marlynncreel

A trip to Vegas would be awesome! I've never been and my husband I have discussed going for a weekend, but we would be willing to go at any time. I'm game for the fall when the temperature comes back down below sweltering. Just keep us posted on the game plan.

Okay, this is for all you bandsters and future bandsters that's been searching high and low for the Magic Bullet. I've seen a few posts where people have found some at various locations for around $50. I just saw an infomercial on this gadget and this is what they're offering.... A 21 piece set for $99 and get another 21 piece set for free....what's included in the offer: High-Torque Power Base The Power Base is the heart of the Magic Bullet. Simply plug in the Magic Bullet, place one of the Bullet Cups or Party Mugs onto the High-Torque Power Base and press. No buttons to press, no complicated manuals to read. Nothing could be easier. Cross Blade and Flat Blade The Magic Bullet comes with two blades: a Cross Blade for chopping, grating and blending foods such as onions, cheeses, meats and frozen drinks, and a Flat Blade for whipping cream and grinding hard foods like coffee Beans and spices. Both blades are are made of stainless steel, so they are dishwasher safe and never need sharpening. Tall and Short Bullet Cups The unique bullet shape of these cups is the secret to the effectiveness of the Magic Bullet. The Short Cup is ideal for making dips and party foods like homemade fat-free fruit juice and the Magic Bullet becomes a personal smoothie machine, pulverizing the ice and giving you a perfect, nutritious smoothie or Meal Replacement fat loss drink in 8 seconds. Plus, each container is cheese, the other is for finely ground spices such as cinnamon or nutmeg, so you can grate cheese or spices and serve it right to the table. Stay-Fresh Re-sealable Lids No plastic wrap or storage containers are needed to keep your leftovers fresh. Your Magic Bullet comes with two Stay-Fresh, Re-sealable Lids that fit right on to the Short and Tall Cups, and Party Mugs to keep your leftovers fresh for days. Four Party Mugs with Comfort Lip Rings These self-blending Party Mugs turn your Magic Bullet into the Ultimate Party Machine. Now you can make recipes your whole family will love. From Breakfast recipes for pancakes, omelets and piping hot muffins to 6-second lunch recipes like salad and all the way to gourmet dinners such as homemade spaghetti meat sauce. There are even recipes for scrumptious Desserts such as creamy cheesecake and frozen fruit sorbet...as well as delicious party dips and fantastic frozen drinks! And best of all, they can all be prepared in 10 seconds or less! I just thought that some of you might be interested in, esp. if you knew of others who wanted one and could go in halves with you. I don't know what the package from the stores come with, but I thought this sounded like a decent offer. I ordered one for me and got the other for my mom, both of us are bandsters....oh yeah, the website for this is..... www.buythebullet.com/2for1

ok, i got my passport application from the dept of state website and had it filled out and went to the local postoffice (they did everything) and had mine expedited for only and extra $60. i got everything done and sent on May 6th and received my passport on May 29th. If your post office doesn't do the photos, you can have them done for around $8 at CVS or Walgreens Pharmacies. Good luck!

My ring is the real thing. I have a 1.38 carat pear-shaped solitaire with a round anniversary band on one side and a pointed anniversary band on the other side to accomodate the point of the pear...it looks like it sits in a guard but it doesn't. Even though my solitaire is an expensive piece, my bands were only $50 each (real diamonds). If you like the idea of the diamond for the quality but not the price, check out moissanite. It's as close to a diamond you can get without being made by nature. It even fools most jewelers!

Faithmd, I totally agree with you. People are too caught up in is the war right/wrong, has it gone on long enough, or should we really have ever gotten in the middle of this, when they should be supporting our troops with more fervor. The fact remains that they're over there fighting for a cause that they believe in (whether we do or not) and they still deserve our love, devotion, and support! These ARE our family members, treat them as such!

I'm jealous! I've never been on a cruise, but would love to go next year! I would be newly banded and probably still swelled like a bullfrog at the time of this cruise anyway. Have enough fun for those of us not going this year to live vicariously through you guys! Please post some of the wonderful things you get to do so that we can enjoy it too. Congratulations for everyone!

Well, the first post on this was made on 4/4/07 and when I went grocery shopping day before yesterday they were still selling it. I doubt they do take it off the market, it's no different than the other sweetners and they haven't taken them off the market yet. Rest assured if they do, they'll just remarket it under another name. It's all a money maker, and the "recall" information was probably put out by the competition. Don't start panicking yet....lol

I would definitely let the doctor know about her behavior, and that she is affiliated with a wt loss program in another hospital. Her opinion is clouded concerning WLS since this is the case. That cloudy judgement is definitely portrayed with the personal attacks on you in saying that you can just lose wt again with dieting.....the only reason she's there is to make sure you're not doing this to compensate for something else that's not going to improve with this type of surgery. Anyway, that's my soapbox. I'm glad you got through that without losing hope and patience. Don't let one quack end your journey. Good luck.

oh, god, it's so comforting to hear someone say that. that's what my friend said, but just hearing it from one person still makes me anxious (i'm joking borderline OCD).....but hearing it come from another person, also, makes me feel a little better. thank you so much for the reply!

okay, anyone out there having their surgery done out of the country and have to have a passport? well, i am, and i received my passport this morning. to my horror, i realized they have misspelled my name! i leave in 10 days and noone is available to answer my questions or concerns (it's a holiday) and i don't know what to do! my name is Marlynn and they spelled it Marilynn. my friend says that the name on her passport is not the same as on her driver's license and she just came back from Mexico....on her license is her full name and her passport has her first name, initial of her maiden name, and same last name. has anyone encounter this problem too. some suggestions would help me alot! thanks, marlynn creel

what is "p-bing"? i'm new to this and not sure of all the linguo. thanks marlynn

Janine, Thanks for the information. It will be very beneficial to me. Like I said, I was not given a pre-op diet to follow, but will go by this if it will help the cause. Thanks again, and good luck. Marlynn

Janine, Let me know what your doctor says about a pre-op diet. I'm also being banded June 7th, but was not given any information or orders for a pre-op diet, only "nothing by mouth after midnight". If doing something to shrink my liver before surgery would make things easier, then that's what I want to do. I would just like to know exactly what type of diet most MDs are recommending. Thanks. Marlynn Creel

michelle, what type of liquid diet did your dr. put you on? was it clear liquids or full liquids? i guess i'm asking if you're drinking things like cream of chicken soup or just juices and such.

The heart begins to beat and circulate blood at 28 days of pregnancy. How's that for "is it a living being"? Thanks for bringing that up.

Here's my thoughts on is the fetus considered a living being from conception or is it just a blob of tissue.....do you consider a virus a living thing? If you know anything about viruses then your answer should be yes (even though they have to have a host organism to feed from). Essentially, a virus is nothing more than a mass of replicating cells, so if a virus is a living thing (even without a heartbeat) why isn't an embryo (fetus) a living thing before its heart forms. So, I don't buy the "it's not a living thing because it's demise occurs before its heart is formed or beats"....

But that is the very basis that country was founded on when it was settled. Think of the difference the way life was then and how it is now. Don't you think sometimes we need to get back to the basics and fix some of the evil in this world? Not to be crusaders or anything, but we're going to hell in a handbasket fast! And, I believe it began when we started removing God from the government and in our decision making processes. Just because we can rationalize something doesn't make it right. I can rationalize why I stole $25,000 from you (if I had), but it still wouldn't make it right to you.

I personally don't believe that there are any true athiests in this world. the word atheist implies that you don't believe in anything, and there's not a person alive that can look at a sunrise or sunset or the miracle of birth itself and not believe in something. It may not be a belief in God, but they have to believe in something.

well, here's my stand....abortion in any form or fashion and for any reason is murder plain and simple. from the time of conception that fetus becomes a living entity, even if it does depend on its mother (don't we do that any way throughout life?) here's my reasoning, i know that women do it for health risks a pregnancy may pose to them or some malformations to the fetus, but God doesn't make mistakes and things happen for reasons that we may not know this side of Heaven. miracles happen everyday and things may turn out differently than what dr.s say they will, but you'd never know if you just took their word for it and aborted. i faced somewhat the same decision, to have a procedure done that would probably cause a "miscarriage" or continue the pregnancy and take care of my medical condition after delivery, i chose the latter. and everything worked out, but if i'd chosen to do the procedure and "miscarry", i would be missing out on the most beautiful, charismatic child i know. it takes faith and lots of courage to do what's right. yes, it's a choice i was given, but God gives us choices too....do what's right or sin against him. and in regards to the christians making decisions in the government, i think that's when this country started going to hell in a handbasket.....when we started taking God out of it.....no more prayer in schools, removed the 10 commandments from the federal building etc.

my doctor is Dr. Zapata

I filled out the application online and received a phone call the next morning (because I filled it out around 11pm). I scheduled my surgery during that phone call. Airfare is extra, you have to pay that on top of the $7500, but through their suggested travel agent, I got cheaper rates for me and my husband ($403 each). You do have to have a passport and they'll run you around $127 to the Dept. of State, $63 for Post Office (if you have them expedited), and about $8 for two passport photos from Walgreens Pharmacy. If you don't have it expedited, it'll take approx. 10 weeks to get your passport, expedited will take about 3 weeks. HOpe this helps

go to ready4achange.com and it lists the credentials of Dr. Zapata (that's who's doing my surgery on June 7th). He worked with Dr. Sanchez until Dr. Sanchez's untimely death (he did my mom's surgery in aug '06) and she loved him. They've done more lap bands than anyone and has proctored several american doctors in the procedure. it also shows pictures of the hospital and the hotel you're placed in. the whole procedure costs $7500 plus airfare. i think you will be pleased. let me know what you decide.

Thanks! I will be glad to keep you informed...the support from here has been wonderful!

Ensure does not = clear liquid.....to be considered clear liquid, you have to be able to see through it in a glass. coffee, broth, Jello, pedialyte, juice (except orange, grape, or punch) etc. Milk based liquids, Ensure, Boost, cream based Soups are all considered "Full Liquid" diets

what they're hoping is that you will view as too big a pain in the rear to pursue and just drop it or be too stupid to realize how to handle them, becoming too confused and agitated to finish the ordeal.