My day --- Yesterday. ;)

I must tell you about my afternoon yesterday. My morning sucked, so let's just skip that and move on to the afternoon. My mail came and there was a pamphlet in my LAKES magazine. This pamphlet talked about a new Nature Preserve a small drive away from us. I thought it would be good to go to it, so suggested it to the spouse, who agreed.

I wasn't sure what we'd do when we got there. lol.... I knew there was a waterfall but I didn't know what type of trails there would be. The pamphlet wasn't real detailed. So anywhoooo we still went.

We got to the preserve, parked the car and began to walk our trail. As we walked I thought back to when my family last went walking on a nature trail. . .

It was just before my surgery and I weighed over 400lbs. I walked the entire trail with them at that time, though it hurt and I couldn't breathe and we had to stop and let me rest at every bench along the way. I walked down the (I don't know how many) steps to view the waterfall and I walked back up them, stopping every 10 to rest and catch my breath. On the way back to our van during that trip... each bench was a goal to me, because it meant I could sit and rest. My family waited with me. The girls getting to the benches first and cheering me on.

Yesterday's walk. . .

I began my walk without really thinking much of it, except enjoying the beauty of this new preserve. As we walked though I thought back and I chuckled. . .This was so much harder when I was over 400 lbs. Then as we walked further, I realized I could breathe. I could talk and walk. I could stay caught up with everyone. I even was faster than my second daughter, though she does have a cold and was on drowsy inducing medicines. But, I was still faster than a sick 12 year old! . . . I walked up and down the hills, one was quite steep. I walked all the way to the end of the trail and then back to where it split to another. We then took the other trail and walked it too! I broke a sweat, but you know what, the only time I had to stop was to get a rock out of my shoe. There were two benches on the trail. I never needed to use them. I got back to the van and I wasn't out of breath at all. If it hadn't been for the trails being over, (they have several more in the works) . . . I could have walked more!

The picture you see before you is how far I've come since my Gastric Bypass Surgery on October 24, 2006. In the blue sweater I weighed 403 lbs. One week prior to surgery. In the other picture, I weight 259 lbs as of yesterday July 13, 2007. I can see the difference in so many ways, but the pictures just really put it into a visual perspective.

Have a beautiful day. . .I am, because I'm going to be living longer!!