COURTNEY ~ we are so glad that you had a fun and safe trip: one that you will remember for the rest of your life, I'm sure.

We also were very impressed with President Obama's speech and those moving ceremonies. Actually, we are kind of envious that you have such an inspiring new leader: where can we get one like him? And, I thought Aretha's Version of 'My Country tis of Thee' was so stirring (DH and I were stirred to tears), but then I am a Martin Luther King Jr. fan myself.

I kept recalling the first time I read Mr. King's speech 'I Have A Dream' in high school; I was so moved that I kept it to this day! I don't know how it appeared to Americans, but I know that Canadians and other countries around the world, felt that this was a momentous day in US history. No doubt, Mr. King and maybe even Abe too, were looking down and waving ecstatically, while shouting Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah ...

I told DH that I could even see JESUS being proud of that blessed day; and I'm sure this was all orchestrated by GOD himself, for He is an equalitarian. We will be praying for Mr. Obama, that GOD will bless him and his family, and his administration over the next four years. The word is clear: no-one becomes a leader of a nation unless GOD ordains it ...

About those men: Not everyone who claims to be a Christian is one or acts like one. To have the privilege to call yourself a Christian, we must try to make sure that we talk and act and live as Jesus would have us do to the best of our ability. We are known by our fruits: these men were not talking like Christians at all; and if I were the leaders of those Girl Scouts, I would have moved them out of ears reach of that unsavory behavior. Try not to let that ruin the wonderful memories of that day; and praying for those men is the exactly the kind of thing a real Christian would do. We will pray that GOD will take the scales off their eyes, and put true Christian LOVE in their hearts ...

BEV ~ prayers for your brother today.

LAURIE ~ I have known for a long time that I use food for comfort, but thought maybe there were some other reasons as well; but I have determined that is the main reason, with boredom coming in a close second. Thirdly, I think munching and making unhealthy food choices became a bad habit over the years. So, these are the areas I am trying to work on right now, with the Lord's help, of course.

RONNI ~ nice of you to go up to see how your DIL is doing; prayers for her and your trip as well.

GOD BLESS YOU, BARGOO ~ you are so helpful; always here with a tip or an encouraging word.

KELLY ~ Yes, I also feel that GOD showed me that my body is just a 'SHELL' that houses the best part of me, my spirit; you know, like an oyster with a beautiful PEARL inside: and that PEARL is ME!

HI TO ALL OUR OTHER FRIENDS OUT THERE, esp our MIA's ... hope you are having a great week!!!

Take good care ROSEBUD^^PRAYERS^^ for you and yours continue ...

Hello everyone,

I am glad it's Thursday, tomorrow is Friday, and payday for me, I should say exchange day.

I am sad to hear how those men acted in DC. I hate it when people do things in the name of Christ that He would have never done. I am with you, I am going to pray for them. Their anger comes from somewhere, and it's hard not to judge them, I am sure there are times I have misrepresented God thinking I was doing his work... Sort of like Paul when he was persecuting the Christians. Anyway yes... that is the best thing to pray for them.

I have been praying for the brother in trouble with the law, I am sorry I don't remember the name, and the little boy with appendix problems.

Hehe I am new at this and to tell you the truth acronyms are not my strong suit... so here is a list of what I think you are probably talking about but not sure...

DL Daughter in Law??
DH Darling Husband?
DS Darling Son??
DD (altho I haven't seen this one, I think it may come up)??
and is there anymore I should be aware of, I am such an old fogey

Thanks for your help

KELLI ~ DD = dear daughter; DH = dear husband or dang husband depending on the day ; DS = dear son ; DIL = daughter in law ; SIL = son in law ; SM = stepmother ; DF = dear father ; DM = dear mother ; TOM = time of month ; DS1 = dear son #one ; DB = dear brother ; DSS = dear sister ; MIL = mother in law ; FIL = father in law ... and so forth.

I know there is a list of acronyms somewhere here on this site; maybe someone else knows where it is???


GARY ~ someone started a thread for men in the Weightloss Support Forum; maybe you would like to drop by and give these guys some encouragement as some of them are pretty new and I know they would appreciate it.

Hi Everyone!

I didn't get to check in last night because yesterday I was on the run from noon until 8:30 last night. When I finally got home from choir practice I was to tired to think of doing anything.

Kelli - Welcome to this site. This site has been very encouraging and helpful to me and I know it will be to you as well.

Bev - How did your brother's court hearing go?

We found out that the guardianship for our 3 foster kids will be going through by Feb. 14th or the end of February at the latest!!! We are all looking forward to that.

Today I had to buy donuts for a foreman meeting, but I was good and didn't eat any. Believe me, it is not that I didn't want to. Like I was reading what a couple of you recently wrote, I'm an emotional eater. When I get stressed I want to eat everything in site. I'm trying to learn that food does not have to be my source of comfort and that I need to turn to God during those times.

I would appreciate your prayers concerning my work. I work for a landscape business, so I work with all men. One of the employees does not respect other peoples work space. He is constantly getting in my desk and getting on my computer. There is a lot of financial information about the company and employee info that I work with. The problem is he is the bosses brother. I know the boss does not want him on my computer and they have argued about it, but I was told today that after I leave he gets in my desk and gets on my computer. I hid the keys to my desk and I'm going to ask the boss if I can change the password on my computer. I do not always handle his actions very well and I know I didn't today. I need wisdom on how to handle this situation.

Thanks so much to all of your for your prayers and words of encouragament. You all are in my thoughts and prayers.

Kathy

Kelli - Acronyms are here, but Rosebud did a splendid job of listing them. Some of my faves that I use a lot are:
OP - on plan
POP - perfectly on plan
WW - whole wheat (is also Weight Watchers)
FF - fat free
LF - low fat
CC - calorie counter

As far as goal weight - I hit my goal in July. Once you hit goal, you move into "maintenance". This is the period where you figure out how many calories you can add back in your diet so you don't continue to lose weight. For most of us it is anywhere between 200-800 calories a day - it could be more for younger - more active folk. Honestly - maintenance looks a lot like losing. That is why most of the maintainers say that it has to be a lifestyle change. Bargoo is right, there is a whole maintainers forum on 3FC - it is a great place to read about maintenance. I went their often as I was losing - just to see what the future held. I actually had a hard time adding food. It took me several months to get to a "stabilized" weight. That was actually 7 lbs past my goal - and I have maintained my current weight within 2 lbs for 3 months now.

HTH (hope that helps)

Courtney - so glad you had a fun trip - what a wonderful experience! I will keep those men in my prayers - how disappointing. I have a hard time with Christians that don't seem to understand Christ's teachings AT ALL!

Rosebud - I too loved Aretha's rendition. Several folk critcized her singing and her hat - but I thought she was wonderful. Could be because I have loved her music since I was in high school, though.

Ronni - prayers continue for your DIL and for Ryan. If you want DDR - you should get it - I bet you would love it! If this old chickie can have fun with video games - so can you

A busy day here - I had to do teacher training after work, so it was a 12 hour day. Then 2 hours of wii and now another hour with DH. All this exercise is GREAT. I gotta pack for the trip downstate (leave tomorrow) So I probably won't post again until Sunday or Monday.

I hope you all have a blessed weekend! Prayers continuing for all!

KATHY ~ that is a delicate situation, so will send up prayers for wisdom and guidance and strength ...

LAURIE ~ we listened to it all on radio so I don't even know what her hat looked like, but it wouldn't matter to me anyways, and like you, I am a fan too! Sometimes I think that 'criticism' has become a hobby for some people ... Have a great trip: prayers for some travelling Angels too!

Hope Everyone is having a good week. I got to go to the healthy lifestyles group at church for the first time tonight. Was a really good thing for me. The lady leading us is a RN. I even told them about all of you guys and 3fc. I hope they take the time to check it out. Prayers for you and your individual needs. Traveling mercies, illness, work stress, family, and even the puppy dog. We're leaving for Fort Wayne, Indiana this weekend for a derby. Busy day tomorrow. Blessings for you guys. Have a great weekend!
Crissy

Hi Everyone!

Courtney-glad you had a great time and kept safe, even in the cold!

Kathy-prayers for your work situation. My DH has a similar problem with co-workers. He's had problems with one of them even opening mail addressed specifically to him when he's off! Some people have no integrity or morals and it's hard to protect yourself from what they can do, so I'm praying for a solution for you and for the boss to have open eyes. for your NSV (non-scale victory) of knowing you didn't have to eat those doughnuts! Good job!

Laurie & Crissy-prayers for travel mercies. Enjoy your weekend!

Thanks to you all for the prayers. Haven't heard anything about Ryan, but will check later. DIL is feeling better and we had a good visit. Because I found out it's coming up on her TOM, I'm very suspicious of endometriosis instead of the appendicitis we were worried about, so I'm going to put together some info for her (b'cuz they don't have a computer yet), so she can track symptoms. I also told her about Ryan, so that if things rapidly get worse, she would be scared into going straight back to the hospital! It might have been mean, but some would call that 'tough love' I know she finally understood that it's nothing to take lightly. She's really a very sweet girl (almost 30, but still seems so very young!), but just never had anyone around to teach her these life lessons (I've never asked, but I don't think she finished high school-no one really cared enough to make sure she did). We went out to our favorite Chinese place and played with the little ones. DS3 really enjoys being uncle-it was a good break for him too to take his mind off his back pain for a bit.

You all have a great day and weekend!

Bargoo you said:
That sounds like you are describing me to the letter. I am now measureing, counting and logging.. I walk every day too.. Praise the Lord, I have found a place like 3FC to help me along.

Blessings to you,
CAT

HI EVERYONE ~ We had a snow storm here for most of the day. Last we looked, the snow had stopped falling, but we can still hear those cold northern winds blowing now and then. So, DH and I are just having a quiet Friday night at home!


CAT ~ yes, BARGOO has done very well with that plan; and we are learning from her too.

CRISSY ~ prayers for a safe and fun trip for you and your family (may travelling Angels go with you).

RONNI ~ glad to hear that your DIL is feeling better and that you are being a good mother hen for her. How is the progress going for your DS3? Have they given you any ideas how they may be able to help him yet? Will continue to send up prayers for him too.


Hope everyone is well; hello to all our MIA's. ^^PRAYERS^^ ascending for you and yours ... ROSEBUD

Hi Everyone!

Thanks for your prayers. I spoke to my boss today about the situation with his brother. He told me I should talk to him about it and let him know how I feel. I did not get a chance today, but I may try next week. It seems like we have an up and down work relationship. Things go good for awhile and then we hit a rough spot. My boss also told me to hide the keys to my desk in a different place which I have done. We're also going to change the password to our computers (the boss, myself, and another guy in the office) so he can't access them.

I have prayed about this situation and have asked the Lord to help my attitude with it.

I trust each of you had a good day. I did good with food until supper tonight, then I crashed and burned. We had McDonalds. But, tomorrow is a new day and we'll press on.

Ronni - I'm glad that your DIL is doing better. You said you thought she has endometriosis. I had outpatient surgery for that several years ago and it did help. I'm not suggesting that for her, but it may be an option if necessary.

JustWant2BeHealthy - Did you get a lot of snow. We have 2 days of temps in the high 30s, but tomorrow it is back to the 20s with flurries. It's January so what can we expect, right?

Trust you all have a great weekend.

Kathy

Hello everyone, I am glad everyone is doing better, it seems all the prayers have helped. Thank you Jesus! I had a great week, but I am glad it's Friday. I think I just love my comfy sweats, because I really like my job.

Thank you Counting Down and Rosebud for the help with the acronyms. Acronyms and I don't get along. Most people can figure them out, but it takes me a long time. When I started my present job, I started with another gentleman. His title is Leadership Development Specialist. On our fist day we were in orientation together, and my boss said. The last LDS was out on STD??? I looked at the other new person and he didn't seem to think what she said was all that unusual, but coming from Utah, I knew what I thought an LDS was, and from helping my daughter with her Health class homework I thought I knew what STD's were. So even though I am usually shy my first day or two at a new job, I had to stop my boss, I said "WHAT did you just say"!! She apologized for using acronyms and said. " I mean our last Leadership Development Specialist, was out on Short Term Disability.... Yeah like I said for some reason I don't get the acronyms. Well I have to go eat bcuz my DH and DD1 and DD2 are w8tng 4 me 2 cook it. Oh forget it!

Hilarious KELLI We are so glad to have you on board here! Welcome I look forward to learning more about you.

SCOOTER ~ I hope your trip down state goes well and weather is forgiving. It is raining here so I can't brag today You are really rockin' that wii! That summer body you are looking for is coming soon....when will you go bikini shopping? Angie and I are bummed about the coffee shop but we can still walk in that area, we just won't enjoy coffee there afterwards....at least until someone else re-opens it.

WILMA ~ I hope the week back at work was easy on you. Hope DH is all healed and the boys/dil/niece are doing well. Miss you around here "old" friend

BARGOO ~ Big vote tomorrow! I am sure that you are excited about the new journey you will be taking, what an honor We are having the official groundbreaking for our new building tomorrow after the Sunday school hour. Work has been going on for some time now, our old building is gone and the land has been graded for the new foundation. Prayers for continued good health.

RONNI ~ Glad DH is back to work. Prayers for DIL! Keep an eye on that, My daughter has been feeling light headed for a few months now, nothing too bad but something she knows is different with her. She has been to the doctor and we are all keeping an eye on her too. That potluck sounded like fun, we used to have them a lot more at church than we do now....miss the social part. Prayers for Ryan. Congrats on getting into MAYO!

ROSEBUD ~ I just love your wisdom dear Send Niko here for some warmth Of course the women win at cards...we "let" them if we know what's good for us Angie kills me in Scrabble...obviously...Master's Degree vs. 2 months of junior college Hope it gets warm for you soon...raining here today but not cold.

KATHY ~ Ouch for your poor doberman's toe! I have two golden retrievers that I spoil rotten Prayers for your work situation, glad the boss is trying to help the situation.

CRISSY ~ I hope the lifestyle change group at church went well for you and that your life will be changed for wonderful days ahead. Last year's vicar at our church is a Pastor in Fort Wayne now (one of our seminaries is there too) say hi to him and have a safe trip.

BEV ~ Continued prayers for your brother. I hope the trip to Texas was rewarding for you and safe.

COURTNEY ~ What a trip to remember! So glad you had a great time other than the "jerks" The Pastor, Rick Warren, that spoke is the pastor at Saddleback Church which is about 40 miles north of me. I have been there a few times but not for about 13 years. I went a few times when there were still in a tent...a huge very nice tent though!

CAT ~

A big shout out to all the MIA's....oh....and a too!

Prayers for all ~ Gary

SHE'S BACK!