Ah, Amylou.......also....look at that ticker........52.5 lbs lost is AMAZING!!!!

Only my 10 yo felt the quake. It is a strange feeling.
XOXO

Nicole - I thought of you right away this morning when I saw the news reports. I'm glad you're okay...that had to be major scarry...I've never been anywhere near an earthquake. Some people think we're nuts for living where all the hurricanes go, but geez at least we know when they are coming and can prepare.

So...I got rid of that darn pound that bounced back on me last week. Hopefully, I can lose a little more before my official WI on Monday...then I'll change my ticker. :carrot:

Everybody have a great day!!
:dust:

Happy Friday!

Wow Nicole! I've woken up to a few of those but the worst was when I lived in Vancouver.. it was so unexpected! Mini-Me has never felt them. We were sitting in the living room a few months ago when we had a whole slew of earthquakes and I asked her "Ok, NOW do you feel it?" She said no and didn't believe we'd had one. lol.

On top of the fainting spells the other day, looks like I caught a virus too. Weeeee. I feel like crud today but I have a lot to do so on with life we go! Our kitty Oliver who got the spider bite passed away last Friday morning. Two weeks after Buster, at the same exact time of morning. Our remaining pet Champagne has never been without a pet friend in his 12 years and is going a little nutso without someone to play with. I'm taking him to the groomer at Petco today and will see if they have any adoptions going on at the same time. Mini-Me and Champagne need another kitty...

Hi to everyone - Dan, Liz, Joni (where have you been?) Kim, Amy, Jill, Michie, and the new faces that have joined!

Liza, I hope you feel better soon. So sorry about Oliver. I got a second kitty about a month ago from Petsmart. It took longer than I expected for her to settle in (my original kitty was a tad freaked out since he'd never spent time around other cats) but now a month later, Samurai (my original cat) seems happier than ever.

Nicole, I've felt a few eathquakes before. What was the magnitude of the one that you felt? I've actually yelled at the dog to stop scratch and shaking the bed and discovered it was an earth quake. The biggest one I ever felt was 7.2, and that was very scary. It was night and the power lines were swinging so much that they hit together and caused sparks and that is what woke me up. I think I was about 40 miles or so from the center of that one, and some people about 2 miles from where I was died when the highway overpass collapsed. They just drove right into a hole on the freeway. There were aftershocks at about 5.5 for a couple of days.

Jillian, only 10 pounds to goal now! Glad you have a few days off. I need coffee too...

Barbara........ours was only a 5.2. It hasn't done much damage at all, and luckily noone was seriously injured. We have had several aftershocks, and the last one was 4.5.........and the news is making me quite nervous.....talking about filling water bottles and making sure you have batteries and a full tank of gas..........but they news likes to hype everything up. It is just weird, cuz you just dont' think of the midwest having to worry about earthquakes. I cannot even imagine a 7.2. I would be throwing up with fear. I was really jealous of birds today.

hi There
Im not sure if you are all form the states, but we had a centre open here In Prince Edward Island about a year ago, and its doing very well.

I have re started for the last time this week, and was down 1.5 in 2 days, Im feeling pretty good, jsut striggling with the veggies, as the express menu is sooo Limited.

I love the forums and you all seem so nice and helpful.
Thank you so much for the help already.
HUGS
Dee.

WOW! You all seem to keep pretty up to date on here... Hope everyone is POP today... you know how much better summer is going to feel!
Liza.. get better.. *hugs*
Amylou.. your near 53 lbs is inspiring! You are doing superb!
Jillian, enjoy your days off!

Everyone have a super weekend, I have family here for a visit so I won't be on much.. they took us out for dinner and I am so happy I brought my own and never touched a fry! I wanted one SO bad.. my husband was so cute.. he told me this am that he knew I wanted one and If I took any he was gonna kick my butt... after all he is paying for me to do this! LOL. Made me happy to know he was supporting me. anyhow.. the craving passed and I am still kickin'... life went on. Happy Friday!

Elizabeth

Hi guys!

Nicole- Thanks for thinking of me! I am okay, just crazy busy this week. We taught our first Reiki 1 class last weekat our clinic. We had 12 students, and they have been calling a lot this week with questions and cool experiences to share. Also, I am teaching a Chakra Balancing with Crystals class tomorrow at our clinic, and I have 20 students! I am way excited, but I still have to put together a handout and put together their crystal kits. Also, I have been seeing 15 kids a day all week long. The money is good, but holy crap! Oh, my family came over last night and all made their soaps and dryer sheets. They loved it. We made air freshener too, by putting about 1/4 cup of rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle, then filling up with water and adding essential oils. It worked pretty good. I made a chakra balancing one, and it kind of stinks.

Amy- Good for you!!!!

Dan- We will try not to light the curtains on fire, but can we shave the cat?

Liza- I hope you find a kitty. That would do your heart and stress level some good.

My new puppy is so dang cute and funny. He has these little fights with his teddy bear all the time that really make me laugh. He is so talks all sassy and naughty. It is so cute.

Time to make lunch, then nap time! Whohooooo!

Helloooo! How are you all doing?

I am so off track with my diet in this pregnancy! lol. I have gained 10 lbs already! (Mind you I am constantly bloated, dang hormones!) I have been having lots of nausea, so I am not really too sure how I have gained that much. I am hoping my scale is just broken. HA HA! I have given myself a little extra room to gain, which I probably shouldnt have but... ANYWAYS. I am trying to stay motivated, and as long as I can stay under my starting weight when I started losing weight, I will be happy with it! ANother thing, I was being a little conservative with my weight when I got pregnant. I was trying to save myself 5 lbs, and put 235 on all my paperwork when in reality I was at 240!

Hope you are all doing well, and losing weight!

Hey guys!

I thought I heard someone in hte library talking about an earthquake somewhere... wow. I didn't know htey happened in the middle of the country like that!

I was to write a paper this weekend on Veteran benefits, or the lack thereof, but I changed my topic to FLDS. I am sure you've all seen what's going on with the commune in TX...any comments? I think it's so sad. Polygamy is awful. Actually, the 13 year old brides and mothers are worse.

Here's to a great weekend!

Amy- There is quite a bit of polygamy around here, however it is kept really quiet. Most of them live in large groups in tiny communities. My BIL's best friend grew up in with polygamist parents. He wanted to set my little sister up with this friend......yeah, I said no. This thing in Texas is just sickening. I feel so sorry for those kids on so many levels, you know?

Oh yeah Nicole, the earthquake is crazy. Glad everything is okay!

I have an opinion, but I don’t know it this is the best place to voice it. I really don’t want to offend anyone. But I will say that I’m emotional torn over those kids. This lifestyle is all these poor kids know and everyone that’s trying to help them is viewed as the enemy in their minds. I think that whatever happens to these innocent children is going to be emotional scarring on them. I don’t think returning them home to a “locked off” society & to the hands of their abusers is right or ripping them away from their beliefs, family, and culture is right. I don’t agree w/ polygamy or these closed off communities, but at the same time I don’t want to believe that all these people are abusers. It’s a tough situation. I’m glued to the news every time something comes up about this. I really need to read that book Escape about getting out of the FLDS.

Like Katie said, we also have smaller groups of polygamist families in Minnesota. The ones I’m aware of also live in communes, but they don’t close themselves off from the rest of society. Their kids go to public schools and they often times have farmer’s market type sales on their large farms or communes.

Dawn- I feel just like you. How scary and terrible this time must be for all of those kids. Yet, can the state really continue to let them live there? I agree, the whole thing is really tough.

Dawn, I am also of two minds. If consenting adults want to live together in polygamist marriages, well, they are consenting adults. It only seems horribly wrong when girls as young as 13 are "married". That is child abuse, even if the girls are willing. It is still illegal for men in the 40's and 50's to have sex with a 13 year old child. That is what is happening there in those "spiritual marriages".

Hello everyone!

So much is going on here on the board, I hardly know where to start or if I could even comment. :-)

I've been MIA for 2 days and it took me forever to catch up. I don't know how you guys do it! LOL

Anyways...the one subject that stands out to me is the situation with those kids. I have views on the subject, but first I have to tell you that after trying for what seems like forever, I was unable to have children. Having said that, I would have to say that my 3 nephews and niece are the 3 most important people in my life. They range from 18 yrs-8yrs old, my niece being the youngest. (A girly-girl if I ever saw one!!)

Now, having said all of that...it horrifies me to think that adults take advantage of children (boys or girls) in anyway. The whole situation hurts my heart...makes me almost tearful. When something like that happens I think, my God...what if it were one of my 'kids' and I feel sick.

I agree that adults, concenting adults, can do whatever the heck they want to do to their lives, but innocent children...that's something else. :(

Those children will never know the carefree days of childhood...the innocence and imagination that are needed to mold them into productive, well adjusted adults. I grieve for that...the loss of something so special that was taken from every one of those children.

Those men and women that saw those acts as 'normal' and 'moral' should pay for their crimes.

I have to add that I worked in children's services for a while...on the administrative end of things, but knew case histories in most cases... I did a lot of fund raising for the sexual abuse task force. I'm telling you, these things happen more often than most of us realize.

Ok, enough of my rant. I apologize, but it really hits me in the heart.

So, I heard about the earthquake. Glad to know everone is all right. We've only had 2 (in my lifetime) in Central New York that I can remember. Kind of felt like the train was going by, but waaayyyy closer to the house than it usually does. :-)

All righty, no work this weekend! Yahoo!!!!!! tomorrow its yard work, clean the screen porch and relax the best way I can think of...with a big fat book! (Tara Road...Maeve Binchy...awesome story)

Till later...Tami