Jaime's So Called Life

I've been obsessed ever since Erin and I decided to buy a bigger boat recently. It's ok that we want to live outside of "the box". It is such a beautiful world out there, and I don't want us to resign to what society prescribes to us as happiness (a house).

The more I educate myself, gain experience (2 1/2 years living aboard) and explore my feelings about this alternative lifestyle, the more confident I feel that we're making the right decision for US. That I'm not just tagging along on one of Erin's crazy schemes (as family or friends may see it). But I am following my own passions and am so lucky to have a partner whose dreams compliment mine. Just like a lot of people, we want to build a family together . Some may think kids need a house and a yard. I agree to disagree. Children need love, compassion, education, a family unit (however that is defined), to be free of judgement and the list goes on and on.

I could not be more excited or more happy to be upgrading to a bigger boat. One of the many things I have learned over the last couple of years is that you do not need a lot of things nor a lot of space to fulfill you. Its what you do with those things that you have and your space that make you truly happy. And who you share them with is the most important thing of all.

From the moment I moved onto the boat I dreamed of getting off :-) Read my previous blogs and you'll understand. But in the end I fell in love with this lifestyle. I am amazed by our marina community, I'm head over heels with Ballard and I'm smitten with the idea that we could untie our lines any day and take off for Mexico (in our bigger boat of course). But the dream of livng on land hasn't died. It's just not our time to live ashore yet.

I accept that some people may not understand our choices but in turn I want you to accept what we are doing...

I hurt pretty bad. Almost like I'm having flashbacks from my tumor & partial pancreas removal in 2008. What was suppose to be a routine incisional (like 2-4 incisions) hernia repair was not. And for that I really underestimated the pain! I didn't know the doctor was doing "exploratory laparoscopy ". Before I was seen by the anesthesiologist the doctor stopped by my stretcher and saw me for the 1st time since I met him months ago. He said he couldn't remember if I had allergies. Um did you look at my chart doc? He asked if my hernia was above my belly button like he hadn't looked at my CT scan that morning! That made me uneasy. Then he explained he was going to be exploring and if small incisions didn't work he'd have to do 1 big incision. After seeing the 8 incisions (YES 8 INCISIONS!!!) all over my stomach and feeling awful I wish he would have done the 1 larger one! After recovering for a couple hours he sent me on my merry drugged up way.  Only a couple hours of being home, icing my tummy and the meds wearing off quickly did i realize that this joker should have kept me over night.  I was in such terrible pain that I took a percocet an hour ahead of schedule. It did absolutely nothing for me! Erin called the doctor, told him it was ridiculous that I was in this much pain. The doctor said he couldn't prescribe anything stronger & if the pain got worse to go into the ER. So I took another percocet. Still no relief! Hours of moaning & groaning it was around 8pm that Erin took me into the ER. I was in really, really bad shape. Long story not so short they gave me 2 separate doses of dilantin to manage the pain and instructed me to take the percocets every 4hrs, use ice and to do nothing for the next few days but lay in bed. Then they sent me home.

 I cannot brag enough about how wonderful Erin has been! The most caring husband ever. He got up with me several times throughout the night (like I was an infant) and would help me get outta bed. Neither of us got much sleep. I feel bad I kept him up. He will literally not let me do anything for myself. Not even fill up a glass of water. He needs to do some work today and his instructions to me have been very clear. "You can only get up out of bed to potty and that's it". Otherwise I have to call him. YES SIR! :-) I love this man!

So today I am going to strictly follow the doctor's (aka Hubby) orders and hopefully no return to the ER!

I'm becoming very drowsy so I should take advantage and get some sleep.

And if anyone is up for a game of connect the bloody dots later on just give me a call!!! (This may only be funny to a highly medicated person right now...)

p.s. After I get my wedding thank you cards and our 1st Christmas cards out maybe I'll get back to this blogging thing!! I have lots to share :-)

I also like to look at it like 10 pounds of butter. That's how much fat has melted from my body since April 4th! For some of you, that may not seem like a lot but for me its a huge milestone!! It is such big news that it's blog worthy! It is the beginning of the end of me being fat. If that makes any sense? And it means I am just that much closer to my goal! The goal of not being fat for my wedding!

What is so awesome is I'm NOT actually "dieting" per se. I have made a complete life style change. I know that sounds so cliché and lame and you’re thinking you’ve heard that before but it’s so true.  I am not cutting anything out, eliminating any food or certain beverages. I dont have that kind of self control! I literally eat what I want. But I account for it by logging every single friggin calorie. And I of course eat and drink less of whatever I am consuming. I’m not going to lie and say I eat the same way I did before. Look how that turned out for me! Can you say “moo”?

 I’ve also been moving more - going to the gym several times a week, walking, parking farther away, taking the stairs, anything to mix it up and burn more calories. Erin and I did some happy hour hopping in downtown Seattle yesterday. In between beers  (and healthier appetizers) we hoofed it to the next place rather than take a cab. Although the taxi (car not driver) did look tempting but not as tempting as trying on wedding dresses a size smaller than I am now!

 At this rate I am destined to be that skinny bride! You just wait and see!

                                              Comic created by my friend Francisco Michelena

Or at least that's what you'd think I've been doing for the last 22 months. No I am not pregnant! Unless I'm having an elephant. Than it would make perfect sense that I'd be pregnant that long. But I’m not having an elephant so let’s get back to the task at hand here. Sorry if I confused you.

Ever since my future hubby has come into my life I have literally gained the weight of a kindergartner! And I'm not talking about a small sized kindergartner either. I'm not proud of this. But I do have to openly admit that I have thoroughly enjoyed every extra calorie that I have consumed. No shame in my game.

It's crunch time now though. I refuse to look like a beached whale (no pun intended) at my wedding in Mexico. I have less than 7 months (197 days to be exact) to shed this "freshman 15" times 3 (or 4). A woman NEVER shares her weight or age so you can do the math yourself. I am on the right path though. Thanks to my body media watch, armband and their website I am able to track the calories I burn and the calories I have consumed. I have turned into a little Nazi calorie-counting machine! No joke. I check my nifty little watch throughout the day to see how many calories I have burned and I log every morsel I inhale. Even that little sample of cheese at the Fred Meyer deli! Like I said...I've become a Nazi! The first thing I do when I get home from work is sync my armband with my laptop. And then I check it before I go to bed. And I'm syncing it before I brush my teeth in the morning too. I actually get giddy seeing the computer tell me I'm on a weight loss trend! Cause you know computers never lie to you. Right??

Since sporting the armband I have realized what does lie. The machines at the gym do. You think you've burned 500 calories on the elliptical when in fact you've burned maybe 3/4 that. Those bastards!

So my weight loss journey begins. Or has it ever really ended? Either way I am bound and determined to get back in shape before I say, “I do”!

I HAVE A MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT TO MAKE! I am officially off the market folks! I say that as if men were lining up to date me. Who am I fooling!? My only blog "followers" are my family and friends and they were all waiting for me to finally settle...down Erin just happens to be that lucky guy. Poor, poor Erin.

After two and a half weeks of being engaged and one (or several) melt downs later I decided that I was not the big fancy, spend several thousand dollars on one day, kinda wedding gal. I live on a boat. And hopefully not forever. The more money I put into a wedding means the more time I have to live on "her".  And if you have read my previous blogs you'd know that "she" and I don't get along so well. So I sacraficed my little girl wedding dreams of saying I do in the great Pacific Northwest. The Captain and I are getting hitched in Mexico. And it's going to be a hoot. So get your plane tickets and hotels booked people! This is the party you wont want to miss!

Having our wedding in a different country seemed like it would be more stressful and chaotic and I've found its the complete opposite. For a reasonable price the hotel will take care of everything and all Erin and I need to do is just show up. My main concern is that he shows up sober!

The plus side to us having an out of town wedding is the mooches that would have originally come to our wedding if it was near their home for a free meal and free booze DO NOT like us enough to fly away for it. It's like it's our own little filtering system. It's a win-win situation for us!