Easter Eggs and Sesame Street

The warm days that we have been having remind me of early Spring weather. We were out driving this past Saturday, and I told Lisa that I wouldn't have been too surprised to see children out in the grass hunting for Easter eggs. This season has almost an unnatural feel to it. However, it isn't. It is just one of those flukes of good old Mother Nature. She's just having a hot flash at the moment. I'm still holding out for at least one good snow, but it doesn't look like we will have one this week. Maybe February will be better for snow. Time will tell.

 

 

In other news, one of our good Facebook friends is in Russia right now. She is on her first trip to see her possible new baby. She left yesterday and should be in bed at the moment since Russia is 8 hours ahead of us in time. I can remember the first trip that Lisa and I made to Russia last year. The airline we flew, Delta, did a really good job of making you feel like you weren't skipping time zones. They fed you dinner once you were on the plane, then darkened the lights so that you could sleep, and then fed you breakfast when you woke up.

However, your body knows differently! At least, mine did. The clock said that it was 10 am at the airport when we landed, but my mind was screaming that it was only 2 am and that it wanted to go back to sleep. There was a five hour drive from the airport to the hotel. Lisa and I did fall asleep during the drive there. But then...when we were supposed to be asleep, we were wide awake again.

I can remember that it was one o'clock in the morning, and we were both wide awake and starving! That is because it was just 5 pm here in the USA. We were ready for dinner! Luckily, we both had some snacks with us. It is amazing how the human body can function even in extreme situations such as that one. We are all true living miracles.

I know that Jacob has been our miracle. After 18 years of marriage, we were more than ready to become parents. Now, we are coming up on 20 years together this May. Lisa and I are more in love today than ever, and we are so in love with our little boy. I knock on wood often because I don't want this good luck to end.

I just wish our good friend the best of luck on her first trip. I know that she still has a long journey in front of her, but at least she has taken that first step. The flights to Russia are 10 hours long each way, and that in itself is enough! Lisa and I took a total of 3 trips to complete our adoption. I'm glad that we don't have to go back anytime soon. However, we will probably take another trip to Russia in the future just so that we can show Jacob where he came from. That is...if he wants to go. We will leave that up to him.

On another subject, I went to the local hospital and had my Upper GI and my EKG tests done. The results were sent to my doctor in Columbus. I have to still have my stress test done this week. I'm not really looking forward to it, but I see it as just another hoop I have to jump through in order to get my gastric banding surgery done.

I would like to lose about 90 pounds within the next year or two. My main reason for doing this is to be healthier and have more energy. My other main concern is being able to fit into amusement park rides. I don't know about you, but it seems like it gets harder and harder to get my big butt in those rides each year. I have a feeling that Jacob is going to be the type of child who loves to ride every ride....including the ones that flip you on your head about a zillion times. Lisa won't ride anything that flips you upside down...so I guess that I will have to be the responsible parent on those rides. Not that I mind. I love amusement parks!

In fact, this summer, we are planning on taking Jacob to Sesame Place. Sesame Place is a family theme park that is located in Langhorne, Pennsylvania. According to their website, you can "share in the spirit of imagination with your kids at Sesame Place - where you can experience Sesame Street together through whirling rides, water slides, colorful shows & furry friends. And where you'll discover that sometimes, the best part of their childhood is rediscovering yours." I'm really looking forward to going and seeing the life size recreation of Sesame Street! This sounds like a really cool park. I don't think that I'll have to worry about flipping on my head at this park though....LOL!

 

 

Take a moment today and be thankful for all of your blessings. The small things in life are truly the most important ones of all. I know from personal experience that the best thing in the world can be a hug from your child as he says, "I love you daddy." I wouldn't trade that for all the gold in the world.

Until next week....class dismissed!

What a Weekend!

This past weekend, Lisa and I decided that we would actually (gasp) stay home all weekend long! For those of you who know us, you know that this simply isn't how we do things in the Fugate household. Usually on a Saturday, you will find us all joyfully in our minivan, traveling to places here and there. Granted, since it is just a weekend trip, it isn't to some grand, far-away location. But it is at least away from the house.

My poor mother can never understand this. She is a true home-body because she loves to stay at home. There are a lot of people out there who love to stay at home as well. Perhaps some of you who are reading this will agree with my mother. However, ever since Lisa and I have been married...and that is 20 years this year...we have always been travelers. You can't mess with tradition.

Well, leave it to us to try and mess with tradition....LOL! I don't know what got into our heads this weekend, but we thought that it would be a good idea to just sit home and enjoy ourselves. Well, we did sit home....so that part actually worked out. The enjoying ourselves? Not so much!

It all started about half way through Saturday. For me, it was when the walls started to breathe and drip blood. And then there was the demonic voice yelling, "Get out! Get out!" Okay...so maybe it wasn't that bad. Maybe it was more of a whisper than a yell.

At first, I thought it was just me. However, by Saturday afternoon, Lisa looked over at me, her eyes glazed, and stated, "We have GOT to go somewhere next weekend!" I was so happy! I couldn't have agreed more. While it was nice to stay home....maybe for an hour or so....I wouldn't want to make a habit of it! Things like that can drive a person crazy!

Now this isn't saying that we don't love our house. We do! We absolutely LOVE our house and feel very blessed to have it. I'm just saying that we are not the type of people who like to be enclosed by four walls and a roof. We like to be out and about. We are explorers. And I think that Jacob feels this way too. He seemed unusually grouchy this weekend. Maybe he was just picking up on our vibes, or maybe he was truly wanting to get out on the open road. Who knows! All that I know is that I don't want a repeat of this weekend. As Lisa and I say, we can rest later....much, much later!

Looking back on our marriage, I know that this is one of the many reasons why Lisa and I have had such a strong marriage. We have been together so long because we love doing the same things. We both love to travel, we both love to see new places and experience new things, we both love the theater, we both love to read, and we both love to make the other one happy. Now that we have Jacob, we have just added him to the mix. It all makes for one fine family recipe!

In other news, for those of you who are keeping up with my upcoming gastric banding surgery, I went for a full day of tests at Riverside Medical in Columbus, Ohio. During this full-day event, I had my blood work done. I also had a meeting with a psychiatrist to see if I was mentally sound enough to know what I was doing. The doctor was very nice and said that she didn't see any red flags....besides me seeing images of blood and wanting to dress up like my mother and open a hotel. Okay...okay....just kidding. Everything went by smoothly in that area. I guess all of you who have children in my classroom can breathe a sigh of relief. I'm NOT crazy after all!

I also saw a medical doctor for a complete physical who gave me a clean bill of health. A dietician was the last doctor that I saw that day. I have to start a food diary so that I can see exactly what I am putting into my body. She also suggested that we start cutting our food into dice-sized pieces to get used to it.

One thing that is going to be hard for me is giving up pop. I love to drink pop. I did switch to Diet Pepsi several years ago, but I won't be able to continue drinking anything carbonated when I have my banding. The bubbles make you very uncomfortable and can swell your pouch. I have been pop free for over a week now, and it hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be. I have been drinking a lot of G2 and water.

I have to go back and see the surgeon, Dr. Tom, in a week or so. Then we can plan on surgery. I would love to have it mid-February. If not, then I want to wait until mid-March since I have several things that I need to get done in early February. I will keep you all updated!

So....time to get this article posted. The walls are starting to breathe again....time to call in the priest! Or....maybe it is time to plan something to do next weekend. What do you think?

Until next week....class dismissed!

New Year Resolution!

Another year has gone and a new one is underway. Sorry that I haven’t written in a few weeks, but it has been a very hectic few weeks with the Christmas rush and the New Year’s celebrations. Throw in a trip to Houston, TX and….woosh….the time seems to fly by!

As the new year starts, I hope that everyone is sticking to their resolutions. It seems as though everyone is all ready to start fresh…to start their lives over again…with the ringing in of another year. A New Year's resolution is a commitment that a person makes to one or more personal goals, projects, or the reforming of a habit. A key element to a New Year's Resolution that sets it apart from other resolutions is that it is made in anticipation of the New Year and new beginnings. People committing themselves to a New Year's resolution generally plan to do so for the whole following year. This lifestyle change is generally interpreted as a good thing. In other words, we don’t say, “I’m going to resolve to gain 50 pounds!”

One of my resolutions this year is to lose weight and get healthy. I have always had issues with my weight…even as a child. I had some success with low-carb dieting a few years ago, but the weight is creeping back up. So before I get back to my old weight again, I have decided to take measures to lose weight this year.

I guess that a lot of people have made this resolution, but I plan on taking another step toward my goal. I am getting ready to have gastric banding surgery done. With this surgery, an inflatable band is placed around the upper part of the stomach to create a smaller stomach pouch. This restricts the amount of food that can be consumed at one time and increases the time taken for the stomach to empty. The patient achieves sustained weight loss by limiting food intake, reducing appetite, and slowing digestion.

This will be a fairly straightforward surgery. Gastric banding is the least invasive surgery of its kind. Gastric banding is performed using laparoscopic surgery and usually results in a shorter hospital stay, faster recovery, smaller scars, and less pain than open surgical procedures. Because no part of the stomach is stapled or removed, and the patient’s intestines are not re-routed, he or she can continue to absorb nutrients from food normally. Gastric bands are made entirely of biocompatible materials, so they are able to stay in the patient’s body without causing harm.

My wife had this surgery done 2 ½ years ago and she has had wonderful results. I have lived through this with her, and I know the pros and cons of the banding lifestyle. I know that this is not just a magic bullet that is going to solve all of my problems. However, it is a great tool that I will be able to use in order to obtain a healthier weight. I feel that I will be able to do this because I have the support that I need from my wife. We can support each other.

In the coming weeks, I will be sharing my experiences with you as I go through surgery, recovery, and my first steps into the gastric banding life. I hope that perhaps I will be able to help others who may be having trouble with their weight who may be considering gastric banding.

Until next week….class dismissed!