What Jen is Thankful for…

I don’t even know where to begin counting my blessings, they are so abundant. I am thankful for reasonably good health, this has been a challenging year but I think everything is finally figured out and under control. At least it seems that way for the time being. I’m looking forward to going back to work in December and thankful that I have a job to go back to.

I’m thankful not to be 495 lbs anymore!

I’m thankful for my family, both the blood relatives, and those, like Nik and the divas, from “other Mothers.” It’s especially nice to know that no matter how far away I am from my real family, I am always surrounded by great friends who create a very special “family” all our own.

with my niece Karlee last summer

With my great-nephews Tyson and Trayden, or as their Momma calls them “TNT” (pun intended!)

with my Daddy last summer.

I am definitely thankful for my besties: Tina, Kathy, and the two Liz’es, plus my “Momma Peg” who adopted me as her “white chile” (as she calls me) about 20 years ago when I needed it the most. You girls keep me going when no one else can, and I know I can always count on you no matter what. Love Love Love you all!

My “Momma Peg” and my BFF Tina

I’m thankful for my dogs, the two poodles Zeus and Mickey who actually are mine, and the two pitbulls Maya and Finn that have adopted me as their “person” too. There’s no love quite like that of a dog, and these 2 boys and 2 girls always know when I need love the most.

I’m thankful for our military men and women and their families who sacrifice every day in countless ways to protect our freedom and way of life. Freedom isn’t free, and that is a fact we should never take for granted.

God Bless America!

This may sound corny, but I am thankful to be financially independent and not have to rely on anyone else to support me or pay my bills. Like the song says, “I depend on me.” Even though it is kind of scary (and occasionally precarious), it makes me feel good to know that I can and I am handling my own “bidness.” It kinda sucks to be in the midst of divorce number two, but at least I am finding myself in all this mess and learning to put my needs ahead of the rest of the free world’s. Definitely uncharted territory, but I’m glad to be here to explore it.

I’m very thankful for all of my friends in the WLS community, those I consider my friends are entirely too numerous to list here, but there are a few I wanted to single out as they have been there from day one of my journey and always given of themselves to help me on my path.

A heartfelt thank you from the bottom of my heart goes out to the following amazing WLS’ers: Shari (Jupiter6 on OH) for her guidance, help, and occasional smacks with a clue-by-four as needed over the years. Tara (Tara K on OH) for her amazingly creative Crunchy Granola-ness and for always inspiring me to try harder. Pam (Pam T on OH) for her tireless Googling and amazing research, not to mention her kickass graphic design work. Tony (Tony H on OH) for getting me addicted to Raving Rabbids and being his usual funny and hawt self.

Beth (Melting Mama.net) for just being the kind of take-no-prisoners, sarcastic, bed-jumping, cupcake eating, totally bad ASS, and hilariously in-your-face realistic friend that we all need at least a few of. Andrea (Andrea U on OH) for the absolute awesomeness she continues to share on vitamins and deficiency, and for being the voice of reason and knowledge in a very crazy post-op world. I would be dead somewhere right now if not for her and Shari, that is a no-shizzer. And of course, this list would not be complete without Carrie (RIWeasel on OH) for her stabbiness, and for making me laugh every damn day. I love that crazy girl to pieces.

Those are the select few who have been along for the ride this whole time, the rest of you certainly know who you are (Jaime, Ruth, Dee, Deb, Mandy, Angie, Crystal, Kris, I could go on and on and on)! Please don’t be offended if you weren’t mentioned by name, there is simply not enough space here to name every single person on this journey along with me for whom I am thankful. Thank you each and every one for your friendship, help, and support over the years. I’d never make it through this thing without all of you.

Last, and absolutely not at all least, I am thankful for Nik and the divas. Nik is an amazing friend and business partner, the perfect yin to my yang. She inspires me all the time, and we’re like the perfectly matching opposite sides of the same coin. It’s funny, but I would not want to even begin to try this with anyone else but her. She’s the peanut butter to my jelly! Even though on occasion we work each other’s nerves, we love each other enough to say so and get over it. That kind of friendship and business relationship is a rare gift indeed.

Partners in crime! Nik and Jen Summer 2009

The divas are a law unto themselves, they always make me laugh when I need it the most, and I love them as much as if they were my “real” nieces. Some of the things they come out with, I swear, are just damned hilarious. I would snap them up and bring them home with me in a cocaine heartbeat, but their Momma might not be too cool with that. At least not permanently! (On second thought, they are about to hit teens here soon, she may just pack them up and ship them to me!)