*Pokes bread in sheepishly*

I'm so sorry I've not been around much lately everyone I've been a very poor forum contributor! I hope to read back over October and catch up soon x

Well so much has happened with you all over the last couple of months!

Holly I'm really sorry to read about your job situation - it didn't sound like you were going to get on all that well with the new bosses... I:m so glad you've found a new job it seems like a positive change, even if the hours are a bit off.

I'm sorry about your son as well change is never easy, but I hope he picks up soon!

Kathleen - I'm sorry you've been struggling with marriage problems lately you guys sound pretty solid, so I hope things continue to get better!

Your poor daughter must be finding it tough with the change of finishing school and starting college it's really common to get depression when that happens - my mum worked in a university here, and she saw it very often. I hope you find a therapist who can sympathise.

Glad the physiotherapy is helping you!

Lisa I'm so sorry you had to take kitty to the emergency vet! What a shock! I hope you have a great trip in Spring, and can have a second Christmas then

Great news to hear your pills are working more effectively, and you've settled in with a good church group!

You sound a lot more positive!

Flower how have you been getting on with your food budget? Have you managed to keep off the chocolate?

I hope the winter is short for you this year! I know what you mean about needing a change of season, I really would like winter to be a bit shorter as well though

Hope the car is doing well!

I'm sorry if I've missed anything/anyone, I had a lot to catch up on!

I don't have much excuse for not being by much either!

We had a really nice holiday in Sept i fell off my diet pretty badly for a few weeks, and I've struggled to get back into it. I keep getting back to my pre-holiday weight, slipping up, gaining a few lbs, and starting all over again!

I've been doing another 6 week block of personal training sessions, I'm pretty strong now I feel thinner for it, even if I haven't lost much weight

Oh and today I reached a goal I've had for years: to run 5k (3miles)! It took me 38 minutes.

We've also been looking at buying a house outside the city - not sure when we want to move, we're just watching out for a house that ticks all our boxes

I don't have much more to report just now, but I'll try to stop by soon!

Sorry I have been away for several days. Sometimes the days just pass by....

Kathleen congrats on the 5 lb loss. That's great. Are you enjoying the Toyota Highlander?

Lisa 29 degrees IS cold. Next Wednesday they are forecasting a daytime HIGH of 27 degrees. So many days have been colder than normal. 7 of the 10 days in the forecast are def colder than normal. Not boding well for the coming winter. Hope you are continuing to do well


Coop congratulations on the 5K run. in 38 minutes !! That is awesome! Sounds like you are doing great with the personal training sessions. Makes sense that you would feel like you lost weight. Muscle weighs more than fat. So the scale may not reflect that your body has gotten more lean. Wishing you best with the house hunting. Sounds like an exciting thing to move "outside the city". Thanks for asking about the chocolate situation. Some days are good. Others not so much. Today was chocolate free.

Holy I hope the past few days have been good for you at work. I am thinking you had the weekend off. That's a luxury. Are you finding that you are getting more comfortable yet with the job? As I said before I think establishing muscle memory is not a quick process. But when it comes, you will be as fast as the others. I really do feel that.

Things have been good here. Been cold out. Today the wind chill factor was in the 20s. Wednesday it will be winter coat weather. But other than that things are good. Still trying to get a handle on the food thing. Today I was able to have an apple instead of chocolate. I cant believe how close we are to Thanksgiving.

I hope everyone has a good Sunday !

Hello! I've been absent for a couple days too.

COOP - so good to 'see' you again!! WOW congrats on the running!!! and completing the strength training block!!! you sound stronger Exciting to think about you buying a house best wishes!!!

LISA - we are here for you whenever you want to be un-quiet again Yeah that is cold!! Did you get the couch you were thinking of, a while back?

FLOWER - hello to you, my neighbor We got 3" of heavy wet snow on...friday? i think. We were lazy and didn't shovel the driveway on Saturday and it compacted down to 1" thick ice/snow. I had to chop/shovel it all yesterday. Good workout Lesson learned....always shovel that sh*t up right away Very glad I'm not feeling it in my arms/shoulders today.

thanks again for the faith you all have in me that someday I will feel more comfortable at the new job. It's just so immature of me to get the stomach roiling when I think of having to learn a new task. I was put on a new station Friday night with a very patient nice lady, my age, the first few minutes were confusing, then I kinda got it. But then assembled 4 of them wrong. The guy next to us had to hand them back and i was so afraid that I had assembled dozens of them wrong, but it was just those 4. And the lady was not perturbed at all, which was a blessing for me. I made sure to thank her for her patience and told her how appreciative i was of that, as a newbie.

I was trying to find used snow tires on CL but decided to just bite the bullet and spend $400+ for new. I would have had to drive 40 some miles to search for the used ones and then take the chance that the tread was not good. So I'll have brandy new snows put on Wednesday, and I am lucky my mechanic could get me in that quickly, at first I was quoted not til after Thanksgiving.

Well, our son finally 'allowed' us to get together yesterday. I will tell you this. Last week when I saw that his wife had changed her Facebook name to get rid of her married name, plus my husband talked to son on the phone and son said "it's over" , I felt it was the right thing to do to Un-Friend her on FB? right?? Not that we even talk or exchange anything on FB. Well, yesterday my son took me aside and said 'she was really hurt by that'. WHAT??? I managed to keep my composure and said 'you have hardly told us anything so I was just going on what I see' and he said that 'she is not the bad guy in this scenario, she is struggling too, we still talk and are trying to work things out'. well I did NOT know that. But it made me feel so bad to be admonished like that, I sat there and the tears started coming and I just went into the bathroom and sat down and cried for 10 minutes and no one even came to see why i was gone.

I STILL don't know what the deal is, and maybe my son' doesn't either, I will just freakin go with the flow. :rolleyes

Holly - some people do take it really personally when they're removed from Facebook! I totally get why you removed her though, I'm sorry your son doesn't and that he made you feel so bad for it!

Glad the new job is still going well, and your colleagues are so nice

Pat DON'T EAT THE BAGUETTE! bread is my big downfall too. It sounds like you had one of those "I've broken the diet today, I might as well go all out" type days? I was like that for about 3 weeks in September but tomorrow is a new day, and you'll get a clean slate.

I hope santa hhas brought you some early presents

I am not sure, but as winter is coming in, I think I'm getting a bit of SAD? I feel a bit down/tearful. A bit lonely too.

My dad has been forced to retire now, not before time to be fair (he's 68) but I am quite worried about him - he's gone from full time working, to nothing, and he seems a bit lost. To top it off, he's got skin cancer! Thankfully it's non-melanoma, so it's non-fatal, and they can cut it out with no other treatment. He also seems to be going into a downward spiral, and he can tend to drink a bit too much when he gets like that. I need to look into some volunteering ideas for him, see if I can get him out of the house a bit more.

I am doing well thank you.

it'll be hard not to be home for Christmas. I'll probably be posting every day being sad. I'm going to send presents to my daughter through the mail.

it's great to see you again Coop.

You're doing sooooooo good!!! Wish I could run but I just can't. My knees are crap. I got a cortisone shot in my right one last week.

I go back on the 27th for my left one. It's only a matter of time until I have to have surgery.

Flower,

Its been getting into the early 20s at night for a couple weeks now. Winter will be here no time.

I hope we get snow this winter. We hardly had any last year. I'm from Ohio, I'm used to lots of snow.

Holly,

I did finally get my couch. I love it!! I'll have to post a pic sometime.

Family crap can be so hard and so stressful. My brother still is not fond of me but it is what it is. You are a great woman, don't let that whole situation make you second guess yourself. It takes two to tango. Grown children can be a pain in the ***.

Bread is my downfall too. Plus chocolate.

I'm not going to the gym anymore. I just don't like it. I got into a size 22 jean today, from a 24. The 22 is snug but just that i got in them and zipped is something else!!!!

I've got kittens. I guess I told you already. They are walking but still very small and uncoordinated. They certainly get around though. A couple even come tottering into the living room looking for their momma. One of the little boys is very attached to me. He constantly climbs on me and loves when I hug and kiss on him