Friday, January 2, 2015

goal setting/vision planning

Last year I shared with my husband one of my favorite "single girl" things.. A vision/action board. I got the idea from an Oprah show over 10 years ago. Basically you put some of your goals and dreams on a board and the board serves as a daily reminder. Hubby said we should do it. So we put some professional, health, personal, travel goals.. It hung on our wall and it was a good a visual.  We completed several goals in 2014 and felt like it was purposeful and intentional. Our children were healthier, we completed educational goals, we traveled to the beach..  

 Busy is a drug that a lot of people are addicted to. That's me. I am always busy- I was born busy... I don't want to talk about doing something- I want to do it..

Back to our vision board...  Dream about it, envision how you will realistically do it or get it done, and then get up and make it happen. This year we are focusing on our health, budget, travel and preparing to grow our family. We have sat down and talk about the plans and we are excited about the future. 

The year just started it's not too late to set some realistic goals and make a change. 

Wednesday, December 31, 2014

blogging in 2015.. a DO or a DON'T?

I have neglected my blog for 2014. It wasn’t on purpose. It just happened. Life happens. So, as I start another year I thought- is the blog dying or do I share with the world my next step in “Life after bariatric surgery”?

And I think that there is pros and cons to sharing a really personal experience with the world. I have found that I do in fact enjoy writing about the different experiences I am having on this journey- however I do not do well with admitting failure. I also like that when a friend is going through surgery I have blogged and shared the real deal- I promise you my memory is not the same as the experience that actually happened!!!  Ha ha!

Then I question what is my motivation in blogging? Accountability? Selfish reasons? Distraction from real life? Sharing my expertise?  To have meaningful conversation? Changing the world?  To be more popular? To serve as my personal journal? I believe the reason I blog is because I want to live a more intentional life. I want to inspire others. I want people to learn from my experiences.

If you are choosing to read this next part- I need you to read the rest of this post. Do not call my granny and tell her something untrue.


So, with the “ok” from my husband he has encouraged me to blog  from “bariatric surgery to baby”.  We are not pregnant. We are not even trying to have a baby (yet). We are simply prayerfully considering the possibility. We are actually preparing to become foster parent certified. 

It was strongly suggested that I get an IUD as birth control method when I decided to have weight loss surgery. Best decision ever.  They said you sex drive goes from blah to I am a horny teenager.  (They were right!!)

I have not felt the rush to have a baby but, reality is I am 35 and I am not getting any younger. John and I are completely content with adoption however, we feel that our window to have a baby is about to be open so we need to explore this option. If we get through 2015 and decide it’s not meant to be- we will be okay. God has a plan.

So, in this process of deciding "should we talk about having a baby"- we realized several things:
  • 1.       Adderall and baby don’t mix so they say. (I love my Adderall.)
  • 2.       I should wait 18 months post-surgery to have a baby. (In January, I will be at 18 months)
  • 3.       I need to lose the rest of my weight and be stable before getting pregnant.  (somewhere between 40 and 60 pounds)
  • 4.       I need to be nutritionally sound. (Be off nutritional supplements)
  • 5    What are the chances of us having a special needs kid.. (We love our 2 kids but, we need to be honest with ourselves)


So,  I am addressing these 5 things in my upcoming blog posts. I met with a psychiatrist this week to discuss these plans. That was a great visit and hope to blog about it soon.   In the meantime, I have chosen 12/31/14 as the day to get my wisdom teeth removed. Therefore, blogging will have to wait a few more days.

 Be safe on this last day of 2014 and make the most of 2015!  In the words of Dolly Pardon: "You'll never do a whole lot unless you're brave enough to try."