ABC's of Me!

Appalachian State University… the school I worked hard to get into and did.
Blessed: What I’m feeling right now because I have the best family and the most amazing friends a person could ask for!
Creative: What I like to think of myself as. :-)
Desk: What I’m sitting at, at work. Filling this out.
Eustacian Tube Dysfunction…. I’ve got it… in my right ear. Can’t hear a thing except for a buzzing sound.
Friends: lots of them, and love each of them!
Giardia: What my sweet pup Bella almost died from two days after I adopted her.
Happy Girl… My favorite song by Martina McBride. I feel it fits me to a “T”.
Inches: What I’m hoping I’ll lose over the next year or two. :-) YAY!
Jobless: What I found out I’ll be last Friday. May 15th will be my last day at my job. I’ve been here for 5 years almost to the day.
Konrad: The sweetest little boy (My best friend Chris’ son) who gave me the name “Auntie”. I treasure it and every time he and his little sister say it.
Laughing: One of the many memories I have of the dorm is when Sarah and I (Sarah was the RA) used to laugh so hard and so loud at NOTHING, but the people on either side of us actually had to come tell us to settle down.
Macon: Georgia that is… Where my extended family lives/was from. My Meema still lives there. It’s a beautiful town, with not a whole lot to do. Except Susan and I always go to Kmart, like it is some big deal. (we have one in Charlotte.. but for some reason, only go when we are in Macon)
Niece: I am an aunt to the sweetest, happiest, most beautiful baby girl named Ainsley. She is an angel that gives a new meaning to the word life. :-)
Old: What I’ll be in September when I turn the big 3-0!
Photography- CKJCreations.. My photography business. I can’t wait to explore this talent even more.
Quiet: What I love after a crazy day, but what I hate when it’s an empty quiet.
Realistic Optimist: This is how I describe myself. I realistically expect that things will turn out good. :-)
Severance: The type of package that was given to me yesterday that I haven’t signed because I have to review it with my father.. aka.. my financial advisor.
Taxes: I owed a whopping $3 to the state of North Carolina this year. Last year I actually had to write a check for the huge amount of $1. I hope that it goes to some wonderful politician meal!!
Unique: I happen think of myself as a pretty unique individual.
Valle Crucis: One of the most beautiful towns in the North Carolina Mountains. A MUST visit for people seeking beauty in it’s natural state.
Windows: What I wish I had more of. I love bright sunshine coming in a window. It also offers great natural lighting for photography.
X-ray- I had a few.. but the worst one was when I broke my foot. Every time I went in, they had to get a shot from a certain angle that made me have to lay my foot on the broken side. That felt like torture!
Yes! It’s ALL GOOD!!! :-)
Zenith: The first television that we had as an extra that I remember us having growing up. It was the one that we had to turn the dial on it and adjust the rabbit ears.

Please Pray for Stellan!!

YOOOHOOOO.... I'm baaaccckkk from the hiatus of life!!

I realize I have not blogged in a LOOOOOONNNNNNNGGGGGGGG, but things have been QUITE crazy around these parts. Life has a way of taking detours every now and then, and some things just don’t seem as important as they used to. At least, to me that is. So I’ll give you the highlights in random order.

1. Mom completed her Chemo treatments and got a clean bill of Health back in September. She is finally doing very well, and we are all impressed with her recovery. She still has some neuropathy issues, but every now and then she gets “short circuits” and it’s as if the nerves in her hands and feet are making connections, it’s just taking a while. She is thriving though, and we are all glad to have her “back”. Chemo is tough!!!

2. Mom and Dad completed a renovation to the den. They bumped the den out about 12 feet and it added some much needed extra space. It brightened everything up, and allows everyone to sit in there comfortably, without anyone sitting on the floor.

3. On October 5, 2008 the most BEAUTIFUL baby GIRL was born into this world. My Niece!!!! I can’t tell you the elation I had in me the minute I got the “IT’S A GIRL!!!” news. As some of you know, Brian and Lauren did not want to find out the sex of the baby. So they held out and sure enough Ainsley Grace made her way into this world at a whopping 6 lbs 1 oz. She is so beautiful and she is definitely from our family! She’s got the cheeks!!! :-) Brian and Lauren have adjusted to parenthood quite nicely. It is amazing to see them blossom into such amazing parents!!! Here is a picture of the cutest baby EVER to be on this planet!!!!!!!!!!

4. I’ve gotten more involved in photography, with the new addition of my very first digital SLR. It’s a Nikon D60! I’m in heaven!!! I love this camera, and CKJCreations is off and running… well.. sort of. But I’ve got a mentor now that is showing me the ropes of photography and is helping me out big time with my questions!

#5 is the most life altering change in my life……
5. I made the decision in October of 2008 to go through with Gastric Bypass Surgery. I went to the doctor the week after Ainsley was born, for an infected cyst, and my weight had sky rocketed to the highest it’s ever been. I think the stress of the past year played a huge role in it. So I started the journey by attending a seminar on November 4, 2008 and that started the ball rolling. I chose an amazing surgeon by the name of Dr. Voellinger with Southeast Bariatrics. The program is extremely comprehensive, and is definitely not a split second decision. My PCP and I had been discussing options for weight loss for the past 4 years. I attempted the Mediterranean diet, weight watchers, doing a diet on my own, and then there was Nutri System (which worked, but my body became used to the foods, and then the craziness of 2008 really took a toll on me). I have been large all of my life, and the birth of Ainsley Grace made me want to be healthier… For her, for me, for my future, for her future… I want to go into my 30s and be healthy!!! I do not have outrageous expectations to be a stick thin person. I just want to be healthy! I want to see this little girl grow up and I want to be able to take her places and do things that a heavier person may not be able to do.
I am now working out at the YMCA on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and I am following a high protein, low calorie diet. I started my 6 month physician supervised diet back in February, and so far I’ve lost 5 lbs. (according to the digital scale at the doctors office) but on the home scale it is more around the area of 7-8 lbs. I’m not complaining!! :-) I’m getting healthy!!!
So I will keep you all updated on the progress, and once I get the date of my Surgery, I will post it on here. I will also be sending an email out to everyone who is interested.


So that’s been the last 8 months in a nutshell! :-)

Hopefully I’ll be back in the blogging game!!! :-)