Quick, joyous shout out to all. Hope to come back late this evening for my version of personals...you know, the abridged kind.

The lake is like glass, it is so still and quiet. Chinamaine, you can appreciate for sure. A balmy 34 degrees, granted, but hey, it didn't freeze. My cool season stuff is up, but would have survived nonetheless. I just don't want another apple-free summer due to late spring frost.

Dug back into TBDS last night. It was rather dusty. Too much insight, too many tools being ignored. Then dug into my Exotic Plant Manual to answer a question for a friend. Happened onto the front part of the manual and all the knowledge contained there. Granted, 35- year- old- knowledge, but basic horticulture is pretty much basic horticulture, and another book that should not have dust on it. Better to store some of that knowledge in my brain. The thinking is that if I have the information here in the house somewhere, I have it. Never mind if I can find it or not; it is here in the clutter somewhere. Hmmm...I need to get some of that Beck knowledge back in my brain, not amid the clutter. Thank goodness the jacket cover is pink!

Coaches/Buddies: I've been struggling lately (which I think is obvious from my lack of posting), but I am determined to turn things around. So, here I am.

So far today I have:

Weighed (even though I've been struggling emotionally and habit-wise, etc. I've managed to maintain my weight loss-- 125)
Done 30 minutes of the elliptical in the basement
Done some strength training in the basement to help with my hips which will help me be able to start running again soon
Threw in some ab exercises too
Logged my breakfast in the Senswear software
Ate my breakfast mindfully and slowly
Came here to post
Given myself credit
Looked up the date of the Detroit 1/2 Marathon to make sure that I will be able to do it

I'm going to an art fair with my sister and kids. I'm a little bit nervous about the fair food that will be available. I'm going to bring some protein bars to have available and do my best to make good/mindful decisions. Coming here and discussing my apprehension is a HUGE step and knowing that I will be coming back here to report later is also a big motivator.

I will read my Advantages Deck and Response Cards before I go.

I miss you all and again look forward to being back in touch and hopefully will get to some personals very soon.

WI: steady
Pain: 0/2/5
Activity: 1

Credits: wearing my very special shoes , saving calories to use at dinner (we did Ghengis Grill) , drinking water

I am less than a pound away from my goal of breaking 220. Then I'll be less than 20 pounds away from Onederland! My 219-and-change reward is a fresh haircut. My Onederland reward is retaking the photo in my avatar and posting before/after style progress pics.

I definitely want to put these two reward close together, so I am going to be so on plan today!

maryblu: What a great epiphany! I can tell you that I've lately not really been tempted to go out and do food/beverages that I'll really regret later. Even last night, when B and I were planning a special evening, we were considering Dave and Busters, but I was considerably less interested after seeing their menu online, how few their healthy options were, and how impossible it was to find nutritional info. But I think the reasons I didn't like those things are parallel to your epiphany - I really enjoy being able to say that I made the best decision I could have.

for digging back into BDS in response to your insights. I love the way that jacket cover works like a neon sign too!

Robin: for gym!

Bucket: Howdy neighbor! I've been remarking to anyone who'll sit still that this is the coolest May I can remember in the 12 years I've been here. I'm in Addison. What part of DFW do you call home?

Fantastic job getting through a saturday workout!

Anne: Getting the self-talk down to the part where you habitually are using it productively, even when mentally strained, is excellent.

I understand now about the insomnia. Yes, this sounds like a good thing to include when you give your new PCP your medical history. If it's cyclical, you may be able to anticipate the low-sleep part of the cycle and circumvent it. Good luck!

ChinaMaine: Boston Market has GF stuff on the menu? Hmm. Has the rest of their food improved? I stopped going there when my uncle's blood sugar shot up after eating turkey of all things.

Anyway, sounds like you've had some really great food lately. for hitting minigoal!

Regarding your input on the leptin/endorphin/appetite vs. metabolism/willpower thing. I just keep coming back to the concept that obesity is a symptom. Now if I'm sneezing, I might have an allergy, or a cold. I might have more than one contributing cause. But the sneeze isn't the problem - whatever is causing me to sneeze is. There is just no one-size-fits-all solution to this problem.

I grew up on TOS, but never had a great fondness for Kirk. I was always more invested in the subordinate characters, particularly Scotty.

Bill: Hooray for "grounded" tomatoes! for choosing "something rational" sounds like a good opportunity to use response cards.

Kim: So happy to see your dancing broccoli once again! for preparing yourself to confront fair food. My thoughts are with you.

Whoa, scale went down two pounds from 158 to 156. o____O I think it's just flunctuation, but it's still exciting to see it move DOWN for once instead of going UP. This is like the first week I've had in a loooong time where I got on a the scale and the numbers have gone down. I hope it continues like this!

Chest, back, and ab work today. Not my favorite workout in the bunch as I'm not very good at push-ups... which Chest&Back requires. But I'll do my best anyway!

Kudos to me for reading my cards, making sure I sit down before I put anything in my mouth, not eating past dinnertime last night (which was a struggle, but I made it! Woohoo!), making time to workout today, and giving myself credit for all of the above. Yay.

Bill - I thought you usually hung up the tomato plants. o.o Hm. Kudos for transfering the little plant to a new pot! My dad hates that part the most! XD

Well, there's 12 DVDs in the P90x set, with rotation every 30 days or so, plyo is probably the most intense and best workout in the entire series, but I'm so thankful I don't have to do it everyday. If I did, I'd probably become a zombie because I'd be so tired.

twilit tera - Haha! My Dad has been commenting on how nice the cool weather has been lately. I'm in the North Richland Hills area. Just moved here again. I was here when I was little, but I spent most of my time in Keller and Saginaw. My parents like doing this thing where we move every 2 years or so. Blegh. I don't think I've ever been in Addison, but I gotta admit, NRH has some wicked biking trails.

I'm rooting for you to get past that 220 barrier! It must feel awesome to be so close to your goal!!

bennyhannahmama - Wow, you've done so much already! Lol. Major kudos for planning ahead and being prepared in all generality! That's really awesome.

maryblu - Huzzah for digging back into TBDS. I think the pink cover is a blessing and a curse. On the brightside, you can probably notice it from a mile away. On the downside, it's very feminine and you can see it from a mile away. (Or maybe it's just me? I get a little embaressed about feminine books. Haha.)

wndranne - Dang! 1000 calorie burn? You gotta' fill me in on what you've been doing for exercise because that's one hellouva' burn. Kudos for breaking even with your calories. I sympathize with the stress thing, and I hope everything settles down a bit soon! Deffo, congrats on shopping in the pre-baby bin, though.

Hi Coaches

I don't know where I'm at mentally/emotionally with this food business. After reading half of The Eater's Manifesto by Michael Pollan, it dawns on me that I should be eating food.

It strikes me as utterly ridiculous that I need a book to tell me to eat food but what he's really saying is eat real food, not fake stuff. I *know* this. I want this. I'm just not doing this very consistently. Though, credit moi, I am still off the fake sugars so for me this is a credit to be proud of.

I'm feeling utterly exhausted too. Yesterday my body gave me the "I give" sign: the start of a coldsore. When I've really gone beyond my limits and refuse to stop (or more likely don't even know I should stop) I get a coldsore. if I don't heed it, I risk getting sick so I went to bed early, drank a lot of orange juice, woke up this morning still tired and really foggy-brained. We were supposed to go grocery shopping today. DH hasn't brought it up and I don't know if I want to except everything is closed tomorrow (Victoria Day here) so I feel like I have to as my week starts again come Tuesday. But it's cold out there and I'm sleepy and the day is going by... I am happy just to let it go.

So nothing to report on the food front or the weightloss front or even the decision making front. I am at a utter standstill. I'm sad there's no easy answer. can you believe it? You'd think I would have dropped that rock ages ago.

And Hello bucketwithapurpose welcome!

op about 75% got to the gym, but Ive added bread and I need to get that back out of my diet. Its just gunkie!

Did some yard work....and Im inspired to get some flowers in the garden, and some tomato plants planted!! Deciding what to do with the backyard. Its tiny....and needs plenty of thought when you have 3 stepgrandkids next door and 12 yr old dd.

K....Im off to get some more cooking done for next week.

Have a great sunday evening!

Coaches/Buddies Some days I wonder. wndranne for sure.

Today I lifted DS up and my back burst into excruciating pain. I'm hoping it is just kind of tweaked (this has been known to happen) and isn't really damaged in any way. I'm guessing tweaked, since it feels kinda tweaky, and like one good pop would set things right, but I can't walk right now and DH kicked me out of the family room so he could deal with the kids alone. I'm not amused. This was not on my training plan for sure.

I was MASSIVELY hungry today after yesterday's pre-race workout on the course. My weight is up about 4 pounds and my fingers are swollen so much I can't get my rings off. Electrolyte imbalance. Normal after an intense effort. So I ate to hunger, but fortunately my appetite is drifting back to normal now. I suppose I'm officially off-plan, but wasn't really expecting today to be on plan, so am I on my off plan or off my on plan. Don't really know. Not really concerned about the behavior pattern, which is the important thing for me. Resistance muscles and all that. Fluid should flush out after a day or two as my body returns to balance. Planning begins tomorrow again, for sure, as things are back to normal.

Sleep went better last night, and I caught another nap today, so I'm not struggling to stay awake right now. Napping seems pretty counterproductive, but once I have to fight to stay awake I have a hard time shutting that down at night.

Bill LOL on nursing your faux tomato along.

Thanks for the career thoughts. I'm not in danger of getting fired or anything. Just shunted into a path I'm not happy about. I may change departments or something. It'll work out--the process is just unpleasant.

maryblu You're right about the pink cover on BDS. I can see mine from here. A very nice technique, yes?

Kim Glad to see you here. Sorry to hear that you are struggling. Glad to see the dancing broccoli again. Struggling happens to all of us, and it just means we need to work harder, or regroup, and then try again. You're doing a fine job with that.

I was going to sign up for my half on Nov 1, but guess I'll wait until I figure out the deal with my back first. When is yours?

Tera I can't wait to see the new pic of you with the new do! You are going to be so on plan today!

Thanks for your concern about the insomnia. Your prodding got me to accelerate the process by getting the contact info for the doc I'm planning to check out.

bucket Gotta love those downward fluctuations.

My 1000 calorie burn yesterday was a triathlon preparation workout on the race course at nearly race pace. 16 miles on the bike, including a big hill, in one hour, and a 3.3 mile run in 40 min. Not something I do every day. The race itself is 25 May, Memorial Day, and also my 40th birthday.

onebyone We all miss the obvious stuff from time to time. You've had so much going on, that maybe it is a good idea to regroup a bit and breathe deeply before rushing out to the next big thing. I think you're right that your body is giving you a sign.

RobinW Have fun with your back yard!

See you all tomorrow. I'm thinking positively about my back.

Anne

Bill Credit for planting your tomatoes! I’d planned to do mine this weekend too, but it looks like we’ll have 2 nights this week with likely frost, so planting tomatoes will have to wait until I return from visiting my Mom. Oh well… I hope you had fun at your party – and did ‘something rational’ – This whole Leptin Resistant thing has been an enlightening for me too – it’s forced me to see some of my preconceptions are probably wrong.

maryblu It’s down to at or near freezing a couple nights this week for us too. Can I blame you for sending this weather my way? It’s keeping me from planting tomatoes and basil on schedule. It’s been really windy here, but I’m still enjoying mid-spring immensely.

Kim Good to see you back and I hope you do, in fact, turn things around. You’ve done a lot of exercise; eating mindfully is the core of all our work with food I think… Here’s to hoping you could make some reasonable choices at the art fair!

Tera So close to breaking through your next milestone weight – 219ish. I’m getting excited with anticipation. Your excitement is catching, I think! Personally I don’t mind Boston Market food. I had chicken breast with the skin off, and as far as I’m concerned it’s the best fast food GF chicken available. That, unfortunately, isn’t saying much since most GF fast food chicken (without coating, bun and special sauce) is pretty gross in my book. I don’t eat fast food burgers in general, because there is too big of a chance that crumbs from the buns will fall on the grill when the burgers cook. (Sorry I don’t want to bore you with weird GF concerns…) In any case, there’s very little available for lunch / dinner, and most of what is available isn’t very tasty. I have to agree with you totally that obesity should not be treated with a pill. I don’t believe it would work if we tried…

bucket (with a purpose) Enjoy your two pounds gone. If you are eating reasonably, exercising, and starting to learn the Beck skills, then this weight loss may very well be more than ‘fluctuation’. Even if it goes up for a day or two, it’ll probably go back down even further than it has so far. Impressive exercise routine – credit! Congrats for not eating unplanned food last night – ‘Hunger is not an emergency’ is one of my favorite sayings. I know I had to rely on it several times myself today!

one by one I’m sorry you are feeling exhausted and a bit adrift today. Credit for reading good, thought-provoking books rather than just watching the tube. Eating ‘real’ food takes some practice, just like doing CBT does... But knowing you want to is step 1. Congrats!

Robin Credit for going to the gym again, and for being mostly op and cooking food for the week. A small yard is more challenging in many ways, especially if you want to be sure it’s kid-friendly.

Anne Ouch for the back pain -- You have a good attitude about your calorie needs, water retention / electrolyte imbalance, etc. All of that will wash out and staying ‘on-plan’ today would probably have been counterproductive in the long-term. I’m glad sleep was better again, and napping is probably what you needed today to catch up for all the sleep you lost last week. Here’s to hoping that all systems are go in the next day or two.

Coaches/Buddies:

I ate a protein bar in the car on the way to the fair (that's the one place I forget to eat mindfully, but I do know I'm capable of it!) My kids got ice cream and I did NOT! I also did NOT get the chocolate covered banana I considered for a minute. I did have a few spoonfuls of each of their ice creams, but I also accounted for that in my food log. At dinner, my sister and I split a cheeseburger (we went to a pub), some fries and a yummy salad. I did take a couple of bites of my son's mac and cheese too. I accounted for everything I ate. Because of working out this morning, all the walking we did at the fair and skipping my morning, afternoon and late night snacks, I will end up with a calorie deficit. All in all, I'm very happy with how the day turned out. Oh I also did read my Advantages Deck x2 today and my Response Cards right before I got out of the car to go to the fair.
I was thinking about what my choices might have been had I not posted here before I left and if I had not read my cards, etc. I truly think things would have been very different. Oops, just remembered that I did not eat dinner or the ice cream mindfully at all! I'm really glad to know I'm headed in the right direction.

I did glance quickly at people's replies to me and I want to thank you all for welcoming me back with open arms and all the encouragement.

Anne- I was supposed to do my 1st 1/2 on May 31st, but between aching hips/knees I took a break from running and am now going to train for the Detroit 1/2 on October 16th. I hope your back is just "tweaked" and feeling better very soon.

Hope to catch up with everyone more soon.

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Survived the 50th Birthday Party; CREDIT moi. Did the old trick of dividing my plate into quarters. One quarter of small bits from the grill, one quarter an ear of unbuttered corn, one half of grilled veggies. Skipped the table of pasta salads and choice breads. Skipped the gloppy desserts in favor of a serving of fresh fruit that I had brought to be sure that I had a dessert option. CREDIT moi for that.

Continuing to think of Leptin resistance: at the supermarket, I saw the largest woman I've ever seen out and about. She had her whole upper body draped over the cart, barely pushing herself along. I felt warm sympathy for her, instead of the negative thoughts I'm capable of and have had in the past. Interesting, her clothes were impeccable; no rumpled house dress type of thing. I felt hope for her. If a Leptin Resistance pill exists, I hope she finds it.


maryblu - LOL at flipping between The Beck Diet Solution and Exotic Plant Manual for wisdom; now that's eclectic reading.

Has your loon returned to your lake yet?


onebyone - Yay for "Eat food; not too much; mostly vegetables." Best seven word summary of a book there is, and printed on the jacket no less.

Ouch for exhausted and foggy-brained. Hope the holiday today gives you some rest time to gather your energy. Sounds like you're having a postpartum downer after your three years of tension. Glad that you're staying with posting here while you work your way out.


Robin (RobinW) - Happy Victoria Day. No doubt your DH expects you to take the day off, LOL. (And, no doubt, your DD will demand her birthright to do the same.)

Grandkids could be a challenge to both tomatoes and flowers; good luck with those. We don't mind the neighborhood kids who swipe a tomato or so to eat; we are rather indignant when the teenage boys swipe them and to throw!!!

Unplanned bread is evil.


Anne (wndranne) - Excruciating Ouch for a tweaked back. Nope, that doesn't sound right for a triathlon in a week. Perhaps you can celebrate Victoria day to give it a rest; no doubt you have a Canadian ancestor somewhere along the line. Hope you're walking by this morning.

Massive Kudos for fighting off the hunger - an unplanned and unwelcome visitor. What a reminder that your two hour exercise is one massive thwart to your body.

You need more than virtual chicken soup; emailing Tera's chiropractor to try to snap you back in shape.


Tera (twilit tera) - Neat that you have your next two goals. I, too, look forward to your new avatar. It is kinda odd to read someone's progress losing weight and thinking that I can't see it yet, LOL.

Like the name Genghis Grill. Think I'd like to eat there. Do you sit at long rough tables, on the backs of your captives, eating with your bare hands?


ChinaMaine - Ouch for the return of the fatigue; hope it's just a response to that marathon driving back from NJ, or the revenge of the Devil's Brother, LOL.

Drooling over the first lobster of the season. Your weren't going to catch it yourself were you?


Kim (bennyhannamama) - Kudos for starting the day so well with exercises and then skipping the chocolate covered banana at the fair to top things off.

Ouch that it's been "struggling." In the parlance of the new Beck book, The Complete Beck Diet for Life, you could write a memory card of your success at the fair for future encouragement.


Bucket (bucketwithapurpose) - Yep, that scale dip sounds like a fluctuation all right, but I, too, always like my downward fluctuations for the adrenalin shot.

Yay for Chest, back, and ab work; that ab work makes everything else easier. I saw a young woman at my gym doing push ups last week; noted at the time that it was a rare sight. Kudos for doing stuff that isn't the easiest for you. That 30 days per rotation seems like a really good plan to beat getting bored.

Tomatoes are often hung, particularly on a patio or small back yard. In a garden, it's common to let them grow up in a cage or on a stake. We'll do the wire cage when they get some height.


Readers -

Happy Monday, Beckies. Enjoy Victoria Day, my friends.

Yesterday was Syttende Mai, the 17th of May, Norwegian Constitutional Day. I had to look that up. I always knew Syttende Mai and that it was a Norwegian holiday, just not what it was. I am a Norwegian, but not a very good one.

Welcome back, Kim. Isn't it interesting that if we are not "doing well", we don't post. It's as if we deliberately step away from the lifeline that can help us. Even if no one can post that magic phrase or impart that perfect wisdom, just the act of posting brings us back into the fold and gets us "thinking like a thin person"..or closer, at least.

Still spring here......lol.........well, ya never know. This is Minnesoda, after all. And yes, BillBE, the loons were back on the lack the same day as ice off. Never fails. Great joy.

WI: +1
Pain: 0/2/4
Activity: 4

Credits: Picking something active to do in celebration of 10 years marriage and the end of another semester , staying in control even during spurges , fulfilling desire for banana pudding by inventing my own home-made recipe , using "disciprine" to get out of bed and get to the athletic club this morning (even though the pool was closed and we ended up coming home)

Yesterday was absolutely gorgeous - simply could not have been a more perfect day for a trip to the nature preserve in Carrollton. We tromped around in the stream there, looking at the patterns of sediment in the bank, the dragonflies dancing, the fishies and skippers darting - it was almost like being a kid again.

Then in the distance we saw something that, on further reading was probably not a water mocassin and even if it were would probably not have bit us if we gave it a wide berth. But we didn't know either of these things at the time, so got out and walked a little bit more on the path (my hip was starting to bother me by this time).

Sushi for dinner. Not the good stuff, but anything's tasty with ginger or wasabi on it.

The scale is teasing me... that's okay. Drawing out the anticipation of my next goal will make it even more satisfying. Right? Right? That's why I'm going to be so on plan today!

Bucket: Congrats on the scale drop. What I find is that the progress is always two steps forward, one back. The scale will plunge, then resettle a little bit higher, but not as high as before, then plunge again. As long as the overall trend is the right direction, that's what counts.

for doing exercises your not particularly fond of. That requires quite a lot of disciprine.

That's awesome about the biking trails. I'd like to see some more bike paths all over, not that I get much opportunity for biking these days. I grew up in the pacific northwest, and in most towns there, you can bike almost anywhere you can drive, and a whole mess of places you can't drive.

I also moved around a lot when I was a kid. Continued the trend into adulthood too. I think it's gotten fairly typical.

onebyone: for scaling back, resting, getting yourself together. I'm sorry that it's taking physical symptoms to move you into that mode, but very glad you're taking steps now, before you do get ill. Let yourself catch your breath.

Robin: for exercise and gardening. About bread ... is it filling some role in your diet that something else could do? I find that bread usually makes a support for other things.

for cooking ahead!!

Anne: gentle and for a quick recovery on your back!

The new do will probably look a lot like the old do... which has grown out to the point where I'm starting to get annoyed with it. I might dye my hair purple again though.

I look forward to hearing how things progress on the insomnia/back/health front. You've come so far post-partum - you deserve to be pain free.

ChinaMaine: for persevering on the Beck techniques. I'm sorry fatigue is so high!

I checked out the Boston Market menu, and they seem to have made some improvements since last time my family ate there. I should tell my aunt that there's no longer sugar in their turkey.

I don't find your concerns at all boring. It's actually kind of interesting the differences in sensitivities we all have. You probably have no problem at all with artificial colors, for example, where they reak havoc on my seratonin function.

I once thought that peoples needs were very similar, at least dietarily, but that's about as far from the truth as one can get. How is it that all of us with relatively similar bodies can have such different needs? Mindboggling.

Kim: for staying in control in the face of fair food! for continuing your Beck strategies!

Bill: for victory at the birthday party! at emailing my chiropractor to Anne. I'm sure she could help!

Genghis Grill is a treat! No captives to sit on, but I think they raid their menu from the local neighborhoods.

Maryblu!

Another quickie today ...sorry

I just realized its almost 3, and I still need to get tonnes done!

Worked out this morning with Michelle (Im gonna really hurt tomorrow)

100% op all the way! It feels so good to type that!

Going to get hubby to push my lazy butt out of bed in the mornings so I can get to the gym. There just isnt any way I'll get workouts like I did today, done in the evenings.

K....gotta run

Have an awesome day everyone!!

Kim It sounds like you made some really good choices at the fair - I agree that posting and reading cards are fundamentally important. Reading my cards, making food and exercise plans and then posting here are the reasons I’m being successful both at losing weight and living a more healthy lifestyle. Without any one of those three things, I’m sure I’d be much less successful. Reading my cards while I drink my first cup of coffee, sets the tone for the day. Making plans gives me a game plan I’ve committed to that’ll make my day a success. Finally, posting allows me to remain accountable for both my successes and failures. In addition, I think helping others and reading about the good and bad in everyone’s day helps to put my efforts in a realistic context.

Bill You made stellar choices at the 50th b-day party yesterday. Kudos!! No I’m not a weekend lobster-man. Have you ever been to 5 Islands Lobster in Georgetown? To me it is the quintessential Maine experience. And yes, I think the fatigue is probably due to the drive.

maryblu Happy spring!

Tera Seems like a low pain, high activity day. Who cares about being up by a pound when you’re having such a good day, right?

Sounds like you had a great place to be outdoors and celebrate your anniversary and end-of-semester – credit for not using food to celebrate! (and me likes wasabi!)

BTW: Simon Pegg is a brilliant Scotty. His part was pretty small though, so I think we’ll need the next movie to really show-case him. I thought Chekov was very good too…

Sugar in turkey?? – blech! You’re right artificial coloring isn’t bad for me, so long as there’s no gluten in it. Serotonin controls just about everything in the brain that dopamine doesn’t already have a lock on- so messing with Serotonin is pretty serious. Sorry you have to avoid something that’s in so many foods…

Robin It’s so nice when you are happy.

Coaches/Buddies Eating was on plan today. I haven't been feeling my usual fixation with food lately. Don't know why, but I'm trying to soak it up while I can. History shows it won't last.

I dragged myself to a chiropractor today. I came out better. Not completely right, but I could at least stand up straight. Follow up on Wednesday. Thanks Tera for paving the way. Anyway, my race isn't completely out of the question yet. Back to work tomorrow.

ChinaMaine Mmmm, fish tacos sound wonderful. But here's hoping you get your first lobster soon. That's what I call good, healthy food!

Kim Sounds like you did a great job at the fair. Our halves are close enough together that we should be virtual training buddies. Well, once I can walk again.

Bill I think I'd try just about any clinically proven pill that doesn't mess with seratonin levels, even if I think I'm just a head case. Overweight/obesity is such a complex problem. It boggles my mind because the answer really is that simple, eat less and move more, but it is so DIFFICULT to do these two simple things.

Nice work at the party. You've had a lot of success with that lately. I feel compelled to warn you about the dangers of complacency. Not that you'll need it, but it bites us all sooner or later.

maryblu Happy Spring! Long time coming for you, and I hope it was worth the wait.

Tera Glad you got outdoors. Everything but the snake sounded fun. I'm just not a big snake fan.

I love purple hair!

RobinW To borrow Tera's phrase, you are going to be so on your exercise plan tomorrow morning!

Catch you all tomorrow.

Anne