Wasabi Peas Overdose

I'm siting here eating Trader Joe's Wasabi Peas right out of the bag, and I think I've probably had three or four servings already.  In my mind, I've concocted some sort of justification....Peas are a vegetable, after all. Plus I must be burning some calories with the intense heat my body is absorbing.  Dang, these puppies are SPICY!  But, oh so good.  Must. Stop. Now.

I'm doing much better with my health issues.  We finally figured out that I had developed an abscess just above my incision, which was causing all of the discomfort and night fevers (so sick of changing the bed sheets every day). Dr. B. put me on round three of antibiotics, this time something stronger, and I'm doing much better.  He said my wound had closed prematurely, causing the abscess.  I'll spare you the gross details of how I figured this out, but am so relieved that the fluid build up is gone, and the crazy-pain is now just mild tenderness.

Being sans-port and not having any fluid in my band has been a weird adjustment.  I have none of the physical triggers of restriction when I eat, but I still get a feeling of fullness, telling me when I should stop.  I was told by two surgeons (my surgeon, and another with whom I had a phone consult) that I would most likely gain weight (about 10 lbs.), but so far, have managed to lose a couple of pounds.  I'm hoping I can keep that up, as my surgery to get a new port won't be for a couple of months, once this wound is 110% healed.  My surgeon told me that he has called in a favor with Allergan, and they are donating the port, which is a big financial relief.

Ta-ta for now!  Wishing all you mothers a blessed and relaxing day!

Missing My Chubby Cheeks

So, I know vanity kills and all but can we chat, just for a minute, about looks (specifically mine)?  Now, I certainly did not enter into this whole Lap Band experience just so I would "look better", but it definitely was a factor.  At 320 pounds, I did not feel good OR look good.  So, here we are 26 months later, and I surely FEEL better, and I do think that I LOOK better, overall.  But, can I just say that I miss my rounder face.  Not the 320 pound round face, but the 250-ish one.  I was looking at some photos from the past year, and was kind of stricken by the significant change in my face.  And I think I prefer the photos from mid-2010 to now.  I don't think I look bad in the second picture....I just think I prefer the rounder fce to the more angular one. Of course, I would not take back the 140 pounds I have lost, or even the 65 pounds that I have shed since the first photo, but I hope that my face does not get much thinner as I lose my last 25 pounds. I don't want my face to look like Skeletor.

I'll let you be the judge....The first picture was taken in October 2010, and the second one was this past New Year's Eve.  I'm thinking I look a bit gaunt. And I also think I look significantly older (I know I am a bit older, but I think I've lost my "youthful glow").  What do you think?

 October 2010

January 2012

Rewarding Myself....or Sabotage?

I do it every time....I see a new low on the scale, and I chillax with a day of "celebration eating", which always drives my weight backup.  Yesterday, I saw 182.5, and while I didn't go hog-wild with eating, I went over my calories, and was pretty "snacky".  You know, my way of saying "atta girl".  Only the result is always a jump on the scale.  Today, 184.0. TOM is here, so that may be a factor, but I don't want to make excuses.  I must break this celebration cycle.  If I had some extra money I could go shopping or get a massage, but I don't.  So I need to just buclke down and do better.

On the port front, I am doing much better.  Since my port was removed 3.5 weeks ago, I have no fluid in my band, but strangely, I still feel restriction, and the scale has moved down about five lbs.  Go figure!  My pain has decreased significantly, and my wound is healing nicely.  I see my surgeon in two weeks, and I'll pick a surgery date with him.  Ideally, he said 9-12 weeks from when my port was removed and definitely not before my wound is closed and healed (it's pretty close).

Took a recent weekend RV trip to the Grand Canyon.  Three RVs filled with family and friends. It was great fun, and the views were as great as I remembered from my childhood.  I'll leave you with a couple of shots:

Until Next Time,

The Rest of The Tale, In Bullets...

 (continued from previous post)

 

• After visiting with my friends, I retired fairly early, as they had to wake up at 4AM, to go to Children's Hospital.
• At about midnight, I woke up, needing to pee, but had excruciating pain throughout my abdominal area and groin....so much so, that I had to prop myself up and crawl out of bed.
• I was awake the rest of the night, having to pee about five times in the next three hours.  It was so hard to get up, and hardly anything was, um, coming out.
• I laid there in pain, as I did not want to cause any additional stress for my friends, whose daughter was having surgery early that morning.  My husband had since arrived at the house and was sleeping downstairs on their couch, so my plan was to alert him as soon as they left for the hospital.
• They left later than planned, at 5AM, and I got up and told my husband about my pain.  He asked if we should go to the ER, but I declined.  Took some OTC pain meds and managed to fall asleep.
• Awoke at 6AM, and thought a shower would do me good.  I collapsed in the shower, and my husband had to help me off the shower floor to the bed.
• Called surgeon's office, and he said I must be dehydrated, but was not overly concerned.  He asked me to come in that afternoon, during clinic hours. It turns out I was dehydrated, and fluids helped a bit.
• I saw Dr. B. that afternoon, and he prescribed pain meds and antibiotics--not sure how/why he thought I  could manage without these initially....
• A week later, I just finished the antibiotics, and am weening off of the Vicoden.  Still very weak and tired, but this is likely related to the meds.
• God news:  The wound looks great, and he may have saved me $3K with this whole ordeal.
• Now, I just need to get the port relocated.  I have no restriction, but have had little appetite, so all is well for now,

"Third World Medicine" [Part Deux of My Daunting Tale]

OK, to continue with my long ordeal, I'm on the exam table in my surgeon's office, and he has just offered to remove my port: no hospital or surgery center, no general anesthesia, just a couple of numbing shots in the belly. I am panicked, but I agree. He quickly preps my wound site, gives me two shots (stinging, but not awful) and I shut my eyes so as not to see all the blood (there was blood). He explains to me that this is kind of like delivering a baby....taking a relatively large item thru a pretty small hole. He tells me that he will not cut me, and if he can not pry it out, he won't proceed. Then he cut the stitches and began the pulling and tugging. It felt so very weird, but it was pressure, not pain. It took about 10 minutes to get it out, and he then told me he would cut the tubing and all of my saline would spurt out. That it did, and he held the port with about 10" of tubing up for me to see. He then tucked the rest of the tubing back in, repeated his contention that what he did was about as third-world medicine as it gets (no, he's not a quack, and I'm not sure I agree anyway). He packs the wound, bandages me up, and shows me how to care for it over the next several weeks. I sit up, I feel awesome, and am so relieved to be done with this step. I leave the office, and there is no mention of pain meds or antibiotics. It did not cross my mind, as I felt great, and apparently it did not cross his either. Oops.

I leave the office, I stop by Target on my way to our friends' house, where I will be spending the week caring for their two-year old, beginning at 4:00AM (this turned out to be a really bad idea). As I was walking thru the store, I had some weird shooting pains in my groin, but was not too concerned. I made my way home, visited with friends, ate dinner, then retired for the night, still feeling pretty good.

Unfortunately, I am still weak and tired, and will need to finish this post tomorrow. Let's just say my symptom-free, pain-free experience quickly went awry. Obviously I'm OK, but one week later, I'm still on antibiotics and pain meds, I have not pooped in eight days, I have my first-ever hemorrhoid, and I have had bouts with fever and dehydration (literally my first [adult] experience with either of these issues).

Until tomorrow,

Bye-Bye Port {kind of an interesting story...well, maybe not}, Part One

So, as you may or may not know, I have had issues with my port site pretty much from the get-go. Following my surgery in February 2010, the port site would closed, but it was always very tender. My surgeon had difficulty locating the port for fills, and after the third fill, the wound slowly began to open up. After several failed rounds of antibiotics and packing the would, there was little improvement. We talked about a possible revision surgery, but it was not in the budget, and even though he could not do any fills, I was at a good level of restriction.

Flash-forward to last August...I went in for a visit and Dr. B. said he though the would looked better (not sure I agreed, but whatever). He told me he would see me in six months, unless I had any complications. Well, complications I had. In early December, another set of small holes opened up just below the wound site, and they gradually got larger, until they became one hole. And behind that hole--white plastic, MY PORT! Oh, crap!

Me, being in denial and thinking I could make the wound close up somehow, did not call Dr. B. right away. Plus, it was the holiday season and I was oh-so-busy. Well, of course, that wound did not close, so I finally made an appointment to see him in early February, for my 2-year Bandiversary.

He was fu-reaked out. Said he had to operate SOON, and wanted to perform two surgeries: First, he would remove my port and scope the tubing and band, to check if the infection had spread and caused an erosion (although he did not suspect so, based on my health and the functionality of the band). Then, after that wound healed in a couple of months or so, he would perform a second surgery, to add the port in another location. He said his surgery coordinator would get me pricing quotes from the hospital and two surgery centers, and that she'd call me. In the meantime, I would speak to the husby.

I got the quote a week later, and it was surprisingly low. $5K for both surgeries if I paid cash, and a considerably higher price if I went through insurance, as they would only cover the scope. Apparently Dr. B had called in some favors, and had the port donated, was giving his service free of charge, and worked out a deal with the ASC to have it listed as cosmetic, for a lower price on their end. I was actually quite pleased.

Then, we had a major family tragedy. My nephew was killed in action in Afghanistan, and it sent the family reeling. There were many, many services, ceremonies, etc. and, of course the grieving and supporting his mom and wife. Another month passed by....Eventually, Dr. B's office reached out to me, and I made an appointment for last Monday, late afternoon. I would be down in the area, as I had agreed to babysit our best [couple] friends' toddler all week, so they could stay at Children's Hospital with their other daughter, who was having surgery of her own.

Well, I could tell Dr. B. was not pleased with me. He was nice, but firm, and kind of scolded me for the delay in follow-up. He said he needed to "remove this port yesterday." He asked if he could schedule surgery for the next day or two, but I had to decline, based on my childcare commitment. I could see the blood rising in his neck, and he went on to tell me that he was leaving the country the following Wednesday, and could not wait until he returned.

He then asks about next Monday or Tuesday (although he says it's not ideal, as he does not like to perform surgery right before leaving he country). I tell him by husband will be traveling, but I can see if I can find someone else to bring me (also not ideal). THEN, as his face begins to get really flushed, he blurts out, "Or, I could just remove it right here, right now." [GASP!]

And after a couple of questions and answers, he began prepping me for a "third world medical procedure" (his words, not mine).

TO BE CONTINUED TOMORROW (this is way too long, I'm sorry).

Overweight....Finally!

I know, it has been an embarrassingly long time since my last update.  I just wasn't feelin' it, and haven't had much to say that anyone would care about.  But, I'm back!

Another milestone has quietly come and gone.  I have dropped from the "obese" category into the "overweight" category on the *bleeping* BMI chart.  So, that's good, I guess. On the band front, I passed my two year mark on 02/10/12, without much fanfare.  I did get a $50 gift card from my surgeon for completing a study questionnaire, so that was nice.  I think I'll buy a new omelet pan.

At my two-year visit to the surgeon, I got some lousy news.....I continue to have an open wound at my port site.  Even though an erosion has been ruled out, it looks like I have to undergo not one, but two surgeries to fix this. Dr. B. wants to go in and remove the port, cinch up the tube, and do a scope of the area to look for an infection or other issue.  Then, once everything heals, I get to go under the knife again to have a new port put in, on the other side of my abdomen.  I friggin' hate general anesthesia, so this is a big deal for me.  Twice the fun, and an insurance exclusion, to boot!

Here's a picture of me with my two loves.  We went up to the family cabin in Big Bear over Presidents' Day Weekend.  It was just lovely! Cold, but lovely!

Sad in San Diego,

"The Mendoza Line"

So, if you're not a baseball geek like me, you likely don't get the reference, so I'll share its definition with you:

The Mendoza Line is an expression in baseball, deriving from the name of shortstop Mario Mendoza, whose lifetime batting average is taken to define the threshold of incompetent hitting. Even though Mendoza's career batting average over nine seasons was .215,[1] most often the cutoff point is said to be .200, and when a position player's batting average falls below that level, the player is said to be below the Mendoza Line. This is often thought of as the offensive threshold below which a player's presence in Major League Baseball cannot be justified, regardless of his defensive abilities.

I hope you're not bored to tears, but I'm there. Hovering at The Mendoza Line.  On the brink of Onederland, with an inability to hang tight under 200. I have seen a low of 198.5, but the very next day, I was back to 200.5, with no real explanation. I've been eating well and exercising, so I refuse to get all bummed out. For now, I'm just hanging around the Mendoza Line, hoping I can get sent down to the minors real soon!

P.S. I still can not comment, even after following Jen's direction.  So frustrating!

Why Can't I Comment?

All of a sudden, none of my comments will go through. I remember someone else asking about this several weeks ago, but I can't find the dang post & answers. Can someone help, por favor?

Hoo-EEE! Is anyone melting yet?

Holy Toledo, is it hot and sticky enough for you?! I just want to bathe in a tub of ice water. All is well around here, with not much to report. I saw a new low on the scale today, 209.5, which takes me into a new weight decade. It's so interesting how I can be stalled for weeks and even months on end, only to have the scale start to move for no real reason. Actually, I think I've been less active with this heat. So, on the band front, I really need to pay a visit to my surgeon. My port incision continues to be problematic, and not only do I still have a slightly open wound there, but there is now a tiny hole beneath it, and {gasp!} I think my port is exposed a bit. I'm packing the wound and keeping the hole clean and covered, but this can not be good. I had Dr. B call in a heavy dose of antibiotics to give it one last shot to close, because I'm pretty certain my only other option is a revision surgery, which I really want to avoid.

Husby and I just got back from our National Lampoon RV Vacation. I wanted The Caribbean or Hawaii, I got Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks, via motor-home. Alas, it was very beautiful, but we could have enjoyed some nice tropical digs for the coin we dropped on renting an RV. It's a good thing they get such great gas mileage, because that made it a real bargain {at least compared to chartering a private jet to an island paradise}. Eh, at least we got to bring the pup along.

So Lovelies, I'll leave you with a few pix from our madcap adventures....Excuse the no-make-up look in my photo, but I found it to be very difficult to look put-together whilst camping. {I do love that my pup is masking my arm flab}.

Not Feelin' It.

How does the mojo disappear so quickly? I get on a roll, and I think, "I can do this; no problem." But then there are always problems. Problems like: frustrations when I am so good with eating and exercise and the scale won't budge; or stresses beyond my control that drive me to stress-eating; or delicious desserts brought into my home by those with the best of intentions. All these things cause my weight loss to slow down. I know I am the one making my own decisions, and ultimately I drive my successes and failures, but dang, it sure is easy to get off track, isn't it? I know I'm being whiny, and truth be told, it's not all that bad. Even though I haven't lost in the past two weeks, I am down 9 lbs. over the past two months, when I last saw my surgeon. I'm just bummed, because I wanted to be under 200 by the end of July, and my hope for that is fading fast.

On a lighter note, want to hear a funny story? So, my sister-in-law caught a stomach virus [obviously not the funny part], so she sent her two girls to our house for a couple of days. We had a blast, swimming, baking and even had a homemade beauty spa night. Anyway, a series of mishaps [note: it is never a good idea to let a four-year old dry-mop your hardwood floors, even if it is covered with rainbow sprinkles] caused a couple of breakables to hit the floor, one right after the other. I was trying to hide my disappointment when my four year old niece put it all in perspective by telling me, "It's really OK. It's way better than somebody dying in your house." Yep, I've got to agree with that wisdom.

AT-HOME SPA NIGHT WITH THE GIRLS

Defying Logic

Why does soft tofu get stuck in my band, yet I can eat a half a can of Pringles with no problem? Why do I ache in pain (then cough it up) when I try to eat tuna salad, but I can put away tortilla chips and salsa like there's no tomorrow? Senseless, I tell you. It sure is easy to get off-track, when so many protein-rich foods are off the table, and junk food is easy-as-pie (oh, don't get me started on pie). If you come across my self-control and discipline, would you kindly return it?

Kind Regards,

I'm Baacckk!

OK, so I've been on a bit of a blogging hiatus. We're not talking a couple of weeks, or a month or two. I friggin' haven't blogged since January. I'm not sure why, other than I haven't had much of anything to share. My weight loss has been slow but steady. I'm at 219 as of this morning, down 115 lbs in total and 101 since my surgery date. It's so weird how this works. I've been avoiding the scale for the past few weeks, because I wasn't exactly "on task", but when I weighed in yesterday and was down 5 lbs. I've given up trying to figure out this madness, but I'll take the loss.

Husby and I recently returned from a trip to The Kentucky Derby, and we took a side trip to Nashville, as well, just for kicks. SO. MUCH. FUN. One of Steve's clients has a sweet suite at Churchill Downs, so we were able to do the Derby right. All the mint juleps a girl could want (which is exactly zero for this girl--BLECH!) Anyway, I sort of ate my way through the South, as much as my band would allow. On our way from Louisville to Nashville, we did the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, which knocked me on my keister. Boy, what beautiful country that is.

Here are a few shots from the Kentucky Oaks and Derby:






My husband actually picked Animal Kingdom, the long shot who won the big race, making up for two days of losses. Now he thinks he has bragging rights.

Well, I'm glad to be back (in So Cal and in Blogland). Have a great week, y'all [said with my best southern affectation].

50 Followers....That's Just Super!

Thank you so much for reading my blog. 50 followers is pretty awesome! It's been a good week, for the most part. I was a bit sad at the start, as the husby had to return to work after being off over the holidays, but, alas, someone has to earn a living around here (I quit my job in May, to look for something closer to home, but I haven't even started looking--so many more fun things to do!). It's been friggin' cold here in the San Diego area. Now, I know cold is a relative term, and all you North Easterners would probably kill for temps in the high 40's, but for wimps like me, it's been an icy-cold and wet winter. We had such crazy rains the week before Christmas that we were stuck at home for two days, as the creek ran over (remember, I sort of live in The Sticks). Here's a picture of the creek (usually a trickle) running over the road to our place--by this point it had gone down considerably, but you get the idea:

On the band front, I was ever-so-happy that my port site incision finally closed on New Years Day (after several months), but it reopened just five days later. I see Dr. B. on Tuesday, and will ask him to do a culture to determine what the heck is going on. I want to exhaust all options before agreeing to a relocation surgery. I still need to lose 3 lbs. to hit 100 down by my visit on Tuesday. Here's hoping for a lofty loss this weekend. Click shakes are my friend, and my enemy at the same time. Ciao!

Sorry for my absence....I was busy eating fudge.

Happy New Year! I know it's been awhile since I've posted. Part of it is that I've been busy with the holidays, and part is that I've been a bad girl, and hate to fess up. The good news is, I made it through the holidays without gaining. The bad news is, I made it through the holidays without losing. I know where I messed up. Things like: I made sweets for the neighbors, and when my fudge didn't properly set, instead of throwing it out, I kept it in the garage fridge, and helped myself to a spoonful whenever I got a hankering for a sweet treat. Turns out fudge-by-the-spoonful is DELICIOUS, and goes down oh-so-easily. I had those fudge hankerings most days, until I finally tossed tossed the gooey mess of yumminess.

Other than that, I'm glad the holidays are over, and I'm ready to buckle down for progress in the new year. I see my surgeon on 01/11, and want to lose 5 lbs before then, which I am confident I can do. This will get me to 100 lbs lost, in 11 months, which is really amazing. I love my band....oh, and I've finally named her: Prudence, she is. She keeps me real, and helps me to exercise sound judgment.

We just returned from a few days at our family cabin in Big Bear (San Diego's local mountain resort). It was just lovely, and we had about six inches of snow. Here's a shot from the front of our cabin, looking up the snowy road.

Hello 230s! It's Been a Loooong Time!

On Sunday, I weighed in at 239.5 for The Challenge, and today I saw 238 for a fleeting moment, and I was feeling great, like I am finally getting into territory where I'm not totally self-conscious about my weight. 95 el-bees down ain't too shabby for this band soldier.

And then, it happened again. I met an old colleague for lunch, someone I have not seen in about six months, and whom I see only about twice per year. Nil. Nada. Nunca. She made no comment about my smokin' new bod (just humor me, girls). I remember when I met her in June, I was disappointed that she did not notice my loss, but that was 45 pounds ago. Ninety-friggin'-five pounds pounds down, and I get a comment about my "cute sweater". Really? In her defense, my sweater was really cute.


Alas, I'll just keep on keepin' on, cause that's how I roll.

Me and My Band

We seem to be having sort of a love/hate relationship lately. I love the fact that she's dong her job, and that the scale has started to move again, but I hate that my level of tightness varies from day to day and even meal to meal. I'm scared to get an unfill, but regularly get stuck on solid food, especially meat, no matter how well I chew. This is a recent development, yet I was last filled in August. I have lost almost 20 lbs since then, so one might expect that the band would loosen as my stomach shrinks. Nope, not so much. She has a mind of her own.

It's been so beautiful here in Temecula this week. The temperature is in the high 70's and the sun is shining brightly. Not too shabby, as we kick off December. I just went and picked some pomegranates off our tree and split one open for an afternoon snack. So delicious! Our apples are also at the peak of ripeness, and so very sweet and tart, just as I like them. I think I'm adjusting to country living just fine--except this morning, when I took my dog for a walk, and we were chased off the road by an angry nanny goat. She was pissy as all get-go.

Anyway, I hope all of you are having a great day, and that the stress of holiday shopping isn't getting the best of you. Oh, and as far as the Holiday Challenge goes, I'm going on record here to say I'm gonna have a kick-ass week! Happy December, everyone!

Not Such a Smooth Move

I've been having issues with, ahem, the potty of late. To say I have been irregular would be an understatement. Four days since a real poop, if I'm being honest, so I decided to take matters into my own hands. I'm not a big fan of laxatives, so I sought out an herbal remedy. I bought myself some hot tea, Smooth Move. OK I'm sorry, that name is just gross. But I bought a box yesterday, and was in such a hurry to get down to business that I failed to read the instructions. Or rather, I read them and ignored them. Bad idea. There is a reason they tell you to drink this stuff before going to bed. I assume they hope that you are in a deep sleep before your insides begin turning out, in an effort to move things along. Rough night, let me tell you. Holy cramps, Batman! Yes, the stuff works. Boy does it ever. God help me.

On the band front, my port incision infection is much better. I have a follow-up appointment with my surgeon on Thursday. I don't think I'll get a fill, although he mentioned last time that he thought I might need one (minimal loss since previous visit). We'll see, but I think I'm good if I can keep my head straight. That really is the hardest part with this, isn't it?

For the Holiday Challenge, I reported a paltry loss of 1.2 lbs, which was disappointing since I had been down almost four pounds earlier in the week. I'm hoping this Smooth Move will help me get back on track.

Dinner Plans....Gulp!

I believe I have mentioned before that my husby works for a family business, which is built around a medical practice management software program. It just so happens that they have a significant presence in the bariatric surgery market (and it is quite likely that many of your surgeon's use the software). Anyway, this week, Raintree is hosting a Technical Training Seminar for a group of surgeons based in the 90210 (Beverly Hills, for those of you who didn't grow up with Brenda and Brandon Walsh). This happens to be one of Steve's favorite clients (I think he has a man-crush on their Ops Manager). So, this evening, we're taking said client to dinner (one surgeon, the ops manager and an IT guy), and I stupidly agreed to go. Oh, and by the way, Steve has told [at least] the ops mgr about my surgery. Dining with a bariatric surgeon and his entourage? WHAT WAS I THINKING? What if I get stuck? You know they are going to watch me eat, and pay attention to my every move. I got online and checked out the menu, so I can be an informed diner, but I have major anxiety about this whole ordeal. I think it's too late to back out. Or is it?

Still Alive But Still Infected

So, I'm doing OK. I still have this blasted infection at my port site. I saw my surgeon on Tuesday, and he put me on yet another round of antibiotics, this time for 10 days. He said if this doesn't take care of it, we need to talk about a quick surgery to clean things up at the port incision, whatever that means. I did ask if this meant general anesthesia, and he told me I would just go under twilight sleep, like with my endoscopy. Other than that, not too much news on the band front. I had lost only 1.5 lbs in the four weeks since I last saw him, but this infection and pain has curbed by exercise, so I know that is a big factor. Who am I kidding? I have eaten a ton of Halloween candy over the past two weeks--that's why.

Not much else to share. I was watching my niece and nephew last week, as my husband's family business had a conference in Chicago; this means I had them over Halloween Week. God bless all you working mothers out there....I don't know how the heck you juggle those schedules. Spirit Week at Evie's school meant a series of "crap-we-need-to-find-you-a-camouflage-outfit/favorite-literary-character-costume/crazy-socks/crazy- hair-something-to-wear" moments. Also, my nephew Michael is 12, and is really struggling in school. He is so bright, but has a real lack of focus. Plus, sixth grade math is HARD! My biggest laugh of the week came when Evie told me that one of her friends at school told her that trick-or-treating was really about worshiping the devil. Evie said "But I told her, it's really not about devil worship. It's just about having a good time and getting some candy".

The family arrived home on Saturday night, so I did not take the kids out trick-or-treating. We live out in the boonies, and don't get any costumed visitors from the 'hood, so I always make my nieces and nephew stop by...

This shot is of nephew & niece Michael & Evie and their parents (my BIL & SIL) plus three Estonians, who experienced American trick-or-treating for the first time:



This one is is of nieces Katie and Elisabeth (kids of my husband's other brother). The poses are totally unsolicited:


Oh, I opted in on the Holiday Challenge. I hope I wasn't too late! I love me some competition!