Tinkle Tinkle Little Star

Sometimes I make things up.  My family has been saying this for years, and RARELY is it true...but here is an example.  Today at work I said "I have to go pee"...to no one in particular, I just announced it.  Then I said "I have to sneeze"...at which point, I sneezed.  And then I said "at least I didnt sneeze and pee, which has happened before."

And off I went to the bathroom to partake in the peeing part of the above statements.  And then I started thinking about how one time I went to a urologist, and he told me I have what is called a "floating bladder".  It moves around more than most bladders, and this can interfere with things like pooping or visa versa.

And then...THEN...I didnt know if that urologist ever really told me that.  I mean, I THINK he told me that but maybe I made that up and I just think it's now true?

I don't know.

But you know what I am doing in this picture below?

That's me in the background...peeing.  This picture was from nearly 3 years ago.  I wasn't necessarily sober, but it really doesnt matter.  If you get me really laughing...and there is fluid in me...bad things might happen. 

I blame it on my floating bladder.

Now.  Whilst photostalking myself on Facebook, I stumbled across some skinny pictures. Maybe, instead of posting previous fat pictures, I should just keep posting pictures of me in the 160's!

Sweet butterballs I was thinner. What a difference 20 or so pounds make.  I have decided that maybe I should print some of these off and use them as motivation because sometimes in my mind I don't feel like I look that much different!

SOOOO, this week has seen a resurgence of me trying to drink my water.  I used to be so good.  tsk tsk.  I have always believed that having a special water container aids in your wanting to drink.  So, I have been bringing my favorite Tervis Tumbler to work with a new lid color (clear...so really not a color), and a straw.  The straw is a new addition and helps me drink my water at a faster clip. 



Hmmm...what else is new?  You should know I have been THINKING about blogging almost every day for the last several weeks.  That counts right?

Last week I traveled to Phoenix and met one of my favorite Jen's and several other bandsters...which was AWESOME!  I was there with Lapband Gal and Allergan, the maker of the lapband.  It's our yearly Patient Advisory Council, and I learned a lot.  It's always a quick trip and very beneficial. I am lucky to be involved.  I will share some of my thoughts and take-aways from the meeting in upcoming posts.

OOH, I am going for a fill next week!  Which will be the first fill in at least a year I think.  I think I will make that a entirely separate post.

So happy Wednesday friends! 

hugs and kisses

So Many of Our Band Babies Are Turning Four This Year!

So many of us are celebrating band babies birthday's this year.  4 years ago, many of us were banded...and our little ones are growing up!

I celebrated my 4 year mark on January 27th.  With so many of you on my Facebook, I sometimes feel like I am posting duplicates if I report one thing here and one thing there but THE HELL WITH IT! I AM THROWING CAUTION TO THE WIND....

I shall post as many duplicates as I want.

So I posted my before and goal picture.  You know...We have all seen this one.  I started at 333, hit goal which as 170...lost a little more, and now seem to live in the 180's (I will get back to that in a nano second).

Then, I thought I would go back and look at my first bandiversary...on January 27th, 2010.  I wanted to see how wise I was.  What is scary...seriously...my heart is racing...is that I don't recognize the girl who wrote some of the tidbits below.  Man!  I was a good bandster (even when I was being bad).  I will put my current thoughts in bold...and maybe in a pretty color.  It's LONG...you have been warned.

My First Year Reflection is Below:

In the name of reflecting on a year gone by, I have been working on this Bandiversary post. It is a mumble jumble of some of my thoughts, tips, rules (non-rules), and lessons learned since Tina the Wonderband took up residence in my body. This year has flown by and brought me so many wonderful presents, people, and experiences. I don't have all the answers...and our journeys, while on parallel paths in the same direction, can look very different. So here you go! Happy Reading!

All doctors, clinics, bandsters, and rules, are different. They just are. And I am not a slave to any of the rules. I see them more as guidelines and helpful tips. For example, I eat soup...a lot. Soup is a liquid and therefore, slides right down the old shoot. But I honestly feel rather satisfied with 2 cups of wonderful soup. I also now almost always choose soup if we go out to eat. I noticed this when we went to Lambert's for my mom's birthday. Lamberts did not have one soup option. I think I started ordering soup out as a rule after my October fill. It just became too risky to try solid food and a waste of money. And even though I can bring leftovers home, leftovers usually go to waste in our house. I just couldn't see spending $10 on something that I could only nibble at. It does not bother me, this soup fetish of mine. I can have a couple of bites of whatever Tracey gets and I am a cheap date.  This has changed over the years.  Because my band is so loose right now (I have just been putting off getting a fill thinking I could lose a few pounds first...I know...my brain aint right), I can usually order a normal meal and eat like a normal person.  Right now, I can eat an entire sub from Firehouse.  I stick by though that having a plan and bringing your food will help you SO MUCH!

Drinking with meals. This was not that hard for me to give up. At home, I just make sure that I don't have my water near me when I eat dinner. When we go out to eat, I drink about 4 cups of water before the meal comes. I drink right up to that point. I do not personally believe that water primes the band. Water goes right down people. It doesn't just sit there. For me, when I do try and be naughty (cookies and milk anyone?) drinking with my food either hurts OR gets me stuck.  Uh.  Um...I totally drink with meals now.  DAMN IT!  But, on this subject, I never have had a problem with carbonation.  Some bandsters say it makes their band uncomfortable.  I kinda wish I had that side effect!

Some bandsters measure, weigh, or journal their food. All the time. I do not. I do measure snacks though. For example, if I am going to have some nuts, I measure whatever one serving size is and put it in a little baggy. This way I know what my calorie intake is for that snack. I do not do food journals, count carbs, or watch my fat intake. Those things, for me, are all part of DIETING. They give me horrible flashbacks and I find myself rocking in the corner with sounds of helicopters and gunfire in my head. They send me to a bad place. However, from time to time I have recommended online food journals to struggling bandsters who feel lost or out of control. Sometimes when we estimate our calories we forget things, round DOWN, or just lie! So it can be a useful tool. And whatever works for you is the way to go.  I used to measure my snacks!!!!???? Who was I?  How can I find her again?
The scale. Another rule I do not care for is the "scale rule". Even my wonderful Dr. Friedman told me not to weigh daily. I weigh myself every day, but only record the weight on Mondays. Mondays keep me motivated through the weekends. I do not freak out if my weight fluctuates during the week...I try to reserve such freakouts for Mondays alone. Your weight will go up and down. But weighing myself every day does keep me accountable for my actions.  I do not weigh as religiously as I used to.  I think this actually hurts me in the long run.  If I know I have eaten bad, I think...what's the point of weighing...and then I continue on in denial!  Not good!
I eat better when I bring my lunch to work. While for dinner I can usually eat grilled chicken breast, some pork chop etc., leftover meat is a no-go for me anymore. It just gets too dry when I heat it in the microwave. This is one of the reasons I make soup and freeze it. But whatever you choose, make it something you can just grab...so you don't use the excuse "I didn't have anything". It is a rare, rare day when I eat fast food for lunch. And the only fast food I do eat is either chili from Wendy's or nuggets from Chick-fil-a. Um...I eat fast food kinda on the regular now.  DAMN IT AGAIN!
I am thankful for an amazing doctor, who surrounds himself with amazing staff. I think that having the right doctor is so crucial to success. Dr. Friedman let me decide when I needed a fill. I could come in week after week until I got restriction. I see him every time I go for an appointment and he is right beside me when I get my fill. I am honest with him. I tell him when I have been drinking Sunkist or snacking. I tell him what I can and cannot eat. He listens.

I was a trooper through bandster hell. I stayed the course and did not go hog wild (pun intended) when I realized I could eat anything and everything. I was on my high from my preop diet weight loss. I knew what I had to do. Dr. Friedman told me upfront that the band does not work for everyone...that his biggest fear is that his patients won't lose weight. By God I was  going to lose weight.

I listen for the real hunger. One of the most important lessons I have learned is when I really need to eat. How many times do we say "OH I am starving"? A lot. And are we really? No. So I took this phrase out of my vocabulary. I might say "I am hungry"....but that is different than starving. When you are fighting headhunger, try and stop and say "Am I really hungry?" If the answer is no, try to resist munching! Drink water instead! Do something. Of course I still snack sometimes whenI am not hungry, but at least when I DO, I am tsk tsking myself! LOL This is getting depressing.

I tell everyone about my surgery, if they ask. This will be a debate until the end of time...on Lapband Talk and on these blogs. There are just so many factors that go into making this decision, and I know that for everyone...their choice is their own. I don't think it ever occurred to me to hide it. For me, I tell because it can help others, because their is no shame in having weight loss surgery, because it can educate the ignorant, and because the truth shall set your free. I think about some of the ladies who have been banded because they have seen my progress. What if I had just told them I did it through watching what I eat and exercising (which is not a lie, but not the complete truth either). Would they feel like failures because "Amy did it the old fashioned way...why can't I?" Would they still be putting off the idea of surgery? I am proud of my choice and where I am today. You know ironically, I get the most negative comments about choosing WLS from fat people. Maybe bc the skinny people don't want to be politically incorrect? But as I think about it...yep...mostly my heavy "friends" are the ones who turn up their noses when I tell them about the band. But that's okay...I'll give them time.

A year later, I still think of food all.the.time. This by no way means that I am hungry. In fact, the only time I feel real hunger anymore is in the morning before breakfast. I have read about those people who after being banded, food just became something they "had to do". I used to really hope for that day to come. Eh, it just might never happen for me. I did learn this year that there are actually people who do not think of food all the time. This was mind boggling to me...and still kinda is! Funny, but it seems that those people who do NOT think of food all the time are thin. Who would have thunk?
There are foods I do miss...and they all involve bread. I miss peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, hamburgers with buns, hot dogs with buns, cinnamon rolls, oh cinnamon rolls, Stuffing my face with cookies and chugging milk , pizza, Big Macs...It's a good thing I have the band huh? lol Um...apparently I am in desperate need of a fill.  I eat all of these things now.  Except Big Macs...I havent had one of those yet.

I set goals. Mini goals, about every 3 months along. I made these goals preband (for the first 6 months out at least). I have met every goal. Don't be afraid to set these mini-goals. Right them on your calendar, a post it note, on the fridge, or on the wall above the scale.

Exercise. I have yet to become an exercise fanatic. Right after surgery I started walking to get ready for my first 5k. Then we did bootcamp/interval training for awhile. Now we just do what sounds good. I play WiiFit once in awhile, we go walking, we are going back to bootcamp, Bandita and I did Zumba. Exercise is an area that I could improve on.  Well thank God I have improved at something! Exercising is absolutely part of my life now.  Instead of weight loss goals, I seem to set fitness goals.  Maybe that's a good thing.

Another rule that does not work for me: Not eating in front of the t.v., computer, while reading...etc. They say that when you eat you should be focused solely on your food. No distractions. They say this well help you eat slower and take smaller bites. This is not true for me. For example, when Tracey and I eat at the table, or with family...I tend to eat MUCH quicker. For several reasons. First, I feel a need to keep up. Second, have you ever adopted a dog or puppy that comes from living with lots of other dogs? They eat so quick bc they are afraid that someone else is going to get their kibble. Somewhere deep down I am still afraid of not enough kibble to go around. So, when Tracey and I sit on the couch with our tv trays...I eat much slower. When I am reading a magazine or surfing the net...I eat much slower. It gives me something to do, something to put my fork down and entertain myself with. Shit.

Things that have changed:
Where I shop.

What I eat.

How much I eat.

I cook more.

I try new and different foods (but that doesn't mean I like them all).

I can cross my legs.

My lower back pain, my pee sneezes, and shin splints...they are all gone.

The amount of people who read my blog.

The amount of blogs I read.

The amount of friends this blog has blessed me with.

My pant size.

My shoe size.

Things that haven't changed:

My self confidence.

My facial hair (still the same amount...I was hoping for less).

My attitude.

My complexion. I thought it would clear up a lot.

The way I see life.

My obsession with food.

My thirst for Sunkist.

The way I act with, towards, and around other people.

How many pictures I take.

How I wear my clothes.

My finances.

My job.

My dislike of a the majority of vegetables. Every year it seems I find more veggies I love.  Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage...who would have thought?


Things I have learned:

Peanut butter cups and sunkist do not mix. Well, they do...but then they erupt out of your nose.

Eating a muffin in shame in a bathroom stall is not a high point of anyone's journey...but your blogger friends will love you even when you share the shameful moments.

You can walk a 5k at any weight. And most likely you will not be the last person to finish.

It is better to set a goal and not reach it then not set a goal at all.

Tweezers may come and go, but apparently whiskers are forever.

Life's journey is long. You better take snacks. (okay, I stole this one from a calendar).

I really do have bones in my body.

I cry happy tears in dressing rooms, and am also known to cry tears of frustration.

I always want more.

Poopies will never be the same. Good bye big girl poop. Hello chicken nugget poop.

I have no boundaries.

Just when you think it can't get any better....it does.

And finally, the biggie. Why was I able to lose 120 pounds in 12 months? Why Amy and not everybody? I have given a lot of thought to this question and I am not sure I have the answer.

If you think about it...I could have lost more. There are certainly bandsters out there who have done it (Mary for example) and others who are well on there way. I could have lost more by making the right choices, working out harder, etc. I did not have the perfect year. But that's okay! I personally think that for those of us who start at a higher weight, we can lose a little faster at the beginning....so you could say I had that going for me. There are the things I think are out of our control: Genetics, history, body shape. Even though I was 327, I was solid as an ox under all that fat. Perhaps my muscle mass helped in the beginning as well? There are two things that I think really made a difference in my weight loss. The first is this blog. This blog and all of you who have become part of my life helped to keep me accountable. When someone tells you that you are an "inspiration", it makes you want to keep inspiring! I didn't want to let anyone down. I knew that I would be honest with you guys. I shared the ups and downs. And seeing others make it into a new pant size, or run a 5k...inspires me. The second reason I have lost this weight is...Because I knew I could and I would. When Dr. Friedman told me that the band does not work for everyone, I made a choice that I would not be one of those people. I was not going to have a surgery just to "eat around the band". I wanted to be his star patient. I wanted to be the person on the commercials. I wanted to be a success story. And I wanted to be more than a statistic. Of course, all you have to do is read through my blog to know at times I had a few doubts and questions, but overall...I knew big things (and a smaller body) were possible. And you have to believe. I was at a great place in my life. I had support from the people who loved me. I was at a good place mentally. It was just the right time.


So that's it! That's all that I could think of! I hope you made it through and I can't wait to see what this next year brings!



Thank you for everything.



Yours-

Amy

The 15k Race Arrived...And I Survived

You my remember that we are doing the Tough Mudder 10-12 mile obstacle race in May.  Well, several months ago I signed us up for the Pensacola Double Bridge Run.  It is a 15k, which translates into normal speak as 9.3 miles.  My intention was to motivate us to run and practice.  WELLLLLL....this was happening until Christmas time-ish, when we both got sick and then apparently...just got lazy.  We hadn't ran the entire month of January.  The last time we ran, we completed 6.5 miles...half of those miles we walked.

So come last Saturday, we fully embraced the possibility that we may die.

Above is the picture of the first bridge (there are two...hence the name of Double Bridge) that led us from downtown Pensacola to Penasacola Beach.  You finish a 5k before you even get to the first bridge.

So we lined up at the starting line and found our way to the 12 minute mile group.  In my mind, I was aiming to maintain a 12:30 pace.  If you ran slower than a 14 mile pace, the "sag wagon" would pick you up.  Seriously...if you are too slow, a bus picks you up.

No thank you.  I fear this bus.  I promised anyone who would listen that if the bus was on my ass...I was jumping off a bridge.

So we started off.  And as with most races, a couple of things happen.

#1.  Runners law of physics:  Even if you peed 18 times before a race, as soon as the race actually starts, you will have to pee again.

#2.  You will always run faster at the beginning (we were running a 10 minute mile for the first mile or so).

#3.  The first 2 miles you want to quit. 

So with a full bladder and 7 or so miles left in front of me, I almost had a nervous breakdown.  Heather and our friend Natalie (who is also doing the tough mudder with me) had long ago decided to run my pace.  You see, they are sick in the head and know that if they didn't run my pace, they would go all out and yes...get a better time...but be miserable and in compete mode.  So they run my pace so they can giggle and talk the entire way...

seriously.

It ain't right.

But I had to pee at mile 2, and there was a water station with 2 port-a-potties.  I wasn't stopping.  I was afraid I would never start again.

So I made it to mile 6.  And found a lone portapotty and peed.  I was a brand new woman....for a few more miles anyway.

I ran, never walking...until about mile 7.5.  At this point...death was upon me.  There was no white light.  There was no warm feeling.

There were just tons of people in spandex and fanny packs that held water bottles.

Heather and Natalie would get in front of me...and while they were waiting for me to catch up...Heather would do push-ups (someone running beside me said "Oh that's funny"...I told her "no it's not.  That's my girlfriend...you can kick her in the teeth if you would like"...) and Natalie would play air guitar.

I walked for about 15 seconds and then started running again. 

At mile 8.5...with less a mile to go...my legs started turning to stone.  Usually when I get close to the finish line, I have a surge of energy. 

I am not kidding.  There was no surge to be had. This is how bad it was...Natalie was trying to motivate me and tell me there would be cameras at the end...

I didn't even care.

Yes. Amy Workman didnt care about photo ops.

I told you!  Death was upon me.

Somehow though...we did cross that finish line.

And I sobbed.  Happy tears.  Tears of pride.  We finished in one hour and 52 minutes.  It was an amazing moment.  I kept thinking about how four years ago...at the beginning of this journey...I could barely walk a mile.

Today my quads are still not cooperating with the action of walking. I have a couple of blisters on my foot, and my abs are a little sore.

Heather and Natalie after the race, enjoying their free beers.

Me on Sunday morning...enjoying my Waffle House chocolate chip and peanut butter chip covered waffle and bacon.

Day 8 Of Juicing: Juice AND Dinner

So yesterday around 2pm, Heather walked into my office and said "Let's be done with this.  What's for dinner?"

Well, who am I to argue?

So we had food last night!  I made the stuffed Brussels sprouts I posted about yesterday.  They were pretty darn good.  I have confirmed though that I do not like thyme.  It is too overpowering for me.  I also confirmed using greek yogurt instead of ricotta works just fine.  I also baked my chicken breasts, smothered in greek yogurt and dijon mustard.  Yum.

My total weight loss from juicing for 7 days was 9 pounds.  Or right around 9.  Um...I will take that.  The last couple of days the scale hasn't moved much, and that is okay.  For the first time today, I calculated the calories in my breakfast juice this morning, and my lunch juice this afternoon.

For breakfast I had:

1 orange
1 carrot
1 kiwi
1 cup of grapes
2 cups of spinach
1 apple

That is about 400 calories for 16 ounces

For lunch, the Peach Pie shake of:

1.5 sweet potatoes
2 peaches
2 granny smith apples

That is about 400 calories as well.

We are going to continue juicing for two of our meals until Sunday....dinner is a healthy choice.  Tonight's dinner is crustless quiche and the broccoli recipe from yesterday.

I am still not craving sweets really.  Which is kinda odd.  I DID have a little bag of cheetos today for 310 calories.  I have been thinking about them for days and days...

and I fell victim to processed food.  Good news is, it didn't lead to a crazy binge and I don't want them anymore.

I can't be perfect now can I?  How boring would that be?

I would say that my only complaint from juicing is that during my workouts, I had no energy.  Now, I dont know if that's from not having meat based protein or carbs other than in the fruits and veggies, OR maybe it's from not having creatine before workouts...but it was brutal some days.

Other than that, I never felt headachey, never felt lethargic, never experienced caffeine withdrawals.  I haven't had to fight off the urge to drink a beer or a soda. 

Last night I felt focused and "re-booted" when grocery shopping.  I made healthier choices, looked at labels for number of ingredients or ingredients a 5 year old couldnt pronounce, and bought organic where I could.

I think the juicing has done what Heather and I hoped for.

Now let's make it stick!

Day 7 of Juicing: The end is near

Today begins day 7 of our juicing "re-boot"...and it looks like this will be the last full day of juicing. I know...you are sad.


I am not.

Starting tomorrow, we will continue to juice for breakfast and lunch, but then get to eat a healthy meal for dinner.

You know what that means? I've spent hours looking at food on the internet. And I am SO ready to cook. Our meal tomorrow night will be:

Grilled Chicken Breast**
and these little suckers....

Stuffed Brussel Sprouts

If you remember from months back, I cooked, and subsequently ate, brussel sprouts for the first time.  You shared your favorite ways to prepare them, I ignored most of them because they sounded healthy and scared me, and I ended up getting the littlest ones I could find, sauteing onions and garlic, then throwing in the sprouts with a little more EVOO, and then pouring in some chicken broth and boiling them for about 7 minutes.

However, tomorrow night I am going to try the recipe for stuffed sprouts above.  You can find it on my Pinterest, or from the original "creator" at http://cookingstoned.tv/ . I found him on Pinterest and he makes cute little videos for those of us who are visual learners.  I am going to sub the ricotta cheese with greek yogurt..because I THINK I can, and it would make it a little healthier.

**I have shared this before, but it makes a world of difference in my chicken breast.  Heather and I both prefer thin chicken breasts.  Sometimes there is nothing worse (okay, maybe juicing a bell pepper...trust me...never do it, or getting a poo stuck), but other than that, sometimes there is nothing worse than having to eat a really thick chicken breast that someone has cooked for you that has absolutely no flavor on the inside and is dry and yuck yuck.

So, I take one chicken breast, put it on my cutting board, cover it with plastic wrap and pound the hell out of it with my meat pounder (technical term).  This makes it thinner, but it also makes one chicken breast serve 2 people!  I then marinate it, preferably all day if I have the time, and then grill it. 

And here is a chicken grilling tip for those of us lucky enough to get to "woman" the grill...You heat your grill on high.  Throw your breast on and let it kiss each side for about 1 minute...then turn that sucker DOWN!  Low heat is the best way to grill a chicken breast.  Don't over cook that sucker.

So that is Thursday night dinner. 

For Friday night dinner, we will be having crustless quiche that is also on my Pinterest board and these little guys below.  Broccoli tossed in hummus.  I steam my broc for about 8 minutes (I like it soft) but the recipe says you can prep your broccoli anyway you want, and then toss in hummus.  Interesting.  Very interesting.

There is really only one question left...

Is it dinnertime yet?

Day 9,458,213 of Juicing

*I typed this yesterday, but was having problems uploading pics*

Yey!  Another juicing post!  Just keeping you updated.  Below is a picture of our Peach Pie recipe, which I got from Fatsickandnearlydead.com.  I just wanted you to see how much pulp/juice is rendered from 3 sweet potatoes (peeled), 2 granny smith apples (cored), and 4 peaches (de-pitted).

So it's actually day 6 of juicing...sweet mango liquid...it feels like I have been doing this for months!  Last night I had one of "the dreams"...

For those of you who have gone through a liquid stage of preop, you know of what I speak.  The dream where you find yourself eating the most delicious crappy food ever, and get that impending feeling of doom that your liver will be fatty and you are ruining everything...but the food is so good you just don't care? 

Yes.   That dream.

The location:  And all-you-can-eat buffet (we aren't allowed at such places of beautifullness bc Heather thinks they are "bad for you" or something like that)

The players:  Heather, my friend Travis, and ME

Travis and I this summer when he came to visit from Kansas

Heather and Travis and I are at the buffet.  We go through the line.  We get some food.  They eat all their food and say "Man, I am still hungry".  I say "uh...it's a buffet...you can go back as many times as you need".  They say "Waaaaaaat?"

So we go back through the line, and I am helping myself to little chicken taquitos and little mini pepperoni pizza's...

AND THEN THE DAMN DOG WAKES ME UP WITH HER SNORING!  UGH!

Heather and I this weekend.  Mmmmmm....juice.

What Do You Love About You?

Let us be full of ourselves momentarily...you know...MORE so than normal.  We spend great amounts of time here in the weight loss community...okay hell...in the world...talking about what we DON'T like about ourselves or what we want to change.  So I thought I would make a list, and challenge you to do the same.  You can do it on your blog (if you have one), or in the comments here if you don't. 

Here are the rules:

1.  There are no rules.

You don't have to have a minimum number or a maximum number of things you love (although some of us do suffer from a multitude of attention disorders, so keep that in mind), and your list can be shallow or deep. This is a list of what you love about YOU...not what you love about your life.

Here is my list:

Things Amy Loves About Amy

The way I walk.
I am strong (physically...perhaps questionable as it applies to emotionally)
I make people laugh and smile.
People come to my office just to sit and visit, to destress or share.
I can waterski.
I wear my heart on my sleeve.
I still care about making my mom happy (I mean...I didn't say I was GOOD at it).
I love animals.
I don't kill spiders.
I am a good listener.
I am a good talker.
I love with all I've got.
I'm a bad liar.
I can cook.
I am a good present giver.
The curve of my hips.
My smile.
My toes.
The area of my body right below my bra line, to which we will refer to as: the skinny zone.
My ability to write in a way people want to read.
I want a buffet of food right now.

Okay, that last one had nothing to do with what I love about me...it just had to be said.

It's funny. It was hard to make that list!  I ran out of things to say I loved after about 6 things...is that sad?  I rallied though!

Your turn.