The opportunity to talk about my name has come up a lot in the past few weeks and I realized that even though I have written about it and shared about it in other places, I have not shared about it here and it feels like time. I was born Angela Dawn Andruss. I loved…
Introduction to My Bariatric Surgery Journey
I started the bariatric surgery journey in November of 2022. This was not a path I ventured lightly. It was not a direction I headed without thought, prayer, and research. The truth is, I’d been researching bariatric surgery on and off for over 10 years, but there was always one more diet to try, one…
Nevertheless – Word for 2023 and a Perspective Shift: What if Life is Like Powerlifting?
For the past few weeks, my oxygen has been below 90% several times a day. There is a possibility that I will be back on oxygen, at least while I sleep until I can have a sleep study done to ensure my oxygen is not dropping overnight. The Long COVID has been a significant setback….
We Need Each Other, Thoughts About Self-Soothing, Isolation, and Holding Space
I have a lot to say about this photo. Thought #1 Riley was scared because of the loud upstairs neighbor. She stood in the middle of the living room and I could see her considering her options. Fear short circuits the brain, it often doesn’t matter that we have a lot of options in a…
Isolation and Re-Engagement During the Pandemic
Not knowing if I was going to live or die for over 20 consecutive days fundamentally changed me in ways that are hard to express. Even now, almost a year later, I find myself surprised at how deeply the entire experience impacted me, my perception of life, my values, and my connection to others.
Just Because He Loves Me
God has saved my life – over and over again over the years; and last November, as most of you know, He did it again between 8 and 10 times depending on the nurse who talked to me. While I was in the hospital, He and I talked about a lot of things and He…
The Audacity of Youth
I’m a side-sleeper, sometimes back but not stomach. Nothing about sleeping on my stomach is comfortable for me. So, when nurses told me that I should try spending more time on my stomach than on my side or back, I said the “obvious” – “I can’t get comfortable on my stomach.” I was not outright…
Shame, Embarrassment, and Panic
This is my site so I’m not going to pull any punches. Some of the stories I’m going to share in this series on “The Stories We Tell,” won’t be pretty. Many of them will probably hurt more in the writing than in the reading. Some will be funny later but aren’t funny today. Still,…