Hello girls. I am employed ft. The only ft florist there. There will be 4 p/t'ers. I met 2 of them while at the lab to pee for a drug test. . Wage is 10 an hour plus bonuses. Full benifits after 90 days. They match 70% on your 401k. And you only have to wait 90 days. My dad is coming down on Saturday to shop for black and white clothes with me. Actually my future step mom is shopping with me. And paying. That is our dress code, black, white or a combo of the two. Casual day is black jeans with black tennis shoes. I will live in that the first 4 weeks as we set up to open. My orientation is Jan 3oth. I am excited. 10 probably doesn't sound like a lot to you in big cities, but most silk florists start at 8 here in Vegas. Same for fresh florists in small shops. I could make 12 in a casino.

Yesterday I should have been on top of the world but I was so moody and so close to tears. I think I finally let my guard down to relax and all the repressed emotions came barreling in. I couldn't stop them. I basically was a vegtable all night. I ended up cleaning dishes and then making a homemade ham and white bean soup. It is simmering in the crock pot now. It smells wonderful!. I was planning on going into work yesterday but I couldn't deal with my boss in my emotional state. So, I told her I would work on Friday instead. But that will be all by myself. Which is fine by me.

Well, I forgot to fill in my birthday on my back ground check for my new job so I had better take off early and go run by there before work. Thanks for the congratulations. It means a lot coming from you! ~flower

An off-program day today... 2.5 tortillas for lunch with tomato sauce and low fat cheese (the volume was the baddy) and 3 turtles. The chocolate kind...

I feel blicky.

I can salvage the day, though. Going to go right now and make some vegie 0 point soup for supper!

I have 2 insane 5 year olds running around today...

Pauline Campanelli (author of Ancient Ways and Wheel of the Year) is dead, I feel sad about that.

Lois

Hey guys,

I thought it was just a reallllly quite week at 3FC's, I haven't had time to take the time to stick my head in and peak...

School is all consuming until at least the end of February. I am exhausted and I have only been in clinical for a week. The paper work is insane and so time consuming.

I have had a good week food wise. Weighed this morning and the scale says I am back down to 144 so at least it is moving in the right direction. I am living off of caffine (not a good thing) but I am also not snacking the entire time I have my head in a book, so that is good.

I start orientation on the floor at the Women and Children's hospital in the morning, I am excited but I really hate having to be there at 7AM... I am so not a morning person.

Well I have tons to do, sorry about not replying individually, might get the chance this weekend.

Flower - Congrats on the new job, it sounds great!!!!! Hope it is all you are looking for ...

Hugs to all,
Amy
176/144/130

Hey girls. I posted at length (when don't I? ) last night and the modem ate it before it got through.

I'll catch up tonight.

IT'S FRIDAY!!!

Doncha just hate those message-eating modems???????

L - back on track today, we hope.

On the first of Feb hubby and I are going on an Owl Prowl at a conservation area/bird rehabilitation place... And after, a small Imbolc ritual (John's first!!). This is the first Imbolc in 3 years that I am not initiating into my woman's pagan group, it's nice to have something special to do.

John has thing for owls, so I thought it would be a nice evening out for us...

I'm so glad it's Friday, and we have nothing planned for this weekend. Just going to kick-back and relax.

L

Lan Morgan-I wanna go on an owl hunt! I don't even know if we have owls here. I can go on a bat hunt. They visit me nightly when it is warm. Yes, real old fashioned bats.

I am dressed so nice and warm, drinking cider and eatting hot oatmeal with apples and raisons. My warmth will be over the second I walk out that door. Yesterday morning was freezing. Literaly, all the ice on the sidewalks was amazing. That doesn't happen very often.

I get to work all by myself today. And what fun thing is planned for my time? Typing sylabuses for my boss. Fun. Since class starts on Tuesday, I think it is important to get them done. Actually I don't mind since there will be no one looking over my shoulder checking for typos!!! (Isn't that what spell check is for?) And I am then gonna hang posters up. I may unpack photo albulms too. I get to listen to the radio and play with the kitten. Should be an okay day.

My dad is coming to visit tomorrow. I am going to the outdoor swap meet with my mom and sis in the morning. On Monday we get to watch the taping of the Wheel of Fortune. I should go try to find a sitter for GRiffin. I got 4 craft books for 4$ in the mail yesterday. I am so itching to get to the bead store for more wire so I can make something. Someday when the kids are older and Chris can find a real job, I am going to make jewelry for a living.

As for my diet...I am maintaining quite well. My tummy makes sure I don't over eat or eat anything way too bad for me. Or I am so uncomfortable. So I stay with small portions and watch out for milk and fat. Now if I could manage to fit in excercise!!!!

Amy-I will go do your 7 am shifts. I am a morning person! Have a wonderful first day! Wildfire-I used to copy all long responces before submitting because my modem would be so hungry too!

Hi Eydie, Shiela and Ruthie!!!! Well, I am off to be the wizard! ~flower

Happy Friday all! The week's finally over...

I snuck on the scale and I'm down 1 1/2 pounds. Good and bad. Good that I'm down, bad that I'm still addicted to the scale... something to work on. I get too hung up on the numbers and try to weigh only once a week.

Tomarrow I have my "bowl better" clinic with some semi-pro bowlers. It should be fun. I'm wondering if one of them will have me try bowling left handed since I AM left handed and have always bowled righty. The last pro I talked to said I probably have a 200 game in me if I'd bowl "with the right hand". Yea, I wish...

Lamorgan - have a wonderful time watching the owls! We have both Screech and Great Northwestern owls here. The Screech owls make my hair stand on end. The GN owls are a soft "oooo, ooooo" - so pretty, and they're HUGE! Also hope you enjoy your early Imbolc celebration!

flower - ooooh, you're gonna make jewelry???? Fun!! Enjoy your visit with your Dad!

Have a great weekend all - "see" you Monday!

Terri

Well, chicks, I need to decide what I'm going to do...I went to the periodontist on Thursday b/c my dental work didn't completely correct the damage from the periodontitis, and he said I need $2,500 worth of gum surgery. Of course, I want to do this work while I still have some dental coverage (i.e., before I quit my job), and so that I don't end up losing all my teeth down the road. I also still need another molar extracted, and then finally to have my cavities filled. So it's a lot of $$$, and my coverage is only up to $2,000 for the whole family (for optical and dental combined). My car also needs more work, as my brakes have been squealing for weeks now. In the meantime, I'm spending a WHOLE LOT of $$$ on this fast which I'm not compliant with, and they don't take credit cards like I originally thought they did (and they won't bill me), so it becomes a cash flow problem, and my p/t job has been kind of intermittent in giving me work (it's feast or famine; I can go a week or two with no income, and then get $150 worth of work to do in a few days, but in the meantime I'm going a week or two without the cash coming in).

I really feel like the smart decision is to drop the fast, but I also feel like a loser for doing that. On the other hand, I hate the thought of taking in so much sugar and chemicals (which is what's in the shakes). On the other hand, I love the group now. What would you guys do? I've already learned a few valuable things from participating in the program:

1) Depriving myself makes me want to binge.
2) I need to learn better self-control.
3) I don't need to lose weight by a certain arbitrary date; it can take two years if necessary.
4) The most important thing is to think before I eat, to not eat when I'm full, and to exercise at least 4-5 days/week.

I feel like by understanding those things I may have crossed the most important bridge back out of Fat Land. You know, last night I talked to my sister, who was so disappointed with me for not sticking with the fast, and she was polite to me, but she did say well it's all about willpower, and I wanted to but didn't say, well then you quit smoking and we'll talk. Because I really truly believe that's a problem for a lot of smokers...it's easy not to eat when you smoke, but you take away the cigarettes and now food looks REAL good. When I smoked I ate one meal a day. Food wasn't important; cigarettes were paramount, in fact they ruled my life. So it's easy for my sister to talk about living on vegetable juices b/c she's using one of the best appetite suppressants around. And it's very very hypocritical of her to talk about willpower when she can't give up the cigs and won't even think about it. But I'm not going to go there with her; it's not worth it b/c she is too angry a person, and I don't want the fight. It won't benefit me at all.

Thanks for listening, chicks.

Terri, congrats on the loss! I know what you mean about the scale sometimes being the enemy! It's all about trends...a downward trend is allowed to have up and down blips within it, as long as the trend continues down.

Flower, I have a feeling things are on the upturn for you, with your positive outlook with the dieting and the new job coming up. Good luck with both!

Lamorgan, I'm jealous of your Owl Prowl! A local hiking club offers an eagle weekend occasionally -- I should do that trip! Oh yeah, I'm grounded b/c of DD...well, I should make her come with me, right?

Amy, congrats on your loss...good luck with the job and school!

Eydie, Sheila, Wildfire, come back soon!

OK, I'll shut up now!

Things are looking up for the future! *snoopy dancing* We got the consolidation loan we applied for last week! We have a 2.5 year plan to be completely out of debt, have the downpayment for a house, and go out and buy that sucker! This endless renting and people on all sides of me is driving me nuts. There is a light at the end of this particular tunnel!

Ruthie, dental work is such a financial drain! I still haven't had that root canal because my insurance would only cover half of it, and not the crown I'll need. Yep, you should do as much as you can while your insurance will cover it. *shudder* Gum surgery....poor you. If you decide that economically you have to drop the fast, you are NOT a loser! Look at it this way, you've learned valuable lessons while you were on it, and can apply them to your eating plan. You can have a fresh start in your relationship with food since you've been mostly off it for a few weeks now. And this time, you're running the show! Don't listen to your sister for even a second! The ones who are closest to us often understand us the least. I am completely in awe of you for having the courage and determination to try this fast.

Punkin, you bowl too? I'm in a company league every Monday after work. This is my third season, had never bowled before. How was the clinic? Congrats on the loss!

Flower, you have a kitten at work? That would be so great! I don't think my company would go for it, though. I've got the crafting bug too...and Michaels has a huge sale on this weekend. Guess where I'm going later???

Lamorgan, the Owl Prowl sounds like so much fun! There is a resident hawk of some kind in an area of the North Service road on my way to work. He is so magnificent. A few times he was perched on the fence between the service road and the highway and I got to see how big he really is! I don't know what kind he is, though....haven't gotten a good look at his head. He's got a wing span of three or four feet, I'd guess, seeing him from a distance.

Amyjo, congrats on the loss! Remember to come up for air now and then with all that keeps you busy!

Eydie, hope things settle down for you soon. We miss you, too!

Just rescuing us from the bottom of the list. Where is everyone?

We spent our weekend doing some more painting. We have two staircases in the house, the front and back. The front hall and staircase we painted a couple of years ago, but the kitchen staircase and the adjoining 'sitting room' at the top of the stairs have been in rough shape. Well - the upper room is painted a wonderful 'light toast' colour, and the stairwell is half done. We will finish it next weekend when John brings home the ladder from work again. It's a wonderful ladder that will stagger stairs if necessary. The stairwell is really high, and I don't do ladders too well. Still tapping my home renovation energy.

Painting makes me really hungry, and in need of fast-fixes. Pizza Friday, and Szechwan Noodle on Saturday - eek.

One child home from school today with a cold, I'm hoping he's not sick because I recently put him back on dairy. Guilt, guilt.

Ruthie, I think you have to weigh the reasons you undertook this fast. If it isn't right for you , only you can decide to stop it. I would be concerned about the sugar content as well.

Flower, I love bats too. We have little brown bats in the summer that eat the moquitoes. They swoop around at dusk, but they are all hibernating now. We have fire-flies in the summer evenings too.

Wildfire, congrats on the loan! It's hard to save for a house. We would never have done it (I fear) without the inheritance from my parents. Sigh.

Punkinseed, hope you had fun at your bowl-clinic! When I first read your post I thought it read 'bowel clinic', and was happy to discover I had read wrong!

To everyone else I didn't name, sorry! I need to go get this day underway.

Have a great one!

Lam

Good morning everyone...

Kinda headachey today, I get this way when the weather changes and we've had storms going in and out all month. I've been miserable.

Ate a bunch of #$%@ this weekend... back to journaling this morning anyway, which is good (doing my own modified WW type program). Friday I bought some new shoes for walking. Whether it takes me 10 months or 3 years I'm going to get healthy...

Ruthie - I left WW when I decided to put myself in braces for the 3rd time. It was over $4000 (ouch). For me, having my bite fixed (I had really, really bad TMJ) was more important than going to WW. I don't regret it. I used it as an excuse, but honestly, there was nothing keeping from following my own, or some other program without going to meetings. It sounds like you've learned a lot in your meetings, enough to be able to do something on your own while working on your dental needs. Now you just need to make the difficult choice. I don't think of you as a "looser" for having/wanting to leave (I'm sending a mental "Shuush!" to your sister). That decision is up to you and you alone, and no matter what you'll be supported here!

Wildfire - Congrats on the 2 1/2 year plan! I just bought my first house in October and I tell ya' nothing beats it! I'm waiting for drier weather so I can paint something - ANYTHING!
The bowling clinic was fun. It was taught by the heads of our league, 3 elderly ladies all with averages from 180-220! It was 3 hours, no scores kept, and practice, practice, practice... By the time we left I could pick up both 7 pin and 10 pin spares. I also tried to throw a ball left handed (I'm a lefty) and it hit the gutter 2 feet from the foul line. I've decided to keep bowling "wrong" handed.

Lamorgan - "Bowel" Clinic??? Ooooh, I'm glad you were wrong!!!

Tha's all for now...

Terri

I lost 25 pounds last year by following the WW points system on my own. It's been over 6 months now and I have probably gained back 5 pounds, which I feel not at all badly about. Walking is the key for me. My head-space had to be right there for this to work for me though. Much like quitting smoking, actually. I was ready for a life-change, and it has been a part of many changes that have snowballed on since last March.



Life is good.

L

Well, I opted out of Opti Fast. The dopey director tried a couple pitches to get me to stay in, but I wasn't having it. I can't believe now that I was spending that much $$!!! It would have been worth it if it worked, but I wasn't compliant. So now I'm free to live as I please -- that's how I feel. Thanks guys for the feedback. More later -- I'm starving now and have to eat dinner. (Only had a couple slices of toast and two Opti Fast shakes today; gotta use them up.)

Guess what I did today??? If you said a little bit of everything, you would be correct. I started the day off by cleaning the car. I cleaned my whole room yesterday, even the drawers. Then I went shopping with my soon to be step mom. I was hoping for an outfit or two but I lucked out big time. She got me a pair of gloria vanderbilt 5 pocket jeans in black. On sale for 24.99. A pair of gv stretch jeans-nopockets in black. A pair of no waistbank, side zipper, no elastic pants in black, a black silk pair of pants w/ bead trim and a solid matching silk blouse, a black and white check silk shirt, a white elizabeth claiborne long sleeve tee with a heart neckline, a pair of black clogs (so comfy) and a pair of easy spirit walking tennies in black. Everything was at least on sale for 25% off. She spent at least 250 on me. I am spoiled. We shopped the womens dept in Dillards and Robinson May. But you wanna know the best part? I now wear a size 18, not a 22!!!!!!! I can zip them, move around ect. Anything bigger is frumpy and clown like!!!!!! Yippeee!!!!

During our shopping trip, my dad went with the family to Circus Circus adventure dome where they rode rides. (I had free passes)We met up with them about 4 hours later and they took Griffin back to the hotel and we went to the Hilton and watched 3 filmings of Wheel of Fortune. (more freebies) Interesting and fun. After that we headed to Boulder Station to pick up Grif and went had the buffet there. I am so full. Grif ate so much he barfed half of it as soon as we got home. I saw that coming a mile away!!! He ate way too much. I had a huge salad but no fattening stuff. I had grilled fish and veggies and 2 small desserts. I was good.

I have to work tomorrow. She says I made a mistake on the slyabus but I don't think I did. I will have to double check. She has a way of making me feel so stupid sometimes. I am glad I only have a week left! ~audri