042 A Nice Surpise

It has been a little while now since Jimmy has been in to work in the office. The church has kindly approved 3-6 weeks for his recovery time but I know that he is hoping to be back soon.

Jimmy loves his job and I think that he really misses socializing with his co-workers. When we were out the other day, we decided that we should stop by the church office so that Jimmy could say "Hi" to everyone. I think that they were surprised to see that he was as up and active as he is (Thankfully, Jimmy has had very limited pain and/or gas/bloating and he has been able to be up and active in small amounts).

We were surprised when we walked into his office and found this...

An anonymous note left for Jimmy on his computer screen at work.

"I can do everything through Him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13

It's really awesome and encouraging to know that people are thinking about you and praying for you. It was a sweet and touching moment. Thank you, whoever you are. It's nice to be reminded that we are not alone and that we can do all things through Christ!

Until next time...

026 Be Prepared!

I know it's stupid but one of my favorite songs from the Lion King was when Scar and the hyenas were singing the "Be Prepared!" song. The hyenas didn't really get it and I don't think that we always get the importance of being prepared either. So let me tell you why Jimmy and I find it important to be prepared as it specifically relates to the liquid diet he starts today and his gastric sleeve surgery in two weeks.

#1 Being prepared makes the transition easier
I am in NO way going to say that this liquid diet is going to be a walk in the park but I know it would be so much harder if we weren't ready. What if we hadn't gone through the house getting rid of all the temptations lurking in the fridge and cabinets? What if I hadn't planned ahead and bought the foods that he will need to have on hand so succeed? What if we hadn't been trying to eat healthy for the last couple of years to prepare for healthier living and eating post-op? Things could be even worse!

#2 Being prepared has helped us with our finances
Much to Jimmy's sometime annoyance I am a HUGE Dave Ramsey fan! We were blessed to be able to go through Financial Peace University (FPU) several years ago and since then we have been on our way to financial freedom. Let me tell you that we still aren't perfect.

However, we are much better than we used to be and "Uncle Dave" has taught us some really important lessons about preparing financially. This applied here as well. As soon as we had decided which Pre-Op diet we were doing I began to set money aside and I would also purchase an item or two a week over the last few months. This allowed us to spread out the cost instead of freaking out about the bill coming all at once or being tempted to put it on a credit card (that we don't have).

#3 Being prepared allowed us time to recruit
Since we were planning and preparing ahead we were able to recruit our support team at our leisure. We know these people are going to really be there for us because they have a proven track record. We aren't asking them on a whim or last minute. Over the last few months and years they have shown that they really care about us and support us. We don't have to worry about it--which is amazing!

So I urge you, if you are still preparing for WLS I urge you to begin preparing physically, financially, and mentally for the many challenges that lie ahead!

021 Gotta Have Support!

This post is going to stray a little bit back into our chronological storyline and then come back to the present…

Ok, so back to the Dr. Appointment Blitz day. One of the things that was really emphasized to us was the need for support, and I know that we have talked about Making New Friends but here is where the rubber meets the road…

Now jump back to the present. Jimmy and I have been slowly building a great network of people that we can talk to and rely on for support. They have been amazing! Some of them are regular people that we see regularly, others are old friends, and still others have undergone weight loss surgery themselves.

These people have been encouraging us to eat healthy and exercise, but they have taken support a step further than just using their words! On Friday (Nov. 2nd), Jimmy will be starting his two week liquid pre-op diet, but he won't be alone. In order to support and empathize with Jimmy during this time, our support team has taken it upon themselves to arrange a rotation schedule so that at least one of them is doing the liquid diet with Jimmy every SINGLE day!

He will never be alone in his hunger or frustration. He can look at his list and he can see who his "diet buddy" is for the day and he can call them up and talk it out. We are super excited and touched by this amazing outpouring of support and love that Jimmy has specifically received in this area.

A BIG thank you to all our friends and especially to our support team as we prepare to enter the hardest two weeks in our lives to date.

Thanks again,