Home at LAST!!!! WOW!!! What an AWESOME trip!!! I can honestly say that was the very best trip I have ever taken!!!!

drove down to Florida (15hrs) arrived at the dock loaded the ship around 11am on Sunday and hit the deck running till around 10pm............dh & I both crashed hard......on monday we hit the deck around 7am and went non stop all morning but decided to take a short nap after lunch.....this proved to be very helpful because we were able to stay up and did all the activities till 1am! this was our plan of attack each of the following days! I have so MUCH to tell you girls about the trip I don't know where to start!!! LOL It was the ultimate trip! No need to worry about seats being too small....like on an airplane! No worries about me being tooo big in my swimsuit HECK there were women in two pieces on the ship larger than ME!!! It was great! I will go into more detail as well as upload some pics tomorrow or sunday.....we got home today and ran around getting things for the house we are moving into.....now dh & dd are painting and I'm swiping internet over someone's wireless internet in the new neighborhood! LOL ours will be here tomorrow.

glad to be home! but already miss the service on the boat!!! OH!!! and the very best part is I only gained about 2lbs .....not very acurate since I was swollen from the driving and fully clothed....so it maybe be none at all LOL.

HilaryAnne, that's really great that you got a discount on your Y membership. I didn't realize they were so expensive! Have fun!

jen, yep, the planning has definitely helped. Also exercising first thing in the morning too has helped. I actually feel like I should do more later on in the day. I haven't yet, but sometimes I sure feel like it.

Debi, I know exactly what you mean about panic mode at the dentist. That's why I haven't been for some time but I really need to get my butt in there. That's terrible that you couldn't get into the dentist office. Have you tried rinsing with warm salt water?
Good luck on your WI tomorrow!

Carol, you're so brave!!! Those heels would send me runnin'! I can barely ware the big square heels without falling off of them. The weak ankles don't help much either. Really looking forward to the pics!

Toni, OUCH!!!! What's that blazing light??? O, it's your smile!!! Great news on being under 300!!!!

Bernice, sounds like the trip was a blast!! And even better if you didn't even gain an ounce. Can't wait to see the pics!

Tomorrow we're going to a corn maze. I've always wanted to go to one so sort of excited. Should get alot of walking in which is an added bonus. Today didn't get to exercise as we went shopping most of the day, but plan on jumping back into it tomorrow.
It's going to be at the freezing level here over night. BRRRRR!
Debbie

Debbie: LOL corn maze. That reminds me of a Simpsons episode I saw, I think it was the recent one where they went into a corn maze and Homer couldn't find his way out lol. I hope you have fun! I found the idea of a corn maze interesting!

Debbie: have fun at the corn maze! We love them!

Bernice: Welcome home! I'm so happy you had such a great time!

Debi: I'm sorry that between the sinuses and the tooth it hasn't been a great week for you. Very exciting about the grandbaby arriving on Monday!

Carol: sounds like you had fun with all the pampering Wonderful to hear that things continue to go well with the new trainer.

Toni...........CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

Julia: Hi there! You've been busy!

Bunny: Glad that you are feeling more comfortable about the upcoming travel. My only problem seems to be theater seats. I can fit my rear in them just fine but there never seems to be enough room for my arms! Oh well here's hoping that will get better as I get smaller, hehe.

I am starting to work on Christmas projects. I am designing a family tree for DH's maternal grandparents. We plan to have it printed at Staples and frame it. It will likely be about 3 feet wide by 2 feet high. I worked on that for quite awhile last night with DH's input. Got to nail down the rest of what I'm making and put together a supply list so I can get started. Hard to believe that Christmas is only a little over 2 months away and less than two months until our office Christmas gathering.

I am recommiting myself to planning my food and exercise daily. I have been slacking on the planning and with holiday busyness and stress approaching I know that I'm starting down a slippery slope if I am already shirking the work I need to do to keep myself on track.

So, time to close the pc and do my exercise before the busyness of the day starts.

Happy Saturday all!
Jen

G'morning all!

The cortisone shot is working well on the knee. The inflammation has stayed down. I'm considering a light 5 mile bike ride (no hills) this weekend, but not today. I have to mow the jungle I call a lawn. Maybe I'll find Buffy's collar. Charley loves to take it off and run around with it. Goofy dogs.

Welcome back Dmpls!!! I feel the excitement in your post. Wow, and hitting the ground running by moving.

Deb, a maize maze? There were advertisements for them all the time in the south. I've never been to one. I'd probably be trying to figure out the corn variety they used, when they planted, what type of weed control they used and what they are going to do with the harvest. It's the scientist in me.. hehe.

Hugs to all! (Bunny, deb, Jac, Julia, Toni, GGG, Cyn, Jen, Battle, Luan, Catherine (you are still Hippyvanlady to me), Annie, Anne, Realist, and all my lurkers!!!)

Luv,
Ratkity

dgramie - I'm glad your tooth is feeling better with your fix up while you wait for a trip to the dentist. Was your walk okay?

gggirls - You should definitely make an effort to take care of yourself for the sake of loving you. Heck you could even make it a reward for hitting your mini goals. That'd be something to look forward to and with all that exercise you're doing your feet will need some extra attention.

ToniLight - That's an awful way to return home from your mother's funeral. Stupid people of the world never stop and think "Maybe this person is having a ****ty day, so perhaps I shouldn't be such a big *******." That one little thought could save us all some BS. My goal is to be as nice as I can be without putting anyone out when I travel. My honey has to remind me sometimes that I have a right to exist too and I shouldn't feel so bad about everything.

The phrase he says is, "You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.". It's from the Desiderata.

Sounds simple but when I'm feeling so worthless to not warrant even existing I have to say it to myself over and over in my head. It helps. Plus knowing that he loves me is a strength point too.

I can see your happy dance from all the way over here. That is fantastic!!

Debbie54 - Oooo a maize maze, those can be really fun. I hope you have a great time.

jeniansmom - I just need to stay on track. The design of the theater seats can be so hit or miss. I'm sure your arms will be feeling more comfy soon with your fabulous progress and goal skills. It feels like Christmas is about to run me over at any moment. Has time sped up? heh. My office xmas thing is in two months as well. (which would mean another flight. Gah!) Is there a Christmas challenge group coming up. If not maybe we should make one. Might help us have strength to get through Thanksgiving without too many slip ups.

RatKity - What did you need a shot for? I hope your knee is okay.

It snowed here last night. There is still a pretty good layer on the ground. We tried to cover to green tomatoes that were left out on the vines, but I'm not sure how they faired just yet. It's supposed to pop back up to the 80's in a few days so we decided not to pluck them... hope that wasn't a mistake.

It is darn cold now! Brrr!

I hope everyone is having a great weekend and staying warm.

Morning ladies....

Debbie54: Corn mazes are fun!!! We dont have alot of them here in arizona but when the kids were little we would go all the time. What corn fields we did have have been replaced by shopping malls and houses..very sad. ;(


jeniansmom: I love making people things for christmas...last year I made all the girls in my office a fabric christmas balls. It was time consuming BUT they are soo beautiful!

Bernice: Glad you are back from your trip!! I can't wait to hear all about it!! You need to make your own thread, we ladies will grab a cup of cocoa..or coffee lol..and sit and read about your adventure! I can't wait to see the pics!!!

Well they say here in arizona it is going to be in the 80's today with 20% chance of rain!!!! Which means beautiful day and maybe spinkles..but Ill take it!!

Some girls are coming over tonight and we are playing cards!! Yeah!!! One of my favorite things to do.

Hope everyone has a great day!!

toodles...

Mimi: Woo hoo on the -2.7 pounds. You are rockin it girl.

Carol: I usually get enough rest. I am most often in bed by 8 p.m. sometimes asleep. lol. Have a great time at the wedding. I can't wait to see the pictures. I think you should pamper yourself more often. You work hard and deserve it!

Debbie: Have fun at the corn maze. We went to one last year about 1 1/2 months after I had surgery. I didn't enjoy it then cause I got too cold and tired. Lots of walking. I may give it another try this year. So happy that you are down some on the weight too. Hugs. I miss all those chicks too. I hope they are doing well and enjoying life!

Bunny: Where do you live? It was supposed to snow here on Thursday but didn't! So happy for that but it is soooo cold.

Catherine: Wow, he is tall. I hope you are able to get back to the pool soon. Disc golf sounds interesting.

Hillary: Woo hoo to the membership at the Y!

Jen: Ugh to PMS. I think I am going through it too. Well, I know I am.

Debi: Glad you are feeling a bit better today. How exciting for Monday!

Rat: hi there. Please don't ride too hard and rehurt yourself!

Cyn: Have fun playing cards.

Toni: WOOOO HOOOO. I am so happy for you sweetie. Congrats on being out of the 3's and into the twos!

Julia: Sounds like you are very busy right now.

Bernice: Glad your trip was a blast. I can't wait to see photos and hear all about it. I hope the move goes smoothly.

okay so here is what is going on with me. I got a call yesterday, a very disappointing call from the aquafitness classes. They are cancelled with no reschedule close by! AT first I was extremely disappointed and wanted to cry but, luckily the Lord put it in my heart that He knows the plans He has for me and perhaps they are a bit different than that. God wants me to trust Him which is a huge issue for me. I am so used to being in control over everything that it is hard for me to give up that control. So, instead of battling it, I am just saying, "Okay Lord, lead me". I am going to meet with the vocational rehab lady on the 21st of this month to see what direction we should go with schooling for me. I will have almost 2 full weeks to pray about it and seek God's direction for me. My immediate thought was to go to massage therapy school like I had originally wanted to do. Then I thought of nursing. If you guys have any thoughts please tell me. I'd love to open my mind to different directions and pray about them.

I have done well at exercising all week since Tuesday and eating op and drinking enough. That is awesome for me. It feels great to be back on track and I am down 5 pounds since last Friday. I'm sure lots of it is Water weight but I know I had been a bad girl so some of it maybe weight weight. lol. So, I am at 235 yesterday and this morning with only 6 more to go for my next goal weight. I feel hopeful about the future.

I had a complete physical yesterday for the first time since 1995 including pap test. My Dr. is setting me up for a mamogram in about 3 weeks. YIPEE! I have heard sooo many horror stories about that. lol. Boobs being squished like laying down on the cold driveway topless and letting someone run over your boob with the car. lol. Hopefully that is a huge exaggeration. lol. My physical went well and my Dr. was very pleased that in the month and 1/2 since I last saw her, I am down another 8 pounds. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful Dr. I feel so comfortable with her and I can tell her anything. She is upping my panic disorder meds as I had a very bad episode the other day where I actually passed out from hyperventalating. So, today we go back to Cymbalta.

I guess I am pretty well caught up with all the news here and in my life.

Blessings to you all,
Annie

Not alot going on here today..just playing the waiting game to get into the dentist and also for monday to see my precious little granddaughter. I find myself wondering if she will look like her daddy and have his big blue eyes and what color hair she will have. I think its harder than waiting for my own children to come.
scales are the same as last week...but considering all with being sick and not drinking enough water i guess thats not bad. I cant stand the feeling of water on that stupid tooth. I cant wait to get it pulled!!!
hugs to all

Hello Everyone,

I REALLY don't want to exercise today. I took yesterday off and, well, taking today off too is not an option (I'm shooting for 5-days in a row with 1 day off). UGH. I hope this having to make myself exercise thing will go away and the day will come when I get up and feel like I absolutely have to exercise or my day will be incomplete! Any of you out there reached that point yet? LOL I sure cannot wait!!!

TOM is here. YAY! My depression gets WORSE with PMS. Annie, I too had a physical this week along with a PAP smear; I have to schedule my first mamogram too. I'm really dreading it. My new obgyn is GREAT, though. She took a complete history including the hormonal stuff and the repercussions of it all. When I told her that PMS made my depression 100 time worse she recommended I go on those bc pills that don't give you a period for 3 months. I think that's a great idea! I mean, I'd rather NOT be on bc pills cuz I hate taking drugs but if that is how I have to regulate my hormones, I'd rather skip PMS as much as possible!!! And, the obgyn has a referral to a good endocrinologist so, who knows, there might be something more to be done for me and my sorry state of affairs.

Annie - letting go and letting God is the most difficult thing for me to do. Then again, we continue to be challenged to do just that, so we might as well put a smile on and forge ahead! :-) Best of luck with your next step. I'm certain that if you remain open to guidance it will be the right one.

Everyone else, I am thrilled to keep reading about your daily lives. I will come back and do personals a bit later. If I stay on this machine for too long, I will procrastinate myself into a non-workout day. We can't have that!

Hi Everybody!

I'm sorry I haven't been on the boards in awhile. Things have been crazy around my house. We had one family member go in for double knee replacement surgery on 9/3, finally got her up and (semi) running and then my uncle went in the hospital last week with heart problems and a staff infection. Things have been a little nuts.

But I am happy to report that I MADE MY FIRST MINI GOAL!! I've never actually been able to meet a goal before. I always made a goal and then gave up long before I got there. I made it to 298 by my birthday, so I am officially under 300 lbs finally. I'm at 294 now. My 2nd mini goal is to lose another 10 lbs by Dec 1st, for 40 lbs lost.

Well, hate to post and run, but I've been dying to share that with all of you for a week, but haven't had the chance to get on the computer long enough to type it. Hopefully I will be able to post more now that some of the drama has died down.

Hugs everybody...everyone keep up the good work!!

HI Ladies!
Well, after walking around in that dang maze for an hour, hips hurting, feet numb, we gave up on looking for all the clues. It was something to do with Casper the Ghost. We got all but one letter, after we traded letters with these other people we kept running in to. We can't figure it out cuz the letters are all jumbled and you have to make a phrase out of it. It was fun though! They had this cute goat that was in a building and on the second floor. You could put some food in this little can, and then the goat would pull the rope up til the can was up there by him, and then he eats the food. Cutest darn thing! So, mark off one of my things on my "bucket list", that I wanted to do. I still want my Corvette and horse though. We also went to a bazaar hosted by the Shriners, but it was too depressing just being in there. Everyone just sat there with a frown on their faces. So we got out of there quick. Otherwise, it was a fun day though.

Jen, Christmas projects?? I love Christmas projects!!! Whatcha making besides the tree??

Ratkity, glad the knee is doing better with the shot. Just don't overdo on the bike ride.
Funny how you would try to figure out the seeds and whatnot in the corn maze. I was trying to figure out how they lay the darn thing out when it's so huge and then cut it or do they just lay it out and plant around it?

Bunny, hope the maters are going to be ok. From snow to the 80's ??? That's just crazy.

Cyn, have fun on your ladies night playing games!! It is a shame when they replace corn mazes with shopping malls!!

Annie, apparently God has something else in mind for you. It will come to you and you'll know what direction to go in, just take your time in deciding. Sounds like the exams went well for you with your trip to the doc.

Bumblebee, hope that the family is recuperating well. It's always so hectic when things like that happen. And even with all that you made a mini goal!!! to you!!! It's a great feeling to be out of the 300's isn't it? Keep up the good work.

Well ladies, that's about it for me. I just made some strawberry jam so I'm waiting for the pops of the lids to start. Hope it turned out well. Have a great night!
Debbie

It looks like the weather is going to hold for my golf tomorrow. I'm sorting through my old discs right now. It will be a tad colder than I'm used to back in Florida, but that should make the discs fly farther. He is so excited, he went to bed early. I think he believes this might be something he can beat me at. We'll see. I'm pretty competitive.

I am pleased to say that, although it took a bit, I am finally back to where I was before my trip. I have been eating better (not great, but better), and I have been more active, so that helps a lot.

Yesterday we had our first snow. Yuck! I'm not ready for winter. Not even a bit. My ankle gives me fits when it gets cold, and since I fell I have noticed that my shoulder and my knee are starting to get petulant with me too.

Other than that, not much going on this weekend (I hope!). I got my results back from the health fair and, while they're not horrible, there are a few things I need to work on. My cholesterol is up a bit, as is my blood sugar. Barely up, but it's a trend I'd rather stop now. I need to get in to the doctor to see what she says!

I have also had tons of dental work done lately. UGH! I let it go way too long, so now I am playing catch up, which means fillings and having my wisdom teeth pulled. Not fun. Debi, if you haven't tried it already, use clove oil when your tooth starts bothering you. It sometimes helps.

Hate to do it, but I need to end this here. I have dinner in the oven! Take care ladies, and my thoughts are with all of you!

Hello all you fabulous mama's!!! I will eventually get to know all of your names

I've had a great 15 DAYS on plan!!!! That's half a month!!! I'm patting myself on the back

I managed to avoid major temptation this morning. I was MC'ing a breastfeeding challenge that was sponsered by places like Panago, Costco, bakeries... so needless to say there was a TON of my very favourite foods. I ate NONE OF IT. Not a single bite. AND I was okay with it. Not feeling deprived. Nothing! I had brought a thermos with my blueberries and milk and a baggie with my muesli wasa bread and I was good to go! I did have my first non water or milk beverage... a 0 calorie mineral water It was good. Nothing I'd drink again though.

I wanted to share I am so proud and happy to be part of a group of great "chicks" I feel much love for you all already