Hi all! Wow - such an active group!
Jay - glad you are feeling better - sounds like you are solidly OP - even with being sick!

Jada - RUNNING! Awesome! Fast walking is good too. My walks are definitely an important part of my exercise routine!

Lori - the weather is supposed to be better next week. And, you are getting close to Onederland! I can't wait until you get there - we need a virtual

I'm hoping to get some cleaning done this weekend. I'm so far behind! Working a 60+ hour week has left me zapped! But - tomorrow is another day

Enjoy your first spring weekend all!

Laurie

Hi there! congrats to everyone doing so well OP!!
I am still bringing up the rear but am working with a positive attitude.
Hope you get well soon Jay.
Laurie I picture you with this huge house with endless housework. I so hate housework. I try and split it up so it is not so bothersome.
Linda glad you are enjoying a bit of spring. I have some flowers up in my garden but they are some hardy plant the comes up really early.
Jada you will be flying down the scale with all the new exercise your body seems to be loving.
Lori how is the bike riding going. I so loved to ride my bike and then it got stolen. Have not replaced it and am now afraid my balance is off. The traffic makes me nervous. Think I will stick to the stationary bike.
I am at work and just finishing up my Friday.... I went to see the surgeon today and got bumped to a different surgeon. So have to start again with someone new. Hope it is all in place by June. We have great coverage in Canada but endless waits. Be glad when this is over.
Will be nice to have the weekend off. Going to fit in some exercise and some meal planning.
Hope you all have a great relaxing weekend.
cheers.....jude

Good morning everyone! I'm getting over my cold pretty quickly.

And, I've dropped 2 pounds in the last week. I expect to bounce up a little, though. Weight loss due to being sick is often fleeting...

I'm trying to think of trips for this year. It might be nice to go to San Francisco to see my cyclist friend. Or, maybe Cape Cod. We used to go there every summer, just before the tourist season really, and stay for a couple of weeks. And, I could always visit Utah again--that's where I grew up.

Anyone being hit by the financial downturn? Some of my tax clients are having problems, but most are OK so far.

Jay

Oh boy, yes -- being a retired person with investment income is not fun right now. I'm just trying to ignore things for the time being. What goes down, eventually tends to go up again. Not much can be done about it so there's not much sense in getting excited.

Not much can be done about our weather either -- sunny and cold today -- at least it isn't snowing.

Jada - it is a turn of the century house which requires a bit more TLC than the average. I just hate to clean, so I complain about it more than the average person. With 3 pets and 3 people living here - it isn't too bad.

Jay - Yes and no to the economy question. Both our jobs are fairly secure since we work for non-profs that provide needed services to the community. We both have enough seniority to ride out any downsizing that might occur.

That being said, the 403b and 457 accounts have taken a major hit. The State of MI is suffering some SERIOUS economic woes - so my healthcare and retirement may not be what I have been planning for and counting on when the time comes.

We WERE planning on early retirement (and some type of part-time second career) in 4-5 years. Now we are looking at me retiring, and DH going part time. And it may be 5-8 years instead.

We discuss it frequently, but are taking a que sera, sera attitude about it. While we would love to retire early, spend more time traveling and with the kids - it might not happen as soon as we would have liked.

One more reason to stay active and fit and healthy and on-plan.

In the scheme of things, we are most blessed - and we will make the best of whatever this economic uncertainty brings.

On the travel plans question - an update. The hotel we usually stay at in Kalamazoo is booked for the April trip. There are only 2 hotels within walking distance of all of our planned events that weekend. So - I found a wonderful Victorian B&B and booked it. We've never stayed in a B&B - I've poo-poo'd the idea in fact. The idea of having to be "social" during my stay is something that I wasn't sure I would want. Working with people every day, I kind of enjoy not interacting with folk when I travel. But then again, when I do - I seem to enjoy it. I tend to be outgoing in familiar settings, and shy in new ones.

I am a strange duck!

So, a new adventure awaits

I can still afford to buy too much food, so the economy has not hurt me.

Jada, it's not the buying, it's the eating...

Jay

Jay: That made me laugh.

Jay - LOL! How true!

I ate very strangely today - not one meal - just lots of snacks.

I spent the day de-cluttering and cleaning the laundry, entry room. 9 hours later and it looks GREAT! It is amazing how much stuff accumulates in those spaces! I was actually able to make room for the recycle bins, which have been sitting in the middle of the room for as long as I can remember.
And now DH's beer making supplies are organized and labeled. The home brews are also easily accessible
And every cupboard is organized and labeled with its contents so I can actually find things like winter mittens and canning supplies.

I ate every hour or so - a small snack - to fuel my body and keep me going. It worked really well. It reminds me how sedentary my lifestyle is most of the time. It actually felt good to spend the day doing more physical stuff.

Hope you all had a good day as well!

Laurie

Jay: Good going on the 2 pound loss . Losing weight is the only good thing about being sick, unless your like me. I never lose weight. Staying on the treadmill for long after being sick is quite an accomplishment in stamina. I'm glad your doing better . The salmon sounded good, so I ordered some from my grocer. I'm not much on eating fish, but that's going to change. It was interesting when you said you might visit Utah and you were from there, because I plan to move there when I'm 60. I already have the place picked out where I will live until I buy house, if I buy a house. The only thing that will hold me back is worrying about slipping in the ice and snow.

Jude: I'm thinking about buying a bike. The last time I used one, I was so sore, I never got on one again. But I think I'm ready to try it again for shorter distances until I get used to it.

Meowee: Sorry about your investment income. I have a lot of family who lost money on it, but they're surviving somehow, but still nervous. They have other income to fall back on, but it sure is disappointing all around.

CountingDown: The B & B sounds wonderful. I agree with you about the forced social thing. I worked in social work, and the last thing I wanted was to feel forced to socialize on my vacation. I just wanted to enjoy my family. But my husband was very outgoing and loved talking to everybody, so I just let him take the reigns.
Organizing your house sounds like a great release of energy. It feels so good to finally get things the way you want them.

Have a good night everybody!!

I was 229 this morning for my official weigh in. I stayed the same, but I was very happy. I'm averaging a weight loss of 1.3 lbs a week. Seems like I should have lost 20 lbs by now, but I'm happy. I need to stop putting the food in my mouth. I'm sticking to following the guidelines in the food pyramid, since it seems to be working

to the losers among us.

Not too great a day around here -- beginning to look like the promised snow may develop.

For some reason I cannot seem to get enough sleep at the moment and I'm thinking about a second nap for today . . . waking up at before 4 am may have had something to do with it, of course.

Hope the rest of you are having a great and fun Sunday.

Hi all! Still cold here, and we have an 18 year old cat that has been missing for two days. I'm getting worried.

Jada - the rate of loss may be frustrating at times, but - in the scheme of things - doesn't matter much. In fact, I think the slower loss can help with maintenance. It is a journey, and the length of it isn't what is important.

It took me a lot longer to lose weight this time around. But, I am actually far more confident that I will keep it off.

Gotta fly - gotta make the Sunday family phone calls, and then off to church for our Lenten study and a baked potato bar

Hope you are enjoying the day!

Wow, CountingDown, sorry about your cat. I hope he shows up soon
Meowee: Too bad about the snow after having it warm up.
I'm having a quiet day at home. I was going to visit family, but they're sick, and it's cold, windy and raining, so I'm watching movies. Staying OP.

Oh, CD! I hope you find that cat... 18 is pretty old to be wandering about. Is there any place it could have gotten shut in by accident? A car, a bin, a shed? Sometimes they dash in and no one even sees them.

Jada, where would you move in Utah? I'm curious...

Keep going on your plan!

I did a tiny amount of office straightening today, and it cheered me up a lot. Sometimes it doesn't take much...

We're off to the symphony tonight--a couple of my favorites and one piece I don't know at all.

meowee, not ****! Please!!! Tell me, are you safe from that by... um... June?

See ya!


Jay