Morning!

I'm off to the spa this morning for a massage and facial! My reward for surviving the term.

Then, off to the bike shop -- I had a "braking incident" yesterday and bent things what shouldn't be!

Morning ladies,

Thanks for the new thread this morning Heather. I was running late. I was running late because it was raining and I did not want to get out of bed. And then I made myself do 25 minutes of exercise this morning. The scale movement is slowing down and I know its because I am doing less exercise and more physical work the past few weeks. The good news is that I can do more physical work and not feel like I got hit by a mack truck. However, the physical work isn't making the scale move. So back to basics for me for a tune-up. That means charting my calories in Fitday for a couple of weeks.

I had a NSV yesterday. Last fall I bought two pairs of men's jean shorts at the farm store and then found them to be too small. Couldn't even come close to zipping them up. I pulled them out yesterday and was able to zip them and wear them. I love wearing the men's work shorts because they have little places where I can carry screwdrivers, pliars, hoof picks, etc. and not stab myself in the butt when I sit down.

The day hasn't started off the best. Raining again. I didn't want to get up. Some of the dogs didn't want to go outside in the rain to potty. Then the trips to the dog kennel was very wet. On my last trip out, I dropped Ruby's leash and in the effort to try to step on the leash before she figured out she was free, I slid with one foot and ended up on my back in a puddle of water. At least I was still wearing my pajamas. Then as I got out of my car at work, I had my car keys in my hand. I had to lean into the car to get stuff on the other side and next thing I know, I have no car keys. Not in my purse, not on top of the car, not in my bag, not in my lunch bag...geez! I bet I stood out there five minutes trying to find my keys. I'm still not sure how they got under a box that was in the back seat.

Heather - The massage and facial sounds fabulous. I've never had either. Enjoy as you have worked so hard this past school year. When I first got back into bike riding years ago, I learned not to nail the front break with one hand while the other hand was holding the water bottle. I ended up on the pavement with my arms in my lap thinking both were broken. Hope you didn't do something similar!

I need to get focused here at work. Or else its going to be a long day. Its the perfect kind of day for being at home laying on the couch reading a book.

to all!

Hey all. Just a quick drop-in. I am at work, with my wheelchair and my walker. I feel like such a wimp. An old, lame, wimp. I have a whole new respect for the physically handicapped now. But I'm here. They can't say I'm not dedicated!

Terri -- Our dogs both hate going out in the rain. Luckily, our yard is fenced, so we have few incidents like that.

Yay on the shorts! Isn't that awesome when something that DIDN'T fit now does? I have a pair of capri pants like that. I hope to be able to wear them before summer is over. I can get them up my hips but there is no way on earth I can come close to buttoning them. I should place them prominently in the closet for motivation.

My braking incident was actually really silly. I hadn't biked in ages, and mistakenly pressed the front brake only. This caused the bike to start to flip up behind me. I managed to stay standing, but the bike flopped down. It looks like I bent the rear wheel and bend the handlebars a bit. Nothing serious.

Dear creaky Lilion -- You sure you need to be that dedicated???

Oh, and the spa was lovely!!!

Heather - That is exactly what my bike did except I went flying over the handlebars and hit the pavement with both arms first. My first instinct was to look around and see who saw me; then my next thought was holy ****, what am I going to do now that I've broken both arms? Luckily, one elbow had a bone chipped was all. That and a dirt smudge on my face that my brother didn't bother to tell me about until after we were home from the ER. Ahhh, the good ole' days of bike riding. I miss it!

Terri- - Wow, that's some accident! You were lucky! Heck, I am lucky nothing happened to me.

Though, I did have a bike accident a number of years back that involved me becoming unconscious and my one and only trip to the ER in an ambulance. Luckily I was just bruised that time!

Good morning ladies, I know I have been MIA for a few days. I came and tried to get in while the site was down.

I have been up to my eyes in veggies. LOL! I am just plain tired this morning. I have been putting what I can in the freezer. Our garden is in need of rain. We haven't had any lately and it is so hot! I think it is cooking the vegetables in the garden now.

Yes Elmay, you can freeze green beans, but I don't like them frozen or canned. I am not too crazy about them fresh.

Lilion, girl, are you trying to kill yourself? I hope you get better fast. I know from having to use the walker and wheelchair at times, no fun!

Terri, Yay on wearing the jeans!

Heather, Massage sounds wonderful. Sigh!

Val, where are you? You and I can't seem to keep posting huh?

Anne, J-Ann and all lurkers...HI!

I have only a few days before more company comes, but I will try to get in here and post like I should until then. Ruth

Ruth -- I swear we've had nothing BUT rain the last couple of weeks! Enjoy the veggies. you'll appreciate them this fall and winter!

After yoga, hubby and I walked downtown, split some appetizers, looked in bookstores and walked home. It was a great evening! I enjoy working less in summer!

Today will be a short day at work.

Hi again all ...

It's kind of weird having our posts disappear -- it covers the period since I've been back on 3FC as more than a lurker ...

This weekend was pretty brutal with 2 full days (Fri + Sat) of MBA classes that worked my brain over. However, Sunday was one of those beautiful days we occasionally get here in the Pacific Northwest -- mid 60s and totally clear skies. I went out and played with Andre (who's now 5 years old and cute as a button -- he starts kindergarten in the fall). I got to try my new bike which has clip-in pedals. I was warned that these were tricky, so I practiced first in my garage hanging on to a railing. Then, Andre and I went up to his new school's parking lot which was totally empty and gave it a spin (he wanted to ride his bike too). The first time I tried stopping, I was off balance and just keeled over. Neither I nor the bike suffered too much damage. I felt good that after that, I didn't fall. My pals at work ride (a lot! - they do this week-long ride where you ride 50-100 miles/day) and I didn't want to fall over in front of them . This weekend, I'm going backpacking again -- last time I went was 2 years ago when I was much lighter. But, you know, I'm working out and eating right and if I go a little slower so be it. Plus, I have my secret stash of ibuprofin with me .

On the way to work at 6:30am (so I could lift weights with a pal from work), I realized that what I'm doing is how I need to live -- I'm not "on a diet" or "doing an exercise program". I'm living. And, you know, it's actually pretty good . I have a lot more energy, I'm eating better and tastier meals (mostly cause I cook them myself rather than fast food or frozen), and I'm doing stuff.

Hope all is well with everyone!

WHOA...... ELMAY! This is really deep and what we are all working towards. It's wonderful to see it put into words. Congratulations on you success in learning a whole new lifestyle.

HEATHER: What a lovely evening you and hubby enjoyed.

RUTH: The only ways I enjoy green beans is sauteed or grilled. Any other way makes them taste "yucky" to me.


LILION: Be careful and take care of that ankle.

I'm still OP - 10 days in a row. That's a record for me over the past year or so. Yesterday I really wanted to stop for a on the way home from work but I kept driving and by the time I got home the craving was gone!!!

A couple of bad storms blew thru here around noon. We lucked out and they went a mile or two north and a mile or two south of my office. More are due w/i the hour though. Time to hunker down, get thru the storm and prepare to ENJOY cooler weather.

Elmay - With the clip in pedals, don't forget to unclip a foot before you get to a stop sign and be sure your balance is to the side of the foot you've unclipped. Yep, more biking tips I learned the hard way. Now I really miss biking.

I loved your insight.

Judy - on 10 days OP! Good job! We finally have blue skies again after the Sunday/Monday storms. Gads, enough with the rain already!

Ruth - Hopefully soon I will be figuring out how to freeze green beans and peas without having to "can". Canning is something my mother used to do but I have no clue how to go about it.

Elmay -- That IS a great insight. I revel every day I get to live my life on my terms.

Today, for example, I walked to work and back. 2 miles each way, and it was no big deal. I don't usually have the time or the lack of things to carry. It was gorgeous weather and I felt glorious!! I wish we had more beautiful days I could enjoy.

Morning ladies,

I tried something that I haven't tried in a long time. Tae Bo. I'm not too sure that is the thing to do at 5:45 am. But at least it got a sweat going. I didn't make it through the whole thing but I did enough to get the body moving this morning.

I've had two very good OP days with food. I'm back to tracking in Calorie King. The scale was being kind at 249.8 this morning. Now to get it down to 248 for my last Bigglest Loser challenge at the fitness center this coming Monday.

Better get going. I could just sit here all morning and vege but that has to wait three more days.

to all!

Good morning all. I have already worked up a sweat this morning and I haven't been exercising to do it! I started cleaning windows this morning, besides vacuuming and cleaning the largest bathroom. We are also cleaning carpets. DH helps with that one. Got a long way to go. I wanted to get it all done before my next comapny comes. MAYBE that will happen.

Yeah, besides freezing veggies, I made up a big batch of zucchini bread and muffins, they are so good....not diet food...... I froze most of it to keep myself from eating more than the one muffin. Dh is taking care of the rest.

Terri, freezing veggies is not as bad as canning. But, you can buy a canner and it has a booklet that tells you how to do the job. Mostly canning calls for blanching and cooling the vegetables draining and packing into freezer bags. Much easier.

J-Ann, I would probably like the green beans sauted with butter and garlic.ummm, that is kind of fattening huh?

Lilion, I hope you are on the mend.

Heather, send some of that rain to Ga. OK?

Elmay, Good thinking! We do need to eat to live better.

As bad as I hate the idea, I need to move on to another window. UGH! Take care ladies. Ruth