Boobs questions!

1. How did you pick your blog name? 

I love things tropical - and seem to have a trend of coconut related items that somehow thread through my life (coconut cupcakes, coconut rum, coconut trees) and I also have a penchant for things that are cozy.  I love candles, fireplaces (with crackling fires), knitting blankets, a warm mug of coffee - I had simply noticed a that I love things are are comforting or cozy.  So I just came up with "the cozy coconut"  I realize now that everyone misreads it and some still think it says crazy coconut - whatever -that works! 

2. When did you start blogging? Gosh, it was a long time ago....2004 maybe?  I've had knitting blogs, personal blogs, none have lasted as long as this one.   

3. Theme of blog: 
This blog began after I got my surgery.  I was afraid and felt alone in my decision and needed to connect.  The beginning for me was really hard - I didn't have success right away.  It was reading so many great blogs that I learned what to do and what to expect.  You all also inspired me and I decided I wasn't going to be a failure at this, so I decided I was going to be the exception to the rule.  The person who loses weight AFTER the first year where you "lose all the weight" you're likely going to lose.  I've truly been an exception, losing 50lbs so far. :) 

4. Did you go to BOOBs 2010? No, I wanted to but couldn't due to my job.  

5. When were you banded? March 9, 2009.

6. How much have you lost? 50lbs!  I'd like to lose 35 more lbs and get to 150!

7. What are you most looking forward to at BOOBs? 
I can't wait to meet all you celebrities.  I think all of you are celebrities and a really amazing group of people.  You all are clearly fun and so am I!  LOL we're going to have an AMAZING time.
8. What/who do you hope to find/see/accomplish at BOOBs 2011?  

I hope to feel inspired again - like everyone always does for me - and use it to fuel my focus to lose these last 30 lbs.  I also hope to make new friendships and get to know people better than I do today.

9. Children? Pets? 2 kids, one boy, one girl.  No pets that are mine.  Son has a mini wiener dog and fish.

10. Who is your roomie? The amazing Linda and Read.  I absolutely can't wait to meet them.

11. What day do you arrive? I arrive on Friday, I have to work, and can't take any more days off b/c I'm so new to the job. 

12. What airport/flight/time?  I'm flying into ORD, at 630pm. 

13. What events are you signed up for? 
I haven't signed up for anything yet.  Guess I should do that. 
14. Hobbies? 
I am enjoying running - is it a hobby if you like it and exercise if you don't? I am REALLY good at making drinks, my friends love for me to bar tend.  I make up awesome shots and martinis.  Sometimes they're amazing, sometimes they're not.  But most of the time, they're great successes! I love to be on the ocean whether its just cruising or fishing.  I like to knit and I actually make home made soaps and body cream, body scrub.  Its physically and mentally therapeutic for me.....Oh, and I've recently began SUP!  Stand Up Paddle boarding!  Its really AWESOME!
15. Career? 
Career - hmmm - I'm the director over a help desk that supports the pharma industry.  I don't consider it a career, because my plan has been all along to work hard, save a lot, and stop doing it in  about 3 years from now.
16. Single? Married? In a relationship? Married 

17. Your birthday month? June

18. What do you want other BOOBs to know about you? 

I'm not the most consistent blogger - I am honest and put it all out there - I just hope that people know who I am because I certainly know and admire all of YOU! :)
 

Slacker!

I can't believe its been this long without my posting anything - I'm such a slacker!! Gettting back from CA Sunday near midnight and turning right around and leaving for NJ at 8am the next morning plus jet lag really threw me for a loop. I had so much to catch up on at the new job after being gone for a week, plus lost time and work piling up from being in NJ on business. Not to mention that I needed to train for my half marathon last weekend AND my master's program semester ended 8/31. Whew - its was NUTS. Oh yeah, and an earthquake and a hurricane that hit us directly here in Va Beach. I swear - did the rapture really happen and we're all just still left here? But we didn't realize it before now? What's next? Locusts? Sheesh. Makes me all nervous about 12/21/12 now.....you know, the end of the world and all.
Well, I did catch up on work, our house survived and I did complete the half marathon! woot! It was great but I was slow. At least I really did run the whole thing which was my goal. I'm going to work on getting faster next. Right after my toenails fall off. Seriously. I think my toenails are going to fall off again, like the did the last time I walked the half marathon 2 years ago. My toenails hurt so much still that I just know its going to happen and it totally sucks. I bought the right shoes and everything - I think I didn't tie them tight enough so my foot wouldn't slide forward. They were a full size larger than I normally wear - just so this wouldn't happen. I also had my shoes professionally fitted - so this wouldn't happen. Oh well! At least its not Summer and my toes will be hidden most of the winter. Last time it took a full year - 12 complete months - for my big toe to grow back and look the normal length again. I'm going to get that shirt up there!

[Image]I am registered for a 10K in October and another half in the Outer Banks (yep the place that was nearly washed away from Irene) in November. Hope all of you are doing GREAT! I miss everyone!

Darn Drew Cary hurt his shoulder.....

I was excited to surprise you with my trip to the game show - "The Price is Right" yesterday.  We had tickets in hand, got to the CBS studios at 6:30a.m., waited in line with coffee and bagels, got on the lot, gave up our names, personal info, etc (in case we won a big prize), got our official 'infamous' name tags, got official photos taken for the show's producers, went through the interview (where you show as much energy as possible), and waited outside the studio itself about to go in and the show's announcer and producer (his real name is Adam Sandler-but not THE Adam Sandler) came out and announced that Drew Carey had hurt his shoulder and wouldn't be able to do the show today or tomorrow!

There were 300 pretty pissed off people who had all gone though this process - so many people who had made T-shirts, etc. all so upset b/c there would be no taping.  Phooey!!  I really wanted to see the show, and possibly be ON the show!

I'm so disappointed!  Oh well....

I drove to Laguna Beach - and the water is just the most amazing deep aqua blue color.  The waves crash a bright white too - its just so gorgeous against the deep blue color of the Pacific. Here's a few pics of the surfers I took with my cell phone:

I also visited some great yarn stores - I share a love of knitting with Tina!  Anyway - look at the colors! 

I did go running 6 miles this morning on Venice beach - the original Muscle Beach!  I need to bring my cell phone and take some pics for you guys.  Just 2 days ago, I ran down Wilshire avenue and passed the Playboy studio - that white one they featured on the show "The girls next door" all the time.  Think for a moment about looking at yourself in the reflection of the Playboy studios window and thinking about how you look in your running gear and no make up! Ha! Ha!  I wonder why they didn't stop me on the street as I ran by?! LOL....

This is a pic of the beach right outside of the hotel room we booked last night.  My sister's house is getting full as my other sister and her daughter flew out last night.  Today, my best friend is joining us so we decided to just split a hotel room for the rest of the week.

Anyway, I'll take some pics today and post them - I know I need to do a little more of that!

Wa Wa What? Has it really been 15 days since I've posted anything?

Oh my goodness!  What is wrong with me?  I'm still here, promise!

First,  SO VERY COOL to be the featured boob of the day!  Thank you Linda for taking the time to write something for me and to everyone else who left such kind comments!  How neat is that??!!

I've been working like crazy and been quite a bit stressed about it.  I've been feeling guilty about not balancing my home life - I feel like I've not been spending enough time with my kids and it makes me feel like I'm always borrowing from another part of my life to make up for the shortcomings in the other.  Its a viscous circle that I need to gain control over.  For example, I leave work early so that I spend some quality time with my kids - makes me feel a bit guilty about not working late/getting things done.   I'm stealing from work time in order to spend time with my kids.  Or another example is that I skip spending time with my kids so I can go running.   I need to do all of those things: run, spend quality time with my family/kids, and work hard at the new job.   I know its a balancing act - but I feel like I'm constantly stealing time from one important area of my life to feed the other.  And I just end up feeling guilty whatever I do.  Sheesh!  The answer is that I can't allow work to consume me.

My running has definitely been suffering as I only have been running on Saturdays in the prior 2 weeks.  Saturday before last, I ran 7 miles and walked 6 so I could see what the half marathon (13 mi) was going to really feel like.  I think it was a mistake as I was so sore for a few days after that!

Right now I'm in California - visiting my sister.  I've run everyday except today (scheduled rest day) and its been fantastic.  I feel so much better mentally and physically.  I can't tell you all how much running makes me feel better mentally.  It makes me feel more in control somehow.  Today I drove to Laguna Beach - and wow it was just amazing!  The water was so aqua blue and I just loved watching the surfers catching waves.  The weather here is just amazing.  The lack of humidity is heaven.  So unlike Virginia right now!

I have a fun surprise for you all tomorrow.....you're never going to guess where I'm going!  Can't wait to tell you all about it!

8 mile run! Woot! New record!!

With the assistance of a treadmill and climate controlled AC, I completed my Saturday 8 mile run!  Can you believe it?  I ran 8 miles without stopping??!!??  That also means I burned about 800 calories! Yippee!!
5 more weeks until my half marathon - still not sure if I'm going to be able to make it to run 13 miles without stopping - if I add a mile a week between now and then, I'll be able to do it.  But I can definitely feel the achy-ness in my feet and legs now.  I hope things don't start to fall apart for me physically now - I'm a little worried about that.  My pace is still 11min miles - so 8 miles takes me about an hour and a half to complete.
I'd previously signed up for a 10K (6.2 miles)  in October - that's going to feel easy compared to this 13.1 miler!  Heck, I'm running 10K's a few times a week now! (big smile!)

I've not posted in a week because I've been so busy at work.  I can't believe how much of your life our jobs suck away!  I had my boss and some vendors in town as we move toward purchasing some new software to take our business to create a self help website and also provide live chat.  I also went to a sublime and 311 concert on Wednesday that was SO FUN!  This week I'm going to go see Maroon 5 and Train - we have 5th row seats and I'm so excited b/c its going to be an awesome time!

I'm tracking my food on myplate.com consistently and am doing better managing my stress eating at work.  I really wanted to lose 10 pounds this month - and joined the boobs challenge to try to incent myself to do it.  Scale says 185 today, so I only lost 5 lbs.  Dang it.  I'd LOVE LOVE LOVE to break into the 170's and get to 179 by August 31st.   I just can't imagine what that would feel like.  What would I look like if I weighed 170?  That's 15 lbs from where I am now.  I bet it would make such a HUGE difference.  The 10 lbs from 195 to 185 were a major difference in my size!  Weighing more than that I didn't notice so much.

I'm way, way behind in my graduate classes and have to turn up the heat between now and August 31.  I have to complete 2 full classes in this time frame due to my procrastination. I'll figure it out and find a way to make it happen.  I also have to decide if I want to continue.  I'm just not that into it and the new company does not pay for school like my previous employer.  I have a decision to make this Fall.  Oh gosh, did I just say Fall?  Curses!  There will be no talk of that while I'm still living in my Summer Dreamland!

I'm shocked, I actually like what I see

I inadvertently looked in the bathroom mirror tonight after trying to clean the sink of dried toothpaste and other messes my kids left behind.  I caught a glimpse of myself and saw that my face it just a little thinner.  I looked at my chest and neck and jawline.  I saw my shoulders and upper body in such a way that I've not seen in a very, very long time.  I saw the potential me emerging out from behind the old me!  I can't tell you guys what has changed exactly, but I can see that if I can continue down this path of fat loss and muscle gain, I can really do something with my body and feel happy about what I see.  To like what I look like an perhaps not cringe each time I see the reflection of myself in the mirror or in pictures.  Have I turned a corner?  Am I jinxing myself?

I remember one time catching my reflection in the rear view mirror as I sat in the passenger seat of the Tahoe while my family and were driving somewhere....I remember the shock of seeing my face, so big and swollen and ugly.  I didn't recognize myself and was surprised thinking "Is that what I look like?  Is that what other people see?"  I was so embarrassed and ashamed of what I looked like.  Today was a day like that only - I saw myself and thought "I really AM losing weight"  "I don't look horrible"  "Maybe I can really do this"  What a wonderful feeling.  I had to stop what I was doing and come and type this.  I'm feeling exciting that if I can keep this going, I can really become the person I've always wanted to be physically.  I've gotta get things going, have to get the losses moving along.  I really, really want to accomplish this.  I want to feel proud of the way my body looks physically strong.    And that's WAY cool......

THIS is HARD!!

Set my alarm for 4:30am b/c the training schedule called for 5 miles today.  I'm exhausted mentally from the overwhelming load of new information and critical nature at my new job (8 days in) which I know is making me more physically tired.  I also have a looming Aug deadline for grad school work that I've fallen way behind in.  I'm saying all this to paint the picture as to why I didn't want to get up at 4:30a.m.  I am TIRED.  So I hit snooze a couple of times and lived in that half awake, have asleep state until I finally got my butt up around 5:20am.  I got dressed, went outside, and its so humid all my windows in my house are fogged up.  Seriously.  I realized I was never going to make it to the beach, spend the 60 mins I needed to run the 5 miles today and get back by 6:15am when my husband leaves for work.  UGH - the dilemma!

I ended up going back in the house and running on my treadmill.  I was feeling so un energetic that I only set my ipod for 30 mins b/c I really didn't think I could make it past that.  The first 20 mins just are hard, body feels heavy, my boobs are sore (pms?), blech.  After 20 mins, I'm feeling better, knees feel better, I feel smoothed out.  Running isn't hurting and my heart/lungs feel good.  So I keep going and get to my 5 miles in  60 mins.  NICE!  I was on my treadmill, in the AC, and I still SWEAT like crazy.  It actually made me feel accomplished.  I've noticed the more I run, the earlier in the run I'm sweating.  And I'm sweating more.   Wonder why that is?

Anyway - here I am - with my proud sweat.  No make up, making a silly face  (I'm just not that good at making serious faces), and my vitamin zero water, lemonade flavor.  Sweetened with stevia so there is no sugar/splenda either.  I'm hooked on this stuff.