Hi everyone and welcome Tanya! We are glad you are here.

I never answered the second to last batch of questions, so I will answer them all:

What state have you not been to but want to visit and why? Alaska is my pick. I have always wanted to go there. Colorado is on the top of my list too. I want to see the mountains.

When you get to your ultimate goal, how will you celebrate? I haven't really set anything in stone but I think I will purchase a watch. It will be a visual reminder on my wrist so I can remember how far I have come.

What is your favorite tree and why? I love white birches. I received one for my birthday one year, however it was planted at our old home and we didn't dig it up to take to our new home! Someday I will get another one. I want it planted right outside my office window so I can admire it while I work.

Do you have pets and what kind if you do? We have a yellow lab.

If someone were to give you flowers, what kind would they be. Well, I love roses and ended up getting over 4 dozen for our anniversary last week (and not all of them were from DH!). But, my all time favorite flowers are tulips. I love them!

What is your favorite season and why? It is definitely a toss up between Spring and Fall. If you ask me right now, I would say Spring because I am so looking forward to everything blooming and the warmer weather. If you ask me in August, I will say Fall because by that point I am ready for cooler weather and the colors.

Newleaf: you asked me how we picked MN for our vacation spot this year and I never answered you...sorry! We wanted somewhere close this year and are heading to WI in late July for an airshow. Since, we are so close to MN by that point, we figured we would continue on. We are only spending a few days in MN. DH and DS are baseball fanatics and we have a plan to see a game at every stadium across the US. We have yet to see a game in MN so that is the main reason for the visit. After that, we will probably check out the St. Paul/Minneapolis area museums etc. and the Mall of America. I haven't done much research about what to see and do but I am sure we will find some great things. Thanks for asking.

That's really neat about the baseball road trip... How many ball parks have you already crossed off your list?

PNC Park here in Pittsburgh is a gorgeous baseball stadium, with beautiful city skyline and river views. Hopefully you will make it here one day (and hopefully the Pirates will be a better team by then!)

Awesome answers everyone!

Do you have pets and what kind if you do?

We have two rotties : Harley(girl)7yrs , Colby(boy)6yrs, A Calico cat named Yoyo 15yrs, and 10 hermit crabs: Mac, PC, Vista, Apple, Storm, Crabbypatty, Rosie, Sluggo, Rawlings, and Homey. Not sure of ages.

If someone were to give you flowers, what kind would they be.
I love Orchids! Second favorite: Carnations!


What is your favorite season and why?
I love Fall. The colors are incredible!! Second favorite: Spring. New life!

Lessofmaur: I guess you will have to go back to NY if you already have been. Two new stadiums. My brother and his sons do the same thing. Cool!I went to The Mall of America about 15 years ago. It was awesome. My girlfriend and I went on a trip for our church and one of the choices was the Mall! We said ...OH YEAH!!! They had a whole amusement park inside!

So I'm really behind on answering questions. So here it goes:

State I'd like to visit? Alaska. Dh has visited before & had a great time. I'd like to go into Denali Natl Park for some backpacking.

How will I celebrate when I reach my ultimate goal? Truly haven't thought that far ahead this time around, though a boob reduction would be nice ;)

Favorite tree? I love when our crab apple is in bloom in the springtime-just another month or so to go.

Pets: Black Jack is our St Bernard/Border Collie cross. He's 3 years old. Skittles is our orange tabby and he's 2. We also have 1 clown pleco (fish).

Flowers: sunflowers!

Favorite season: spring as it means winter is over & summer 'cause then it finally warms up

Lessofmaur-we're heading to MN this Feiday for spring break! Most of my family lives there & that's where I grew up. We'll head to the mall for the amusement park & Lego store. The Science museum is a lot of fun & I always enjoyed the MPLS institute of Arts for mostly classical art & the Walker Art Center for modern stuff.

Do you have pets and what kind if you do?
We have five dogs (The Brindle Pack) and Aruba the cat. All are from rescue. Tucker is our dane/lab mix with major health issues (epilepsy, bi-lateral hip dysplasia, and allergies), Tyra the therapy dog is a Great Dane and alpha of the pack, Scooter is our australian sheppard mix who I swear is bi-polar, Luke another mix also has neurological issues. He had vistibular's but has never been "right" since. Lastly is our non brindle pup Hogan; a yellow lab. He is one of eight orphaned pups I fostered last year. I had no desire to have a 5th dog but Mack wanted to keep Hogan and I couldn't say no. Woo Hoo... I get to post their pictures again.

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...ndlePackAC.jpg

If someone were to give you flowers, what kind would they be.
My favorite flower is Hyacinth but Mack has ever brought me any. I also love Night Jasmine; he did plant that one year but one of the dogs dug it up.

What is your favorite season and why?
This one is tough for me because I love being outdoors for different reasons. I love summer in the desert with no bugs or humidity; however summer in Virginia was brutal. I love fall in Virginia; the changing of the leaves and the crisp mornings were just heaven. I miss Williamsburg at Christmas time and Spring just about anywhere is awesome. How's that for being non committal?

1. Do you have pets and what kind if you do?

Oh boy! You asked for this!! I have 3 dogs, Standard Poodle, Toy Poodle and Shih Tzu. I have 31 birds including 4 Parrots(I am in the process of getting some more right now), 2 Doves, 19 Finches, and 6 Waxbills. I have 5 Mini Rex Rabbits that we breed and show all over our state. We just finished our first champion and are working towards two more championships right now. I have two Russian Tortoises that teach me that eating veggies every day is ok, LOL!! I also have a 60 gallon fish tank with 2 frogs and 7 huge fish. I know, I am an animal nut!!



2. If someone were to give you flowers, what kind would they be.

I would hope either Alstramerias or fresh Lilacs for their wonderful smell.



3. What is your favorite season and why?

I am like CAT in that I love each season for it's own special significance. I love Summer when it is nice and not humid. I love Winter as there are no mosquitos or other bugs and the snow seems to clean the air. I love Fall with all of the awesome colors. I especially love Spring after a long Winter. We are supposed to be 69 today!! I can't wait!

1) No pets at the moment. Put our german shorthair Shorty to sleep on Feb 2, and we're all still recovering from that. My son wants a bearded dragon, and I used to keep anoles, so there's probably an elaborate terrarium in our future. Last year we raised praying mantises - very cool, but my gawd, we could not keep up with the feeding!
2) I'm not a huge fan of cut flowers - they just die. I do love to see a hillside of native wildflowers, and I dearly love our Trilliums.
3) Fall is my favorite - the nice days after the first frost that kills all the bugs, the incredible color show in the trees, and the harvesting of local fruits and veggies ... the mess and chaos of canning, too!

ICU: I am so sorry for your loss of Shorty!:hug: I have had many babies of mine pass on and I always miss them. I make sure I take lots of picks so I can always see them! I just found a pic of my hubby's and my first baby...Crystal a shepard / collie mix. Shorty is now having a grand time with all that have passed.

ICU: I am so sorry to hear about Shorty. I am looking at my Dobergirl she will be 12 in a week. She's aging quickly now. And I have already started to "make arrangements." It will be especially hard this time as I got her for my Dad just before he passed away. We rescued her from the SPCA when she was apuppy. She was my dad's faithful companion throughout his battle with terminal cancer. Even tho she was only 6 months old, she was so gentle and attentive through the whole time with him.

Cruise, I LOVE your Pack!! What a wonderful Mommy you are to love so many "Special" puppies!! I wish there were more people like you out there!

My dobie and my Siamese are both pound rescues.... My current horse, Rio, was almost on his way to the meat man. I took him and spent the time and love to help him get better. And now he's a loving oversized black and white spotted "puppy". Everyone says he's a 1500lb Labrador Retriever!!

Hi ladies, I haven't been around since September-ish, hope you don't mind me just dropping in on your thread. I have to update my profile though not a lot has changed...

Hope to get to know you all as I do plan on sticking around a while! I can not make excuses any longer- I am more and more worried about my health and longevity. I quit smoking on Christmas and that's been without a hitch *knocks wood* so its time now to get the weight off too!

Anyway, if I can offer more info for you all to be comfortable with me just jumping in please just ask me!

Where are you born? USA
Your favorite vacation spot? Basketball
What do you do for a living? Accountant.

Welcome back Renee, we all kinda just come and go as we please. Share as much or as little as you are comfortable with. We have spent March getting to know one another by asking questions; feel free to jump right.

HotSplashes - I love our pack but have to admit at times it can be a bit much. Our biggest problem is that Mack and I are unable to vacation together. With special needs dogs it takes someone to stay over night and most people are not comfortable with an epi. Although Tucker is young, just turned five, we are also preparing for "his" time. Because he is such a genetic mess we came very close when he was about a year old to having him PTS but we got control of his seizures and said he would be lucky to make it five years. Well he has it made it to five but I really don't think he will make it to six. He had surgery on his right hip but his left is really bad now along with the rest of his joints in is legs; at five he is already eaten up with arthritis. He still has more better days than bad but I hate to see him in pain; when it becomes unmanageable we will know it is time.

I have never had a horse but live a community that allows them. I had rescue ask me the other day if I was interested in fostering. Being totally clueless and at my limit personally (we have an AC permit) I turned them down. I've been on a horse three times in my life and it wasn't good.

ICU - It is never easy PTS one of our fur babies but I believe it is the last act of love we show them. When the time is right for another dog one will FIND YOU. I have never heard of anyone raising praying mantises; please tell us more.

Beemer - Where in the world do you keep 31 birds? Do they have "fly" of the house or are they all in cages? I always wanted an African grey but decided I couldn't have an animal that most likely would out live me. Especially one that becomes so loyal/dependent on just one.

CanadaMel - Congratulations of getting your first 20 minute run in.

LessofMaur - I love the idea of visiting all the ball parks; what a great way to see different states. My personal favorite is Camden Yards; home of the Baltimore Orioles.

Hi Heidi - I missed you posted here yesterday.

Good morning everyone!

Welcome back Renee. I look forward to chatting with you.
CruiseCAT, I never tire of looking at your dogs. They are just too cute.
ICU, we've had praying mantises in the past. And, yes they eat a ton. My mom used to laugh at me that I would go to the pet shop to buy crickets to feed the PM. But they are fascinating creatures.
CanadaMel, I am going to have to get some suggestions from you about what to do in MN. Have a good trip!
Newleaf, As a family, we have only gone to a few parks...Wrigley, Milwaukee and Yankee Stadium (we made a special trip last year to see it before the old one closed). My DH and I have been to several stadiums but we have since restarted this quest since DS got so baseball crazy, so we have a lot to see. You leave this week for FL, don't you? Have a wonderful trip!
Beemer, my DS is an animal nut too. He would love your house!

Good morning! It is going to be another beautiful day here in the midwest. I walked this am with my dd. I need to invite her to walk with me more often, she was very chatty and I learned alot! (She's 10 and heading to middle school in the fall!)

We are certainly an interesting group! Animal lovers, travelers, sports and exercise fanatics, all brought together to beat this weightloss battle. I appreciate the support and also find lots of inspiration and ideas from this group. Thanks everyone!

Here's 3 more questions!
What was your first job? In high school I worked at a dry cleaners. Pretty disgusting tagging dirty clothes! Also did a ton of babysitting, started out at 50 cents an hour!

What clothing item can you not live without? My nike flip flops! They are the most comfortable thing and I now own them in 4 colors!

What drives you nuts? People without manners! I think there are alot of people who don't take the time to teach their kids to be polite. Nothing worse than making a purchase and having the cashier give you your item or change and not hearing them say Thanks!