but it felt weird....I guess because of the numbing elements of the rub, plus the smell. Like I said, it was just weird. But to be safe, I flushed my Eyes with Water!! Walt made sure of that.

August is the biggest Month our family has for Birthdays. Just my family alone, not including friends, etc, we have 8 Birthdays, (including mine!)! My Dad's and my Grand Daughter Emily's Birthday is also in August. I guess this means that I have another road trip ahead of me....I need to go celebrate with them.

Yesterday, Walt and I spent the whole day in a Gun Safety Course. I was amazed at how well I did too! We had to shoot a target at 3 different distances to show that we could hit the target and not something else!! And I managed to hit the target right around the center of the chest most of the shots!

This Instructor was extremely through too. He teaches Law Enforcement Officers, etc, as well as Self Defense classes for women. And one thing that I want to bring up, since he told the other woman in the class and me....and I feel that everyone should be aware of is this.....he said that many times, a man will place a Cell Phone on the floor in the dressing rooms, and have it on record, etc. So if you are not aware of it, you will be recorded and on the Internet!!! So if you notice a Cell Phone on the floor, don't just assume that someone dropped it, kick it out of the way!!!

Well, I have so much to do, and as usual so little time to do it in. So I will go for now, but I wanted to leave with this Survey that I found on Andrea's blog tonight....Hope you enjoy it too. Till next time....

Aloha My Friends :)

Survey Time!
Andrea posted this survey on her blog, and she got it from another friend, and I too thought it was a fun idea! I love getting to know people better.

1. What is your occupation right now ?
I am Retired from the State of California due to Medical issues.

2. What color are your socks right now?
White, normally I wouldn't be wearing socks in the Summer, but Walt likes to keep the RV about 68 degrees, and the cold air freezes me!!

3. What are you listening to right now?
The movie "Because I Said So".

4. What was the last thing that you ate?
A Ham and Cheese sandwich.

5. Can you drive a stick shift?
Yes, all of my cars/trucks, etc that I drove from Pre-Teen on, were stick shifts until 15 years ago. My legs can't handle having to use the Clutch all the time anymore....

6. Last person you spoke to on the phone?
My Parents.

7. Do you like the person who sent this to you?
Yes!

8. How old are you today?
55, but I will be 56 in 17 days!!

9. What is your favorite sport to watch on TV?
I love watching NHRA Top Fuel and Funny Car Drag Racing!!

10. What is your favorite drink?
I love Diet Coke, Caffeine Free. And I also like Sugar Free Cherry Kool Aid.

11. Have you ever dyed your hair?
Yes, for a few months 19 yrs ago, I attempted to have Red hair as that is Walt's favorite hair color, but it just wouldn't hold the color, so I went back to my natural Blonde. But it is now quickly turning Gray! I haven't even used a Wash In Color, in over a year. But I will probably put one in for our Vacation in Hawaii this December!! :)

12. Favorite food?
Definitely Mexican and Italian

13. What is the last Movie you watched?
In the Theater, it would have been "The King's Speech" with my daughter Christa.

14. Favorite day of the year?
Thanksgiving and Christmas!

15. How do you vent anger?
Vent? Whats vent? I tend to hold things in until I explode!

16. What was your favorite toy as a child?
My Bike and Motorcycle.

17. What is your favorite Season?
Spring and Fall since it isn't too hot or too cold!

18. Cherries or Blueberries?
Neither

19. Do you want your friends to e-mail you back?
Yes, I love to get reply's from my e-mails.

20. Where is you favorite place to escape?

I love to go the beach, and sit in a comfortable chair in the shade.

21. Favorite TV Show?
I have too many to list, but as far as non Reality Shows, I love Bones. But I love reality shows, and there are wayyy too many of those to list!!

22. Living arrangements?
My Husband and I live in a 40' RV Fifth Wheel, and I am liking it much more than I thought that I would.

23. When was the last time you cried?
Last night. I cry reading books, watching TV and Commercials, etc. IE, I cry just thinking about it sometimes.

24. What is on the floor of your closet?
Our shoes.

25. Who is the friend you have had the longest?
My friend Kelly. We have been best friends for 32 years!!

26. What did you do last night?
Ate dinner with Walt after a full day at a Gun Safety Class.

27. What are you most afraid of?
FIRE (I always joke that I must have been burned at the stake in another lifetime...) :)

28. Plain, Cheese, or Spicy Hamburgers?
Cheese

29. Favorite dog breed?
I love small dogs, like Terriers, Chihuahuas, etc. Something that I could easily carry one handed/armed. But for a full size dog, my favorite dog growing up was a Boxer, she was the smartest, sweetest dog I ever had!

30. Favorite day of the week?
Monday

31. How many states have you lived in?
(2)...California for 55 yrs, and Nevada now for the past 7 months.

32. Diamonds or pearls?
Diamonds baby!

33. What is your favorite flower?
Carnations....

A Warm Welcome To...Dede :)

2011-07-28T11:46:00.000-07:00

Hey Ya'll,

Well I woke up and decided to check out my emails and blog, before I start getting ready for my Doctor Appointment today, and I found that I have a new Follower!! Her name is Dede, and she was just Banded on July 7th, 2011!! So Dede is a real newbie to Bandland, and has already lost 32 lbs!! So if you haven't found Dede's blog as yet, please follow the link I will provide for you, and tell her hi!! Dede's blog is called, Saucy Little Stitch. So, saying that Dede...."Welcome to my Nightmare!"

Aloha My New Friend :)

A Warm Welcome To....Bec :)

2011-07-27T19:42:00.000-07:00

Hey Ya'll,

Well, I just found out that I have a new Follower!! Her name is Bec, and she is from Australia!! Bec started Blogging around the same time that I did, and in fact, Bec was Banded on Oct 08, 2009, which was exactly 6 weeks before I was Banded!! And....best of all, Bec has lost 111 lbs so far! Yea Bec!! But!!! Bec is a bit perplexed as to why she only has 55 Follower's, when she Follows about 130 Blogs herself!! So....if you haven't found Bec's Blog as yet, PLEASE follow this link to her Blog and give her the love and support we all need!! My Lapband Journey. So Bec, "Welcome to my Nightmare!".

Aloha My New Friend :)

A Big Shout Out To Crystal !!

2011-07-26T15:31:00.000-07:00

Hey Ya'll,

I just checked my emails and found that I have a new Follower!! Yes, I have it setup so that when I get a new comment in my Blog, I receive an email letting me know!

So like I said....I have a new Follower, and her name is Crystal! Crystal's blog is called: My Perfect Fit. Crystal is impatiently waiting for her Insurance approval, and hopes to have her Surgery date in a few days. Oh! And Crystal is getting Married on Aug 28th, 2011!!! So, if you haven't found her blog yet, please follow the link that I provided above, and give her congrats on her upcoming Wedding and the support she can use in her upcoming Lap Band Surgery!! So Crystal...."Welcome to my Nightmare!".

Aloha My New Friend :)

A Big Shout Out To Undercover Banded !!

2011-07-24T22:42:00.000-07:00

Hey Ya'll,

I just checked in an found that I have another new Follower!! I can't tell you her name, but she goes by Undercover Banded. She was banded on Feb 9, 2011, so she is a fairly new bandster! She is doing great, but could use all the support we can give her (as we all can!). So if you haven't found her blog yet, please hop on over and say hi!! So....Undercover Banded, "Welcome to my Nightmare!"

Aloha My New Friend :)

It's Bring Your Own Crazy!!

2011-07-23T13:22:00.000-07:00

It's Bring Your Own Crazy!!

It’s BYOC day! Bring Your Own Crazy! We answer a few questions to get to know each other better and to give our blog brains a break! Copy and paste to your own blog and enjoy!! Thanks Drazil!

1. Alright – forgive me – we’re gonna get a little personal here. I was flipping through my organizer and saw in big bright letters “ANNUAL PHYSICAL DUE” coming up soon. Then I remembered that last year my lady bits doc said that since I haven’t had a bad pap in so many years – that I don’t have to come back for another 3 years if I don’t want to. What the what? Did you guys know that?
No speculum in the vaginulum?
Anywhoozle – it sounds all good but really – do any of you follow this medical rule? Do you go every three years if you’ve never had a bad pap?

I was always told that it was a yearly exam.

But, since we moved up to Nevada at the end of last year, and since my Annual was due this past January, I have yet to get mine this year....However, once I had my Hysterectomy back in 1998, I continued to get Annual exams, but not the Pap Smear. However, they do still do the full Pelvic Exam....Ugh!

2. If you read, what are you reading right now? Or how about what is your fave music right now?

I have an E-Reader and book shelves full of Books (most of them free!). At this minute I am reading Full Moon by Stephanie Meyer (unfortunately I do most of my reading while I am doing/waiting for the laundry, or on vacation, so I don't get too much reading in anymore....for now). One of our daughters bought me the Twilight Series and told me that I HAVE to read them!! And I am enjoying them. But my all time Favorite Book Series is the Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon.....very detailed, and very informative of the 18th Century time period.

3. Name some of your favorite smells.

The smell of the ocean either early in the morning or right after a cleansing rain. That is how much I love the beach.

Carnations. I can smell them all day.

Melons. I love the smell of Melons so much that my Shampoo is in Melon scent, as well as Liquid Hand Soap....And it is one of the only scents that doesn't bother my Allergies.

4. Showers or baths? Shampoo only or shampoo & conditioner? Shave daily or just when you start feeling and looking like an ape?

Showers!! I love a Bath, but because of my Spinal issues as well as Arthritis, etc. it is very difficult for me to get out of the tub, so I pretty much stick with Showers.

I prefer to use both Shampoo and Conditioner, but right now I am trying a Shampoo/Conditioner combo.

I hate to shave, so I do it when the hair is starting to pop out. Which is about 1-2 times a week. During the Winter, I don't shave at all!! And Walt doesn't even notice. He said that he could care less!!

5. Repeat question: Summarize your week in real life and in blogland.

In Blogland, I have some new Followers, and I am trying to read up on my Followers as much as possible. Unfortunately, I can't read as much as I would like to....

In Real Life I am still suffering from this horrible Stiff Neck!! It is now almost 5 weeks, and I am getting really tired of hurting....luckily I have an appointment with our new Doctor this Thursday!! Hopefully she will help me with this. The only other time that I have had a Stiff Neck this bad, or as long, was when I had a really bad case of Whiplash which was back in 1980!!!

Till next time....

Aloha My Friends :)

A Warm Welcome To...Robyn !! :)

2011-07-23T12:15:00.000-07:00

Hey Ya'll,

Well I'll be....I have another new Follower!! Her name is Robyn and her blog link is: Robyn's Nest. Robyn was just recently banded on May 27th, 2011 and has already lost 33.8 lbs!! Yea Robyn!! If you haven't found Robyn's blog yet, please jump on over via the link I provided, and tell Robyn hi!! Robyn is a newbie and can use all the love and support we can give to her!! So Robyn....."Welcome to my Nightmare!" LOL

Aloha My New Friend :)

I've Lost My Ride :( :( :(

2011-07-23T00:19:00.000-07:00

Walt and I on "The Bike", our Gold Wing. Check out how far to the ground my feet are!! LOL

Me riding the Bike for my first time last year in a closed schools parking lot with the Training Wheels on!

Hey Ya'll,

Ladies and Gentleman, Girls and Boys.....As my post title says, I have Lost My Ride, at least until late October or early November when Walt can't ride it over the Sierra's anymore due to Winter weather. Now that the weather finally turned to Summer, and Walt got the Bike Trailer fixed, he is now riding the Bike to and from Sacramento each week. But at least I do have a ride....I have the Truck. Before this, during the Winter, he was driving the Truck (4x4) back and forth over the Sierra's because of the Snow and Ice, so I had the Bike. But of course, I couldn't ride the Bike in the Snow and Ice.....so I was house bound all Winter and most of the Spring.

But today we went for a nice long ride together, like an all day ride! Walt got a bit tired though (he has been suffering from a Cold), and I would have taken over the riding, but I Couldn't!! On Walt's trip down to Sacramento this week, he took off my "Training Wheels". So even if I wanted to, I can't ride the Bike, as I can't come even close to putting my feet on the ground!! LOL

We rode all over Reno, North, South, East and West, as well as down the valley to a quaint small town called Gardnerville which is about 35-40 miles South of Reno. This is where our Optometrist is, and while we were down in the Carson City area, we stopped in to get some more eye glass cleaner (she gives free cleaner for life!!). And while we were in the Carson City area, Walt treated me to lunch at my favorite Mexican Restaurant there. And it was sooo good!! :)

Then we went to a local "Giant" Sportsman store, to purchase some Ammo for a Gun Safety class that we will be taking next weekend. I wasn't expecting to go to it, but Walt wants me to go through it with him, and he likes for us to do everything together....So I get to go fire off about 150 rounds of Ammo in at least 3 different types of Handguns!! Supposedly the instructor has extra Headsets available for us to use. I really hope so, because at our age...we can't afford to lose our hearing any faster than we already are!! LOL

On the Band front, I haven't had any problems in at least a week now. Go figure, one week you would think that I had all kinds of restriction and the next....nothing!! Well, I am going to go for now, I have so much to do to finish Walt's giant Afghan. I want to finish it this week and I will post photos of it when I am finished with it. :) Till next time.....

Aloha My Friends :)

A Big Shout Out To Stacey !!

2011-07-22T22:10:00.000-07:00

Hey Ya'll,

Well, Walt and I got home after a long day riding (to be discussed later), and as I usually do, I checked into my blog, and I found that I have a new Follower!! Her name is Stacey, and Stacey was just Banded with the Realize Band on June 24th, and has lost 14 lbs already!! If you haven't already found Stacey's blog, please follow the link I am providing, and give her the love and support we know that she can use, especially being so soon out of Surgery!! Here is the link to her blog....Ready To Realize. So Stacy, "Welcome to my Nightmare!"

Aloha My New Friend :)

A Warm Welcome To...Lana !!)

2011-07-19T19:32:00.000-07:00

Hey Ya'll,

Wow I just checked in and saw that I had a new Follower!! I just started to Follower her too! Her name is Lana and she is having Gastric Bypass Surgery, TOMORROW!! So please hop on over to Lana's blog, and give her the love and support we all need, especially in the early stages of WLS. Lana's blog is called, My Journey. So Lana, "Welcome to my Nightmare".....and good luck tomorrow! I am sure that you will pull through fast and easy!! I will be thinking of you!!

Aloha My New Friend :)

Can You Say OMG...And Yuch??

2011-07-15T23:16:00.000-07:00

And NO this is NOT me! I just wish that I looked this good!! LOL

Hey Ya'll,

Well, yesterday was not a great day for me, and for that matter neither was today!! However, yesterday started out great, but ultimately ended horrible!! I met Carolyn (Walt's ex-wife) for lunch yesterday. Yes, for those of you that are new to my blog, and haven't read it from the start, Carolyn and I are good friends now. It took quite a few years to get to this point, but we are now here, and are comfortable being alone with each other for an extended period of time!! We even consider each other friends now, and Walt jokes and calls her my "Sister". LOL

Anyway, like I said, I met Carolyn for lunch at the Claim Jumper Restaurant here in Reno. She is having Surgery in Reno on Monday, and had to drive into town for a Pre-Surgery Appointment with her Surgeon and take some Tests. So we had a great lunch after her Appointment and Tests were finished, and we ate and talked for an hour and a half. I had no problems eating the meal. I ate slowly, and barely touched my lunch!!

But about 2 hrs later, I realized that I was STUCK....yet again!! I was hoping that I could get through it before Walt came home. But of course, that was not to be!! So he came home and found me sitting with a "lined" waste basket between my feet, and me bent over it for close to 2 additional hours (for a total of about 4 hours)!! When I was finally finished sliming and vomiting (yes, vomiting multiple times), the tightly sealed up bag that had lined the waste basket probably weighed at least a lb if not more of mostly liquid!! And of course, it was disgusting having to carry that thing out to place in the larger waste basket, to be taken out to the trash....and yes, Walt saw it...

Well, I was careful about not getting stuck again last night. And I made it through the rest of the night ok. Then today, I did our customary 9 loads of laundry (every other week). I didn't eat until after I was finished, at which time I ate another small helping of my left over lunch from yesterday (yes, a very fattening Chicken Pot Pie, but I figure that I eat such a small amount at each meal, I am not taking in too many calories in each meal) and I allowed Walt to eat a good sized portion of it too, so I ended up eating only about 1/2 of the left overs. I didn't have any problems after eating lunch today....After eating, I laid down and took a 3 hour nap, as I didn't get to sleep until after 5 am this morning, and was awake a little after 8 am! After I got up, Walt decided to barbecue a New York Steak for us to eat, with some Corn on the Cob.

Of course, the Corn was done first, so we ate it while the Steak was still grilling, and the Corn was hot. I did cut the Corn off the Cob (as I hate getting it stuck between my teeth), and ate it like a helping of sweet corn with no butter, just some No Salt sprinkled on it. Then I tried to eat my portion of the Steak. But after eating 2 very small bites, I knew that I couldn't eat it. It was grilled too much and had too much char on it. I HATE CHAR!! All I could taste was the char, and nothing of the Steak. So I gave my portion to Walt, so he ended up eating the whole Steak himself.

So I heated up the last of my lunch from yesterday. I guess that I ate it too fast, or because it was combined with the Corn, and the 2 small bites of Steak, I was STUCK again!! Luckily, not as bad as yesterday, so I only slimed for about an hour, and vomited only once this time....And because we ate so early, and I stay up so late, I will be eating one more small meal tonight. Because it is late, I will be eating a small helping of Oatmeal. I eat it without any thing added to it except a couple of Splenda packets. When I eat Oatmeal at home, I do not mix milk or butter in it. I only add these items when I eat Oatmeal at a Restaurant, as the Oatmeal they prepare is usually very thick and very hot!! So because I do not add anything to it at home, a 1 cup serving fully prepared is only 150 calories!

The only other thing that I have to report is that my Neck is still killing me! It has now been 25 days of constant pain! My Mom suggested that perhaps I might have done some damage to my Cervical Spine again....I really hope not. I have already had to have my C4-5 Vertebrate Fused back in 1999. The Neurosurgeon that did my Surgery, told me at that time, that I would probably need further Surgery to Fuse either the C3-4 and or the C5-6 Vertebrates, as having the Fusion causes more wear and tear of the Vertebrates above and below the original Fusion. So if the pain doesn't go away soon, I may ask to have another MRI done, to see if there is any further damage in my Cervical Spine.

Well, I guess I should go for now. I have to start working on Walt's Afghan again! It is 2/3's done!! It will be approximately 7' long by about 5' wide. And it is made with double yarn, so it is very thick and VERY HEAVY!! Well, Walt wanted it big and warm....LOL I will post photos of it when it is finished. Till next time.....

Aloha My Friends :)

A Warm Welcome To...Debi !! :)

2011-07-14T15:45:00.000-07:00

Hey Ya'll,

Well, I just checked in and saw that I have a new Follower! Her name is Debi too!! Debi was banded on Dec 31, 2009 and has already lost 96 lbs!! Here is the link to her blog: Losing Weight And Changing Habits. So jump on over to her blog, and give her the support she needs to lose those last few pounds!! So Debi, "Welcome to my Nightmare".....

Aloha My New Friend :)

What The Hell???

2011-07-09T22:08:00.000-07:00

Hey Ya'll,

Well, this will be a short post (at least by my standards!!). I just wanted to document my Band's strange behavior the last couple of days....Since I got the small unfill a few months ago, I have had very little problem with the Band. Not much restriction, but at least I am not slimming/vomiting daily with day and night (mostly night) Acid Reflux.....which is fantastic I might add.

But Thursday, I ate a Tuna sandwich, and I got a bit stuck. I slimmed a bit, and then vomited a couple of times (riding myself almost completely of my sandwich), then felt fine....for awhile. Then Walt made it home from Sacramento, and before you know it, I was slimming again!! So of course, I was hungry later on, so I ate an Apple. And....you guessed it, I was really stuck! Slimming and vomiting all over again!! I didn't even eat the whole Apple! I never have had problems eating an Apple before.

Then yesterday, I didn't eat until lunch, which was a bowl of Beef Stew. I only ate a few bites of it, and I knew that I was tight. So I stopped, and I felt fairly sure that I had stopped in time. Although I was a bit tight, I felt fine until about 2 hours later....then, for no known reason, I began slimming!!! And I was fairly sure that I was going to vomit, when it suddenly stopped, and I felt fine again!!

Because, I had very little to eat at lunch, I did eat some Chili for dinner and a small (very small as Walt dished it out and it wasn't even a full scoop) amount of Ice Cream for dessert! With no problems I might add....And today I was fine. What gives??? I go months with no problems, then....Any advise?? Well, I should go, till next time.....

Aloha My Friends :)

I Feel Sooo Stupid!! My Worst Nightmare Came True!

2011-07-07T02:09:00.000-07:00

Hey Ya'll,

Well, tonight my worst nightmare regarding the RV came true.....

Here is a background on why it happened. We have a small leak in the back toilet (or something like that), so we have the city water line off, and only use the water from our holding tanks for now until Walt gets back and fixes it. So when we need to flush the toilet or wash our hands or the dishes, we turn on the water pump so that the water is pumped to the faucet, etc. Well, we filled the water tank the night before Walt left for Sacramento. But just in case, he showed my how to refill it.

Well, I miss checked the tank reader and I thought that my water was empty!! So I grabbed the key ring that I needed to unlock the storage area, that has our water hose in it. I also grabbed my key ring that has the RV keys on it. You see, I like to lock the top lock while Walt is away for security reasons. But it can only be locked/unlocked with the key from the outside.

So I was getting ready to go outside to refill the water tank, and decided to check the gauges again. Luckily for me, I realized that I miss read them, and I didn't need to go outside after all. So I laid both sets of keys down and stayed inside.....getting the picture yet????

Well, tonight Walt called me as he does every night that he is away, and we were talking. He was asking me about the weather here, so I opened up the door to look outside, and noticed how nice it was. So I grabbed my keys and went outside to finish the conversation, sitting on my gravity new lounge chair while watching the Sunset. Walt decided it was time to go to bed, as he is getting over a cold. I decided to sit outside for a bit longer.

But once I went to go inside, I pulled out the keys from my pocket and (you guessed it by now I am sure), I had the wrong keys!!!! So I was locked out of the RV! I figured that I had two choices.

1) keep my mouth shut, wait until full dark, to hide my shame and embarrassment (after all, I was shoeless, bra less and my hair was super dirty and oily....) and carry my lounge chair into the closest bathroom/shower room, and lock myself into the large Handicap Shower Stall (since it is large enough to lay all the way back in my chair) to sleep for the night. At least I would have water to drink from the faucet if I was desperate, and a bathroom to use. However, the light would stay on all night. Then in the morning, carry the chair back and place it under our RV Fifth Wheel, so that it would be in the shade, and stay there until Walt returned, which would be somewhere between 3pm-7pm tomorrow!!

Or 2) Call Walt, get his input and look into calling a Locksmith to come out to unlock my door for me. This was my preferred choice, but I wanted it approved by Walt first. So after walking up to the RV's Clubhouse, and having a group of men and women playing cards, see me in my state of dishevelment, so that I could look up local Locksmith's in the phone book, I called and managed to get one to come out. Thank God, he was here within a half hour. And it only cost me $75!! Well, I won't be making this mistake again!! LOL Yes, I can laugh about it now.....So how was your day/night?? Hopefully better than mine was. And yes, this is a true story that happened to me tonight. Till next time....

Aloha My Friends :)