WOW, She's a jumper!!

I had a rough time toward the end of last week. The problem that I was experiencing with my gag reflex and dry heaves continued to get worse and it was zapping me and also getting me down.

I saw Dr. Boyce on Friday. Everyone was very excited about my weight loss. He cautioned me that I would not continue to loose AS fast - it was so fast in the beginning because my BMI was so high. My BMI is down 10 points. He and Kelly (exercise physiologist) both estimated that my weight loss would average 12-14 lbs a month for the next 6 months. That would be approximately 72 lbs and that added to my 51 - that would be 120+ lbs in 7 months. If I can manage that - I will be VERY HAPPY!!!

Anyway - he put me on anti-anxiety meds for a month to see if that will help me get over this gagging thing. He thinks that I developed a food aversion... he thinks I probably had a tendency for that to happen anyway and then what happened to me with the abscess and leak - the pain, etc... that just cinched it. If the anti-anxiety meds don't make progress in two weeks, he wants me to see a therapist.

OK... I've seen therapists to help me deal with Katie better, to help me through grief and loss... but this would be different. "Yes, doctor, I open the refrigerator and I start gagging...". Not sure how that's going to help.

My jackets that wouldn't close - zip or button before - now have room to hid a cat. I have four pairs of jeans that I should no longer be wearing. I went to the grocery store yesterday after going to the farm... it took me almost 2 hours and I had a very organized list. It just takes sooooo long to read and analyze the labels!!! I have to ensure the SUGARS first, then the carbs and then the fat. Sugars will make me sick... so sick, I would wish I was dead. That is what I have heard.... so SUGARS - BAD!!!!

I had my first orange juice this morning. It was diluted 1/3 and it was oj that was already 1/2 the sugar and 1/2 the calories. But let me tell you - I felt like I was transported to a tropical paradise where I was getting a luxury like none other!! It was so yummy!!! I had to go very slow with it though... because it still had like 5gs of sugar and I wanted to be sure it wasn't going to make me sick.

ANYWAY, speaking of the farm a few paragraphs back... BELLE! She is awesome! Already settling in... flirting with all the stallions and geldings. She's beautiful and she teases them because she knows they already love her.

She had shoes that were like WAY too small and Mary and Amy finally got them off of her. Randy, the ferrier, didn't come this week due to the weather but Belle had been laying down a lot so Mary wanted those shoes off her.

After I got her groomed and they got the shoes off - we took her down to the arena and ran her through her gaits. Boy, does she put on a show! Well, Bree (Mary's Australian Shepard) was running her and Belle kept slightly bucking at her. Finally, Bree got on her nerves so bad - she went to kick her and down she went. It was like it happened in slow motion... her feet just all came out from under her. She just rolled over and got right up - acted like a cat... "that DID NOT just happen". She went over to the corner and starred out the pasture as if that was erasing what just happened.

Well then, she was really going at it - beautiful canter and then BAM - over the fence she went! Mary stood there for a second in disbelief and screamed "wow, she's a jumper!!!"

I had to run/walk down to the bottom of the road/driveway to close the gate. Mary and Amy corralled her back into her paddock.

Mary being a champion hunter jumper - immediately found a great big spot for Belle in her heart! :)

I spent some time with Sunny too - which she was very glad of. She gets mare maintenance grain now and she LOVES it!!!

Don and I are bundling up in the morning and going down. Can't wait... I love time when he and I are down there together.

Oh yeah... go COLTS! I sure hope Peyton doesn't choke... he's such a great guy! I'm really gonna be rooting for ya'!

More later...
LA :)