That's what I definitely keep on telling myself when tempted to "fix" anything with food. Not easy, for sure. :/ But the cookies won't make the pain go away in any case, only add more frustration...

Biopsy came back benign as expected, nothing to worry about! (Benign lichenoid keratosis, for those who are curious.)

Allison, that sounds like quite a scar for a biopsy. They didn't do any sutures in mine, just took a little bit of skin and slapped on some antibiotic cream (at least, I think that's what the stuff is, it hasn't all come off yet).

Megan, sounds like a rough day.

Speaking of crazy dogs, Carter was acting nuts the other night. He was running around whining, climbing behind the bed, etc. I thought maybe he'd dropped one of his tennis balls back there because sometimes he loses them under the bed and gets upset, but there was nothing there. DH took him downstairs and let him out, then Carter came back up and was still running around and acting weird. He put his head on the bed, which he does a lot, so I petted him a little and then ignored him, and all of a sudden he leaped up onto the bed!

Aside from the fact that he's not allowed on our bed and never goes up there, he hasn't really been capable of jumping that high safely since his back injury. So I grabbed him so he wouldn't jump off (the down jump is harder on his back than the up jump), and called DH. DH came upstairs to try to lift Carter off the bed, but Carter was having none of it. He laid down, then we'd coax him to get up and DH would reach for him and he'd lay down again.

Eventually we got him off the bed! It was another hour before he decided to calm down and go to sleep though. Hasn't happened since. I wonder what got into him?

Yesterday I just had to stop it bc after I posted I got more work-related news that provoked more stress. The stress wasn't worth it. I didn't get to bed early, but I at least stopped looking for a candy jar to dive into and ate normally. Actually, I didn't have to work to hard. Maybe I'm learning to deal with stress? Eh, better some days than others.

Tonight I'm looking forward going to a friend's house for girl's night/sushi night and will enjoy a little wine with my sushi, too. It will be nice to relax with the girls. Sunday I'm going to the city with friends to see a play. It's the start of our theatre season again. Saturday I hope to take the dog for a long walk, relax, get some chores done, and hopefully actually spend time w dear BF even though I'm sure he'll have to work during the day.

After being open for 1 month of Saturdays my gym has closed on Sat's again. They say not enough people were coming and they need to cut costs. That may be... but since they once again have no weekend hours and I've cut back on strength training I'm re-thinking my membership. It is so tough for me to get there when they're open! They're open M-F 7:30-7:30, and I work M-F 7:30-4 on normal workdays. Some weeks I only go 1-2x. After my membership expires in December I might re-think this relationship. Of course this is my only gym option for 30+ miles. I own a yoga ball, some resistance bands, small weights, a bike (I don't ride it too often bc when I go to exercise outside I walk the dog), and would consider investing in an elliptical, plus I have plenty of areas to walk/wog with the dog who needs exercise anyway. Thoughts?

Jessica, Emma occasionally freaks out like that, too. If we can't find the cause we chalk it up to "she can hear something we can't". Glad your biopsy came back normal.

Becky, did you swim or prime?

What are everyone's weekend plans? TGIF!

Hi everyone!

I have been SWAMPED this week after getting back from my vacation! Work has been incredibly busy and I'm just getting caught up.

I had my 6 month post abdominoplasty appointment on Tuesday. The doctor was completely happy with my progress and other then the scar all the way around my body I am back to being a normal person - well, not NORMAL - I've never been that! My belly button never turned out right - I think it looks terrible. But to go in to try to revise it might make it look worse, so I'm going to leave it alone. I did get permission to get the belly button pierced from a medical POV. Do any of you have your belly buttons pierced? Are you happy with it?

This weekend DH, his dad and I are going to pick apples. It's supposed to be cool but sunny. We are going to take his 94 year old father out to eat beforehand. He loves going out to eat - it's like social hour for him!

Hope everyone else has a GREAT long weekend.

Jen

Megan - I did NEITHER. Thank you for asking! I need to be poked on a regular basis about keeping to the plans I make. Here's how last night wound up: I miscalculated how far away DS's soccer game was, and we didn't get home until just after 7:30. Bedtime is mandatory at our house at 9pm (I know, but we are MEGAsleepers!). We walked in the door, followed by DS's friend who had been hanging around FOR AN HOUR waiting for him, followed by his mom/neighbor who'd been wondering where the heck he was, and finally, our retired friend who mows our lawn for us finished up and started a conversation. When everyone left, it was 8:15. It didn't make sense to open a paint can, and it was way too late to hit the pool. The only progress I made was to get everything out and ready - at least I saved 20 min of prep. The next window of opportunity is 7:30am Saturday, for swimming. That gives me a good reason to not stay out too late tonight. On the gym membership, I can relate to your timing problems!

Jessica, glad to hear everything turned out okay! That's weird about Carter. I wonder what torqued him out of shape?

cherrypie, congrats on the great appointment! No piercings here beyond traditional earlobes although I've been toying with the idea of a tattoo. I think bellybutton piercings look pretty cool; it's just not something I'd pick for myself.

Thinking that I will schedule a vacation day next week. I'm already starting to get that clenched-jaws oh-god-here-come-the-holidays-again stress. If I were ever lucky enough to hit the Lotto, I would leave the country shortly before Thanksgiving and not return until mid January. There must be a tiny tropical island somewhere that's never heard of Christmas.

I went to a funeral yesterday, with a reception after. I walked right past that laden buffet table full of goodies, I didn't look very long but I got a glimpse of cookies, lots of cookies, yummy looking cookies also trays of luscious looking fresh fruit. I didn't even pause and kept on moving , I just knew the cookies would win out over the fruit. I do not feel at all deprived because I didn't give in to that old familiar urge.

Excellent job. I know myself and if my weight was at an all time low (like you), I would have given myself "permission" to indulge a bit, which would have led to more indulging and then the expected creep on the scale. If/when I can get my weight back to my happy place, I am bound and determined to keep it there. It dawned on me yesterday that I really need to get my weight where I want it before the holidays hit in full swing as I certainly don't want to creep up even more!