Steve, playing guitar, and Marjorie sings along 
It was a really wonderful weekend, and I enjoyed every minute. I also thought periodically through the weekend about what this weekend would have been like pre-band. It was so nice to be able to appreciate things like (1) being comfortable wearing a bathing suit (not to mention, a SKIMPY BIKINI!); (2) walking up to the water in my bathing suit and feeling good, not self-conscious; (3) not having my legs rub together!!!!! (This should be no. 1! OMG, I don't know at what point that stopped, but I am so glad it did... has completely changed my enjoyment of warm weather; (4) being able to enjoy an ice cream in public; (5) believing my boyfriend when he tells me that he loves how I look in my swimsuit; and (6) going on a bike ride with Steve for exercise and knowing that I'm going to enjoy it and not feel the least bit over-exerted (thank you, spin!). Wow. What a world of difference this whole process has made.
For dinner, we grilled steak and swordfish steaks, had a gorgeous arugula salad, roasted tomatoes and asparagus. All of those foods (save for the steak, since once in a while, I get a bite that I can't chew enough and must ... er, discretely put in my napkin...) work just fine with the band. I can't eat that much of the salad, but can have enough to enjoy it and feel like I'm getting in some veggies. I really prefer family-style serving when I'm eating with people who don't know about my surgery (no one other than Steve knew among the Wainscott crew), since I can just take a small portion and eat most of what I put on my plate.
Steve and I stayed in a really cute bed and breakfast in Yountville, just a short walk from Bouchon. I definitely recommend it. It's called the (spelling weirdly because of Google Alerts..) L-a-v-e-n-d-e-r I-n-n, and was seriously adorable, complete with an outdoor hot tub and a fireplace in the room. So wonderful. And one of the best things about the weekend was that Steve had brought me two cards, in which he wrote some very sweet things, and he hid each in my bag at a different point in the trip so that I would find them. Love!!
Here's an interesting band-related update for you. Since I started dating S, my scale bounced up around 6-7 pounds from my all-time low. However, I've refocused on getting in my workouts (after slacking a bit for a few weeks.. which is why I gained the weight), and I've gotten off about 4-5 of it, so that's good! I feel like such a good band citizen for nipping that gain in the bud... before it became 10 pounds. 
I'm attributing the cholesterol reading to the fact that I've been eating so much cheese.. and so many eggs.. over the past 2.5 years. They are just easy food to eat with the band, and I also find them easier to cook (or, where cheese is concerned, to grab as a snack) than other kinds of protein, like beef and chicken (plus, they stay good for longer in the fridge). Um, plus I love eggs and cheese... In fact, I made S a cheese souffle with a great salad for dinner on Sunday night ... Perhaps not the best choice I could have made...
Is anyone else a little... er, focused... about not getting food posioning? I've been really cautious about it since I got banded, largely because I don't want to have to do that kind of throwing up. So, leftover protein that has been in the fridge for more than a day isn't generally something I'm going to eat. I really do waste a lot of food... I try not to on principle, but I can't avoid it -- and the risk of getting sick isn't worth it to me. Plus, I can only eat a certain amount every day, and I do try to generally choose things that I'm excited about eating.
