Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

Outline
1. Hallie, Walmart at 2 am, sleep at 4 am
2. Swim party/cook out
3. You are beautiful because...
4. Father's Day
5. Lap ban seminar

Details
1. On Friday night I spent the night with my friend Hallie. She didn't get off work until 9:30 pm so I went and hung out at my gran's for a few hours until she called. After she did call I went to her house and we sat out on the porch with her grandma talking about how many people from our graduating class had kids, were married, who had dropped out of college already, (sounds really fun huh?). After that Hallie and I took off to walmart at 10:30. We didn't have a real reason to go besides Walmart is the closest shopping place to where we live that was still open. (And we weren't gonna drive to Louisville). We just walked around, saw a bunch of people we knew, I found the Relaxation cd's and played them all I think. But I started cha chaing to the Salsa one. There was a guy staring at me oddly but I didn't care. We stayed until almost 1 am talking to one of our good friends, and only ended up buying a cd (me) and a bag of Chesse It's (Hallie). When we got back to Hallie's we went to her room, watched Mulan, Ripped music from each other's collections until around 3am. It was hot in Hallie's room so we went downstairs and pulled out the couch and talked until 4am when we finally fell asleep. After all that would you believe that we were up by 11:30 the next morning? Well we were.

2. My mom can be really cool sometimes. A couple of weeks ago she told me to bring my friend's over, she would cook out and we could swim. Well yesterday was the day. I went and got April, Jon, Lisa, Hallie, Sara, Sara's nephew DJ and Hallie's friend JW. Hallie helped me drive everyone to my house and then we swam. It was so much fun, I got a little bit of a tan which made me happy. About 7 we all started getting tired, Jon and Lisa got into a fight and the mood just kinda went down from there. We all dried off and them came down to my room and watched Elizabethtown. Danielle came over a little before 9 and everyone got happy again. We all headed home and I stayed at April's until about 12:45. I had to be home by 1 but I really didn't want to leave.

3. April and I were writing on one of our stories when we started talking about what we saw when we looked in the mirror compared to what other people saw. Sara and Lisa sat down with us and we started to go around telling what we saw in everyone and what they saw in us. We talked about scars and what made us not regret them. We talked about relationships, those we had had and those we hoped to have. It was a very enlightening 45 minutes. I have never learned so much about myself from other people until that point. I was exhausted by the time I got home so I just went to bed and fell straight into sleep.

4. Well today is Father's Day. I didn't wake up until 12:30 and my dad is a farmer so I didn't get to see him this morning. I wrote him a note in his card and then sealed it and set it where we always set our cards. He'll get it tonight when he comes in. I love my dad, he's the best.

5. Tomorrow I have to go into work early because around 3 mom is dragging me to his Lap Ban Seminar. I don't want to go but she thinks if I go and listen to what these people have to say I will want the surgery. Well let me say it right now, I AM NOT DOING IT! I have researched it and hell no. I have seen the hell my mom has gone through because of her surgery, she had the gastric bypass done. I know their not the same but the aftereffects are close enough. My friend Jamie and I talked about it in length...

Me: If I get the chance a question I want to ask is, "So how is this different besides the gastric bypass? I mean besides the technical stuff. Do people still throw up after eating?" And, "What will this surgery do to a person who doesn't eat very much, only they eat the wrong things, and they still don't exercise after having the surgery?"

Jamie: Yeah, weight loss surgeries assume that you will make a lifestyle change in diet and exercise after you are forced to.

Me: That is all that is wrong with me. I eat the wrong things, a lot of the wrong things that I like, and I don't exercise because I can't find one I enjoy doing. If I didn't have to drive miles and miles from where I live I would join a dance class, I would love to do that.

Jamie: The surgery she is asking you to have is a restrictive type right?

Me: The lap ban

Jamie: If you are a regular coffee, tea, or soda drinker you should be aware that no caffeine is permitted for the first three months after surgery. Carbonated beverages; both diet and regular may cause gas, bloating, and an increase in stomach size due to the carbonation and are not recommended at any time for Lap-Band patients.

Me: well hell, I drink Pepsi daily, hot tea on occasion

Jamie: The second phase of the Lap-Band diet consists of 5 to 6 weeks of a modified full liquid diet; the key component of this phase is consuming two ounces of a protein shake every hour for ten to twelve hours a day with two ounces of other liquids such as soup, baby food, or sugar-free gelatin three times a day.

Me: I could go with the jello... but total liquid's? Nope don't think I could

Jamie: the dietary restrictions are extreme it seems. Certain foods may never be well tolerated by Lap-Band patients. These foods include: * Meats that are especially tough such as steak and pork chops. Some Lap-Band patients have difficulty digesting other meats that contain gristle such as hamburger. * Oranges and grapefruits may not be tolerated unless the membrane is removed before eating. * The seeds and/or skins of all fruits and vegetables. * High fiber vegetables such as celery and sweet potatoes. * Spicy foods. * Fried foods. * Certain spices including cinnamon, pepper, or onion or garlic salt. * If you are unable to tolerate milk, it’s important to add other calcium and protein rich foods such as cottage cheese. Dry milk can be added to foods for added protein.

Me: so basicly what it does is it sections off a portion of your stomach and then you can't put anything in it that will cause it to really stretch for almost two months. Then when you do finally get to eat your stomach is about the sixe of your fist and you can't hardly eat. 1. I love steak, pork chops, chicken, all meat but fish, can't stand fish. My dad raises beef cows for Christ's sake! 2. I love fruit, fruit is the shit, I choose fruit over chips anyday. 3. Celery rocks, carrots yum, the sweet potatoes I can pass on. 4. Bring on the spice! 5. I'm from the country, what is this 'not fried' of which you speak? 6. Love cinnamon, pepper and garlic. 7. I hate cottage cheese, who in their right mind eats rotten milk?

Jamie: Weight loss surgery may be right for you if: * You are at least 100 pounds overweight. * Your BMI (body mass index) is 40 or greater. * You have co-morbidities such as hypertension, diabetes, or sleep apnea. * You have tried, unsuccessfully for five years or longer, to lose weight utilizing other diets and other methods. * You are willing and motivated to follow the prescribed diet and exercise regimen.

Me: But I am not willing and motivated to follow the prescribed diet and exercise regimen.

Jamie: You have the internet, find a diet you Can follow and loose a few pounds to improve your health and satisfy your mother.

Me: I should sign up on Ediets.com lol

Jamie: I would recommend it for you at your age without first seeing if you could loose weight in a more convential, safer, and cheaper
manner.

Me: Mom does weight watchers but it doesn't work for me. What do you think would be a good diet for me Jamie?

Jamie: I am not sure. For me calorie counting has been most affective, but I think you would get a headache from numbers numbers numbers everytime you think about food lol

Me: yeah... you have to do that with weight watchers

Jamie: Some surgeons say patients with a "sweet tooth" will not do well with the LAP-BAND System. If you eat a lot of sweet foods, your surgeon may decide not to do the procedure. The same is true if you often drink milkshakes or other high-calorie liquids.

Me: Mom had this old Calorie book I had on my bookshelf for the longest time. It stated in there that sleeping is a great way to burn calories, that you burn almost as many calories sleeping as you do during the day. Mom doesn't believe me. Well there you go, I can't do it. If I could I would drink milkshakes all the time. It would be like the gum from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, milkshakes that taste like everything! A full course meal right there in a glass

Jamie: In the United States clinical study, with 3-year follow-up reported, 88% of the 299 patients had one or more adverse events, ranging from mild, moderate, to severe. Nausea and vomiting (51%), gastroesophageal reflux (regurgitation) (34%), band slippage/pouch dilatation (24%) and stoma obstruction (stomach-band outlet blockage) (14%) were the most common post-operative complications. In the study, 25% of the patients had their band systems removed, two-thirds of which were following adverse events. 88% of the patients had adverse events!

Me: I don't wanna be part of that 88%!

Jamie: No, i agree that the risks far out weigh the benifits without first trying a less risking alternative.

With that kind of information who would want to do that to themselves?! Not me.

So there you have it... why can't we just wish some things and them actually come true? I feel like watching Cinderella now just to listen to the song, "A dream is a wish your heart makes".