mini get to know me

Inspired by Amanda - check out her blog
1.) My name is Nicole. Originally it was Helen Nicole but I dropped my first name when I got married which is technically against the law.
2.) I was born on August 20, 1979. Almost 1 month late - my poor mother.
3.) I've lived my whole life in North Carolina (Greenville, Boone, Raleigh, Garner). From birth until the age of 18, I lived in the same bedroom.
4.) I want to take a long vacation to Kenya. I might get eaten by a lion but at least then I would have seen one outside of the zoo.
5.) I have been in the "communication business" since 1999. It wasn't until I built a website that my mom accepted that as a career choice. I am by no means a web designer but it is something tangible.
6.) When my sister had gastric bypass in 2003, I swore I would never let myself get big enough to warrant WLS. And yet here we are!
7.) We have 3 pets: Maya (because she is myyyyy kitty); Kallie (because that was her name at the pound and we liked it) and Sam (because I loved Sam in Lord of the Rings -"I'm your Sam.")
8.) In March, my husband and I will have been together for 8 years; married for 3. We got married on our 5th anniversary in the bar where we met. We threw ourselves a surprise wedding.
9.) I think about getting my PhD. Then I think about all the things I would miss in my children's lives while I was studying/writing papers.
10.) I secretly worry that I won't be a good enough mom to my step-kids after their mother dies and I am the only mother they have left.

These are the things I love:
watching my son sleeping with his butt in the air, hot sweet tea with ice, anything considered mexican food, Aquafina, East Carolina University, watching snow fall at night, the smell of my cat's fur, my old winnie the pooh pillow, the fact that my husband wears drakkar even though he hates it, watching my stepkids play with Aidan, the pirate movie, sleeping under the comfortor with the fan on, baking cookies for my family, working with college students, lions, roller skating, being the voice of NC State on several university phone systems, pretending to work while I am blogging with you all

back to work and then some

Today will be my first day back to work since having surgery last Friday. I initially intended to go back yesterday but my larger incision site was really painful. Going to go for 1/2 a day today with the possibility of staying all day. Just depends on how I feel.

Side note: my younger stepson has the word "feel" as one of his spelling words this week - poor little southern kid can't say "feel" he always says "fill." We have worked so hard on E's and I's but just think how hard it must be when you here everyone around you saying "GIT" instead of "GET." The whole thing just makes me laugh when people talk about feeling their fill.

I added the Wal-mart brand slim-fast to my diet yesterday. It felt so good to taste something other than water, chicken broth, and popsicles. Doc suggests adding a clear protein during week 1 but I had the slim-fast so I threw caution to the wind and added it instead. Everything seems to be going smoothly. I am down almost 20 lbs since my last visit with my surgeon and 15lbs since surgery. One little LB is keeping me from being in the 2s. I am ready to be done with the 3s FOREVER!

I thought this morning, as I was in the potty, about Amy's "fart, fart, not a fart" situation. Guess it is true if you only put liquids in you are only going to get liquids out! I was ecstatic, though, because I hadn't pooped since the day before my surgery - going on 6 days! Isn't it funny how we all commiserate in our poop problems?

And on that note ... Hello to my new followers and I hope everyone has a lovely Wednesday.

Co-workers and Bathing Suits

This weekend we went to a birthday party for my co-worker's son. He was turning 4 and since they spend most of their free time at the pool of course he wanted a pool party. All of our kids wanted to go since we don't go swimming as a family very often.

I know that people at work know that I am fat. It's not like I'm totally delusional but there is something to be said about them knowing I'm fat in work clothes vs. them knowing I am fat in a bathing suit. Especially since the co-worker throwing the party weighs like 90lbs and runs marathons! She's really nice and I don't think she is very judgemental - it's just the thought of it all hanging out there.

I don't have a problem with total strangers looking/making mental comments but as soon as I have to see that person making the judgement on a daily basis - I am totally self conscious. I didn't used to be this way!!

I wanted to stay in the water and never come out. I felt like the girl in the "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" song. (Of course mine was not itsy bitsy or teenie weenie - but you get the point)

--- Now she's afraid to come out of the water
And I wonder what she's gonna do
Now she's afraid to come out of the water
And the poor little girl's turning blue ---

All that said, I put on a brave face and the kids had a marvelous time. Here we all are in all of our swimming glory!