Okay, really now ... I've been gone too long. Now that I find a way to get on, I'm frantic for news!

Losses?

Health issues?

Vacations?

Did you miss me at all? Or figure ... ack, that pesky Katpo is FINALLY gone! Woohoo!!

did we miss you? does the sun come up in the east? those are 2 questions that you already know the answers to. of course, we missed you!!!!

i am back to about where i was when i saw you in texas (weightwise). i won a national title and set 2 national records. (tell judd cuz i love to brag.)

health is good. vacation is sparse-just 2 short trips for tournaments. we'll be coming to texas later this winter. prob later than last year.

so how are things in tarrant county? how are you doing?

Well ... it has rained pretty much nonstop since Thursday. Everybody else is complaining but I'm loving it with unabashed exuberance! I swear I should have been born in Seattle.

I sat outside on the patio all day yesterday, listening to the rain and reading a book. Today I planted flowers, also in the rain, and drove around doing my errands ... happy as a clam! I love love love the rain.

I'm at 142 and not exactly happy about it (up from 137-138) but when I step on the scale, I just cross my fingers and hope to see something less than 145. While I'd like to see 135 or below, I'm not sweating it for now. I only allow a 5 pound variance (from 139) so I really have to keep a good eye on it. Meanwhile, it feels like I eat and drink everything that doesn't get out of the way fast enough.

kathy, sounds like you have maintenance down pat. our ww leader (curtis is going now!!) told us that we should weigh at home daily when we are on maintenance. makes sense, doesn't it? helps catch "it" early when we head up the scales.

i love the rain, too. when i was a child, i would play in the rain making dams/lakes/etc.... now i plant in the rain cuz the soil is easier to work. i love playing in the dirt. just called the local nursery. i wanted to get some more perennials but they're closing in a few min. maybe tomorrow.

Well, since I've been this same weight for a year or so, I guess it's my maintenance weight. I'd like to be a teeny bit less, but actually what I really want is to be a teeny bit more toned up.

How great that Curtis is going too! I would love it if Judd would get up and do something. Instead, he alternates between going to the Y, going to shoot, riding his bike, and playing golf. None of those is really high activity except for the bike if he goes very far.

I'm glad you understand about my rain issues. Everyone else thinks I'm crazy! I am at my VERY HAPPIEST! when it's raining though ... it must also remind me of childhood.

i have more memories. i used to sit on my grandparents' front porch swing wrapped in a quilt reading comic books. i can almost feel the overspray on my face now.

Get off the scale Kathy!!!!!!!! (haha had to say that)

Its about time you came back..glad to hear your kids are doing good. It will be good to see you back on the boards..

Welcome back Kathy! Yes, we missed you!!

We are all doing fine here in MA. My weight, like yours is hanging the same for the past year or so. I'm still about 5 pds from where I want to be -- 7 to get back to my WW goal. I'm back to doing the WW at work - its been about 3 weeks of a 17 week program. My body seems to like where I am, but I don't want it to keep creeping up.

Family wise, Sarah is growing like a weed. I need to post a new picture of her. Preschool and gymnastics end in abouty 3 weeks. I'm ready for it to be over. Not much else going on here.

Glad you found a way back on the board. Looking forward to talking to you.

Hi Kathy:

As a matter of fact, I must be "psychic" because, once again, I thought that if we hadn't heard from you soon, I was going to inquire about you...last time I had that thought, I came to the board and there you were...now, here you are again!

How can anyone in that part of Texas be complaining about the rain after all the drought conditions!! Fools! I have the Denton weather up on my MSN screen, and have been noticing all of the icons designating thunderstorms.

My weight went up a bit over the winter but it's coming back down, at a rate of one pound a week. I'll be increasing that soon because work is letting up some, there won't be as many meetings and I'm headed to classes again.

All is well here except for too much work! I've been doing some home repairs (new windows, painting, new roof) and some gardening.

Rhonda

HI KATHY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

MISSED YOU SO MUCH!

Glad to see you are still alive and kicking (that scale I mean - ha ha ha).

My weight is up - I'm on anti-depressants - need I say more?

Frouf

Hey Kathy!!!!!!!!!! Welcome back. Of course you were missed, GF!

Let's see.....I've probably gained since you've been gone. As I said on another thread, I'm just too stupid to give up. I hate to think how much I would have gained if I quit going to WW. We have lots of nasty house issues going on that have been giving me the crazies. Jim had some discomfort under his tongue where they removed the cancer last April 19th. The ENT doesn't see any sores but feels an enlarged lymph or saliva gland. The CT scan is Monday. I have some freaky thing going on in my throat every time I swallow liquids. ENT checked out the thyroid and they've changed all my BP medicine. They have no clue. My next step is a CT scan. I'm postponing it because Jim is more important at the moment.

I just got my treadmill fixed and was starting to exercise again but then the treadmill broke again. I'm in negotiations again to get that fixed.

Just a million smaller things adding up to make us crazy. I've been lurking for a while now. I don't have my normal "cheerleading" attitude and honestly I don't feel that I should be posting much when I feel like such a failure.

Trying to post and nothing goes thru. This is getting IRRITATING!

Aha! So a short post will go thru but not a loooong one? Harumph!

Well, now that's quite an update!

I'm so happy to be able to get back in! I've heard that other people have IE issues and can only get in via Firefox ... oh well!

Frouf, let me tell you what -- I have probably taken every antidepressant known to modern man and gained on 99% of them. Wellbutrin is the only one that works on me longterm AND doesn't have weight gain associated with it. I highly recommend it.

My BP medicine got changed also, from Diovan to the generic lisinopril. I also went back on Crestor because last cholesterol test was 288. Uh, yeah. 2-8-8!! I was floored. My blood glucose is still in the 115-135 range but dr says cholesterol lowering is more important right now and when I get it down, we'll work on the blood sugar. Whatever. My hormones have stopped working and so I might have to increase them. It's time for another mammo ultrasound to check on those umpteen dozen masses they're watching.

Erin had surgery for a breast lump a month or so ago. She was scared (the child has never even had a bad cold) but all turned out okay.

Judd is doing good and hanging in there, although he has probably stalled in his weight loss efforts. He is determined to get some more of it off though before August when we go to Montana.

Work has slowed waaaaay down and there have been layoffs. There's a new effort to do some modernization on our trainer interfaces and I'm in on that, so I won't be affected by the upcoming layoffs at my level but I'm afraid my coworker will be.

I can't remember if I told you all that Nora's dad died on March 25. That was my one year anniversary of the "great golfcart incident" ... she's my late sister's child who has been living in squalor ever since my sister died and the BIL moved a woman (found on the internet, no less) down here from Arkansas; did I mention it was just a few weeks after my sister died? Sight unseen, along with her kids ... she was married but her husband was in jail. All culminated when this Arkansas woman, who has been here for more than 4 years, found out that BIL was still communicating with another woman he met on the internet before he met HER. Stay with me here. They had a big fight, he dropped dead, and Arkansas picked up the phone and called other woman saying "you won't hear from him anymore, b*tch, because he's dead." And hung up. Jerry Springer should be calling any day now.

Well, hang in there everybody. That's about all I can say. Vickie, you know what to do and I wouldn't exactly call you stupid, if you know what I mean. I think determined is a better word. Setbacks seem to have been the name of the game with all of us. I'm just fortunate (FORTUNATE???) that when I get upset or stressed, food makes me nauseated. I live on Pepcid and Maalox and can generally drop a pound or two, depending on the severity of the problem. While it's not healthy, it's what I'm stuck with and probably better (for me, at least) than being a stress eater. I've had my share of problems with these supposedly grown children and am sure that's what has driven my maintenance.

Enough rambling ...

What a bunch we are!