Good morning everyone!

Hope everyone had a good weekend--mine was busy, busy, busy. Saturday/Sunday I helped out at the annual Germanfest and got a lot of walking in! Even managed to drink a lot of water. It was the nicest weekend all summer--temps were in the mid-80's. The humidity was up and that was the worst part of the whole thing. The President's bus tour drove right past the festival grounds and we caught a glimpse of the First Lady (she was waving from the front of the bus). I couldn't believe the number of cars that were part of the entourage. Anyway, that was the highlight of my weekend.

Lisa: I talked with my GF in FL and she said she was getting a lot of wind/rain along with tree debris in her area (Clearwater). She also said this was the longest period of time that they've had the bad weather. I hope you were spared any major damage.

Susan: I'm wondering if you were even able to go on your trip--the weather didn't look promising for flying or heading to the islands.

Lala: Enjoy Paris!

Pam: Hi!

I'm looking forward to a short week--lots to do here with Freshman 4 week grades, banquets, etc.

Hi Ladies,

I had a nice long weekend. Went to a local county fair on Sunday and went to Boston on Saturday to watch the Deutsche Bank golf tournament. Poor Tiger Woods is no longer ranked #1.
The weather was just beautiful, but that will be ending on Wednesday when we receive the remnants of hurricance Frances. Suppose to rain Wed - Fri.

Melissa glad you had a nice weekend. Did you endulge in some good German food (or beverages) over the weekend? It's really strange, we have been getting our nicest weather of the summer the past few weeks also. Hopefully we will have a nice fall and not go straight into winter cold. I am going to try and get a nice long walk in this afternoon. I am looking forward to the short week also .

Lisa I've been thinking of you and hoping you are OK. There have been so many stories in the news about the damage this hurricane has caused, I'm hoping your area was able to dodge at least some of it.

Lala and Susan hope you are both enjoying your vacations.

Well back to work and the rest of this short busy week. My daughter's soccer has started as well as her dance classes so we are now back to the nightly run around of activities. Talk to you all soon.

Hi, everyone. I'm back to work. Our area suffered severe damage in some areas. We lost our pool enclosure, some soffits, and a palm tree. I don't know when we'll get things replaced as many people need the same services. The storm was very, very scary. We still don't have any power, so we'll be staying with a friend who never lost power through the entire storm.

Sorry to say, but the hurricane caused me to overeat. I was so stressed and it was so boring. We weren't allowed to leave our homes. There was no gasoline anyway. I sure did a lot of reading. I finished 3 books!

I hope Ivan gets lost!

Melissa, a German festival sounds like fun.

Pam, wow! You went to the Deutsche Bank tournament! That sounds great. Yes, poor Tiger and I don't like Vijay Singh because of his stand on women golf players.

I hope Susan and lala are all right.

Hi Lisa..I'm so glad you are OK and I hope you will be able to move back into your house soon. That must have been a very scary experience. I was watching the news on Sunday night and they showed a picture of a huge tree, with a 10 foot root that was just pulled completely out of the ground, I think it was in Fort Pierce. It probably feels good just to be back at work right now to have some routine back. Yes, I did go to the Deutsche Bank tournament, the company I work for had several grounds passes so I got a couple and went with DH on Saturday. I don't like Vijay either..I actually got pretty close to Tiger at one of the holes..it was really exciting. I could not believe how quickly he swings the club..it was just amazing to watch.

Well today we are experiencing a lot of rain due to Frances. It should continue like this until Friday and then hopefully the weekend will be OK. My daughter is suppose to have her first soccer game today but I'm sure it will be rained out. Eating wise I'm doing OK..I'm kind of following core but continuing to track my points (if that makes any sense). My weight has been holding pretty steady which is good.

Hi to Melissa..whats the weather like in your neck of the woods? I've been meaning to ask you, do you follow any type of exercise program besides walking? I'm a walker also and am looking to add something else but I'm not sure what. I have a stairmaster and a treadmill at home and I hate both. I really just enjoying walking outside or in bad weather doing the WATP tapes. Any thoughts or suggestions??

Well I should get back to work..I am really fighting a strong urge to eat a York peppermint patty right now Give me strength!!

Pam,

Thanks for the good wishes. We'll be all right. It could have been so much worse. Well, if you're going to eat anything, a peppermint patty is not so bad.

I am also a walker--I really enjoy it. For strength training I have a Total Gym in my house.

I guess it's good to be at work, but the voice mail isn't working and the phones keep going in and out. Actually not much work is being accomplished with everyone standing around talking about Frances (that sounds like gossipmongering).

Good morning!

Weather here has been rainy and it's supposed to taper off today. Yesterday we got quite a bit and today there are a number of schools that are closed due to flooding/damage but not as bad as what Lisa is experiencing. I'm hoping the rains stop and things get back to normal.

Lisa: I'm glad you didn't lose your home although what you do have to clean up doesn't sound like fun. It sounds like it's going to a while before things get back to normal in your area. I hope that Ivan loses strength and dies out. I haven't caught the news lately so I don't know what's happening in that area. I'd be the same way with eating--when I'm home and off of a schedule my eating goes out the window!

Pam: My main exericise is walking and the last 2 years the university has offered a yoga class that I signed up for. I try to get out over my lunch hour as long as it's not raining/snowing. I have a great pair of mocs from Lands' End that work well with walking in the snow. I like the fresh air I also use the WATP tapes in the winter.

Yes, I did indulge in some good German foods--one of our local plants supplies the bratwurst for the festival and it's delicious and lean so I had 2 One with a bun and one just plain. DH and I also shared a turkey sandwich and I'll admit I had 2 wheat beers that went down really easy with the heat! We had our longest stretch of nice weather since June!

I'm hoping Susan is okay...and that Lala was able to get to Paris.

Well, lifers, Ivan is now tracked to come right up the middle of Florida. We are really getting nervous. I hope somehow it turns off somewhere else. This hurricane stuff is really hard to take.

I'm trying to get someone to assess our damage, but no response. Everyone is so swamped with work, we can't even get some of the companies to answer the phone.

Hi Ladies,

Lisa I hope Ivan ends up dying somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic. You Floridians really do not need to get hit again. I heard this morning that many Connecticut Light and Power and Mass Electric trucks would be heading out to Florida today to try and help get power back on. I hope things get better soon.

Melissa the food and drink sounded delish!! I agree, nothing like a cold beer on a hot summer day. Our weather here has been similar to yours, we are having our hottest weeks at the end of the summer. I think I might join the new YMCA that opened in the town next to mine. It is convenient and the facility is beautiful. I've also heard it is offering several yoga, pilates and aerobic classes and I think I would like to ease my way back into aerobics.

Well the rain continues, right now it is coming down really hard. My DD's soccer game was cancelled yesterday and I am thinking the one tomorrow could be cancelled too. Days like this are very busy for me at work. I am a property manager and today I think I must have gotten at least 10 calls regarding roof leaks! Lets hope we all get some nice weather in the near future. Talk to you tomorrow.

Yes, please pray that Ivan will go away. Right now it looks like it will hit the west coast of Florida. That's where my parents live.

We still don't have power; it won't be restored till 9/18. That will be no power for two full weeks. It's so frustrating.

Also, according to my insurance company, my deductible (hurricane coverage) will mean that I have to pay about $9,000 for the damages. Ugh!

Lisa, I heard that Ivan was headed for the gulf side of Florida. This is just unbelievable..I will certainly pray that it misses you. Be well, hopefully this will be over soon and no more hurricanes will be headed your way.