Ladies,

Ok, I have a bladder infection. I have had it for a while but put it off and now I am regretting it. I had to give 2 specimens today. The second one was at the hospital, they want to see what kind of infection I have. I will go tomorrow and pick up my antibiotic. I peed my pants twice today. It's not been a good day. Right now I am having shooting pains in my bladder.

My mood is a bit better, not quite so down. I still have a long way to go. I just took another Abilify.

I think tonight I'm going to do some crocheting. Maybe that will cheer me up.

Much love to you Fi and everyone else. Hugs all around.

Mossy, you have such a good attitude I'm so glad the Pool Bully was not at the therapy pool to bug you and your mom! She was probably somewhere else being a pain to someone else, lol. I hope your frigid weather warms up a bit, soon!!

Lisa, oh gosh so sorry to hear about the infection hang in there! hope your crocheting helps to cheer you

Fithose kitties sound like a pair of mischievous children!

I have had a few great days in a row!! I worked outside for a couple hours and did stuff that needed to be done before snowfall. I am still patting myself on my back that in early spring, I took the steps necessary to remove a junked vehicle that was in our driveway for years and we had to shovel around, and was an eyesore to me. It is a problem for me to address items that are in or outside of the house, that are not used anymore yet they just sit there. I do feel resentment at having to be the one to do the work to remove things, but also it helps me when I accomplish tasks. Because there are many, many days that I just don't care..so when I do care, and hustle, I am proud of myself.

There is white stuff outside!! But I am slowly accepting that the seasons have changed, obviously the Universe and Continuum do NOT care how I feel about it so I might as well go with the flow

Yesterday I did 22 minutes of core work. I will come back and post what exercise I do today, before going to work. Today is my Monday, booo

MrUki, congrats on the offers!!! and we will see you here when you are able

Hi Kathleen!! how are you? have you been hit by sn*w also??

Ladies,

It's been spitting snow here since yesterday and man, it's cold. Thank goodness it's not -20 though.

Holly, I am doing ok. Mood is better, it's not perfect. My anxiety is still kind of bad. I'm not crying like I was. I have accepted Monster's death.

Mossy, glad your TP Bully wasn't there.


I'll talk to you all later. Much love.

oops I didn't come back to report my exercise!! I did Gilad's Step and Tone, the first 30 minutes of stepping and upper body weights; then I skip his leg work and sub my own; then his ab section; about 40 minutes. It is an OLD vhs tape, 20 years old! but effective.

Mossy, yes that darn Polar Vortex is winging it's way here hopefully not with the freakin frigid temps. The boarders and skiers are all happy, bless their hearts

Lisa, I am glad that you are at least a *little* better

I again had a cakey delicious thing at work today oh well.

I have to be at work at 6 a.m. tomorrow so I probably won't be posting til the evening, I hope you all have a good day!

Lisa: Oh no, not a bladder infection now!!! So sorry to hear that! I hope you get some relief from your antibiotic SOON!!! I thought you just switched schools?!? Did it not work out??? I hope you find a place you feel good about. Will continue to keep you in my prayers!

Holly: My family is doing well. Thanks for asking. My son is a senior in high school and currently applying to colleges. Thankfully, he wants to stay fairly close to home. I am just fine with that. He is considering the University of Dayton and Xavier University. My daughter is enjoying playing sled hockey. She absolutely LOVES hockey and for her to be able to play the game, despite her handicap, is just AWESOME! YIKES on the 2 and 1/2 hours in the dentist chair!!! Sounds terrible and expensive!!! Boo on the crabby financial lady! That is SO sad about the news station's legal reporter who committed suicide. Good for the other reporter for "coming out" about her depression in the hopes of helping others! So many people suffer silently with this disease. It is just so incredibly sad and unfortunate. About the sn*w, we had our first flurries the past couple days, but nothing that added up to anything. Thank God! It feels bitter cold to me today, but that thermometer still has a long way to drop! Tonight, it is around 36 degrees, which is low for us but NOTHING like what Mossy is experiencing! HOORAY for "a few great days in a row!" You are REALLY rockin' the exercise! Keep up the good work!

MrUki: So, just out of curiosity, are you a man or a woman? LOL, I am serious because sometimes I address the group as "ladies" and I don't want to leave anyone out. CONGRATULATIONS on your two job offers and interview offer for a "dream internship." Sounds awesome! Please keep us posted. Hope your presentation goes well Monday night!

Fi: So happy to hear that you had a good night's sleep the other night and were feeling much better! Hope that has continued! And yay for the kitties feeling better, too! Such a priceless photo of Nenu inspecting the flies on the windowsill. They sound very mischievous and adorable! A lot of personality! I love that!

Mossy: Thank God for the therapy pool bully NOT being there yesterday!!! -20 degrees sounds dreadful!!! BRRRRRRRRR!!! Stay inside as much as possible and bundle up if you have to go anywhere! Where is the Alpenglow Mountain that you list as your location? Never heard of it. Just curious! Take good care and do your best to STAY WARM!!!

My wean off of Abilify continues to go very well. Eating has a lot of room for improvement but could also be a lot worse. Exercise is good! SOOOOOO excited to FINALLY be going to the endocrinologist this coming Wednesday!!!

Waving HELLO to all of you and wishing you well!!!

IBelieveInMe2: So after a rather disappointing entry into MyFitnessPal you really gave me a good laugh . You can keep saying ladies, don't worry. I used to be asked that same question in person because of my size/height/hair cut/lack of obvious boobs lol, so no worries. The name actually comes from a manga I used to read as a child where in an author's note the writer talked about his plant, Uki-san, or translated Mr. Uki (translated again, Mister Happy). I felt for the poor plant because the author killed it by accident as I do to potted plants myself. So I took the name. I didn't change the 'Mr.' part to 'Mrs.' because when learning Japanese people used '-kun' for me, which is something you more do for male friends lol, not female. So there you have it!

Thanks for the congrats also! I had a terrible time decided last night and ultimately mucked up my diet a bit with stress eating but it's done now! I picked one and now I can put that in the back of my mind (until the first day of course). Thanks for the well wishes for Monday, I'll need them.

VermontMom: Thanks for the congrats! And gosh, two crowns. I can't imagine, I hope everything goes well for you. Dealing with difficult people after sitting in the dentist chair for long certainly doesn't help though. That's terrible to hear about the newswoman who committed suicide It is heartbreaking that some people feel they don't have any other way out. It is good that afterwards someone from the new-station came out to spread awareness. I remember in Middle School there was a poster in my health class about suicide that read: "Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem." I always thought of that when I was younger and on the verge sometimes and it really helped out.

THERE IS SNOW THERE?! Ahh, that sounds so exciting, but I suppose that depends on one's perspective . Down here in the South where I am such strange substances are unheard of. Needless to say, when it does happen we freak out and label it the 'snowpocalypses' or 'snowmageddon'.

Finally (such a long message for you, lol), that's great how much you've been working out! Sounds like you have a good run going. Keep it up!

ohiofreespirit: I'm sorry to hear how overwhelmed you've been feeling. Finding a new college is hard, and getting off on payments always sucks. I'm glad things are getting a little better for you after Monster, though. Hope your bladder infection clears up soon. Needlework always seems to cheer me up (knitting at least, I would think crocheting would have a similar effect) so hope it does the same for you. I'll keep you in my prayers.

Mossy: Glad you had a bully-free time at the pool with your mother! And -20?! Snowed in?! I hope the weather gets warmer for you and melts some of that snow so you can go outside.

Fiona W: Just a question, should I type Fiona or Fi for you? Wasn't too sure so I stuck with Fiona for now. The picture you linked too was too cute. Sounds like you have your hands full with those kitttens.

amylynnehicks: Wow sounds like you've been having a really good time as of late! Hope that keeps up for you, and congrats on your paper.

Made2Teach: Welcome! That's awesome to hear that you're going after what you're passionate about. Good luck!

Hello ladies,


Kathleen, I did some soul searching and decided NOT to change schools.
Katheen and ladies, I am sticking with DeVry. I am, however, going to have to take my math class in person which means I am going to be driving 50 miles one way in January weather, twice a week. I have to do it, I HAVE to pass this math class. I need an instructor in person.

Uki, thank you so much. Crochet does relax me. I love it. I am coming to terms with Monster being gone. I have decided not to change schools and stay with the one I have now. Again, welcome to the board.


On top of having a bladder infection, I now have started my period. sigh I just took some pain medicine. Man, I am hurting. I have begun my antibiotics.


My mood is better, Holly. The black pit is gone. I am not 100% but better.


I am still worrying about my car payments. I need to make one so that they do not come and take it. I don't know what I am going to do? I am a 2 months behind.

I know what you all are thinking. I am a hot mess.

I am wishing you all a wonderful Saturday. Please keep me in your prayers.

Can I post twice in a row? I realized I didn't go over too much of what's been happening over here lately (but honestly that post was already too long!).

So, yesterday I was in a certification class for Advanced QuickBooks and I could barely pay attention! The pressure to decide was almost too much . But, at the last minute I made a decision and the hesitation got me another $2/hour in the job offer so hey, it worked out! I have to admit though that I'm terrified of starting work on Tuesday. I'm in my early 20's and graduating college this December so I feel like now I have to act like a "real adult". This will be the first job of consequence for me (everything before the only requirement was age and high school diploma) so it has me a very anxious. Right now I'm going off of believing that others have faith in me that I can do this job, and trying to work up to having faith in myself that I can do it. I overate yesterday because I was so worked up over the decision that I didn't quite feel hungry or full ever (isn't it strange when your stomach seems to go on a vacation like that!?). So...I'm a little disappointed in myself but I can get back on track. One day shouldn't determine my future weight loss success.

I've been procrastinating finishing my research paper/speech due Monday so I will be trying to focus on that to keep my mind off of this work anxiety.

Hope everyone has a splendid weekend!

Uki...highest northern region of the Rockies...much, much further north than Rocky Mountain High Colorado...

We are seriously snowed in now. It snowed more than a foot yesterday. I jumped on my mini-tramp but it seemed like I was in slow-mo like Fried Green Tomatoes when K.Bates was jumping on hers in the movie. I think I looked just like that. I didn't want to get my feet caught in the springs. I think I might throw it in the landfill one of these days. What does it really do? Not so much.

I am a Keto Chick. I have my dishes planned for Thanksgiving. It will be just fine and I'll roll right on by into Christmas and past New Year's.

I hope you cool chicks are doing well....men and women.

Dearest friends,

My daughter and I just had an argument on the phone and she's mad at me for not getting my kitty buried. I admit it was my fault. I had asked my neighbor to help me bury Monster and we could never get together to do it. I know you must think me a terrible pet parent for not getting it done. Jennifer is so mad at me. I tried to do it today but the ground is frozen solid. It doesn't seem to matter to Jennifer that I was so very sick with depression that I could hardly do anything and it wasn't my fault that I could not meet up with my neighbor to get it done.

I hate when she is mad at me. My borderline personality disorder is out of control. I am a mess.

MrUki— Either Fiona or Fi (pronounced "fee") is fine, but I like Fi and most folks call me that.

I wish I felt good enough to do personals, but I'm overwhelmed by the prospect of how much work we're going to have to do to rid our kittens (and our house) of ringworm. The spores get everywhere, the kittens keep getting reinfected, I've got the itchy spots myself on my arms, and so does Bob. We're going to have to clean all the rugs, mop all the floors, wash (& bleach, whenever possible) all the fabric items (like futon covers), and give the kittens baths at least once a week, preferably twice. And we have to do all this stuff repeatedly for at least a month. And we'll have to do it at the farmhouse, too, since we made the mistake of taking them to the farm right after we accidentally re-exposed them (via sorting my dirty clothes).

Meanwhile, the upper respiratory infection they've had since we got them is still impairing their breathing. Nénu in particular is miserable. And the steam treatments they like so much are probably making the ringworm worse because when the spores get moist, they germinate. =sigh=

I love these kittens so much.... it's making me crazy watching them suffer when they can barely breathe. And what Bob and I are now calling Project Ringworm... it's going to be so much work! I just can't get my head around it.

OH Fi, I am so sorry about your ringwork problem. *hug* Is there anyone you can get to help you and your husband so that you guys aren't in this all alone? I am so very sorry. I know this is a stupid question but have you taken them to the vet to be treated for the ringwork? I do not mean to stick my nose in where it does not belong. I know with fleas they make a pills that kills fleas instantly. Anyway, just my 2 cents...Love you bunches and hope you get things cleared up soon. *hug*

I am feeling a little bit better. I have decided not to think about Jennifer, it just upsets me. She is not talking to me right now so I am going to just put her out of my mind and concentrate on what I need to do here in my life. My moods are up and down. I don't know how she will be when she comes home at thanksgiving? My mom thinks Jennifer will get over our argument. I hope so but she tends to hold onto grudges.

I have to get up early in the morning, 5 am, for work. Then I have to work again at 10 am.

Have a great Sunday night. Much love to all.

Lisa: So sorry to hear that you had an argument with Jennifer about burying Monster. I hope things are fine between you when she comes home at Thanksgiving. I think you have the right attitude, though, to go on with your life and try to forget about the argument. That is really all you can do anyway. Worrying about it won't change the situation. Maybe this is just part of HER grieving about Monster? We, as moms, become easy targets for our children's anger sometimes. I hope you are comfortable with your decision to stay at DeVry. Best of luck to you with your two classes! Too bad you have to drive long distances in our January weather, but if you need to be there in person, so be it. Drive safely, please! You are precious cargo! Glad to hear you say you are doing a bit better!

MrUki: Thank you for the explanation of your screen name! That helps me out! Glad I could give you a good laugh!!! I will keep you in my prayers Monday, for your presentation, and Tuesday as you begin your "real" job! Best of luck to you! You will do great! And good for you for not beating yourself up about the stress eating! It happens to all of us at times. Keep moving forward!

Mossy: I hope you are staying warm as you are snowed in! Wow, you are WAY UP THERE in the Rockies! That area is absolutely beautiful!!! LOL about the mini tramp! Hey, SOME movement is better than none!!! I'd hang onto it! Just my 2 cents!

Fi: Oh, no, the ringworm sounds like it has taken over your home! Best of luck to you and Bob as you get to work on Project Ringworm!!! All you have to do does sound really tedious and overwhelming. Just try to take ONE thing at a time! You WILL get through this!!! Thank goodness those little kitties are so darn cute!!! I sure hope their breathing comes around and gets better SOON!!! Poor things! It is indeed sad to see the ones we love suffer.

Waving HELLO to everyone else! Hope all is well!!!