The Adorable Blog Award

Lacey at http://www.buchorn.com/blog/ gave me The Adorable Blog award.

Rules of the Award
*Thank the person who gave you this award, and link back to them in your post.
*Tell us 10 things about yourself.
*Nominate your bloggers.
*Contact these bloggers, and let them know they received this award.

Just as a preface, I will probably not be detailing too much of my personal life since I am always worried about people finding out about my blog and my WLS. But it will all be a good recap of what I have posted in the past (plus some) for those folks who are newer followers.

1. I was banded on December 18, 2008.

2. I have been blogging since the summer after being banded.

3. I live in the same neck of the woods as Amy W. at http://cheeseandsunkist.blogspot.com/, Mary at http://maryslapbandjourney.blogspot.com/, and Melly at http://mellylovespizza.blogspot.com/. Lacey at http://www.buchorn.com/blog/ used to live near us too. I have had the opportunity to meet three of these lovely ladies (Amy W., Mary, and Lacey).

4. My husband and I had a formal wedding last year but were legally married the year before due to my lack of health insurance and kidney stone issues (we were already engaged, so it wasn't a completely mercenary act on my part--LOL! :) ).

5. I have been having problems with my band since January, which resulted in a complete unfill in early February.

6. I am still having heartburn. It's annoying.

7. I have a lot of skinny family members.

8. This week, I mentioned to a CLOSE family member that a girl we both knew was getting gastric bypass. My family member didn't even want to talk about it because a doctor fairly close to the family had expressed that "Getting weight loss surgeries was one of the worst things a person could do." My family member also said that people always gain the weight back. When I tried to explain that there were different kinds of surgeries and different results, the family member stopped me from talking about the subject entirely. This is yet another reason I keep my band to myself.

9. Speaking of which, I have only told two other real-life folks about my band--a friend and my husband. In fact, sometimes I wish I'd have only told my husband just for more peace of mind.

10. On a more positive note, even though the band has been causing me frustrations, I am optimistic about weight loss surgery in general (and the band itself has been great for many people--the proof is in the Blogosphere Pudding). I hope that if things don't work out with my band (I'm giving it my best efforts in remaining unfilled as long as possible and trying to eat things that won't aggravate my condition), I will have the opportunity to undergo another type of WLS in the future.

And again, I nominate all those who want to participate!

Things We Should Have Never Stopped Doing (Weight-Related Version)

Cosmo recently published an article about 50 Things You Should Have Never Stopped Doing. I thought I'd do my own weight-related edition...although I will just get the list started with ten of my own thoughts (which may or may not apply to your own childhood experiences...but might help you remember some fun you had). Feel free to add on as many things as you like so that we can try and reach 50 things!

1. We should have never stopped spinning around in circles as children. I remember I always loved to spin and watch my 'poofy dresses' float up in the air :) .
2. We should have never stopped playing kickball. This was on the Cosmo list, I think, but it is such a great game for adults too! My group of friends had a kickball party in law school. It was so much fun! I wondered why I hadn't done it earlier (and, now, why I haven't done it since) in my adult life.

3. We should have never stopped swimming when we went to the beach, pool, river, or creek. I know that many of us even avoid places where we have to don anything resembling a bathing suit. But if you can muster up the courage to go, have fun. Get in the water and splash around some!

4. We should have never stopped playing hopscotch.

5. We should have never stopped jumping rope.

6. We should have never stopped occupying our time with hand-clap games and other activities that kept us busy thinking about something other than food.
7. We should have never stopped choreographing routines for ourselves and our friends. I think that something like this was on the Cosmo list too, but dancing is a great way to be active. Add a creativity component, and BAM! What an awesome rush of energy from all directions!

8. We should have never stopped NOT finishing our meals at fast-food chains so that we could go and play in the at-restaurant playlands as soon as possible. It's such a different perspective to think of activity as the much-anticipated end goal itself and not as the routine necessity to attain a different goal.

9. We should have never stopped going to and using the equipment at the park. I personally love swings (when I fit comfortably in them)! They are the best!
10. We should have never stopped imagining that our goals could take us wherever we want to go in life (and ideal weight attainment is just one of these goals!).

Don't forget to add to the list of things we should have never stopped doing!