1) You know, I appreciate people who are being supportive of me since I had weight loss surgery, I really do. However, it's hilarious to me (albeit understandable) that there is so little understanding about how the whole thing worked.
I had someone recently point to an outfit and say "Hey, you should wear something like that!" and it was shorts and a kind short top. Cute enough outfit, but not a thing I'd ever be brave enough to wear. I said as much and they were like "WHY?! You've lost weight, you should be able to wear anything you want now!"
Here's the thing. Yes, I lost 90 pounds, but I lost it fast. When that happens, your body doesn't...react the same way as it would if you lose it over a longer period of time. I had to tell them that I didn't magically start looking like a supermodel when I lost weight. That doesn't compute to a lot of people. Basically, I had to explain that, from mid torso down, it looks like I opened my eyes when the Ark of the Covenant was opened. Heehee!
2) Last week I went to Dismals Canyon! It's funny to me that I've heard about that place, heard that it is gorgeous and amazing and has freaking GLOW WORMS, and I've never made more of an attempt to go there. Anthony, who is a dedicated hiker and a member of the Land Trust in Huntsville, ended up reading about it and got proactive about getting tickets to the night hike. Apparently, it's like trying to win an old school radio contest to get those, but we got spots for the 8:45 tour.
We actually went up much earlier to hike the 1.5 mile trail in the canyon, and it was gorgeous. Even though there was a prepared trail down to the canyon floor, the walk down wasn't the easiest one to traverse after the wooden stairs stopped, just because of the rocks and stuff, but once you got down there it was fine. It was also one of the prettiest places I've ever seen in Alabama. Big walls of water worn sandstone tower above your head, and a stream runs through the whole thing. This link explains it better than I can, plus it has pictures! The trees and plants are gorgeous, and it was fun to wonder around down there looking at the cool rocks and stuff. I really like rocks!
Maybe the only thing that wasn't so fun was one spot where you have to cross the stream. There were stepping stones placed out there, but one of them had washed away, making it very difficult to reach the next one from the bank. We stood there trying to figure out what to do for a long time, and our individual choices speak volumes about our characters, I think. Anthony decided that he was going to roll up his pants and take off his shoes and socks to wade across. Steve watched him do that, and decided that he'd do the same. Me? I was too lazy to re-lace my hiking boots, so I just walked across without taking them off! One boot filled with water and made one whole foot wet and cold, which sucked, but I made my choice! Heehee. (Don't worry, when we left to get dinner before our night hike, I stopped by Wal-Mart and got another pair of socks!)
The visit at night was amazing. I really mean that. It was such a cool experience, and not something everyone gets a chance to do. It wasn't easy walking those stairs and trails in the dark, but being able to go through those stone walls with the tiny sparks of blue light all over them was like walking though banks of stars. I wish I could explain it better. The trail guide said that the Discovery Channel had been out to film the Dismalites (glow worm things) and it's supposed to air sometime this year, I think? I can't wait to see it!
I will say, though, that as cool as it was to see the Dismalites, I think I liked the hike during the day better. It was so beautiful, and I'm so glad I got to go and visit!
3) I gave blood! I was very scared to do it, but I was determined! Our company sponsored a blood drive, and I promised myself that I'd go through with it if at all possible. I knew you had to pass a preliminary screening, and because of the way I eat, I wasn't sure that I'd qualify, so I woke up at 1:30 AM and ate cheese, took my multi-vitamin, had a protein drink, and started drinking water like crazy. Then I fell asleep, and woke up two hours later and drank more water (I'm in a constant state of near dehydration, usually) and so by the time my 9:00 appointment rolled around, I was hydrated, full of iron and vitamins, and still very scared. They were so kind, though, and it put me at ease. The only iffy part was when he put the needle in my arm and had to dig around for a moment, but he found the vein! It took me 22 minutes to give a pint of blood, though, which I think is a long time. I also almost fainted a little later, but that was my fault for overexerting while getting something off of a shelf. Now some lucky soul will be walking around with my blood in their body at some point!
That last part actually kind of weirds me out, but I'm not sorry and I hope I'll be able to do it again!
4) We went to the National Cornbread Festival in South Pittsburg, TN! Since the pandemic closed it down in 2020 and 2021, it's been impossible to get into because of how popular it is. Last year we tried to go, but we couldn't even get to the parking area where we could be bussed in, but this year we found a really, really backwoods (that is not a euphemism, we really drove down a gravel road back in the woods and almost got eaten by a giant dog) way to get into the town! It was fun! We ate cornbread, shopped at the vendors booths, and I entered a frozen t-shirt contest! I didn't even know what it was, but I volunteered from the audience. Thankfully it didn't have anything to do with nipples like I assumed, and we literally had to unwrap a frozen t-shirt to see who could get it out of the container, unwind it, and put it on first! I didn't win, but I got a free t-shirt out of it! (Looking back, would I still have participated if nipples were involved? Maybe...)
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