50 Things to do instead of snacking:

1. Imagine the new healthier you
2. Walk around the block
3. Call a friend
4. Make a list of your Top Ten Reasons to Lose Weight
5. Make a To Do list
6. Turn on music and dance
7. Jot a thank you note to someone
8. Go to bed early or take a nap
9. Read a book
10. Blog or journal
11. Give yourself a manicure or pedicure
12. Plan a healthy meal for your family
13. Surf the Internet
14. Finish an unfinished project
15. Walk your dog, pet your cat, feed your fish
16. Brush your teeth
17. Balance your checkbook
18. Say a prayer
19. Chop veggies to keep on hand
20. Give a massage
21. Clean out a junk drawer
22. Play a game with your kids
23. Try a new route on your walk
24. Drink a glass of water
25. Kiss someone
26. Try on some of your clothes
27. Look at old pictures
28. Rent a video
29. Wash your car
30. Take a hot, soothing bath
31. Update your calendar
32. Work in your yard
33. Start your holiday shopping list
34. Count your blessings
35. Write a letter
36. Fold some laundry
37. Check your e-mail
38. Give your dog a bath
39. Send a birthday card
40. Meditate
41. Hug someone
42. Rearrange some furniture
43. Light a fire or some candles
44. Put your pictures in an album
45. Plan a trip (real or imaginary)
46. Straighten a closet
47. Clean out a file
48. Visit a friend
49. Clean out your trunk
50. Do something nice for someone

guess what?

i'm BACK!!!!!!!!


for those of you who don't know, i woke up at 5:45am on saturday, december 23rd with extremely intense abdominal pain. i got up and sat in my recliner and after about 5 minutes it subsided. i then walked to the fridge to get out some water because i was severely parched. by the time i got to the fridge i was in intense abdominal pain again. i made my way back to the recliner and after about 5 minutes it subsided again. i took a tiny sip of my water, felt it going down my throat and by the time it got to my stomach i was in intense abdominal pain again.

i was waiting until med-plus opened because i thought i might be having a gall bladder attack or something. by the third time i had the pains (by 6:00am) i called 911 and told them that i needed an ambulance. i then called my grandmother and told her that i needed her to meet me at ecm because i was having horrible abdominal pain and i needed help. when i got off the phone with her i called for kensie to wake up and get her shoes and glasses on and help me get ready because the ambulance would be here any minute.

when she finished getting everything together i heard the siren outside so we both went out to meet them at the bottom of my stairs. when i got to the bottom of the stairs i saw a firetruck coming my way. (fat lot of good a fire truck's gonna do me!) when the firemen got out i screeched that i needed an ambulance and i needed to get to the hospital RIGHT NOW! i had to explain to them about the pain i was having and about my gastric bypass on november 27th. finally about 15 minutes later the ambulance shows up. (they got lost and couldn't find my apartment for 15 minutes!)

so they took me and kensie to the hospital where they did an abdominal x-ray and had me pee in a cup. they called a surgeon in who explained to me that i had "free air" in my abdominal cavity which meant there was some kind of leak in my stomach or intestines. he then explained to me that he didn't know anything about gastric bypass surgeries or about performing laparoscopic surgeries. he said that he could try to fix the problem but he'd have to open me up completely and he'd be guessing about what was the right thing to do to fix me.

i asked him to call my surgeon in huntsville and ask his opinion. he did and told me that my surgeon thinks i had an ulcer that perforated and that he would do emergency surgery on me as soon as i got to huntsville as long as they could get me there pretty fast. my grandparent's took kensie to decatur to my mom's house and were planning on meeting me at crestwood.

i had to wait for an ambulance to come from decatur to florence and then take me to huntsville. idk why, it was pretty stupid if you ask me.

so anyway, i got to the hospital and about an hour or so after i finally got there they took me back for surgery. my original surgeon was out of town but his partner, who was the assistant surgeon in my original surgery, is the one who performed the emergency surgery on december 23rd.

after the surgery i felt great! like i hadn't had any problems or another surgery or anything! and even the next day i felt pretty great. it wasn't until the next day when they put me on the iv nutrition that i started feeling so bad. for about 3 days i felt like i was dying. seriously, i've never felt that bad in my entire life!

after a few days i started feeling better and better and was more able to care for myself. they finally released me from the hospital today and i'm at home for the moment. i'm heading to decatur to stay with my grandparents for the weekend so i won't be online until about monday i guess.

so yeah, that's about it. i just wanted to give you guys a head's up.