This week completes four weeks of walking on Tuesday and Thursday. I started on June 6. I wasn't sure how far I could walk when I started but felt like I needed to do it. I've wanted to lose a little more weight to reach my goal. Before I had my surgery my fat % was 50.9% and 112.5 lbs. My fat free mass was 108.5 lbs. The last week of May I weighed in at Dr. Baird's office on the 24th and my fat % was 37.9% at 54 lbs. My fat free mass or muscle mass was 89 lbs. So you can see that I lost muscle as well as fat along with my weight.
This past weekend I was feeling discouraged because after three weeks of walking, my scales hadn't gone down one single bit. If anything it went up alittle and I didn't care for that idea. The New U program sent out literature last month to the effect that since those of us that have passed our year mark since our surgery didn't come into the office for monthly checks, that every Monday from 10:00am to noon we come go in and weigh and visit with them. I decided to take advantage of that. Last Monday I was up 2 lbs. from where I was on the 24th of May. But the good news is my fat % was 32.1% at 46.5 lbs. and my fat free mass or muscle mass was 98.5 lbs.!! I was sooo thrilled to learn that. I've been working out upstairs on the machines at Apple Athletic Club pretty close to two times a week as well as doing Pilates both since the middle of January. And I hadn't really noticed much increase in muscle mass nor much decrease in fat mass. Now that I have built up the mucsle, I should be burning calories more efficiently so should be able to lose that last 10 lbs. much more easily.
We walked the hills at Community Park this week. I am still the very slowest but I walked further faster today than I did Tuesday and that is what counts. Altho' I'm tired when we get back I am feeling better all the time. I feel better about myself too. It's been 15 months today since I had my bariactric surgery. I'm so thankful I did it. I am so much healthier now than I was then there is no comparison.
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Our Family Reunion
Our Family Reunion June 24-25, 2006
On Thursday the 22 I spent all day long making treats to take to the reunion. It was an all day project. Everyone really enjoyed them and I’m really glad I did it. I did find out that I can’t stand up all day yet but I can surely stand much longer than I used to could. My back did bother me at times, but I was able to keep going most of the time. (I actually got the recipes typed up and e-mailed out to all our children today.)
Friday morning I put the chicken salad together so we could drop it off at Karen’s along with the other treats on the way to Grace. We got to Blackfoot about 4:00pm or so. We were there about 45 minutes. We dropped off the airobed, extra clothing as well as the food. Michael & Tanya and children were already there. It was good to see them. We got to Grace about 6:45 or so. We had dinner then Karl started on the lawn trimming around the pipes and mowing the barrow pits and pulling some weeds etc. He worked until it got dark. I visited with Mom and worked on Eprhiam’s “I’m a Child of God” plaque. We went to bed about 10:30 or so. I woke up at 1:30 or so and had to go up and use the bathroom because I had a little ice cream and cake about 9:30. That was way too late. I was able to go back to sleep and slept to just after 6:00. I got up before 6:30 and got my shower etc. we had breakfast and got ready to go. We left by 9:00am. We got to Blackfoot in enough time that we got gas and stopped at Wal-Mart so Mom could get some vitamins. We got to Karen & Kent’s about 11:10 or so. Jessica drove from Provo and stopped and brought Grandma W with her. It was so good having both grandmothers there. (Of course counting Karen and me there were four grandmothers there in all.=)) Bryan & Sandy and children were all there. They got to Blackfoot before 9:00 the night before. They made good time. Sandy sat in the back seat and just took Jason out of his chair, nursed him and then put him back in his car seat. They drove straight thro’. Didn’t have to stop for anything but gas. I’m glad it went so smoothly for them. Jason isn’t quite 3 months old and it is quite a ways to drive with such a small one. They said that he was very good but got kind of fussy around Soda Springs and then fussed the rest of the way to Blackfoot. But that was just the last hour and a half or so of a 16 hour drive. Richard & Téa weren’t able to come. We missed them. It would have been all of us if they could have been there. We were minus 7. Shani & Jon are living with Karen & Kent right now so they and Macie were there too. Kim & Kimberly got there around 2:00 and my sister Joy and her daughter and son-in-law, Heidi & Joe came about then too. Her daughter Emily came about 4:00 or so with her daughter Kaylynn and her three week old baby boy, Travis. He wasn’t due until July 13 but Emily had really bad toxemia with multiple organ failure so they had to take him C-section to save her life. He weighed 6-1 that morning. He weighed 5 2 at birth so he would have been a b-i-g baby if he went to term.
Michael & Bryan got the chicken, potatoes and cherry & peach cobblers ready to cook dutch over style. They did such a good job. It gave Karen time to get the tables & chairs around and delegate any thing else that needed to be done. They worked so well together. It was good to see them coordinating and working together. We ate about 2:00. The chicken and potatoes were suplimented by various salads. It was all very good. After we ate, we sat around and just visited and took pictures of everyone. Kim brought his tripod and set it up by the evergreen tree and took pictures or the individual families and then a few pictures of everyone because he has a timer on his camera. He said he would put the pictures on his website but I’m hoping he will e-mail some of them out, at least those of the individual families. Some of our children I don’t think have access to their website. Kim & Kimberly and their children left around 5:00 or so. Michael & Tanya left shortly after. It was so good to see all of them. After we all rested a little Karen brought in the treats from the cooler. Everyone really liked the cereal mix one. Grandma W said it was just too “moreish”. I said, “What do you mean by that?” She replied, “Oh, you know, you just want more and more.” I tho’t she was referring to the Moor people of Spain and couldn’t make a connection. The cherry-a-let candy they really liked too. Especially the young people. They really enjoyed it. Grandma W told me many times I shouldn’t have made them. It would make her blood sugar go up. (and mine too.) I told her the only time I could make it was when many people would be around to eat it.
We headed for bed shortly after 10:00pm. Karen and Bryan had gone out and set up our air bed in the office and got everything situated. Karen even took a touch lamp out there for us. She is so tho’tful. She always takes such good care of us. I woke up about 3:30am and couldn’t go back to sleep. I rested but that was all. I got up just after 7:00. Their church starts at 9:00 and altho’ they had three bathrooms, we had to start early to all get our turn in one of them. We all went to sacrament meeting. The speakers were a woman who had been a single mother while raising her five children because her husband had died of cancer at a rather young age. She had been married to her present husband for three weeks and he has moved from Shelley to here home there in Groveland. They talked on the importance of the family. Both talks were very good. We all enjoyed it and were glad we were there. We all went home after sacrament meeting except Shani & Jon. Kent and Karl went back for priesthood meeting. There was enough chicken left over from the day before that we just put some bar-b-que sauce on some and some terriaki sauce on some more. Karen made some funeral potatoes to go with and there was enough salad left over that we had a complete meal. It was all very good. After dinner we took a five generation picture with both sides of the family since Macie is a little older. She wasn’t very old and one couldn’t see her very well in the first five generation pictures we took. Jessica consented to take GrandmaR back to Grace on the way back to Provo. So they along with GrandmaW left about 2:30or so. We were thankful that she did that for us. That way we were able to stay there and visit. We all rested for awhile. Macie was tired but she wouldn’t settle down. Karen brought out a quilt and some toys for her hoping she would settle down and go to sleep. But she had other ideas. She just kept going. After everyone got up we decided to have a ping pong tournament of sorts. Bryan & Chris played first. Bryan had to work at it but he beat Chris a few games. Karen & Kent played. Kent beat Karen rather handily in the end but he had to work at it at first. Karen & I played two games. I could even serve pretty good. I hadn’t forgotten that part anyway. She beat me rather handily altho’ I was a head by a point of two at the beginning. Neither on of us has played in more than 20 years. We had hot dogs cooked over a fire in the fire pit. Along with some of the left over salads. More people played ping pong. Everyone ended up playing at least one game except Sandy and Jon. Jon said he had never played and had no desire to learn. (Karen had borrowed the table and net etc. from some friends.) Bryan was the only one who didn’t lose a game. So I guess he was the champion. Karl had gathered up everything out of the office. We were going to sleep in the house. It was easier to pack it in the car and drive the car around than carry everything into the house. After all he had everything in the car he came and told me he was ready to go home. I told him I wasn’t surprised and I was willing if we could stay until dark. We started to get around to leave about 9:30. We knew that Bryan & Sandy would be leaving as early as possible the next morning and Kent & Jon would have to leave early for work. And it would feel so good to sleep in our own beds. (which it was. I slept 8 hours straight and as much as I could tell I didn’t move the whole 8 hours.)
It all makes us realize how blessed we are to have the family we have. They are all good parents and teaching their children to walk up rightly before the Lord. It is rewarding to see that. We were thankful that our mothers, the grandmothers, were able to be there too. It was one of the few times they would be able to see all of our children. We haven’t been all together since Shani & Jon were married three years ago and we haven’t have a formal reunion for five years. It was good.
On Thursday the 22 I spent all day long making treats to take to the reunion. It was an all day project. Everyone really enjoyed them and I’m really glad I did it. I did find out that I can’t stand up all day yet but I can surely stand much longer than I used to could. My back did bother me at times, but I was able to keep going most of the time. (I actually got the recipes typed up and e-mailed out to all our children today.)
Friday morning I put the chicken salad together so we could drop it off at Karen’s along with the other treats on the way to Grace. We got to Blackfoot about 4:00pm or so. We were there about 45 minutes. We dropped off the airobed, extra clothing as well as the food. Michael & Tanya and children were already there. It was good to see them. We got to Grace about 6:45 or so. We had dinner then Karl started on the lawn trimming around the pipes and mowing the barrow pits and pulling some weeds etc. He worked until it got dark. I visited with Mom and worked on Eprhiam’s “I’m a Child of God” plaque. We went to bed about 10:30 or so. I woke up at 1:30 or so and had to go up and use the bathroom because I had a little ice cream and cake about 9:30. That was way too late. I was able to go back to sleep and slept to just after 6:00. I got up before 6:30 and got my shower etc. we had breakfast and got ready to go. We left by 9:00am. We got to Blackfoot in enough time that we got gas and stopped at Wal-Mart so Mom could get some vitamins. We got to Karen & Kent’s about 11:10 or so. Jessica drove from Provo and stopped and brought Grandma W with her. It was so good having both grandmothers there. (Of course counting Karen and me there were four grandmothers there in all.=)) Bryan & Sandy and children were all there. They got to Blackfoot before 9:00 the night before. They made good time. Sandy sat in the back seat and just took Jason out of his chair, nursed him and then put him back in his car seat. They drove straight thro’. Didn’t have to stop for anything but gas. I’m glad it went so smoothly for them. Jason isn’t quite 3 months old and it is quite a ways to drive with such a small one. They said that he was very good but got kind of fussy around Soda Springs and then fussed the rest of the way to Blackfoot. But that was just the last hour and a half or so of a 16 hour drive. Richard & Téa weren’t able to come. We missed them. It would have been all of us if they could have been there. We were minus 7. Shani & Jon are living with Karen & Kent right now so they and Macie were there too. Kim & Kimberly got there around 2:00 and my sister Joy and her daughter and son-in-law, Heidi & Joe came about then too. Her daughter Emily came about 4:00 or so with her daughter Kaylynn and her three week old baby boy, Travis. He wasn’t due until July 13 but Emily had really bad toxemia with multiple organ failure so they had to take him C-section to save her life. He weighed 6-1 that morning. He weighed 5 2 at birth so he would have been a b-i-g baby if he went to term.
Michael & Bryan got the chicken, potatoes and cherry & peach cobblers ready to cook dutch over style. They did such a good job. It gave Karen time to get the tables & chairs around and delegate any thing else that needed to be done. They worked so well together. It was good to see them coordinating and working together. We ate about 2:00. The chicken and potatoes were suplimented by various salads. It was all very good. After we ate, we sat around and just visited and took pictures of everyone. Kim brought his tripod and set it up by the evergreen tree and took pictures or the individual families and then a few pictures of everyone because he has a timer on his camera. He said he would put the pictures on his website but I’m hoping he will e-mail some of them out, at least those of the individual families. Some of our children I don’t think have access to their website. Kim & Kimberly and their children left around 5:00 or so. Michael & Tanya left shortly after. It was so good to see all of them. After we all rested a little Karen brought in the treats from the cooler. Everyone really liked the cereal mix one. Grandma W said it was just too “moreish”. I said, “What do you mean by that?” She replied, “Oh, you know, you just want more and more.” I tho’t she was referring to the Moor people of Spain and couldn’t make a connection. The cherry-a-let candy they really liked too. Especially the young people. They really enjoyed it. Grandma W told me many times I shouldn’t have made them. It would make her blood sugar go up. (and mine too.) I told her the only time I could make it was when many people would be around to eat it.
We headed for bed shortly after 10:00pm. Karen and Bryan had gone out and set up our air bed in the office and got everything situated. Karen even took a touch lamp out there for us. She is so tho’tful. She always takes such good care of us. I woke up about 3:30am and couldn’t go back to sleep. I rested but that was all. I got up just after 7:00. Their church starts at 9:00 and altho’ they had three bathrooms, we had to start early to all get our turn in one of them. We all went to sacrament meeting. The speakers were a woman who had been a single mother while raising her five children because her husband had died of cancer at a rather young age. She had been married to her present husband for three weeks and he has moved from Shelley to here home there in Groveland. They talked on the importance of the family. Both talks were very good. We all enjoyed it and were glad we were there. We all went home after sacrament meeting except Shani & Jon. Kent and Karl went back for priesthood meeting. There was enough chicken left over from the day before that we just put some bar-b-que sauce on some and some terriaki sauce on some more. Karen made some funeral potatoes to go with and there was enough salad left over that we had a complete meal. It was all very good. After dinner we took a five generation picture with both sides of the family since Macie is a little older. She wasn’t very old and one couldn’t see her very well in the first five generation pictures we took. Jessica consented to take GrandmaR back to Grace on the way back to Provo. So they along with GrandmaW left about 2:30or so. We were thankful that she did that for us. That way we were able to stay there and visit. We all rested for awhile. Macie was tired but she wouldn’t settle down. Karen brought out a quilt and some toys for her hoping she would settle down and go to sleep. But she had other ideas. She just kept going. After everyone got up we decided to have a ping pong tournament of sorts. Bryan & Chris played first. Bryan had to work at it but he beat Chris a few games. Karen & Kent played. Kent beat Karen rather handily in the end but he had to work at it at first. Karen & I played two games. I could even serve pretty good. I hadn’t forgotten that part anyway. She beat me rather handily altho’ I was a head by a point of two at the beginning. Neither on of us has played in more than 20 years. We had hot dogs cooked over a fire in the fire pit. Along with some of the left over salads. More people played ping pong. Everyone ended up playing at least one game except Sandy and Jon. Jon said he had never played and had no desire to learn. (Karen had borrowed the table and net etc. from some friends.) Bryan was the only one who didn’t lose a game. So I guess he was the champion. Karl had gathered up everything out of the office. We were going to sleep in the house. It was easier to pack it in the car and drive the car around than carry everything into the house. After all he had everything in the car he came and told me he was ready to go home. I told him I wasn’t surprised and I was willing if we could stay until dark. We started to get around to leave about 9:30. We knew that Bryan & Sandy would be leaving as early as possible the next morning and Kent & Jon would have to leave early for work. And it would feel so good to sleep in our own beds. (which it was. I slept 8 hours straight and as much as I could tell I didn’t move the whole 8 hours.)
It all makes us realize how blessed we are to have the family we have. They are all good parents and teaching their children to walk up rightly before the Lord. It is rewarding to see that. We were thankful that our mothers, the grandmothers, were able to be there too. It was one of the few times they would be able to see all of our children. We haven’t been all together since Shani & Jon were married three years ago and we haven’t have a formal reunion for five years. It was good.
Friday, June 16, 2006
An interesting & full Day
Yesterday I had a very interesting and full day. We started the day by going to our walking class. I actually passed the two mile marker during the cool down. By the time I walked to the area where we stretched then walked back to the car I had taken 5374 steps since I had left the shelter to start my trek. I had taken 550 steps up to the time I started the two mile walk. My back bothered me a little but nothing like it used to do. After we got thro' there, we came home and I took my shower and washed my hair, etc. Then we went to the temple. I walked up and down all the stairs. They have kind steps there. Then yesterday evening I went to a "Stamp it up" Club meeting with my neighbor, Jackie Messick. I found that very interesting. You average about a card an hour. You use stamps and ink and card stock. I made two lovely birthday cards. It takes alot more time than the computer does and there still wasn't anything written inside. So altho' I'm glad I went and I enjoyed it, I think I'll stick with my card making on the computer. I walked around the kitchen and living room five or six times before going to bed and still only walked 7500 steps or so. I can really tell that before I had my surgery and while I had those back spasms etc. I must not have walked any more than 200 to 250 steps a day. It really takes a lot of effort and time to walk 10,000 steps...the recommended amount if you want to lose weight.
Today I used my computer to make the insides of the cards and a picture for each card on the inside and the made especially for you part to go on the back with a flower. I took a little bit of time but I'm glad I did it that way. I 'm using one of them for Shani's birthday and the other for Eleana's which is next Wednesday.
I've been working on Epraim's "I'm a Child of God" plaque. I finished the top half. As I did the border, I could tell that the peice of aida cloth was cut crooked. On the right hand side there was 1 1/2 inches between the border and the edge of the cloth. As I went across the top of it I could tell it was crooked. By the time I got to the other side of the cloth, the border was just three small squares from the edge of the cloth. I put the rest of the border on just alittle ways and I had to wind the embroidery thread over the material because there was no hole to put the needle into. My tho't was "I'd better take this to KC Frames where they stretch it and mount it and frame all of my work to see if they will be able to even frame it. They really make my work look beautiful. I took it there today and the verdic was they can not frame it; it is too close to the edge. So I get to start again on Ephraim's plaque. It is a wonder that I hadn't had that problem with any of the first 17 I made. I've never had that problem before. You can be sure that I will check it out before I start any more. I'm going to take it to Wal-Mart where I got the aida cloth and see if they will at least reimburst me for the cloth. Or give me some new cloth. I think they will. Time will tell. I'll start on it tonight. I have an extra package of the aida cloth tha I can use. They say the third time is the charm. I certainly hope so.
Today I used my computer to make the insides of the cards and a picture for each card on the inside and the made especially for you part to go on the back with a flower. I took a little bit of time but I'm glad I did it that way. I 'm using one of them for Shani's birthday and the other for Eleana's which is next Wednesday.
I've been working on Epraim's "I'm a Child of God" plaque. I finished the top half. As I did the border, I could tell that the peice of aida cloth was cut crooked. On the right hand side there was 1 1/2 inches between the border and the edge of the cloth. As I went across the top of it I could tell it was crooked. By the time I got to the other side of the cloth, the border was just three small squares from the edge of the cloth. I put the rest of the border on just alittle ways and I had to wind the embroidery thread over the material because there was no hole to put the needle into. My tho't was "I'd better take this to KC Frames where they stretch it and mount it and frame all of my work to see if they will be able to even frame it. They really make my work look beautiful. I took it there today and the verdic was they can not frame it; it is too close to the edge. So I get to start again on Ephraim's plaque. It is a wonder that I hadn't had that problem with any of the first 17 I made. I've never had that problem before. You can be sure that I will check it out before I start any more. I'm going to take it to Wal-Mart where I got the aida cloth and see if they will at least reimburst me for the cloth. Or give me some new cloth. I think they will. Time will tell. I'll start on it tonight. I have an extra package of the aida cloth tha I can use. They say the third time is the charm. I certainly hope so.
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
I'm finallly back
I'm finally able to get online now to blog again! I couldn't remember the password that Tanya originally gave me. So I now have a new one. Which is good. I don't know if it was Kimberly, Kim or Tanya that sent me the website to change it. It could have been any of them.
I am now using my new computer. I have a digital picture of it but don't know how to put it on my blog yet. I will have to experiment and see if I can figure it out. If anyone else reads this and can help me, I would appreciate the assist.
I walked over two miles this morning. We joined a walking class last Tuesday. It meets at 8:30 to 9:30 am at Community Park. It is on 25th and Holmes. When our older children lived here, the city didn't go down that far. It is a nice little park with a black top path that has mile markers and benchs around it. When I first started out last Tuesday, I had no idea how far I could walk. I did a mile in 22 minutes and 15 seconds. I have walked a little further each time I've gone. That first time I figured I walked approx. a mile and a half total. I was sooo sore! Wednesday and Thursday. I was able to stride out a little more today since I'm not sore any more. I still feel my back but it doesn't bother me that much. Next week we walk the Green Belt around the river. It is two miles around once. I should be able to do it by then. I'm still the slowest but I'm improving. Before I had my surgery my back felt like it would break into by the time I walked to the end of our driveway. It was a chore to walk from the chapel to the relief society room while holding on to my husband. It is so nice to be able to walk where I need to.
We will go to the temple this afternoon and again Thursday. Then it will be closed for three weeks. By going twice this week I'll be able to finish the 15 names I've been doing for Brother Gill from Coltman. He is originally from India and he has researched over 10,000 names. He had requested the stake members to help with the initiatory work of some of these names.We my sweetheart and I did initiatory work last December 5, I told his wife that I would be glad to do the endowments for those women too. She said to just take them home with me and give them a call when I was finished. I had told Sister Gill that it might take me the whole year but I would get them done. As my health has improved, we have been going to the temple at least once a week. So I have finished by mid year. I am thankful that I feel like going more now. It is great!
I am now using my new computer. I have a digital picture of it but don't know how to put it on my blog yet. I will have to experiment and see if I can figure it out. If anyone else reads this and can help me, I would appreciate the assist.
I walked over two miles this morning. We joined a walking class last Tuesday. It meets at 8:30 to 9:30 am at Community Park. It is on 25th and Holmes. When our older children lived here, the city didn't go down that far. It is a nice little park with a black top path that has mile markers and benchs around it. When I first started out last Tuesday, I had no idea how far I could walk. I did a mile in 22 minutes and 15 seconds. I have walked a little further each time I've gone. That first time I figured I walked approx. a mile and a half total. I was sooo sore! Wednesday and Thursday. I was able to stride out a little more today since I'm not sore any more. I still feel my back but it doesn't bother me that much. Next week we walk the Green Belt around the river. It is two miles around once. I should be able to do it by then. I'm still the slowest but I'm improving. Before I had my surgery my back felt like it would break into by the time I walked to the end of our driveway. It was a chore to walk from the chapel to the relief society room while holding on to my husband. It is so nice to be able to walk where I need to.
We will go to the temple this afternoon and again Thursday. Then it will be closed for three weeks. By going twice this week I'll be able to finish the 15 names I've been doing for Brother Gill from Coltman. He is originally from India and he has researched over 10,000 names. He had requested the stake members to help with the initiatory work of some of these names.We my sweetheart and I did initiatory work last December 5, I told his wife that I would be glad to do the endowments for those women too. She said to just take them home with me and give them a call when I was finished. I had told Sister Gill that it might take me the whole year but I would get them done. As my health has improved, we have been going to the temple at least once a week. So I have finished by mid year. I am thankful that I feel like going more now. It is great!
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