Hi! Thanks for the concern! I can understand why you think I'm not getting enough calories. I usually eat a LOT more food. I have no idea what I actually eat...I assume around 1700-1900 calories a day. I CAN'T count them or I end up doing what I did yesterday. Obsessing about every calorie and starving myself until I crack and binge. I was trying to not only be good but be "better" because I'd eaten nothing but junk for days. As you can see it backfired.

Right now I am trying to focus on eating healthy foods and getting enough to keep from feeling hungry. That's pretty much my only plan.

I usually drink 120+ ounces of water a day (unless I am having a bad day, then I drink that much in soda). I am slowly increasing the amount, but I can't add too much at one time or end up running to the bathroom 2x an hour. I've read you should drink half your body weight in ounces of water a day. I don't know if I could ever manage 190oz of water a day though!

Anyway, thanks for the advice and concern. It's appreciated.

Solus....I don't know about 1/2 your weight in oz. of water either..that soudns shady and over time could lead to kidney failure because they would be fluid overloaded. 64 oz. is a nice safe goal...some days I go over and some days I forget altogether..but my body has gotten so used to the amount of water I give it that it tells me when it needs water.

I HATE HATE HATE counting and measuring...which is a big reason why I picked WW Core (aka the No Counting plan). Once I developed a healthy food vocabulary and a solid understanding of what foods are and are not Core...it's really easy for me..and I am super stingy with my flex points since I only get 35 a week...so I have a bunch of 1 and 2 point foods that I like and thats what I count...nothing else.

So keep up what you've been doing :)

In other news...BF hit his Goal Weight and is now on maintenance...wow...talk about something to aspire to..he now gets an extra 28 points per week...if he loses any more he gets more points and if he gains they take away points. But after 6 weeks he is lifetime...I am so proud of him.

I'm also pretty freaking proud of me...(oops forgot to change the tracker)...but I lost another 2.1 and am now down 51.5 lbs. WOW. It still scares me how much I have yet to lose but I am so amazed at what is gone for good!

Have a super fantastic week :)

I weighed in this morning--294.5, so down a pound from last week. Not the big burst of weight loss I was hoping to accomplish having gone to the gym every day this week for the first time in months, but I guess I'll take it anyway. I know I didn't drink nearly enough water yesterday (24 oz of water and about 20 oz of sugar-free kool aid), so I might even be retaining some with all the heat and humidity here. I hope the loss carries over to the TOPS scale at my meeting tonight--I hate weighing in at night after I've been eating and drinking all day, whereas when I weigh at home, it is first thing in the morning, after I have already peed, so I know I'm completely "empty." ;)

As for amounts of water, I have read more than once that you should start with at least 64 oz a day if you are at your goal weight. On top of that, they say you should add 8oz for every 20 pounds you are trying to lose. This means I should be taking in about 64oz + 8oz(140lbs/20lbs) = 120oz (I think I did that math right :p ). Therefore, the more you are trying to lose, the more you should drink, for your body is larger and needs more water. As you lose, you can slowly cut back. I'm not saying this is set in stone for everyone--just a guideline that I have read in my library of nutrition and weight loss information :)

Jillybean, I heard the same thing about water intake. I don't remember what it was, but that sure sounds familiar.

Today is my last final. Psychology! Whhoooohooo. I aced my midterm, so I'm not to worried about the final, altho it does cover the whole quarter it looks like. So I'm off to get some studying done before class today.

Will catch up with everyone later.

Sue...

That water calc would put me about 150-160oz a day. That sounds about right. It's true the more you weigh, the more water you need. We're "ugly bags of mostly water" therefore the more gooshy flesh one wears, the more hydration is needed to keep it appropriately gooshy.


I won two personal food victories today.

I only had a bananna for breakfast because my boss HAD to have a super long intensive meeting over what we've been working on and I didn't get my usual mid-morning break. (don't even suggest eating before work. The only thing I want to do before 9am is kill anything that moves for having to endure the insult of being awake before sunrise)

So lunch time I was REALLY hungry. I made myself a wrap with LF Ham, LF Whole Wheat flat bread, FF Feta & Cream Cheese and loads of veggies. All total it was about 300 cals. I finished it and was still very hungry. I waited 20 minutes and my hunger didn't ease even a little. So I made another one!

The first victory was recognizing that I needed more food and allowing myself the calories which were more than appropriate for me to have due to my skimpy breakfast. When I'm "dieting" I tend to skimp to much and end up an evil starve-binge cycle, as I mentioned earlier. I had to remind myself that I am doing this to be healthy, not thin.

Then the next victory came half-way through the 2nd wrap when I realized I'd finally had enough to fill my empty stomach and finishing the wrap would only serve to make me over-full. Therefore I stopped eating and put the rest away to be finished later.

Eventually I'll get the hang of this...

No "eventually" about it, Solus--sounds like you're doing a great job! I probably--scratch that, I know--I would have eaten the entire second wrap and not looked back or thought twice about it. Congrats on the self control!

Well, almost time for me to leave the office and head to the gym. I SOOO don't want to workout--I"m just tired and kinda *blah*, ya know? But I will go anyway and at a minimum do my 30 minutes of cardio. I have already improved on yesterday's lack of water intake--I am on my 5th 24-ounce bottle right now and will have it emptied before I leave (in 10 minutes), so that puts me at 120oz by 2pm--not bad :) I'll be sure to drink a little more when I get home after the gym, too--have to replace what I sweat out!

Well, have a great Thursday, chicas (we seem to have lost any chicos that may have dabbled about the group along the way)!

Happy Thursday ladies! Sorry that I wasn’t around to post yesterday. I went to work for a few – and left early as I had a yucky migraine. :stress:

So – today is my official first day on my plan. Things are going well so far. Here’s my menu for the day:

Breakfast: Light & Fit Yogurt, 6 large strawberries, and a Slim Fast Breakfast bar. (It really filled me up!)

Snack #1: Cucumber slices (1/2 of a large cucumber)

Lunch: ½ roasted turkey sandwich w/1 tsp mustard & Slim Fast Snack Bar

Snack #2: Grape Tomatoes (15)

Dinner: 1 small chicken breast, 1 mashed potato, salad w/ff dressing

Snack #3: Mini bag of low fat popcorn

Once all estimated on Fitday.com (and Slim Fast website) I am at roughly 1,300 calories for the day. I know that's not much - but it seems like a lot of food to me - and I have been kept full by having the snacks in between my meals.

I am really excited about trying to lose weight again, and I think that this time I will succeed. :)

On Tuesday after work – my aunt and I met at the Fitness USA to get a tour. When we got there – they filled out this card with all of our information on it and began to give us a tour. She only took us half way around the building, and down to the basement to look at the pool. I wasn’t impressed from the first moment I walked in there – because there were so many women in there – it felt claustrophobic. There were virtually no machines available, and some women were just standing around waiting for something to open up. :tread:

After her little ‘tour’ she took us into the office and began to tell us about what they can do for us, and what to expect. Then she began to tell us the pricing. The only thing they were offering at the time was $179 down and $33 a month for 30 months! :eek: OR a lifetime membership. We told the woman that we were not looking for something so pricey, and with such a long commitment period. She became really pushy, and tried to tell us that the membership would eventually pay for itself over time. We ended up just walking out. :shrug:

After that – we decided that since we had some more free time – that we would go check out the Power House Gym. :wl: I was a little nervous, because I figured it was all ‘buff’ people. Boy was I wrong! We went in at their ‘busy’ time and there were only about 15 – 20 people in the gym. Most of them were guys doing some lifting, and there were a few women on the treadmills. Most of the people there looked normal, and friendly. :) No one stared at us, and I did not feel uncomfortable at all. The owner let us walk around the gym, and look at the equipment. When we asked about the pricing – there was no long sales pitch – just a sheet with their prices. $199 for the year – or $99 for three months. If you take the $99 for three months, and decide within the first month that you want to do the membership for the whole year – you just pay the $100 difference. I like that! So on Sunday, my aunt and I are going to sign up and do our first workout. In the mean time though – I think I am going to walk the track until Sunday. I need to get some exercise in to get a jump-start on this weight loss.

Yesterday evening after I got some rest from my migraine, I went to the grocery store. I bought all kinds of healthy food. Lots of fruits and veggies. I do have to run back to the store tonight though, as I forgot to pick up some chicken & fish.

Oh, and just a thought for those of you looking for good veggies – have you thought about locating a farmer’s market in your area? I know in the Detroit area there is the Eastern Market – and lots of farmers come to sell their produced CHEAP. I bought LOTS of fruits and veggies once for about $11. You can find just about anything at a farmers market. :)

Well – I have to get going. I am at work and have some projects to finish up. :comp:

Sorry I couldn’t respond to you all – but you are all doing wonderful and the weight losses so far have been amazing!!! I am so proud of all of you, and can’t wait to be posting my ‘losses’ soon too! :D

I hope you all have a wonderful OP day!!! I’ll try to post a little later. :)

Take care!

- Kari :wave:

Greetings ladies :love: !!! Thank every one for for all the positive props on my 6 lbs. I'm sooo motivated that is has been the easiest time I've ever had losing and staying on task :cb: . I'm a not on a famouse plan or any thing. I'm useing my own knowledge that I've been so good about sharing but not following for so many years :twirly: . My one weird trick that I've been doing is that I eat broccolli almost every day, salad every day somethimes twice. I have BIG issues with dangerously low iron so my doctor is very pleased at how my changes have helped that out. I have good cholesterol levels thanks to my mama, :goodvibes but in 3 months of life changes, prior to weight loss, my level went from 235 to 163. I'll take that. I can't wait to see my A1C and iron levels in Aug. :cp:

:soap: I bought a really helpful book that I'd like to share some info. from with all of you. Take what helps and leave the rest. I hope sharing the book is not out of line for this site. I don't mean to break the rules so someone let me know if I do, please :spin: .

The book is called The Fat Flush Foods by Ann Louise Gittleman. It has other books that accompany it if you want to use them. I have not. I just bought the one because it is about the 50 top foods that flush fat from the body. EASY, EASY, EASY. Its got such simple things in it. I've change my food to include some of these items as often as possible. It's helping me greatly. Well, 24 lbs in 7 weeks :hat: .

What the book says about water: the average person loses 10 cups of water a day just by breathing, perspiring, and useing the bathroom. Your water is affected by stress, alcohol,and caffeine.If you wait until your thirsty to drink water, your already dehydrating. :stress:
Don't drink ice water with meals. It dilutes digestive enzymes. To enhance digestion, drink a cup of hot water with lemon immediately after your meal. How easy is that??

:flow1: Recommended Usage: 8 - 8oz glasses of water each day. Then 8 oz for every hour of light activity. You should drink even amout of water to caffine drinks..like 8oz coffee match it with 8 oz of water.

Any way, I hope this helps somebody. It has helped me out a lot. I go back to this simple book every day for one thing or another, but I make adjustments I need. You can make it work for you. I'm not pushing a product, just shareing another source of support for us all. I hope it helps.

Thanks for listening. Please share your feed back. I will be waiting to hear what you all think :hyper: . Enjoy you life today. Gobbs of hugs to all. :goodvibes

Hi everybody! :wave: Remember me? :lol:

I know, I just have not had time to do much in the way of posting in such a long time. I do check in every day and sometimes even more than once to read/scan, but just don't have the time to do a proper post. BTW, I'm not sure that this one will be what I consider proper either, but I'll put some words down and see where it goes from there. :)

First off: :cp: CONGRATULATIONS to all the BIG LOSERS this week! :cp:
You guys are AWESOME!!! Lots of really significant losses. It must be the result of all the :ziplip: lip zipping :ziplip: you're doing as well as the assortment of the following: :tread: :workout: :barbell: :dancer: :ebike: :cb: :strong: that you're all doing so well.
You Go Girls!!!! There's no stopping you now!!! WOOHOO!!!! :D

SueMarie: I just have to say that you really put your heart, soul and muscle into that new backyard of yours. Now you can relax :beach: and enjoy your summer poolside. Can't wait for pictures of how it turned out.

Tammara: Glad you had a nice trip to the States. Hope your journey home is uneventful. I'm also glad that you were able to do things for YOU while you were home. Paying attention to what WE need is often very hard especially when on vacation or visiting with friends and family.

Lillion: I don't EVEN want to discuss Honey's job! (but thanks for asking :lol: ) They have put off the announcement until THIS Friday now! Yeah, like I'm holding my breath for that. This postponement has only been going on week after week for a month now! Did I mention it's driving us :crazy: ?????? * I'm sorry you guys got drenched last weekend. I sure hope you have better weather this weekend for your adventure. I think what you do sounds hugely FUN!!! Do you read much? I found a great author, Katie MacAlister, of funny, fast-paced romances and she has a book out entitled Hard Days Knight. It's about hooking up with the folks that dress up and do the medieval stuff. Here's a sinopsis from Amazon: "Pepper Marsh wants a knight in tights. That's the only reason this single, currently unemployed software engineer sick of technogeeks agreed to attend a "Renaissance Faire" with her cousin C. J. Fortunately, on her very first day at ye olde faire, Pepper stumbles across Walker McPhail, a totally scrumptious Englishman who rescues Pepper just as she is about to be trampled by a horse. Despite the fact that as soon as Walker has her out of danger's way, it seems like he couldn't be less interested in her, Pepper is still intrigued by her daring, dashing knight. Then, after she discovers that Walker was once the toast of the jousting circuit but mysteriously gave up competing, she vows to do a bit of rescuing herself. Generously seasoned with her distinctive brand of impudent wit, set against the fascinating world of jousting competitions, and graced with a full cast of deliciously original characters (including a fiendishly adorable cat), MacAlister's latest fresh, funny, and fabulously sexy contemporary romance is pure fun." John Charles
Copyright © American Library Association. If you think you'd like to read it, I would be happy to send it to you as long as you'll return it to me when you're done.

Julee: Congrats to YOUR Honey for his weightloss accomplishments! That's really wonderful. What's even better is that he followed the program and is willing and ABLE to assist you in your journey. My Honey "thinks" he knows about WW, but since he's never followed it or explored what it entails, he is of no use to me on the weightloss front whats-so-ever. Good guy, no clue! :shrug:

I don't remember who mentioned Jennifer Weiner as an author some time ago. I did not pick up Good In Bed, but did read her newest book In Her Shoes. Good story! But what I wanted to mention is that they are doing In Her Shoes in a movie that is coming out this Fall. I saw the trailer for it this past weekend when I was a "showgirl" and it looks like it will be pretty good.

As for me, I'm doing better with my food issues this week. I know I was here a while ago and said I was going to make the effort then, but it just never kicked in back then. Since Monday I have made sure that one meal, either lunch or dinner is a nice grilled chicken salad. When you get those at a restaurant/fast food they're like at least 3-4 servings of vegetables so that is helping alot. I have also taken a que from Catherine (thanks, sweetie) and have been doing leg lifts in bed each morning before I get up. I'm starting small, 5 for each leg - twice, but that's all these thunder thighs can handle right now. I will look to increase to another rep next week. I'm happy to say that the scale is moving down, little by little. God bless those digital scales that go in .1, .2 incements. Just the little bit of motivation I seem to need. :yes:

I took the Baby to the airport this morning. He flew to St. Louis for the Simutronics conference. It's for an online game that he plays. He's been going every year since he was 15. I thought maybe he would outgrow it, but I guess not. :o

#1 Son got a raise last week. His counterpart left and so he was given that position and some money to go with it. That's the good part of this story. The bad part is that they don't want to pay anything for his replacement so now the posting is going out "no experience necessary, we'll train". So now #1 Son not only has to do his new job, his old job, all building maintenance, but also train his replacement if and when they find someone who wants to work for NOTHING!!! Arghhhhhh! I don't think there's anything worse that watching your kid get walked over, stepped on and be totally unhappy. :(

Oh well, ladies, I know I didn't get to more than half of you for personal replies and I hate that. But I've been home for an hour and a half and Max the cat has not stopped yelling at the front door since I got home. He is driving me nutts! :crazy: (gosh, I love that smilie!)

I'm going to say good bye for now and take him outside with me while I do some gardening. It's only 66 degrees here today so all my windows are open airing the house out and I'll actually be able to stand it outside for more than a minute.

See you all later. Love :love: ya bunches!!!

Hi all! I haven't had a chance to pop in and post in a few days, so thought I would take advantage of the "lull" I have in my work load right now. I have been so busy in the evenings that I haven't turned the computer on all week! This is a good thing, as I am staying active. When I get home, I need some "down time" and usually spend it on the deck, with a book! I eat dinner, then 30 minutes later go for a 50 minute walk, then back home I play badmitton with my son and two neighbor kids. It seems to be a habit now as all three boys look forward to it! Have done well OP this week - we'll see what Mr. Scale says Saturday morning!

Solus - I have also heard (actually from my WW leader) that you need to drink 1/2 your body weight in water. Something I have learned, and have taught my hubby and he's tried and agrees with, when you still feel hungry after you've eaten, drink a large quantity of water. Water seems to fill your stomach up and the "hungries" go away. Also Congrats on your food victories! What you experienced and acknowledged is the "sigh factor." (Another tip from my WW leader). Watch yourself and pay attention when you are eating. When your stomach (and not your head) is full and satisfied, you will most generally lay your utinsels down, lean back and "sigh." When you hit your "sigh factor," stop. Your stomach and body are satisfied!

Shadie - CONGRATULATIONS!!! :cb: :cp: :dance: :dancer: Six pounds - I am SOOOO impressed! Way to go!! I think I will definitely check into that book. It never helps to have a little more ammunition in this weight war.

SueMarie - Good luck on that final, girl. As I've said before, I know you can do and I think the world of you for doing it in the first place!

Starting Over - Go with your instincts and find the best "fit" for you with the gym situation. Don't join a place you're not comfortable with. I know when I started gaining weight again, I slowly quit going because I wasn't comfortable with the surroundings of mine, and eventually quit going all together. Kudos to you for getting on that exercise wagon. I really love my walks at night!

Jillybean - Good for you for going to the gym even though you didn't want to. Way to go!!

JuleeCees - 51.5 pounds. WOW!!! I can't weight 'til I get there. You are such an inspiration! Keep up the great work.

Esmaraude - Although I am not a health care worker, I do have personal experience with water retention. I retain water for different reasons at different times. I love in Missouri - the humidity capital of the world!! - and I also retain water and swell when the humidity gets real high. Another reason is salt intake. I really watch it now and rarely eat "frozen packaged" meals, even the WW meals, as they contain very high doses of sodium. I have been using Morton's Light Salt, and it just takes a very small amount to give you that "salt" taste. I will also sprinkle my chicken breast and fish with different flavors of Mrs. Dash - a salt substitute. Another reason can be antibiotics. Some medicine (even over the counter ones) will make you retain water. Try lemon juice (100% real) in your water, or in your (decaffienated) tea. Lemon juice will help flush water. If your ankles continue to swell, you might want to see your doctor to rule out any physical problems. Good luck!

Dogpal - Welcome back! So glad you enjoyed your trip.

Momof5 and Syn - Haven't heard from you ladies in a while. Hope things are okay.

Tashabella - Sorry to hear about your car problem. Is there a reason you can't get another job before the lease is over? I've never leased a car, always bought, so is there a stipulation that you have to stay at your current job until the lease is up? If not, start looking. Once you have the car you might even find one that pays you more than what you're making now! I know I was at my previous job for 7 years and really got to where I truly hated it. The attorney that owned and ran the office took advantage of me so much, every day. I was really big at that point and didn't have the self-confidence to leave. Six years ago I lost 103 pounds with WW and the minute I did, I found my current job and never looked back!! (And yes, I have gained 75% of it back - but not for long!!) Hang in there and I'll be praying for you!

I know I am missing some folks, but since I haven't posted in a while, I've lost track. To all I did miss, I'm sorry!

Hang in there everyone, and thanks to each of you for helping me on my own personal weight wagon!! :flow2:

Kim

My dogs are howling tonight. I had planned to sew most of the day. Yeah right, First I had to drive my roommate all over town for errands because she was too altered from her medicine to safely drive. That's in Florida in a van with no air conditioning. At least we got home before noon. I tried to do a whole days work in a half a day. That's never a great idea for my back, but I got it done. Then when I thought that I would be able to relax my back for awhile, I had to go on line for her to search her pharmacy benefit thing. The new medicine that her doctor put her on doesn't work as well as the other one, and isn't covered as much by insurance. Her main hobby/activity in life are doctors and medicine. It is all she ever talks about or does anymore. I just hate having to listen to it, and I will put on headphones when she starts calling this doctor or that doctor. I used to try to help her figure things out, thinking it would be over quicker, but that just drug me down into the depths of **** a little farther. I just can't imagine living my entire life, angry, negative, and constantly complaining about aches, pains, and doctors. I swear today I wanted to tell her to just jump in front of a bus to end her misery. I try very hard to live a optimistic, positive life. I try to arrange things so that I have nothing to complain about, and here is the one thing I can't yet extricate myself from. I hate dumping this stuff on you gals, but I don't like to complain, and I was about to burst at the seams. I think the biggest problem is that I no longer sedate myself with food, so I have no escape. When the sun goes down, it will cool off enough for me to go walk the dog, and then at least I can have some peace and quiet. Sharing a small studio apartment with someone that I am really starting to dislike (but still care about like a sister), is a bit like a steel cage death match at times.

Hi Everyone,

Esmaruadue: Wow, you are awesome in my eyes. I get hurt so easily walking that I think if I locked myself out of my house or car I would sit down and cry or call my dad to rescue me. You are an inspiratlion.

Juleecee: congrats to your BF at being GOAL! What an inspiration for you. Also to you a huge Congrats on your -51.5 pounds. I can't wait for my scale to say that. In my totaly weirdness I have to tell you that how I would look at your weight loss if it were mine is you have dropped 206 cubes of butter!!! I know I'm weird but it so much helps me visualize. Lots of butter. You go girl.

Jillybean: my doctor told me that same thing about water drinking. I weigh so much that that much water scares me. 24 8 oz. glasses a day for me if I follow that rule which I have not been able to yet. Also, congrats on the -1 pound! Wonderful.

Suemarie: good luck on your final! I'm sure you will excel.

Solus: Knowing when we have reached satisfied is such a big thing when we have ignored it so many times in the past. I am happy for your enlightenment. You did so well to put the other half of your wrap down.

Startingover: I'm proud of you for checking out all the gyms and coming up with the best one. I hope that you have a great workout on Sunday and that you enjoy your gym membership as much as I have enjoyed mine. Actually I hope you enjoy yours more because all I do is use the pool right now.

Shadiepurple: Thank you for the information on the book. I may check it out.

Thinthinker: I am so glad to have you back. I really miss everyone when they don't post for a while.

Doxiemom: I had a very troubled childhood like a lot of you ladies have posted about. My real mom was paranoid scitsofrentic (sp) and it was scary and lonely. Thankfully we had a supierior Daddy. Your post brought back sweet memories of our daddy playing games with us every night. He worked so hard. He rasied us alone because my mom took off and we were two young ladies with a very old fashioned shy man. We were just about to hit puberty when mom took off so, he had his hands full. He would come home from work every single night and my sister and then would have been home for a while already having done our chores of feeding the many animals we have and I made dinner every night. Plus we did our homework but, Dad woudl watch the news after dinner then we would turn the TV off and he would play something with us. Basketball, bike riding, kickball, softball, horseback riding or going for walks. We lived in the country and he kept us busy every night doing something sportslike. I am sure that your son and his friends will definately cherish and remember how you played with them nightly and made them feel special and important to you. I love that you are doing this for your son and his friends as well as for yourself. You are wonderful and you have made my heart smile.

Hippievanlady: I am so sorry that you are having a rough time with your room mate. I know it is so hard to love someone but need space. We let my sister in law live with us while she saved money to buy her own condo. She was with us for a year and I adore her but boy I wanted to strangle her too. My heart goes out to you. I hope that you can get your own place soon.

Blessings to everyone and as always, if I missed anyone I apologize. Hugs to all,
Dogpal

Well, thank you for the kind words.

Actually, I'm not sure what came over me, but sitting down to cry would be a typical reaction from me. And that's exactly what I did the last time I locked the keys in the car. Not because of the fact I had to walk, I think, but more for the fact that I tend to cry over every little thing. This time, i told myself that there was little i could do about it except attempt to rush over to my friend to let her know what happened.

It's been a lousy week.

Monday I slept in on a really important day at work.
Tuesday is when I locked myself out of the house.
Wednesday one of my co-workers failed to show up.
Today my pants caught on something and ripped.
And as for tomorrow? It has to get better, right?

Yeah, I know, they're small gripes in the grand scheme of things.

The walking was hard, though, especially since I was wearing sandals that could easily slip off. My calves and ankles are still feeling those hills and stairs, but I think I'm gonna push myself into actually doing it some mornings.

I haven't been working out like I should. I haven't been eating like I should. I knkow that's why I've been swelling up and feeling so lousy.

I've told myself that I would start a new routine when my hours changed this week, but I still need to ease into the idea.

Oh, thanks to all who gave me advice about the swelling, by the way. :)

Hmm. . . I think I should go to bed soon.

Hey everyone…

Well finals are over. Did ya all hear about the earthquakes we been having? Yup… I was in a lecture hall that holds 150 students. The earthquake hit just prior to 2:00 and man, you should have seen the chaos! It was scary! I just sorta sat still like I was frozen and I watched all these people running for the doors. It was scary however I think if I were at home it wouldn’t be as scary. Maybe cause everyone got panicky that it sorta rubbed off on me. MASS HYSTERIA! heheh Honestly, I think all these small earthquakes are a good thing. We are over due for the big on and the fault line that is like 15 miles from my house. So all these small ones are releasing the tension slowly. Rather than all at one time.

Thinthinker – Thanks :) We still have a lot more to go. But we have been enjoying the pool big time! Our next step is to replace the wooden fence between our house and the neighbors on our left with a brick wall. They are willing to go half with us. It will really help the costs. They need to do it because their dogs keep eating holes in the fence and getting out of their yard. But either way, when the santa ana winds kick up the fence fallsl down every year!

Doxiemom - :) Thank you, I really appreciate that! I think I did very well on my finals. I came out of the class feeling confident. Other than rattled nerves from the earthquake. :yikes:

Dogpal – Thanks :)

Sue…

It figures
 

This is just the way my life is going... I just wrote a long post and it didn't take (it is gone/didn't get posted).

In brief, I didn't get the loan from my credit union. I wasn't given a reason, but told they would send a letter. I can get a loan from a dealer, but the interest rates would be so high I couldn't afford the payments. We own our current car. It's only six years old. I have decided that if the car dies, I will ride a bike to work and my husband will have to quit his job and stay home. We will be able to pay for rent, utilities and food so we can still get by. It'll be hard, but that's all we can do.

I had written a response to Hippievanlady, but that was lost too. When people live together, even when you care for each other, it's easy to get on each other's nerves. It's good that you're not eating to cope with it. You'll find a way to work it out. You might just need some time doing separate things.

I'll see you guys later.

P.S.: Sue: We had a very small earthquake where I live in Maryland last year and it freaked everyone out (our building shook and there was a loud boom). I cannot imagine what it is like to be in a real earthquake. The little one blew my nerves! Be safe!