[SuchAPrettyFace]

Is it really half over & we don't have one of these threads yet? Anyhoo. This is the thread where we catch up on each other & our non-dieting lives.

I go back to Mayo Clinic next week. I'm having an MRI, bloodwork, urinalysis, urine collection from the day before that I have to turn in, ECG, endoscopy & colonoscopy. Oh & dinner w/my new friend activeadventurer (Denise!) on Tuesday night & we'll see if she wants to come w/me for the appts on Wednesday. Tomorrow is Girls Nite Out! I have already looked @ the menu online & picked something out. Also packed my lunch for tomorrow already. I'm planning to succeed, rather than failing to plan. Yesterday was my annual & that was fascinating. Not.

I am almost at the weight I was before I started this crazy clinical trial journey in 2004. I would like to be back to 280 by my birthday, but would settle for under 300 by then. I would also like to get back to the gym, but am willing to take it slow, and want the Resolutionists to be gone so I can have more time on the machines & be able to take my time. Also, so I don't sneer @ them, wearing makeup to the gym and hardly any clothes, but mostly I stifle a giggle @ them for going from machine to machine w/o changing the weights. I am trying to be better w/that.

What's going on w/all of you? I LOVE that new icon!!!

[suzisonthemovetolose]

Let's see - I had a job interview today for a position I really want!!! It involves much more lobbying/political work than my current job. My fingers are crossed that I get it, though I won't know for probably 3-4 weeks. I think it went very well though!

I tried a new strategy of eating what the calculators said I was supposed to and that crashed and burned (as you can see from the thread I started). Although I weigh in tomorrow, I'm pretty sure I missed my Valentine's goal, but that's ok because I lowered it 5 lbs in the middle of it - so I met my first V-Day goal. I'm sure I can hit my St. Patty's goal. I better - I signed up for a 10k that holiday weekend!

I am stressed with grad school stuff and struggling to finish papers and readings. My boyfriend bought me a wonderful card for Valentine's Day which was very sweet and he bought me a rain shower head that I have been wanting - it is so relaxing!! and since I am so tall (6'1"), I don't have to lean over in the shower anymore to rinse out my hair!

[Heather]

I had the craziest week at work last week... we brought 3 people in for interviews and for each there were meetings, 2 talks to attend, and at least one meal out. I did fine with the eating, but fell behind in exercise and all my OWN work. SO this week is just digging myself out of a hole. Here it is 11pm and I'm taking a break from work to peek in here! ack.

[ScarlettDrawl]

Alls well with my wedding plans. It feels more and more real everyday. I finally visited the place that my mother selected for the wedding and I think that it is absolutely beautiful. The ceremony can take place either inside or out, it's up to me (and the Good Lord, depending on weather ). My girls (bridesmaids, not daughters lol) are ordering their gowns and mine is due to arrive in April. I'm hoping it will be way too big and I'll have to get it taken in. I ordered it in a size 20 and it fit perfectly (except the length). I've lost 16 pounds since then and surely more by the time it arrives.

I'm job hunting right now. I graduated in December with a BS. I hope it won't be too much longer, as the stress is mounting. I feel guilty not working. If we had children, it would be different. Not to mention, I'm bored! I'm debating on a few alternative options if I can't get one with adequate pay. 1, grad school or law school (no more, please ). 2, air force officer training school (but I definitely don't meet the weight requirements at the moment). We'll see.

[MagicalLindyHop]

Well my hubby and I are going to re do our kitchen (new floors, new cabnets, countertops, and adding a bunch of stuff) and put on an addition to our place (door, busting out walls, adding a wood stove and a bunch more stuff) so I will be getting one heck of a workout with all of that.

I have a bunch of tests this week for class and am not looking forward to that. I only have one semester left before I get my Associates degree and I'm excited about that. I can then go for my BS.

That's it for me,
Blessings,
Lindy

[ChocLabLover]

SAPF, thank you for starting the thread! It just goes to show you how busy our lives become sometimes I guess. I am super busy at work on several projects which I am enjoying very much. The best thing I ever did for mental health was to leave my old place of work and start over at a new one. The work stress is non existant, and the company is very good to its employees. I am trying out Aero Kickboxing at a local martial arts studio. I did the first class on Saturday, and felt really good, until Sunday morning when I realized I could not get out of bed! Nothing that a good muscle relaxant couldn't cure. I also met up with a 3FCer for lunch last week (Newfiedarling or Dee for the regulars). It was great lunch and great to meet someone from the forum.

[jmacway]

Last week I subbed in a preschool class for 4 day. Those kids wore me out. I was helping 40 4 years old learn about writting letters. We build a mail box and postoffice. They praticed writting letters. Most of they were pictures with their names on it. They had to buys enevlopes and stamps from the Post office. It was lost of fun and some of the kids wrote me letters. I ended up giving each child a letter(valentine) from me. This week I met hubby in Las Vegas for Valentines day. Yesterday we went to a Indian show and hubby bought me a garnet necklace and a silver bracelet. We fly home Sunday.

[newfiedarling]

SAPF - Wow! What a battery of tests. I can't imagine having to go through all that, you're a very strong person.

Suz - I have my fingers cross for you on the job front. I hope you get it.

wyllenn - you certainly sound like you have lots on your plate. Good for your for sticking with the food plan. Exercise can be quite hard to fit into a busy schedule. I hope things calm down a little for you in the next little while.

Lindy - Nice to meet you. Ohhh, I love renovating. When me and Terry bought our house 4 years ago we went gung ho with the renovations. There is still quite a bit to finish but it's so rewarding making a house truly yours.

Carol - Ahhh thanks, I had a great time at lunch too. We'll definately have to get together again sometime soon when things are a little quieter for you at work. Perhaps a hike somewhere on the Niagara Escarpment? I'm game for anything.

Joyce - Sounds like you had lots of fun with the kiddies. I can imagine it did wear you out. I'm pooked after I look after 3 or 4 at once. You're Valentine's gift sounds really nice, garnet is one of my favourite stones.

Well for me it's been a pretty quiet month so far. I went and had the test for gallstones and it turns out that it wasn't the problem so I'm back to the drawing board with my doc to try and see what the trouble is. We had a quiet Valentine's Day this year. We did go out and have dinner but we didn't exchange gifts this year, instead we plan to save a little extra for the cruise we have planned in the spring. Today is my b-day so we'll be going out again tonight, it'll be salad for me cause I went way overboard last night.

Have a good day girls (and guys if you're checking in on this thread)!

~Dee

[lessofsarahtolove]

Hello, everybody! I pop my head in every once in a while, and respond to threads occasionally, but I have just so, so much on my plate at present that I don't have much time to devote to participating as actively as I used to.

Here's my update -- I'll try my hardest to keep it as concise as possible (I don't want to inspire any boredom-related comas, and I know you're all just about to run out the door to the gym anyway.... )

I've had two relapse scares since November -- I have an active node (my cancer was Lymphoma -- so cancer of the lymph nodes) that's 1 cm in size. It's remained the same size since November, so we're not treating it; I'm just in "wait and see" mode. It's not the worst news, since it's not growing, but it's sure not great news, since I was all clean at the halfway point of my 6 months of chemo, and still clean a few weeks after treatment was completed. Several months later, this thing appeared in my chest, and remains today. It's pretty much terrifying, but I guess it comes with the territory. I'm just putting on a happy face and opting to believe that my oncologist has more knowledge than I have fear. I'm working really hard to fill my spirit, and surround myself, with positive energy. I'll be getting a new oncologist in Atlanta, so I'll be interested to get their take on my current status.

Lorraine accepted a new job in Atlanta, and I've given one month's notice to my beloved boss (so hard, so sad, since she held my position for me during my 9 months of disability -- pretty amazing, no??) We sold our Baltimore home in 9 days, after showing it to 8 potential buyers -- we actually ended up with 2 offers! Our home we're building outside Atlanta is coming along very nicely -- the frame is halfway done, and we're really excited about how it's going to turn out. It's a gorgeous ranch, with an enormous bonus room upstairs (bungalow style, with a walk-up attic which will be the exercise room!) -- we really splurged on sooooooo many upgrades, so we're just on pins and needles to get in there! This is where we're moving, and this is the floorplan, with options. If you go here, you can click on the link to "The Bryce" and see a virtual tour and some pic's if you're interested. The exterior will be different, because we're getting a much more traditional, less modern elevation -- so we'll have columns and a front porch, etc... It's all verrrrrry exciting!! They say it should be done in May, but I'm assuming it will be more like June.

We've picked out (but not yet visited) the interim apartment we'll live in while we're waiting to close on the new house (it comes highly recommended by a couple of different people we know down there.) Lorraine leaves this Saturday for Augusta for 5 weeks of training, and I won't see her until she returns for settlement on our Baltimore home 3/23. That will be longest we've ever been apart!! Her new employer is paying for the move -- including packing -- so I won't have to pack things up, just separate out what we want to take with us to the apartment from what's going into storage. (We'd already packed up literally half of our belongings and taken it all to a storage unit so our home would show like a model.)

I won't be able to interview before going down there, so I'm holding off on the big job hunt until the week before we leave -- I'll do a resume blitz at that point. Then once I'm down there I can start hitting it hard. I'm not worried about getting a job -- I'm worried about getting a job that offers adequate benefits -- including DISABILITY. With my tenuous remission status, the benefits are almost more important than the salary, you know? It will be an interesting experience getting that information in the interview process! Obviously, I'm going to have to choose my timing wisely, and handle it with the utmost diplomacy....oh well, che sara' sara'.....

We're a little frantic (bigtime understatement here) about taking all the pets down in the car -- we have 7 cats and a dog.......and a Camry SE! We have to transport them, an overnight bag, a few houseplants, and 2 propane tanks......but other than that, we should be good to go! We'll have to spend a small fortune getting all the cats weighed so we can get them some good drugs to, ahem, ease the anxiety of the trip......we've got some screamers, and one of them already almost died when she stopped eating after the last move!! (A feeding tube, 4x/day feedings for 6 weeks and a cool grand later, she was just fine.....poor sweetie doesn't know what she's in for! ) We're hoping good, strong drugs and extra TLC will help this time around.

Anyway, it ought to be an interesting adventure, to say the least!

I'm losing again -- not gangbusters, because we've had so many goodbye dinners and parties in preparation for our upcoming departure (Lorraine leaves in 4 days and I in 3 1/2 weeks!!!) but I'll be able to make up a little once I'm on my own. And if I don't, I'll have absolutely noone to blame but myself. I do wish we'd kept my exercise bike out of storage; I really miss it. The apartment complex has a fitness center and a pool, though, so I'll have to check them out! (At least the fitness center, if it's cold.)

So that's life in the land of Sarah....sorry it ended up being so longwinded, but there was just so much to say! If you're actually still reading this, I'm impressed!

Much love,

[hmacneil6]

Wow...my life is so quiet compared to everyone else's right now, but since this is the first oppertunity to share with you all who I am and what's going on in my life (since I just joined the forum last week) I'm going to give you the overview.
Let's see, my dh lost his job on the 10th of this month, he was laid off when the company he was working for didn't get the contract they had expected and they just didn't have enough work for him (He had just been hired on in December). But today he is back to work...He found a job last Friday and starts today, with BETTER PAY!!!!
I work at a school for High School kids who have behavior issues and special needs. And it's been crazy! We actually lost 3 teachers in the month of January, so I was teaching for the last two weeks. And unfortunately, that meant I had to put my real job (Vocational Education Coordinator) on the back burner. I'm back wearing my real hat today, but it's so hard to get back into the swing of things when you've been out for a while. Today, I figure, is my day to decompress and clean up my office; tomorrow will be gang busters back in the saddle.
My weight loss goals are moving by swimmingly, I'm very pleased with how the weight is coming off. Next month I really want to get into a regular exercise regiment.
And for those of you who pray, I would appreciate prayers for my Aunt. She found a lump in her left breast and it was malignant. She's deciding this week whether she has a lumpectomy and radiation or if she just goes with the masectomy. I'll be sure to keep you all updated.
I look forward to becoming a contibuting member of this great group.
Have a great rest of Feburary!
ENJOY!!!!

[barbygirl43]

Wow lots going on around here. I'm still hanging around over here. I mostly lurk so I can see how everyone's doing. We are supposed to be getting our house ANY DAY NOW!!!!! They have the concrete foundation laid and we are just awaiting for the arrival of it. Once it is here, they'll put in the new septic, run the electric and water there and then we can move in. Yippee. The kids are so excited. Lilly asks me every day on the drive home where the new house is.
The pregnancy is going well. If you want to read about it you can check out my post over the PG/nursing section. http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/show...78#post1141778

We've had some kid issues that I hope are resolved. Other than that things are going well. I'm planning on getting back to exercising one of these days.