Angie and I had a great time at the Jersey Boys play today. There is a lot of "story" about Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons...including Joe Pesci....a wonderful and fun show!

Hello Everyone, Just wanted to pop in and say Hello!! We have had a very cold day here today! Our high temperature was 25 degrees! And we woke up to about 5 inches of snow on the ground! It was blowing and snowing most of the day. Tomorrow is supposed to be nicer though!

Gary ~ I've been intending to tell you that I think your "Golden Girls" Are just Beautiful!! They look like they are just as spoiled as Ginger and Sissy are!

Have a good evening everyone and I'll try to catch up with posts tomorrow! My thoughts and prayers are with all of you.

Oh, I remember the MRI. I was scared since I had heard so many stories. But they gave us a choice of music and gospel was one. That helped. I was in quite a bit of pain and it took about 40 min. but I did it!! ha! The puppies are getting out of their pen now. They look so cute running around the yard. But they don't stay away from their moms too long. Karen, my kids love snow and their big event is to go skiing in Colo. every year. They'll all be glad to hear about your snow. We used to get a lot of snow here in WI but seems lately not as much.

Asking for PRAYERS for our San Diego county. Right now 250,000 people have been evaquated from the fires. My son and daughter in law and my ex-wife's sister have been too...they are headed to my house. My neighbor has about 15 family already with him....the neighborhood is gonna rock tonight!

Gary - we will definitely keep the fire situation in prayer. I hope you enjoy having your unexpected "company".

Rennie - thanks for posting the pictures! Especially the penguins. I LOVE penguins. The zoo is such a great place to get in a walk.

Carol -thanks for posting an update on the puppies. I bet they are absolutely adorable!

Lori - will keep AJ in prayer. 10 year-olds can be so precocious!

Karen - you can keep the snow! It will be here in Michigan before long. Last year we had a foot by now!

Synergy - hi back! Glad you came back and posted :)

Rosebud - keeping your DH in prayer as well. I know the pain and inconvenience only too well! I'm sure he appreciates all the help you are giving him!

bargoo - Hang in there! Hopefully, you will have your results soon. We are keeping you in prayer too!

Things here are going well! More church office manager interviews tomorrow evening. Thanks to all that are keeping the situation in prayer.

Blessings to all, I hope you have a wonderful evening and Tuesday!

:wave: HELLO EVERYONE ~ just checkin' in ...

Thanks for all your prayers and concerns for DH; much appreciated. Had a good day; made a large batch of homemade Vegetable Soup Base and put it in the freezer in small containers; so handy.

GARY ~ so sorry to hear about all those fires in California; will definitely pray that some of our rain comes down there to put them out; you need it more than us.

Right now, our town is being hit by massive closings and lay-offs at three of our major employers; many are very concerned about the future. DH and I are so fortunate that we aren't directly affected, but we are praying very hard for those families that are, as we know many of them (as it's a small town). It seems there are troubles everywhere these days; but we must keep our faith in GOD to get us all thru them ...

:welcome: SYNERGY ~ nice to see you again.

Seems we aren't the only ones to be blessed with the *** white stuff *** in October this year; but, snow is good for Colorado for the skiing season. I remember seeing TV shows about Christmas in Colorado ...

MOM ~ sorry you are having investment/house problems. Sounds like AJ is learning to express himself quite well; could he be a tad bored at school right now? I have known children to act out for that very reason ... prayers that everything works out for you and your family!

HELLO TO EVERYONE ELSE; hope all is well ...

Take good care; your fellow encourager :hug: ROSEBUD :hug: ^PRAYERS^ are ascending for YOU and YOURS!

Full house right now...just finished dinner...ordered pizza, which is not on MY PLAN...but hey...I ate like a champ!

We have added for the night...1 son ~ 1 daughter in law and her 3 fish ~ 1 ex-sister in law and her white german shepard....Angie's car is in the driveway daughter in laws car is in the garage....wouldn't have it any other way....

Hi there!
 

Wilma- congrats down 5 lbs way to go!!!
Rosebud- Thanks!- Fresh veggies sound awesome...
Shy-Glad you were able to enjoy the zoo- cute pics- nice thought keeping e.z. busy so he wouldn't have to watch those horrible boring games:D
Synergy- welcome!!!
Countingdown- way to go staying strong!!!
E.Z.- Thanks!!!! Prayers continue for Jeff and scott! For all those impacted by the fires, and for good fellowship w/ family and extended family...
BaRGOO- PRAYERS for MRI results!!!
Karen- brr- 25 snow will be here soon probably but today was beautiful hit almost 80
Lori -continued prayers for you and yours that God will bless you with all you do!!

Blessing to everyone else gotta work days so gotta be up and out at 7am have an awesome day!!
I had a great time with my niece and the days off now working till tues. next week.. try to pop in...Jim still at sunnyview rehab, there is a hold-up waiting for a bed to open, then he will transfer to Boston, please continue prayers as continues to not get the amount of re-hab he needs as he is on a transfer list so they cut him way back... catch ya later have an awesome day!!!!

Hello Everyone,
I thought that I would share a couple pictures that I took today. The first one is Pikes Peak taken from our front porch. The whole mountain range is covered in snow and will probably remain white now until next Spring. The other picture of the deer is taken from my laundry room looking out back. After 5 inches of snow yesterday that is all we have left on the ground today. Pretty amazing! When I got up this morning it was 2 degrees and our high temperature made it all the way to 35!

Still saying lots of prayers for all the people effected by the fires. So many homes lost. I pray that the winds will slow down and they can get these fires under control.

Take care everyone and stay safe.

All is as well as can be here. House covered in ashes...hard to breath. 325,000 folks evacuateed so far...fire nearest my son's place is moving away from it. we are all safe...

Lori Reba has had a couple of "dominate" issues with the shephard....the shepard wants ALL my attention...which is exactly what Reba wants. But pretty good really...so far...

Hi!
 

Nice pics Karen, good job shy! continued prayers E.Z. catch ya later!

Still doing fine ~ house is getting more guests ~ everyone wants to join the evacuee party! A lot of smoke and ashes...but we are all still safe...daughter and son in law here now and a couple of nieces....later....and thanks for the prayers!

Gary: We're hearing a lot about the fires up here in Canada too. Everyone involved is in our prayers. Glad to hear you and yours are safe.

Just a quick pop-in. I read everyone's posts and will keep the prayers ascending. Especially for those in southern CA. I just got home from the church office manager interviews. We made a selection. Thanks everyone for your prayers.
Blessings to all!

Continue to pray for southern California, my grandson, his girlfriend, her brother and mother have been evacuated, all are safe but Daniele expects to lose her Rancho Bernardo home.

Gary, Did your guests lose their homes? It sounds awful there. Praying for you all. Discussing weight loss seems kind of trivial when things like this are happening. But you seem pretty calm about it, Gary. Has this happened before?

HI GALS ~:wave:

FIRE UP-DATE ~We are all fine. The fires are all around us but we are still in no danger from them....as long as the wids do as expected. They did change last night and sent a lot of folks packing that were safe before. Last count there was one million people displaced from all the fires in southern California.

The fire that evacuated my kids and sister in law, has moved a little closer because of the winds last night, but that is controled now and it is burning away from them again. They are still "mandatory evacuated" here for now. Still having fun with family but we are all stir crazy...we can't go out to walk, not supposed to be on the road if at all possible, keeping water and energy use down, etc.

There is still a lot of smoke and ash, actually much more than before, as the fires get closer. It is hot here because of the santa ana winds but we are supposed to leave the air conditioning off because of the power usage.

CAROL ~There really is nothing I can do about it...so why worry. NOW! if I was one of the evacuees not knowing if my house was still standing...I am sure I would be worried. Yes, this has happened before, several times in our area....but never of this magnitude. Weight loss is not trivial....we all have issues at different times in our lives that might make it seem that way....but God creates us with many interests and talents...it's all about balance. This site has been AWESOME in helping people! Nothing trivial about that! ;)

BARGOO ~They are allowing people back into Rancho Bernardo, at least to view damage, if she hasn't lost it yet, she should be fine.

LAURIE ~I am glad you made the selection, doesn't sound like it was easy.

RENNIE ~Love the pics.

KAREN ~Ditto.

WILMA ~Weigh in today for me was 174.4....without looking I think that is what I was last week. OK...I had to go look it up...I have been at 174 for 2 weeks now...I was down to 172 twice...oh well...not complaining!

AUNT SUE ~Prayers for Jim and the new rehab.

LORI ~A few minor issues with the mutts but nothing serious! How is it going with AJ.?

ROSEBUD ~I will pray for the "economy" in your area.

SYNERGY ~Hello.

A BIG thank-you for all your prayers!

I will check in later! My prayers are with you all!

GOOD NEWS FROM SO CAL

My grandson was able to get back to his home in San Diego today, no problems there and his girlfriend returned to her Ranch Bernardo home to find the fire had missed her place, Praise God! Thank you all for your prayers.

Barbara

Just checking in. Prayers for everyone in southern CA! Barbara - that is GREAT news indeed.
Gary - don't use all that company as an excuse to go off plan - LOL Glad you are looking for a silver lining in all of this and enjoying your new-found popularity! We will continue to keep everyone in prayer.

HI GALS ~ :wave:

Things are better here on the fire reports. My kids are still included in the evacuations though, many are able to go home. The smoke and ash is really bad at my house today as the winds shift...but the winds are down, which is helping our AWESOME FIREFIGHTERS!

The kids all eat whatever Angie and I make without complaining, they always have, so that isn't a problem with my plan. They actually, other than knucklehead nephew, eat healthy. The problem is....I brought in some chips and dip for easy snacking the first day...I am the one that keeps sneaking into the bags ;) ....but seriously, I have been pretty good considering we are pretty much confined to the house right now due to the poor air. Good news is...my weight is still going between 172-174 as it has for two weeks...no loss though :mad:

I am sending a link to the fires ~ on the right, in the middle, is an interactive map that is pretty informative...as you click on the fires, the RICE CANYON fire is the one that effects my son and daughter in law....that one and the ones on Camp Pendelton are the 3 closests to us right now.

To find the fires by me ~ look at the bottom of the state and for Oceanside....there is a group of fires just to the right...in the middle, as you move your mouse, the Rice fire (the kids) should show up...the Wilcox fire is the the other one closest to us, the Coronado fire is closest of all to us, but it is 100% contained and may be out by now.

Thanks for the prayers ~ Right back at'cha :hug:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21466781/from/ET/

Barbara, That is just wonderful news!!

I can't...it's stuck!

I'm tossing them out Rennie~ I don't want to start us up with another bad habit!!!

Dawn - good to see that you convinced Gary to give up the chips! You are such an encourager and motivator on this forum!
Gary - glad to hear that you are still keeping your sense of humor through it all. I'm also happy to hear that the firefighters are starting to win this battle. I agree - they are an awesome group of people indeed!!!!

I hope everyone had a wonderful day! I pray that you were able keep everything in balance today - eating, playing, sleeping, working, praying ...
Blessings to all :)

:wave: HELLO TO EVERYONE ~

GARY ~ prayed all week about your fires; glad things are much better there now and you are all safe. Prayers for all those who have lost homes and family also. Will pray that the air will clear of smoke and ash soon too.

Glad your gov(s) have stepped forward to offer consolation and hope (to rebuild). Thought that was neat how the rabbis are praying and offering their compound as a haven for those brave firefighters.

Thanx for prayers for our little town; one company had a NO VOTE for strike, so the jobs were saved; and friends are relieved. One company is closed (even machines have been removed; that doesn't sound good), but if the head company goes bankrupt, somebody else could buy up our division (which was a money-making plant). The head company got into financial difficulty after expanding too much. The third (The Railway) has a partial strike force; haven't heard about any more strikes, closings, or layoffs yet (so that's a good sign).

CONGRATS TO WILMA ~ on your recent weightloss.
KAREN ~ Nice pics of the mountains; what a fabulous view!
SHY ~ is our resident JUNK OFFICER (no candy bars or chippies) ... LOL!

HELLO TO EVERYONE ELSE ~ everyone seems to be doing great! Take good care of yourselves; your fellow encourager :hug: ROSEBUD :hug:^PRAYERS^ are floating upwards, ever still; for YOU and YOURS!

GOOD MORNING GALS ~ :coffee:

The smoke is clearing here, getting easier to breath. I don't think Angie wants to risk the dogs out in it yet. The news advises us not to be out for extended periods of time until after the week-end. So no Starbucks walk for the mutts this morning....:(......they will be :mad: without their Staurday water latte ;)

We went to dinner last night with the kids. We already had plans to meet my son and :love: daughter in law :love:. Even though they had spent most of the week here, they wanted to go anyway. My daughter came up and joined us since she was coming up here anyway to my nieces :dracula: HALLOWEEN :ghost: party....:p son in law :p A.K.A. kidnapper, had a class and couldn't join us :carrot:....strange though :shrug: he never misses a free meal ;)

I put some new pictures over in mini-goals. We took them before we went to dinner last night. I am starting to look thinner! :carrot:

I will be back later....off to uncrate the mutts and throw them into bed with ANGIE!

Great new avatar, Gary.

Gary, Love the new avatar and I checked out your pics in the mini goals-- WONDERFUL!! You have done amazing!

Gary - love the new pictures! Angie must be so much fun!

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! Off to get some cleaning done - ugh!

GARY ~ Awwwe ... your poor little Golden Girls are locked up in jail ... crates? ;) Why, to keep them from bolting from doggy-prison? ;) Poor darlings ... will pray doubly hard for that all the nasty smoke and ash to leave quickly. I saw some pics of Angela in the Mini-Goals; she looks great, as usual. Everyone here agrees ...

Not too much goin' on around here; got some more snow today. It's a frozen mess out there, so everyone's staying home tonight (roads aren't safe). Been keepin' on plan and tryin' to get lots of walking in (before that slushy snow came, I mean). :yikes: Not looking forward to walking in that; think we'll have a HOE-DOWN instead ~ LOL!

HELLO TO EVERYONE ELSE ~ CONGRATS ~ CUZ YOU ALL LOOK GREAT; take good care and have a great week ~ your fellow encourager :hug: ROSEBUD :hug: ^PRAYERS^ for you and yours continue ...

Just checking in after our Halloween party across the street...I am happy there was beer there ;)

ROSEBUD ~We have always crated our dogs at night...they love it! If I don't say "who's ready to go night-night" by 9:00...one of my dogs comes up and starts barking at me by 9:30 EVERY night...I swear...they love their crates. The crates are in the garage, in a room...our gym. I put them to bed, with their blankets and of course a cookie...then shut off the lights and close the door. I don't hear a peep from them until I let them out in the morning...4th of July...don't ever hear a sound from them. They love it! They feel safe. Oh, and my Angela does look great.

LORI ~Thanks for the compliments...but we are just "normal" people...OK...Angie is normal! ;)

LAURIE ~The more $$$$ I give her the more fun she is ;)

RENNIE ~Looks can be deceiving...;)

KAREN ~Nothing amazing....I just ATE BETTER and I exercised to the amount of about 6 miles a day WALKING....it does take time...it does take a little effort...but it can be done!

CAROL ~Thanks, I am happy about the pics in mini-goals! I finally look skinny!

Hello Everyone! I thought that I would pop in for a few minutes here. I just took this picture about 20 minutes ago and can you believe that is “smoke” from the California fires!! We usually have such a good clear view of Pikes Peak but not today!

I’m still getting laundry done and hoping that things move on the house but still waiting and TRYING to be patient!

Sure hope everyone has a good day and I'll try to check back later.

Hi everyone!

It's been so long since I've posted. It's been a bit hectic around here. DS has had friends over almost all weekend and guess who gets to cook. I enjoy it though.

My niece is going through some rough times with her BF and she doesn't know where it's heading so I've been spending a bit of time with her. Being young and not knowing if someone is the "right one" is so tough.

My eating has been really bad this past week. I am back to eating salads for lunch. I had been taking other things for my lunches last week and really noticed the difference. I really need those salads. I know I need to concentrate on myself and my body more so that is my goal. I would love to lose a few more pounds by Christmas.

Gary I'm glad you posted the pics. I can notice the difference! Way to go.
It sure looks like Angie doesn't mind the changes either!:D

I've had a relaxing Sunday. Had the kids in for dinner after church and than rested and read a book. Now I need to do something so I'm going to get DH off the couch and get doing something.

Have a great week!

SHY ~ was just passing thru; and reading. We don't have any place here to buy walking videos, but come Christmas we may take a trip out of town; so will keep a look-out for them at that time; thanx for the suggestion. I have heard others mention that they really like them too.

HI WILMA ~ yah, long-time no see or hear ~ LOL! Yah, get that DH off that couch and do something fun!

GARY ~ OK, if you say so; but we can't crate our furry babies. They are so spoiled and sensitive that they would have a caniption fit if we left them anywhere. They are a small breed mix (one is cock-a-poo and one terrier). They cry when they hear or see me coming home just from shopping; the c/p gets upset if she can't see me or be in the same room, even the ladies room. Dh says she an appendage (meaning she's attached to me - LOL!)

Right now, she is laying beside me on her pink comforter; her daughter is by my chair. The terrier is now even more sucky than her mom; age I think. We do love them so; kinda like little kiddies in some ways.

KAREN ~ oops, sorry about that; I was praying that GOD would send some winds from the ocean to push that smoke and ash out of California. It's gotta go somewhere; but I was kinda hoping it would go up ... LOL! You still working on that laundry ~ you gotta business going on there?;)

That's my check-in for today; so have a great evening ~ your fellow encourager :hug: ROSEBUD :hug:^PRAYERS^ for YOU and YOURS are continuously flowing upwards ...

HI GALS ~

I have to be quick tonight. we are ahvin a birthday party for nephew...he is 17 years old today. I am making spaghetti and meatballs for about 20 family members.

I am still maintaining and getting my miles in every day! I keep going back and forth between 172 and 174....for 3 weeks now...which is good...but I really got used to losing EVERY week...greedy! ha! I 'spose if I back the beer back a little that would help....and I find myself...from time to time...thinking...humm I can have a "little" more...after all I am doing so well. Need to stop that!

ROSEBUD ~Seriously my mutts LOVE their crates....they usually go to bed around 9:00...if Angie and I get to watching a movie, sometimes they just go downstairs, out their doggie door to the garage, into the gym room and into their crates...by themselves. If they can't get into the gym, they bark until I come and put them to bed. And then sometimes I have to "wake" them up to put them to bed...they are crashed out in "their" spots...Rylee by Angie and Reba by me.

WILMA ~Sorry about the niece....relationships can be tough. Weigh in in 2 days...doubt if I have a loss....dang!

KAREN ~Sorry about all that smoke! It changes from day to day here...depending on the wind. They said that the smoke had gone 70 miles out to sea, then came back with the onshore winds...crazy!

RENNIE ~Keep those videos "burnin'!"

Well HI to all...have work to do. BYE!

Just checkin' in.
Gary - hope you had a fun party! I love having a houseful. You and Angie didn't get much of a rest from having family over during the fires!!!

Rosebud - I had a hard time crating our Mozart. It was only after he got in the garbage and got an empty shredded cheese bag stuck on his nose and almost died, that we bought a crate. He really did well with it and seemed not to mind it at all. Once he outgrew the garbage raiding (well, we also bought a dogproof can), we packed up the crate. We also put a doggie door on the back of the house which really helped him stay out of trouble while we were at work!

Wilma, glad to see you back! We will keep your neice in prayer. It is a hard decision for some!!

Karen, thanks for posting the pic! It is hard to relate to back here in Michigan. We continue to keep your housing situation in our prayers as well! Patience is hard sometimes for me as well. But, I know that God has a plan and it will work - I just have to trust and wait!

It promises to be a busy week for me. One co-worker had oral surgery and will be out, and another one was in a car-bike accident (she was on the bike) and broke her pelvis in two places. She will be out for several months. Consequently, my plate just got heaped to overflowing with extra duties. Neither one has a job where we can hire a temp or sub to do the work. Looks like long days are gonna be the norm for November. It is times like this I would LOVE an hourly job instead of a salaried one - LOL!

But, on a positive note - I shouldn't have time to do much off-plan eating!

I hope everyone had a great Monday! And - keep that Halloween candy out of reach ;)

SHY ~ the library sounds like a good idea; that way I could look them over before putting out any $$$ ... I will also check at our local second-hand store this week ...

GARY ~ I know that some peoples' dogs are used to different things from the time they are puppies; my step-mother's poodle won't go outside unless she has a leash on; they trained her that way. Our girls go outside on a long lead with a large hook on both ends; they are used to that cuz we have trained them to that and a leash. I know that your dogs are loved; you can see it in their happy faces ...

Had a good day today; kept busy doing housework and such; stayed on plan and went out for three walks today. I set bird feeders up all around our backyard so that I have to go for quite a trek to get them all done. Walking thru the snow burns lots more energy too. DH went to therapy, and he's doing so well that Friday may well be his last session; thanx for all the prayers!

COUNTING ~ you posted while I was typing; we have a steel garbage can with lid and our girls are very small (about a foot high), so that's not a problem for us. We never had a reason to put them in crates, so we just never thought of it ~ LOL! They really are gems; I have to say. We have neighbours that crate their dogs so they don't tear things up while they are sleeping.

HELLO TO EVERYONE ELSE ~ hope you all have a great week; and take good care; your fellow encourage :hug: ROSEBUD :hug:^PRAYERS^ for YOU and YOURS continue ...