Kansas Pearl_VSG

New week guys!!! Happy Monday :) So remember those people I talked about earlier in the blog, specifically (S), yeeeeeaaahhhh, her husband text me one night telling me I am trash because I don't have a job and I didn't get an education and that I am what is wrong with America HAHAHAHA.....I am what is wrong with America?  Wait until I tell you all about my job, I am the farthest thing from trash.  In 2011, I graduated with a Bachelor's in Psychology.  I first used that degree to help people with mental health issues and that was TOUGH and SCARY so later in 2011, I began my career as a Service Coordinator for people who have  developmental disabilities.  I have done that same job for 7 years and am still going strong. Developmental disability  is a diverse group of chronic conditions that are due to mental or physical impairments that arise before adulthood. Developmental disabilities cause individuals living with them many difficulties in certain areas of...

This weekend we drove to Colorado to surprise one of my best friends for her birthday. We woke up at 3am and drove 8 hours to surprise her at a pizza place. I knew I was going to be a little more lenient with what I was eating but I regret that. I can’t eat a ton of food because my stomach has shrunk with healthy smaller portions but it was enough to be uncomfortable. Like I said, I am used to eating healthy small meals and sometimes, because of my job, I might miss my breakfast or lunch so I am definitely not  used to three, full sized meals with snacks in between. After that first day, my stomach was so full but I wanted to try all of these places that they don’t have where I live. On the 2nd day, I ate breakfast and after that I just wasn’t hungry. I went and ate food with everybody but it made me feel sick. Luckily at the Mexican place we went to for dinner that night,  they messed up the order my husband and I were going to share so I only ended up having water with a few...

Hello all :) I was at a training this week with work and when deciding where we should eat somebody mentioned Olive Garden and I immediately dropped by head.  I know Olive Garden as PASTA, PASTA, PASTA so I wasn't looking forward to the temptation.  I don't know why I don't give myself credit for how strong I am.  My entire life, people couldn't pressure me to do ANYTHING I didn't want to.  I am SO STRONG and I make my own decisions; I am a lion, not a sheep :) (I want a shirt so bad that says "Be a lion")  Anyways, when we got there, I looked at the menu and right there on the lunch section were meals that were 300-400 calories and as soon as I saw zucchini I was in.  Its a half piece of chicken with a piece and a half of zucchini with mozzarella cheese and some lemon butter with tomatoes to top it off (I didn't eat those).  I left behind some zucchini and you know, I never once thought about pasta as I was sitting there.  On my way home I thoug...

Avril Lavigne's Head Above Water really hit me when I first heard it, and it continues to each time I hear it.  I was on the treadmill when it came on my Pandora and as I listened, I started to cry.  Today, as it played through my car speakers I tried to put into words how the song speaks to me I've gotta keep everybody calm before MY "storm" (surgery) My life is what I am fighting for <-- This line is EXACT. I chose this procedure to have a chance to live a longer life. My voice is my driving force.  I made this decision, I am my #1 fan, I am my support, I am willpower, I am my motivation, and I can do anything. God, keep me brave, I will survive this When it gets rough, don't let me fail, save me from myself When I get scared, help me shake it off, I need you I can't see my goals when there is "stormy weather" (bad day, hungry, etc.) and its hard to hold it together, but I can't keep going like this (the way I am now...

I get a lot of questions about what workouts I do so I want to answer that here! I live in a small, small town and the one gym I know of is 15-20 minutes away.  That doesn't fit in my schedule, it doesn't make my wallet happy, and I don't like going to the gym anyway!  I knew when I started this journey that I would bring equipment to my home and I would use stuff I already have here like MY OWN BODY.  I do cardio Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, I do calisthenics and weights on Monday and Wednesday, Saturday is my weigh in day and day off, and then Sunday is just whatever I feel like.  I do cardio for no less than 30 minutes at a time and that could be on the stationary bike, the treadmill, going up and down my driveway, or my personal favorite, doing Just Dance on the Wii!  I dread working out UNLESS it is Just Dance AND, my kids and my husband have both joined in on Just Dance so that makes it even more fun.  Calisthenics include push ups and sit ups of co...

Happy Thursday everybody!  I am still learning blog life and how to list and link things where I want them so for now, at the bottom of my page I have a "Meal list."  This is not a list of foods that I can take credit for creating, just foods that I have tried and that I recommend to you.  I will continue to add to it as I find new things.  Hopefully it can give you all some new ideas in case you are stuck!  I don't know how to link recipes to it so if you see a name of something that looks interesting just google it and there you go!  Have a great day :)

Around January/February 1987 is exactly when I hit that jackpot and thats because thats when I was created and my parents were going to be MY PARENTS!  I am not talking about a casino slot machine, I am talking about a jackpot ten times better, Pam and Doug.   I often think about how I am so lucky and what I needed to do to be parents just like them.  Even before Gracie or Evie were even a thought, I wondered, if I was ever a parent, would I be as a great as them and in reality I don't even know if they could be duplicated; they are the most wonderful people.  Of course there have been times in my 30 years that I frustrate them or they annoy me and so on but for the most part, I would choose to be with them everyday for the rest of their lives.  I live 99 miles away now but soon enough I will be able to see them as often as I want. My mom is kind to everybody.  She knows how to put on a smile and be nice, even if she doesn't want to.  Her saying...

I was going to do a Foodie Friday post every Friday or as many Fridays as I could remember but I see that I have succeeded once, so I will just post new food as I think of it :)  During this last 9 months, I have searched and searched for new foods and new recipes because of 2 reasons, I don't want my body to get used to anything AND I don't want to be bored with what I am eating.  I figure when people get bored of their food and don't have other healthy options, they will then make bad decisions.  Anyway, so what I tried this week was pumpkin over night oats and chocolate peanut butter overnight oats.  Overnight oats is when you combine everything the night before in a jar and in the morning you grab it and go.  The oats are softened by the liquid you add and flavored by everything else.  I eat them cold, I think some people microwave them later,  whatever you prefer! Pumpkin, almond milk, raisins, chia seeds, oats, vanilla, maple syrup,  and...

GRACIE:  Inspired by grace (eloquence or beauty of form, kindness, mercy, favor), which is derived from the Latin gratia (favor, thanks). The  name  was made popular by 17th-century Puritans, who bestowed it in reference to God's favor and love toward mankind. When I met Josh, my now husband, I didn't know anything about him and honestly I didn't want to know anything about him haha :)  He had just started the same job as me but a month earlier than me and he had just became a supervisor.  All I knew was I DID NOT want "that guy" to be my supervisor! Once he added me on social media, I did find out that he was married and he appeared to have some kids from what I could tell (I will give you more information on Josh and I later.)  Fast forward a couple years later to when he became single and pursued me and I knew by then that he had a two year old daughter named Gracie.  I didn't meet her until 10 months later (now 3); I remember I was on my way to s...

                                  Making the decision to have WLS (weight loss surgery) isn't an easy one, for me anyway.  I mean, I knew when it might be a possibility I really wanted to do it, and if I didn't read anymore information or talk to anybody, it probably would be an easy decision, but I do read and talk.  I have been doing research since January 2018, like really deep research, from just googling it, to following every person I can find on social media who has anything to do with it, to reading blogs, to joining groups, to reading books, to talking to people I know that have had it, to actually talking to the surgeon.  Even though my mind is made up, you have to convince the people around you that its a good idea, at least I thought I did.  Most of the people in my life (that are close to me) aren't overweight; if they are its like at most 20 pounds they need to lose, s...