Hey Marie,

I'm envious of your time off!! I'd love to be picking straberries and knitting! The weight will come off as long as you stick to it, and keep getting back on the wagon when you hit a bump! I had about a 40 lb goal and I started the last week in January. I still have about 5lbs left to hit the target weight, but then I have to finish tonning this huge gutt of mine without getting to thin every where else. As a matter of a fact, my mom just gave me an ear beatting that I've lost enough weight. I have my checkered PJ's on and for some weird reason they really make me look small, they hide my tummy well in all the loud design ! And to make matters worse she bought them for me when I was to heavy to get them up over my butt!

Kerry,
One step at a time! First move and try to keep your new healthy eating habits and working out (even if it's only with Bella) After you settle in (which will feel like never) then start thinking about a baby. There is never a perfect time to get pregnant, but in the middle of a move could really hamper things. You'ld have painting issues, lifting issues, and to boot you'ld be sick and super tired! Get your butt in that new adorable house then focus on getting a family started. Please stop beatting yourself up and trust me your time will come!!!

Got to get bed, chat tomorrow!

Hi all, I sure hope you're having a great day.

Lori, I think it's totally cool that you're so close to goal weight. I didn't realize you've only been doing this since the last week in January. You are my idol. I'm definitely back on track now. I've been exercising for the last few months but eating has been so-so. Since DH left for MN, I've been able to buckle down and really focus on eating (or not eating much as the case would have it). I told DH this on the phone and he asked why he screws up my diet because he doesn't want to. I told him I have no idea but that it's just lots easier to diet when he's not around. Sort of sad, huh?

I'm going to swim laps again today, then I'm going to slather SPF45 all over and float in the sun. I just love the feeling of the sun on my skin. I just hate sunburns and the idea of cancer. So I will slather. I shouldn't have as much work to do as I did yesterday. I've already done one thing for work today, and I have to work with the state ed. dept on why a report I'm submitting has errors. I do honestly believe it is on their end. Yesterday I worked for 4 hours on my day off - I don't like doing that so today will be less. I'm also going to knit and do stained glass, but I say that everyday and it doesn't happen everyday. Things just always seem to come up.

Have a fabulous Tuesday everyone.
Marie

Good morning everyone!! We are home!!!! I have mixed feelings about that. It is good to be "home" but I think I am even more determined to move to Phoenix!!! If DH gets his job we will have alot to iron out as far as how we are going to make this happen!!! He should find something out this week. He is also still continuing to look for other jobs as well. He seems to have a good feeling about this and seems to think they will offer it to him. Time will tell I guess!!! I'm trying to figure out what we need to do to the house to get it ready to put on the market. It is only 2 1/2 years old but we will still have a few things to do to get it ready. YUK!! I don't know if we will try to sell it on our own for a while or if we will list it with an agent. I hate realtors!!!!! UGH!!!! I can't let this stress get the best of me.

Well,on another note I did manage to maintain my weight loss while I was gone which is a good thing, so I am very happy about that. I am starting back on WW today since I really haven't been on it since we left.

I'm looking forward to getting back on a routine and schedule.

It is time for me to take DS to summer school. We went at 8:45 to find out they changed the time to 10:30 while we were gone. I will try and get pics of the trip posted tonight.

Take care, and its GOOD to be back!!!!

Where is everyone!! I get back from vacation and everyone disappears!!!!

Stress!!!!! DH got the job!! It is a good offer but I don't know what to do!!!! I feel like it is up to me to make this decision. I know Dh wants it but the cost of living is sooooooooo high and a house would cost us 200-300 hundred thousand more for something similar to what we have here!!!! I just can't imagine how we can swing that. Then I would probably be a single parent for about a year, because our house would need to sell, I have to get certified in Arizona and find a job!!!! Ugh!!! Then to top it off I think I have a hernia and it would require surgery!!! I go to the doc in the morning to check it out. I am so freakin' stressed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My head is pounding and I know my BP is running high because I don't handle stress well!!!!! I'm not good at making these kinds of decisions...I can tell other people what to do but when it comes to myself forget it! I just can't think straight with this headache!!!

Well I am going to raid the cabinet for some Tylenol. I'll check back later!

Wow Paige! Sorry for disappearing on you. (((Hugs))) Calm down sister, it's all gonna be ok. First things first, let us know how that possible hernia checks out. I hope you are ok and it is nothing major. ****Healthy Vibes**** I've avoided stomach/esphagael surgery for years by taking it easy and taking meds. Ok - Next CONGRATS to your DH on getting the job offer. I can understand you freaking out a bit about the madness of selling, getting the license to teach in another state, etc, but take it a thing at a time. The real estate market moves fast and you might just sell your house in a matter of months and not nearly as long as a year. As for teaching it looks to me like AZ has a reciprocal license agreement. You have to have a copy of your out of state license sent, pay the $60 fee then if you've been teaching for the past 3 years the Prof Knowledge test is waived and if you have a Masters (not sure if you do or not) then the Subject prof test can be waived as well if not, that's the only test you'd have to take. And lordy girl it looks like they NEED teachers and you'd have no trouble going right to work. Now as for the cost of living (price of house) increase - does the new job for DH pay more? Do you have equity in the house you're in now? I bet you can make this work SOMEHOW If it is the right thing, it will come together.

As for me, I'm still weighing in at 139 and TOM has flown by with a fury. Might still have some bloating, but not much. I haven't been very committed this week to staying below calories to lose. I'm feeling stressed about moving and my kitchen is already out of sorts. I can't wait until this time next month.

Congrats to DH, Paige. I think that if you take it one step at a time, you'll work through the issues. Heck, Kerry did some of the research for you. Basically you've got to ask yourself "Do you want to live where you are or in AZ?" Answer that question and the rest will follow. When we made that decision to move across the country, it was scary and felt like I was jumping off a cliff. It was well worth it. I love where I'm at now and I was not pleased to live where I was at.

Kerry, so TOM left you and traveled to me. How nice of him... I think maintaining the 139 is great. It's easy to slip off when near goal and gain weight. You're doing great.

I had a great day yesterday. Got lots of stuff done (including working at home again) and made progress on my sweater. It just might be done in time for my vacation to Alaska. I swam laps and stayed under my calories. Since TOM arrived, I didn't bother to weigh in this morning. I just know that I'm doing so much better staying on track.

Talk to you later.
Marie

Howdy girls!
Seems like forever since I have posted! I managed to sneak a day off yesterday and took my son to zoo camp and then I had a long awaited doctor's appt. It was nice not to be yelled at about my weight. LOL The doctor's scale said 137, but that was with shoes. I also had my weigh in at Jenny Craig last night and it showed I am down to 136.1 only a .9lb loss but I'll take it. Almost a pound right? I am off again on Friday, another zoo camp session and a trip to the amusement park. Should be fun....gotta watch my food! Yikes! I am doing most of the day on my own. (no jc food) Man I love funnel cake and french fries! I have to be strong!

Glad to see you are back Lori. I am also glad you got the points tossed on the stop sign! You are doing a great job on the weight loss! 133!!!!! I still have between 11-16lbs to go....I'll decide once I get to 125, but I am betting I won't be happy with that since my gut is huge!!!!!! I don't think 11lbs is going to take care of it.

Welcome back Paige! Congrats to your hubby on the new job! I know this is a stressful time, but it should be exciting too! Looks like Kerry found some good info for ya! Take a deep breath! Relax! Everything will work out for the best!

Marie-You are very talented! I could never knit a sweater. I wish I knew how to do stuff like that. I can't even sew a stitch properly. My TOM is due too in about 5 days or so, which is why I think I lost so little this week...at least I am counting on it

Kerry-Hang in there! You will be moved out and into your new house before you know it! I can't believe we have been in ours for a year already! Time sure does fly! One more piece of advice for all you ladies who are totally stressed out, when I went to the doctor yesterday I had them look up my weight from last year, and I was at 161 last April. By February I was at 171!!!!!!! I was stressed to the max! Eating like mad! So please ladies don't do what I did! I hate to harp, but I don't want to see you guys go through what I went through! Ok, I'm off my soap box. I just hope I can follow my own advice

Well this is going to be a tough week for me, with going to the amusement park on Friday and my hubby's bday is tomorrow and we are going to dinner. I am going to buy a couple of those tiny birthday cakes one for him and one for our son...I'm sure I will sneak a taste Better than buying a whole cake and having it around all weekend!

ttfn!

Good Evening Chickies!!

Don't be patting me on the back to soon, I haven't seen 133.5 lbs since Monday's weigh in, it might have been an after TOM fluke!

Breath Pagie, breath!!! It's ok, if you want to live in AZ, then for goodness sakes go for it! You couldn't have a better time to sell your house than right now, I don't know what is going on with the market but you'ld more than likely get more out of it than what you paid for it. Yes the cost of living in AZ is high, but so are the wages! My DH's aunt lived out there for about 5 years until she got home sick. You can do it, and before the dust started to kick up it sounded like you wanted to go, so by all means do it!!! Let us know how the Dr. Appt. goes, hope all is ok!!!!

Kerry, how was your Dr. Appt? Not being able to find the kitchen can make life total _ell!! But way to go on the 130's, you broke the bubble!

Marie, I can't begin to imagine moving clean across the US, where did you start out? I'm such a terd, I won't even discuss the issue. This is home, I don't care what comes up over the creek bank, what falls in the yard, and how crazy my neighbors are. Ok, I have some really large issues, I can admit it, but I refuse to deal with it!

Julie, great to see you! Isn't it nice not to get scorned like a little kid when you go to the Dr.'s. I just hated that! Mmmm Funnel Cake! Oh I may have to mix up a batch! Love that grease!!!! No wonder I have weight issues! Zoo camp sound interesting, what do they do?

Ok, I've got to fold some laundry and get to bed. Were going to Lernerville Friday night (dirt track racing) so I'm going to lose a night of keeping the house together (what a shame ) So it's a mad dash to get as much done as possible! And I'm slowly getting back into the swing of working out, 2 weeks of being a lazy bum sure is making me drag my feet and I just want to cheat, cheat, cheat. It is sooo easy to get off track!

Julie - You are really doing great girl!! I get excited about .5 And I too am a sucker for funnel cake AND elephant ears and well any fried dough! I guess I have that in common with Homer Simpson.

Lori - Thanks for asking about the doc. I had to reschedule the appt though. My cycle got screwed up in the past 6-7 weeks and since I'd made the appt so far in advance well. . . I couldn't very well go to the OB during TOM. So I'm going the first week of Aug. It's ok and after our move, so hopefully I'll have more focus on ME

Marie - Sorry I kicked TOM to you. It sounds like you've been enjoying yourself. Way to go on your progress on the sweater, you make me very curious to see this creation.

Paige - How did the doc go? How are you? I hope you're feeling better.

Judy - We haven't seen you in awhile. Are you traveling? I hope your doing good and the weather isn't too hot and muggy to keep you from your walks.

Hi everyone, it's hard to believe another day is almost over. I just love summer so much that I live for each minute of it. Of course, the opposite is true - I hate winter so much I anxiously watch the calendar and the yard for signs of spring.

I spent the day on the pool - first time floating this year. Kerry, I'm eating crow - I got sunburned because of now sunscreen. I'd thought it was too late in the day to get burned (3:00) but I was wrong. I only have a pink nose but it's still burned and I had to admit it to Kerry.

I also finished the knitting part of my sweater. All I have left is to sew up the pieces. I'm going to do a little of that tonight and tomorrow morning. I will take a picture of it and post it. That is, of course, if it turns out right.

Julie, I'm a stress eater too. That and from boredom. It's no wonder I gain weight when eating is my favorite pastime.

Kerry, don't worry about sending TOM to me. It sounds like I'll be sending him to Julie soon. and the comment about Homer Simpson was too funny. I love doughnuts - that's my fried food achielles heel.

Lori, have fun at the race on Friday night. I had a blast at the Nascar race a couple weeks ago. I'm not sure I've had so much fun in a long time. And ignore the laundry. It just gets dirty again.

Talk to you later.
Marie

Lori, I forgot to answer you. We moved from Virginia to Minnesota without having jobs or housing lined up about 17 years ago. Then I realized I hated Minnesota (family lives there) and told DH that I was moving to the mountains. He decided that he'd join the kids and me, and we moved to Oregon. That was by far the best move of my life. It is paradise here. (except when the weather is breaking records for lows in the spring).
Marie

Good morning!
Well today is hubby's birthday and my son and I ended up getting him a nike shirt and a basketball for gifts. We got a hoop installed above our garage a couple of weeks ago, and the ball we had was very old and worn out, not to mention I ran over it with the car It melted to the undercarriage and was toast! The burning smell that I drove around with for a couple of days was awful! Anyway he was really excited, he had been wanting a regulation size basketball since before I ran the old one over so I got him one. Wish me luck that I don't pig out at dinner tonight and the park tomorrow.

Lori-Zoo camp is at the Pittsburgh Zoo they have a toddler program, the session is only 45 minutes long, perfect for little ones, it was cute, they brought in a rabbit, an owl and an opossum for the kids to see up close. And we made a couple of art projects. My son loved it. That session was called Down on the Farm. Tomorrow we are doing Itsy Bitsy Bugs I don't even want to think about what they will be bringing in for the kids to look at. They do have some programs for older kids where you drop them off for a few hours.
I'm sure you will see 133 again! don't sweat it. Have fun at the dirt track. Do you guys participate or watch?

Kerry-Homer Simpson! You crack me up! I can just picture him with drool coming from his mouth making that gurgling sound.

Marie-I haaaaate winter too! I have been a bad girl all summer ...no sunscreen at all except when I remember on my nose...I have a tendency of looking like Rudolf the Rednosed Reindeer LOL. I try not to stay out too long, but I am so tired of looking like a ghost. This is the first time I have had any kind of a tan in years. Do you tan using sunscreen? I know a few people who do, but I am not one of them!

If I don't see you guys before Monday, have a good weekend!

Good Morning!!

Well, this has been such a stressful week!!! Trying to get back on a routine after being gone is hard enough..... We decided not to accept the job offer in Phoenix. We are still planning to go but it would just have been too hard to do it now. I would be a single parent for a year and have to handle selling the house and keeping it in "show" condition and work on my AZ certification. Just too much!!!!! We are going to put the house on the market after Christmas and then in the meantime I am going to take two online classes that I need on Arizona and the constitution, get my fingerprint card, and take the two exams that I need...one for teaching and one for principal certification. That way I can be certified when I start looking for a job in the spring. I won't move unless I have an admininstrative job. I have worked too hard to get were I am professionally to go back to the classroom and teach. Once I have a job then we will move and DH will find something once we get there. That is the plan for now.

I also went to the doctor this morning and I have an umbilical hernia. So I am waiting for the surgeons office to call me this week to schedule an appointment with him. She also put me on blood pressure medicine and I have to go back and see her next week for a physical. Then she is moving to San Deigo so I will have to start seeing someone new after next week. When I was at the doctors office this morning I was so embarrased my kids looked like I had just beat them. Cameron has a bite mark on his cheek that he got from the dog this morning. He deserved it!!! Then Hannah fell out of bed last night and hit her nose on her toy box. So she has a swollen nose with a bruise and a swollen upper lip. It is always something!!!!!!!

Also on Monday while I was at the store the water company came and shut the water off. DH didn't mail the bills while I was gone, he didn't even open any mail...it was all waiting for me....along witht he notice that the water would be shut off if not paid by the 3rd!!!!!! So I had to take care of that with a reconnection fee of $50.

And the doctor wonders why I have high blood pressure!!!!!!!!

The good news is that I am back on plan and doing well....I am still so surprised that I didn't gain any weight on vacation!!!!

Well it is time to take DS to his reading class. I'll check back later today when I have a chance...to much time ranting on my issues I didn't have a chance to respond to any posts...sorry girls I'll do better next time!!!

Paige - holy cr@p girl! My blood pressure is going up just reading your post! It sounds like you and DH made the right decision for you to wait to move. You have some things to get in order before you move and if you don't want to go back to the classroom, I agree that it is wise to take the time for your career to stay on track. Sorry about the hernia. I hope you get fixed up and feel better soon. It's good that your staying on plan for eating, but I hope you can destress a bit too. Hang in there

Julie - Your hubby and my hubby need to get together and play b-ball. That's one of the first things my DH asked about the new house "can I put up a basketball hoop?" Enjoy your dinner and eat what you want, but NOT TOO MUCH

Marie - Sorry about your sunburn Mine faded in 2 days into a nice tan. I'm hoping to work on the tan a bit more this weekend. Please do share a photo of your sweater when you finish. I'd love to see it! oh and I like to use the Banana Boat suntan lotion with low spf to just keep that burn away but still get tan.

Lori - I too am curious about your dirt track racing event on Friday. Do you race yourself or just spectate? My folks used to race their 69 Stingray Corvette before they had kids. They went from that to yelling at me for driving too fast when I learned to drive and criticizing all 3 of their kids for always buying sporty/fast cars.

As I stood on the scale this morning (weighing on Thur instead of Fri like Im supposed to) DH comes behind me and says "yep it says 138" No way! I told him I don't understand the scale. He says to me that it goes in marks of two and I'm one mark below 140 so that's 138. I can't believe it. I am so close to 135. i might make it and keep on going. Though I do have family vacation coming up. And my family is a terrible eating influence and then San Fran where I am sure we will eat ourselves silly. Maintenance might be the name of the game

TTYL. Sorry I went on and on and on. I'm a bit bored at work today.

Morning all. Everything is great around here today. The weather, DH coming home from his trip, the sweater looks like it's turning out good, the pool chemicals are finally in blanace and the pool area is clean. Wow! It's a great. DH said I could drive the topless Jeep across the mountain to pick him up from the airport. YEAH!!!! I really love my jeep.

Julie and Kerry, the sunburn is fading and I'm very dark tan. It's almost too much with blonde hair and blue eyes. I usually use SPF 45 but I still tan like crazy. Today I will be covered in it for the trip across the mtn. It's about 75 miles eachway in the sun. So I will be smarter today. I use Neutragena 45 Dry touch. I like it and it doesn't make me oily. I thought of wearing a long sleeve shirt for the drive, but it's going to be 100 degrees on the other side and I'd literally keal over in the heat.

Julie, have fun with DH tonight. The presents sound perfect. Don't eat too much but remember that one day off your diet won't ruin it (unless you let it but that's another soap box).

Paige, it sounds like you made the right choice for you. Best to get your ducks all in a row before jumping in the water. You guys had valid reasons for turning down the job. He'll find something perfect for him once you have your job and move.

Kerry - you are the woman!!! 138!!!! Way to go. I am just so jealous. I'll get there and then we'll have to go tanning together.