Unpacking and Repacking

Hola everyone.  I have been a terrible blogger and am trying to make amends.  Here is a little update of what I have been up to:

Two weeks ago The American and I, along with our husbands, saw Z.a.c.h. B.r.a.f.f. in All-New-People.  I LOVE ZB from his days on TV and was thrilled to get to see him live.  If anyone is passing through London in the next few weeks, see this show! 

Earlier that Friday Kenny called to see if I wanted to golf at his club over the weekend.  I immediately said yes and then froze.  After doing a quick mental inventory of my closet- 3 jeans, 3 dresses, 12 cashmere sweaters, and gym clothes, I realized I had a problem.  I had neither the mandatory collared shirt nor the khaki pants, and this caused immediate anxiety.  The sizing in the UK, like the rest of Europe, does not cater to heavier members of society.  The GAP only goes up to a US 14, whereas the US stores carry up to 18 or 20.  Scary stuff.  I told Kenny that I would go shopping, and off I went.  I had trouble finding much in a 14 and asked one of the managers to help me.  We found a few pieces to try on, and they were all--  --  -- BIG.  Actually, the cropped/skinny cut size 14 was tight in my freakishly muscular calves, but other than that I swam in the 14s.  I had grabbed one pair of khakis in a 12; they fit like a glove.  I suppose vanity sizing is catching on.  Nora is no size 12.   

We did golf on Sunday, and I looked the part until I tried to hit the ball.  I don't have pictures of me on the course, but here is Kenny's club:

The following day I flew to New Jersey for the week.  Between seeing my mom and dad, catching up with friends and handling some personal matters, I felt like the Tasmanian Devil spinning from one event to the next.


Before going home, I ordered an obscene amount of clothing.  I never know what size I am and wind up ordering EVERYTHING in at least 2 sizes.  My mom's living room looked like a UPS shipping facility.  Here is the damage after I had tried on and sorted everything!

 This picture does not adequately capture the number of boxes

piled up, but it was the best I could do!

I  kept a few dresses (depending on your definition of a few), some jeans and two bathing suits.  I also bough new gym clothes because everything was getting baggy on me.  The jeans were all size 12- the dresses 14.  All hail vanity sizing!

I met a friend of mine for lunch on Saturday, and I just had to share the view with everyone in blogland...

Now I am back in London and am doing a quick unpack, along with some laundry and dry cleaning, before flying to the Maldives via Dubai on Thursday evening.  I am very much looking forward to some fun in the sun but will try to get a bit more blogging in before my departure!  

 

When Did Packing Become So Difficult?

I have always considered myself to be a pretty good packer.  I pack quickly and neatly and just about never forget anything.  The morning after Kenny and I were married, mom hosted a brunch for 70+ wedding guests.  I spent the morning with our guests and then hustled to pack before the arrival of our limo at 3 pm.  The limo came early, and I made the driver wait until 3 (when I was done).  We were away for about 2 weeks, and I didn't forget a thing.  This is just how I handle packing.  Kenny and mom now have a running joke about my packing, and they don't even try to push me to pack in advance. 

    

I'm sad to say that I finally have packing fatigue, and this fatigue is making me forgetful.  I love the travel, but the packing is becoming an annoying inconvenience.  I think it is because I am in a perpetual state of packing and unpacking- I am rarely in London for more than 2 weeks at a time and am just about always in the states for a week a month.  This is on top of my European travel.  I am to the point where I don't always bother to fully unpack (yes, I take the dirties out and change up the shoes) before piling in a few more items and running to meet my driver.  My system had always worked until last month, and then it failed miserably. 

  

Kenny and I had been at the shore and were taking the ferry into the city when I realized that I had forgotten undies.  Three nights in the city and no undies.  Kenny had also left his ties at my mom's house, so I made an emergency trip to Bloomingdale's.  This little shopping trip was an unexpected bonus, as my old undies look a bit like very baggy parachutes wrapped around my body.  Still, I didn't like that I had forgotten something so essential.  I pride myself in my packing skills after all. 

      

Fast forward to our weekend in the Cotswolds.  We are unpacking on Friday evening.  I pull out my dress, shoes and wrap for Friday night.  I pull out my shoes and wrap for Saturday night.  What is missing?  The dress!  I remembered the items I really could have managed without, the shoes and wrap, and completely blanked on the dress.  Two trips in two weeks, and I forgot two major things.  Now we are a week away from our Mallorca trip.  We are staying here for 10 nights, and I really don't want to continue this trend of forgetting my belongings.  I am going to have to pack in advance for this trip.  Even worse, I might actually make a checklist!  Groan:( 

     

I hope that my packing amnesia is temporary.  My travel routine will become much more tiresome if I actually need to focus on it!

   

I had a great workout this morning!  The trainer I wrote about earlier this week, Ed, was there again.  He had offered to help me out when he introduced himself on Tuesday, so I decided to take him up on his offer today.  I was in the middle of a 5 minute warm up on the treadmill when we started chatting.  I asked if he could show me a few more kettle bell exercises, and he was very helpful.  He stayed with me from 9:10-9:55, which is pretty amazing!  Of course Ed wants me to do personal training with him, so he wanted to show me what he is like.  And it was a smart move on his part!  I've been watching the trainers most days to determine if I could like any of them, and some of them just wouldn't work for me.  Some stand next to the trainee as he/she runs on the treadmill for 20 minutes.  Sorry boys, but I can do that myself.  Others have the unfortunate condition of being female.  I've never liked female trainers and just refuse to even bother trying with another woman.  Lastly, some are just plain dumb.  I like to be able to chat and banter, and I need someone who at least has enough braincells to deal with me.  This guy is a 22 year old university grad, studying for his masters and going through the process of applying to the army.  Ed could work!  I am going to buy a package of training sessions so he can work with me once a week.  After my training today I completed an hour of cardio on the Vario, so it was a good start to the day. 

I Love NJ

NJ is at the wrong end of many jokes, and I (kind of) get it.  Between the Sopranos and Jersey Shore, the state has had some pretty bad advertising.  Still, I love my home state.

   

Today was a great day.  Mom and I went to the beach, and this was our view...

     

   

Then we went to dinner, and we started with...

   

   

Followed by...

    

   

Which looked like this by the time I was done...

    

   

All while sitting on the water here...

   

  

Yeah, I love NJ... poke fun all you want. 

   

I am happy to report that I was able to eat the clams on the half shell and the lobster.  I had to chew the lobster tail nearly to death (I think I counted about 50 chews for some bites), but it was well worth the effort. 

    

In other news, I saw Dr. K yesterday.  I have lost 9 lbs this month, so no need for a fill:) 

The Beach Gods Hate Me

So I planned two beach days with girlfriends while in NJ, but the weather gods have had other plans.  Tuesday was overcast but tolerable.  Today was terrible- it rained, it poured, there was thunder, it was just bad.  I brought two gigantic checked bags with me from London on Monday, and I must have inadvertently packed some of the city's charming weather.  Not happy.  I hope for a beach weekend with mom but am not expecting much at this point. 

    

I have an appointment with Dr. K in the am.  I have lost this month, so I doubt she will fill me up.  That is fine though- no need for being too tight.  My scale hates me- this morning I am 4 lbs heavier than yesterday morning.  I don't know if I could have possibly consumed enough sodium to hold 4 lbs of water, but I am pretty sure that this is just water weight (other than maybe .5 lbs).  Boo!

Little Band, Lots of Miles

One of my main concerns when weighing the pros and cons of surgery came down to travel.  The obvious pros are more easily fitting into airplane seats, having more energy to see and climb the sights I visit and not being the fat American everywhere I go.  I was really concerned about the cons though.  Would I be able to fly easily, or would the band tighten up and make me really uncomfortable?  What if I couldn't sample local cuisine due to the band?  My husband and I love good food and wine, and I didn't want to risk losing one of our more enjoyable activities because of the band. 
       

Lucky for me, this has not been an issue.  My band has flown approximately 49,478 miles in under six months.  In addition to my monthly trip back to NY/NJ to see my family and go to Dr. K, my band (I should really name it) has been to Dublin, Orlando, Las Vegas, Sevilla (Spain), Venice, Chianti, Florence, and Positano.  My band is very well-behaved and has not acted up during any of my travels.
        

We spent NYE in Dublin, so I pretty much re-introduced my stomach to solid foods over a fabulous NYE dinner at One Pico.  I probably had one other solid meal the day before, but it wasn't memorable.  I was completely scared that I would get stuck, choke or cause a scene, but nothing of the sort happened.  I ordered the filet mignon and was able to eat some of it... I was full after only a few bites but was SO excited that I could handle steak.  This might have been a bit adventurous right out of the gate, but it was a success!  We spent two more days in Dublin, and I stuck with fish for the remainder of the trip. 
        

I have been able to eat everything from steak to sushi, octopus to oranges.  The key for me is really small bites and a lot of chewing.  Because Dr. K knows of my travel schedule, she tries to fill me as little as possible while still giving me adequate restriction.  I have heard that a lot of bandsters like a super tight feeling, but that's not me.  I want to eat my Greek salads and lamb chops.  So far, I have continued to do so (albeit in smaller quantities) without a problem.