Hi All:

You'll be excited to know that there will be a Froufie-Tejas meeting this afternoon. I flew to Ottawa this morning for a conference and we're meeting this evening. Oh yes, of course, absolutely, don't you know it, we will eat and drink only CORE. Of course, we may completely reconceptualize what CORE means!

We'll drink to life, I guarantee you!

Rhonda

You are all back and the board is still here!!! I have to say it was very sad when we had the stretch when no one was posting. Then to read that the board was closing...... I went over to the main WW board but just didn't feel like posting. I looked for you all and couldn't find you..... But now your here!!!! I'm so happy! THANKS FROUF!

I've been bad the last few weeks. I need to get back on plan. I threw out my back once again and my walking has been very limited. I now feel great and have gotten back to my nightly routine. I've actually started extending my walk - I love the cold nights, when there is no wind, a clear sky .... I could keep walking and walking, but I know DH would get too worried with me walking far after dark - no sidewalks and very country roads.

I'm in good shape for xmas - just ordered my holiday cards on line and they are ready to pick up. It took more time to get a good picture of Sarah for them than to have Walgreens fill the order! Tomorrow is too busy - we have a christmas party at 10 and I also have to be at Sarah's school to do registration for next year at 10, then from 2-4 our neighbor is having an open house to welcome a new neighbor, then my SIL will be at our house at 5 to babysit - we are off to do santa shopping and dinner. Then somewhere in all that I need to clean my house. Grocery shopping will wait till Sunday. Then next weekend I have my family party on Sunday...but then I'm off from work 12/18 until 12/27!

Rhonda, welcome back. I'm so sorry to hear about your sister. Please share some wedding stories when you feel up to it. I loved to see the pictures Sandra posted.

Kathy, how is you mom today? I hope she is feeling a bit better.

Sandra, are you still on the road? Or are you home yet?

Vickie, how is Cassie doing?

Melissa, practice, practice, practice!!!! Thats always the best part

Take care all, I'll be back later -- I PROMISE

One quick question - I was reading on the other board that the WW program is going to be revised in January. Any one have any insights on what the changes are?

The new info will be coming out on Dec. 10, so we'll get updates then. That's only a few days away and I'm pretty excited! I read where Kelly_S said she learned from a WW leader friend that it will mainly be a minor tweak -- adding some Core foods, clarifying other Core foods, and adding some things that can be counted as dairy. I hope nothing is removed because the last time there was an update, they removed some of my favorite soups!

I guess the one thing we'll have to remember is that we have to be careful not to share WW copyrighted material here for legal reasons. We wouldn't want the board to get in trouble.

Oh and in case I haven't mentioned this before, those tools that come with the online program are AWESOME! I think they're a little different than the e-tools (not sure though). They look different than what I used to see when I did e-tools but maybe there have been changes since then. Anyway, our @work program didn't really work out for me even though I tried it two different times, and the meetings are at times I can't go plus waaay across town so I can't go at lunchtime. I decided to pay the $65 for 13 weeks (I think that's how long it is), and then after that it will be $16.95 a month. I'm so worth that! I have been loving the beta version of the Plan Manager and hope that it's what they adopt with the new changes.

I highly, HIGHLY recommend the online program, because even if you go to meetings it gives a lot of good info. You can switch between Flex or Core, and on Core it still has a search box where you can get the list of foods to select from, like brand names and restaurants and stuff like that. It's very helpful for the soups and things like that. There's a little place at the side where you can check off your milks, healthy oils, water, fruits/vegetables, and a place for notes (I put in my daily weight and how I'm feeling that day), a place where you can log your comfort zone, and there's even a list of every Core food, and I do mean everything!

The only problem I've had with it is that it's too much fun, and I can't stop going there and playing with it. I'm afraid I'm going to get in trouble at work!

Wow - everyone's so busy busy busy!

I am at work now - killing some time BEFORE MY MEETING W/RHONDA! I am so very excited to meet her - we are having dinner at this ABSOLUTELY CORE MEXICAN RESTAURANT (I called ahead and asked them to revamp their entire menu in advance of our arrival - ha ha ha) and will certainly toast to all of you.

I was however VERY SAD to read about her sister and will offer my condolences in person!

Vickie - sounds like you are well ahead of the pack and very organized. As are you Kathy - I guess it takes a lot of the pressure off when you don't have to host the big 'do'.

Melissa - remember 'practice makes perfect'! Are you taking your temps? It might be helpful to chart them for a few months - sometimes that might help point you in the right direction.

I also went out for lunch today with ex-work colleague - and also dinner out too! WOW. Tomorrow morning I am going to synagogue (anniversary of my mom's death) and I know I did dream about her last night and woke up crying! (and of course couldn't fall back asleep and it was 4:30 am!)

Tomorrow night we have a xmas party to go to (dh's band) and I sure hope that's fun. Sunday is hopefully a quiet restful day? DD dances from 12 - 6 pm but other than the chauffering nothing else planned.

Now I must go and try to beautify myself a bit before I meet Rhonda so I don't frighten her too much!

Frouf

We will be standing by waiting for reports! I hope she wears her pink cowboy hat for you!!

Ohhhhh....I'm too crazy here now to respond. I'm reading though. I was out all day long with a Doctor appointment for Jim and banking and errands. I'm cooking dinner now....Core sloppy joes and oven fries. One of my favorite meals.

Frouf....lucky girl. I wish I was getting to meet you both. You know, Frouf, we have absolutely NO idea what you look like. I sure hope Rhonda has a camera with her!

Are you just teasing me or did you REALLY find a Core mexican restaurant?

She's a tease...but, we didn't do too badly..."fruit" to drink and salmon for the main course.

We had a great time telling our stories, toasting life and the Board members, and planning the next cruise. If Frouf takes the pink bag and I take my pink hat, we'll be the main attraction for certain.

Frouf, I hope tomorrow goes all right for you. And, Vickie I read about your friend. I will keep her in my thoughts and prayers also.

I'm bone tired tonight and have to be up early for the conference tomorrow. I hope everyone has a good night.

Rhonda

Rhonda, thanks for the report. Wouldn't it be so much fun to do a cruise together? I love those Carnivals out of Galveston (because it's so easy for me to get there! ) ... it's wonderful to hear that you guys had a good time.

It was a pleasure meeting Rhonda - we had lots of fun chatting and finding out more about each other.

Rhonda - I love the 'fruit' to drink (translation: lime margarita and guava margarita - perfectly core I"m sure! ) We had this pepper stuffed with marinated salmon chunks - and the main attraction was the frouf favorite of some lovely smoked salmon slices draped over top!

But she left out the best part! The serenade by the 3 mexican guitarists in the restaurant - came over to our table asking what we would like to here - I come up with 'Besame mucho" - one of my spanish favorites - they did a wonderful job....but the BEST was their rendition of Noche de Rhonda - another spanish serenade - I loved it - so cute - and of course I believe Rhonda should have a mexican ballad named after her!

No camera of course but Rhonda can tell you how cute and adorable I am! hee hee hee (and so modest too!)

Now my toes are freezing (out of bed w/no socks on) so I must return under the duvet.

nitey nite!

Frouf

wow! i am sooooo happy to see so much action here today/tonight. i wish i'd gotten here earlier. curtis and i went for massages then just chilled out with some dvd's in front of the tv.

rhonda, i'm sorry about your sister's passing. bless her heart. my mother had a massive stroke a few years ago. i don't mean to sound ugly but she would have been better off if she'd passed quickly. i know in my heart she wasn't happy being alive in the state she was in for over 3 years.

i'm glad you and frouf got to meet. so much fun!!!

got to go. curtis is blinking the lights. guess that's my signal.

Good Morning:

There's nothing ugly about your comment Sandra. My sister had left explicit instructions about NO attempts to prolong life or prevent death. She would have hated to have lingered in some dependent state. She was a nurse and had seen enough of people doing that, I'm sure.

You know, when I saw those Mariachi's with their sombreros I just kicked myself for not bringing my hat! And Frouf is "cute and adorable." You'd love to take a cruise with her!

Now, I have decided that I will NOT weigh myself when I actually get home on Sunday. I don't think I can bear the news. Everything that was loose when I left Toronto on the 16th is now tight. That's got to mean at least 10 pounds! So, I think I'll just get back on track and see what the story is in January. I do so want to munch my way through the holidays, so PLEASE tell me your favorite Core holiday snacks...I'll check out the recipe area of course.

I was totally unmotivated to exercise throughout the time I was away from home but I did find it easy to take walks. So, I feel good about that. I absolutely love walking in Albuquerque. The sky is so blue, the mountains so pretty and it's invigorating to me. But, back in Toronto it's harder this time of year...as all of you in the snowy areas appreciate. I guess I better get back to the treadmill!

I hope everyone has a great day. I'll be in a conference, sitting on my tush and getting a back ache. Frouf, we'll think of you remembering your late Mother today.

Rhonda

Yes, we will, Frouf.

Rhonda, I would LOVE to be able to come up with Core snacks. The best I can do is my old standby of SF/FF pudding, crushed pineapple and FF cottage cheese. Stop gagging, it's good! You can even put the cottage cheese in the food processor to make it smooth first. Then there's Vickie's old standby of crustless pumpkin pie, which is actually one of my favorite Core breakfasts. You just can't beat it!

I'm at work til 2 and then am going home to make bread, cookies, candies, and wrap stuff. If Judd still insists on not putting up a tree today, I will steal his truck, go buy a real tree and stand, and put one up myself. I will not drag that 12 foot prelit monster out of the attic. Even though it's a walk-in attic and I don't have to maneuver those tricky little pulldown steps, I would still have to drag it down the staircase, across the wood floor (I can visualize the scratches now) and then somehow put it up by myself. I think I'll just hit Plan B and go with a smaller real tree. The ceilings in that room are 14 feet so a small tree is going to look goofy but I care not at this point. So there.

Back to work. Have a warm day, everyone.

Hi everybody. My plans today include vacuuming out my car, and maybe going Christmas shopping. That's all, that's it, I am not booking myself for anything else.

We have our little 6-foot prelit up, and the girls have decorated and re-decorated it about a thousand times. Right now they're cooking up a plan to give Daddy breakfast in bed, complete with a hand-decorated card. Cute!

I'm really glad to see everybody coming back and posting again. Hugs to all!

Angela