Hi ladies,

Gads, I am so glad this week is over. With everything going on, this week has just flown by. I had to ask DH this morning if it was really Friday because if so, it was jeans day.

Let's see, where do things stand? On Tuesday, we found 10 acres that we really like and put earnest money down. On Wednesday, we found a modular home that is SOOOO us and said we'd take the show model (used only for a home show and lot model) that would come with every bit of furniture and decor in it. We were feeling pretty darn good about that. But were having vapors about where we'd end up living come June 1st and no one DH had called would allow Bear or a short term lease. Thursday morning, the home place called to say that the owner had promised someone else they could have the show home BUT they would get us one built and get us brand new decor so that it would still be fully furnished and they would try to keep it close to the original quoted price. No big deal to me since it is a yellow house and I'd prefer another color for the outside anyway. I could handle that wrinkle. At 5:30, the land owner called to say that there is a glitch in that he has to get the land rezoned from agriculture to residential and it couldn't be until the zoning board met around 6/23. He offered to give our check back if that is what we wanted because no permits can be gotten without proper zoning. However, no one sees why the zoning board would turn it down plus he's a lawyer and wants to sell the property so I suspect he'd find a way to make it happen. Okay, what now? So we made a trip out to look at one other place and saw a rental sign for a small house in the country. Stopped, got that number and then I remembered this other place we had seen that is for rent so we drove over and got the info. We didn't like the house for sale. We called the first rental and no way would they do a short term lease. Which by now is more than likely a three-month stay in temp housing. Called the second place and left a message. I slept horribly last night with not nowing if the land will proceed, do we proceed, where will we live, how much money is going to be sucked up just trying to get moved, storage etc. DH talked to the gal about the place today and explained that we need 3-4 months and she was okay with that since she is paying for two places (she is in California) and desperately needs it rented. Apparently not too many takers. DH made arrangements to see it tonight. So I was feeling pretty good about potentially finding temporary housing. Then Sherry stopped by and we got to talking about the state of the contract on the house. The buyer's dufus realtor hasn't scheduled the appaisal or inspection which by contract should happen next week. They we had the reminder that this deal could flip and isn't a done deal until its signed. So we're sitting there looking at each other about what happens if we commit to a rental and then have the house not sell or if we wait and then have no rental and the house sells. We did look at the rental house. Its not great but it will suffice - plus the garage is huge which means I could put all storage stuff there and eliminate that waste of money. The good thing is that it is three acres with a small barn so I could move Ginger up when its close to her foal date in July. But we're afraid to make any kind of commitment because it seems that when we think everything is moving ahead okay, some freakin' wrinkle comes up. I feel like my life is a huge house of cards just waiting to fall down.

I think we are going to offer a very small deposit on the house with the promise to pay the rest by Memorial Day weekend so that we can begin to move stuff that weekend. That way, if it flips by then, we won't have lost a large amount of money if she chooses to keep it. We're also meeting with the house people at the land and hopefully talk to the landowner too. Maybe we can get a better feel and get the house people to nail down their price and get that negotiated.

Work has been so darn busy this week on top of all this. Plus with my shoulder hurting so badly this week, it has been hard to focus and be productive. Too many meetings and it was all a blur.

I finally had time to get to the chiropracter yesterday. I have a rib out of place under my shoulder. I didn't even think about ribs being up there. It really hurt when she pounced on my back. My upper back was all out of whack. Then she jumped on my lower back to put my hips back in alignment. Geez, felt like I had been beat up. It feels better but my shoulder is still not completely where it should. Is it any wonder with all the stress that I feel in my upper back - like I'm carrying the weight of the world.

So, if I leave drive-by posts, it is all I can do as it may end up being soon that I do none at all. We shouldn't expect people to do more than they can do especially since we are all so busy.

I'm exhausted and am going to bed. I'll try to do replies in the morning.

:wave:

Hi everyone!

Well, my terrible couple weeks is over. We put my sweet kitty down Wednesday--hardest thing I've ever had to do. He was going downhill, and I just couldn't stand to see him suffering. I miss him terribly, but know I did the right thing. It feels empty around here--I had him for 15 years, and he was certainly a mama's boy.

I had a bad bad day yesterday--for some reason I didn't do my exercise in the morning like I always do, then went to Sam's and bought a ready-to-bake pizza and had it for dinner, and it was downhill from there! I haven't had a day like that in months, so I'm just picking myself up and starting over. Good news is that I lost 5.6 lbs. for the 2 x 2!! Down about 20 lbs. in a little under two months. My exercise is going very well--still doing my 30 minutes on the bike at 5 to 6 resistance, 18 minutes of stretches and hand weights, and get in a quick 10 minute walk whenever I can.

I'm going to try to do some replies, but I feel hopelessly lost after the last three weeks or so.

Valerie~~I'm so so sorry you're feeling so down right now. I wish I could do something to help you. I'm glad that you've made up your mind to forget the "when I lose weight I'm going to ..." and just do what you want to do!! And you're right, we need to put ourselves first for a change. I think that was one of my biggest assists in starting this journey of mine--my three children are mostly raised (still a 20 year old college boy at home, but he's fairly self-sufficient!!) and I finally decided I needed to take the time and money and effort and start making myself better. You need to do that, too, Val. When do you expect to be able to quit the truck? I hope it's soon so you can kick this depression right in the butt. :hug: I just read your latest post--sounds like you're feeling better!! Good for you. Have a wonderful trip to Salt Lake City--someday I'd love to drive across this beautiful country of ours. My sister lives in Portland, OR, so I'd even have a destination. Hope the pup feels better--I don't think he's going to hold a grudge!!

Terri~~Yippee skippy on selling the house!! You must be so relieved. I'm positive you'll find a nice place to live soon. I think the residence in sounds like a great idea, if you can get your dog in!! I hope he's on his best behavior for you. I hope your shoulder is feeling better, too. Does the weather seems to affect your aches and pains? I know for sure it bothers my knee.

BJF~~Yummmm--those thin steaks sound wonderful. What kind of steak do you buy, and how do you cook them? On the grill? How do ask to have them cut? I love beef of just about any kind! I agree with you about the plateau, too. I don't do another WI til Tuesday, so I'm anxious to see if my bad day yesterday is going to mess me up. I sure hope not!

MichelleK~~Happy belated birthday!! I did try to post yesterday, but it got lost in one of those mysterious black holes, so I just gave up. Congrats on the new haircut too. I really need to take myself to a good stylist--I've been letting my dd do mine, and you can certainly tell!!

Ruth~~Big yuck on that okra. I do like eggplant now. In fact, I've tried more veggies this past years than I ever have before. Still can't do mushrooms, though. Bigger yuck than okra! When will your garden be ready? We're going to NC on July 15th for vacation and I really can't wait for all the good fruits and veggies we get down there. Cleaning lady, huh? Well, I'm a little jealous...well, a LOT jealous!!

Lillion~~Seems like the surgery went well...are you feeling better yet? Glad the pain was minimal. Doesn't it figure that something like hurting that right arm would be worse than the surgery?

Barbara~~Good job there on the rambling girl!! I somehow don't think you're going to get fired! I don't know how you deal with that chaos every day--I think I'd be in the looney bin by now!

Thin~~good for you on the big loss! Did your mom's cataract surgery go well?

It's late, I know I've missed a bunch of posts, and I apologize. Hopefully, my life will settle down again.

You all are my inspiration. :hug: to everyone

Charlotte

Well, another day totally OP, both food and exercise.
Thanks for giving me some place to be accountable; I really hated exercising tonight, especially the last 10 mins of lap swimming, but I've committed to 1080 mins of exercise this month, and I need that time.
Tomorrow DD's school is having a silent auction (it's a private school for kids with learning problems, and, get this, because they don't admit kids without disabilities, we get NO state aid). This is a fundraiser for the scholarship fund. Keep your fingers crossed, because we really can't afford to send her back next year if we don't get some help.
We've spent most of my husband's inheritance from his parents in sending her since 6th grade.
So this evening she tried on the clothes she was planning to wear (she's been asked to be the student keynote speaker :D - I'm so proud ), and she came downstairs and said, I can't wear these, they make my hips look huge! - she was right - we've been watching What Not To Wear, and she's getting clothing sense -
so tomorrow, we're shopping, then getting her hair done.
I'm so excited, she's a girl:cool:

Tell you all how it came out tomorrow.

Sue

Does anyone use hotmail or yahoo or something as their permanent email address? I'll be losing the cable internet soon and need to switch over to something else since I don't know what kind of internet access I'll have, if at all, at the temp housing. Anyone have preferences of one over another?

Terri, I've used Hotmail for several years. With all of the switching of internet services because of price, Hotmail seem like the perfect answere. I've also had Yahoo in the past with no problem, but I do like my Hotmail.
Listening to your week, makes my boring life so much attarctive. Of course there is still the drama of ACT (work). Seem like there was an incident between one of the medical records people and one of the MA's yesterday afternoon. Being back in our private officee we did not know about it until it was over, but we did hear all about it (several times)

I wore my teeshirt I won at the health club to work yesterday. But this last week was a hard one. My Sjs is acting up and I haven't felt like doing anything at all.

Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Phew....I think I got my exercise in for the WEEK! We took Andrew to "Meet in the Street" in downtown Wake Forest. Our neighbors John and Sherry went with us too! Andrew had a blast. They had so much stuff for the kids to do including the bouncing castles. He loves those!! They had free stuff like those plastic visors and stuff to decorate them with, free frisbees and little balls and sunglasses, samples of stuff for parents, arts and craft vendors, games for the kids with prizes and food and entertainment! It was fun. Alot of walking too even though its a tiny little village!

Next we are going across the street to a birthday party. John brought over Andrews bouncer castle and set it up and Andrew and the birthday Girl are already bouncing away! I guess thats one of the benefits of being a neighbor, you get to go to the party early! LOL My son LOVES to play with the other kids!

Well my diet is all blown to heck again this week! But tomorrow is a new day!

Terri...you are in my prayers girlfriend that everything works its way out for you! Sometimes it seems do chaotic but works in the end! It did for us when we sold our house in 2 days, had to come down south to find a house, pack our stuff and settle on the house up there, then drive down here, hoping our money was wired into the bank friday afternoon so that saturday morning we could get the money out for the closing on monday morning! It wasn't there saturday so we had to do a dry settlement and went back to the bank after to get the funds and bring them back to the attorney office. We rented the house for 3 days prior to signing, we just had to pay $105 to the sellers at the closing. Worked out great because a hotel would have been at least that for one night!

OK I babbled there again!

Barb sounds like a stressful place to work! Who the heck do you work for?

Sue even the public schools have funraiser after fundraiser!!

Valerie you made me laugh, I would love to have a lean, mean skinny year!

Charlotte....I LOVE my haircut and the girl who cut it! I have not found anyone since I left Rhode Island in 1998, no one in Philadelphia and no one here for the past 1 1/2 yrs until Celine!

Ruth...my tongue feels better today! Last night I put some peroxide on it and when I woke up the soreness had gone away! I have biting my tongue or the inside of my mouth! Theres no reason for doing it...did I have a mini stroke or something that made my tongue get in the way of my teeth or what! LOL

Thanks for the birthday wishes too Bridget! I'm glad the dang test is over! The older I get the worse my memory is!! I use to be an A student and never worried about tests and all!

OK I gotta get out of here and make an appearance at the birthday party...well at least carry over the presents since my boy is already there!

Talk at you all later!!
Have a great day! MichelleK

Hello!
 

Hello ladies, I hope you are all having a rest day if you are a working woman. Most of you will be doing shopping and trying to clean up the house if you are like I was when I worked. Sometimes it was more restful AT work. I still say that my butt got bigger when I worked in the Drs. office, I sat a lot!

Just dropping in to do my hello for today. Have a lovely weekend. Ruth:wave:

School's out! Today was graduation, my grades are all turned in, so I'm making a resolution to post daily. My personals will be short today--I'm just going to try to get back in by being here every day.

Things haven't been great this year--not awful, but not great either. For those of you who didn't know me before, I had two sad losses last year: someone I loved very much committed suicide, then my grandmother died last summer. I realize now that I should have gotten myself into therapy last summer. I may still do it. I turned 39 in February and I don't want to hit 40 without taking control of my life, finally.

I've also been diagnosed with a new medical problem that's giving me fits. All the more reason to get back on the weight loss horse.

Valerie--Hang in there. When will you be back home?

Terri--I've been using Gmail (from Google) and I absolutely love it. Terrific spam filters, plus a lot of other nice features.

Terri - I have a hotmail account for ebay and other things that might lead to tons of junk. I use a yahoo account for my everyday mail. I like it a lot.

Come out come out wherever you arrrrrre!!!

Good Sunday Morning ladies.

My husband is doing great. He goes in tomorrow for a new group of testings but he is not worried... he actually feels better than he has in a long time. He says he can feel the difference.

I can't visit now... I have spent too much time reading to catch up.
I just wanted to thank everyone for the prayers & well wishes ... and update those who were asking about DH. Thank You !!!!

I had lost those 2 lbs in 2 weeks ... but gained them back when I weighed this morning. :(

This really is going to be a fly by post. Honey is waiting outside for me to come help pull weeds and do yard work. YUCK!

We're headed out on Tuesday for Niagara Falls. I'm so looking forward to it as these last two weeks have been from he!! :devil:

We get home from Niagara on Thursday night. Friday is Honey's birthday. Sunday we're having the whole family over here for Mother's Day dinner. And then Monday, the 15th, Honey leaves for Mexico again! Argh!!!!!!

Went to the International Women's Expo with my friend on Thursday. It's our annual 'girl's day out'. Had alot of fun. Spent alot of money. A good time was had by all. It was a good test for Di. She's 6 weeks post op on her surgery and she needs to return to work in two weeks. She's a custodian in a middle school and does a ton of walking and lots of lifting. She's really worried about going back but has too as she's the only income in a household of 6. The walking really killed her, but it was a good test. I don't know what she's going to do about all the lifting. :shrug:

I've been doing gas stations and they are a ROYAL pain in the butt. Very time consuming, too little pay. Please remind me not to EVER do these again. I said that last August when I did 10 of them and then fell and bumped my head and signed up for 24 this round. WHAT was I thinking?!?!?!?!? Anyway, they are done and maybe someday I'll have some time to myself to post with all of my friends.

Until then, I must fly. Know that I'm thinking of you. BTW, if you haven't gotten your copy of the Chick's book, you're missing out. What fun!!!! (I get a chance to read a chapter at a time while I'm sitting in the toitie! :lol: Geez, if I had a laptop, I'd be able to chat with you guys from there. :o It's about the only FREE time I get. )

Love :love: ya bunches! Gotta run............. :wave:

But when Honey is gone to Mexico, we get you to come out and play with us!!!

Hello all, a fly-by for me too! I've been a bad, bad girl this weekend so far. DH and I were childless last night and we went out to Longhorn. At least we split an entree, but still we had steak and ribs and salads with real dressing and an appetizer. We also had fried chicken gizzards for lunch. Too much fattening food. And then I had the horrid nut and chocolate craving and ate chocolate covered almonds until I was stuffed!!! :ink: Ah well, when I'm back to work we're really back on track.

My best friend got a letter from her landlord this past Thursday telling them they'd violated their lease with a ton of tiny little things that I don't think give her grounds at all to do anything, but that she wants them out! So she's just a wreck. This little house is her dream home. It's old and small but has so much character! She literally had a panic attack on Friday and I ended up at the Dr. with her until afternoon. She's been on the phone to me a dozen times. I just feel so badly for her. Landlord/Tenant law isn't my forte...but I really think the woman can't win in court on this. Still...do you really want to stay in a rental, no matter how much you love it, if the landlord is gunning for you? It's just bad all around. We're going to see another attorney for a second opinion to mine before she decides what to do about it.

Well, the belly is all good now. The arm still giving me fits. Worst of all though, is I now have a place in my back that feels like someone is stabbing me in the lung when I take a deep breath. I know it's from sitting and laying so much and favoring my right arm. But I'm actually considering going to a chiropractor. As a general rule, I consider chiroprators quacks...so you can imagine how serious it is if I'm willing to try the quick fix of having whatever is wrong forced back into place. I've been to them before, don't get me wrong, and it was exactly what I needed for my whiplash years ago. But it just seems to me that once you start getting "adjustments" you have to keep going and going and going and you can't ever stop without the stuff they are putting in just moving back again. So I quit going years ago and just let it hurt if it wanted to...but this is too much!

Ok..I've covered food, health and stresses that are mine by association. Guess that's all for me today! :D You ladies take care!!!

Dear Terri – What incredible stress! You don’t know if you’re coming or going…. Literally! All we want to do is go to work & play with our ponies. Is that asking so much??? I hope things solidify for you soon. It sure sounds like you’ve covered all your bases and possibilities and are ready for whatever happens next, but the not knowing must be horrible! ** On E-mail, I’ve never used Hotmail, but I finally gave up everything but my Yahoo mail. I love being able to access it from any computer, and they do a good job of filtering out the spam I’ve been plagued with on other mail services. I’ve been really happy with Yahoo.

MTM - Charlotte, I’m so sorry about your kitty! After I lost Peter, my right paw for 13 years, I kept thinking I could still hear him snoring in the bunk while I drove. I understand that empty feeling when they’re gone. You’re doing fantastic with your weight loss and exercise! Constant, life-altering and healthy! Congrats on the success with the 2x2 too!

In answer to your ?, I was supposed to be off the truck last year, then by last Christmas, then at least off half of the time this spring… which is why I’m still trucking full-time and really bent outa shape about it. For the last several years every time we’d blow a motor (twice) or have to buy a new truck or something else, I kept having to add another year before I could afford to quit. This has been going on for years. At this moment I’m trying to figure out how to tell him I want to go home next weekend and stay there for a lousy week. If I had it, I’d bet $100 that if I stay home, he will too. He just won’t ru the truck without me, but he’ll whine about it. I’m also trying to figure out how to tell him we need to see a counselor. As long as I’m “under control” I’m sure he’s thinking everything is just hunky-dory. The confusion is fading as I see what I must do, so that’s a good thing I guess.

SUE – What a cool thing that your DD is going to be the keynote speaker! I hope you found something beautiful for her to wear that helps give her confidence. I hope the fundraiser is a great success, too!

BARBARA – What drama at your work. It’s rather entertaining from this far away, but for you it must be horrible. Are you the only grownup there?!

MICHELLE – I love those street festivals, and sure the walking is great, but they usually have some terribly tempting food venders, too. I know I would have blown it if they did. When I spend the week at the fair I don’t leave the horse barn area if I can, because the midway venders would KILL me… I do usually sneak just far enough to get myself a few candy apples during the week… just for the horses of course! I hope your party was a blast – at least your DS seems like he would have enjoyed it.

Hi RUTH! Always good to see you popping in!!

ANGELA, It’s amazing how deeply we’re effected by losses like you’ve face this past year. I’m so sorry you’ve had so much heartache to deal with. It’s a very personal decision whether to see someone or not. A person doesn’t have to make a lifetime commitment to counseling; sometimes even a visit or a couple of them can clear things up or help settle them in your heart. In any case, I’m so proud of you for taking control of your life and moving forward to a healthier you! I take it that you teach, so I hope you have a wonderful summer off!!!

2CUTE – SO glad to hear DH is doing better! May he get stronger and more ornery every day! ** and regarding that 2 pounds back up – please be informed that today was National Bad Scale day – they were all supposed to unite and read wrong. So, CONGRATS on your 2 pound loss for the 2x2!

THIN – I’m glad you’ve gotten thru those stupid gas stations. Please remember to ask us before you sign up for them again – We’ll set you straight, WON’T WE LADIES? I hope your trip to NF is wonderful. For many years I lived up in Western NY and loved to go to the Falls. I have a favorite spot on Goat Island. I remember taking my “Little” (as in BB/BS) and we went down through the Cave of the Winds. She LOVED it, standing at the bottom where you can feel the spray and the thunderous power of all that water pounding the rocks. I highly recommend it, on either side of the Falls. Cheap & unique entertainment.

Well, I'm off to get some studying done while I can. We're here until at least Tuesday, so this is an opportunity I can't miss. I did have a stupid donut for breakfast (it's the motel's fault!) but have kept to cheese sticks & tomatoes since then. There's hope for me yet!