Hi everyone,

I'm on a late start this am, but hope everyone is dandy.

Its nice here, foggy right now, but a high of 70 is expected. Good weather for bulb planting..

We had a jam packed weekend with eating up the wazoo. I have no idea what demon possessed me, but it was like I had no idea what I was putting in my mouth. It was all good, no junk, but nothing I really needed.

We hit a bulb sale on Saturday, a plant sale on Sunday, went to a baby shower on Sunday (good book choices), hung out with my mom who is in town and did homework. This going to school thing is going to be hard...

Other than that, back on track, went to the gym everyday and tonight is step!

Hope everyone is well!

lala

Hi, I'm glad to be at work, so i can rest. : ) This cleaning up stuff after hurricanes is very tiring, but I'm getting great AP's. Another insurance adjuster showed up for Hurricane Jeanne damage. It looks like we'll be getting a new roof! Our ceilings in some rooms need to be replaced, too. I have damage, but it's nothing compared to people just a few miles south of me. It's heart-wrenching--piles of furniture out at the curb. Houses that no one can live in!

I did pretty well eating-wise. I was so busy working in the yard that I forgot to eat!

lala, temps in the 70's sound good. It's still 90 here! We need a break; it's hard to believe it's October. I'm glad you bought books for the new little one; that's a good gift.

Hello, Susan, Melissa, and Pam.

Hi all. I had a busy weekend too. DH was away on a male bonding excursion so I used the opportunity to do lots of cooking and freezing and housecleaning. Lots of sitting down in between since I threw my back out last Wednesday and have been hobbling around since. It's much better today but still not 100%.

Don't know what to do about my upcoming half-marathon. Due to one problem or another, I've only run twice in the last 4 weeks. The longest run I've done lately is 16 km. Didn't have any problem with it, but I just don't know if I'm ready. I'll have to make a decision soon; the race is weekend after next.

My sister's wedding is this coming Saturday, as is DH's 50th b-day. I think I've managed to plan a fairly decent celebration for him, but it's for the day after his birthday. Booked a chalet at a new spa, food looks great, bottle of good champagne, etc. I would have booked a spa service for him but he wants to get away early Monday to spend some time with his parents on our way home. I'm also promising him tickets to an upcoming Elton John concert if we can find something outside of Vegas that fits our schedule.

Lisa: So happy to see that you're safe. I feel so badly for all of the people whose lives have been turned upside down. At least the storms seem to have petered out. Don't know how you handle 90 degrees in Oct. One or two days of that is plenty for this canuck

lala: My eating has been bad too. I've decided to let things go until after the wedding/birthday this weekend, then I have to get real about this. Clothes are all too tight. I'm gonna do a purge of my red-light foods and get DH involved so that if he does buy junk, he hides it somewhere. At least until I get a grip. My new goal is Feb 1st and our upcoming vacation in Thailand. 20 lbs!

Hi Pam, Melissa.

Well, it's Tuesday and the temps are starting to drop. It will be in the 80's today and at night!!!--66 degrees. That will feel so good. l

Susan, sorry about your back. There's nothing worse because it affects your whole body. You sure have a busy weekend! I hope you have fun. Your weight loss goal is achievable and you know that you can do it.

If you've been able to do a 16K, may be you can manage a 1/2, but if your back is still hurting, perhaps you should drop out.

Hi, lala, Melissa, and Pam.

Hi everyone,

Susan, sorry about your back. I can understand putting anything than trying to maintain on your plate right now. Try and get better so that you can start running again.

All these social occasions really start to pile up don't they? I'm sure your sister's wedding will be fun and DH will enjoy that chalet even if he doesn't succumb to a body wrap.

Lisa -- sounds like you have been going flat out getting your house back in order. Losing your roof is bad, but replacing ceilings too? Yikes. Are your birds with you?

Nothing doing here. Still at statis with weight, feeling glum, having an attitude... The WW meeting I was planning on attending has been cancelled, so I need to find another time that works with my schedule.

more later,

lala

Good morning ladies. It's been crazy here. The weekend went pretty well with the exception of a collision with homemade pizza on Saturday evening.

We thought DH was coming down with some sort of virus on Monday because he came home from work and was cold so he went to bed and stayed there until Tuesday morning when he got up for work. He said he felt better so he went to work. To make a long story short, we ended up at the ER yesterday afternoon--he's got some sort of infection or something going on in his right leg (it's red/swollen/splotches) and after spending 8 hours in the ER he was admitted to the hospital. He's still running a temp this morning and they've got a group of doctors who are working with him. The good news is that he does not have a blood clot in his leg (they did a sonogram last night of that to make sure).

Eating wise I did pretty well--usually when I'm stressed I turn to eating but haven't been doing that. It's also kind of strange because TOM is due this weekend and I generally am a eating machine the week prior looking for the salty/sweet stuff. I'm not complaining here though :wink:

The temps here have been bone chilling--they're finally turning the heat on in our buildings here at work. Yesterday we froze (temps were only in the 40's) and this morning isn't much better (it's 45). I heard the boiler when I went across the hall to the bathroom. Honestly, I expect to see an ice layer in the commode

Hope everyone is doing well! I'm going to go to my meeting at noon to keep some sort of order to my life. I'll post more later.

It poured down rain this morning and, you guessed it, it came in the house. We have an area that I thought my DH had fixed, but apparently not. He went on the roof this morning and put a tarp over it (thank God he was off work today). The problems keep on coming! To top it off, TOM started today.

lala, sorry about your meeting being canceled. I've had similar problems; one of our centers closed because of hurricane damage and the other meetings are just not convenient. Yes, ceilings need to be replaced because they're water damaged. At least they did not fall in. Yes, the birds have been with us through the whole adventure. They don't understand why their favorite window is still covered with plywood.

Melissa, sorry to hear about your DH. I hope he is getting better. How did he get the infection?

Hi, Susan and Pam: I hope you are both well.

Hi Ladies,

Wow everyone has so much going on this week. Id on't know where to begin.

Melissa so sorry to hear about your DH's illness. When I began reading your post I thought it may be a blood clot, so glad the songram ruled that out. A very stressful situation for your family..please keep us posted.

Lisa I feel so bad for you with the roof leaks. I am a property manager and deal with them quite a bit at work and am familiar with the damage they cause. Sometimes tears or rips in the roof membrane can be hard to identify so it can take the roofer a few tries before the leaks stop completely. You mentioned that the insurance adjuster may let you get the roof replaced completely..that would be good.

Susan you have a terrific birthday planned for your DH. I wouldn't try to do the half marathon, especially if your back is giving you problems. I think your goal of 20 lbs by Feb 1st is completely doable.

Lala you had a good bulb/plant shopping experience this weekend. I have to get out and buy some mums and a pumpkin for Halloween. My daughter is a little upset that we haven't gone to the pumpkin patch yet to pick one out. She's 16 but still likes to do things like that which is really nice for me! Sorry to hear you were feeling kind of blue yesterday..I hope things are going better today.

On Monday night I went to see the documentary "Supersize Me". The story about the man who ate nothing but MCDonald Food for a month. We never eat regularly at McD's but after seeing this movie I honestly don't think I can ever eat their again. Granted this situation was extreme with the man eating 3 meals a day there for a month, but you would not believe the effect it had on his body. After the first 5 days he gained 9 pounds! By the end of the 30 days he gained 25 pounds and his cholestrol level went from 140 to about 240! I think seeing this movie was the kick in the pants I needed to give up junk food and start eating healthier.

Well ladies time to go. Hope you all had a nice day and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Pam, I don't think I could watch that movie. Thank God I stopped the fast food visits years ago. I just can't handle the grease. That guy gained 9 pounds in 5 days?? That's amazing.

Hi guys,

I have been awol, very stressed, did some stuff I shouldn't have on the eating front, am reconsidering my life strategies.... etc.... but I'll be back in a day or two...

Melissa -- Yikes on DH. I am sending him get out the hospital quickly and healthy vibes asap. I am glad its not a blood clot, but the splotches are strange.

Lisa -- Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah on your roof. I am hoping you get a good and reliable contractor on the job as soon as possible. I have four spare snow tires in my greenhouse if you need them to keep the tarps down.

Pam -- I love pumpkins. I am going to pick mine this weekend. I have a most cute picture of jacques in a pumpkin field. I should post it. You are never too old to go pumpkin picking...

I want to see supersize me. The only time I eat at Mickey D's in the airport.

okay, gotta go.

lala

Good morning. Checking in before I head off to New Brunswick for the wedding and the 5-0 celebration. It's a great day for travel; did I tell you how much I love the fall?

lala: You sound a bit down. Take heart; things will be better today (or tomorrow). I'm buckling down and getting serious next week if you want to join me.

Pam: I've decided against doing the half marathon. In talking it over with my running pals, I realized that I could really jeopardize my longterm running goals if I get injured. Better to sit this one out, so to speak. I too would like to see "Supersize Me". I rarely eat at McDonald's, but it doesn't hurt to reinforce that behaviour

Melissa: I hope your husband is feeling better. Did they find the source of the problem? How did your weigh-in go?

Lisa: You're going through so much stress right now. Has the roof been patched, at least temporarily?

I'm looking forward to next week and better eating/exercise habits. My back is better; it only hurts at night now, so I should be able to run with no ill effects.

Have a good weekend all. This is our Thanksgiving weekend, so I'm off on Monday. E you all on Tuesday.

Susan, have fun this weekend. I hope DH likes his birthday surprises. DH patched up and covered our roof as best he could. I just cringe when I see rain in the forecast. My spare time is spent calling contractors to get estimates. They can't repair anything for months. I'd just be happy to get an estimate! Now the rumor is that they're running out of roofing materials down here. What next??

I'm glad you decided not to run the 1/2 marathon. Your friends are correct; you could hurt yourself.

Melissa, how is DH? I hope he's out of the hospital.

lala, I hope you're out of your blue mood. I've been there with ya.

Hi, Pam.

Hi everyone,

Sorry to be such as blue bunny. I'll be fine soon. Its raining bassets and small yowling cats here today. I received another 200 bulbs in the mail and now we have to plant almost 800!

Yikes.

Anyhow, mom is still in town, the furniture hasn't arrived yet. DP is back for the weekend and this seminar I'm taking is going to suck the life out of me, but in a good way, ya know.

Susan -- Have fun this weekend. I am going to WI tomorrow. I need to take this all a bit seriously.

Melissa- I'm hoping that things are calming down with DH and his infection.

Lisa -- I'm hoping that things stay dry. I can believe that they are running out of roofing materials, but since you are not in Tahiti and there are interstates to truck materials, the suppliers will get the materials as soon as they can.

Do you have a tile roof or a composite roof?

Okay ladies, I'm hoping Pam is well and I'll check in again.

lala

Hi ladies! It's been crazy here with everything going on. DH was finally released from the hospital at noon today so I picked him up and took him home. He's not able to go to work yet so he'll be off through our vacation. He has a follow up appointment with the doctor on Monday and we'll go from there. His leg looks a little better although there's still quite a bit of red on it. I'm hoping that he'll get the clearance for our trip to VA next week.

My WI on Wednesday went well, I was down .4 and that's good. TOM has arrived a little early this month (I think it's stress related). Anyway, my eating hasn't been the best and last night I overdosed on tortilla chips, salsa & cream cheese. I was hunting for a cold beer to wash it down but couldn't find one which is probably a good thing because then I would've been looking for other things to snack on!

Susan: Hope everything works out great with DH's b-day. Enjoy the time together!

Lisa: Hope you get your house fixed and in order. I can't imagine having to wait to get things done but then there is quite a bit of damage in your area. My GF had mainly branches and stuff like that in her yard. She didn't mention any damage to the house that is in the process of being built.

Pam: My son mentioned about the documentary and said it was pretty gross (I think he saw part of it). He also mentioned how that after 5 days or so that McD's fries don't get moldy...hmmm makes you wonder what kind of preservatives are in them!

Lala: I hope the rain moves along for you...it's been beautiful here this past week although the temps have been chilly and our building retains the cold. They turned the heat on Wednesday but only for a short time. It's warmer outside than it is inside! Sounds like you're a little overwhelmed at the moment between the seminar, bulb planting, etc. Hope it gets better soon for you!

On a happy note, I have a short week next week--only 2 days then I'm off on vacation I can't wait. Have a great weekend everyone!

Hi Ladies,

The weather is sunny and warm, almost 80 and its Friday ...yeah!!! Tonight I am going out to dinner with my sister, we are celebrating her 41st birthday. I plan on having a party Sunday at my house for her and my son who celebrated his birthday on the 4th. Lots of eating temptations coming my way, I'll try to be good.

Melissa glad DH is home. Were they able to identify what caused the redness in his leg? Tortilla chips, salsa and cheese is my kind of snack, yummy. Yes, "super size" me was a little graphic, definitely not for everyone. It's unbeleivable how many preservatives go into the fries . Hope you have a calm stress free weekend!

Lala wow that's a lot of bulbs you must have a beautiful garden. Have fun planting and enjoy your time with Mom.

Lisa good luck with the roofers and getting the supplies. Yikes what next?? After all this, you and DH need to get away for awhile. Hang in there!

Susan I hope you and DH are enjoying the wedding/birthday weekend.

Well time for me to close up shop here at the office. I need to drop off a friend who is picking up her car at the garage and then it's off to meet my sister! Talk to you all next week....