Catching Up!

Life in general has been busy lately, but filled with fun things, too. Two weeks ago, Steve and I participated in New York C-a-re-s Day with his company, and we spent that Saturday painting at a school on the Lower East Side. It was a LOT of fun. Not sure if you've picked up that I love anything arts & crafts-y, but I do, so I was pretty much in heaven the whole day!

Steve painted a classroom or two while I had fun with the murals!

Admittedly, this was my least favorite of the murals I worked on, but it's the only one I got a photo with!

Another mural I worked on...

Last week was crazy busy, both at work and socially. I actually didn't get in a single workout, which scared me a bit (I'm not going back!!!)! So, I committed to working out 3 or more times this week and have already done that (I took spin classes on Monday, Tuesady and Wednesday). But back to last week.... we had two black tie events. One was a benefit on Tuesday night for the M--y-s-t--i-c S-e-a--p-or-t, at which we were the guests of friends who had gotten a table. It was a really nice event -- the speeches were surprisingly good, the dinner was good, and the company even better.

The other black tie event was on Friday -- a very opulent 40th birthday party for a friend and ... 500 of his closest friends! It was so extravagant -- I've been to weddings that weren't even close to as nice. The decorations were cool (white sofas, hanging chandeliers, beautiful plants.. all in an old church that is now a party space), the food was amazing (lobster, crab, oysters, sliders, a million different tiny desserts, etc.), and they had a fantastic 10 piece band and an amazing DJ. We danced a ton and had a fantastic time! (I can't believe I have no photos!!)

We actually left that party to get home by midnight because Saturday was another big day. There is a steeplechase race that takes place every year out by where Steve grew up, and he has a longstanding tradition of doing a big tailgate. So, we were up bright and early to catch a 9 a.m. train out to the races to get everything set up!

At the races...

The races was an all-day event. We had about 40 or so friends come by, enjoyed a ton (too much on my part..) of food, had some bloody Marys and wine, and did a little informal wagering on the races! The event went from about noon until 5 or so, and then we went to Steve's lake club with a group of about 10 friends to see the sun set over the gorgeous lake. It was so picturesque -- changing leaves, geese landing in the lake, the works. THEN, after that, we had 12 people over to his parents' house for a casual dinner. It was freezing out, so we lit a fire, heated up the dinner, and all sat around eating and talking. It was a great group, and I think it's safe to say that everyone had a great time! People left in small groups as the night went on. Eventually, only a few of us were left, and Steve and another friend were playing, respectively, guitar and banjo together.... I was listening on a sofa near the fire and fell fast asleep. I missed the last hour or so of fun! (But thankfully, Steve tells me that I was NOT snoring.... 'cause you never know.... It has been known to happen....!)

OK, one more update. Last night, Steve and I were having dinner and heard a crowd shouting in the street. It sounded like a riot. It turns out that a big group of the O--c--c-u-p-y W-a--l-l S-t-r--ee-t people were coming down my street. The p*lice had blocked off the street with a line of motorcycles (the lights you see in the photos). And, as the crowd got to them, there were punches thrown, protesters trying to push over the bikes, and a whole bunch of arrests. We watched the whole thing from my window -- and I took the photo shown below. It was wild -- and a bit scary. I am very ready for this protest to end.

That's all my news for now! I hope everyone is having a great week!

Happy THIRD Bandiversary to me!

Today is my third bandiversary. Today marks three years since I took a well-researched, calculated risk. It marks just about three years since I was able to stop feeling like sh*t about my weight every single day and since I first started breaking free from the food prison.

So, how has my life changed? Well, I went from weighing 230 pounds to holding steady right around the 150 pound mark -- five pounds under my goal. I've become someone who looks forward to exercising and who talks about her workout at cocktail parties (OK, I know that's not necessarily a good thing, but I've bonded with a lot of other women about it..)!


I also understand that working out is the key to maintenance for me. Over the past year, my weight hasn't changed that much. I've been able to easily maintain within a range of about five pounds, and as long as I'm able to hit the gym 3-4 times a week, it's no issue at all to maintain on the lower end of that spectrum. This year, I did three trips -- all to the Adirondacks -- that involved serious hikes that I would never have even attempted at my start weight, and I enjoyed all three, though even at my current level of fitness, they were challenging.


In addition to fitness and maintenance, this year also has been a lot about being in love and enjoying my relationship with Steve. It feels so incredible to be with someone who appreciates me so much, and I love not having to worry if I look fat .. or if he thinks I'm fat... or if ... blah blah blah, anything having to do with fat. It's just not a worry anymore. I can't believe how lucky I am to have found a tool that would make it possible to let that type of negativity go. I never imagined that would be possible -- or that it was part of what banded life would offer to me.


I'm a lucky bandster, for many reasons -- including that Lap Band Girl always has her bandiversary just before me, and she always posts something interesting and thought provoking that gets me thinking. For example, her post last year led to me figuring out that I'd spent $120.25 per pound to get to goal. (It was worth every penny.) This year, she wrote a letter to her "fat self" that inspired me to write a letter to the version of myself who was thinking about having this surgery, but still had a lot of doubts. Here is my letter:




Dear Me c. 2008,

Don't be scared about this decision. This is going to be the right thing for you. The surgery doesn't turn out to be that big of a deal, and the payoff is going to be so good that you would have gladly suffered through ten times worse if you could see how this is going to turn out three years down the road. The best news I can give you is that you are going to get to your goal. You are going to get to be thin, fit and healthy. Believe it or not, you're going to become someone who other people ask for advice on staying in shape -- even people who don't know you were ever overweight. You're going to be one of the fittest people in your trendy spin class, and you'll get to wear super cute outfits there... and everywhere else.

It's a FACT that you are going to get to feel good about your weight, your body, and what you eat. Your relationship with food is going to change quite a bit, but only in ways that you are going to like. You'll still enjoy flavors just as much. You'll still love going out to nice dinners, brunch, cooking and entertaining at home. It's just that you'll get to enjoy all of those feelings without feeling guilty -- or disgusting -- or sick to your stomach from overeating afterwards. You'll get to eat ice cream in public, shame-free. You'll get to shop absolutely EVERYWHERE, and they will have clothing in your size, and you won't have to make due with things that are just OK because they fit you -- you'll be able to do much better than that.

You will never have to worry if a guy thinks you are fat. (Because you'll know that if he does, the problem is all his because you are definitely NOT fat.) In fact, your 40-year old bootie is going to look so much better than its teen-aged iteration that you're actually going to LIKE it for the first time ever!! You are going to get to wear bikinis in the summer! And, shopping for them won't even leave you with post-traumatic stress-disorder!!

You will be able to wear heels without being in undue pain the whole time!! Also, your feet won't hurt all the time -- your heels won't crack -- and you won't have to stretch out your back after you've been walking around for a while. Also, your legs won't rub together when you walk. I don't want you to get too far ahead of yourself, but I can tell you that CORDUROY is in your future! (No, you don't start a fire. I know -- I'm as shocked as you are!!)

You'll get to go to foreign countries and feel like a sexy jet setter, instead of a fat American. You'll get ushered in with a smile and great service at the Hotel C*stes in Paris, among other spots. It will actually feel GOOD to be hot in the summer, and you won't have to be nervous about wearing your swimsuit. Bumping into old friends will be a pleasure. You won't look ridiculous dancing (well... as long as you don't break out the robot... AGAIN. Seriously, you're 40 for crying out loud -- no one needs to see that)!

You're going to get to feel lovely -- and healthy -- physically strong, mentally strong, attractive, admired, and proud of yourself for finding a way to solve this lifelong struggle with your weight.

Also, you know that @$$hole saying "Nothing tastes as good as thin feels"? I know -- totally obnoxious, right? Well, it turns out that it's true.

So, my dear self, circa 2008, please don't be afraid. Don't worry about the surgery -- you're doing the right thing, and all of the things you are so worried about really don't turn out to be a problem. I know that not everyone gets lucky like this, but you fall in the right percentages during at least your first three years.

Go ahead with confidence. There are so many good things waiting for you.

Love,

Catherine

BYOC!

1. What's your most favorite noise and your least favorite noise?

Most fave > I love the *POP* of a champagne cork!

Least fave > Hearing the "clip" noise of fingernail clippers IN THE OFFICE. Seriously!! Raised. By. WOLVES!!!

2. If you were a character in the movie Grease – who would you be?

For sure Sandy.

3. What was the name of your best friend in elementary school? Are you still friends?

My best friend was this girl named Patty, who I thought was The Bomb. Her parents had the sickest house, and she had the best birthday parties. Plus, we lived in Holland at that time, and her parents always had VCR (or VHS?) tapes of American TV shows and would let us stay up till all hours watching tv when we had sleepovers. We snuck our first cigarettes together (and pretended we burried a dead bird when we burried the butts), tortured the guys we had crushes on a bit (my favorite was a note "Do you like [guy's name?] Yes No." We'd check "NO" and then "let" the guy get the note from us... Terrible!!). We also invented a ton of secret code languages and would write out elaborate keys to them and send each other notes in code -- totally awesome stuff. After I moved back to the states, she turned out to be a rotten pen pal, and we fell out of contact. Years later, I found her through the Internet and we e-mailed a few times --- she was an architect, living in London, and I'd just started my first job as an attorney in NYC. She was still as bad as ever about keeping in touch though, and the acquaintance fell off. Earlier this year, I saw that my big brother friended her older sister on FB, and I found her and sent her a friend request.... which she ignored. WTH, Patty?!?!

4. Who is your current celebrity crush?

Ryan Gosling. Ryan Gosling. Ryan Gosling.

5. Repeat question: How was your week in real life and in blog land?

I'm not going to sugar coat it. This week was stressful in real life and I've been feeling cranky, sick, tired and fed up as a result. I am dealing with some seriously annoying bullsh*t at the place where I go (as Dinnerland calls it), and I've been engaged in some irritating apartment lease renegotiation -- and, while I've talked the apartment folks down from the INSANE increase they proposed, this has forced the issue of Should-We-Be-Talking-About-Moving-In-Imminently ... and I'm left with the fact that my boyfriend isn't ready to move things forward yet, though we've been together constantly through the past 10 months and have been really happy. So, I'm left wondering whether this is another PP situation and I should just run for the hills right now, or whether I should be patient and give him some more time. And I'm turning 41 next month and I want to have kids. .. so tickety-freaking-tock. And, to add to the sh*tstorm that was this week, I have a miserable cold. AND I had to go to the OBGYN this week for my 6 month check-up, which I'd forgotten or I would have moved it. And the OBGYN kept me waiting for over an hour. And I can not even tell you how f-ing sick I am of those stupid freaking "Occupy Wall Street" protesters. AND, waaaaaaaaaaaaah.

Aren't you so glad you asked?? But seriously, I would totally be Sandy. (Because in spite of all of this stuff, I can't help thinking that I did get in an awesome workout last night, my weight is good, there is a Sidecar with my name on it at a restaurant that I'm going to be at within the hour, and even with all this bullsh*t I have going on, life is still pretty good.)

Chicago! (Post 2 of 3)

Sooooo! Finally, I'm going to put up some more Chicago trip news! On Saturday, after Jazzercise and brunch with Joey, Nicole and Susan, we did a bit of shopping, then head back to the hotel. I took an hour or so to just rest and relax, then decided to invite some of the girls over for a little pre-game glass of wine! Ten or so of us congregated in my room, where we enjoyed the lovely bottle of wine that Joey made beautiful commemorative labels for -- a great way to unwind!

And, at some point, we all realized that it was time to get dressed and head over to dinner! Again, I have to hand it to the organizers! This year's venue was even better than last year's, the food was delicious, and the company was even better!!

With Krystal, who I got to hang out with quite a bit on Friday night -- so great to finally meet her in person!

With Beth Ann (link to her blog in my earlier Chicago post), who introduced me to Jazzercise, and who looked stunning in that red dress!

With the adorable Angela! I had such a great time hanging out with her, Fluffy, Maria and so many others at the ice cream and PJs after party! (Donna, I'm so curious about henna now!!)

With Barbara, Thelma and Louise!!
Amanda and Maria -- I loved seeing those girls!

Angela, Dawnya and Jessica!
What a fantastic trip!! I loved the whole thing, from start to finish, and I was so happy to see so many bandsters who I've met before and to meet so many others for the first time. The entire weekend was so positive and so much fun, and I'm really glad that I went. I feel like it helped remind me of how far I've come during the past nearly-three-years, which I sometimes forget now than I've been holding steady just below my goal for more than a year.

Summer Weather!

Before I finish posting my Chicago pictures, I have to tell you guys that it was in the high 70s and low 80s here this weekend! On Saturday, Steve and I went out to a friend's house in Wainscot (the Hamptons) to spend the rest of the weekend, along with several other friends. We lounged on the beach, soaking in that last bit of summer sun (so nice after a few chilly weeks), cooked some really good meals, and felt very lucky that we were somehow given one last summer weekend! The cold, rainy weather starts again on Wednesday.... am very thankful that we got to hit the beach before then...

Great Time In Chicago! (Post 1 of 3)

Chicago was really fantastic! I'd had a ton going on in my personal life and at work right before the trip, and I was really not sure that I wanted to go because I remembered how overwhelming last year was (in a good way, but it was a lot to take in)! Then I looked at the "cheat sheet" of everyone coming, saw so many familiar faces, and decided to go. -- And I'm so glad I did!!

I got in a little late on Friday -- the party had been going on for a while -- so I went right up to my room to quickly drop off my bag. But -- guess who I saw in the hall as I got to my room?! Joey and Gilly, two of my favorite bandsters! It was so fantastic to bump into them... and we got to hang out (and have a little wine -- thanks, ladies!) while I put down my bag and freshened up a little!

Joey and Nicole at the meet & greet!

With Tessie Rose, who had a fantastic new hair style!I have to hand it to the organizers. The conference was put together so well, everything went so seamlessly. The gift bags were AMAZING, thanks to their efforts to find sponsors and put together really great treats for us (I've already worn my blue pashmina twice)! Also, they put together door prizes and awarded them on Friday night, which was a lot of fun! I won an awesome Hydros water bottle, which not only filters water -- but part of the profits go to sustainable water projects and to provide clean water to people who need it most.

I was so happy to see my favorite old bandster friends -- everyone I'd met last year, and others who I've met in New York through the year, like Tina and Justine.

Here is a photo of me with Kristen, who I really loved meeting! She told me that something I wrote motivated her into blogging again and getting back in action with her band -- and she's lost 50 pounds since then! We were both standing there crying when she told me! It was one of the best moments of the whole trip for me because it just made me so happy to hear this.

Check out these bandster beauties I'm posing with!! Lynda, Jessica and Amanda! (Amanda, can you comment with a link to your blog? I need to start following you!)

With Tina at the Friday night meet & greet!

With Justine, who had done so amazingly well with her band since I last saw her that I couldn't spot her at the meet & greet at first! One thing that I really noticed was how people had physically changed since last year! A few of us older bandsters hadn't changed much since last year (which is great!) but some of the newbies had done so incredibly!! I want to give a big shout out on that front to Maria (down over 100 pounds!!), Jessica (who looks like a model, see above -- I love that striped dress!) and Justine! I'll also include Fluffy (she is six years out -- looks AMAZING) in that too, even though I hadn't seen her before! She's so tiny, trim and fit that she said that she would send me my First Ever (!!!) Sisterhood package! I know I've sent out a ton of them, but since I'm nearly three years post-op, I've never been able to receive one! I'm totally psyched! (Er, but no pressure Fluff, if you can't find anything!!) :) :)

On Saturday morning, the awesomely motivated and fun Beth got a group of us together at 8:45 A.M. (yes, a.m.!) and we went and did a Jazzercise class together!! It was Beth, me, Dawnya, Debi, and Becky -- what a great group of women! The most awesome part of that was that we actually got up and did it. Actually, during the workout, I started thiking about how amazing it was that we'd all changed so much that we actually were the kind of people who would get up for an 8:45 workout on a trip -- and I totally got choked up.... right in the middle of some move where I had to skip back and forth toward the instructor. AWKWARD!! (But kind of wonderful .. er, and I just pretended to have allergies...!) LOL

After that, I joined Joey, Nicole and Susan for brunch at this great restaurant near Millennium Park, which was awesome. I love those girls!! We did a little shopping after that, then headed back to the hotel for a little R&R before dinner!

Brunch pics!

Walking to the shops!

More on the rest of the weekend soon!!