My 11^th year “surgiversary” is almost here.  I had my Lap Band Surgery on May 28^th 2004.  I never even dreamed of losing more than half of my 424 pound body weight at that time, let alone be able to enjoy the active life I am living today, at 66.

I just spent a week on the Island of Oahu, was active every single day, slept well every night, and had a fabulous vacation.  I made breakfast every morning we were there, and cooked dinner every night except our last night when we had a fabulous dinner out.  That was not my original intention, the situation simply called for it after going fishing our second day there, and coming back with mahi-mahi and yellowfin tuna to spare. 

This is pretty much how the week went:

Arrived Thursday late afternoon and dealt with some horrendous Honolulu traffic as we headed away from the city to the North Shore where we were staying.  Stopped at Costco for eggs, cheese and ahi poke, honey smoked salmon, salad greens, local tomatoes, Maui salsa, and the obligatory bottles of wine.  Got to the condo, unpacked, made some dinner and relaxed the rest of the evening.

Friday morning negotiated a rate with the gym at the Turtle Bay Resort so both hubby and I had use of the facilities.  In the interim we got a call from one of the local boat owners that they had 2 other folks interested in fishing so would we still like to share a charter for the day…WooHoo…going deep sea fishing Saturday!  We checked out the gym, got our workouts in, and walked around the amazing property.  Also planned a meet up on Sunday with a Facebook buddy.  She was taking me paddleboarding…  Lots of excitement, everything falling nicely into place.

Saturday morning at the pier at 6:30AM and headed out for 8 hours of deep sea fishing with my protein drink to start my day.  I had packed hard boiled eggs, almonds, and jerky along with 4 liters of water so our on board “kitchen” was well stocked.  The other two folks were fun to chat with, as was the captain and mate on the boat.  We watched humpback whales breech and blow, dolphins swim, and, oh yes had an amazing catch.  I caught 2 mahi-mahi and 1 yellowfin tuna.  Hubby caught 2 mahi-mahi and 2 yellowfin tuna so it was a great day!  Whales, dolphin, sunshine, fish, what could be better?  Fresh fish for dinner that we caught ourselves….that’s what!

Sunday morning met Michelle and Keith at 9 for my paddleboarding experience.  Hubby didn’t want to try.  It is amazing!  I did not manage to stand up on the board but I did my two excursions out and back without killing me or anyone else.  It is so relaxing.  Since I live at the beach I am researching getting a few lessons here so that I can actually stand up and paddle..  Even sitting it is a great workout - entire body.  Your legs and core are used to keep you stable, your arms, shoulders and back to paddle.  Another first accomplished for me and another “Never In My Wildest Dreams Moment.”

Monday was a drizzly start to the day that turned into a lovely afternoon, after my morning massage at the spa, lunch at the beach and then a walk back to the beach at sunset…. overlooking the water…..  a stop at a local establishment for a glass of wine and a walk back to the condo in the dark…. funny thing about large condo complexes… they all look alike…. but we found our way back.

Tuesday, thanks to Michelle and Keith, picking up tickets for us at 7 AM we got to tour the USS Arizona Memorial, the Bowfin submarine, and the entire Walk of Remembrance at Pearl Harbor.  I couldn’t stop the tears from flowing while standing over the remains of the Arizona and the more than 1000 men who lost their lives that day, and never knew what hit them.  Thousands died at Pearl Harbor, and the entire memorial is an amazing site to see and experience.  We walked, and we walked, and we walked, all day…no pedometer so I can’t tell you the number of steps.

Wednesday was day at the beach for swimming and snorkeling and just hanging out.  We got so lazy we didn’t even bring our snorkeling gear.  The area we swam was protected from the surf and I was able to get in lots of body work swimming against the natural current in the water and just enjoying the beautiful Pacific Ocean.  This was our last full day on the island and we celebrated by going out to dinner and enjoying sitting and relaxing, listening to the surf, and eating some of the best filet I’ve had in a long time.  Then it was time to take our to-go boxes back to the condo.

I just highlighted the week, I was moving and active each and every day and more than grateful for all of the experiences.  This was one of the most relaxing vacations I have ever had because the activity was all a joy for me, rather than a struggle and the food choices were easy since I had eggs, salad greens and fresh fish.  Every single person we met had a big smile on their face, and was more than willing to chat.  The scenery was fabulous; I was with the love of my life.  We are strong, we are healthy, we moved on purpose, with purpose every day.

I wonder what it would have been like if I actually had lived to 66 years old at 424 pounds… I’m sure it would have been quite different.

I am grateful to the second chance at life that having Lap Band Surgery has offered me.