[EZMONEY]

HI GALS ~

What an exciting day! My dear friend DONNA...aka SUNNYD57 is back! You will just love her!! I promise!

Well working out of town last week went pretty well. I left Monday morning at 3:15 and got back Thursday night around 9:30. Angie wasn't here to meet me with kisses but the mutts were. Angie was at her yoga book club.

We had 6-9 guys in the apartment all week, crowded but not too bad really. We all know the $$$ situation these days and are glad to still have a job without paycuts...so far anyway

We watched Raymond-King of Queens-3 1/2 Men and American Idol. All the guys can agree on these and with one TV...even though my brother and I "control" the remote we all have different tastes in TV of course.

I should finish the job next week and be back home for awhile again. My next project is only about 30 miles away.

Angie and I went for Italian last night at a local pizza joint we haven't been to for a few years. I had read in the paper that they had new owners and a new menu. Now the pizza has always been great there and it is only 1 1/2 mile away but a bit pricey for pizza, when we have a place almost as good and less by about $5 a pizza only a mile away. Anyway we were a bit disappointed, the pizza was great as always, pepperoni for me and tomato/basil for Angie and the antipasto salad was good but the menu was the same as far as I could figure. Baked ziti, spaghetti and lasagna. Nothing new or special as far as I could tell. Got my fix over anyway! Now how was that for a measly complaint....boy is my life tough! ....poor baby Gary!

Sorry gals...on to more substance! Angie just walked in from bell choir practice. We will go to 8am service tomorrow and then the ground breaking ceremony for the new building project. The building is going well, all the old has been torn down and the ground has been graded for the new one. Exciting things to happen soon!

GOTTA GO....Angie and I didn't get our walk in with the dogs earlier because of the rain. It is clear now so we are going to gout out for a few miles. Have a great day gals!

[bargoo]

I received my report on my PET Scan , It is good news! I am responding to treatment and some of the words used in the report are decreasing, responding , favorable mixed in among the medical terms. The oncologist wrote on the report " better" which is what we hoped for .Praise be to God!

[EZMONEY]

When we hear great news like that BARGOO the first thing we always want to say is Our Lord IS GOOD! And He is! But He is also good when the news isn't!

Thanking our LORD today that the news is good!

[O2Bthin]

Hi All!

Today has been a good day. I made chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies for my kids this morning and got some work done around the house. When I make cookies I love eating the dough. I had one small taste of the choc chip dough and none of the pntbtr, but did eat a pntbtr cookie when they came out of the oven. It cost me 4 WW points, but I counted it. I have stayed on plan today and feel much better. Having a Big Mac last night got me over my junk food craving.

Have any of you read the book "Finally Thin" by Kim Benson? I am just about done reading it. It has been very inspiring and she gives you a lot of things to help you with your own weight loss journey. She weighed 350lbs and now weights 137. If you get a chance read it.

It seems like a lot of you are using the Wii Fit. I have looked at it many times, but not sure if it's for me. Can anybody fill me in on what exercise you can do with it. We have a PS2 so I thought of getting the Dance Dance Revolution game and use it for exercise. Has anyone used that?

I may not get to post tomorrow because we have choir practice from 2:00 - 5:00. We are starting to practice for our Easter Cantata.

May the presence of Jesus bless each of you!

Kathy

[EZMONEY]

THIS POST IS FOR MY DEAR FRIEND DONNA AND HER HUSBAND JOE ~

AND FOR YOU ALL TO READ!

I am so happy to see you back. Sorry you came back needing something we have always been able to give here...but oh so thankful that we are still here and supplying that need!

Thank You Jesus!

For those of YOU that have not yet had the privilege to meet Donna I want you to know that for a long time she helped a few of us hold this thread together! She was such an inspiration for us.

We have a pretty solid group now, but as we know it can change in a heartbeat. So many we thought would stay have left for reasons we will never know. I often think "it's me isn't it?"

DONNA, Angie and I couldn't be better. She has earned her certification to teach yoga and will be doing that soon as a ministry, Lord willing, in a new building we have being built at church. She still teaches 6th grade. I have been working for a company for about 3 years now that builds car dealerships. I travel more than before but the money is very good and although I stay out of town more than I would like I have no plans to change jobs at the moment due to the world's economy!

The kids are doing great....both of mine have married since we last visited.

Ryan and his wife are high school history teachers. He is also the head track and field coach and she coaches the dance team. She is also a Charger cheerleader. Ryan continued to do track all through college.

Amanda is a scientist and works for a company that does research for the United States Navy. She often does research on NAVY SEALS and has been known to go into the 29 Palms area by the way for her work Her husband is a tennis instructor at a club in Del Mar. They have know each other since she was in 6th grade. Amanda continued her tennis through college.

Both my kids graduated Magna Cum Laude from college with Honors.

Lara graduated with an A avg. in high school also and is in her junior year at a college in New York. Doing well but still has some issues from being part of an extended family with a very controlling father. She matures every year and her and Angie have a better relationship now. Lara quit sports after high school but took up yoga, something her and Angie can do together now.

Knucklehead nephew Ron graduated...and that was good! He is currently in the United States Navy in Great Lakes. He finished boot a few months ago and came home for Christmas. He is "mixed" on wether or not he made the right choice. I would love to say that he has really grown up into a man since he went to boot camp but I can't...I just can't! I think, after spending a few weeks with him at Christmas, the NAVY has their work cut out with this kid

As far as the "old" CE'ers go....Michles checked in a year or so ago and said all was OK then left. The same for Sami. Zoe checked in about 6 months ago and is somewhere else on 3FC. Sue still comes in from time to time but not often. Wilma is still here but doesn't post as much as she used to.


Well good to see you Angie is calling for dinner....bye for now!

[Justwant2Bhealthy]

Well, PTL BARGOO ~ we are so happy to hear those encouraging words in your PET reports; and we are continuing to lift you up in prayer that your treatments will work for you and also for a full and complete recovery. GOD BLESS YOU as you wait for that vote tomorrow at church too.

BACK, DONNA ~ you've been thru a tough time health-wise, but the Lord has pulled you through it all. PTL!

KELLI ~ don't worry about those acronyms; you'll get the hang of it in no time. How old are your kids? Do you get any dinner nights off? I take at least one night a week off; we have something easy that can be put in the oven and/or cooked very quickly. At home, Saturday nights were a free-for-all; everyone ate what they wanted and had to make it too. Sunday, I usually do an oven dinner; so I can rest while the stove does all the work!

KATHY ~ we got a bit of snow but becuz the winds were coming from the north, most of it landed in an empty lot across the road, but we did have to have our lane plowed. DH went to bed exhausted from shovelling our entrance, porches, and for our elderly neighbours too. GOD BLESS HIM, his is good that way, but now he'll sleep like a log for sure!

We had lower temps today, so less snow; but we had glorious sunshine all day to warm things up a bit and of course, the sun is just so pretty on the snow. Anyways, take good care ROSEBUD ^^PRAYERS^^ are continue for you and yours ...

[bargoo]

Donna, I don't think we have met, but glad to meet you now. Sorry that you had such a tough time physically but glad you are better , now. I know about physical problems but also know God is good and I have a praise report just today, you might have seen it a few posts back. This is such an encouraging group. I tried logging onto a cnacer board and it was just too depressing this is much more encouraging and we have a few laughs, too. Welcome!

[Rayne]

i just got in from texas. wonderful trip...but I have been awake 24 hours. yuk.

no one has heard anything about my brother's court appearance. I'm concerned.

I have to make this comment re: the men in DC that I saw posted on here. I'm not trying to start anything, but I have to say what is on my heart.

They may not have gone about it correctly, but by saying that if you endorse a leader that goes against Godly principles you are going against Christ...they were right. We are held accountable for every word, deed, thought...that would include vote. He (obama) made it clear about how he was going to handle issues that are against the word of God. I know I can't knowingly align myself with someone that is against God. Jesus said "If you are not for Me, you are against Me." We have to be careful in our every word, deed and alignment. A house divided against itself will crumble.

Just had to be honest.

[wilma12]

Hi all! I'm just waiting for the lasagna to heat up and for DH to get home. He drives a van that picks up and drops off people who want to go to church but have no way of getting there.

It's been a really good week for me. Each day God has shown me that He cares about me and what's going on in my life. I hope I can truly say this also when things don't go the way I want them too. But this week I had some concerns about work and they have been worked out. My DH's arm is almost healed up and he'll probably go back to work next week. God is good!

Sunny: Wow! It's so good to see you here again. You just kind of disappeared and I did wonder what happened to you. I'm so sorry that you had to go through so much physically but am very thankful that you have come through it. Looking forward to catching up with you.

Gary: Thanks for your encouraging words. I really miss posting here as often as I once did. But, my life has gotten a lot busier and now I'm taking a course on top of that. I will try to be here more often. I love reading about how everyone here is doing and just don't have the time to post what I want to. I'll try to do better!

I do have to go and get the lasagna out of the oven and get dinner ready.

Have an awesome day!

[bargoo]

Well, it is official, I am an elder at my church, kinda nervous but looking forward to it.

[EZMONEY]

HI GALS ~

Taking a few minutes to check in before I head back out of town tomorrow.

Angie and I had a peaceful day. We went to early service then snuck out of the ground breaking ceremony, for the new building, early...we were cold! We didn't take jackets because the sun was shining when we left for church. I am sure no one missed us We had a good crowd with the kids from the school and all of our staff.

We headed out to the warmth of the produce market for fruits and veggies.

I took the mutts out for 3 miles when we got home....wearing a sweatshirt! Angie warmed up by the fireplace doing yoga. I have to say we are wimps when it comes to cold....it had to be in the low 60's!

Church was good. Pastor's sermon was about being overly pious and turning people off to the word of God. He shared a story about seeing a lady at the market this week for the first time in 10 years. He said she told him she had been studying the Bible and taking classes for almost a year so she was ready to go share her faith. His sermon shared the God's Kingdom is here and now...in ourselves...in our family....friends...etc. He advised us to "share" the Word NOW and TODAY....in all things....we don't need to wait to complete a course for God.

WILMA ~ Hey you know I am not on your case! I was just thinking about how your kids were doing. No need to apologize. We all come here when we have time-desire and need. I am just glad you have helped hold the thread together over the years

BARGOO ~ You will do an awesome job! Your church will walk you through it as you need. Of course there are certain things you need to know but mostly I am sure they just want you to be yourself and share His love as only YOU can do...because there is only "one" BARGOO...we are all PART OF THE BODY OF CHRIST!

BEV ~I am glad you had a great trip to Texas.

As far as what Courtney posted about the men I think she made it quite clear that they did not act in the way Christ would want us to. I agree with her in the fact that who are they to say that those that endorse our new President are not going to heaven. I think God clearly advises us to support our leaders, obviously in not things that go against HIS WORD, however I believe that God understands that NO ONE on this earth is perfect and that we all have to strive to continue to do what we feel Christ is asking for us.

I did not vote for our new President but that is because I am from the other side of politics. I hope and pray he does a great job for our country and I believe he is capable of it. My biggest concern with him was that I didn't feel that he deserved the recognition he was getting. I felt he needed more "seasoning" to be our President, it had nothing to do with his religious beliefs and from what I saw and read I believe him to be Christian.

I will also say that I believe a person that is not a Christian can be a great President. Obviously I would prefer one that was. We are not perfect people. If we are Christians it is our desire to grow and learn and become more Christ-like in the journey. There are things in my past that I did before I became a Christian that I would hope I wouldn't do if I had the chance to live my life over as one. I can't be sure though because the desires I had were strong. I pray that I never come across those temptations again.

To be honest, if there were such a thing as a PERFECT person on Earth....I don't believe he would be elected President....that is the saddest thing.

So honestly speaking here ~ I was not for our new President in the election ~ I also believe it is a great time in America because he was elected ~ I just hope and pray there is substance to the man that will carry over into his decisions for our country ~ I will do what I can to back him until I see things otherwise.

[CountingDown]

Bargoo FANTASTIC! They are blessed to have you! So glad your PET scan results are favorable! Prayers continuing for healing!

Wilma - good news on your DH's arm Glad you had a good week too!

Bev - glad you are back And that you had a great trip!

Rosebud - we had glorious sunshine as well! It felt so good! I could just feel God's warmth as we drove home - it was a blessed SUNday indeed!

Kathy - great job on the cookie dough and cookies (a weakness of mine, for sure)! Counting it is the secret! WAY TO GO!!
Wii Fit - comes with a "balance board". The board is used for exercise in 4 areas - yoga, fitness, aerobics, and balance.
Yoga - traditional yoga exercises (about half don't use the board - just the floor or yoga mat. Good instruction. Those that use the balance board, measure your balance throughout the exercise - this makes the pose even more challenging. I LOVE this feature. Downward Dog - for instance, measures to see that your weight is balanced between your hands and feet.

Fitness - traditional fitness exercises - things like tricep extensions, plank, pushup, lunges, etc. Again, your balance is measured throughout. This really helps you do the exercise correctly. As you continue, you "unlock" additional repetitions.

Aerobics - a fun way to get your heart rate up. Hula hoop - you twirl an imaginary hoop around your hips, and while doing so, occasionally reach and grab an additional hoop over your head. The number of revolutions you do is counted.

Rhythm Boxing - my favorite - you use the nunchuck and remote. The instructor will demostrate a pattern, then you duplicate it (left, right, block - right, left, block for instance). You continue for a set period of time (unlocking 3,6, or 10 minutes)

Step - you follow a pattern on screen stepping on and off the balance board as shown. In the advanced version, you do faster repetitions half way through. There is a "free step" option where the wii remote keeps a "pace" and you can watch tv while you are stepping.

Running - You run in place (or around the room) with different scenery (if you follow one or more of the dogs). There is a free run option where you can watch tv while running in place.

Balance - various games that help with your balance - these are really fun. One of my favorites - your mii is dressed in a penguin suit (I must say that I make a stunning penguin), and you move back and forth on an ice floe to catch fish. Another one - you balance a table on your head - there are holes in the table that you must maneuver balls through. Ski jumping, slalom skiing, snowboarding, tightrope walking and maneuvering a bubble down a river are other balance games.

The software keeps track of your best times as well as everyone else's.

There is a body test that you do that will weigh you and check your balance - it keeps a graph of your progress. You can set weightloss goals as well. There is a place to record other exercise (besides what is done on the balance board).

The balance board is also being incorporated in some of the new wii games as well (Wii Ski, and the new Rayman).

Honest opinion of it - it will get old after a while, but so far - we are having a lot of fun with it. And - it has definitely helped my yoga and balance!

I am really liking "My Fitness Coach" which does not use the balance board. It is fun and a very good workout!

Gary - glad you are almost done with the current project - and that the next one is so much closer!!!! Bet, Angie is happy about that (and the dogs too, of course)

LOL - I DID look at swimsuits while shopping this weekend, but I DIDN'T find any bikinis to my liking. DH was another story (note to self - do NOT take DH with you swimsuit shopping again.)

Donna - glad you came back! I'm new since you left, so we haven't "met". I hope to get to know you better!

Kelli - glad you had a good week!

CAT Where in TN are you? We get to Eastern TN to see my mom every so often. I love TN - it is a beautiful state!

Ronni - prayers continuing for both situations!


Well, we had a good trip downstate. The weather was very cold, but we had fun anyway. We are now stocked on healthy staples for the next 3-4 months I think. Gary - 3 microbreweries were visited and had excellent selections! I thought of you more than once

Glad to be home, but I'm way behind on my weekend chores. And this will be a busy week! Prayers requested for our church visioning process on Tuesday. I will be leading the church leaders through goal setting, and planning the next 1-3 years. So - prayers for wisdom, patience and discernment are needed!

Hope you all have a GREAT week! Prayers continuing for all!

Laurie

[O2Bthin]

Bargoo - Congratulations on your appointment as elder. The Lord will give you direction as you take this new role.

Today was a good day. The Lord blessed the choir in our song. This afternoon we had choir practice from 2-5:00 to start preparing for our Easter Cantata. Needless to say my voice is gone from signing in the Praise Team and choir this morning and then the all day practice, but it's worth. I enjoy singing. It is my outlet.

A new week is before us and I don't know what it holds, but I'm glad that Jesus will be with me and you in this new week. Have a great week everyone.

Kathy

[Justwant2Bhealthy]

HI EVERYONE ~ we had beautiful sunshine all day long: just perfect for a Sunday! Stayed home and had a restful day ...

BARGOO ~ you will do a wonderful job, I just know it; and what an example you are for others with all you have been through over the last while. We continue to lift you up in prayer!

HI WILMA ~ so nice to hear from you again. We know that you are busy; working all the time and running a home. What kind of course are you taking now? For work or pleasure or both?

HI LAURIE ~ glad you had a nice, safe trip; and all that sunshine for the drive home. Good for you getting some shopping in while you were gone. Funny about the DH; mine always says something like this 'oh, oh -- think I might go blind in here!'

KATHY ~ you have more resolve than me; I would have eaten at least a few of those cookies. That's why I don't make them anymore, but then I don't have kids. If DH has a craving for them, we can pick up some of those homemade ones at the bakery (just a few though).

GARY ~ hope you have a great week; that's so nice that you'll be closer to home soon. You guys are so lucky to be able to go to a market during this time of year.

HELLO TO ALL OUR OTHER FRIENDS and MIA's ~ hope you're having a great Sunday!!!ROSEBUD^^PRAYERS^^ continuing for you and yours ...

[Kelli]

Hello All,
I love hearing about how God is working in your lives. I live in northern Colorado, and we had snow today, but last week we were up in the high 60's! That's warm for January. Gary when you said it was so cold, in the low 60s, I'm jealous you must live in a warm climate.

I am having a real hard time getting plugged into a church. My husband went back to school when he turned forty so since he graduated, we have had to take jobs wherever we could, trying to move up the money ladder for retirement. We moved from Salt Lake where I had gone to the same church for many years, to a very small town in northern Utah. It was a real tight knit community, and because we were not part of the local culture, we didn’t fit in. Not that anyone was mean to us. We just didn’t have an opportunity to make friends. I went to several different churches there but just couldn’t get plugged into one. I ended up just going sporadically. Then we moved to Montrose Colorado, and went to church occasionally, but didn't really meet any friends like I had in my church in Salt Lake. We were only in Montrose for a year then we moved to northern Colorado. I did start going regularly there but there was no youth group for my kids and felt I should find a church for them. I think maybe I am being too picky about the church. I keep expecting it to be like the church in Salt Lake... All things work together for Good....

I have been working on a diet Bible study almost every day for about nine years, I don't know what I would have done without that. God has been so good to me, He has shown me through His word, that obsessing about my weight and dieting is just not good for me. I threw away my scale, but I know now that it's God’s time and I am losing the weight, and it’s so easy because It’s in His strength.

Bargoo I don't know what a PET Scan is, but I am so glad your test have come out good. I have looked through the past post and I gathered you have had a serious illness, thank God you are better!

Justwant2Bhealthy Thank you for your encouragement about acronyms, and advise about dinner, It does get crazy when you work all day, come home make dinner, do dishes, go to bed... I am lucky though my husband used to be a chef and loves to cook. (Yeah and I wonder why I gained weight after I got married ) I have a nineteen year old that just started college a couple of weeks ago, and a just turned sixteen year old. That is a good idea for both of us though to take one night off a week, I think we need to try that.

Gary is it you that started this wonderful encouraging um.. thing (what is this called a thread? community?) What a great thing to be able to find friends from all over.

Well tomorrow is another Monday Yall have a great one!