Now what?

Now that the surgery is done, what am I going to do next? It's amazing how long roads must go on before you actually reach a goal! I gotta say, it sucks! So, until I reach the point of signing, there are things that keep me motivated, such as finding people who I can model myself as a leader after.  So the next couple blogs are going to be about leaders, and how they're going to make ME a better officer!!


I think one of the best leaders, and one of my dad's personal heroes, is John Wooden.  He was the head coach at UCLA, and here's how he ended up there:

"UCLA had actually been his second choice for a coaching position in 1948. He had also been pursued for the head coaching position at the University of Minnesota, and it was his and his wife's desire to remain in the Midwest. But inclement weather in Minnesota prevented Wooden from receiving the scheduled phone offer from the Golden Gophers. Thinking that they had lost interest, Wooden accepted the head coaching job with the Bruins instead. Officials from the University of Minnesota contacted Wooden right after he accepted the position at UCLA, but he declined their offer because he had given his word to the Bruins"


Well, coach Wooden was one of a kind.  He took no slack from even his star players! He coached a lot of greats through his career, and one thing I think they all would say, was not only was he a coach, but he was a mentor.  Both on and off the court the players respected him, what he thought, and what he did! 


Here are some really great John Wooden quotes, and let the man speak for himself! Here's what I want to take with me from his Basketball court, to my Army:


- A coach is someone who can give correction without causing resentment. 

- Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.

- Consider the rights of others before your own feelings, and the feelings of others before your own rights.

- Don't let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.

- Don't measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability.

- If you're not making mistakes, then you're not doing anything. I'm positive that a doer makes mistakes.

- Success comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.

- Success is never final, failure is never fatal. It's courage that counts.

- Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.


and finally


- You can't live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you. 

Surgery completed

Well, so far so good!!  I went into the office Tuesday morning and left mid afternoon.  So...the procedure:

As I said, I went into the doc at 9:45 in the morning! I got in there, they took my weight and height. My blood pressure was high, so they gave me the happy drugs to try to get me to calm down!

So, eventually my blood pressure got down far enough, where they allowed to to proceed with the process!    Well, the first thing that happened was they shot numbingness stuff in my lower stomach!! When  I was numb, they cut a 4 little holes in the 4 corners of my abs.  They first took a machine that looked like a long stick.  All I could feel was the heat from it! Pretty much, the only other thing I felt on that part was it being moved around under my skin and above the muscle!! It was crazy! After that he took another long stick with a thick tube attached to the back of it!  If you've ever gotten a tattoo, you know what the vibrating pen feels like.  That's what this particular tube felt like.  It was vibrating so fast, and as I looked up I could see the fat literally being sucked out of me, it was so COOL!!  It was like this orangish color, mixed in with the red fluid numbing agent.  Then they repeated it on my outer legs too.  Between the two places they took out two really big tubes of fat!

Now it's time for the recovering period! I tell ya, this part is NOT fun! Imagine the worst bruising you have ever experienced, and times it by about 100!!  Well first, I wasn't able to take any pain killers because every time I did, I threw up ANYTHING that was in my stomach.  If there was nothing, dry heave-ho! Well, finally I was able to find something that I was able to take!! So, yesterday, I did absolutely nothing! I sat and watched more Ghost Whisperer as well as a lot of day time crap!

Today is another day better! I feel like I could actually go out and DO something...maybe! I must say though, while this is STILL a crazy emotional roller-coaster, I know this was the right decision! I know this is one of the final steps I NEEDED to take, before I make my final leap!

3 more sleeps 'till life begins again

For the last year and a half, I've been workin' my butt off, quite literally.  Well there are two parts of my body that don't ever want to budge, my lower abs and my outer thighs.  I worked for over 2.5 months harder than I've worked before! My diet was perfect, my exercise was beyond strong.  It included running 2-5 miles daily, working out with a trainer twice a week, and even attempting yoga!

When all was said and done, I was STUCK! My weight didn't go down a pound, I didn't lose a cm in circumference,  my body was saying "Oh hells to the no girlfriend!!" I went to a doctor to see if they would be able to help, and I got nothing but a cold shoulder!  Then I went to the skin rejuvenation clinic in Edina. After a very promising meeting, we set the date and it's quickly approaching!

I now officially only have 3 more sleeps until the surgery! This is going to be my life changing 7 hours!! It's a "simple" procedure, and I'll be on my feet the next day, back to exercising a week to a week and a half later!  Ladies and gents, this (should) be my last step until signing my name on that dotted line!!  I AM SO EXCITED!!! I'm not one to give up, so I like to think of this more as giving mother nature a boost! :)

Don't worry, I'll make sure to give you an update as soon as I can!! Thank you all SOO much for all your support this past year! It's gonna keep going, I know, but I could NEVER have done what I have without you!

I Still Love Lucy

*nothing about weight loss, just thought I'd share bits and parts of my life!*

Since I was a wee little one, there's one show that has always been there for me whenever I was sick, or needed a laugh, or really just wanted GOOD television episode.  I Love Lucy never fails to make me laugh! However, before I Love Lucy happened, life was not always easy for Lucille Ball herself!   She was rejected constantly saying she didn't have what it takes, she wasn't funny and that she would never make it in show business!

There was something about Lucy I admired.  I think it was her constant persistence to get into Ricky's show, or maybe it was the fact that no matter how mad they got at each other, Lucy and Ricky always loved each other in the end! Yeah, I know how the real marriage ended, but that doesn't matter, Lucy and Ricky always have been, and always will be in love!

In many ways I see Colin and myself in Lucy and Ricky! No, Colin isn't a latin band leader, conga drum player, although, sometimes I wonder about his English! (Oh, I'm just kidding!)  However, we bicker, a lot and we argue about finances! I'm always getting in his business and he thinks that he's really the man of the house! ;) However, at the end of the day, we're more in love than when it began!

I Love Lucy is now syndicated in over 80 countries around the world, and remains one of the most popular shows of all time! I've always loved Lucy, and I think I always will! Her ever stubbornness is a good way to live life if you ask me! The moral she teaches me show after show:
    "when life says no, figure out a way to get in the show anyway!"

So that, my dear friends, is why I Love Lucy!  Now here are a few clips to get you through until the next  time YOU get to love Lucy:




And really, who can forget Vitameatavegamin?





"Speed it up!!"





I think the BEST episodes are the ones out in California:





A teary tribute to Lucy, and why we all loved her!





and finally: The series finale farewell:

The beginning of the end...

As far back as I recall, I have had weight problems!  In kindergarten I remember having a conversation with some friends, announcing the fact that I was 60 pounds! The average girl weighs about 46 pounds at that age.  Anyway, so it's been a problem!

I've always been self conscious, but it's never been the biggest concern of mine.  That is until I decided I wanted to join the military.  For the last year and a half I've been working with an amazing trainer! My diet has been really good! (Minus the State Fair visit!) However, for the last couple month, my size, my weight, NOTHING has budged!! My spirits have been very low, and there have been several times  just wanted to quit!!

There are only 2 parts of my body that haven't budged. My hips, and my lower abs! About a month ago I had the unfortunate meeting with a doctor who REALLY wanted to make me quit! He was an ass, he didn't care, and he was wearing a gold chain with a lot of chest hair...yeah, ew! He looked a little bit like a doctor pimp!

Well, finally today I didn't go back to the doctor, but I went to a "skin rejuvenation clinic." I've known the doctors for sometime, they go to our church, but the minute I walked in I felt very comfortable! Everyone was welcoming, the atmosphere was calm, and the couch was comfy :)!

We went back to the room, and doctor number one was wonderful! She took a look at my "trouble areas" and learned about ME. About my past. About what I wanted and needed!  Doctor number two came in (her husband) and was the same way!  They cared about me as a person, not if a law suite was going to be brought upon them, which is what pimp doctor thought the WHOLE time!

This procedure is unique and wonderful! It's like liposuction, however they use lasers, not knifes!  They make a tiny incision where they stick a small tube.  On this tube is a laser and it goes in almost a windshield wiper motion.  It MELTS the fat! Once they go through the whole thing, they simply suck it out!  Because they use a heated laser, the laser also works are a skin tightener.  So when the fat comes out, the skin slowly tightens and returns to normal!

A lot fewer complications, no real anesthetics needed, and I'm up and walking the next day! I get to start exercising merely one week later and my diet can stay constant!!  PLUS, it's more cost effective!

Having the opportunity to do this, really makes things feel like they're falling into place! This is the last step of what I really need to accomplish my goals! THE ONLY thing standing in my way are these spots, and now, FINALLY, after a year and a half of working out and dieting, my goals will be here!

Of course I have to wait a couple months before full recovery, but the second I get the okay, I'm in that recruiters office, signing my name on that dotted line...


HOOAH!!!!!!!!!!

Find out most about the clinic and procedure!!