Spring has sprung, and in the not so distant future comes Victoria Day. What is Victoria Day? Currently in Canada it is the celebration of Queen Elizabeth II's birthday. The origins of the holiday go back to 1845, when Queen Victoria's birthday was celebrated on May 24. Here's the synopsis: http://www.pch.gc.ca/progs/cpsc-ccsp...victoria_e.cfm

As our next challenge, the Springettes will strive to be victorious in our weight-loss goals. We have four weeks to re-group, re-focus, and realize our goals, ending with marking the Queen's Birthday on May 19.

There is a plush Royal Throne for each participant, and the Royal Fitness Center is available all hours for your enjoyment. Healthy, nutritious food and sparkling clear water are served upon request. Everything we need to be successful in our weight loss goals is here!

State your goals and plans and then do your best to fulfill them. In the event of a slight deviation (or two) from such plans, we shall not wallow in self-pity! We shall climb back up on the Royal Throne and continue to oversee our personal challenges.

HRH said it best: "We are not interested in the possibilties of failure" ~ Queen Victoria

We may not be Queen Victoria, but we shall be Victory Queens of the Royal Court!

The Royal Roll Call begins in the morning. Appearances are expected by
Kaylets,
Eydie,
Punkinseed,
Amarantha,
Arabella,
Anagram,
wsw,
frogger,
and any other Royalty who wish to participate!

Polish up those crowns and fasten those jewels....The Royal Court has begun!

Royal Trivia Time!

Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria), 1819–1901, queen of Great Britain and Ireland (1837–1901) and empress of India (1876–1901). She was the daughter of Edward, duke of Kent (fourth son of George III), and Princess Mary Louise Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld.

Hello all!!

I love my throne! Its in all my favorite colors!! And it has a wireless laptop that folds down discreetly!! I love the trivia too!
Thanks Wildfire!!

And I can still see the lake from the window! I notice the swans and the geese all seem to be wearing little tiara's too!!

One thing about having an extra day off is that it's enough to break my routine and hard for me to get back in the rhythm. At least it was only one day off, not a whole week-- then I'm really cranky and out of touch! Another reminder of how easy it is to come off program if we don't stay alert and remember, different situation, new stresses, etc, etc.
DH likes to say " Be aware of your surroundings"-

If you're like me, this is a Monday to be a little gentler on myself as I am tired from doing too much and after all, it is Monday. I am already planning to have something I really enjoy for dinner and have decided that I might even take a short ride at lunch.
After all, its FRESH START MONDAY!!
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Today's thought is:
"I generally avoid temptation unless I can't resist it", Mae West.

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Today's question of the day:
"What will you look like ten years from now?", from Table Topics

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To today's best choices!!
Kaye

Good morning your Highnesses!

It's Fresh Start Monday, so wipe the slate clean of anything you did on the weekend that you're not so proud of, and begin anew!

A Proclamation by Order of the Royal Court:

For the next four weeks, up to and including May 19, the simple shall heretofor be known and accepted as the Royal .

(Be it known that any member of the Royal Court can so declare Royal Proclamations, as they see fit.)

Back to the Royal Dungeon for me, as I am living as a common peasant, Monday-Friday, 8-5.

AAAAARGH! It's Monday!!!!!

Punkin', arriving for royal role call! I'm here!

I have oddles to post, but the phone won't quit ringing - I'll be back!

Terri

Hola Royal Ones I read a bunch of posts on the Spring Renewal thread yesterday, and of course, now forget most of what was said. However, I must tell you that ya'll inspired me and I just couldn't stay at the 'puter... so I went out and walked all over town. 2 1/2 hours. Around the Seattle Center, to Pike Place, down to the waterfront and then home.... Whew.

So, I'm feeling equally motivated today and won't post too long right now.

Anagram - I am so happy for your DH!!! Big Congrats!!!

OK, off and running.
-W-

*whew*

Survived Monday morning... accidently called one of my clients my "nemesis" and he heard me (jeez, the man called me 6 times in 2 hours!). The call ended with him laughing so I guess I've been spared...
Oh boy, only 4 more days to the weekend

Kaylets - I *love* the HALT advice! I'm going to write it down and keep it on my fridge.
Sorry to hear about your raspberries run amok. Wiley little plants huh?

Miss Washu - Oooh, watch out for that chest pain - it could only be stress, but keep an eye on it!

Anagram - WAAAHOOOO!!!! I'm so happy for you and hubby! What a huge relief... I hope this is just the first step with many more healing ones to come.

Wildfire - I loved Shallow Hal. Matter o' fact I bought it. Typically I despise Jack Black, but the movie was so well done. I second your idea to meet at PEI! I'd love to go there, never been to the east coast (ug, it *is* on the east coast right?) or Canada! Is it anywhere near the memorial for the Titanic?

Eydie - Thank you for your comment on my journal. I'm really enjoying just writing what's on my mind every morning.

Arabella - Wow, come over here and rub some of that "I feel so good" on me! You sound much better than you did a few weeks ago!

WSW - Ya know... after spending a long weekend with my best friends, I'm going to have to say that doing so is the *best* medicine in the world. I'm glad you had such a great visit.

Q #1 - Table manners, always. If I'm eating alone I don't normally sit at the table, but the rest of the manners apply.
Q #2 - Favorite book - the one that always comes to mind is Island of the Blue Dolphins. I LOVED that book when I was a kid and want to find it to read again... I think it was part of what put me in touch with nature as a religion.

I have babbled enough - time to nuke some lunch!

Terri

Goodeth afternoon all then! I love our new thread.

"The Day" draws ever nearer. I'm so excited. Mom's making all the calls from people that we haven't gotten RSVP's from today. I'll be needing to get the final count over to the caterer and the table rental people soon. I'm getting all kinds of nervous and having second thoughts and everything. We had a big fight about that hotel rental charge on his credit card. There's this girl online that he talks to that claims they slept together on that day. He says she's a dirty physcopathic liar. And that he has only been with me these past 4 years. Let me give you the jist. I fell asleep on the couch saturday night and he went to bed leaving the computer on. I went to shut it off and a message pops up from this girl "anybody there?" and I just replied "this is his fiance he has gone to bed try again tomorrow" She went off about how she never knew he had a fiance and he lied to her and how they had slept together a couple of weekends ago (coinsiding with the hotel stay) and she got pregnant and miscarried. (That in itself put up a red flag to me for some reason) And that she will never talk to him again. I had a discussion with him about it and he said she is a dirty liar. That he may talk on the computer but I am the only one in his life. He said she got interested in him and now she's jealous because she didn't know about me. And how maybe he might have given her too much information since he has talked with her awhile. And he deffinatly remembers letting all his friends know that he would be gone that weekend so that probebly where she got her rondivue date from. I believe him. I don't know why. Cuz I just do.
I do need to have a talk with him tonight because as I sit here getting this off my chest I can't help but get paranoid about it again. I begged for the truth because I don't want him or I walking into a marriage with something that is going to eat us both alive. My mother has been hurt like that her whole life by her husbands and I just don't want that for myself. And I don't want (if he did indeed sleep with this girl) to walk around for the rest of his life having the guilt eat him alive. Ok so there's my story. My delima, my wedding/life freakout of the week.

Weighloss has stalled at the moment. but at least it hasn't gone up.


Your thoughts....

Greetings, Sister-Queens! I'm practicing my royal wave as we speak. Yes, that's the royal "we".

Wildfire, thanks for getting us started. Much appreciated!

Made it thru Easter--wasn't really interested in any of the choc. bunnies or anything. The only nod I made to the holiday was having 2 marshmallow peeps somewhere along the way.

I'm feeling really good and positive for this challenge. I want to lose as much weight as possible before my birthday--I'm using that for motivation.

Frogger, yikes! What a complicated situation, to say the very least. This chick on the comp. may be trying to freak you out just because she can. You're right, you can't let this eat you alive and your fiance HAS to understand why you may be a bit weirded out by this so don't let him blow you off when you want to talk about it. Let us know what happens--lousy timing, huh?

Today's Queenly Quote:

Great events make me quiet and calm; it is only trifles that irritate my nerves. ~ Queen Victoria

Good eve, your Highnesses!

Anagram, how was your stroll in the Royal Gardens? Good for you for "forgetting" your Easter basket! I'm sure the Princesses will help you dispose of it!

MissWashu, that's the spirit!

Punkin, so glad your Nemesis has a sense of humor, even if he is a pest! Yes, PEI is on the east coast of Canada. Hey, if there's some real interest in us all meeting there, we could do it! For our family reunion, we had approx. 50 people who travelled from all over Canada. We booked a block of cabins for reservations, and people made arrangements to bunk together on their own. It worked out great! They were fully equipped with dishes, pots, pans, microwave, dishwasher, full propane BBQ...you name it....so since we were there for a week, we bought groceries and cooked ourselves! If enough of us were interested, we could do it and not break the bank! Something to ponder.

Frogger, I'm going to be blunt, so please don't be offended. You either trust him or you don't. If you believe he has done nothing he shouldn't have, then take his word for it. If you have any doubt that he's telling the truth, then you need to decide if you want to say nothing and live with it and hope that it never comes up again, or you want to investigate, find proof one way or the other, and confront him. You have to know in your heart if you feel he's capable of betraying your relationship or not. I know without a doubt that I trust my husband completely. If someone told me something about him, I would believe his explanation over theirs. However, if there was an unexplained credit card charge for a hotel and he said he was never there, I know he'd be on the phone reporting it to the hotel and the credit card company as fraud. If he didn't, then we'd have a problem, because I wouldn't trust him anymore. Don't believe what some lonely cyberchick tells you. He may have rejected her advances online, and she's trying to get even. You know him probably better than anyone so you have to trust that knowledge. You're about to get married....your nerves are frazzled as it is, and this situation is playing on them. Take a deep breath and try to discuss it calmly with him. Good luck!

Eydie, I'm making my birthday (Aug 7) my goal to hit 155lbs! It's doable, if I just do it! We both will!

Amarantha, boot camp is working well! I'm glad you started it! We can be soldiers there and Royalty here!

wsw, we know you're there. Hope you're having a good day. How precious to have puppies come visit! What a nice surprise!

The Royal Treadmill awaits...

Hello all!

Meant to just take a look while the tub is running but I cannot resist.....

Punkin-- too funny-- I've been caught "on hold" a few times myself!

Empress-- I'm not quite sure I like it when you're brief!

Anagram- Very clever leaving the basket behind!

MissW-- did you ever hear on the job interview?

Frogger-- I hope you arent offended but I agree with Wildfire--
Either you do or you don't- Its not even the point that you're not married yet-- And you're soooo right-- you've seen firsthand that things do not "get better" with marriage. You need to decide for yourself. In fact, that's when a lot of people let their guard down.
And this goes without saying, as again, you've seen this first hand, it doesnt matter how much money has been put into the wedding-- that should not be any part of your decision--

Please remember, we all want the very best for you because you deserve it. You deserve to be treated like royalty.

Long, long ago, after nearly a year of being courted, I fell in love. And was loved in return. And would dare to say, if you asked the gentleman today, he would honestly say, he still cares about me. But he could not be true to one woman. Just could not do it. When he was with you, he was tender, gallant, generous, funny -- and honest. He loved me as much as he could but knew that although I loved him with all my heart, that my heart was being broken knowing he was seeing other women. This relationship lasted a long long time on many levels.
Looking back, in many ways, I see how he could have kept many things from me because my love wouldn't have seen. Although I wanted an entirely different outcome, I still respect him for his honesty.

My relationship w/ DH is entirely different. He also is tender, gallant, generous, funny and honest. But he is loyal. He doesnt know how to be anything but loyal. This is the difference. I am sure he has seen the same tempting opportunties online but loyalty stops him. He feels I am his best friend as well as his wife. He knows the odds are I'd never find out yet he remains loyal. Have there been opprotunities for me too? Once or twice-- yet, I don't know for sure as I decided not to go that route. Do I wonder... Sometimes.. but what's more important is my promise to DH.

Frogger- I sincerely want the best for you. I feel a real connection with you. I think everyone here shares that same feeling.
You are a very special lady !

Hello all!


At least its Tuesday, at least I "got thru the Monday wall" . Woke up with TOM too , which explains a lot.

Think that was part of the reason I was drawn to today's thought--
Some days all we can do is "grin and bear it " and if that's the best we can do than we've done our best. Atheletes are taught how to pace themselves so for best results overall. They are taught that rest and nutrition are as important practice -- and to vary the routine to keep things interesting .
Sometimes the best atheletes have to wait out an injury.
Why should I be any different?

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"Thought of the day :
"People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing-that's why we recommend it daily."

---Zig Ziglar American Sales Trainer, Author, Motivational Speaker

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Question of the day :

Have you ever marched in a parade? What did you like about it? ---

---from Table Topics

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Have a great day all! I need to go find the umbrella!
Dogs came in wet which is always my favorite in the am!


Have your best day!

My lesson for this week is there are always two sides to the story. BUT that one side is usually misguided or a tall tale. You are all right that have replied. I do trust him. When she told me her tale I wasn't upset, I didn't cry. It just didn't seem right to me. Something was 'wrong' with her story ya know? I could feel it. My fiance's story is solid and he's steadfast in looking me in the eye and telling me he cannot admit to something that he didn't do. Her brief story is full of holes, and 'poor me's' and the like. She said she'll never talk to him again (although she sent him an email last night. He read it and deleted it. It too was filled with poor me and you owe me an apology. For WHAT? She owes us an apology for her lies.
His credit card charge he admits to, he was there, but he would not sleep with anyone that was there. (All men!! LOL) He rented this room because he didn't think it was right for him to come home drunk as he was. (And possibly to avoid the onslaught of a woman's rath!)

And so, lesson learned by him and I. Good thing though. Maybe he'll be more careful of who he talkes to and what he says. My nerves are frazzled, and I'd really like to tell her where to go and what to do when she got there. But, it is no longer my problem now that I have gotten what I believe is the truth. It is up to him to handle it. He said he was going to copy me on his response to her email if he chooses to even reply. He thinks it just more contact then he wants right now.

I knew I could count on you ladies to bring me down from the clouds and tell me to look and get the story straight. No offense taken ever from you gals. You shoot straight from the heart. Thanks

SOOOOOO. I guess it's back to wedding finishing to occupy my mind and lack of work here at the office this week. I can't call it planning anymore as most of it is done. And there still is so much to do. Will the MADNESS ever end?????????

Mornin' all!

Have returned from Baltimore...victorious! My puppy did extremely well....she went Best Puppy in Specialty on Friday, and Reserve Winner's *****, (got a rating of "excellent from the German judge...they don't usually rate puppies that high...) Best of Winners on Saturday..picked up 4 points towards her championship...and Reserve Winner's ***** on Sunday. Not bad, considering this was her first set of shows. We had a blast....went to the National Zoo on Thursday and saw the pandas. The female may be pregnant and saw the male run around...which is rare 'cause they often don't move at all. Had a great time travelling...got stuck in the mud at Leesburg on Saturday....and only gained 2 lbs!!!!!!!!! Considering all the stuff I ate I consider that a victory. So now...back to the gym and the treadmill. Gotta go and retrive the little 11 week old heathen from my Mom...she claims she's not there...hmmm...wonder if I've been "puppy hijacked"???

Managed to read through the last thread...geez what an active group...you ladies, oops, s, are doing really well....I like the concept of V for a thread....quite the woman.

Frogger hang in there!

Ceara