Well, I think I am pretty well caught up for now. My mother in law and step father in law are here for a visit. I am doing okay but lots of stress at work which I am looking forward to not having soon. I am still going to my therapist and I think it is helping me.

I spoke at my surgeon's weight loss surgery informational seminar and loved it. I have done it about 4 times now and love it every time. I went and talked to a manager of the pool that I used to swim at and asked her if I could job shadow her and do anything for free to go along with my schooling that I am doing to become a certified water fitness instructor. She was so excited about it and said yes as long as her boss says it is okay. She said she will ask her boss and get back to me. If it is okay I will start doing it on Thursday evening after work.

Well, I hope you are all doing well and are happy and healthy.

Blessings all,
Annie[/QUOTE]
Wow Annie, I'm so happy for you girl. You didn't give up and kept on pushing your story is also an inspiration to me.

I need to rant I was in the store the day before yesterday with my best friend we are both plus size women. We were standing there talking , not in the way and this woman says to us and i quote, Move your fat as#$@# I turned to her and said my aren't you being ugly, she goes I would rather be ugly then be fat and I told her that was fine because I could loose weight, what could she do? She made me so mad. she was one of those skinny, bleach blond, fake nail, fake boob, fake tan, white teeth, high heel, daisy duke wearing females, she laughed and goes you wish you could be me, I go no honey I don't she turns to leave and I yelled oh go eat a cheeseburger, normally I would have just not said anything and just turned and moved and not looked her in the eye, I am finding a new me with this motivation and weight loss.A more sassy me. I kind of like it. Sorry for the long post

Hi Tracy it is very nice to meet you and good for you telling that lady off i hate people like that that think they are god's gift to the earth or something ya know? we have feelings too and i think nowadays people dont care if they say something mean to hurt your feelings-good for you! you go girl! ive noticed myself since i have lost 20 lbs that i carry myself and walk with more confidence then i use to and its a good feeling and im sure that will only get better for me as i drop more pounds!

Have a great day all!
Im gonna go do a 4 mile walk today!
Heather

Annie - I'm too shy to do the swimming, but it sounds exciting to be a certified swimming/fitness instructor. I know some of the ladies do swim...I would love to do it...too chicken!

Tracy - There are a lot of mean/bitter/angry people out there. Don't let them get you down. We all have had to deal with them, it seems a common theme with us big people. Heck I met a RUDE and insensitive fat person the other day lol. Doesn't seem to matter if you're skinny or fat, bad people or angry people come in all shapes and sizes. They love to spread misery in order to make themselves feel better. Sad, but remember Karma. It comes back...

*****

Hope everyone is well. Hoping to get to the store today. I am going to be concentrating on many things this week....want to set some goals and stick to them.

*HUGS*

Kayley: We are moving about 40 miles, to Scottsdale Az. it is closer to my family, work and where I grew up. We plan on staying there until my youngest finishes high school. I think after that we are heading to Colorado. We shall see. Plus it is closer to my sons girlfriend. Don't think you were around when I found out I am going to be a grandma.

Annie: My heart tells me to be a teacher. I think it would be an awesome feeling to get up every morning and want to go to work!!! I think that is great about you becoming a water instructor!!!!!!! Let us know how it goes.

Catherine: What is the name of your book? Although I have not read it, I would love to and I will do a review for ya.

Nooch: That is how I am with quilting. Love making them but finishing them..UGH! If you find an elf..send him my way.

Sharon: We are moving on Sept 9th. My son who is a sophomore was looking online at the high school he will be going to. He said OMG mom..the campus is hughe. I said well it has been around a long time. The school he goes to now has only been there 5 years. He said they have an ANIME club. (hope I spelt that right lol) I think he is almost excited lol

As for me: I manages to get 7 of the 12 boxes I have packed. But you look around my house and looks like I have not done anything lol. 36 years of junk lol. I do have a nice pile started for give away. Since I am a crafter I think I have alot of stuff that I just can not part with. The house that we are moving to is alot bigger then where we are now. So there is a place in the big ole dinning room that I can actually have my sewing machine nd craft stuff set up all the time!! I am so excited. I don't craft as much now because I have draggin everything out.

Today I am going to get teh ot her boxes packed up. I also need to get started on my friends birthday card. Every year I make her one and her birthday is comming up in 2 weeks.

Have a great day all!!

Cyn-It's called Curveballs, as in those things that get thrown at you when you aren't paying attention.

I got in 600 situps this morning, and it sure felt great to work up a real sweat.

Tracy - I admire your self-control. Seriously, I would had laid her out and you all would have seen it on the news. What a stank excuse for a human being.

Cyn - wow, that sounds daunting! I'm the worst mover ever, I save it all for the last minute and then just throw stuff in boxes/bags and move the clutter with me... it's terrible and I should be embarrassed! It's awesome that your crafting stuff is gonna have more space - my yarn stash has drifted into the guest room (if it were up to me I would take the bed out and make it a craft room) and my stuff is just everywhere. Most people find change in their couch cushions - I find stitch markers.

Speaking of which, I am hitting Michael's today because my real yarn store is closed Sundays and I need some inspiration. Being around crafts always makes me feel better.

Hi all,

I thought I would stop by since I have not been here in a while. My weight loss has stalled and I have gone up some. I am not surprised, I have been having some bad binges. Here is what has been going on in the last few months...

- My dad had a "heart incident" which caused him to basically pass out, however he thought it was his diabetes, not his heart. His heart was out of rhythm for a while. He was put on coumadin and warfarin to thin his blood, which seems to have helped with the arrythmias. While he passed out from the heart, he fell and hurt his knee. He tore his meniscus and misplaced it as well. With the warfarin, he cannot take any pain meds, so he just has to deal with the pain. The meniscus could completely tear the rest of the way at any time, and the knee would completely go. He was told he needs surgery, however they are trying to figure out when they can do it, as they need to take him off the heart meds first. The surgery will be pretty serious, but since they need to immediately put him back on heart meds so he will have very pain meds. Also, with everything else going on with him, his blood sugar seems out of whack. Last night before dinner his blood sugar was 89, and WHILE eating (which should cause it to go up as he had carbs) it dropped to 59. That just isn't right. OH....and he CAUGHT HIMSELF ON FIRE two weeks ago. He threw gas on a fire (literally) while wearing no shirt, so he has 2nd degree burns on his hands and minor burns on his arms/chest. I adore my father. He is truly one of my favorite people ever. I am nearly a clone of him, for better or worse. I live 1000+ miles from him, and therefore haven't been able to see him through all of this. Needless to say, his health has been wearing on me.
- There were lay-offs at my company ~1 month ago. When that occurred, I took over someone else's job (so I am still employed). However, the project is a flipping train wreck (no wonder he was let go). And it is mostly run from California, so I have been in California 10 days in the last 3.5weeks. I have been working ~14 hours per day (including weekends), so I am exhausted mentally and physically. I am happy to have a job, but this new job is very difficult. Things will get better, but right now it's a strain. And I hate traveling.
- Talked with my mom today and my niece was having sinus issues. Apparently during a recent visit with the Dr, the did a biopsy on her throat. Well, at the age of 21, she has some sort of throat cancer. She gets more tests next week. I was 16 when she was born. She was premature by several months, and her mom and dad weren't really great parents as they were young too. I took her everywhere with me. I adore her. She has turned into a very responsible, fabulous kid. She works full time, goes to college full time (she graduates next March with a pharmacy tech degree), she has a great fiancee, they are looking to buy a house. She is awesome. She doesn't need this. She doesn't deserve this. Needless to say, this has also gotten to me.
- TOM arrived today (just got home early Saturday morning from my latest trip to California). I am tired, crampy, crabby.

So that is where I have been. Just kind of trying to deal with the issues at hand. My weight loss which I really need hasn't been my top priority. It needs to be some type of priority though.

The good news is....I am not really in a pity party. Just trying to cope with things the best way I can.

Hope you are all well,

Angie

Is it really Sunday already?! The weekends just go by far too fast! Spent most of it relaxing, and in the pool. I was going to take a break from my DDR, but just couldn’t…I’m addicted! At least it’s a healthy addiction…and exercise!

We’re supposed to be getting some major thunderstorms here tonight. I hope so! I do love a good storm. And it’s always nice to go sit on the deck, and watch the lightning.

Tomorrow's my weigh in. For some reason I have a feeling I'm going to maintain this week. That's okay by me! Better than a gain. We'll see tomorrow!

Annie – Thanks! That’s actually two hair colors ago. I change my hair on a very regular basis…possibly an addiction. Lol. Hopefully, my hair doesn’t fall out by the time I’m 25! Good for you, for going and speaking! I have a huge fear of public speaking, so you get double brownie points! That’s great to hear about the shadowing. I think it’s great that you are getting certified.

Nooch – Hello! Haven’t ‘met’ you before, so it’s nice to. Have a great night!

Tracy – Uuugh, I truly dislike people with that sort of an attitude. Some people will always be like that…I just try to ignore them, as I hate confrontation. But it really really gets to me, sometimes too much.

Heather – I was that way when I lost weight before…when I’m truly trying to lose weight with diet & exercise, I really do feel better about myself, and when I lost 75 lbs before, I was so much more confident, even though I still had a lot of weight to still lose.

Cyn – No, I wasn’t here! Congratulations!! When is she due? Boy, girl, or a surprise?

Angie – I’ve been gone as well. Life really gets going fast sometimes, and just can’t keep up here! Oh my gosh! Your Dad has definitely been through a lot this summer. Nothing but the best wishes to him. And I hope that your niece is able to recover quickly, and without much pain. So sad. Stay sane with those hours!

hi ladies, so I just finished my first week back on the wagon and I have a solid 3 lbs loss. That's definitely not as much as I would have liked, but we will see what happens over the next couple of weeks.

I go on vacation next week and my mother is taking her first airplane ride out here to California (a HUGE phobia for her) to spend it with me, so I am looking forward to this week coming and going. I am trying to plan some more 'active' things for us to do while she is out here, so that we can both get out and enjoy being OUTSIDE some instead of sitting inside all day being glued to the couch.

Tracy: that is just terrible. You go girl! Nooch, I am SO like you! She would have truly been laid out.
Heather: how did your 4 mile walk go?
Catherine: 600 situps... wow!!!!!
Angie: I pray that your father is ok. My dad also had a heart incident a few months ago, and it was very scary. I am on the west coast and he is on the east coast, so trying to be patient to find out anything was difficult. Sorry to hear that your new position is rough! I'm very glad to hear that you still have a job, but don't allow that job or anyone there to discourage you. As you are getting more healthy, it will help to better deal with stress and you will feel even more fantastic.

STOP!!

It's a new week, and we're moving to a new thread! Join us for the next installment!