DragonflyRae

Good for you! You are doing everything so well! I can't wait for my surgery at the end of this month. I want to look and feel as beautiful as you and have your energy. Zumba is what I'm after!

You look incredible! And what a killer smile to go with your new, killer figure! Congrats!

Wowza! You look fantastic! 10 yrs younger! Great job! You are truly an inspiration.

Awwz, thank you so much!!

My weight loss journey began the day I waked out of the initial seminar. That was on Sept. 27th, 2012. I met with my surgeon on Oct 12th and then had my first Nutritionist appt on Oct 15th. I then had my first Psych evaluation on Oct 29th followed by my final Psych eval on Nov 5th. Later in the day on Nov 5th, I had my EKG, Chest X-Ray, Bloodwork, and Gallbladder Ultrasound done. On Nov 19th, I had my final Nutritionist appt. I have a Cardiologist appt scheduled for this Monday and then later that same afternoon, I meet with the Nurse Practitioner. The only things I have left to do are my 3 workshops and they are scheduled for Dec 3rd, Dec 10th and Dec 17th. I find out my surgery date on the 10th and I'm super excited!! My 30th birthday is on Dec 27th and I'm thinking that mysurgery will take place on or around that day. Happy 30th to me!! This whole process has flown by insanely fast! I have lost 15 pounds since Oct 15th and couldn't be more proud of myself and ready to be reborn! Thank you all for posting all that you do and sharing your journies with me (as I follow them all the time)... You all help inspire and motivate me. I thank each and every one of you and may you all succeed and do so great!! Cheers to us!!

What a fabulous idea! My name is Raven, but my friends and fam call me Rae. I'm married to the most wonderful man in the world (the reason behind that would be another story for another day, but boy... it's a tear jerker!) We have 4 beautiful little girls and have been together for 9 years. My big 30th birthday is coming up on Dec 27th and I'm thinking that is the ballpark time that my surgery will be scheduled for. So, Happy Birthday to me!! I wasn't dealt any easy cards in life and have struggled with a whole lot since I was a child. I have a heart condition known as Long QT Syndrome. I also suffer severe daily pain and fatigue due to my Fibromyalgia and Rheumatoid Arthritis, to boot. I have Chronic Migraines and no meds have ever been able to stop them. But the hardest challenge of all? Schizophrenia. I was diagnosed when I was 25. I wasn't born with it. I showed onset signs which grew worse and worse as time progressed. I didn't know what was happening to me. I was so frightened and felt all alone (yet not alone at all.) After a couple of trips to the psychiatric hospitals where I was evaluated and tested like a lab rat with different anti-psychotic meds, I am finally able to live a fairly normal life as I remain on my meds and see a therapist weekly and a psychiatrist monthly. Enough with the sob story, because I certainly don't want you to get the wrong idea. I'm happy. I really am. I have a very supportive family and bunch of friends. I'm passionate about life. I put my heart and soul in all that I do. Speaking of what I do, I'm a photographer. I find that it's a great artistic outlet for me. I love setting a mood, or capturing one. I LOVE LOVE LOVE creating masterpiece compositions. When I'm not busying myself with my camera, you will find me at a local karaoke bar singing my butt off - oh, how I love to sing! I also write (mostly poetry) as a hobby. I absolutely adore animals. I have a Black Lab named Osiris, two Tabby cats (one orange named Quinton and one "tuxedo" named Sidney) and one big ol' fat all black cat named Dante. I'm quite geeky when it comes to techy stuff like PC's and video gaming. I'm a huge gamer. I'm mostly into RPGs. My favorite games currently are Skyrim and Call of Duty. I would like to get Lollipop Chainsaw and Dragon's Dogma real soon. Well, I think I've rambled on long enough. I look forward to hearing more from you all and getting to know each and every one of you better!! Cheers to new friends!