Sunny... it's so easy to say kind words when it's about a kind person! :D And I'm VERY sorry to hear that you have a sore throat! Tis the season, I suppose. :( I really hope you're on the mend now and that you can get back into the swing of things! :)

Thanks for the link to the other pictures... I especially love the one of Zeppe nibbling at the tasty-looking Gingerbread House! :lol: Sooooooo cute! Oh, and I have to say... Joe has the most friendliest face I think I've ever seen! It certainly looks like you all (kitties included!) had a wonderful Christmas! I'm so very glad for you, girl!

Yes, I had a nice Christmas as well. Thanks for asking. :) Really busy, though... and a little difficult since my Nana and aunt just passed away. Tavis and I commissioned an art student from the University here to sketch Nana and Poppa's wedding portrait (they were married just shy of 61yrs!), then had it framed and gave it to Poppa for his Christmas present. The look on his face will definitely rank as one of my most favorite memories of all time. :)

Cathie... You are certainly on your way this month, aren't you?! Good for you, girly! I don't suppose you could walk enough miles for me too, huh? No, I didn't think so. If only it worked that way! ;) Keep up the fantastic work!

Juliana... A big welcome to you... and best of luck in your weightloss journey! I'm looking forward to reading more about your successes! :)

---

DH and I are going out with some friends this evening and I'm really quite excited about some "adult" time. I think the last evening we had without Meleigha was in late September, so yeah, we're due. ;) Other than that, not much on the weekend agenda. How about you gals?

Anyways, DD is wanting to play Hungry Hungry Hippos, so I really should get going! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Take care of yourselves!

~mel

Good Morning Gang! :wave:

anybody walking today?

I don't have to clean house today so I did a 60 minute 4 mile WATP Express tape. :cp:

Jan Miles = 12

hugs,
cahty

Oh, Cathy, I LOVE the 4-mile Express walk! It's my favorite. No walking for me yet, between my energy being just at rock bottom and daily doctor's appointments. It really is literally DAILY, including today. :dizzy: I have a respite tomorrow and Monday, so I'm planning on getting in at least one walk one of those days. Then on Tuesday I get my port (chest catheter) put in under general anesthesia and on Wednesday I meet with my oncologist and then on Thursday I'll have my first chemo. But I AM planning on getting in at least 3 walks per week for as long as I can.

i'm baaaaack!!!!!!!!!!
 

My oh my i am truly either the Queen of Procrastination or just a plain lazy bones! Sorry i was AWOL for a few weeks...but i was thinkin' of you guys!

Had terrific holidays...then had vacation the week between Christmas & New Years. Just relaxed mostly...and did some shopping (does that count as a walk? :dizzy: ) and my Mom & i painted our hallway-one of many home improvement resolutions we made!

Now that i made it through my first week back to work i am planning on getting back into the swing of things. i was at a wedding last night so i danced my feet off instead of walking! i LOVE to dance! Today i am paying for it :lol: ...very sore...but that's ok. i may get a short walk in with my dog Dana...if the feet can take it.

Cathy-you are an absolute inspiration! i am in awe at how you can keep at your goal. When i feel like just veggin' instead of movin' i will think of you!

Sunny-Hey you! i haven't lost my way as you can see! Hope you are feeling better. Something is going around at my work...gotta take some extra vitamin C maybe to keep it at bay!

Mel-nice to see you are still here! i know you can keep up the good work!

Julian-WELCOME :D you will LOVE this bunch without a doubt!

Sarah-i am for sure keeping you in my prayers...and with all the prayers & support you will have from this group, not to mention the strength i feel from you...you WILL beat this!

i ordered the Walkblaster set months ago, but have yet to do it as i need to move some furniture around so i have room.

sayin' so long for now!
deb

Had myself a nice weekend... even with our friends unable to join us for an evening out. The roads were hideous and being that they're all from out of town, they decided not to risk the drive. Definitely a good idea. In the end, Tavis and I went out for dinner and then to a movie (National Treasure). It had been years (3, to be precise) since we had the chance to go to the theatre, so we really quite enjoyed ourselves. And the movie was pretty good; action, adventure, some comedy. I mean, c'mon, with Nick Cage, you can pretty well be guaranteed a good flick. :)

Tomorrow is WI... and I'm really aiming to be down in the 146 range! I guess we'll see! I lost another pound as of Friday evening and with every ounce gone, I'm feeling so much better about myself. It's such an emotional journey, isn't it? You learn so much about yourself and so much about why life took you where it did. I certainly have become more aware of why I allowed myself to become someone I didn't even recognize. It really is a daily awareness though.

Anyway.

---

Sarah... my very best wishes sent your way, girl! And like Sunny, I hope you have someone you can lean on, someone to support you through the seemingly-endless dr's appointments! :) Please let us know how you're doing and don't push yourself too hard. We're all thinking of you! :)

Sunny... I'm sorry to hear that your sore throat became a full-fledge cold, and that you had to miss your nephew's party because of it. I sure hope you are feeling better now. Don't feel bad about not getting your miles in, just take time for yourself to recoup and soon, you'll be right as rain and walking like crazy! :) As for me, yes, I've been slowly getting my miles in. It's hard to do so with all the wintery conditions, but just a few months from now it'll be Spring and we can all enjoy the warmer days. :) I'm really not much for cold weather. I can handle the rain like there's no tomorrow, in fact, I grew up on Vancouver Island which I would liken the typical weather there to Seattle, but the snow... ummm... I'd rather not have anything to do with it. :lol:

Deb... Sounds like you've been crazy-busy what with the holidays, vacation, and now back to work. And it definitely sounds like you had a great time at that wedding... dancing, dancing, dancing! :) Good for you! Hey, and excercise is excercise, so yeah, it absolutely counts! :) Keep up the fantastic work!

Cathy... as always, you're doing phenom! Where do you get all your energy from? ;) Keep it up, girl!

---

Well, I should be off, lots still to get done this evening. Take care and I hope you all have a happy and healthy day tomorrow! :)

~mel

Hi!
 

Thought i would pop in while i'm having my Chai Latte to say a quick hello. Alas there was no walking for me yesterday or today. That dancing at the wedding seriously did me in. On my feet all day at work then out to pick up doggie food and i was wiped out tonight.

i hear we are in for some icky weather now so i really gotta set up that Walkblaster. Has anyone ever tried the vitamin/herbal supplements by Leslie? i tried the sample with the Walkblaster...i am thinking they actually gave me some energy! Can it really be?

Mel-How did the weigh in go? Hope it was successful! i am thinking of purchasing a scale...ours is so old.

Sunny-Feeling better? Hope so!

Cathy-i can only think that if you ain't postin' you're out walking...you go girl!

Sarah-Many hugs & prayers are sent your way! Be strong!

See ya later!
deb

good morning gang :wave:

Well I didn't get to walk yesterday. life got in the way, but that's the way it goes sometimes. So I set my alarm for 5:00 this morning and drug my tired behind out of the bed and did a 30 minute 2 mile WATP video w/2 lb weights, and then 50 situps. I cannot tell you how much better I feel thru the day when I do that - yesterday I was draggin so bad. :faint: but today I'm perky and ready to face the day. :cb:

Jan Miles = 14

hope everyone has a blessed day!

hugs,
cathy

hey? hey? hey?
where are all my walking buddies?
out walkin? ;)

I did another 30 minute 2 mile WATP Express
this morning and then 50 situps.

Jan Miles = 16

:tread:

hugs, cathy

Sunny - I am so sorry that you have the flu!
Girl you take care of yourself, and definitely don't jump back in too quick!
get well first!
I'm not going anywhere and we will be here when you feel better!

I had a splitting headache when I woke up this morning, so didn't exercise. Glad to say it is much better now and I'm hoping to walk at noon. Will let ya know if I do.

Mel - how did the weigh in go? You are doing AWESOME! I am so proud of you!

Hey Deb - how are the feet? I'm with Mel - exercise is exercise - and it all COUNTS! Let me know how you like the Walkblaster. You mentioned moving furniture around - is it bigger than it looks? I mean does it take up a lot of space? just wondering.

hope everyone has a BLESSED day!

hugs,
cathy

ok - I went to the church gym at noon.

I did 20 minutes on the treadmill (bec they have signs up that says to limit it to 20 minutes at a time), and then 10 minutes around the track (so that I could get in 30 minutes of walking) and then 15 minutes on the weight machines.

soooooooo that is 2 more miles.

Jan Miles = 18

Sorry I haven't been on in a couple days, I have been thinking about all of you though! And hoping that you are all keeping well!

WI on Monday didn't go well. I was up a pound. And really felt bad for it. But yesterday I was down again so I'm feeling better about having balanced it out. Since I'm on LA Weightloss, and the last couple weeks have been slow to lose, I'm on this "Jump Start" phase again (for the next two days) where I eat 1/2 of a cantaloupe, 2 of their soy-protein bars, 6 oz of lean protein and 2 servings of green vegetables each day. It's supposed to get my metabolism going full tilt again... so we'll see. I thought I would be hungry on it, but so far I'm doing just fine. And water always helps to fill you up.

Managed to get 2 more miles in yesterday, so my exercise is coming along at a decent pace. I really can't wait for all the snow to be gone and for the temp. to be in the positive-range so I can get outdoors and walk. Oh well, Spring will soon be here...!

---
Sarah... VERY best wishes sent your way, girl! We're all thinking of you! Please take care of yourself! :)

Sunny... I certainly hope you feel better soon, as well. That flu sure knocked you on your tush, hey? They're awful things! :( Take your time, and like Cathy said, we'll all be here when you're feeling stronger and ready to get back at it!

Cathy... Good for you, getting another couple miles in! You sure are kickin' some butt as far as miles go! Keep up the excellent work, lady! You truly are an inspiration to us all! :)

Deb... Hoping you are keeping well... and enjoying your Walkblaster! Do let us know how you like it! :) Take care of yourself!

---
Well ladies, I have to go fix lunch now, but I hope you all have a happy and healthy day! Type you soon!

~mel

hey? can I talk to ya'll about something for a minute. I hope I don't sound too weird but here goes....

Ok I have a few thoughts about going to the church gym during lunch. First off, the place was really full today. There are 20 machines, including 3 treadmills and 2 stationary bikes, and the rest are weight machines. There were about 15 people in the place – and several were men. I don’t think I care for exercising around others, but want to give it a chance since it is something new to me and I may just not like that it is “different” then what I am use to. But I was uncomfortable.

And then two other things bothered me – all the mirrors. I mean first off I don’t look at myself (my body) much in the mirror because I don’t like what I see in the mirror because of my weight. I don’t mean I avoid mirrors – I just don’t look at myself much in the mirror.

Well two walls are see thru glass and two walls are solid mirrors, and when you are sitting on these weight machines with your face forward, you are looking straight in the mirror at yourself. I realize you are suppose to be watching yourself for good form, but I don’t like what I see – I don’t like seeing the fat – I don’t know – I’m just not use to seeing myself like that – I don’t watch myself exercise ya know. So then I tried to just focus on my face – look into my eyes in the mirror – well that just felt funny like I was staring at myself or something. haha. Then I noticed this one lady watching me the whole time. I don’t know if she was watching to see how to use the machines, like maybe it was her first time there, but I sure didn’t look like somebody who had it all figured out. haha I even saw her just sitting and counting as I would do my reps. I mean just ask – I will tell you – I’m either doing 3 sets of 10’s or 2 sets of 15’s. It just felt eerie, like I was being watched and I didn’t want to be watched. haha

Then with all the weight machines, here are all these people holding onto the different handles and I just thought about all the germs, and it bothered me. I couldn’t wait to wash my hands – just wondered what all you could come down with from everybody that is in and out of there.

I guess I could get some of the gloves that you wear whenever you are lifting weights – ya know that would keep my bare hands from touching the handles that everybody else has put their germs on. LOL

My gosh – do I sound weird about this! And I getting old and paranoid and ocd about things?

Anybody else ever feel like this?

Still bein' kinda lazy!
 

Hellooooooooo!

Yes---the lazies have set in...but on a GOOD note i have been eating better the past few days!

Cathy-Man, i wish i could bottle your energy! As for the Walkblaster---my problem is it will need to be in view of the tv so i can follow the dvd...but we have a 10 piece sectional, coffee table, end table, bar, card table (with a puzzle-in-progress), antique dresser, video shelf and crib (My mom babysits my niece during the day) all in the rec room...so i need to figure out where i can maneuver the best. It really isn't much bigger than a step i guess.

As far as feeling self conscious (spelling?) at the church gym...i expect that is a normal feeling. You can take the "stares" in stride and try to ignore them or you can use them for a reason to say hi and make a new exercising buddy! Of course being from Jersey my first instinct would be to say "Whadda YOU lookin' at?!) :lol: As for the germ thing...you're gonna find them anywhere and the most common sense approach is just wash your hands after you workout. No soap? use that hand sanitizer stuff that doesn't need water! Way back when, i belonged to an all women gym and it was nice. i used the machines but always had a towel to wipe them down. Then one day they had men trainers there...and i just never went back...i disliked my body as it was so who needed guys around ya know? So you see...normal feelings that you will work through!

Mel-keep up the good work girl! Glad you didn't let that silly old pound get ya down!!!!!! i haven't weighed myself in quite awhile...not sure i will like what i see!

Sunny-Hey hey...almost back in the groooove!!!!!!! Glad to hear it! :cheer:

Julian-where'd ya disappear to? Don't walk TOO far!!!!! ha!

Sarah-i'm praying all is going well with you! :goodvibes

Off to bed i go!
deb