Happy New Year!

We want to invite everyone to join us in our journey.
We share laughter and tears.
We share what works for us and what doesn't.
We recently started a Topic of the Day.
Monday........Motivation Monday
Tuesday.......Tuesday Tips
Wednesday.....Wednesday Weigh ins
Thursday......Thankful Thursday
Friday........Friday Facials, Fingernails and Fun
Saturday.......Sit-up Saturdays - any physical activity
Sunday.........Soup and Salad Sunday - recipes

These are not required topics ...just ideas to share. We have found them very helpful. We also share heartaches and fears...joys and celebrations.

WELCOME!

Tina: GREAT pics! Thanks so much for sharing your vacation with us, but especially the Boyd's Bear Country ones. I can live vicariously through you!!! I would have loved to have been there with you. I love Boyd's too. I have several of the plush, but the resin ones are the ones I really collect. I love the details AND they don't take up as much room.

Well my dears, this is gonna be short and sweet. I'm off with Honey to check out new mattresses. Ours is being replaced by the manufacturer! WooHoo! All we have to do is see what one we like and they'll send it out. Maybe a little upcharge if we choose something more expensive, but that's all good.

Later. Love ya bunches!

Tina my prayers are with you and your family. I know what it is like to lose a beloved grandparent. I still miss Big Ma so much especially this time of year.

Hello to all, boy there are lots of new face shere now. I promise I am goibg to get back on the wagon Monday.

Hi everyone! I'm new on the board today and wanted to jump right in. There are so many people and sections here - how will I ever get to know everyone? I'm so looking forward to it. It seems like a great community!

I posted in bios. I will eventually get an avatar and signature and all the cool things, but for now, I'm just enjoying reading all you have to say... More later.

New Year's Eve Eve.
Well, It's almost here...the end of the year.
Time for reflection and time for planning.
No regrets, clean slate time!
Time to be thankful, especially in light of what's happening on the other side of the world. Kind of puts things in perspective. We have our families and we have our <relatively good> health. We have our homes, and certainly plenty of food. Too much, in fact, or we wouldn't be here!

I think that my plan for 2005 will be to start the daily journal that I've always wanted to do. Write every single day...about every thing, not just weight loss. Read and follow Simple Abundance daily, (like I've planned to do every other year!) I'd like to seriously focus on good health, and ultimately, weight loss, by eating well; fresh fruits and vegs, no sugar, no white foods, no caffeine. (this one's going to be tough!) DAILY, come **** or high water, exercise. I want to be one of those devoted souls that is out there every single day, no matter what the weather. Get my $$$'s worth on that gym membership. In addition to being as healthy as I can possible be, I want serenity. To look past petty annoyances, to see all sides of issues, to not be so quick to form opinions. To realize that we are all coming from different places and to respect those different perspectives. To be happy, simply being...to enjoy the 'journey'.

I guess that's it. I wish serenity and happiness for all of you, too!

Marcie and Jana, I don't think that I properly welcomed you both to our neck of the woods! WELCOME! to both of you!

Well, I'm off for a walk...I'm working tonight and tomorrow night. Yes, another New Year's Eve in the old ER! Always a show!

I hope that you all have fun celebrating, however you do, and that all your New Year dreams come true!

Welcome to you too, Oadira! You popped in while I was posting! Lots of luck!

Hi All - I have been posting on the Sugar Busters Board for awhile this year. They are a great bunch of ladies, but I want to try the 300 plus board to see if it fits. Here's my story in a nutshell: I went on SB and loved the plan, but cheated every weekend. All told I lost 6 lbs in about 12 weeks give or take. Then over the 4 day Thanksgiving holiday we went away on vacation and I had not much control over what was served me, and more importantly didn't control myself. I didn't overeat, but ate lots of the wrong things. But I felt that I did not do too badly. Wrong - I gained back 5 pounds in 4 days. Utterly depressed since then I have not been following any plan and completely stopped exercising. Funny thing is I have gained only 1 pound more in the last five weeks. Go figure. So Saturday the 1st starts a brand new year, and back onto a plan I go (and a treadmill and a bicycle). This time around my husband and daughter are joining me, so it may be a tad easier to stay motivated on the weekends when everyone is home. I look forward to getting to know you all! Thanks for listening! -Ruby

GOOD MORNING CHICKIES!!!!!

Well, Weigh In didn't go as well as I had thought it would. I just don't get it, the weeks I think I did awesome, I don't, and the weeks I think sucked, I do well. Anyway, it was a great meeting. I just love our leader, she is so inspirational and quite the motivator!

My commitment to 2005 is to really buckle down (no pun intended ) and stay focused and committed to my weight loss. I am not saying it is a resolution, just a rededicated commitment!!!!

Hello everyone. This will be short. I have bad news .

My daughter in law's father died last night. He was diagonised with cancer the day before my daughter's wedding ... May 21st. They told him he probably only had 4 months to live. He was such a healthy, physically fit person .... it was hard for any of us to believe he could die so quickly. He ate only healthy choices, did not smoke or drink except an occasional glass of wine. He exercised regularly and was very active in his church. He was the Prime Example of what we are all supposed to do to live a long and healthy life.

Well, last night he lost his battle against cancer. We are still in shock here. We just can't believe he really died. He only lived 7 months from the day they found it. We had a wonderful Christmas dinner together just 5 days ago.

We celebrated ALL the holidays together. We were all very close. We celebrated Easter, Thanksgiving, christmas, Big College Football games, birthdays... EVERYTHING. We even took mini vacations together.

He was only 53 years young ... my age. And he was the HEALTHIEST of all of us. Like I said.. he took excellent care of himself.
Anyway... just wanted to let you know I will be MIA for a while. I am sorry about the January contest being delayed once again. I may work on it to get my mind off of this tragedy... but I doubt it. I do promise to have one for Feb for sure.
I just looked at the calendar... January is a longggg month.... an extra week in there.
I am just in limbo right now,

Happy New Year 2005!
I just saw the celebration in Sydney and thought of you Leanne! You're way ahead of us!I hope it is a great New year for ALL of us!
BE SAFE!

2 cute, We were posting at the same time. I am so sorry for the loss to your family.
Having lost my dear sister to cancer 2 yrs ago on Sunday, I can somewhat relate to the grief that you are all experiencing. We had gone to church together just 2 days earlier.
Again...I am so sorry for YOUR loss!
God Bless!

2cute: I'm so sorry for your loss! I know how close all of your families have been. The closeness in age, I'm sure, is taking this to a whole new dimension. [[[hugs]]] My thoughts and prayers are with you and yours.

Tina: My thoughts and prayers are with you as well. This will be a very sad New Year for some of my dearest friends. My heart goes out to you. [[[hugs]]]

Tina wrote me an email because the forum was closed last night. Here is it. Sorry I can only post the picture in a thumbnail, I'm not able to do them full size.

Hi guys....

I can't access the board because it's down for maintenance, but I wanted to let you guys know that my papaw passed away about an hour ago.

My granny felt like he was hanging on.... for her. So, she went in there and told him around midnight that if he wanted to go ahead and go, that he could. She told him she would be alright and she had people that would take care of her. She told him he could go and see his mama, daddy and son that had passed before him and before he knew it, that she would be there with him. She had to let him go.

Within an hour, he took his last breath.

Part of my heart is breaking.... not only for the loss of such a wonderful man, but knowing that my granny has lost the love of her life, but another part of me..... is relieved. I'm glad he has no more pain. I'm glad that he'll never be tired, sad, lonely or hurt again. I'm glad that heaven has gained a beautiful angel.

David Brown 4/18/1918 - 12/31/2004

Hello everyone,

Tina: I am so sorry to hear about your grandpa. Our thoughts are with you and we send lots of hugs your way.

2Cute: I am sorry as well to hear about your DIL's dad. Cancer is an insidious disease and needs to be eradicated from the planet. Our thoughts and lots of hugs to you and your family as well.

I have been depressed myself the past couple of days, so I don't have much to say. It's gray, cold and dismal around here and I took all the Christmas stuff down and the tree is being recycled. I hope everyone is doing okay and I'll check back in at some point today.

TTFN

Tina and 2Cute
Both of you and your families are in my thoughts and prayers with your loss.