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

Here you go, everyone! May be able to check in from Jan's - but if not, will log in Sunday night or Monday AM.

Good morning, everyone, and thank you, Texaslady, for the new thread. We'll miss you all over the weekend, but I must confess that I'm jealous of all the fun you all are gonna have!

I'm getting ready to go downtown for some things, but I wanted to peek in and wish you all a safe trip Carol, if you're stuck next to a perfume wearer, talk to the flight crew. Sometimes they'll move you if it's possible... better to do that than to have a medical emergency in mid air. I'm sure you'll be fine. Just close your eyes and breathe.

Have a great time, y'all!

Kendra

Good morning everyone! What a wonderful weekend we all had!! Jan and her dh and her dad are the most gracious of hosts! The flight in went fine and was on time. I had no perfume wearers and Texaslady was right there at the gate as I walked off the plane . We were at Janet's airport in plenty of time to meet her flight, and we all felt like old friends instantly(and despite our respective families' fears, none of us was an ax murderer :laughing:!!).We then then drove the 4 hours to Jan's, mostly in the rain, unfortunately. Jan and her dh and dad treated us all like royalty. We had wonderful low point meals- Jan is a wonderful cook!!! Saturday we headed for Mexico to shop, with Jan's dh accompanying us, bless his heart, and treating us all to lunch. The shopping in Mexico was such fun and the weather turned out to be beautiful and perfect for shopping. All I bought was a hat for myself and one for my little sweetie, but the others bought lots of goodies! I ended up changing my flight to an earlier one out of San Antonio because of the horrendous weather forecast for my home area, and I arrived home safely late Sunday afternoon. Instead of the feared for blizzard like snow predicted, we got rain and sleet, but flights were delayed in and out all over the place so I was glad I had changed to an earlier flight, even though it gave me a few less hours in Jan's beautiful corner of Texas.
We all took pictures- as soon as I finish up my roll of film (sounds like a photo session with my little sweetie is in order!!!) I'll post some on pituretrail. We wanted to do a group post to you all from Jan's so you'd know we were really there, but as you know the site was down over the weekend.
Well, the real word is reminding me that it's time to get to work. I'll post more to you all later- just wanted to fill you in on the trip.
Have a great Monday, everyone!
Carol

Good morning, group! I see we are "up" again!

I don't have much time - had to take a few precious minutes to look up my password as the site didn't recognize me!

Huge thanks to Jan, her DH, and her wonderful Dad for making our get-together so great this week-end. We really did have the best time! It was amazing how quickly we all "jelled" together - it was like we had met before! Which, of course, we had! The internet is truly a wonderful tool!

Need to get into work - I think they laid new carpet in our offices this week-end and I am sure nothing is where is should be since everything had to be moved for the workmen. Hope I can find my computer!

Carol - Did you get into work today? I know when we talked last night you thought your area would miss the brunt of the storm, but we all know how accurate weather forecasters are!

So glad the site is back up - talk about withdrawal symtoms. I am completely addicted - that's for sure!
Check in again later.

Just couldn't resist one more thing. I love the new site. I see some of us are "senior" members! Guess that will account for some of my "senior moments"!

Look at how the old posts are beneath our reply boxes! Now I can stop flipping back and forth between screens and maybe I won't lose so much. Great job, 3FC!

Yeah... our travelers are back on their home turf!! It sounds like you had a great time.

Jan, it was great that you planned OP meals! Good for you! This is truly a way of life and not a diet.

Carol, I don't blame you for coming in early. If the storm hit like they first predicted, you might still be circling the airport!

Janet, did you kiss the ground when you got off the plane? Oh, I get the willies when I fly. I listen to every noise and wonder if it is normal!

TexasLady, how different was Jan's part of Texas from yours?

Rebecca, wow... you drive an HOUR each way to your meetings? And a DOUBLE WOW for your supportive hubby to do a meeting with you at home! What a guy! Not only did you get to affirm your goals, but he did, too!
And a FIVE WOW for losing 5 pounds and being in the 180s!!

Liz, how did your meeting with the lawyer go? Keep a clear, rational mind during this emotional event. I've held the hands of several friends and a brother and sister during a divorce. I discovered that they mourned the loss of the marriage just as I mourned the loss of my husband. It is an ending of a chapter in your life. But a healthy attitude teaches us to look FORWARD to a new goal/chapter, and not a getting away from an old. You are already blazing new ground with your house and settling into a new state! Stay focused on the positive.

Speaking of positive, on my Friday weigh in, I lost 1.5 pounds!! That's 7 gone!! I am really set on getting in my daily walk. Sometimes it is 30-40 minutes around the neighborhood. But sometimes I can only squeeze in 10. And that 10 is FANTASTIC! It gets me moving and gives me a positive mindset that I am doing something good for myself. If I had stayed in for that same 10 minutes, my enthusiasm would wane during the day I would probably reach for a high point food... just to pass the time! I even took a 10 minute walk this morning in the light freezing rain. NOt even a nor'easter is going to stop me!!

Hi to everybody, and have a good OP day!!

Nancy

Good Morning Everyone!

Glad to hear that our travellers had a great time! I am so glad that you all had a great time!!

NJNancy- Yep, an hour each way, but it is so worth it to me. I tried to do it by myself and it was not successful. By going to meetings I feel like I have to do an excellent job, not only for me, but for my weigh-in! I have realized in the 4 months that I have been going to the meetings that I have more determination, more desire, and more motivation. Thanks to my leader and all the ladies in the group. So, I figure an hour is nothing! And I have to add one more thing, I am very lucky to have such a wonderful man. He is my best support system. He praises me, he helps and he kicks me in the butt should it need to be done. Without him, I doubt I could be where I am.

Had a pretty good weekend, just hung around the house. It was so beautiful here. In the 30's! You'd think it was the 60's the way we are all acting. Wearing no coats, short sleeves, etc. Crazy! Maybe sooner or later the snow will give way to green grass!!

But I better go. I am so glad that the boards are up and running. Missed you all.

Have a great day everyone and I will talk to you later!!

Rebecca

Wow, this new board is nice! I really missed you all over the weekend. Although I was working all weekend, 12 hours on Saturday and 6 on Sunday. But it was OK cause it's still really slow at the new store near my house, so I got paid for studying for a test...
I'm going on a 20 hour cruise tomorrow. It's this crazy student thing they organize every year, this year they have rented the ship for 2 weeks, so a lot of people get to go. There will be several bands playing, but mostly it's a drinking oriented event. I don't know how my roomie and other friends got me talked into this, but I hope it'll be fun. Usually these boats go to Stockholm, Sweden (10 hours one way) or Tallinn, Estonia (about 6 hours one way), but this one just waits outside the port of Tallinn for several hours and then comes back. Also you can buy tax free alcohol on the boat, and since alcohol is quite expensive in Finland, people do go on these "minicruises" (means you don't get off the boat) quite a lot. Well, I'll tell you later how bad it was, or how much fun...

About the peace talks, as I said before they went really well. And did I mention that there will be a story on our course in the biggest newspaper in Finland? It's supposed to come out next Sunday. So, this simulation was a learning method, and it's purpose was to make us understand the complexity of the conflict and conflict resolution, and also to learn more about diplomacy in practice. I can honestly say that during this course I have learned more than in 2 1/2 years in the University put together.
At the final peace talks we negotiated for 7 hours, we had several issues on our agenda (settlements, borders, refugees, Jerusalem...) and we started out by talking about the settlements (which means Israeli settlements in the Palestinian area, although it's not clear to both sides what exactly is the "Palestinian area"). We couldn't get past this issue, but finally could make a decision that satisfied both parties. It will be interesting to see if they ever reach the final peace agreement in real life, and if the part about the settlements is anything like what we managed to agree on. The rhythm of the negotiations was really interesting, first we were doing great and really making progress fast, everyone started to feel great, but then suddenly soon after lunch we hit a tough spot, and it took several hours to get a minor detail straightened out. I really felt that "ok, this is it, we're going home, we're never going to get past this...", but with the help of our other teams mediating, we finally got the issue settled. But it sure was frustrating. I feel sorry for the real guys, not only is it extremely hard work to negotiate, but also even if they succeed they might have to fear for their safety afterwards, since there's always these extremist&fundamentalist movements that will not ever accept any kind of peace between Israel and Palestine... It's sad, really. And the situation looks really scary right now, but all we can do is hope that there's some secret negotiations going on somewhere, that they haven't given up trying to solve this mess, and also that there's enough political will to end the conflict. It was interesting what the guy from the Israel embassy said: "maybe our generation has done all we can, and maybe we'll wait for the next generation to solve it" I hope that's not how they really feel...

Hey Carol, They're just showing the weather map on TV and Petri (the weather guy) said you're getting the biggest storm for a long time... I hope you're able to get back home from work... I'm glad you enjoyed your trip to Texas. I hope you get your pics developed soon, so we can all see them.

Well, I really need to do some studying. Yikes. Talk to you all later! Saara.

p.s. wow, they even have a spell check thingy!!! Gotta love the new board...

Hi !
I'm so glad that you girls had a fun time at the Texas reunion!
We'll be glad to see the pictures! including the wildflowers! or was there too much rain?
California was supposed to get a big rain system, but it didn't do much to us, it stayed closer to the coast.

Rebecca, you are an inspiration! My meeting place is only 5 minutes from my house... I really need to get back in there and be accountable, I am not doing well on my own. hmmm, OK! I will go back on Friday!!

I agree , this new site is great, lots of new toys!

More later..
~~~~
JOYce

Guess what, girls? I am posting this from work! I could never do that before the new site! Wonder what's up with that?

Jan, what site did you tell me you ordered the Pirate's B***ty from? I am officially hooked on that stuff now that you sent a couple packages home with me! I need more!!

Hi everyone! Hope you all had a good Monday!
About our "worst storm of the century"- it missed us! Some rain, a little sleet, and some "conversational snow" on the grass! The weather forcasters in this area have cornered the market on missing the boat! Actually, in there defense, our area is usually one of those border areas- if a front moves a mile or so it misses us altogether even though folks 60 miles away get slammed.
NJ Nancy, Liz & Kendra, how badly did you get hit??? I know PA and NJ got hit pretty hard in some areas.
Saara, the peace talks sound fascinating!! What a great way to learn something that could be pretty dull out of a book!!! I wish the real parties could resolve things as well as you all did! I hope the "booze cruise" is fun! Tell us all about it tomorrow!
NJNancy, congratulations on the 1.5 pounds lost!! That's great! Keep up the good work!
Joyce, we've got to get you back to those meetings for the in-person group support! How are things going with your mom and your sister?
Rebecca, I guess 30 did feel warm with the winter you have!! However, I'm not so sure it's truly shirt sleeve weather!! BRRR!!
Janet, have you recovered yet from the flight? How did your dd like the butterfly necklace you bought her in Mexico?
Jan, are you all enjoying the peace and quiet at your home now that our invasion has ended? What a great group of folks you and your dh and your dad are!!!!
Well, it's been a long, busy work day, and tomorrow I have my treadmill appointment(doctor type treadmill), so I think it's time to lay back and relax! Have a good evening, everyone. I'll talk to you tomorrow.
Carol

Well, it's hard to believe how fast this weekend flew by; seems we were hugging each other goodbye only hours after everyone got here! I'm sure everyone in this group already knows it, but Janet, Texaslady and Carol are three *very* special ladies. I enjoyed every minute of the visit, and hope that everyone else can join us when we have our second annual reunion!

Carol, I'm so glad your flight went well, and that the snow hadn't started falling. Did your little sweetie like his cowboy hat? Be sure to post a picture of him in it, ok?!

Texaslady, the Pirate's bty site is now Robscape.com. It's good stuff, but not as good as those Mississippi cheese straws Janet brought us! (Thanks again, Janet!)

Janet, I love your stories, like the sunroof saga; would you tell everyone about the squirrels and the paint?!

Nancy, congrats on the 1.5 pounds! And good for you, going out to walk in that awful weather! You go, girl!

Kendra, congrats on your loss too! You're making so much progress.

Rebecca, how wonderful that you have a supportive guy AND a great WW group as well! I'm sure that your enthusiasm is a big part of what makes your meetings work so well. That was so sweet of your dh to do the meeting with you last week, when you couldn't make the drive! What a great guy.

Saara, the peace talks sounded fascinating; what a meaningful way to really learn about an issue, from the inside, so to speak. Have fun on your cruise, but remember alc. has lots of empty points! (I should know, it's almost always the cause of my going off program.) Maybe you can bring along diet sodas or Crystal Light to stretch out those other drinks, or use a small glass, or find something active to do on board? I know you'll find a way!

Liz, I hope everything went well with the lawyer. Nancy had some terrific advice on that subject; sure hope you're doing ok. We're pulling for you!

JOYce, yes, luckily the rain stopped Sat. morning, and we were able to see lots of bluebonnets and other flowers. They haven't peaked yet, but they're better than usual due to the fall rains. Have you started your Easter eggs yet?

Hi to Linda and Nancy in TC; hope all is well!

Regards,
Jan

Blah. No snow... well, not really any to speak of. I was looking forward to a foot or so. But there WAS enough for me to manage to trip and fall and sprain an ankle. Urgh.

Glad everyone had such a great time! I'm so jealous!
I'm sitting in the computer lab at the moment crunching away on carrots and trying not to think of chocolate. I dunno why that's such a problem these days!

Texaslady, I gather that the Pirates Booty's good? I found Fruity Booty and Veggie Booty at the health food store at the end of my street, but alas, no Pirate's Booty. I might stop in later this week and check for it....

Saara, your cruise sounds like fun... and the peace talks sound SO interesting.

Carol, that was the big fear when my bf came to visit (that he was an ax murderer, that is.). We met on the Internet, too... and have been together for 18 months!

Talk to everyone soon!

Good Tuesday morning, everyone.

Kendra - Yes, I am now a new fan of the Pirate's Booty. The one I tried at Jan's is the cheese. I think she may have had some of the other flavors but I LOVE the cheese one - its so light and you get SO MUCH for 2 points! Made me feel less deprived at lunch yesterday when everyone is sitting around eating chips. Good for you for munching carrots instead of chocolate. I stopped for groceries last night at Krogers and saw some of the maroon carrots that were developed at Texas A&M a few years ago - hmmmm, wonder if that MAROON color was an accident? I should have bought some. I don't think they taste any different, just are maroon instead of orange.

Jan, I found the Piccapeppa! What else do you use it for besides on top of LF cream cheese? I couldn't find the crackers you served - but I will look at another store later. I also picked up a jicima - another one of my new favorite foods that you served last week-end! Guess you and dh are getting ready for your Seattle trip next week-end. What fun that will be - that is, if you can get a plane into the damaged airport! Thanks for the Pirate site - I will order today!

Saara - Well, it looks like you girls did well with your peace talks. That was such an interesting comment about this generation accomplishing all that was possible and leaving the problem for the next generation - yours! Perhaps there's a grain of hope in that. Glad you are getting some studying in at your job. Getting paid to study - great concept! I feel that way at work lately. Since we lost that big client I don't have a whole lot to do. I sort of get paid to surf the web.......

Joyce - You need to start back to your meetings if they are a source of help for you. Some are very successful doing WW at home, but I do not fall into that category. I need to be accountable to someone other than myself and the meetings give me inspiration to trudge on.

Liz - We haven't heard from you in a while. Hope things are going well and that your attorney visit wasn't too disturbing. Nancy's right - the end of a marriage is very much like a death. Even if you have been separated for a while (like I was too) - that Divorce Decree sort of takes your breath away when you see it on paper.

Janet - How was your flight home? Hope your dd liked her goodies. Did you get your lamp shade set up yet? Hope it fits and that it didn't get squashed in the overhead bin on your flight back home!

Carol - Guess you are treadmilling it today! Be careful & let us know what the Dr. says! I am glad you didn't get all the snow that was forecast. Like we discussed this week-end, the weather people get so excited when they have something to talk about that they tend to over-do the whole thing! Once again, that proved to be correct. At least for you & Kendra. How did the rest of our northern girls do?

Rebecca - "In the 30's"????? Too cold for my thin Texas blood! I admire that you get yourself out at all when its do cold! But I guess you can't stop your life in the winter months! I will huff and Puff and maybe I can blow some of our 70 degree weather your direction!

Jan's area of Texas is lovely! Very different from mine. Even though I technically live "outside" the city, it is still suburbia with all that entails - about the only really good thing we have going for us are the beautiful sunsets and sunrises along with an amazingly quiet neighborhood at night. Jan in truly "in the country" with that clean, crisp air (NOT SO in Houston) and the solitude of the countryside. Just gorgeous! Jan's Dad told me they frequently had coyotes in their backyard - now there's a critter I am glad doesn't make an appearance around here!

Time for me to close up shop and get into town. Everyone have a great day.