And then some bad news.....

It seems that for every plus, there's a minus... for every up, there's a down. Well, for the second (or third, depending on how you count it) time this year, I am being laid off from a job. Yep, you heard it correctly, my friends. The word came down today.

How can that happen, you ask? It's because of the Merck/Schering-Plough merger. I don't know how many I explained this to, but here it is in a nutshell. I work for ClinForce as a contractor for SP doing clinical data indexing. Because of the merger, the whole SP ClinDoc unit is being let go. That includes some really fine folks I met up in New Jersey. There had been a lot of worry up there, and I suppose rightfully so. I was told that of the 2, SP has the more sophisticated clinical documentation department. Merck just farms theirs out. Because Merck is holding the upper hand here, they call the shots and we're all unemployed as of 12/31/09. That's a total of 15 folks here in NC and about 60 or so up in NJ. Of course, that's a small part of SP folks that will eventually be let go, no doubt.

I have some prospects, and I am tentatively developing a plan. I have to believe that God is in control here and He knows what He's doing. I just have to trust and be attentive to hear Him. The job at ClinForce was ideal because I am getting ready to do an internship in Spring semester that I am hopeful will lead to a permanent clinical position, ideally as a CRA. That's out the window now, but worst case scenario (or maybe best case) is I draw unemployment while I do the internship and then try my best to get a full-time clinical job. I hate to be this mysterious and secretive, but I honestly believe that sometimes there are forces that work against you if you reveal too much too soon.

All I ask is that you all pray for the best, especially in regards to the outcome of the pending sale of the house. Having that cushion will be a true blessing.

Tentative good news.....

Just a quick post. I have an offer on the house in Oxford - one that I can live with at least (and in this economy, that's a really good thing). Signed the contract on Monday. Scheduled to close on Nov. 30th. It sure would be a nice Christmas present. So cross your fingers, pray, do whatever it is you do.... I sure could use this turn of good fortune. It will allow me to be able to complete an internship in the Spring semester without having to sweat the lost wages so much. And I hope the internship will lead to a permanent clinical job. I sure plan it that way!

Just one more thing I'm thankful for......

Wanna See Something Shocking?!?

I can't believe how times flies between my posts, but such is my crazy life. And sometimes I hate to bore the rest of the world with what sometimes seems like minor changes. So I'd rather save it for the major stuff. And boy is it major these days!

To begin with, let me tell you a little story. Back in the Spring of 2007 I think it was, Gerald and I decided to go hiking one sunny afternoon. We decided to start at Highway 50 at Falls Lake and hike through the trails - it's part of the Mountains to the Sea Trail - over to Highway 98. So we left a car, had enough food and water, etc., etc. Mind you, this hike according to Gerald was to be about 2-3 miles. I thought, "No sweat. I got this." As it turns out, the hike was more like 8 MILES! But the thing that struck me the most was that I was about to die about 2 miles into this thing. Granted, at some point I realized that the 2 miles was buffoonery and we were going much farther than that, but at most I thought maybe 5. That aside though, I was pretty darn surprised at how hard that hike was on me. The trail was not rough really - no more so than others locally. There weren't steep inclines or declines. Just regular trail. You know. Once we got to the car, I could hardly keep going. But later, boy did I pay for that hike. I was in so much pain and I could hardly move the next day! I know I was morbidly obese, but I was in shape for a fat girl.

Fast forward to this past weekend. On Sunday, Gerald and I decided to hike Penny's Bend Nature Preserve out by our house. Can I say how COOL it is that we have trails so close to our house? If you've never hiked Penny's Bend, you should - this time of year it is so beautiful walking beside the Eno River among beautiful fall leaves. At times, truly breathtaking. Penny's Bend is owned and maintained by UNC. If you're interested, go here: Penny's Bend. It was a 2.25 mile hike round trip, and we threw in a little geocaching for good measure. And I hate to admit to the World Wide Web - probably because I'm the last to realize this - but I am a geek. I actually like geocaching though I have been adamant to Gerald that I wouldn't. Ok, so I'm a geek. A geek who according to some (I don't know the source) said, "I use a multi-billion dollar global satellite system to hunt for Tupperware in the woods." Most appropriate, but WAY more fun! We found 3 caches at Penny's Bend. Here I am with the swag from the cache that I actually found. (Gerald always beats me to them!)

And the other thing about this trip was that the hike was nothing! Let me say it again. No-thing. Didn't phase me at all. I didn't get winded, my feet didn't hurt, etc., etc., etc. I was amazed at how easy it was in the grand scheme of things. I did have a little soreness late that night when I went to bed, but by the morning I felt fine and was ready to go.

And then I saw the picture Gerald took of me and thought, "Wow, that doesn't suck." So now I'm afraid I may turn into a camera whore. I'm actually ok with that. So when we got home, I decided to try on some smaller jeans since one picture Gerald took of me hiking shows that the legs of my size 12 jeans looked baggy. Hard to fathom, but there it was in digital image technicolor. Who knew? Even though my hair looked atrocious and I had it pinned back from the hike, I still tried on those jeans. Can you say - Size 10, Babee!!!!! Holy crap! I couldn't believe it either! So here we have it - living proof. And just for comparison, I am including a composite picture of me from pre-op/25 days post-op. The comparison blows my mind. Seriously, I had shied away from having pictures of me taken during the last few months, and now I don't hate them anymore!

This is me pre-op and 25 days post-op. Already a world of difference. But no way did I dream of what was to come....

It is SO hard for me to believe that is the same woman in those before and after pictures. And look, I grew collarbones! I knew I had arrived when I could see those!

This new life STILL blows my mind. WLS saved my life. Specifically, Dr. Dennis Smith (I love that man!) and the Duodenal Switch saved my life - And it gave me a better one!

Oh yeah, and I'm only 4 pounds from my doctor's goal weight for me. Tomorrow will be my 9 month post-op anniversary. I can't think of a better way to have spent the last 9 months of my life. And I'm not done losing. I know Size 8s are in my future, but if I never lost another pound, I'd be so thankful I had the duodenal switch. My journey has been relatively easy compared to some, and it sure as hell beats the prison of obesity I lived in for more years that I care to count.

Sure puts a whole new meaning on Thanksgiving for me this year. Tell me, what are YOU thankful for?