The Weekend Report

(More Shots from Sloss Furnaces Located Here)

Our friend Luther, flew in from California, to visit us this weekend. We were so happy to have him, we have missed him a lot, and it has been fun to show him around the great state of Alabama. Adam picked him up at the Nashville airport Friday night, and we spent the evening hanging out at a local Sports Bar before going to see Captain America 2 (Hello, Chris Evans). I really, really enjoyed that movie. Captain America is my favorite superhero by far. So handsome! So Patriotic! So corruptible!

Saturday, we got up early to take Luther down to the bus station in Birmingham, so he could visit some friends elsewhere (he will be back with us in a few days). Before returning back home, Adam and I stopped off at Sloss Furnaces to walk around a bit.

Sloss Furnaces was a pig-iron blasting factory until 1971, and this basically lead to development of Birmingham as a metropolitan city. Sloss is the only previous blasting factory open to the public in the United States.  So even though I'm not typically into industrial sites, I felt it was worth a stop. I actually really enjoyed walking around taking pictures and checking out all the little nooks and crannies. Plus, it was just a beautiful day, and it felt so good to be walking around outside. We are finally leaving the winter behind.

Sloss has a haunted experience you can participate in during Halloween, I bet that is super creepy.

I spent the rest of the weekend reading, napping, working out, and watching movies-12 Years a Slave, August Osage County, & Frozen for the second time (Hi, I'm Olaf and I love warm hugs).  Now I'm just reciting my daily Sunday prayer: May the work week be swift and the next weekend drag on forever. 

Gatlinburg (5 year anniversary trip): Part Two

On Saturday morning, I had planned for Adam and I to hike rainbow falls in Smokey Mountain National Park. The trail round trip was going to be 5.5 miles. I knew I could do this. The funny part is it never occurred to me it would be entirely uphill! Which is stupid of me, considering it is a mountain! But I still was determined to finish the challenge, plus coming back would be entirely downhill right?

I just recently finished reading the book Wild: From Lost to Found on The Pacific Coast Trail by Cheryl Strayed. Which is about a young woman who chose to hike the Pacific Coast Trail to deal with some emotional issues in her life. ONE AMAZING BOOK.  So as I was huffing and puffing up those steep heights, I was pretending to be Cheryl! I mean if she can hike the entire PCT, surely I can hike a few miles.

But about 1.25 miles in, it started to rain, and we really didn't want to walk on the slippery rocks in the rain, so we packed it up and headed down. I guess it just gives us something to try again next time. 

Our original plan was to spend most of the day hiking, but I did some quick googling on my phone, and I decided it might be fun to do a little gem mining. Adam had never done this, but I remembered going gem mining as a little girl in Missouri. So it was nostalgic for me, and it is just a kind of silly activity for us to do together.

I could not believe how many gems we found while pan handling! Some big ones (my favorite being the red jasper) a fossilized plant, and even some shark teeth. We went inside, and they identified all our our gems for us.

After hiking and gem mining, we were ready to eat, so we found a restaurant, J.T. Hannah's Restaurant & Stockyards. I loved that the served my unsweet tea to me in a mason jar. I really adore mason jars (just like every other Southern girl).  I got the grilled chicken and baked beans, and Adam got some spaghetti & meatballs. I guess one positive of weight loss surgery is when I don't eat hardly any part of my food, Adam will finish it for me.

The next morning when we were leaving, I glanced up at the mountains to seem them frosted over. It was such a beautiful sight, that I made Adam stop the car, so I could jump out a take a picture. It was such a perfect ending to our trip.

I still can't believe we have been together for 5 years or have known each other half of each other lives. But I know soon we will be celebrating our 10th, 15th, & 20th anniversary. I just hope not too soon, since I'm not ready to be that old.

Three Month Surgiversary

Sunday morning, I had my most joyous day on my weight loss surgery journey. I stepped on the scale to find I weighed 299.8. For the first time in five years, I am under 300 lbs!  That means I've lost some 88 lbs. Yes, my starting weight was 387. I have thought long and hard about whether I wanted to post that number on the blog. It is an embarrassing, scary number and most people lie about their weight. But I just think I've spent a lifetime being ashamed of my weight, and I don't want to be that way anymore. I was/am obese, but that is not a character flaw, and I'm taking steps to change that now. I can't go back and change any of the mistakes I've made throughout my lifetime about my health & fitness. 

This month has been a really good month. Pompeii is starting to behave better and better. I have had a lot fewer incidents of getting sick, except for times when it has been my fault (eating too fast, not chewing well,  or taking an extra bite when I knew I was full). I've learned how to make eating choices on the fly if I have to (what to grab on a road trip, what I can eat in a restaurant). I'm still making some mistakes too, I got really addicted to Sonic Unsweet Tea for a while, before I remembered that tea has caffeine, which is a diuretic, and exactly what I didn't need when I'm working hard to get my fluids in. 

I did get some Uncaffinated peach tea packets to mix into water, which is hitting the spot. 

I still haven't had any hunger, but sometimes I feel "empty". Which I'm guessing is hunger, but since they have taken out the part of my stomach that produces the hunger hormone, the signal does not get sent to my brain. But I try to take note of that empty feeling and eat a wedge of cheese or something!  But for the most part, I don't even feel like eating, and I have to remind myself to sit down and be mindful of what I am eating.

I have officially lost a size in my clothing, and some of my staple clothing is starting to get baggy and long. I have one pair of pants that fit perfectly just a month ago, but now have gotten so long that I tripped at work because of them. In front of tons of people, hilarious and mortifying. I'm trying to decide whether it is worth it to alter them or just buy new clothing. I have a feeling I'm going to be constantly buying new clothes for a while. Not that I'm complaining, first world problems and all that jazz!

I've really kicked up my work out regimen this month, now that I'm over the bronchitis that dominated last month. I just completed C25K Week Three, and tomorrow I start week 4, which is 1/4th mile runs. I so want to dominate the Cotton Row in May, I swear I will run that thing start to finish even if it kills me. 

My accountability buddy Jana and I are even talking about doing the Disney world Princess Half Marathon in February, which seems ambitious since I haven't even ran an entire 5k yet, but I believe I can do it. I really do, even though I'm terrified. I once read this quote, "If it's both terrifying and amazing then you should definitely pursue it." So that is what I'm doing. Pursuing it.

Plus I really want to run as my favorite Princess, Belle! I mean check out this tutu!

I just think my weight loss has given me some new confidence to believe that I can do these things, and that my weight no longer has to hold me back. Although to be fair to myself, I should have never let it hold me back in the first place.

The Wood Anniversary

Video Song is Woody Allen by Allo' Darlin.

Today is our 5 year anniversary, and I can't believe it. How can it be 5 years when it seems just yesterday we were getting engaged? But then again, a lot has happened in these last five years. We have moved, not once, not twice, but three times. We have traveled together to Washington D.C., San Francisco, Chicago, and Amsterdam.   Adam advanced at his job, I earned my master's degree. We have lost loved ones and one amazing dog.

I don't think I can say it enough, I love the life we have created together. Growing up the message you get is that marriage is hard, and we don't have the perfect marriage by far. But I wouldn't call it hard as much as an adventure.

Sometimes I'm tired and get get irritable, and snap at Adam for no reason at all, because when I'm tired everything he says drives me crazy. Sometimes he can be negative and complains about stuff I have my heart set on doing, and it hurts my feelings. Sometimes when we argue, we say stuff just to push each other buttons, both trying to "win." Sometimes I'm stubborn and can't admit my faults, sometimes he just can't let the argument go. And one time we had a fight so big, so epic that honestly started over a Kentucky Fried Chicken Biscuit.

But sometimes I surprise Adam, and even though he claims to hate surprises, it makes his day. Sometimes he sends me such sweet emails that I put them in a special folder, just to read when I'm in an awful mood. Sometimes when my leg is hurting, he waits on me, and never complains about doing it. Sometimes I do his "chores," just so he can sleep in a little bit in the morning. Sometimes the best time we have together is when we stay home catching up on our favorite shows.

Adam has been in my life since I was 14 years old. We have watched each grow up. Witnessed most of each others triumphs and nearly all of the epic failures. One of my favorite singer/song writers, Lori Mckenna, wrote the song How Romantic is That. In the song there is a verse that says, "And that boy that I loved may not have been my hero but the same can't be said of the man he became."

That is how I feel exactly.  

Gatlinburg (5 year anniversary trip): Part One

We had such a wonderful anniversary trip over this last weekend. I have already mentioned that we chose to go to Gatlinburg because it was on a vacation there 6 years ago, that Adam asked me to marry him. And I said, "No Way, Jose!" Just kidding, I said, "Ok."

We were super lucky to be able to rent the exact same cabin we stayed at, that has the exact same porch, where he proposed to me! It felt so nostalgic and romantic to be there all over again.

We arrived late Thursday night and the absolute first thing we did was run out to the porch and jump in the hot tub. The porch at night is pretty secluded, so it felt amazing to be all alone in the mountains.

When we woke up the next morning, we decided to grab some breakfast. Breakfast is definitely my most favorite meal to eat out for, it always makes a great start to the day. We went to the Little House of Pancakes. We ate there 6 years ago too! I'm pretty sure last time I pigged out on banana pancakes like it was no one's business. This time I just took a bite of everything, which was quite enough for me! This place does truly have the best pancakes in the world, and if there is one thing in this world I know about, its pancakes.

Adam and I seriously love mini-golf, so we decided to go check out David Crockett's mini-golf after breakfast. This was a really great course with fun, creative holes and decorations. They had two courses, and we played both. Adam and I tend to get really competitive about mini-golf. I have never beaten Adam at mini-golf, and this game was no exception. But I only lost by about 2 points, and I manged to get two hole in ones. So I think that is progress. I take comfort in the fact that although he is the mini golf champion in the family, I am the reigning Mario Kart Queen.

After mini-golf, we headed downtown. I really wanted to do something cheesy, so we decided to go to the Ripley's Mirror Maze! I have never done a fun house or anything like it. It was surprisingly fun and surprisingly difficult. I was walking into mirrors almost constantly.  We paid an extra dollar to get the 3D glasses, which made it even more crazy.

We also managed to squeeze in a little shopping this trip. One of my favorite parts of shopping was at the Village, which is just a series of specialty shops that look real old wordly. My very favorite one was The Spice and Tea Exchange. They had tons and tons of teas, and you guessed it, spices! I bought a whole bunch of spices I can used to flavor my grilled chicken! I even got a pizza spice. I can't wait to try them all.

When we got back to the cabin that night, we curled up on the couch, by the fireplace, and I got to share one of my all time favorite movies, The Sound of Music with Adam. It just felt really special to watch it with him, and he didn't hate it, so that is a win-win.

Things Only Hoped For

I found this quote the other day on pinterest, and it keeps swimming around in my head. It resonated with me so much. Not so much the first part but the second part, "Remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for."

It may sound strange to say but it reminds me of my weight loss surgery. Or at least the journey I went on to get weight loss surgery. My journey did not start on my surgery day, nor did it start when I first met with my surgeon. My journey started five years ago, when the thought,"I could just have weight loss surgery," first briefly flashed through my mind. I quickly dismissed that thought.

I was on a successful diet at the time, down to my lowest weight ever as an adult. At that time in my life, I was convinced I would never gain that weight back. But of course, I gained back everything I had lost plus 30 pounds.

I seriously started to consider surgery three years after that regain. I met with my Californian doctor, a kind, older gentleman, who never said one wit about my weight (making him one of my favorite doctors ever). I sat in his office, Adam by my side, and embarrassingly sobbed to him about how unhappy I was and how I wanted to have surgery.

He did not agree with that choice, telling me even after surgery I would have all the same problems I had before the surgery. That I would probably always have food issues, but he gave me a referral to a surgeon anyway.

I walked out feeling defeated.

Before meeting with the surgeon, I decided I should call my insurance company and see what their polices were for that type of procedure. They informed me on certain terms that there was absolutely nothing I could do to get them to cover it, Adam's employer opted out of covering any bariatric procedures. I remember the devastation that washed over me, the feeling that no one wanted to help me.  I remember laying in bed crying like a broken hearted teenage girl. I remember Adam holding me, saying we would figure it all out, somehow, someday. I had to let it go, there was nothing I could do. 

A couple of years later, we moved to Alabama. I was working full time, we were more financially secure, and we decided we wanted to start trying to have a baby.  I always figured I would have a problem getting pregnant. I was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) at a very young age. But everyone told me I was worrying too much, and everyone was telling me their success stories of getting pregnant-once, twice, three time with PCOS.

I knew in my heart of hearts that would not be the case for me. 

We tried for several months and nothing happened. I went to my gynecologist, he started me on clomid to get my ovaries  moving. He told me that particular drug sometimes causes people to have twins and multiples. I joked that I could be the new Kate Plus Eight (minus the bitchiness and bad hair dos). 

It didn't work.

He upped the dosage 1x, 2x, 3x. I never even ovulated. 

I asked him many times if it was my weight. He was not overly concerned about my weight, but said it could be a contributing factor. He referred me to a fertility specialist, but I didn't know if I was ready to go down that road. Shell out all that money for something like IVF, which may or may not work. 

Again, I just let it go. 

A few month later, I was working the summer program at work, and I lifted a cooler that I had no business lifting, and so started my battle with sciatica. Or what I thought was sciatica.  It paralyzed me, it stopped my running regimen. I put on even more weight. It would not go away, so the doctor sent me to get an MRI.   

The day I went to the doctor to get my results was one of my toughest appointments I've ever had. 

The nurse could not get the scale to weigh me due to me being over the weight limit. She lead me to other scales, none of them would weigh me. I was mortified. She had me estimate my weight, I subtracted 40 pounds. The doctor came in and told me I didn't have sciatica, but I had weakness in my lower back, caused by my weight. He made a referral for me for the weight loss surgeon without even asking me if that is what I wanted to do.

I cried for a long time that night. I cried because I was embarrassed, I cried because I knew the insurance wouldn't cover it, I cried because I had let myself get to that point in the first place. 

I decided to go anyway because it could hurt nothing more than my pocketbook. 

The rest is history, and if you are wondering the insurance would not cover my surgery. We ended up taking out a loan. If we were still in California, we would have never been in the place where we could afford that loan. If I never struggled with fertility, I would not have had surgery (plus when I lose weight if I can't get pregnant, I can live with that, at least it won't because I'm fat). If I never had months and months of leg pain, I would not have ended up in that office after all.

As cheesy as it sounds, I believe everything does happen for a reason, and everything was a cog in the machine that got me to the good place I am in now.

The Weekend Report

I think this weekend was a type of recovery from last weekend, where I barely had any sleep, and also last week where apparently everyone's job in life was to make my job stressful. 

This week I took three naps and watched two movies (Frozen and Saving Mr. Banks-both flippin fantastic). I worked on my monster of a 1,000 piece puzzle, which I'm possibly only 1/4th of the way through. I made good progress on my book for book club. And on Saturday, I went shopping with Mom at the square in Downtown Athens.

I really love the square, even though it has the courthouse, which holds traumatic memories for me, as I failed both my written and driver's exams on the first go round. But it also has some of the best memories for me as well. The square used to have a used bookstore, The Green Door,  that my friends and I used to hang out in every Friday after school. We would drink tea, play card cards, and just have fun. 

Now I love the square because it has some of best boutiques around. We spent over an hour just browsing three of them: Pimentos, Trinitys, and Pablo's on Market. I bought this book on local history, that I can't wait to read. Afterwards, we went to a Chinese restaurant. I got the grilled shrimp, grilled chicken, cashews, and vegetables. I only had a few bites, but it was so good!

I am not feeling my usual sense of blahness that I usually have on Sunday night, because I only have to work 3 and 1/2 days, and then Adam and I are headed off to Gatlinburg, Tennessee, to celebrate our 5 year anniversary. Our anniversay is actually April 4th, but we wanted to rent the exact same cabin that Adam proposed to me in over 6 years ago (it was not available on our anniversary date). 

I need a little hot tubbing, hiking, tourist trap adventuring, and husband time in the smokey mountains. I just cannot wait.