I Made It Over The Hill!!

Hey Y'all,

Well, I made it back from Reno!  I wasn't too sure at first that I would be able to drive back today as it started snowing when I began the drive home!  Which usually means that Truckee, CA would be worse as it is just below the Summit of the Sierra's on the Nevada side of the Sierra's.

Luckily, I have a great friend that lives in Truckee & she was all for me staying there for the night if necessary.  So I drove off knowing that I could get at least up to Truckee, but hoping I would be able to make it home!  You know how it is, you miss your own bed!!!  So, I made it to Truckee & it was just snowing lightly (snow flurries).  The big overhead road sign that alerts traveler's of road conditions ahead wasn't lit up saying to stay away, unless you had chains, so my little Honda CRV & I continued on up & over the hill. 

So, as my Title says, I Made It Over The Hill!!  I am so glad it was just a very light storm this time.  I hate driving in bad weather & I refuse to put on chains!  So if we can't make it over with a 4x4, we ain't going over baby!!!  :)

This Class was totally unnecessary as far as I am concerned, I am glad that my husband didn't waste his time to go with me, although I did miss him.  The only thing I learned at this Class, that I couldn't read in the literature or from you, my blogging buddies, was that it is OK to drink fluids up to the time of the Meal, then wait for at least 30 mins after eating to drink again.  Before, the Doctor always said not drink 30 mins before eating the meal as well.  Thank God, Hallelujah! 

Now the hard part comes in, I must begin my Pre-Op Diet tomorrow!!  :(  But, because of my vacation, & this Class, I am starting the Diet 6 days late, so instead of it being 4 wks, it will only be a 3 wk, 1 day diet.  Luckily, I only need to lose 11 lbs before Surgery.  Wish me luck!!  Soon, I will be one of the few who can say they are Bander's.  At least I will be able to eat some Mashed Potatoes on Thanksgiving!

Aloha My Friends  :)

Pre-Op Class

Hey Y'all,

I am writing this before I go to bed, as I will be driving back up to Reno, NV tomorrow about lunch time. So I will not have access to my computer until Tuesday early evening.  I am (hopefully) making the last drive up & over the Sierra's until my Surgery!

I have to make this trip by myself, again, as my SWEETHEART of a husband, can't make it.  Since he took too much time off from work already for our vacation.  So, unless it was necessary, he couldn't make it.  So I am driving up alone again!  Not my favorite thing to do.  But, we do what we have to do, (right?).  Since the class is at 9 am on Tuesday morning,  & I don't want to have to get up at 4 am to drive up the hill to be in Reno on time, I prefer to go the day before, check in to a hotel & relax until morning!!  Besides, this gives us a night to miss one another!

Since this "Class" is for Pre-Op, I really hope that they give me some really good information!!  I really hate driving that far when I already knew this stuff from reading my favorite blogs!!!  So far, my blog buddies have given me more information then the Doctor's office has! :)  Go girls!  Well, it is getting late, & since I do have a long drive ahead of me tomorrow, I should at least try to get a decent nights sleep so I don't drive drowsy!  Not a good thing!  Till next time.

Aloha My Friends  :) 

Only 25 Days!! :)

Hey Y'all,

Sorry I haven't written much lately, I have just been totally overwhelmed since returning from vacation!  There is sooo much to do & so little time to do it in!  I have been putting this off since our return, but today, or rather this morning after I wake up, I will be doing a marathon on laundry!  This is when I wish I had 2 sets of machines, as I have to do at least 10-12 loads of laundry.  Well, at least I will be busy & not thinking about what I should not be eating!!  LOL.

But I need to do the laundry today, as I have to drive back up to Reno on Monday to attend my 3 hr Pre-Op Class on Tuesday morning.  So I will be driving up, staying the night & driving back down after the class.  And I need some CLEAN clothes to wear or else I may be asked to sit outside the room as my dirty clothes smell too bad!  LOL

I also wanted to say that it is now only 25 days until my Surgery!!

Well, I hope everyone has a great Sunday!

Aloha My Friends  :)

This Is Sooo Frustrating!! :(

Hey Y'all,

I just spent about 2 hrs purchasing the Money Orders, to pay for my Surgery & the Pre-Op Class next week!  They will not accept Credit Cards for my portion of the bill, & of course, as you all know, they want their money up front before Surgery!!  Why is that?  Is it because they are afraid that we won't pay once the Surgery is done?

Anyhoo, I wanted to purchase the Money Orders at the Post Office, as my Bank charges $7.00 per Cashiers Check & $5.00 per Money Order!  Now let me tell you upfront, that I am not generally a cheapskate.  But when we are spending this much money, not to mention that we just returned from our Vacation.  I want to cut some expense out.  So I went cheaply & got the Money Orders!!

However, I had to jump through so many hoops to get them, that I might as well have just spent the money & bought the damn Cashiers Checks from my Bank & saved me sooo much time, trouble & gas!  Here is my story.  After going to the Post Office & patiently waiting for my turn, I was told at the window that I had to pay with CASH as my Debit Card wouldn't approve the amount as it was too high!  DUH!!!  What was I thinking?

So I had to drive to my BANK to get cash, drive back (across town I might add) to the Post Office, wait in line AGAIN, & purchase the stupid Money Orders!  This better be worth it!  LOL.  After driving home, I decided that it was time to tell my parents about the Surgery.  They would be very upset if I waited until the last minute to tell them.  But I knew that they would worry, & I didn't want to say anything until I knew for sure that I would be approved.  As we all know how the Insurance Co's can drag out approval's!!

Luckily, my mom took the news very well.  Especially when I told her I wasn't getting the Bypass Surgery, just the Lap Band.  Then she told me that she is going through testing to determine why she has such high Protein levels in her Urine!  Which could be caused from almost anything!  But she did say that the Doctor kept asking her about Cancer in the family!  So now we have to worry about my mom as well as Walt's dad.  So I would appreciate it if everyone kept their fingers crossed for them.  :)

Well, I guess I better go for now, I have to do some research on which place we will stay while in Reno for the Surgery.  Since it is only a few weeks away, I better get hopping!  Till next time.

Aloha My Friends  :)

Welcome Lap Band Gal !! :)

Hey Y'all,

I just wanted to say hi & welcome to my newest follower, Lap Band Gal!!  I see that she just got her Lap Band, so I will want to follow her blog as well, as I will just behind her by about a month!

Aloha All :)

Welcome to Reg & Rhonda!!

Hey Y'all,

Just wanted to say hi to my newest follower's.  I will be checking out your sites as well!!  Reg, you are my first Male follower, so this should be interesting!  I will try to remember this when I blog.  :)

Aloha My Friends  :)

4 Week Pre-Op Diet

Hey Y'all,

This is a reprint of my 4 wk Pre-Op Diet for Gen.  I will actually only be on the diet, 3 wks & 2 days though as I won't be starting the diet until next Wednesday the 28th & my Surgery is scheduled for November 19th.  I am supposed to lose 11 lbs by then.  I am not anticipating this to be a hard feat as I can lose 7-10 lbs just in water loss!!  LOL.  So here is my Pre-Op Diet.  Thank goodness, it isn't 4 wks of total liquid, like I had originally thought!!! :)  But, it is still almost 4 wks long.  :(

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

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

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

I think I will be HATING Protein Shakes by the end of this!!!  lol
Till Next Time,
Aloha :)

We're Home :(

Hey Y 'all,

Well, I am sorry that I haven't written since the night before we left New Hampshire.  I have been sooo busy catching up on bills, etc. :( 

That last morning in New Hampshire, we had our farewell breakfast with Rick & Kelly.  It was great to get together again with them, but so sad knowing that it was for the last time!!  None of us wanted the breakfast to end.  But, of course it did.  It had to, as we had to drive to Manchester, NH in order to catch the first leg of our 3 leg flight back to the reality of our life as we know it!! 

We weren't looking forward to another 15 hours in a plane or an Airport, so we attempted to upgrade our seats to First Class, at least on the last flight as it was to be a 4 hr flight.  We were willing to spend up to $500 total for an upgrade, but it would have cost us $1100!!  As they couldn't upgrade us on just the one flight, they had to upgrade all three!  So we politely, said thanks but no thanks. :( 

Luckily, since the fantastic employee at Houston, changed our seating for our return flights to much better seats, our flights were so much better than they could have been.  We were originally scheduled to be in the very rear seats of the planes, & she moved us up to the very front row of the cheap seats (the bulk head seats) so that we had much more leg room!!  In fact, it worked out that we only had to share a row on the second flight!  The first flight was on a small regional jet, so we didn't have a third seat in our row & the last flight wasn't totally filled (thank god!!), so we were able to have a seat between us, giving us a bit more elbow room!!  :)

We still didn't get in to our home Airport until about midnight, which put us home about 1:15 am.  But just walking into our home felt really good.  But the best part was getting into our OWN BED!!!  :)  You never realize how much you love your own bed, until you have to sleep in a different one!

Anyway, I have been crazy busy just getting the bills together so we can make sure that we haven't missed a payment, etc.  :(  I haven't even unpacked the suitcases to even THINK ABOUT washing the clothes!  Luckily, that can be done tomorrow or another day.

I had my sweetheart of a husband upload all the photos to my computer last night & I am still in the process of working with them.  I will post a few of the pictures in a day or two, I promise!  My problem will be forcing myself to not put too many on the site & overwhelm you!  I tend to do that easily.  LOL.  So I guess I better go for now, just wanted to say hi & let you know that we made it home safely in one piece!

Oh, BTW, my Pre-Op Class is next Tuesday the 27th, so my 4 wk Pre-Op Diet starts next Wednesday!!!  Then, my Surgery!

Aloha My Friends :)

We Don't Want To Go Home!!

Hey Y'all,

Well, today was our last day here, & it was a perfectly beautiful day!!  The temperature made it up to 55 degrees & no clouds what so ever.  Tomorrow is supposed to be just as perfect, wouldn't you know.  Unfortunately, we leave tomorrow morning after breakfast!  :(  Today, we drove around the local area & took pictures.  We stopped at a local hot dog truck & had some really good hot dogs & chili!  Yum!  After spending the day driving around, we spent the late afternoon & evening at Rick & Kelly's just having a great time! 

In fact, while Kelly was getting dinner ready, Rick was gracious enough to work on his latest painting for me so that I could watch his technique.  Not that I need any help at all!!!  LOL.  Truthfully, I could use all the help I can get!  He saw that we loved so many of his paintings, so he gave us 3 of his Watercolors & 1 of his miniature paintings that was done entirely without a paint brush! 

Then, we had to come back to our B&B so I could pack for our return trip tomorrow, BOO HOO :(  By the time we get home, we will have either been sitting in an Airplane or an Airport for about 14 hrs or so.  Luckily, our layovers won't be as long going home & our return trip will be about 5 hrs faster!  Well, I am tired & need to get to sleep, so good night everyone, I hope you all had a great weekend!

Till Next Time,
Aloha My Friends  :o)

It's Apple Picking Time!!

Hey Y'all,

Well today, after eating breakfast, the five of us (Walt & I, Rick, Kelly & David) drove into Vermont to go apple picking!  I didn't realize that it was ok to eat some from the different trees.  So we ate some from each different type of tree to see which ones we liked best.  The McIntosh was the best by far!!  At least for us, as we like the sweet ones. :)  Did I mention that after eating breakfast & the apples, we were stuffed?

It drizzled on us most of the day, but it was still fun, at least it wasn't a hard rain like we were expecting.  Once we filled our bags full & left, we drove the scenic route back to New Hampshire for Walt & I to see.  It is breathtakingly beautiful here!  I really have enjoyed seeing Kelly & Rick again & I will totally miss them when we have to go!  :(  I could learn sooo much from Rick in painting!  Who knows, given time, he might have been able to show me how he does Watercolor painting!  It is a totally different painting medium that takes practice to do well.  I just haven't given it much time.  Maybe some day I will try it again.

Anyway, after returning to Rick & Kelly's to warm up, we treated them to Dinner, in thanks for spending so much time with us on their day's off.  I know Kelly will be exhausted after trying to keep us entertained everyday, then have to go back to her swing shift job the day we leave, but I have really missed her & am cherishing every minute we can spend together. 

Tomorrow, we will go over to their house for lunch, then we will take another drive to a really beautiful place for some pictures, then back to their house for some more talking & dinner.  Then, I have to repack our bags to go home the next day!!!  Boo Hoo :(  If Walt didn't have to work & we didn't have family back in California, we might just stay here!  Anyway, we can dream can't we?

Oh, by the way, they missed the Pumpkin record by only 700 pumkins!!  So close.  It isn't fair, Keene, NH has such a small population compared to Boston.  They barely stand a chance now that the big city is in the running!  But they almost did it again!!!  Well, I better go for now.  Till next time.

Aloha My Friends  :)

Day Of Keene Pumpkin Festival :o)

Hey Y'all,

First off, it was supposed to be a really cold day today, but it turned out picture perfect like we hoped it would for the festival!  Today, we started out by walking across the street from our B&B to the local Ocean Bank to view 11 of Rick's paintings that were on show there.  Then we met Rick, Kelly & their son David & began walking the one block to the center of town where they had all the pumpkins setup.  People were still bringing in pumpkins all day long!  The official count was to begin at 8 pm tonight in hopes that they would win the title back from Boston for the most carved/lit pumpkins in one area!  Their best count to date was just under 29,000!  So hopefully they made it back into the Guinness Book of World Records this year.

We walked around checking out the pumpkins & ate a nice lunch from one of the stalls set up to sell food for charity, etc.  I had a pulled pork sandwich (yum)!  Then after walking around for a couple of hours, we walked to Rick & Kelly's house which was only about 5 blocks away.  Where she prepared some fantastic, home made Chili & the best French Onion Soup ever!  It was sooo good, but (TMI FOLK'S, don't read further if you are squeamish) I have had one continual BM ever since it seems!  LOL  But it was worth it!

Now that I think of it, I am not sure why, but late, late last night, I was having trouble going to sleep because my stomach didn't feel right.  I wasn't in pain so much.  I just wasn't able to put my finger on why it was bothering me.  Then, all of a sudden, I realized that I felt like I was going to have to throw up!  I haven't thrown up in years (ugh!). 

So I quickly removed my Bi Pap Machine Mask & ran into the bathroom...I got myself in the position...waited & waited...FINALLY, it started to feel like something was going to come up...I began retching, but it was only a dry heave (the worst kind in my book).  This happened for about 5 minutes, then, as quickly as it came on, my stomach felt much better (even though nothing ever came out!!!) & I was able to go back to bed & actually fall asleep!!  What do you make of that?  I have never felt this way, only to feel better just by attempting to Throw Up!

Anyway, sorry that I got off my chain of thought!  While we were at their house, Rick was showing me his fantastic paintings!  He paints in Oil, Acrylics & Watercolors.  Can you believe this?  One of his paintings is in the Library of Congress!!!  He has a copy of it in his living room.  He also does stone etchings, like on granite for grave stones, etc.  He has done some fantastic stones with the persons portrait etched on it!  He is really, really good.  So I listened intently, when he was giving me advise on how to work with the oils in my painting.  It really is too bad that they weren't able to make it to Cape Cod with us, he was planning on painting with me & giving me some first hand advise.  Oh well, maybe another trip!

Well, I better get off for now.  I think that I have pretty much turned everyone off by now!  LOL  Tomorrow, we are going apple picking!!!  Till next time.

Aloha My Friends  :o)

Welcome Dinnerland!

I just wanted to say hi to my new follower, Dinnerland!  I really liked your idea of the Bangles & I just might try it as well!  I am not getting any younger & my memory isn't the best anymore, so this gimmik could actually help me to remember how much liquid I am taking in daily!  If anyone is reading this & doesn't know what I am talking about, please check out her blog for explanation!  Hope you have a great weekend!

We're Here In Keene, New Hampshire!! :o)

Hey Y'all,

We finally made it to Keene, New Hampshire where we will be attending the annual Pumpkin Festival with my friend Kelly & her family.

It took us 1 hr & 15-30 mins just to get off of Cape Cod & onto the mainland!!  It is only about a 20 mile drive for god sakes!  Let me tell you, the scenery there is breath takingly beautiful & I would love to live somewhere like that, but the road signs, or lack thereof is really horrible!!!  Even with a map, it is easy to get lost, especially if you go off the main road at all, as most of the roads/streets on Cape Cod are not on the map!  LOL.  So we loved it, so long as we didn't get lost :o).

Once we were on the mainland & off of the Peninsula of Cape Cod, it only took us another 3 hrs to get to Keene (now remember, that is driving up Massachusetts & into New Hampshire)(also note, that Walt drove 80-85 as much as he could until I reined him in!!! LOL).  Although we did stop & eat along the way so we actually didn't arrive until 4 pm & we left Cape Cod at 10:30 am!

We were lucky to arrive before dark & so far, what we have been able to see of it, the town looks really charming!  It has one of those traditional Town Squares with a Band Stand in the center grassy area.  Very Norman Rockwell looking.

I can't wait until Sunday when everyone who came for the festival leaves so we can really explore the town better without thousands of people!!  Luckily, our B&B is only about 2 blocks from the center of town so we can leave our car there & walk to the festival as parking is almost impossible to get unless you park a long way out.  So we are fortunate in being able to park so close!!

Unfortunately, my friend Kelly had to work tonight, but will be coming by on her way home, so she can at least say hi.  I can't wait.  So we will be up until at least midnight as she doesn't get off work until 11 pm.  :o(  But, she does have the next 3 days off so we can really get in some visiting this weekend.  Well, I better get off, I need to finish unpacking our clothes so I can rest a bit.  Hope everyone has a great weekend!!

P.S.) I almost forgot, we walked to a local diner to have some dinner & walked the next block over to the Town Square to see some of the pumpkins (everyone brings pumpkins from miles around to try to get back into the Guinness Book of World Records for having the most carved/lit pumpkins in one place again)!! Apparently, Boston took over their title a few years ago! 

By the time we got back to our B&B, we were nearly frozen!  I knew I should have taken my warm gloves with me!  LOL.  It is supposed to get down to about 28 degrees tonight (I am fairly certain it will)!!  Listen to this, it is supposed to rain by tomorrow night with only a high of 48 & a low of 34, with rain/snow on Sunday with a high of 36 & a low of 31, & Monday a high of 43 with a low of 28, & Tuesday (the day we fly home of course!) it is supposed to be mostly sunny with a high of 53 degrees!  LOL.  Just my luck!

We didn't come prepared for any extreme weather!  We're from California for god sakes!  But we did buy ourselves a nice fleece zip up jacket from Cape Cod.  I am pretty sure that we will be using them as well as the jackets we brought!  Isn't that what they always say in cold climates, to dress in layers?  Well, I normally don't like to, as I am already huge to begin with without adding another several inches to my girth!  But...it is better than freezing to death I guess!  LOL  :o)

Aloha My Friends  :o)

Hi To Christa & Amy!!!

I just wanted to say hi to my new follower's Christa & Amy.  Welcome to you both!  Amy, it is a pleasure to have you checking out my blog.  Your blog was the first blog that I read & it really got me excited & into blogging!  I never thought that I would become a blogger (you can ask my daughter)!  But following all of the blogs has really helped me in my journey to Lab Band Land.  I find it so amazing how close & supportive everyone is.  We are each others support group through the good & the bad.  I also like how we can say whatever we want & we won't be looked down on.  Even my husband Walt said that I can say whatever I want to on my blog (yes, he does read it) even if it is about him, & he will never hold it against me.

Anyway, hi to all my follower's & I hope all of you have a great weekend!

Aloha My Friends  :o)

It's Time To Go :o(

Hey Y'all,

Well, today we mostly got ourselves ready to go on to New Hampshire for the last 5 days of our trip.  We will miss Cape Cod, it has been beautiful here.  We went to the local laundromat to do our laundry so we have clean clothes to finish the trip out.  For our flight from California, we didn't want to check in more than 1 bag each, since the Airline charges for EVERY bag checked!!  Because of this, I only packed enough for a week, so we needed to wash them to reuse for the 2nd part of the trip.

Having our own washer & dryer at home, I have become so unaware of how expensive it is to use a laundromat.  To wash & dry 4 loads of clothes, it cost us $17!!!  Maybe it is just this expensive here.  I remember it costing me about $10 to wash & dry about 6 loads back home.  Of course, that was 10 yrs ago! LOL.  I couldn't believe how expensive it is.  But it would have cost more to have someone else do it for us.  So we spent about 1 1/2 hrs doing the laundry.  Then we went souvenir shopping!  We bought everything we needed for Christmas presents!  Now I only have to wrap them!  So that basically took the rest of the afternoon!  Then we went to dinner once we returned to the resort & dropped off the goods!

So now I have to repack everything for our trip up to New Hampshire.  It will be a lot easier to pack for this leg of the trip.  I just hope the snow holds out until we get there!  We do not have a 4 wheel drive vehicle or chains!  I hate to have to buy chains for a rental car.  So please cross your fingers for us.  I got everything except the leaves my grand children asked for.  We are hoping to be able to stop along the way & find some that have fallen from the trees that are still in good shape & color.  Well, I guess I better get off for now, not too much to report for today.

Till Next Time,
Aloha Friends  :o)

OMG!!! It's Cold Up There!!!

Well, today we drove back to the tip of the Cape Cod peninsula to Provincetown so we could walk up to the top of the Pilgrim Monument.  It stands 252 ft 7.5 ins tall & has 116 steps & 60 ramps (each ramp takes the place of a flight of steps, so we figure that it is about 22-25 stories tall)!  The brochure claims it should only take about a 10 minute leisurely pace to walk to the top!! (For who?  A giant that is in excellent shape?) (Although I must say that EVERYONE passed me up, even people 10-15 yrs older than me!!) lol. 

I guess that if they were more handicapped than myself, they were smart enough to not even try it!  As there is no elevator.  Well, it took me somewhere between 30-45 mins (Walt thinks it was closer to 45 mins) to make it, with a ton of stops so I could sit on a step periodically for a couple of minutes to catch my breath & allow my back & legs to relax a bit. lol  I didn't think I would EVER make it!  But I did.  And once we made it to the top, it was windy & freezing cold up there!  I had a thin jacket on, but I did take my gloves & a hat to keep my hands & head warm. 

Except for yesterday morning, the weather has been really good for us here.  But I am expecting it to at least rain if not snow when we drive up to New Hampshire.  They have already had their first snow of the season yesterday & they are expecting snow again on Friday morning at least (lucky us, the day we drive up!).  So, hopefully, my friend has a 2nd winter coat that I can borrow for the few days we will be there in New Hampshire.  If not, it is my problem! lol

Tomorrow, I go to the local laundramat to wash our clothes.  Lucky me!! :)  Then we have a couple more small souveners to buy for the family back home.  We found this really elaborate miniature golf place close to the resort which has a pirate theme, maybe we will play a round of miniature golf!  We leave Friday morning for New Hampshire, & as much as I love it here in Cape Cod, I can't wait to see my friend Kelly!  We haven't seen each other in at least 19 years!!  Till later.

Aloha My Friends :) 

Oh No! It's Coming Soon!

Warning!!  Warning!!  This post may be upsetting to some & I want to apologize up front if it does.  This post is about those who have never acknowledged that it is their actions or lack there of that cause their weight loss problems to continue even after being banded.  This is not a post against those (the majority) who do follow the rules, only to occasionally stray, as we all do from time to time.  So if you get upset easily, you may not want to read this particular post as I am going to voice my opinion of why some bandsters haven't lost weight.


I was just sitting here this morning & thinking about my upcoming Surgery.  While thinking (& yes, it did hurt to think! :)), I realized that my Surgery date is only 36 days away!  I am both excited & terrified.  On the one hand, I know that it is the best thing I could do for myself.  On the other hand, by doing this Surgery, I will forever be changing my life, & my way of eating.  That is, if I truly want to change my outward appearance.  I could of course, be like some & say that the band didn't work for them & give up.  I have read a few blogs where the person did not change the way they ate or drank & continued to wonder why they were not losing weight!  I mean seriously still eating the same as before!

Well, if you don't cut your calories down drastically, or limit drinking the high calorie beers, wines & sodas, then, you won't lose weight!  This is something that we as a group, (especially me) has to deal with.  We have to make the sacrifices early on, in order to lose weight.  After we have lost the weight, or at least have been at this a while & have figured out the ins & outs of our new tool & how we (individually) lose with it.  Then we can add back in some of our favorite things, in modest quantities of course, that would normally be considered no no's in the beginning.

But if we think that the band is an easy way to lose the weight & the band will do it all for us & we don't have to change our life in any way, then we are just kidding ourselves, & we will not lose weight.  The band is just our new tool, & we have to work hard to make it work for us.  This is what I too, have to come to terms with.  I must lower my food intake drastically in order to achieve my weight loss goal.  It just irks me when I read certain blogs & they were crying foul about not losing the weight, when they hadn't changed their eating/drinking habits!!!  Which is why I stopped following them.  It made me too upset that they blamed the band for not working, when in all honesty, they didn't follow the rules of the new tool!!  Ok, I will get off my soap box now.

Has anyone else had these similar thoughts?  Or am I the only one to get upset about it?  This is why I am really going to try to stay away from the foods that I know I can't have.  My biggest vise will be sweets & my Caffeine Free Diet Coke!  I will have to go from drinking Diet Coke to Water!!!  But from reading everyone's blogs, it appears that for most of you, once you have been on the diet for awhile, you really don't miss or like the old soda anymore!  I am hoping that my tastes will change for the better & I will lose the cravings for the bad things.

Till later,
Aloha Everyone
( P.S.) I hope I haven't lost any followers because of my tirade today!

We Saw The Rock!

Hey Y'all,

Well, today it rained all morning, but we decided to drive off the peninsula of Cape Cod to the mainland anyway.  We drove to Plymouth, to see the big Rock!  But only after several miles of bumper to bumper traffic on the Hwy, waiting to drive over the bridge to the mainland, did we finally make it.

Then we kind of got lost again. :(  But we quickly came upon a High School, where we stopped in to get directions as well as let me use the restroom!  Luckily, we weren't too far off track.  We only had to back track to the Hwy & continue on a few more miles.  BUT, we did finally make it!  We were lucky.  Once we arrived, the rain stopped & the weather just stayed cool while we were there.  I can handle cool.

So we saw the big Rock of Plymouth & took some pictures of it like everyone else! lol.  I will post them after we return home.  We were also able to go on the Mayflower II, which is a full scale working model of the original Mayflower.  It is not very big & had carried 102 passengers & about 30 crew!  We were on it & I don't know how they could stand to be on it for sooo long!

Even the Captain's quarters were small.  His bunk was so small that no one larger than my grand children would be able to actually sleep on it.  I 'm sure the crew were picked for their small stature, but I couldn't even sleep in his bunk & I am only 5' 3 " tall.  They had to endure 66 days at sea, landing first at Cape Cod for a short time, then, moved on to Plymouth (across the bay) in November.  Since this was Winter, they had to continue living on board the ship until around March 21st, when they permanently moved off the ship & built temporary huts on shore to live in.  By this time, only 53 of the original 102 passengers & only about 1/2 of the crew had survived.  Most dying of Pneumonia.  

So ends another day here in Cape Cod.  We are still loving it here, I wish I could live here.  But that will never happen! lol  Till next time.

Aloha My Friends :)

The Kennedy Compound

Hey Y'all,

Today was another fantastic day here in Cape Cod.  The weather has held so far, giving us some great pictures.  After driving around for a while, we decided to take a 1 hr Harbor Cruise so we could get some photos of Cape Cod from the water.  We haven't checked today's photos out yet to see if they turned out, but I am not expecting any problems.  During the cruise, we got to see the Kennedy Compound at Hyannis Port.  It was not as big as we expected, but still fairly impressive.  The property is supposed to be 6 acres with several homes on it.  I am really hoping that these photos turn out.

Tomorrow, we are supposed to get rain, so we are planning on driving up to Plymouth to see the one & only Plymough Rock!  We are hoping the rain will make it less desirable to see & that it won't be too crowded with tourists.

A note on photos.  Although we have taken quite a few, I will wait until we get home to upload them to my regular computer.  Then I will download some of them to my blog.  So please be patient, I will get photos of the trip on soon.  Till tomorrow.

Aloha My Friends :)

Welcome To My World, Roo!!

Hi Roo, welcome to my blog!  I have been following yours for some time now & I always find it so interesting.  Especially since you are living in a foreign Country with all the very strict laws to abide by, even though you are not of their Country or Religion!  I don't know how you can live in such a hot environment.  I would absolutely die!  If our temps get over 95 degrees (which it does unfortunately in the summer get over 100 degrees), then I don't even want to go out of the house!  Which is why we had our pool built.  Anyhoo, just wanted to say hi & welcome to my little world!  :)