If you have 50 or more pounds to lose, jump on in and join us. You'll be sure to get a warm welcome!

Good morning ladies! Is it my imagination, or did we somehow lose a post or 2? I got an email notice that there was one from Joyce yesterday, but I couldn't access the site. HMMM!
Anyhow, I hope everyone is having a good week so far. Monday was one of "those days" at work yesterday. One of the nurses fell on Sunday and dislocated her left shoulder (she is left handed), so she'll be out a couple weeks. We're already working short, so here go more hours on top of the extra hours I'm already working. Then 2 secretaries called in sick. Today's got to be better. I've got to work till 7 tonight, so I'm going in at 8 instead of my usual 6 AM.
Linda, I think your note to Janet was really intended for me. I didn't get to do any frilly thing shopping for little sweetie number 2 to be this weekend. Exdh and I pulled babysitting detail a lot, so I never left the house, except to take my little sweetie for a walk looking for planes, "copters" and birds. He's a lot of fun now. My Trader Joe's trip was a quick one- I have a set bunch of stuff I buy, unless I'm in a mood to browse. Have you ever tried their Cafe' Twists? They're in a bag- sort of a flakey long cookie in several different flavors- choc chip, mocha, raspberry and maple french toast. The have no eggs, dairy, etc, are low fat and 1 point each. The Maple french toast ones are to die for!
Jan, I'll bet it feels good to have your dad back home again! How is he doing? How has dh been feeling lately?
Joyce, how did your weigh in go? I'm glad you're enjoying your water aerobics.
Texaslady, how are the newlyweds doing? I'm anxious to see some of the "official" wedding photos when you have a chance to scan them.
Janet, how long a break did dd have at Christmas? Some of our colleges around here don't go back till next week. How did your friend who lost her fiance fare over the holidays? It must have been so hard for her.
Saara, where in the world are you hiding, dear girl???

Well, work calls- I'd better run. Hi to anyone I missed. Talk to you all later,
Carol

I did post yesterday! I saw it there! Sure don't know where it went.
In a 'nutshell', this is what I said:
I had a 2 pound loss last week.
No bruises from my trip down the steps, and had a great trip to Mother's.

I have to skip water workout today...having some intestinal discomfort.
Have a good day, hope the gremlins are gone!

JOYce, congrats on the 2 pounds lost! That's terrific! And I'm so glad you didn't have any bruises or major aches from that fall. Sounds like the water aerobics are a lot of fun! Hope you get to feeling better soon.

Carol, glad your Florida visit went so well. I just wish you didn't have to pull all those long shifts for the next few months! Can't they find extra help from a temp agency or something, to fill in?

Janet, I envy you that Aretha Franklin concert! I just loved her in Blues Brothers. Do you know what date it is, so we can work around that? The weekends of April 13 or 20 seem like good candidates so far; anyone have conflicts there?

Texaslady, have you found a buyer for all those wonderful decorations?

Linda, I had no idea you'd worked on those gorgeous floats; what an interesting story! So many hours of work, and such careful planning ... no wonder they're always so gorgeous. Sure am sorry to hear that you can't make it to the reunion; we'll promise to take lots of pics, though.

Saara, let us hear from you!

Dh and I got back late Sunday night from SF. It was such fun! The conference was exciting, as always, and in our spare time we did lots of walking. Saw Lily Tomlin in "Intelligent Life" and a movie, Gosford Park. Dad did just fine while we were gone. We'd arranged for people to drive him into town and such, and he handled everything very well. Dh is feeling better, but still has some spells of ab. distress; we're finding out about another doctor he might see, more of a specialist, as they've ruled out the more common causes.

Re: the program, I *think* I may have convinced dh to actually join WW! He's been losing a pound or two, and gaining it back, for months now. (At least he's kept off the 40 he lost two years ago, though!) We may go on Sat. morning to a mtg. in SA where several guys usually attend.

Gotta run! Hope everyone is having a great week!

Regards,
Jan

Hi ladies!

Carol - Oooooh!!! A GIRL!!! Congratulations! I hope you have bought something pink by now! That is so exciting. Just LOVE those little baby girls, you know! Sounds like you had a great stay in Florida. I know you were happy to have a place to yourself - even if just for a little while. I am sure it is difficult to "share" with your dd & sil. No matter how much we love them, it's still nice to have a little peace, quiet & privacy. HOw interesting to hear about the decorated horses (instead of cows)! All the ones here were sold at auction for charity, too.

Janet - Good to hear from you again, too. How is your DD doing in school?? Is she still dating the same guy? I know how you dreaded seeing her live away from home, but I am betting you still do enjoy having some private time for yourself. And, if not, summer is just around the corner!

Jan - Glad you enjoyed your "MacWorld" trip. I have dd's old Mac in my kitchen (of all places). She had it in college & now says its too old & slow so here it sits. I need to decide what to do with it, I guess. I think its wonderful that you have such willing folks to come help out with your Dad while you two were gone! I know you don't have a lot of family close by but it sounds like you have some fantastic friends! I will get those professional pics on the picturetrail site - I promise. It's just making myself sit down & do it! Let us know if your dh joins WW - good for him for even thinking about it!

Linda - I really do envy your opportunity to work on the Rose Parade floats. That sounds like something I would LOVE to do! Funny - when you were saying you got so busy you worked 24 hours straight, I was thinking about my job. Somedays I look up at the clock and its time to go and I could SWEAR I just arrived. There's just too much to do and not enough time to do it, I guess.

Joyce - Way to go with the water aerobics. I KNEW you would be a shining star! Don't let that geriatric drill sargent get you down - pretty soon you will be right up there with her!

Girls - I was reading over in general announcements that the 3FC system experienced some problems lately and some posts were lost. That explains the "missing" ones you were referring to, I Guess.

Saara - Have we lost you? I think of you so often now because there is so much on TV about the upcoming Olympic games in Salt Lake. Let us hear from you.

Happy birthday to Carol & Joyce - our January "babies"! This month is proceeding along as fast as all the recent rest. At this pace, the months will skip by as quickly as last year!

Gotta go for now. Want to watch the premier of "First Monday" tonight. Sounds like a TV show that could be interesting. Take care and stay warm!

CAROL, that's what my head is stuffed with -- yes, I did mean you when I asked CAROL if she had bought anything pink and frilly!

JOYce, congrats on the two-pound loss. I think that your going to water aerobics is a good thing; I so support your efforts. Keep up the good work.

TEXASLADY, yes it was a rare treat to get to work on the floats for the years that we did. Lots of good memories, and we surely do appreciate the floats we see now more than ever...some of the flowers are put on one petal at a time, hence the word, "petaling."

JAN, welcome home, so glad you and dh had such a good time in SF. How lovely to have had the opportunity to see Lily Tomlin, good for you for taking advantage of it. And I am so pleased that your dh may be joining WW! That is just super! And that is really quite a feat that he has maintained his 40-pound loss.

JAN , It's looking like the 13th willl be the best of those 2 dates for me. In-laws are coming later in the month. and dgd is going to be moving out in May, so I should be here to assist in those preparations. She is moving to OK to live with her sis.

I've thought about saara this week as the Olympic torch has made it's way thru L.A.. Hope she checks in, What fun to be in Utah during this time!

Must go get some things done before meals on Wheels time. I'm only doing MOW thru the end of this month, have given them notice, so I can have another day for water aerobics.

JOYce, April 13 sounds great to me; how 'bout it, Texaslady, Janet, Saara, & Carol? DD's, DH's, etc. are more than welcome, too; the more the merrier! The flowers should be very pretty about then, and the weather not too hot; ideal for a picnic at the ranch, and a visit to the Riverwalk & Mercado ...
I can't wait!

Texaslady, I love it when days go by like that; so glad that this new job is so much fun! I know how your previous one had started to drag, as they wouldn't give you enough to do. Sounds like that's not a problem here! How was First Monday?

Linda, thanks for the encouragement; I was really excited when dh indicated he might join. We are off tomorrow, so we might go up in the morning; sure hope I'm under the limit for my monthly checkin! It'll be close again, I'm afraid. But as I told dh, going to the meetings weekly, with him, surely will help motivate me to finally reach my personal goal. (And soon, it'll be time to build a spring/summer wardrobe; would love to get them one size smaller!)

Saara, hope we haven't lost you; if you're reading this, come on and jump back in! Sure would love to see you at the reunion!

Regards,
Jan

Good morning, everyone! We've sure been a quiet group the past day or 2! What's everyone got planned for the weekend?

We are expecting a "wintery mix" today. Our area should get maybe an inch of snow which will change to rain and sleet, but in DC and north and west of the city they are calling for as much as 6 inches, depending on the area. It's funny to watch the news- haven't had flake one yet and they have reporters all over the place talking about conditions and preparations!

My weekend plans are to do nothing in anticipation of next week's work schedule being at least as bad as this week. My muscle/joint stuff doesn't like my current work load, but such is life! I figure things will hopefully recover by Monday.

I couldn't stand it anymore- yesterday after work I hit the mall and picked up some pink and frilly things. I intended to get one little outfit- but they had SO MANY cute ones I ended up with 4! Grandma rides again. DD's best friend is having a baby shower for her on 2/9, so I ordered a cute Noah's Ark (that's the theme of little Marissa's room) music box that plays "Rockabye Baby"and a musical picture frame with the "I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep" poem that plays Braham's Lullabye. I think I'm even more excited about this baby than I was the first time, because now I know how wonderful it is to be a grandma.

Ladies, gotta run a minute- exdh is vacuuming, and offered to vacuum my room too. Be right back
Carol

OK, I'm back. Bless exdh's little heart! He's a good guy.

Joyce, I'm glad to know I wasn't totally losing my mind and that you actually did post! Congrats on the 2 pound loss!! Keep up the good work! I'm so glad you had no bad effects from your fall!
Jan, the office looked into a temp agency- they want $40 an hour!!! Obviously that's out of the question! They'd better NOT pay $40 an hour for a temp, unless they want to totally tick off their nursing staff!! They are actively searching for help, and they are praying that MaryAnn (who is the other nurse carrying the lion's share) and I stay healthy and don't need to take a day off! This too shall pass. Unfortunately the nurse who injured her shoulder tends to play illnesses/injuries for all they are worth, so she won't exactly rush back, we are sure. I am very doubtful about the April reunion. I'll be back on a normal work schedule by then, but with getting ready to move in May, I don't think I'll be able to afford it. Right now the airfares to Texas are too high. I'll keep checking them, though- I hate the thoughts of missing it!
Linda, I got a kick out of your "head stuffed with hay and rags" description! I never heard that one before!
Texaslady, thanks for the birthday wish. I can't wait till you experience the joy of being a grandma- you'll love it!!! Not that I'm trying to rush your dd and her new dh.
Janet, how are things with you? I'll try to give you a call this weekend while I'll being a good girl and staying off my feet (and being bored out of my mind!).
Saara, YOO-HOO!! Where are you???? I hope all is well. How are the Olympic preparations going out there?

Well, I've bored you all long enough. Guess I'll go sit by the window and watch for the first snow flake! Have a wonderful weekend, everyone.
Carol

CAROL, I got tears in my eyes as I smiled and read your post about buying some things for little Marissa (what a beautiful name), and that the second time around is even better than the first, because you have had the chance to experience the joy of being a grandmother. It was so touching. I think that you were born to be a grandma. The Noah's Ark music box sounds darling, and I love the poem about babies not "keeping". Such thoughtful gifts.

Hope you will have a relaxing Sunday and that you'll return to work Monday feeling fit as a fiddle.

Hello, girls. Hope everyone is having a relaxing Sunday afternoon. I have not even left the house today - so I am definitely having a lazy one cause I'm not doing much around here either - not that there's not LOTS to be done!

Carol - Marissa is SUCH a beautiful name! Where did it come from? Is it a family name or just one your dd & sil picked because they like it? I can just see that mad grandma loose at the mall! I will be just as bad - IF I ever even get the chance. Hope you are taking it super easy today. I hate that you have to work so hard these days - I know it isn't easy on you. Please do keep checking on the airline tickets. It just won't be the same without you at Jan's.

Jan - April 13 is good for me. Just let me know when everyone else checks in. I can always fetch & carry from either of the Houston airports for the girls who might fly in. Did your dh join WW?

Joyce - Sorry you aren't feeling well. I have a lot of that sort of stuff myself and I really sympathize! Hope you will be able to get back in the pool this week. You don't want to disappoint that geratric drill sargent!

Linda - I sure do wish you could come to Texas with JOYce, but we will understand if you can't. It would be such fun to get everyone together but I know its practically an impossible feat since we are so scattered across the land!

Seems like everyone has been thinking about Saara. It does appear that we may have "lost" her - it's been ages since she checked in. Joyce, do you have a local number for her "American" family? Don't they live in your area? Perhaps they could reach her for us?

Tomorrow is a holiday for me - Hooray! I just LOVE getting all these federal holidays - Eeryone take care & hang in there!

texaslady How nice of you to volunteer 'pick-up service'. I din't know there were 2 airports in Houston. Which is best to fly into and be picked up from? I thought I would be flying in to S.A., so am glad you clarified that. Guess proves that I am not sure who lives where!
I'm feeling much better now, and went back to water aerobics on Friday. The 'geriatric drill sergeant' is lots of fun! a real inspiration!
she missed me while I was gone and asked my friend if I was o.k., and was afraid I had been ofended by someone in the class!

Carol , sounds like you are having toooooo much fun preparing for Marissa! What fun! It is good that you can enjoy the little time you have away from work! sounds like you are workkng too hard!

more later...need to tend to dinner!

Good morning, everyone! How did it get to be Monday so soon? We are having regular office hours today, but I'm hoping some of the patients will think we are closed and stay home! My commute to and from Virginia should be good, though, with the Feds off.

I did absolutely nothing this weekend-never left the house. Hopefully as the long work week progresses, my body will show some appreciation for the boring weekend I spent for it! The kids and exdh did get Marissa's room finished- wall border, glow-in-the dark stars and moon on the ceiling. It looks cute.

We did get about 3 inches of wet snow- my little sweetie had a ball in it! DD slipped and fell- her center of gravity is pretty off these days for some reason! She hurt her back a little, but nothing serious.

Linda, I don't know about being a born grandma, but I sure love it. I must admit, though, sometimes keeping up with a toddler wears me out!
Texaslady, enjoy your much deserved holiday today! I'm glad you got to relax yesterday- you're a hard working lady. I've been checking out the flight prices to Houston as well as to San Antonio, but so far they are all out of my league. I haven't given up, though! Marissa is just a name that both dd and dsil liked- although it is derived from the name Maria, they just learned, and dsil has a special relative by that name. Her middle name will be the same as my middle name, which pleases me no end. I laughed at your "mad Grandma" at the mall description! That's probably a pretty acurate portrayal- there I was in the baby department of my favorite store with a pink outfit in each hand and my eye on a third mumbling to myself "I've gotta get out of here! I've gotta get out of here!"
Joyce, I'm glad you are feeling well enough to get back to water aerobics, and how nice that your were missed and worried about in your absence! Your little old drill sgt. sounds like quite a character!
Jan, are you figuring on people coming in on Friday or Saturday for the reunion? And leaving on Sunday, I assume? I'm just checking out various flight options to see if the price improves.
Well, ladies, I'd better run. Hi to Janet and our lost Saara. Have a great op Monday, everyone!
Carol

texaslady, I forgot to answer your ??? about saara. I'm sorry to say that I do not have any info about her American family, except they do live nearby.

Carol,I'm glad to read that you are still checking the flights. I am looking forward to meeting you!

Must go grab that 'bikini' and get going!