Ice SKATING not Ice falling...

Oh how I'm feeling my age right now. JT & I went shopping in Union Square on Thursday and we had tickets to ice skate at 4:00. The idea was to skate while the sun set and watch the lights come on. It's beautiful...we did it last year. I took TWO steps on the ice and biffed it. Face first on the ice. Since my face is my 'money maker' (HA!) I hit my left knee first.....right in front of a class of 1st graders who delighted in my spill. I got back up and re-skated after a little ice on the knee. Two days later and I'm still paying for it! Getting old is hell.

Tiana's Jubilee!

I knew when we left home that Disneyland had a new 'parade' for guests to participate in. Well, anyone who knows me KNOWS I would just LOVE to do that!!!

So, we played our cards right and....got asked to participate!! The show is on the Mark Twain and they stop the boat in front of Pirates of the Caribbean where there was a HUGE crowd. It was so much fun! We performed in 3 parts: First we had scarves we waved at the crowd, then we had wooden music notes we danced and played with, and lastly, we put on the choir robes and shook our tambourines to the music that played. We had a blast!! At the end of our performance, we were given special necklaces and took the pics you see here....

Disneyland at Christmas - filming

Something is always happening when I go to Disneyland! When we arrived, they were filming commercials for Tiana's Jubilee

Disneyland at Christmas - arrival

I love all of the colors Disney has on their Christmas Decorations. One of the first rides we went on was It's a Small World. Isn't it beautiful?

Disneyland at Christmas - Candlelight Processional

I LOVE Disneyland at Christmas time. We flew from Santa Rosa to LAX on Thursday night. It's so nice to fly direct from Santa Rosa. The Disneyland Express bus is right outside baggage claim and it's a fairly quick 45 min bus ride to the hotel. $32 round trip pp. Not too bad considering we fly home to Santa Rosa and don't have to fight the traffic or pay gas/parking in Oakland.

One of the reasons I go the first weekend in December is for the Candlelight Processional. It was tonight! We had a great place to stand (right in front of the fire station) with my friend Robert (cast member) that I met on the CHOC walk. Jeff and I could see the whole thing from this area. Jon Voight was the narrator of the Christmas Story and there were over 500 choir members from all over Orange County singing traditional Christmas stories. It's really a lovely concert!

Character building

Part of what I need to do before I voice a demo is create characters. I don't necessarily mean 'cartoon' characters, but different people I can do with my voice. I'd never really thought about it until I took the VO class. I've had some fun creating a few....but I have many more I need. To be a 'bookable' voice over artist I need 12 - 15 characters. People I can slip into and out of with ease. Sounds crazy....right? So here's what I have so far.....

• Miss Kitty from Atlanta (I created her after attending an HDI meeting where they didn't have a name tag for me...only Kitty's was left and she couldn't attend)
• Tsunami Susan (my Superhero! - created her at the VO workshop)
• Nasaly Nelly (self explanatory - created just to keep up with speaking nasaly)
• Biker Brenda - tough talker and such a far stretch from me!

That's it. I have a long way to go....any ideas will help!!! :) Thanks for reading....

My life long dream....a possibility!!

I did it! I'm sure I've driven some of you nuts in the past few days and for that, I'm sorry. I didn't want to jinx anything. I was afraid if I said something, what I wanted to do, just wouldn't happen.

I've had a dream....for the past 27 years and was afraid to follow it. I was afraid that if I tried and was told I wasn't any good, that my dream was done.

So, here it is.................voice over work. There. I'm sure for some of you it was 'duh' or 'that's it?'!

Yep, that's it. I worked at Burger King back in the early 80's. We had to call back our orders on a microphone. First time I picked that thing up, I was HOOKED! I LOVE talking on the microphone (my EB family can attest to that). Over the years, I've taken a few classes on voice over but they were mostly about how to break into the business. Big deal. Didn't really help because I didn't know if I had the skills....or the talent. So, today, I found out.

I got an email from American Eagle Casting this week asking if I was still interested in their voice over workshop. I had inquired back in July 08 and they just recently went through their contacts for this upcoming class. My weekend plans were canceled (Jeff and I were going camping) so now I was available to take the class. The class was offered at Zone Music in Cotati (CONVENIENT just a mile away!!!) and being taught by Kathy Garver. Some of you might remember her as "Cissy" on a Family Affair from back in the 60's. Kathy has a Masters' degree in Communications from UCLA and a Bachelor's degree in Voice Work again, from UCLA. She's been in the business for 25 years and knows what she's doing.

I was very nervous about going. Just because I like to talk on a microphone, doesn't mean I have any talent. Can I do a cartoon voice? Can I speak with another actor and read/act out a script? What about commercials? Tags? How was my diction? Elocution? Enunciation?

We spent 5 hours reading and recording scripts. Car commercials, descriptions of paintings for museum tours, commercial scripts with multiple actors, cartoon characters. I took direction, created my own characters, and read the most convoluted tongue twisters I'd ever heard of! (Ask me when you see me and I'll read a few!). I had a BLAST!!!

In the end, I needed to ask Kathy. "Can I do this?" "Am I any good?". This would tell me if my dream was just that.....a dream, or if I could actually work in this field someday.

Kathy told me, I'm good. Some of my reads were a bit over the top and she had to bring me down a notch (another big surprise). I came up with my own motto to get through my reads "Drink a glass of wine, then read my line". That's what I need to do. Chill out a bit and go for it!!!

So there you have it. My dream has been to do voice over work and be good at it. I might just have a shot!!

Oh, one more thing.....when I got to the class, the casting director was there. She asked me "Have you ever modeled?". I said no, but funny you should ask....I was in a print ad campaign recently for an association I belong to. "You have a great look. What are you doing Monday?" She asked. "I'm working...". "OK, never mind. I'll find someone else".

And that's show business!

My buddy!

I have a brave new buddy named Lauren
When you see her smile, you'll be soarin'
such a beautiful girl
with once a head full of curls
but now it's a hat she's adornin.

Lauren has a icky affliction
her hair on her head it's affectin'
so the chemo she takes
still the smiles she makes
and her curls she donates with affection.

How can a beautiful girl with cancer be
the one who is inspiring me
to grow my hair long
and break out in song
knowing my hair will be donated with glee!

So to my dear buddy Lauren
whose giggles and smiles are a warnin'
no affliction can make
you a bad attitude to take
so please look on the bright side each mornin!

Love to you Lauren! Peace!

CHOC walk

Disneyland's new President greeting the walkers...

If I can be socially aware while I'm traveling, I do. While at Disneyland having a great time, I did the CHOC walk! It's a walk-a-thon for Children's Hospital Orange County. CHOC has this walk through Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure. They open up the parks early for the walkers and make it a special day. As we turn each corner, there are characters waiting to greet us. We get to go back stage and it's just a really special day.

The walkers behind me on main street (looking towards the train station)

The Disneyland Fire Department met us backstage as we walked through...

Woody, Jessie & Buzz greeting us in DCA
....and I'm done! Long walk, foggy morning and soggy hair. Glad to have walked it!

Halloween Disney Style!

My buds on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad!

Oh and ME on Big Thunder! It's hard to hold the camera and take a picture on that attraction!

Dale me and Chip. Too cool for school

I was in town (LAX) for a meeting last Friday and figured I'd spend a couple of days at Disneyland! Loved it! Was by myself for the most part...caught up with a couple of friends while I was there. I love the Halloween decorations they put up. Here's a few pics...

My visit to Utah

Me and Vicky OLD OLD friends!!

I had a great visit to Utah a few weeks ago. I hadn't seen Vicky and family in several years, hadn't met a few of her kids! It was time.....past time. Lauren and I were roomies for the weekend and I'm glad we were! (Picture is Lauren, me and Natalie) Lauren and I have necklaces that I bought us and we text each other and tell the other one we're wearing it. So cool. Lauren is a great girl and working hard through her health struggles. Sooo proud of her!!

This picture is of the Lehi Roller Mills. May not mean anything to you unless you've seen 'Footloose'. It's where 'Ren' worked and where the final dance was. I bought some FABULOUS brownie mix from them! Yum!!

My soon-to-be-famous cousin!

My 16 yr old cousin Jonathan Tomczak wrote a book! He is a history buff and was interested in writing a book. He got the idea while on a school trip to England and found a publisher. So proud!! These pictures were taken at his first book signing at Copperfields books in Petaluma.

My how they grow up....

My baby is now a senior in high school. We took this picture when he was about 3 years old. It's my favorite picture of him....see the Barney T-shirt under his cowboy outfit? He LOVED Barney.....he'd never admit it now. And recently....we took his senior picture. He shopped for his outfit and put himself together. He's cool. Almost too cool for me.....I'm proud of the man he's becoming. He knows himself well and is a talented artist.:)

Doggies!

It's been waaaaay to long since I've posted and so many things have happened, I guess I'd better catch up.
We had to put our wonderful companion Omar down in June. Omar got sick very suddenly (Lymphoma) and we needed to put him out of his pain. We all miss him very much.
We decided we couldn't have a quiet house for very long and came up (accidentally) on a Adoption fair. They had the cutest little boxer puppy.....and next thing Vegas became ours! He's adorable and slobbery and just a love. He wants to please so very much and doesn't know how much of a knock over he can be!
We had him for about 3 weeks and I always knew I'd eventually get another dog. We didn't want him to be lonely and thought a companion would do the trick. With Omar, we weren't able to bring him around other dogs (he wasn't social at all and wouldn't learn!!). I live in a house with ALL BOYS and wanted a girl. A CUTIE PATOOTIE little girl! Without even looking for her, we ran into the family we adopted Vegas from and they had this beautiful little Bishon Frise that they found wandering the streets! I had to wait two weeks til they made sure no one was looking for her and got to adopt her! That process was very long, drawn out and heartbreaking but in the end....I got my leetle gurl....PARIS.

Camping at the coast...

It's FREEZING!! Technology and camping have joined together. I'm fighting off the ash from the firepit as I'm updating my blog. My neighbors.....the "LOUD" family have been joyous to be next to. I have never heard such a noisy family 24x7 as these people are! Since it's a private campground, no one seems to care that these people should be on reality TV. Favorite new phrase: "TIFFANY!!!!! GET OVER HERE!!!!" OMG people. Keep it down!!

Teenagers. My son took off today with his dad in preps for his triathlon tomorrow. First one!! I'm really proud of him and the work he's done. He's becoming quite the athlete. Last week he decided he wanted to be blond. Didn't want any help, just wanted to be blond so he did it himself. Doesn't matter that SENIOR PICTURES are coming up soon. Teenagers. Love 'em or love 'em.
I had to bribe him with 20 more computer minutes to get his picture. He HATES getting his picture taken. What a Mom will do for a little attention...

Thanks for reading...

I got one!!!

Well, it wasn't easy but I found bras that didn't have an underwire and didn't come in a box. I had NO IDEA how OVERWHELMING bra shopping is!! I have been going to the same place and buying the same bra for over 10 years. I didn't have to think about it. There was only one style that fit. I can finally wear a regular bra so I went to Kohls yesterday and about had a heart attack! There were THOUSANDS of bras to choose from! Underwire. No wire. In a box. Out of the box. Bali, Maiden Form, Playtex, Candies, I could go on and on. How was I supposed to wade through the sea of bras and find the one that FIT and that I liked????
I had a very nice lady at Kohl's yesterday helping me try them on. I won't tell you how many I had to go through before I found one that FIT, but I found one! (and bought it in two colors). I am SOOOOOO excited! It's been a month and that &!*^(%^$ Sports bra is coming off. No more sleeping in it, no more 24x7 wearing it. WHEW!!!

It's finally happened. I'm almost healed. Not fully, but certainly past the "I need to get better" stage. Bruises are gone. Incisions have all but healed. I am finally looking "normal"....whatever that is. It's a new world for me.

Thanks for reading.

Dum dum dum daaaaaaaaaaa.....

Next week is a big week for me! It will be a month since the surgery and I get to go BRA shopping!!! I realize to the average woman this may not be the most exciting thing to do but for me...WHOOPIE!!! So, to be ready for that I need to know what size to buy. If you looked at me, you'd think I went from an "F" to a "C". I don't look like I'm a "D" cup and that's what I asked for from my surgeon. Makes me a little worried.....today I went to Frederick's of Hollywood (where I've bought my bras for the past 10 years because they sold a decent looking size F) and got measured. (insert happy dance here). I'm a D!!! Unfortunately for me, Frederick's doesn't sell bras without an underwire. Until I'm completely healed, no underwires for me. Who cares?! I get to wear a D!!!!!

Since I was in the mall, I thought I'd hit the bathing suit section as well. I bought two bathing suits last week and sadly had to return them. I tried them on with my sports bra on because I was fearful of taking it off to try them on. Stupid mistake. I got them home, tried them on and realized that they were too low cut and they both showed off my new scars. Crap. So I returned them figuring it would be yet another summer without a bathing suit. JC Penney ad to the rescue! I walked into JC Penney today and found my new suit. I LOVE IT!!!! I can't wait to get to the pool or the beach!!! Here it is!
I am NO MODEL, this CERTAINLY isn't a picture of me, but the suit and the cut are flattering. I'm the average size woman and I found a swimsuit. Yay!!! When I get the nerve....I'll post the pic of me in it.

The Perks!!!

So many things are different now. So many little changes that the average person doesn't think about but I'm finding each day. LITTLE things that mean a lot!! So, what did I find?

Things about me that have changed.....

1. The napkin. I hadn't seen it in 20+ years and apparently it's been in my lap the whole time.
2. Powder. A large breasted woman's best friend. In the summer when the girls are rubbing against your skin, powder helps with the chaffing. I threw away my bottle today.
3. Same size. I bought a medium short to go with a medium top. I thought everyone bought those in different sizes.
   
4. Swim suit. One piece! No more buying three sizes too big just to fit the girls!
5. Slimming! With the girls at their appropriate size, I can look down and see a weightloss. When they were big, I mentally didn't see the weight gone.
6. Running. No more black eyes when I run!
7. Walmart has my bra size. You think this is funny? Try special ordering bras for 20+ years. I personally wouldn't buy a bra at Walmart... but the fact that I COULD, says something.
8. A medium. Yes, a MEDIUM! Did I say medium?
   

Don't get me wrong, I have more weight to lose but my life has changed so much. I am so excited for the future.

And thanks for reading.

Human Race and I'm not running...

Last night the EB softball team had our first game. We played "Da Freaks" and won 5 - 4. It was really exciting to win the first one. The best part of the game was when Lenny took a DIVE into home to score a run. He was running and tripped and tripped and tripped (I'm sure you can picture this!) and fell a couple of feet short of home....then crawled to hit the plate. He made it and SCORE! I can't play this year so I'm playing manager. I haven't done that before and I'm learning a lot but glad to be part of the team.

Today is Sonoma County's Human Race. I have walked the Human Race every year (but one) for the last 17 years. I love the Human Race because it's a charity walk/run and WE get to chose our own charity. My company has been Corporate Champion for more than a decade. I'm very proud of the money we've raised for various charities around Sonoma County. This year was different. I don't feel well enough to walk so I didn't. I went to cheer on my fellow co-workers but felt a little remiss by not walking. Since I couldn't do it, I had my son run for me. This year he's really been gung ho on running and doing a great job at it. He ran the 10k this morning in 59 minutes. I'm really proud of him!!! (that's Ian in the yellow hat)This is as close as I can get having my teenager pose for a picture.... :)

As for my daily stuff, I'm still healing. I'm almost 3 weeks post surgery and starting to look more normal. Stitches are healing and falling out, bruising is becoming less evident, sore appears to be healing and I'm finally used to sleeping on my back. I'm still tired everyday and nap for an hour and a half to three hours. Can't seem to shake the "wiped out" feeling after working. I am looking forward to the future.

Tomorrow, some of the perks!

Thanks for reading.

it's almost TGIF

Fair warning: This may be TMI for some people. I'm just sayin'.

Last night I discovered I had a little 'problem'. I thought I did a good job before my surgery of researching the complications, plusses and minuses, etc. Yesterday I was changing my gauze and discovered I'd had a blister and it popped. It's the size of a nickel and OMG is it painful. I wasn't expecting blisters!! I emailed my doctor today and he told me to treat it just like any other blister. I was a little worried because it's right where the "T" scar connects but as long as it doesn't get worse, it'll be ok.

Today I ran into a few friends who hadn't seen me since my surgery. Some of them didn't notice a change others were surprised how small I looked!! All I know is I'm happy with the change. I'm blogging so that I can educate other women on this surgery if they're contemplating having it done. Got questions? Just ask. Happy to help.

Heigh Ho...heigh ho. It was off to work I go!

Today was my first day back to work. It was tougher than I thought it would be!! I came back to 900+ emails. Not surprised, but it's a lot of work to get through that many emails. I could automatically delete about a fourth of them, the rest need addressing.

After a couple of hours, I was hurting. Sitting UPRIGHT isn't something I've been doing a lot of and my body reacted harshly. Tomorrow I'm bringing my pain meds and taking them BEFORE the pain sets in. Just means no driving for four hours. I think I can handle that. I think I'll also put up a "NO HUGS" sign in my office window. :)

I have so much to do, so much to look forward to, so much to change.

This is a recent picture of me and Brenda Iniguez. The two "Bren's". She got me into HDI and on the San Francisco board. I just love her.

Monday came and Monday went. Tomorrow we WORK!

My two weeks is over. Today was my last day to recuperate. Tomorrow it's back to work. I'm glad for the part time because I'm not sure I'd make it all day!!

I decided I needed a new top to wear to work tomorrow. ALL of my shirts/tops/jackets are now too big and I didn't have enough time to get anything altered. Not to mention trying on clothes woulda hurt!! So today I went to the mall and walked around a bit. How hard could that POSSIBLY be. I was only there for an hour and a half and I was DONE. TOO much walking, but I found a new summer jacket (size MEDIUM) and a new summer shirt (again a MEDIUM!!!). Oh what fun that was to try those on. I'll wear the jacket tomorrow but it wasn't what I was looking for. I guess my body isn't quite ready for a long afternoon of shopping. It better get there soon, I need new clothes again!! :)

Looking forward to my new adventure at work tomorrow. Hopefully I've had some blog readers from work. Otherwise, I got some 'splaining to do tomorrow on my new appearance!!

Thanks for reading!

Sunday....a day to relax.

I don't know why, but I'm more sore today than I've been all week. My chest feels like I've run a marathon. Weird!

Since I won the Derby pot yesterday, I got a very relaxing pedicure today. Came home with pretty red toes. Ahhh....such a lovely way to spend an hour.

Next week I'm back to work. Doctor kindly gave me part-time orders which will probably be good for me. For a day or two....I'm sure I'll be antsy to get back to work. The first few days I have a feeling that I'll be in home for a nap by 2pm. Since I'm still not sleeping well, that will help a lot.

For now, I'm relaxing on the couch and I'm rooting on Margie & Luke on Amazing Race. I love to see an underdog win!!

Thanks for reading.

Saturday already.

This morning I'm finally updating my blog. It's tough to do daily when you're busy! I'm sure when I get back to work this will be more of a once-a-week update again.

Today we're going to the SCAYD Volunteer Awards Gala. Their theme is Kentucky Derby. Appropriate huh? It's a long event from noon til 5 and I'm sure I won't last the whole event. I'm glad JT is taking me because by going it helps with my stamina. I start back to work on Tuesday working 5 hours a day and I need to see if I can last that long!

Looking at myself this morning I'm looking better. I still HATE wearing the sports bra but the incisions are healing well and I'm sure it's due to wearing the bra 24x7. I can't wait to buy a new one. I can't wait to buy some new tops! New jackets! Get things altered! Oh the new life. This is so amazing to me. Seriously.

I really had no idea how much my large breasts were holding me back.

Thanks for reading.

What happened to Friday?

I had a lot to do yesterday. I had to get my release paperwork from my Doctor, had to deliver it to my HR department, needed a form signed by my son's Orthodontist and that was just in the morning. It required a bit of running around which of course tired me out. I got home and rested for a bit then we left for SF.

It was Ian's weekend with his Dad so we drove Ian there. I can't drive long distances for quite some time so Jeff did the driving. While we were there, we had dinner at the Daily Grill. I LOVE the Daily Grill! We went a couple of years ago for the first time because good friends of ours recommended the mac-n-cheese. I thought that was a strange recommendation for a nice restaurant but we went anyway. It was OMG fabulous! I just loved it. Now we go back as often as we can and ALWAYS have the mac-n-cheese!

We got home at 9pm and I was so exhausted I went straight to bed. Wow, I have a lot of energy to get restored.

A Medium???

A few years ago my sister and I were in Las Vegas. (Okay, I go there a LOT but I'm talking about one particular trip a few years ago!) We stopped by the store in front of Cowboy Ugly and were inquiring about some of their shirts. When we asked what size they came in the very skinny girl behind the counter said "medium". My sister and I looked at each other, and thought we heard her wrong. I asked if they had an "extra large" and she looked at me straight in the face with the funniest smile and said "uh huh, medium". Now my sister and I were laughing. Did she really say "medium" again? Apparently you have to be a skinny "b" to wear their gear. Well that will NEVER happen for me........

Fast forward to January 2009. Jeff and I were in Vegas for his trade show and one of the suppliers had the cutest T-shirts for sale. They were selling out fast and the ONLY size they had left were............MEDIUM. I knew at that very moment there was NO WAY this shirt would fit but maybe in the near future...........
So I bought one anyway. Whoda thunk? I put it on today and IT FIT!!!!!
Now I'm rockin' my Vegas shirt. Maybe one day soon I'll go back to Coyote Ugly and buy a shirt. A medium...

Some pics....

this was me a few months ago......
and me this morning. Can you tell?????

Day Eight

I got up this morning and checked my email and had one from my Doctor. He said that the 'hole' isn't really an issue. Apparently I have 70 sutures underneath the 'glue' they used on the outside so with all that, I don't really have a hole. I have a little bit of skin that will eventually heal. This statement was backed up by a friend who also had the surgery.

Alrighty then. So, I can have a hole in my skin and not worry! Well, I'm going to the store today to buy butterfly bandages just the same. I'd rather be safe than sorry. Exhale.

I'm having lunch with a friend today then coming home to start my one and only project. I figured I should take on something so I won't be bored!! I'm doing calligraphy for another friends wedding. Can't wait. Love to do that.

Thanks for reading.

Tuesday - it's been a week!

So, it was a week ago that I had this life changing surgery. Wow. I still can't believe it. I had an epiphany yesterday. Thinking about it today makes me giggle.

Mom and I went to lunch yesterday. While we were eating, I did what I always do...lean all the way over my plate so I don't drop something on my 'shelf'. My Mom looked at me and asked why I was doing that. I thought about what she said, sat up straight and looked down. I could see my lap AND my napkin!! This is a new concept for me!! She knew that and laughed. I realized it and was just....wow.

Tonight is a little different. I found a 'hole'. I was doing a 'self exam' as I do every night before I get my pj's on. I found under my left breast an area where the skin does not appear to be attached to each other. No stitches left in this area. I'm sure this sounds very strange.........and it's a little scary! I sent my Doc a message via their website and expect to hear from them in the am.

I'll keep you posted. Thanks for reading.

Monday - day Six

Ugh. Today was a setback.

I went to lunch with my Mom (thanks Mom!!) and couldn't take my pain meds because I can't drive while on them. It was weird being behind the wheel of the car and driving and feeling every bump in the road. When we were done with lunch, I was DONE. Oh man I was hurting. I came home took one pain pill and was out the rest of the afternoon. I don't like feeling like that. I had been doing well not taking pain pills every 4 hours because I hadn't needed them. I have a week to get ready to go back to work and I have no idea how I'm going to do that.

Sleeping is another thing. A friend told me about a "pillow nest" that helped her sleep like a baby. I've tried to recreate it (I found a pic of it online) and I guess I'm not setting it up right because it's just not working. Tonight I'm going to try the Lay-Z-Boy and see how I do. I don't DO well without 8 hours of straight sleep. Makes me cranky. :)

Tomorrow I'm going to start with small walks and see where I go...

Thanks for reading.

Sunday - Day Five

I went outside and took a walk today. I felt like I needed to get outside and get some fresh air. I didn't walk too far (just around the block) but felt like it did me some good. I'm just worried because one of my breasts is now leaking. Not a lot, but enough to get some gauze under there to help with the leaking. I had no leakage issues until my walk.

I feel trapped in this sports bra. I have to have it on 24/7 and it's difficult. Sleeping is the hardest part. Sleeping on my back is difficult enough but doing it strapped into this sports bra makes it really difficult.

I appear more bruised today than I did yesterday. More green and yellow all over. They're not pretty to look at right now. That being said, I can visualize what I'll look like in a few months. I'm still very swollen and uplifted, but its obvious I'm smaller. When I was in Hawaii at Christmas time I bought a couple of tank tops that I knew would fit me eventually. I could put them on when I bought them but they were so SHORT because of my chest, I could never wear them. Well, today is a beautiful day and I put one of them on. It fit. It brought a huge smile to my face because it fit!!!!!

Just another day on the couch.

Thanks for reading.

Saturday - Day Four

Today things are starting to change. My bruises are a lovely shade of green and yellow. Some of my stitches are coming off (this is a good thing) but that means slight bloody marks on my clothes.

I think the hardest part is that my family aren't sure when to help and when not to. Because I'm stubborn, I don't ask for help. Most of the time I'm laying in bed trying to "heal" so that my stitches won't pop open. End result: I'm gaining weight. Not a lot, but I was hoping not to gain ANYTHING. Actually was expecting to lose MORE than the 2lbs I lost during surgery. Ugh. I have a lot of work to do when I get off my butt. Right now the healing is more important to me than the weight gain. This is a lifestyle for me, not a diet. A little more exercise when I'm healthier and I'll be good to go.

Thanks for reading

Friday - Day Three

I got to meet the girls!!!!! Ahhhhh....such a relief today.

Went to the doc to get my drains out. What a WEIRD experience that was! The drain was connected to a tube that was at least 8 inches long. Went the whole length of my breast. Pulling it out was a very strange sensation. It was actually the ONLY sensation I had. The rest of me is very numb. Except for ONE VERY IMPORTANT PART. :) There is one place that is possible where I COULD have lost sensation and that was my biggest fear. That fear has been squashed. I have feeling there and that means my whole surgery was worth it.

My favorite new drink (when I go out - which isn't often) is a Purple Hooter. That would be a good explanation of me right now! Very bruised and purple. The stitches are black and ugly but I must say.....I look a lot better than I thought I would. I'm also much SMALLER than I thought I would be!! I fit into my new sports bras very well. You could almost say a "perfect" fit. And they're a "D" so I must not be as small as I think I am.

This whole experience is very weird for me....and I am sure in the next few weeks as I heal, it will be as rewarding as I'd hoped it would be.

Thanks for reading.

Thursday....Day Two

It's rough. Sleep that is. I'm not getting much of it because I don't sleep well on my back. It's also not helping that I'm draining at night and waking up a mess. Lucky I bought two of everything (sports bra and button up jammies).

I am experiencing one effect that the doctor warned me about. Apparently I haven't eaten enough fruits & veggies because I had to break out the milk of magnesia. Gross. Lucky for me it kicked in around 3am. Woo hoo. Needless to say it's been affecting my sleep for the past two nights.

BUT!!! There's GOOD NEWS!! Jeff called the doc today and I get to go in tomorrow am to remove the drains!!! This means I get to shower and oh is that going to feel good. :) And the best part? I get to see my new girls!!!

Thanks for reading.

Next Doc appointment

My next doctor appointment was scheduled for NEXT Wednesday. You can imagine my excitement to not be able to shower for a whole week. GROSS!!!! Well the doc called today to check in on me and my drains and apparently I'm doing GREAT. He said I can come in on Friday morning and get them removed! YEAH!!!!!

Post surgery - Day One

Yesterday was a surprise. I was expecting a whole different experience than what I got. Here's what I remember:

I got to the Outpatient hospital around 9am. By 10am I was marked up, in my gown and ready for surgery. I left the surgeon a little gift: I wrote a note on my stomach that said "Please make me look pretty". When he went to mark me up he laughed and said no one had ever done that before. (Always good to keep the surgeon laughing). The very nice nurses gave me the FIRST part of the IV...then NOTHING. I remember NOTHING!! Next thing I knew I heard the nurse say it's 1:00pm and surgery was over. Wow. I was expecting to at least remember the wheeling down the hall to the surgical room.

It was a rough day yesterday. The anesthesia wiped me out. I think I was awake for about an hour yesterday afternoon then back to bed.

Today is a WHOLE NEW DAY!!! I feel pretty good. I am NOT in a lot of pain, not having to take a lot of the pain pills. I'm shocked! I expected to be in a great deal of pain. They took 2lbs off of me for heaven's sake! The grossest (is that a word??) part is the drains. I have to empty them a couple of times a day. I get those out next week and can't wait for that. Until then, no showers. Yes, that means my friends won't come by to see me! Stinky!!! :)

I'm wrapped up with gauze and surgical sponges all over the place so I have NO IDEA what I look like under all of this. It's killing me. I'd like to see what was done. How I look. Do I look better? I do know, I'm DEFINITELY smaller!!!! I feel like I'm in high school. I can't remember the last time I looked down and saw my feet. LOL.

Looking forward to the rest of my life......thanks for reading.

Today is the day...

I'm as ready as I can be. Still nervous. I can't shake this feeling. I think its because my other surgeries were more "life threatening". Meaning if I didn't have them, I would have serious complications in my life. This one I will be extremely uncomfortable, but I'd survive. Sounds stupid I'm sure.

I've got to regroup. Today is the first day of the rest of my healthy life. I get to wear clothes that are in proportion to each other. I get to run (possibly!!). All of this because of one little surgery. I know in my head it's the best thing to happen to me. I just have to get past this morning!! :)

Going to go get ready. It's outpatient surgery and I'm thankful for being able to recover at home. No hospital food. I should be home late this afternoon and will blog tomorrow am.

Thanks for reading

Tomorrow am.

Tuesday. 8:45am. I'm ready but I'm not. I'm excited for the "after surgery" but not excited for tomorrow. Today has been a HOT one and miserably so.

They say when life hands you lemons, make lemonade....so I went out to my lemon tree, picked a few and made lemonade. Now let's see what I get handed next!

Went to the store today to get new jammies. Apparently lifting my arms in the air will be out of the question so I needed button front ones. Don't tell me to "stick 'em up" because I'm gonna look really silly doing that.

I also bought a sports bra. (Regular bras are out of the question for a few months) It was the strangest thing to buy one and HOPE it will fit. I don't know what size I will come out of surgery as. I know what I ASKED to be...but you never know what you'll end up with. Can you imagine? God sets you up with one set of girls...and you can actually CHOOSE what you want to be. Such a strange decision to make.

I'm blogging my adventure for my friends who wonder what it's like and are afraid to ask. I hope I'm not offending anyone by putting such details out there. I'm not embarrassed by this surgery, just want to help educate.

Thanks for reading.

Monday am.....one day to go.

I'm up! It's 5:30am and it's my last day of work before surgery. I have a lot to do today because I'll be out of work for two weeks. So much to wrap up. I feel a little guilty leaving my staff for that long....but I know they understand.

So many things to do today. Shower with special soap. Put specific things by the night stand "just in case". Specific clothes to wear "after surgery". Oh, and the pictures. Still didn't take the final picture yet. Will do that today. Can't eat or drink after midnight. Must take regular meds with a SIP of water. Yadda yadda yadda....

It's going to be a HOT one today. Almost 90 degrees. If I wasn't sweating it out about the surgery, today I'll just be sweating it out!!

Thanks for reading.

It's Sunday...

and the weather outside is beautiful. It's expected to be 85 degrees today. I just can't wait.

I woke up this morning with a terrible knot in my stomach. I'm not sure why. I think it's nerves.

I'm really looking forward to the "after surgery". I'm sitting reading the paper this morning and found a recent Lands End catalog. It has swimsuits in it. Swimsuits are something I've always struggled with. When I got to my current weight I started looking for a new swimsuit. I was THRILLED to fit in one in the single digits. Well, the bottom half fit anyway. I've never been able to put on a one piece and have it fit everywhere. Looking through the catalog this morning, I am starting to realize this is a possibility I will get to face very soon. I should be on cloud 9, but I'm sitting here nervous. Hmmmmm....

All of these clothes in the Sunday ads. They're beautiful. They look good on people of proportion. Reality check: This will be me soon. Wow. Until recently, I didn't think it was strange to buy skirts/short in a size MEDIUM and tops/jackets in a Large to X-Large. Thankfully I have a supportive husband who is behind me despite me downsizing the "girls". :)

Today I'm housecleaning and reflecting on the items in my closet. I'm hoping that my local Goodwill will be happy to get the tops and jackets that will be coming their way very soon. Well, except the ones I can save with my favorite tailor. Don't know where I'd be without Mai's alterations in Rohnert Park. They've taken such good care of me during this journey. Beautiful tailoring at an affordable price. A shameless plug.

Today is picture day. Hubby wants to take "before" pictures so we can see the difference. YES clothes will be on. Will post them here when I'm ready...

Thanks for reading.

Saturday morning - 3 days away

I'm up this morning and heading to the LAB. Doc ordered some general blood tests to make sure I'm ready for surgery. Wish I had known that while I was at the doc's last week, I would have done it then!! Next stop is to go buy a sports bra. Not just ANY sports bra, but one that closes in the front......AND......is SMALLER. This will be very weird!! So, need to do a little shopping today and maybe a little pampering. A pedicure sounds lovely right about now.

Got my instructions from the Pre-Op nurse: Loose clothes, shirt that buttons in the front, put meds near my nightstand with crackers & water (to make sure I have something in my stomach before I take the meds, no matter the time), special soap to shower with before the surgery, and my favorite: Make sure the DVR & book shelf are full. I'm gonna be bored!! Actually, I took on a project while I'm home recuperating. One of the girls I work with is getting married and I'm doing the calligraphy for her invitations. I LOVE doing tedious work like that, very theraputic for me. Weird I know...I won't be starting that project for several days after the operation.

I got to see first hand yesterday what I may look like 10 years from now. I was very honored to be trusted with that.....and thrilled how good I may look. THANK YOU so much to my friend for sharing her experience with me.

Thanks for reading...

Surgery & the weightloss

I started this blog to write the adventure I started on January 1st 2008. I wanted to blog while I worked on losing weight and hoped that it would help me in my quest for healthiness. As of this writing, I've lost 57lbs. I've lost it everywhere but ONE place. My breasts. I'm huge. Not Dolly Parton huge but darn close. After many visits to the Doctor, many funny exercises to try to lose the weight there, I've decided to have a breast reduction. My insurance provider (God bless them) deems it medically necessary and will be covering the cost for this life changing operation. There are so many things I am looking forward to after this. Things the average woman doesn't think about. Like....

• buying a ONE piece swim suit
• buying a dress
• RUNNING - think about it!
  
• neck pain relief
• back pain relief
• buying a bra in a NORMAL dept store
• and so on and so on.....

I have many things to do this weekend in preparation for the surgery and my recovery. Wish me luck and watch here for updates......

Thanks for reading.

...and finishing it up with Magic Kingdom

I'm glad I left Magic Kingdom for last. It's quite a bit like Disneyland, but just not the same. It's almost when Walt was designing it he SNEEZED and everything got spread out. It made the trip easier because we didn't do as many things at Magic Kingdom.

Had to go check out Its a small world. After they changed the Disneyland version, I thought they might have done the same at WDW (they didn't). Disneyland added a bunch of new characters (from Toy Story, Cinderella, etc). The weird part is getting used to the big clock being INSIDE instead of the large part of Disneyland that it is.

On the way out of town the next day, we stopped in Celebration, FL. Very cutesy Disney designed town. This is one of their electricity poles:

Next day: Disney Studios

Last time I was there it was called MGM Studios. I love all of the rides, especially Rockin' Rollercoaster. But better than that....and better than the one at DCA is Tower of Terror!! I also LOVE Toy Story Mania!! OMG....probably the best attraction Disney has put together.
We ate at the Sci-Fi Dine In. Food was good but the movies were silly!!! The restaurant is setup like an old Drive In and we get to sit in old convertibles. Such a cool idea.

On to Epcot!!

**Epcot**

I love Epcot. We had fun with my step son here. We called him from "England" and told him we were there....told him we walked there from China. He thought we were totally serious!! Even got mad at us!!! Teenagers.....

Another favorite (and I think the ONLY ride at Epcot beside the PUKE ride Mission Space) for me is Test Track. This year I got to go through the Living Seas and really enjoyed it. I'd missed that the last two times I'd been. I had fun watching a couple of dolphins play chase with us while they were waiting for guests who had paid to swim with them. They were doing all kinds of tricks...even got me to be eaten by a shark!!
I just had to close with this picture....really like the lighting at night.

The LAST thing we did was to ride Spaceship Earth. The big globe you see here. At the end of the ride we got quite a surprise! Once we realized how FUNNY it was, I grabbed my camera and videoed it. Hope you can see it. I giggle every time I watch it!! (video was taking too long...will update later)