3 year update

[Guest guest]

Has it really been that long!! Well, yess it has. I had my DS with Dr. K.

on May 1, 2003. Since then I've lost close to 180 pounds but have

" rebounded " about 15 to 20 pounds and may have a " small " incisional hernia

again. Last time I saw Dr. K. he said if it wasn't bothering me, we could

wait a bit to fix it.

I haven't had my 3 year checkup yet, been way to busy with work and other

commitments to schedule the trip to Delano, though I want to get it done

some time this month. The problem is getting the insurrances coordinated.

That's what happens when someone is forced to switch companies because of a

" buyout, " or in my case a sell-off of a federal government service to a

private contractor. My primary insurance is now Kaiser-Permanente, and we

all know what Kaiser's opinion of the DS is. ;-(( However, I was able to

retain my previous insurance as a back-up to Kaiser foir the specific

purpose of making sure I could use Dr. K. for follow-ups and any other wls

related surgeries I might need.

So.. Where am I at now? Depending on which scale I use, I'm down anywhere

from 130 to 145 pounds since my surgery and closer to 160 to 180 from my

officially recorded highest weight.

I have my flight physical back and am flying again. and I host

exchange students, three girls previously and now two boys. One of the

young men actually has dual citizenship since he was born in Baltimore

while his parents attended medical school there. We talked things over

with his family and have agreed to be his guardians while he finishes

school here in the U.S. so he can go on to college and possible follow in

their footsteps. (Dad's a dentist, mom a pharmicist.) So he'll be with us

for another two years.

Our other young man goes home to Germany in June, and, like all our

previous students, we are going to miss him. But we have an " interesting "

summer coming up. That's " interesting " as in the Chinese proverb " May you

live in interesting times. " If I recall, that is actually used as a way to

insult people. LOL

Our interesting times start with (our German student) and two of the

girls I placed with host families graduating from high school on June 2.

Within the next 10 days, three other girls I placed will also be graduating

from different schools and " Uncle Jerry " is invited to all of them. The

next week, heads home for the summer, followed by 's departure

for Germany. Shortly after that, and I follow since our fist

student, , will be officially graduating from her high school in

Germany. We promised her we'd be there if she asked us and she did. Of

course, , our second " daughter, " and her family would like us to stop

by for a visit with them. And so do about four other students and their

families I've placed over the past two years.

Then there's Elise and her family from the Czech Republic. We're going to

try get to meet them, since Elise will be our " daughter " for the coming

school year. (Straight A student who plays violin, flute, guitar,

keyboard, and piano besides being a vocalist. How could we pass her up!)

:-))

We're also supposed to try and visit a young lady who lives in Belgium and

two in Denmark. All of this in a two week period!! We're not sure if this

will be a vacation or a challenge!! LOL

The day after we get home, arrives for a two week stay with us. The

day after that, we get to meet a young lady whom we've agreed to host for a

four week stay while she attends an intensive English language course

locally. We don't know anything about her except that she's from Belgium.

So leaves sometime in mid-July and my mother, brother, his wife, and

daughter arrive a week later for a week-long visit. (Is anyone counting

yet? In case you havent, that's five adults and two teenaged girls in a

four bedroom house. We moved in to a bigger house and are starting to

think it's still too small, that we should have bought the motel down the

street that was for sale.) :-)))

Well, guess what. Elise arrives during the last few days the family from

Wisconsin is here and there's a possibility that Steve and Eadie (son and

daughter-in-law) will be here that same weekend. Try counting again,

that's now seven adults and three teenagers. Now you know why is

talking about having someone put up a sign in the front yard that says

" Lamb's Hotel California. " LOL

Oh, yes, then there's the mandatory " host family orientation " we have to

attend supposedly before Elise arrives. I'm guessing that will actually

happen the Sunday after she arrives, so I suspect she will get to go to it

with us, along with the rest of our guests. That ought to make the local

coordinators for the exhcange group real happy.

Things slow down that next week as first the family from WI and Steve and

Eadie leave, then the young lady from Belgium. That gets us down to a

" comfortable " two adults and one teenager until comes back a few

days before school starts. But, before that happens, we have a trip

planned to Las Vegas to show Elise around.

Did I forget to mention, we're in Europe right in the middle of the World

Cup soccer games frenzy, so it will be a real treat trying to find a room

every night. And, once we get home, both and I will be back working

40 hours a week besides being the friendly " inn-keepers. " (Sorry,

Marta.. Don't think I can make your pool party again this year. Wonder

why!!)

Finally, when we bought our new home, we " inherited " another cat from the

previous owners. Of course, they forgot to tell us they never had her

" fixed " and her little ones are due, so we are also going to have a bunch

of little kittens running around during all this craziness.

OK.. Enough of this loafing at the computer. We still have to finish

unpacking from the move. We need to have that done this weekend since the

high school " Senior Ball " is next weekend and 's parents arrive the

weekend after that for a couple weeks.

Hope you all had a good chuckle over this. As I read it, I'm not sure

whether to cry or laugh. Heaven knows how I could have even attempted

something like this three years ago, before the DS.

Jerry Lamb

Sacramento