Hilton Head!

Ahhh! I finally have photos to share from my trip to Hilton Head, SC from August 11-14th. Steve and I were both able to go and to meet up with my Dad, step-mom, my brother, his wife, my niece and nephew, two of my aunts, and two uncles. The reason for the trip? My Dad's 70th birthday!

Lounging on the sand!
I am loving the Tr-i-n--a T-u--r-k towel
I bought with a GC that a friend gave me for my b-day

It was such a great trip, for many reasons. First, I'm so glad that we got to do something big for my Dad. He's such a sweetheart, and is extremely easy-going and is not the kind of person who calls out for everyone to make a big fuss over his birthday (unlike me! Hee hee). So, it was extra fun to do just that!

Second, I really enjoyed getting to hang out with so much family all at once! Leaving aside that one of my aunts mentioned my ex-fiance at least FOUR separate times (broken up in 2004, mind you... I hardly even THINK of the guy and he couldn't be more irrelevant)... everything went very smoothly and it was a ton of fun. We hung out at the beach and/or went bike riding every day, had dinner out, followed by ice cream, and played quite a lot of frisbee in the pool and the ocean!

Such a cute photo of my dad and step-mom from the trip! Look at those big smiles!

At the beach with Steve! Surprise! This looks like all my other summer photos! :)With my Dad! Why yes, I have perfected the "ring-display" pose! Hee hee!
I can do it from the other side, too! LOL

The third thing that I really liked about this trip is that it, like all our weekends out in the Hamptons, reminded me that I no longer dread a beach vacation. I'm far from perfect, but I'm about as close as I'm ever going to be, and have come so far that I don't worry about my flaws the way I did before. On this trip, I was in a bathing suit for at least several hours every day, and that didn't stress me out even a little bit. Even when I was this weight when I was younger (pre-big-gain, pre-band), I never felt like that at all. I probably would have worn shorts all day, and a one-piece. I am so grateful not to feel like that anymore.

The champions of frisbee!!

This one cracked me up. :)

After returning from the trip, I found out that my Dad is going to have to have some medical tests this week and next. It's a worrisome situation, though one that might turn out not to be a big deal, if we caught this problem early enough. I wanted to ask all of you to keep him in your thoughts and prayers -- and to hope for the best possible results. My Dad is hugely important to me, and I figured that some extra prayers and thoughts might help.

A Happy Mistake

This is the first Saturday that I've been at home since before Memorial Day. (And it feels so great to be in my apartment right now!) But, as I was rushing around to get out the door for spin class, I heard someone trying to get in my apartment! I had an internal lock on the door, so the person wasn't able to open the door.

I asked who it was... and it turned out to be my cat sitter! I'd completely forgotten to tell her that she didn't need to come this weekend. But I was so glad that I had!

I haven't seen Sheila (my cat sitter of 9 years) since before my surgery. At that time, she was a few months out from band surgery and had lost quite a bit of weight. She utimately had complications with her band (it sounded like her doctors botched the surgery, unfortunately), and wound up getting revised to gastric bypass surgery.

Sheila is about 5 feet tall, maybe. Well, she lost around 150 pounds - and most of it since I'd seen her last! She looks fantastic! So much younger and healthier -- and she's tiny and petite! The last time she saw me, I was about 80 pounds heavier, and she'd come over so that I could pick her brain about banded life, and what to expect from the surgery. It's incredible how much we've both changed since last we met!

It was amazing to see her, even though I only had 5 minutes with her and had to run full speed to get to spin on time. It's hard to believe that it had been almost four years since we'd set eyes on one another. We're in regular contact by text and phone, but since she's usually at my apartment because I am not, we don't overlap in person all that much. Anyway, it was really a great surprise, and I'm so glad that I forgot to cancel her coming this weekend!

Catching up!

It's been such a busy summer, and I am woefully behind on catching up with my blog! I want to tell you guys about the trip that Steve and I took to Hilton Head, SC for my dad's 70th b-day celebration.... but since someone didn't charge her camera battery before the trip, I'm going to see if I can get in some photos before I post!

In other news, earlier this month, Steve and I had dinner with the wonderful Nora and her husband, here in NYC! We had a fantastic time! I love those two, and it's always fun to hear about their latest news and travels. Steve and Kenny hadn't met before, and they totally hit it off!

With Nora at Hearth, here in NYC

I'm not sure if I blogged about this, but I met Nora before her surgery. We had lunch and really hit it off. It is so much fun for me to get to see her looking so amazing and wonderful. She has lost more than 130 pounds and is really enjoying her life. If you haven't checked out her blog yet, be sure to -- there is a link in the 2nd paragraph of this post.

How great is it that so many of us have made close friends through this process? It's such a fantastic fringe benefit, and one that I did not at all expect!

Hiking Photos of the Recently Engaged...

Steve and I were up in the Adirondacks last weekend, visiting with his family (who were up, too) and doing a leeeetle wedding location scouting! It was a great weekend, and we even managed to find time for a hike. And, I thought you guys might enjoy seeing that trip through my eyes!!

View from the top of the mountain!

The family, at the top of the mountain....
Trail marker!