Laura ~ It went good, My blister wasnt hurting nearly as bad wearing my old shoes while shopping then they did when I wore my new shoes and went shopping.

Happy ~ Yeah I like crew socks too.

Happy – Thanks for your comments yesterday. I do worry about making a job change and then realizing how good I really had it. In addition to working for a good company with good pay and benefits (both pension and 401k), I have a good work environment in terms of boss and workload. So right now I do appreciate how good I have it. I know I don’t like managing people and playing political games (including the a$$ kissing), so that does limit me. I guess if I just want to do something different and potentially more fulfilling, I have to expect to go in at the lower level and take that cut in pay, or even make a lateral move and take the cut in pay because of course I won’t have all those years of service with a new company. I suppose it’ll be a matter of getting to a point where I feel I can “afford” to take a step down in exchange for a new experience. (Wow, 5 career changes – I have some catching up to do!)

Hope you have a good orientation at the gym today! I could never do what that guy you worked with did! Unless I had a surgery like Annie or Michelle that would make me physically not want to eat much food, I couldn’t limit myself like that in terms of calories or variety. And I especially don’t care to drink my calories – it just doesn’t register satiety like eating/chewing food does.

Annie – LOL re the grass not always being greener on the other side – I have a feeling with your reference to xdh, you’re not talking about jobs/careers, LOL. I’m glad the surgery date works out for you and that you’ll be getting assistance from DD and C. Gosh, going back after only 1 day of recovery seems so soon. You’ll know if you need more time…How was the women’s tea at church?? Good job maintaining your loss. Unlike me. Bleh. Re needing to keep working for companies that provide “affordable healthcare” plans. I think this is really changing. Maybe not at all quickly, but I have a feeling that eventually employers will get out of the “business” of providing insurance coverage to employees. Offering insurance coverage all started back during WWII when a lot of the workforce had left to serve in the armed forces and companies had to be competitive to get good employees. Not the same environment nowadays. Re the stairs – I’m taking the day off of those today because my lower calves are sore and I actually think going down the stairs is what causes that soreness, not going up! Going up just gets me winded, haha.

Wow, you’ve got a lot of paper to process today. Watch out for those paper cuts!! PS You’re lucky to not have any raking to do!! Our tree in back still hasn’t finished dropping its leaves, and this year our neighbor’s tree in front is taking its time too. We’ll never be done with the raking. Very interesting about drinking alcohol after weight loss surgery – I’m so glad you brought that up so Michelle is aware.

Shad – I hope your weekend is productive – they go so fast when part of it is used for travel! Re socks and innersoles – they do make a difference in making the shoe more comfy. Before I started wearing custom orthotics, I would buy a better quality over-the-counter insole for my athletic shoes to replace the thin, flimsy ones that come with the shoe. They really made a difference. Re socks, I like cotton socks a lot, but they can get damp and uncomfortable. The kind that are a blend of cotton and synthetic can at least wick away the moisture.

Susie – Your offsite workshop sounded like a lot of fun, as well as motivating. It’s great to get the appreciation you deserve, and to take time to consider what went well, and what needs to change. The artwork part of the day looks like fun – I love all the paintings! Re the pants you hate – I just happened to pull out a pair of pants I’d stuck in the back of the closet and hadn’t touched in months, maybe even a year, because I was pretty sure I wasn’t going to keep them. I wore them to work today and have again confirmed I just don’t like the way they look and I will be putting them in my donation bag when they come out of the laundry.

Michelle – You’re right, I need to make a change with how I think of food and how I eat. I don’t know if I could convince myself that it’ll make me feel sick in the quantities I tend to eat (not the occasional bouts of completely overdoing it). But what I believe it really comes down to, it’s sheer willpower, coming out of the desire to change and knowing that compromise is necessary to bring it all about. I’m not going to ever not like certain foods, but I will have to limit them to maintain a healthy weight. A blog I read is written by a woman following a paleo lifestyle, but she is currently struggling with controlling her intake of sugar. So she’s reading up on it and it’ll be interesting to know what she learns about sugar and how it affects our health. I’m glad Bob’s doing as well as can be expected. You’re a good friend to spend so much time with him.

Terra – Ah, so you went back to your old shoes! Glad the blister wasn’t as bad because of that.

Hi Dee!!
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I did two stair sessions yesterday, 3 flights and then 4 flights. My lower calves are sore again, so I’m skipping that today.

I didn’t do much of anything last night after work.

Well, bf replaced the battery in our scale a month after it gave me a nasty reading and then indicated the battery was low. However, I got the same nasty reading this morning, so boo. But that means I just need to get back on track. At some point I will adjust my ticker...

Tomorrow I will go to Jazzercise class, and at night bf and I are going to see a band with a couple friends. Depending on bf’s progress with the half bath, I believe painting will happen soon. I have to dig up the paint swatch we chose so we can go buy it. And I think we still had paint for the ceiling..have to recheck that.

Okay, enough rambling, time to post before more interruptions.

Hello Again,

Ended up processing 7 loan packages today. Took me until a few minutes ago, and now it is 2 minutes until get the heck out of dodge mode. Got them all fedexed to the proper places and boy do I need a quiet evening at home.

Tomorrow is me and Sissy's momma/daughter massages. Oh how do I need it and she has never had a massage, boy is she in for a new world of relaxation. I am kind of excited about going together just to see how she reacts to it all. She and I neither have naked fears, unless in a crowd, lol. I mean once you have kids and everyone and their brother has seen your nether regions and such, who really cares. Maybe give them something to laugh about. hahahhaha

HAPPY...my surgery is called a conization. If that doesn't get rid of all the cancer cells, then I will have a hysterectomy at a later date. Hopefully this will do the trick. Prayers are in need. Yes on the few sips of alcohol and you are feeling a little good, after a glass or two, on your way to drunk hood. It is awful docs do not warn you of this before surgery. I had to learn the hard way then research it. Yep, indeed, alcoholism.

LAURA...yes, you are right to assume what you did about xdh. All is true. Nuff said. The tea was fabulous. Great finger sandwiches...homemade pinmento cheese and/or chicken salad sandwiches, oh or hot ham and cheese on sweet buns. Homemade turtles, pinwheels, cheeseball, cream cheese with jalapeno jelly, all quite yum. I also got the cutest little ornament, a teapot only the bottom was a jingle bell. Also the seat we sat in we got to keep our mugs. Mine had a scotty dog on it, the side facing me, then someone said, did you see the other side, and it was a little daschund. How appropriate for me. Great speaker/message. Great quartet sang then a soloist sang. They are all from the church and all so talented. What fun was had by all. Started 6 and I did not get home until 9:30, late for me but well worth it.

CEEG...have a great weekend.

TERRA...healing powers to you for the blister.

Hi again to all the chickies...I am outta here!

Hugs.

Morning all,
Coffee is made if any of you wish to join me on the Patio. The day is warming up already (7.00am) and it will rain again later today. The rain is welcome although it is too late for many of the farmers out west. They are broke and the banks are foreclosing on many. Why you would want to foreclose before the rainy season I have no idea. Surely if you want someone else to buy it, you would want it to look all nice and green and prosperous. Personally I think they should give a little and extend the mortgage or loan at a lower interest rate. Give the bloke ago because he can't control the weather and Tony (our Prime Minister) is adamant that global warming doesn't exist and it doesn't happen here. Typical Ostrich.

So on todays to-do list, I have to try to poison some of the weeds that spring up overnight at this time of the year. Check the tomatoes. They are way overproducing for what I need and there will be more ripe out there today after yesterdays 1.5kilo (about 3lbs) of the cherry tomatoes. Put in some more butter bean seeds. They seem to be doing well. I may try some carrots as well. Then I need to sweep out the carport, driveway and path as they are all red with fallen blossom and someone may slip on them if they get wet and yucky. I've a little shopping to do and then clean the bathroom and loo. A quick sweep of the floor may also be in order.

Happy - hope this gym helps you to get back some movement. The yoga should help with flexibility after some time so it's important you keep it up.
That cat is so spoilt. They always do what they want to do - cats. I find reverse psychology works on Sunday. She is always jumping up on me when I don't really want her there, so when she doesn't want to be there I pick her up and snuggle and keep her held. She gets annoyed and doesn't want anything to do with me for a while. Bargain.

Susie - congrats on the congrats from the boss. Nice work. And good for you getting that weight off. I must really knuckle down this coming year and get mine off. I don't really care about the weight, I care about the flab.
The painting looked good. Have you displayed them all on a wall in the office?

Ceejay - your lucky the sanitation department comes and takes away the leaves. Here you bag them up and take them to the refuse dump yourself, or you mulch them and use them in the garden or you pay for a garden sack which gets taken away once a month with all your green waste. I pay for the bag since I don't have time to go to the dump myself and I don't want to take the princess to the dump either. She might catch something

Annie - best of luck with your surgery. Hope it alleviates the pain and cramping for you. It would not have crossed my mind about alcohol and bariatric surgery. What a big day at work you have had

Michelle - give my best wishes to B and I hope for a reasonable recovery for him and that he has a quality of life that he never had previously. It's good to hear that you are healing well and that you have lost so much weight already.

Laura - Some folk are meant for one career, others for more. I have probably had (when I think of it) 5 career changes and 1 lifestyle change. Both my brothers have worked in the hospitality industry all there lives albeit in different sections. One in the kitchen and bar and the other delivering the goods for the kitchen and bar. My sister through different circumstances has had to change careers several times but has been in the last one for many years. It's all in the way the brain works. I guess looking at what I have just written, I must be the wanderer and adventurer of the family since the other 3 haven't ventured far after maturity. I've always wanted to move and travel.

Terra - hope the blister is doing okay. Must be the shoes by the sound of things so some sort of innersole is a must for you.

Hi to Dee Hope all is well.

Okay, I am finished the coffee, the heat is building again as is the humidity - one reason why you should never come to the tropics in summer. I am having a tropical fruit salad with yoghurt for breakfast - mango, kiwi, cherries, apricots - which isn't strictly tropical because I would be putting pineapple and carambola etc. in there if it was. Then I should get into the weeding and get some packing done now that the laundry is all done, folded and ready to pack. Have a great day.

Laura
Must of missed your post about a career change. Do what is best for you. I understand cause I'm in the same spot with the retirement issue.

Happy
Yes we rake/sweep the leaves to the curb and then the street department has a mulching machine that comes to suck them up. It doesn't do a very good job. My lawn mower would mulch them but the leaves were wet and since my mower is electric I was afraid to use it. I still have some more that I'm going to get either tomorrow or Monday but I will be bagging them. They can fine me if they want to but I will give them a good tongue lashing. I'm making pictures tomorrow. More leaves have either blown in the yard or this pile has blown back. Anyway I'm upset.

Terra
Hope the blister heals quickly. I'm not diabetic but I do wear the socks for diabetics because my feet and ankles swell with fluid at times. They are very comfortable and breathable.

Shad
Wow sounds like your tomatoes are doing well. I love butter beans.

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I've been drinking to many cokes and eating to many sweets and I'm paying for it. I haven't felt good since Wednesday. Having symptoms of the diverticulitis again. When will I learn. I can stay away from nuts etc but not those two items.

I'm exhausted again. It's crazy. I have tons of energy during the morning and daytime...but I guess after going to the gym to do 30 minutes of riding the recumbent bike, and driving 30-45 minutes each way to see Bob in the hospital....by the time I pick Santa up, go to the dog park (until the rain started today) and then get home, I'm exhausted. I actually had a late lunch and skipped one of my "snacks". Now I'm still full and will need to eat dinner in an hour or so. Plus, I'll probably need a protein shake to make sure I get my protein in. I am, thankfully, doing well on drinking water. I might skip the gym tomorrow and just take Santa on longer walks. I'll see how I feel in the morning.

I'll try and get in here tomorrow morning for personals.

Love and hugs,

Gecko in my garden. These two quite large specimens were up to hanky panky I think. All this goes on in my yard.

Laura ~ Yeah I went back to the old shoes for now. My brother says I still need to wear my new ones to break them in but I think I'll try again when my blister goes away.

Annie ~ Thanks for sending Healing powers my way LOL.

Shad ~ Yeah I think its the shoes too.

Ceejay ~ Thanks, Yeah my feet swell too so maybe I need to get diabetic socks too.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Woke up at 5:00 a.m. this morning but I didnt want to get up. Anyway I let Clyde outside already and now he is sleeping on the floor on one of his dog pads. I'm currently eating breakfast at 6:40 a.m. My plans are to clean the bathroom and to do my noon chair exercises and my night exercises and thats it. I hope everyone has a great day.

WOW SHADDIE>..those are HUGE Geckos. Yikes I probably would of screamed at first, then tried to catch them. lol

CHELLE...if you are too full to eat, skip food and do the protein shake only. Food is not all that important at this point.

CEEG...stop the cokes and sweets this minute sister. No wonder you feel like poo! hugs

Hello to everyone...gotta wrap this up and go pick up Sissy for our momma/daughter day at the spa, lunch and maybe even some shopping.

Hugs

Just passing through. Annie, I had a cone biopsy a few years back and it did get everything and I've been fine since. Praying that yours goes as well. I really don't remember any problems with recovering and don't remember how long it took but I think it was short. The only problem I had was it left scar tissue on my cervix and they cannot get endocervical cells when they try to do a pap. You might want to ask your DR about that ahead of time.

Morning
Wet and cold this morning. And I'm disappointed that the street department didn't come to get the leaves. I'm trying to be patient. But from now on I'm not going to procrastinate and use the mower to mulch the leaves. This week end I'm going to bag the rest. They can fine me if the want too but if they do I'll take it up with the Mayor. I will call them again Monday.
I rode the bike last night for 3 miles even though I didn't feel well. I fell into bed after that.
___________

Annie
I had to decide that very thing yesterday. No more sweets nor cokes. The day at the spa sounds divine.

More later

Hi all,

I'm a little sore today. Was a bit miffed when I went to the gym yesterday. I had a 3pm appointment. Wanted to be done by 4:30 as I don't like driving at night. I knew he had 2 people at 2pm because he said he did. I also know he (the owner who does the orientation) is a very nice guy and a talker like me so I thought it might run over a bit. Sure enough he was chatting away when I showed up at 2:55. I sat and waited, his sister noticed me and told him I was there. In the meantime she showed me the locker room so I could stow my stuff. At 3:15 he showed no sign of finishing up or coming to get me so I went into the workout area and stood there looking at the machines. Finally at 3:20 he came over and said to warm up on the treadmill for 5 minutes. He went back to the couple. After 15 minutes on the treadmill and no sign of him coming back even after I kept looking at him, I got off and again stood looking at the machines. He was still chatting away with the couple. He went to put me on a machine and by now it was 3:40 - no way I'd get much done, especially since Mr and Mrs Chatterbox had no intention of wrapping things up. I told M that I needed to leave at 4pm and if he was running behind, maybe we'd just reschedule. I was really irritated at this point but tried not to let it show. I don't mind waiting a few minutes if things run over but he was clearly spending my appointment time paying attention to them. They finally left at 3:55 and he showed me 2 more machines and then the phone rang and he had to take a call. All in all we went through 5 sets of exercises - barely touched on the equipment. I did pay for 3 extra sessions - not personal training, just more coaching BUT this time if I am paying I will insist he spend the time with me as this was a big farce. The machines are confusing, he said it takes about 2 weeks to get into a routine. You often do variations on the machines - feet apart, feet together, push off on tippy toes for calf raises. I can't remember all that stuff. They have a sheet with settings and reps but he kept getting distracted and forgot to write a lot of that down for me. Don't get me wrong, he is a really nice guy - I like him a lot - he's a physical therapist too so that is more helpful designing exercises and modifications. I just have to learn how to work around his idiosyncrasies. I'm going to try the gym for 3 months and see how it goes. I can tell already that I need to use the machines to rebuild lost strength. And seeing myself in knit pants and a t-shirt in full length mirrors - oofduh. I go back on Monday for another one on one session. Hopefully it will go better. While I was there there were 3 other guys in the gym. I was the only girl after the couple left. One guy was lifting weight and grunting so loud. Why do guys need to make SO MUCH NOISE??? My husband is the same way. I have tried grunting, doesn't seem to make the effort any easier We have a guy who attends yoga class - she starts off with us laying on the floor quietly and getting centered. Ever single time he falls asleep and snores loud enough to shake the blinds. He's also a snorter once the snoring quiets down. I thought I was the only person distracted by it but some of the other ladies said the same thing. We all giggle. Anyway I am going to try for 3 times a week at the gym to start with and see how that goes. I am a bit sore today but not too bad.

Ceejay - smart of you not to depend on the S&S guys to pick up the leaves. Considering the vast amount of leaves, I'm sure it's a low priority for them. Better to mulch them yourself if you can. I know what you mean about the Cokes and sweets - sugar has a very inflammatory (ie painful) response on the body. And the more sugar you have, the more you want. Argh.

Annie - enjoy your spa day with Sissy - sounds like a wonderful way to spend some good time together. Your tea sounded just divine. I'm glad you had such a nice time.

Terra - maybe wear the new shoes around the house the break them in for shorter periods and less walking until your feet get used to them. Worst part about having new shoes ...

Michelle - no wonder you are exhausted - you had a lot of plumbing work done not too long ago. The insides heal slower. My Mom - a veteran of many surgeries - often warned me about feeling good on the outside but remember to temper things not to overdo it. Listen to your body. It's good that you are moving around though.

Shad - yikes those Geckos look BIG! Of course like many other of your oversized critters down under. Not quite like the cute little guy we have here who is a mascot for insurance. Sounds like you have plenty to do on your short check in at the house. You are one very busy lady. And yes, I plan on continuing the yoga - signed up for the next session(s) that run January - May. I can already see the benefits of what we are doing. Not sure if it's the yoga (would like to think so) or just that our weather has not been as frigid as it was last year at this time. But I do feel better. Need to work on my balance too - I'm horrid at that.

Laura - I tend to agree with you that it won't be long before companies jump on the bandwagon and stop offering health insurance and other benefits to the workforce. When they first proposed Obamacare I read an article online that said they would use this as an excuse to cut healthcare out of the benefits package. I interviewed at one place up here that offered employees 10 percent of their regular pay (which up here at minimum wage wasn't much) and they could use that to purchase their own healthcare if they wanted to. The 10 percent would be taxed as additional pay. And that doesn't come anywhere near to covering true healthcare costs. I also read that was something companies were also considering as an alternative - like when they went away from pensions to the 401K concept. Got to make sure there's enough money in the pot to give the management bonuses and parties. Hope you make good progress on the bath this weekend.

Hellos to the rest of the chicks, I need to get myself some busy. Have a good weekend.

Michelle
Don't you over do on things this early after surgery.

Happy
You made me laugh out loud talking about how the guys who grunt when they are lifting weights etc. Think it's just the testosterone in them wanting to impress whoever is in the room. The guy in Yoga class sound like the Aflac commercial with the duck falling asleep. Don't give up on the gym or your trainer just yet. I would have a talk to him though. He's supposed to spot you and tell you what you are doing wrong etc.

Shad
Those are some big gecko's. I would have turned around and ran.

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If it were not so windy and cold. I'd try my hand at raking the leaves that have refilled my lawn from off the big piles that were raked to the curb the other day. Doesn't even looked like I've done anything.

Happy ~ Yeah thats a good idea....Thanks

Good Morning chicks
I've missed u all... TY for the 'hello's' to me. I'm awake in bed w a headache trying to fall asleep till 8am/breakfast & I needed to have Me some CHICKS time Soo much has happened since my last visit the day before turkey-day, good/funny & bad in my life, I'm not gonna tell ya & bore yall right now. I'll share some sprinkles w ya during my next few posts. I'm going back to read allll your posts later today & catch up w u. I sprained/bruised the end of my left foot that connects our 3 middle piggies together, going down several flights of stairs the Monday after turkey-day AFTER my doctor appt. I wasn't wearing sneakers on the stairs or that injury wouldn't have happened. Soo ever since I'm using a cane & limping in pain, I can't carry my work w crutches, so a cane is my only option. Sometimes my dh picks me up & carries me places & if he's home he'll carry my work projects for me. It'll prob b 2 more weeks till my foot can hold my body weight again. ALWAYS wear your sneakers on stairs, u could snap/break a toe or sprain your foot It takes me 3x longer to move, so every ounce of energy I've had I've given for my clients orders this last 2 weeks. Dh is demanding I shut-down or he'll hide this tablet from me.
I Luv u all & I'm going to force myself today to start taking a hour's break when I'm getting exhausted, so today I'll use it catching-up w your lives