Susan, you snuck in there. Sounds like you had a nice time at the beach. I'm sure it's good and comforting to Gaby for her parents to at least get along. Congrats on your review at work!

I'm back again! Stay away for a day or two and then I try to make up for it in one day!

Jen~I do know about taking drugs when flying, my Aunt always takes something when flying. But it still doesn't take away the thoughts in my mind of crashing and burning! And the anxiety I feel beforehand I am just so scared to death of flying. Oh well...maybe one day. Yeah, I definitely would wait to see the movie when not pms'ing. There are a lot of sad parts, but again I don't want to give it all away. And YES! mowing counts as exercise! You should have some muscles mowing the hill.

RosieKate~no, no bombings, although I told dd that the theater should have given us food or bricks or something to throw at the screen! LOL And yes, I will do my part to get him out of office. What exactly is in a WW kit? Just curious as I had joined WW and really didn't get much of anything.

Hiya Susan~I am happy for you and your ex that you guys are getting along for the sake of Gaby. I bet she loves seeing her dad. Glad you and the girls had a great time at the beach. I so miss the beach.

Okay, once again, HI to everyone else. I am outta here for tonight, really! Going to go practice on the keyboard. Did I tell you guys I can play three songs now?! Nighty, night ladies.

Congrats on the weight loss Cristi!!!! WTG!!! I just started TOM so I won't be weighing in on Saturday...that always discourages me when it's around that time and I want to see results. Stupid thinking on my part....I know.


Went to my grandpa's today. My aunt and cousin were there, but no grandpa!! Busy man (as I have said before) so the three of us went up to my grandma's grave to put flowers down...today it has been 2months. By the time we walked around and got back to my grandpa's....he was finally home. (The cemetary is just up the hill)

Had a good visit and then I had to go and they had to go, but one of my other aunts was coming over to make dinner and watch the ball game with him. We do our best to keep him company. (As long as he stays put!! )

I better get...I have to run to the store and get some salad stuff....been craving baby spinach...and it only taste good in a salad.


Marti

Hi Marti~saw you are on and thought I better say hey and That's good that everyone is keeping your grandpa company, and he is keeping busy. It's that down time that gets ya, when no one is around and you are doing nothing and you start thinking about things. I am glad he has you all. I know what ya mean about weighing in when it is TOM. Probably best that you wait till it's over. I know I always show a gain.

Okay, once again I am outta here. Bye ladies.

Hey again......

Yes, mowing counts Jen!!! I loved to mow when I had a yard to take care of. I saw our home that we use to live in when I went down to the coast on Sunday and the yard was in tatters, no one takes cares of it. Made me sad....

I had a really good review!! Now I get my pay raise.

Thanks, Cristi
Gabrielle adores her father. She kept saying "oh, daddy"....he makes her laugh and she minds him pretty good. I am just amazed how they have bonded.He has a cute cottage and is doing good. He called on my dinner break and is going to call when I get off shift. It is funny because I never considered him an ex........just a bother,,,,,lol. I like him better now, we both have changed a lot over 3 years.

Blah, blah.....better get busy.

ttfn

Good evening ladies!

Not much happening today,,,work, come home dinner. I would say it was food poisoning because yesterday was a miserable day for me,,,and after sleeping it off feel better.

Susan good to hear about the ex and you coming to terms with parenting Gabby.

Tomorrow I go and get our passports done, Brandon wants to redo his passport pics,,,he looks BAD
Montes back is better...
Tanner has an audition on Monday,,,thing is I work all day,,,busiest day of the week...how do I do this?
Going to the rodeo next week Mavericks are playing,,,WAHOOOO my favorite country band,,,,
Have a stagett to go to,,,*blushing Angelika, Becky and I are going into a *adult shop* for a gift....hmmmmm

I like the name Zane,,,Tanner went to school with a kid named Zan but I kept calling him Zane...lol
We have had such weather,,,rainy and cold,,,tonight its warmed up so now its muggy...
I am now reading a good series,,,Weekend Warriors by Fern Micheals,,,

well off to bed I go,,,night all
Angie

Evening ladies--

I've been bouncing around all over the place here!!

Angie--While your at it, feel free to get my passport and ticket and everything else I need for me to come with you on your vacation!! I will be your family photographer!! A must have for a family vacation!! How exciting! I know it's not until Aug/Sept.....but time flies fast and it will be here before you know it!! As for the "adult" shop.....drink a glass of wine before you go in....it helps to take the edge off! Plus with a little buzz....it kind of makes going in a little more fun!!

Susan--Sounds like you had a great weekend at the beach. I want to go to the beach soon. With the kind of weather that we have here in Oregon,,,,the coast sounds like a great place to retreat!

Cristi--I've never flown (well....not that I remember...I was 6mos. old when I was on a plane last) and I have mixed feelings about it. I would definately want James at my side. He's been on one and enjoyed it!! I don't think I will have to worry about that anytime soon though.....I, unlike Angie, don't have any vacation plans in the near future so I will be sitting here pouting about that!

Jen--I haven't heard anything yet on the job. Maybe my test results on the typing wasn't good enough. I did have errors. So maybe they look at that rather than how fast I can type. Oh well...I can just wait and see. As for Love or Money...the next round looks very interesting. Who thinks up all this crap??? Whoever it is...they managed to spark my interest!!

Hi to the rest of the crew!!

Well tonight I had my spinach salad...with vinegrette dressing! Very lite and good. I also made some spaghetti squash....that was good too!! James called me earlier and requested some scalloped potatoes for when he comes home....not a problem I say.....now I'm feeling lazy and don't want to go in the kitchen, but.....I better get it in now. Can't make a promise and then brake it now can I???

Ok all...of I go to make scalloped potatoes in the middle of the night!!

Night all

Marti

Good morning you chatty ladies!

Cristi - which songs do you play on the keyboard? About flying, if you stop and think of all the hundreds of planes that take off and land safely every day, it puts things into perspective, but I totally respect your feelings. In order to get to Disney in 2 hours, it's a risk I'm willing to take, lol. Mary doesn't take flying well, and my son is dreading it big-time.

Marti - so when is your sister due? I also love spinach salad. I buy the bagged baby greens once in awhile in the winter when our own crop of lettuce is gone.

RosieKate - glad to know my signature is inspiring! I have to say that when I see it, it makes me smile. Did you get your WW stuff through eBay or WW?

Susan - YAY for you getting a raise!! Sounds like you've had a lot of fun at the beach. Has Gaby's daddy changed enough for you to rekindle anything??

Jen - you betcha mowing counts!! Especially the way you do the hill, lol. Oh how I wish I was going to Chicago! We were always going to take the kids to the museums and never did. I lived in Hammond, IN for awhile when I was a kid, and got to see them. Plus, I'll never forget what Marshall Field's looked like all decorated for Christmas. Send me a postcard, wouldya?

Angie - I wish I had my passport from when I went to Germany. But I threw it out the same time I got rid of the ex, lol. OMG!!! You get to see the Mavericks????? I just saw Raul Maco sing on 100 Top Love Songs on CMT. He has a voice from heaven, don't you think? Byw, are you the one who asked for my snail mail addy?

Well, ladies, I was going to share my January and July full-length photos with you, then when I saw what a big belly I still have, it depressed the crap outta me and I didn't make the album public. I know I have done well so far, and I am proud of that fact, but I guess I just don't feel as fat as I still am.... ykwim? I still have a long way to go, but it was still depressing.....

Going to work on my menus and grocery list for next week.

BBL,

Good morning -
Up at 5 this a.m. - WAY too early. I'm going to take the kids to the beach for the day so it's good to get an early start. My ILs have rented a house for the week. SIL is in town w/ her family ( she's from St. Louis), so the whole gang is going in on this house. Too bad we can't stay over, but I have book group tonight and Dad is in town tomorrow bringing over some furniture, since his new home is going to be small, apparently. My home is small, too, but he was going to get rid of a solid cherry formal dining set that he and my mom bought in the early 70s. Mom said it cost 3 grand back then, so who knows now. My brother and I just can't to see him sell it off like that... so I've said I'll make room. It should stay in our family.

Marti - little known fact about me: I haven't been on a plane since deregulation (circa 1980) I went on a 7 week trip to mexico when I was 15 and haven't seen the inside of one since. Just hasn't been a priority. We put ourselves through college, then babies, then house - there's just been no money to travel. Our family all lives within driving distance, so we've been fine with that. I love poking around Oregon - such a beautiful place. We figure we'll travel more when the kids are older. We'll have more $ to do it, and they'll appreciate it more, I think.

Jana I ended up getting a starter kit with a points calculator off of ebay - saved about 25$ from what the WW website had to offer. There aren't too many pointsfinders out there - seems they've all switched over to these fancy calculators, but I remembered your advice and paid extra to get the calculator.

Christi - The kit I bought had a complete food guide, a dining out guide, a points calculator, and I think its a points guide of some kind, and a carrying case. Jana advised me that the crucial piece is the pointsfinder, but when I got online to look, they seem to have been replaced by calculators. Jana may be able to shed more light on this...that's just how it appeared to me.

Susan - Did you go to Hammond? I just love that area. My friend who lived there just recently moved back to Portland, so instead of making a trip out to beautiful Fort Stevens for a visit, now I get to trek to beautiful North Portland. People keep telling me that area is improving... Congrats on the raise - I'm taking the kids to Pacific City today... should be fun.

Angie - Your trip to Cuba sounds like fun. I just read that Bush is restricting travel to Cuba in hopes that the lack of tourism will speed up Castro's exit from office. Like that has worked so well in the past. I saw a news story with all these Cuban-Americans frantically catching flights to see their relatives in Cuba before the restrictions start. I hope this doesn't affect your trip. I saw a Cuban film once called Strawberries and Chocolate, and it struck me what a beautiful country it was.

When we get some traveling money, we'll probably take a trip to one of the Disneys - to just get it out of the way, of course we'd also like to go to New York for museums and Broadway. DH are thinking of doing that for a 20th anniversary - I have 6 years to save my money!

Well, gotta go post in 21 day challenge, then get ready to go to the beach! Sun and fun, here I come....

Hello to anyone I missed - Have a great day!
RK

Good morning--

I had a post and when I went to post it.....the page expired!! So this time I will be sure to copy before I do this again!!

Jana--My sister is due in Jan. A couple days after her daughters birthday. I told her to go ahead and have it on my birthday!! I think she can arrange that don't you?

RosieKate--Do you live close to the coast? I am so wanting to go to the coast soon!! It's been since last year that we went. Always went when it was cold and the wind was just too much to handle with all that sand blowing on your face!! (that hurts!) Maybe I can talk James into going this weekend.

I managed to pull myself out of bed before 8:30 this morning. I turned out the lights at 1:30......that's plenty of sleep!! How many hours do you girls usually get??

Morning to the rest of you girls!!!

I better get myself cleaned up...first want to see if I can post this time!!

BBL
Marti

Good Morning Ladies~

Jana~the songs are beginner songs of course, When The Saints Go Marching In, Banks of the Ohio, Jingle Bells and I Know Where I'm Going, real simple stuff but it is a start. I have actually thought about taking piano lessons, think that would be cool. I do think about all the planes that take off everyday. And when DS was going to college in VA-he always made it to and fro, but I am still afraid and I don't think anything can change that. Unless of course they knock me out once I am on the plane and wake up when it's over!

RosieKate~I wish I would have known that is what was in the kit. I do have all that stuff, just didn't get it in a kit all together. Also, I am no longer using the stuff, I could have sent it to you for free-sorry. What you got was probably updated though. Aahh, New York...I have never been but want to go one day also. DD wants to do all the Museums (Art) and I would love to do Broadway. Hope you get to go on your anniversary. They don't have much in the way of museums here, unless you go to KC or St. Louis but they are still nothing like the ones in New York.

Marti~I haven't been on a "real" vacation in years. The last time I went anywhere was a couple of years ago to AR, not really a vacation though. I am dying to visit the west coast since I haven't been in so long, but not sure when that will ever happen. I think too before I remarried and after the kids dad passed, I made sure the kids had fun and for the 8 years I was single we went all over and think I just got a little burnt out from driving by myself everywhere. Took a couple of vacations a year. While I love the west coast, Branson, MO has to be my favorite place ever, so far. The times I have gone we always rented a condo for a week, which was just a little more than a motel and you had a kitchen so you didn't have to eat out every day. Maybe, you can go with James when he goes to conductor school, even if it is just for a couple of days.

Angie~glad to hear you are feeling better.

Susan~I was thinking the same as Jana about your ex. But then you said he is like a brother, so maybe no feelings there??? Hey, stranger things have happened, and if he has totally changed...that's good Gaby warmed up to him.

Well ladies I have a lot of stuff to do today.Went and bought groceries early this morning. Lord knows if I don't leave the house clean tomorrow it will be messy when I get back. Need to get some laundry done, and finish cleaning my bedroom. Of course vaccuum the rest of the house also. I did some good cleaning over the weekend, ceiling fans, windows and didn't finish my bedroom. Going to take off in the morning about 10 am to KC. It's only about a 2 1/2-3 hour drive, depending on how much we stop but want to get an early start and get there and find a place to spend the night. I will try and get back on later tonight. Take care ladies and have a great hump day!

Hi Marti~you were posting as I was I guess. Anyway, I normally get 6-8 hours of sleep at night. Here lately though, I have been going to bed between midnight and 1 or 1:30 and getting up at 6:45. Although, there have been a couple of nights I was up till 2 am. I get to reading a book or watching a movie and don't want to quit. Glad Vince is a heavy sleeper. See ya later.

Hey girls--

I just realized that today is the 7th...which means....I have been to the USA for 33yrs today!! That just striked something as funny when I think about it. I never thought about how long I've been here and that I was born in the Phillipines....and one day I was talking to my grandma about what it was like for her to meet my mom for the first time. Didn't even know that my dad didn't come here with us...he sent us here first and came back a few months later!! Can you imagine never being in the United States, not knowing the language much at all, and having to come here and move in with a family and try to communicate?? My mom was young when she had me...younger than what she leads people to believe. She was about 15 maybe 16...so she was still just a kid herself.

Just had to share that....James is still in bed and I'm hanging out waiting for clothes to dry so I can get dressed!!

BBL---I'm sure I'll have more to yap about as I go on through the day with no one to talk their heads off with!!

Marti

Marti, I need more then 7 hours of sleep a night. I get 7 hours and Im ok but after a week or two Im wacked,,,and then I end up sleeping around the clock.

Yes Jana, thats me who needs your snail mail,,,I am going to the dollar store to buy two address books,,,one big one and one small one for my purse,,,so that I don't ever have to take the big one out of the house again.
Jana, when I lost 67 lbs, I still had the belly,,,or as I call it my pooch. I did so many crunches and still it wouldn't go down. A friend who had lost 140 lbs had her stomach (apron) tcuked,,,that was another 10 lbs or something like that,,,The Dr. lipoed out some areas that were touch,,,and removed a orange sized ball of fat,,,which he said she would never have gotten rid of cause of how tough it was...ewwwww just gave everyone a visial of hard fat balls in our stomaches right?

Rosiekate, the American tourists that are in Cuba from what we have been reading on the internet booked with Canadian travel agencies,,,there was some problem with the relations between the US and Cuba back in the JFK days,,,recently there have been talks of reconciling. So I guess thats a good reason there doesn't seem to be any thoughts of going to Cuba,,,were as here we talk of it the same as going to Mexico

As for planes,,,when I lived wayyyy up north I had braces and had to fly to Edmonton every 5 weeks,,,I did this from grade 5 till 11.
Monte and I had flown a few times,,,together and then I have taken a few trips,,one being to see Susan in Portland and another to New York.
then of course I worked for Fed Ex and spent hours in planes,,,unloading or loading them up...lol not as fun as traveling to some exotic country.
I have cousins in Ontario, who live on a Native Reservation,,,and to go to school each day they are helicoptered to and fro.
Monte and I would like to travel to many more places,,,Australia, Ireland, Scotland, and of course all of Europe...Italy, Greece, etc.
My old boss/teacher who owns an executive security business was offered to guard some athletes in the Olympics ...this was 2 yrs ago that he was offered. And of course since I was on his team and trained I could of been going,,,heard nothing about it,,,so maybe he was asking for too much moola. I of course am so out of shape I wouldn't have been going for that reason alone...
Well I am going to go get my errands done,,,do some shopping Angelika saw a sale....*breathing heavy,,,sallllleee
better shower before I leave...
Angie

Can you ladies tell I do not want to do what I am supposed to be doing!? I do a little and then take a break, do a little, take a break...not to worry though, it will be done before the day is done.

Marti~that is so cool! 33 years, huh? I completely forgot your are from the Philippines. I couldn't imagine coming to another country and not knowing a word of English. DD had a friend from Korea when we lived in Dallas. She was the sweetest girl and came over with her mom and dad. Her dad was transferred there. He knew a little bit of English, and Cynthia knew English but her mom didn't know anything except a few things and would get them mixed up. I took Carrie over to spend the night and she didn't know at the time her mom didn't understand. I said Hi and introduced myself and she just kept smiling and nodding. Of course later on I found out she didn't have a clue. The girls would laugh at her because when it was time to go to bed she told them "Good Morning" and when they got up she told them "good night", Cynthia told her she go tthem mixed up and was trying to teach her enough to get by. Anyhoo...are you going to celebrate?

Angie~have a fun day shopping girly! That is gross, I just got a visual also. I probably have two balls of fat in my tummy. About Cuba I thought there always seemed to be bad relations between the US and Cuba, and way after the JFK days. I think that was one reason I thought Cuba??? Am I wrong??? I don't keep up with a lot of things now days I swear, but sure plan to from now on. Oh well, I hope you guys have the best time Angie!

Hi to everyone else!

TTFN