Diet Coaches/Buddies, good morning. I am considering changing our Thanksgiving plans to not stay at my parents' house and shell out the money for a hotel. (That means we have to kennel the dogs or find a place that will take them too.) I am really in the mood to stay home and sleep for the holiday. Ugh. Food selections have been pretty good over the last few days, but I still need to work on paying attention when I am eating.
BillBlueEyes, thanks for the advice on dealing with a food pusher. Family can be hard! Good job on getting back in the gym.
GardenerJoy, really interesting observation about the procrastination and eating. I want to give that some observation in my own life to see if that holds true for me as well.
RobinW, glad to hear you are on track. Keep it up.
Shepherdess- big credit for exercising while at the conference. It is so easy at something like that to just not do it so kudos to you. Bet you were the only vegetarian in the place! Good for you for getting back on track as soon as you were home.
zanjabil - credit for the walking and stopping when you had enough.
RobinW- sounds like you had a lovely walk around the Falls. Thanks for sharing your pictures.
Nuxmaga- another Becker out walking on Sunday. I think we all had the same idea that day. Sounds like it was beautiful weather everywhere. Credit for one pancake only.
Garenerjoy- good for you for planning to treat yourself to something you love. It worked out for me planning for the one small piece of birthday cake and then stopping.
BillBlueEyes- credit the little stuff- I like that. It is helping me stay focused and it is so good to be giving myself credit for all the small choices, instead of dwelling on the big picture too much. Christmas candy---bah humbug. LOL.
bennyhannahmama- hello. Credit +++ for all you have done to get back on track. It sounds like you have had a very difficult time--treating yourself well can only help.
KidsLibrarylady- Making a list of alternatives to eating sounds like a great idea. For me too, eating and relaxing have always gone hand in hand and it is hard to learn to relax without food. Let me know what you come up with.
FutureFitChick-isn't it so true that time pressure can interfere with planning. One thing that has been working for me is that I have been trying on Sundays to spend some time cooking up a few things for the freezer and chopping veggies for the week. That makes it easier to bring a lunch and eat something reasonable at dinner. Have been freezing 1 cup portions of cooked brown rice so that I can come home and throw a chicken breast on the George Foreman and have veggies and rice all ready to go. Also trying to look at pasta with frozen homemade tomato sauce as my fast food so that if I have nothing planned, I have this instead of restaurant stuff.
For me, this is proving a harder week than the last 3. I have resisted plenty but did break down and eat nuts last night that were definitely not OP. Why? Mostly because I had to bring about 4 hours of paperwork home, I was tired and I was super annoyed about doing the work and just fell into an old habit-- munch through things I don't want to do. I guess I will give myself some credit for realizing what I was doing and why and credit for stopping pretty quickly.
Back on track today, ate OP, went for a walk, left work at a reasonable hour, and am going to bed early tonight.
Hope you all have a good day tomorrow. Don't forget to stop for a moment and pay respect to those who have lost their lives overseas.
I'm only a couple of hundred words shy of my word count for NaNoWriMo. I could probably whip that out now, but I think it's more motivating to be just a little low -- too low and I panic, but a little low and I get to writing. Which reminds me...I just backed it up.
WI: -0.55kg, Exercise: +0, 404/1300 minutes for November, Food: op, Read my Advantages and Responses: no
BillBlueEyes: Thanks for the farewell shot to HFCS candy -- I'll consider that mine as well.
FutureFitChick: Taking good care of yourself on Thanksgiving sounds like an excellent plan.
CeeJay: I'm so glad the planned birthday cake worked for you! Yay for analyzing the whys and wherefores of your night time nut munching and for "for stopping pretty quickly."
Diet Coaches/Buddies - Tonight I have a potluck dinner, so I declare here that I will have one plate of healthy foods and one dessert. I'll report back.
Found myself last night thinking about having a second piece of fruit for my evening snack after enjoying a tasty half grapefruit. Don't know why that's coming up; the plan is one piece and that satisfies me. This urge to have more seem to be a replay of old stuff by the neurons. Gotta bang heads against that camel putting its nose under my tent. Wonder how many calories I can burn by mixing metaphors, LOL.
Eating and walking OP; CREDIT moi.
FutureFitChick - Good luck with the family dynamics of staying at a hotel instead of your parents' house. I know that feeling of just wanting to sleep.
Joy (gardenerjoy) - Yay for mushing forth with your NaNoWriMo novel. And Kudos for backing it up (perhaps that's tending your environment, LOL).
CeeJay - Ouch for "munch through things I don't want to do." I so remember doing that. But yep, Kudos for recognizing it and stopping. Perhaps the scheduled breaks with a five minute walk could serve the purpose.
Readers -
Quote:
day 6 Find a Diet Coach
How to Find a Diet Coach If you're not sure whom to select, consider the following: . . . Join an organized group. Look into weight loss support groups offered by nonprofit community groups, hospitals, and commercial organizations. Ask to sit in on a meeting before making a commitment. You don't want a group where people just talk about their problems and express their negative emotions in a nonconstructive way. You want a group where people describe their successes, help others with their diet-related difficulties, and share useful weight loss strategies.
If you join a group, you won't feel alone since you'll be sharing experiences with other who are also struggling. Viewing their slips and mistakes in an objective, problem-solving way can help you take a more useful view of your own difficulties. You might also get a good feeling from helping others - and from being helped by them. You might meet someone who will agree to be your diet coach - and vice versa! . . .
I survived yesterday I had my final mediation for my divorce and we signed our agreement. It was a rough 5 hours, but I made it!
Better yet, I did not have a cigarette nor did I use food to get me through !
Last night I felt such an emptiness that I wanted to fill with food and/or have a cigarette (I quit on Monday)... I just wanted to numb the feelings. I realized that and thought to myself that if I could just actually feel the feelings then I can move past them... it was nice to have such clarity about that.
Yesterday:
- weighed in
- ran a mile
- stretched after run and did some ab exercises
- tracked all my food online
- did not put any food in my mouth unconsciously nor without accounting for it
- gave myself credit
Today:
- weighed in
- ran a mile
- stretched and did ab exercises
- checked in here
KidsLibraryLady:
Thanks for the reminder about finding other ways to indulge ourselves. I also seem to find that food is the fastest, easiest form of indulgence. But I'm trying to remember that it's not really an indulgence if I feel like sh*t afterward!
Kudos to you for all your work despite the challenges of being a mother to two little ones!
Thanks also for your words of encouragement and yes, if I use the Sensewear it is an incredible tool
Shoot, just realized that I need to be at therapy in 10 minutes... I hope to respond more later!
Diet Coaches/Buddies, thank goodness that I am feeling better today than yesterday. I ended up skipping work yesterday because I was so down. It was really terrible. I tracked my food from yesterday and today this morning, read my advantage cards, and thought more about exercise this morning. I had originally committed to calisthenics at home for a while, but I am not getting it done. So, I am going to investigate what group exercise classes are in the area that I can still sign up for at this point in the year and consider if my intimidation about being in a gym will be greater than the lack of motivation to exercise on my own. I am going to spend some time today/tonight getting a meal plan in place for the week and sharing it with my husband so that he can help me if he is willing/able. In the meantime, I am trying to convince myself it is not a good idea to run away to Hawaii today...
BennyHannahMama, so amazed at your success in the face of adversity! Congratulations. You are an inspiration and it was a delight to see all of your well-deserved dancing broccoli.
BillBlueEyes, hope the potluck went well. I am sure you did great. Thanks for the support about my Thanksgiving dilemma.
CeeJay, thanks for the suggestions. I am going to think about how I might be able to incorporate some preparation ahead of time into my weekend plans on a routine basis.
GardenerJoy, glad to hear the writing is going well and to see that your food is on plan. That is terrific.
DH had knee surgery yesterday. I was pretty nervous, not because I was afraid something would go wrong. I know how low those risks are. I was just nervous about the thought of someone I loved being cut on and also nervous about the difficult recovery. I went for a walk while he was in surgery. I just couldn’t sit and worry in the waiting room. I had my food all ready to go yesterday, so I didn’t have to think about it and it was easy to stick to my plan. I did have dinner while watching a movie. DH has to stick to the couch, so if I wanted to have dinner with him, I had to eat in the living room. It was a good reminder how easy it is to overeat while watching TV. I had measured all of my portions before sitting down, but wanted more after I was done eating. I was able to resist, but it’s good to remember why eating at the table is worth it.
DH is doing well, but I’m afraid today is going to be difficult. Yesterday it was easy for him to stay on the couch since he was still drowsy from the anesthesia. But he’s alert today and still needs to keep the leg elevated. He’s not a guy that can sit on a couch all day. I’ve been thinking about breaking something so that he’ll have something productive to do today.
Bennyhannamama, I liked your line “It's like I've said goodbye to the unhealthy me and hello (again) to the healthy me.” Huge kudos for quitting smoking, watching your eating and beginning to exercise at the same time. I am no life coach, but it does sound like a good strategy to do everything at the same time. It sounds like you’re re-inventing yourself. Sounds like you did really well during a hugely stressful time. Congrats on feeling your feelings rather than numbing them. I agree that it is so much more difficult, but much more productive.
KidsLibrarylady, good idea on making non-food indulgences. A lot of us reward ourselves with food, but I think that’s a good strategy to break that habit. LOL at eating with your kids climbing on you. Kudos to you for sticking with Beck with such a busy life.
I am getting ready to run a 5k in a few weeks. I just like running, but I like training because it gives me the motivation to run harder. My local running club has races all throughout the year and I enter as many of them as I can.
FutureFitChick, good for you for staying firm with the doughnuts. For most food pushers, I think the issue is something other than food. It sounds like your mother uses food as a way of showing her affection and her self-worth may even be wrapped up in her cooking. Some food pushers are even resentful of other’s healthy eating because it reminds them of their own bad habits. It’s hard eat well when you’re busy. When you have time, it might help to make a list of some safe takeout items that are good choices or some meals that take almost no prep (maybe some frozen meals). I find that a few safe fall-backs helps me when life gets crazy. Good for you for giving yourself a much needed break and good luck finding an exercise program.
RobinW, LOL about the cookie diet. I believe the strategy of that diet is to replace two meals with a very large, healthyish cookie (sold to you, of course, by the cookie diet). It’s kind of like slim fast in cookie form, although I’ve heard critique that it leaves the daily calorie count way to low.
Gardenerjoy, congrats on sticking to your writing goals. I’m inspired to work on my own projects that I’m neglecting. I liked your insights about using food as mini-vacations. It’s interesting that mindless eating masks so many other mindless behaviors.
BillBE, kudos on getting back to the gym. I think the downside of getting fit is that when you miss a workout, you notice it more. So kudos on getting back to the gym after a (very short) break, and kudos for being so fit! LOL on the Christmas candy. After Christmas, they’ll put out V day candy, then Easter candy. No rest for the wicked, as my FIL likes to say. Good luck on the potluck dinner.
CeeJay, good for you for giving yourself credit for recognizing a mistake and quitting quickly. It’s much more productive than feeling hopeless. Sorry about all the extra work. Kudos for getting back to eating on plan so quickly.
Hi all! Today was another day at the zoo. We only live about 45 mins away and have a seasons pass so I like to go as much as possible-- usually once a week or so, if possible. I put the baby in the backpack and the toddler in a stroller she can get in and out of and off we go!! It's so nice just to get to spend time with them with no interruptions and nothing else to do but enjoy their presence. Thankfully they are both lovely while we are there.... hmmmm... maybe that is actually why I like it so much. It did make eating while sitting a challenge but I was more successful than not. I actually didn't move on to the next day b/c I knew that one was going to be tricky, plus I am avoiding day 5. I may have to sell my children in order to be successful at eating slowly and mindfully.
Some thoughts on non-food indulgences-- a hot bath (just got the whirlpool tub fixed yesterday! Woohoo!) flipping through a magazine, hot tea, flannel jammies and a good novel, time on Facebook (love it,) foot soak... more to come. Got my cards made for these and will put them in the mommy drawer that no one is allowed to touch.
Futurefitchick-- I am so sorry you struggle with going to sleep. That would make me miserable. Also sorry about your drama-over-food-mama. That would also make me miserable. We always prefer a hotel. I need a mental break, anyway. I don't have a lot of advice other than to ask if you own a crock pot. I don't enjoy cooking but have to do it out of necessity. Today I put in some frozen chicken along with a couple of cups of chicken broth, set it to low for 8 hours, once done, I took it out and shredded it and mixed it up with BBQ sauce and then baked it in the oven for 30 mins at 350. Voila, dinner is served. Took less than 10 minutes of me actually having to do any work and had minimal clean-up. Exactly how I like it. You can do that recipe for pork, too. I don't eat pork but the house smells delicious while it is cooking so I am assuming it is yummy. Hope that helps. I love my crock pot. (check out allrecipes.com if you haven't already.) Off to Hawaii with you...
Gardenjoy-- Right there with you on the procrastinating by eating. I absolutely do that. Then I feel like an idiot b/c I just wasted precious time and still haven't accomplished anything but 500 calories on my thighs that I didn't need. Great observation!
BBE-- Glad you got to the gym. I always liked going to the gym b/c its purpose was singular. Once I was there, that was it. There are advantages and disadvantages to having my kids relatively close together (23 mos apart.) On occasion, I do get some down time when they nap. About every three weeks or so. I savor it. Yes, my 2-year-old is quite a good eater. Tonight she had edamame and liked it. I have been super-conscious, perhaps to a fault, over her eating-- trying to make sure she doesn't fall into the same trap my husband and I have. The result is a 2-year-old who loves broccoli, cauliflower, green beans.... now if I could just get my 9-month-old to eat solid food.
Ceejay-- CREDIT for stopping yourself in the midst of an old habit. That is no simple task. I think I eat sometimes to keep myself awake when I have a bunch of paperwork to wade through. I am sure water would do the same thing for me.
Gardenjoy-- I had to google NaNoWriMo!! So excited for you to write. I am a children's librarian and love the idea of knowing people who can write books. Hope it's finishing well!
Bennyhannamama-- 'But I'm trying to remember that it's not really an indulgence if I feel like sh*t afterward!' Still..... laughing... out loud.... Good job today-- sounds like you are gettin' your groove thing back!
Shepherdess-- Glad all went well and kudos to you for eating OP. There is nothing worse than someone you love being in pain and you having to wait around. Your resolve is quite impressive!
Have a great evening! I am off to the treadmill with hopes the baby will sleep long enough for me to finish my time.
The curly hair specialist was fun -- we actually went ahead and colored my hair today. Not too different but a shade warmer. She cuts straight hair, too, and she would probably make it curly if someone insisted, but they are very big there on letting your hair do what it's meant to do so she would probably argue against it.
I have double challenges tomorrow. Lunch during an advisory board meeting and a dinner party for donors at the botanical garden. I'm following BillBlueEyes example and reminding myself that these events will both feature institutional food. It may be high end institutional food, but it still will not be as good as a fine restaurant or even as what I cook at home. I can enjoy the novelty of eating food that isn't prepared by me without overeating it. My specific strategy will be to focus on vegetables and eating half or less portions of meat and dessert.
WI: +0.65kg, Exercise: +30, 434/1300 minutes for November, Food: op, Read my Advantages and Responses: no
bennyhannahmama: Big hugs and congratulations for achieving the big step of signing a divorce agreement. That is a huge accomplishment, taking a variety of skills and perseverance.
Hello to everyone! Off to get my clothes ready for both events tomorrow. Unfortunately, I can't wear gardening clothes to a dinner party even if it's at a garden!
FutureFitChick:
I have this terrible habit of only posting when things are going relatively well. As soon as things start to get difficult I stop posting. You've got the right idea- reaching out for help and sharing your struggles.
Oh and it's nice to "meet" you too
gardenerjoy: Thanks for the and right back at ya! Good for you for your new realization.
BillBlueEyes: As always it's a comfort to see you here and hear about your successes. I am starting the book at page 1 again (can't say I've ever even come close to getting all the way through it) and will definitely pay careful attention to the chapter on errors in thinking. Nope, didn't buy a house, just moved from one rental house to another.
I know I've missed some of you, but I need to go read my Beck book before it gets too late and I get too sleepy. Hope everyone had a great day!
Coaches/Buddies, today went so much better than yesterday. I was productive and my thinking cleared up some, so that is a relief. I took it easy tonight and watched a movie. Now I am doing some meal planning. I walked a lot on campus today and met my activity target (using a GoWearFit), and ate lunch very slowly, enjoying every bite. I really savored the flavors of the soup I was enjoying. I read my advantage card and added GardenerJoy's
Quote:
It may be high end institutional food, but it still will not be as good as a fine restaurant or even as what I cook at home. I can enjoy the novelty of eating food that isn't prepared by me without overeating it.
as a response card. Tonight we had pizza, which was only mediocre. I ate a salad beforehand, but then didn't do the best job on focusing on my pizza to stop when I should have (in retrospect).
I am going to work on my food plan for the next few days, and identify some easy back ups. Thanks for all of the support everyone. I really appreciate it.
BennyHannahMama, thanks for your support! CREDIT to you for your dedication to getting back into the Beck book.
GardenerJoy, I really loved your suggestion about how you are going to approach your meals out. (I love the Missouri Botanical Garden!!!! i smile just thinking about it.) Have a great time. I know you'll do great.
KidsLibraryLady, you sound like a fabulous mom, taking your kids to the zoo. Sounds like that really works for you three. That's great. You'll take day 5 in stride and do great! I have been doing more with the crock-pot lately. My husband is a lactose-intollerant vegetarian, so that cuts down on some of the utility of it. But it sure is wonderful to come home and have dinner ready for me!
RobinW, glad to hear your eating is going well. CREDIT to you for the commitment to posting in the morning.
Shepherdess, glad to hear your husband is doing OK. I hope he can find it in himself to take it easy to properly heal! Great job on planning your food for surgery day. Also, CREDIT for noticing the impact of eating in a different environment. I really appreciate your suggestions of finding "safe" backup foods when having to eat out. I started making my list as soon as I read that. Thanks!
Diet Coaches/Buddies - Aced the potluck last night by the amazing trick of . . . <drum roll> . . . planning ahead. Duh! CREDIT moi. As I was eating my one plate I felt this desire to rush so I could get a refill, then, remembering my plan, slowed down and savored a rather nice assortment of vegetarian foods (this group just sort of drifted to only bringing vegetarian dishes since a few folks are vegetarian and the omnivores are flexible). Wish I could get it into my head that when I plan, events go well. When I get this ego thing that I don't have to plan, all the old thinking roars into place. Methinks it isn't about being lazy, it's just ego.
Still don't know what I'm packing for my lunch today since I wasn't around over the weekend and didn't plan anything for the week. Yesterday I had the codfish cake that I took home from the restaurant on Saturday - now wish that I'd originally only eaten one and brought two home so I'd have one for today. One was plenty and I knew that while I was eating, but the MASSIVE portions of everything helped me to continue.
At gym, CREDIT moi, I found myself staring at my body in the mirror, wearing my new t-shirt that fits, liking what I saw, but still kinda amazed that I don't see the fat guy. Then decided that my gym shorts were mom jeans, LOL. Geeze ... I've never thought about my gym shorts - EVER. But here I was having a positive thought about my appearance and my neurons got pretty desperate to produce a negative thought.
Robin (RobinW) - Yay for three days of lunches from the doggie bag from one meal. Kudos for choosing well at a Chinese Restaurant - there are so many unhealthy options there.
Kim (bennyhannamama) - Congrats on completing your divorce agreement - five hours sounds tough. Big Kudos for not using food to handle the tensions. Yay for starting the Beck book from page 1 again. There's a bunch of people near the beginning right now so you're in good company.
FutureFitChick - Yay for feeling better and Kudos for the continued search to find an exercise program that fits. LOL at the thought of just running away to Hawaii - Ouch, of course, that you actually missed that trip for this year. Kudos for "savoring" your soup; I just love that Beck has me really enjoying my food instead of just wolfing it down.
Joy (gardenerjoy) - Kudos for having a plan for your double challenges today. Like your discussion about institutional food. Glad that your curly hair specialist worked out. My original question was merely tongue-in-cheek wondering if she'd grow me back a bit more hair to curl, LOL.
KidsLibraryLady - Neat that you have season's passes to the zoo. I love that zoos are so unpredictable - the animals do what they want to be doing.
Shepherdess - Ouch for a disabled DH who wants to be active. Hope his knee heals rapidly. Kudos for recognizing the desire for more food while watching TV - that's so seductive.
Readers -
Quote:
day 6 Find a Diet Coach
How to Find a Diet Coach If you're not sure whom to select, consider the following: . . . Find a diet professional. Consider working one on one with a mental-health or health-care professional who has had experience and success with helping people lose weight and keep it off. You don't want to pick someone who focuses only on the supposed root cause of your weight problems ("It's your mother's fault"). You want someone who helps you identify and conquer your unhelpful thinking, gives practical advice, is highly encouraging and motivating, and is willing to help you implement this program. . . .
Coaches/Buddies Grumble, grumble, humph, humph, humph. That about sums it up. Anne is grouchy, tired, and saturated.
KidsLibrarylady Your post from a couple days ago, which I am sad to say I just got to (Anne hangs head in shame), reminded me of Beck Day 8, which is Create Time and Energy. When I worked through that, I really found I had no more time to create, with a job and a baby and a toddler and and and. But I had this epiphany. It isn't just about time, it is also about energy. To quote our author:
Quote:
It all takes fortitude and mental energy, especially if and when sabotaging thoughts get in the way.
So I took this to heart and made a list of things that boost me instead of dragged me down, and tried to do that instead. I have strayed over the last year, since happy and optimistic and perky doesn't come naturally to me. I have to work at positive.
So, I'm going to do two things. I'm going to go read that list. And then I'm going to write down what I just ate for breakfast. This is a 7-year habit I can't seem to get myself to do lately. It isn't that big a deal, and I don't really understand why I can't just do it. So I'm going to just do it. For today, at least, and I'll let tomorrow worry about tomorrow.
gardnerjoy I can totally relate to the procrastinating thing. I do that all the time.
Kim Welcome back! Glad you survived your rough patch and are with us again. (Anne says "us" as if I am still a regular. Working on that.)
Maryblu Can't wait until May for the next book in the series. ONLY 3 more years to finish it out. Ouch!
Hello to everyone! Thanks as always for being here.
So I'm going to read and write now.
And as I reread this, I must apologize for the 3rd person speak. Clearly I've been spending too much time on Facebook again.
First, dear Beckies, please let me get *this OFF* MY *CHEST:
wndranne, my* dear* Beckie*friend--ahem.. I did NOT know, when I got SUCKED into this Micheal Scott series that is was more* than *3 *freakin'* books! There I was, RACING through The Sorceress(having bought it in HARD copy) thinking that was it- the end.......only to be left HANGING again! Who does he think he IS, anyway????...lol. *sigh..at least DS isn't into this one, so I only have to buy one copy of the book at a time. But, I unsuspectingly hooked DS on it..$%@#^@%@^..lol..keep those recommendations coming; we are kindred spirits. I hafta say, though, J.K. could end a book..with an outcome, and not leave you so hangin'..yanno?
As for writing it all down, it is sometimes for me, the ONLY way to get back on track. It is just one of those rote behaviors...if I am really off track, then that is one way to immediately stop the madness. Once you write it down, before, or after, it is there in black and white, and it stops the madness cold. Credit, you!
It has been an incredible run of balmy weather..55 degrees with no wind, the lake like glass..my blood is already so thick I am in shorts. lol..yes, Beachy, shorts!
Yesterday it hit me. I was sitting in the hairdresser's chair having a consultation w/o a cape on..now..ya gotta know, I don't GO to a hair dresser..I just cut off the ends myself..or go to Cost Cutters twice a year..but this was special..and there I sat..full mirror...sat. in jeans...sat...looked at myself as the hair dresser was pulling up locks of hair and "consulting". Long neck, no double chin, no midriff bulge..no bubbled up tops of the legs..looked lean, thin...nothing but thin..*sigh. I am a thin person. Wow. 140 didn't feel/look like this. 132 does. Pretty cool...everyone has been saying it..but this was the first time I *saw it.
Today, I bought new jeans..a size 6 "skinny fit"..and a size 7 long, low rise..it was so cool to bring those sizes into the booth and never for a minute think they wouldn't fit.
I still think the wisdom Beck imparts is the road to success. Even though she doesn't say it: One day at a time..she implies it..get right back on track..pick up and go on, and don't get caught up in the madness of projecting way, way out..projecting, I will lose this amount by this time by doing ...pick your category of over -the -top- effort... It is easy for me to say, now that I am *there, but many of the Beckie old timers will remember it wasn't that long ago I was struggling. I just have to say, what got me back on track..was going back to what had worked in the first place..well, and then a serious case of sad ..too sad to eat...but, what ended up working was going back to what had worked for me..eating less...eating exactly what I wanted to eat, just less...and stopping way before feeling full..and liking that feeling..and I still like that feeling..not feeling full..I feel more alive slightly hungry after 3 hours ..and never feeling stuffed.
carry on, all..oh, P.S. wndranne, didja ever see such a piece of work as Russell?? Not since Johnny Fair Play, or Richard Hatch himself. Sorry, all...Survivor commiserations.
Wednesday
I had my final mediation for my divorce and we signed our agreement. It was a rough 5 hours, but I made it! 
We always prefer a hotel. I need a mental break, anyway. 
and right back at ya! Good for you for your new realization.
