[Domina]

Yes, I'm starting the thread from work. I'm working on a proposal. lala, you know about those. Actually I think we're doing a lot of work for nothing because we will more than likely rewrite and submit this one 3 more times as it won't be awarded till 2007.

Melissa, you had so much snow you had to shovel it?? I guess winter has arrived.

lala, talk to your mother; it's better to get it out in the open IMHO. I don't know how you do so much flying. Airports are not fun and airplanes are not comfortable.

Went to a housewarming last night and the house is gorgeous!!! I ate too much junk, so I'm trying to be better today about my intake. Tonight I'm running in my first official 5K. It will be run around a park that is all decorated with Christmas light displays--sounded like fun, that's why I registered for it.

How was everyone's weekend.

[Seasaw]

Mornin, or g'd afternoon I guess is more accurate. Am at work but my mind is a million miles from here. I would take time off if I weren't the only one here.

Rough, rough weekend. I got together with M (formerly DH) on Saturday to start talking about division of assets. It was the single most difficult thing I've ever done, barring dealing with death. I don't want any of this, so talking about it is like having my skin pulled off. I'm not sure how I'll get through this, but of course I will. The human spirit...crap.

He said something on the weekend that made me wonder if some of this isn't a misunderstanding. So I emailed him a few moments ago to try to get clarification. I have nothing to lose.

I haven't run in over two weeks because of a wicked cold (second one this month) but am planning to hit the gym after work today. The rest of the week will be hit or miss. I've got my volunteer visit tomorrow nite then leave for Cape Breton on business on Wednesday, returning Friday. I'll probably work out in the hotel facility if it's too cold to get outside.

No snow here. Actually, it's still pretty warm considering the date.

My dad has been called back to his doctor's office today because of something that's shown up on a lung xray. Life truly sucks sometimes.

I am sorry for the gloom and doom of this message. Hope everyone is doing ok.

[lalala]

Susan,

I'm sorry that you had to spend the weekend going through all of that. I'm hoping that you can clear the air with M. Unfortunately, you will have to communicate with eachother alot in the next few months. I'm also sending you good vibes for your dad and his xray. The colds are definitely from the stress, try and get rest and take as much vitamin c as you can tolerate. Thank goodness it is satsuma season.

Lisa -- Whoo hoo on your 5K. I need to start up again, I just don't have it in me right this week!

House warmings are fun, overdoing the food isn't!

Well, things are gloomy here too. I can say the dinner was great on Saturday and we managed to put a dent in our bulb planting, but I am so stressed over my condo that I can't sleep. For the first time in a few months, I have big circles under my eyes and am feeling totally hopeless and really down. I know it will pass, but I can't help obsessing about it.

Other than that, really not looking forward to my parents house. If my aunt and cousin weren't moving to Fort Worth next month I would probably tell them that I didn't want to come (first time in 40 years) and stay home. However, that is not an option.

Melissa -- I just looked at your weather. BRR and white. Is DH still in Wales? What are you doing for Thanksgiving?

Hi Pam!

Hi to everyone else as well.

lala

[McHoney]

Hi Ladies,

Hope you all had a nice weekend, mine was pretty uneventful. We were planning on going to see Pride and Prejudice but never made it. Maybe we'll go on Friday. Did lots of cleaning and really not much else. My DS will be coming home on Wednesday and I can't wait to see him.
We're suppose to be having Thanksgiving at my sisters house, but I will be doing most of the cooking. Last Wednesday my sister went to the hospital with heart attack symptoms. They admitted her for tests and had her schedule an appointment with a cardiologist. She says she feels fine, I think a lot of it is stress related. She's been having some issues with her oldest DS and her husband's job was cut back from full time to part time. She's been dealing with a lot of unpleasant things lately.

Lisa how is the proposal coming along? I'm ready to begin reading a new book, have you read anything interesting lately? Fill us in on how the 5k went.

Melissa you have snow already! We haven't gotten any yet, but it is the forecast for Thanksgiving Day. Actually it hasn't been too bad here. On both Saturday and Sunday it was in the low 50's.

Susan Try and keep the lines of communciation with M open.

Lala[B] try and forgive your parents for not informing you of the condo sale falling through. While I don't agree with what they did, I can understand it. Parents will do almost anything to "protect" their children. I'm sure they did this out of love.

Well ladies I'm off to the garage to pick up the car. This time it needed a coolant temp. sensor. Never heard of that one before, but at least it wasn't major $$. Talk to you all tomorrow.

[Domina]

Susan, Gosh, what a hard time you are having!! Thinking of you. I can't begin to think of how you feel. Dividing up stuff would really be depressing. I still hope for a reconciliation. I'll say a prayer for your dad, too. lala's right--the colds are from stress.

Pam, I can't believe you don't have snow yet. Yeah, computer parts break on our cars and we have no clue what they really do. The proposal shipped yesterday. I was so glad to see it go. I haven't really read any good books. I'm reading a Faye Kellerman book right now, but it's not that great.

lala, hey, enjoy your family and don't let your hurts interfere. The 5K is over; that's about all I can say. I ran very slowly, but I finished it and the Christmas lights were pretty in the park. Went to Pilates last night and that was good. I feel taller when I leave there.

Melissa, how's it going? I heard you had snow.

So, what's everyone doing for Thanksgiving? I'm headed to St. Pete as I was requested to sing at my parents' church. Mom will have the dinner. My brother is coming in from Virginia with his new girlfriend and her son. That should be interesting. What I didn't like hearing was that she is separated from her husband, but still lives in the same house??? What's up with that?

DH has to work (bummer). Then I'll be back on Saturday as I'm singing the National Anthem at the Space Coast Marathon on Sunday.

[MelissaL]

Good morning ladies! Our weekend was mild--50's so we were able to get out and rake the leaves and I washed my car. I went to dinner with DS #1 and his girlfriend on Friday evening and had a really nice time. Saturday DS #1 and I went shopping while DS #2 worked on his debate topic. The weekend was pretty productive.

Lisa: Yes, winter has arrived and with it comes the unpredictable weather patters. Where we are situated we never know if we're going to get dumped on or just a light dusting--depends on which way the wind blows, lol.

Susan: I hope that some of what you're going through is a misunderstanding and can be worked out. I can't imagine having to divide things up. Stress is definitely a factor in getting colds, etc. Take care of yourself and give yourself permission to be upset. You will get through this. I'll keep your dad in my prayers--I hope that it's something that can easily be taken care. My dad is going in the day after Thanksgiving--the doctor says he has some internal bleeding but doesn't know where it is. They did some tests but they're not conclusive. We'll know more on Friday.

Lala: I understand your issue of trust with your parents--but maybe they were just worried that you didn't need another thing to think about right now. Talk to them about how you felt--they may not even be aware that it hurt you as much as it did. The forecast is not looking pretty for Thanksgiving--we could get as much as 2 foot of snow! It figures because DH is out of town. He is still in Wales (Trehafod, New Ponty Pridd and then on to Trelewis, Treharris on Thursday) and said the weather is actually sunny. He did say that they may not have a match later in the week because the fields have been freezing and they don't play if that happens. Saturday he's hoping to get tickets to the Wales vs. Australia rugby game.

Pam: The weather was great here over the weekend and I was able to do some outdoor things and get some activity in. Yesterday I took advantage of the cool temps and went walking over the lunch hour.

I feel really good this morning--last night I did some major de-cluttering and have 2 bags of clothes to be dropped off today. I have a cedar chest that tends to be a "catch all" at the top of the steps and last night I got it all cleaned off. Started working on my room and am hoping to work a little more on that tonight. My goal is to get organized while DH is away. I'm cooking on Thanksgiving and depending on the weather my great aunts will be joining us. I enjoy cooking so it won't be a problem. I'll catch up more later.

Have a good day!!

[Seasaw]

Thank you everyone for your words of encouragement. They help.

I feel better today. M and I met last night and went for a walk. We needed to talk; it's only the second time since I left that we've done so. The bottom line is that his stress level is so high right now that he can't devote time to us.

We didn't come to any conclusions last night together, but I have arrived at one today. I am going to buy a place of my own (condo - lala, too bad we're not living in the same city). It is one I've had my eye on for months; when things started to go downhill at home, I would check the mls listings and dream about living there. I actually have gone to see it twice, and both times, it gave me the sense that I was home. I will see it again this coming Saturday, this time with an agent.

I feel that living under the same roof right now would be the kiss of death for our relationship. I have had time to reflect, done some work with a counsellor, etc. He had a hellish month in Italy from the sounds of it, and has come home to find his Dad dying and his Mom really in need of his support. I guess I can see why he can't dedicate the time to us, hard as that is to acknowledge.

As for division of property, I will need some sort of strong medication, but I will get through it

Melissa: My Dad has pneumonia. That's a lot easier to hear than what I expected - cancer. It's the second time in as many years; he spends a lot of time lying down despite our encouragement for him to get out and walk. He's been given an antibiotic and will go for another x-ray shortly.

lala: I understand and appreciate your feelings around the condo sale and being kept in the dark. I have just gone through the opposite situation. I didn't tell my Mom about our separation because she worries about every one of her nine children and I wanted to save her from that. But I felt like I wasn't being honest and that I was somehow excluding her from my "real" life. She knows now; someone let the cat out of the bag on the weekend.

Lisa: Kudos on the 5km. It's a big achievement. I can remember thinking I would never be able to run that far. Now it's my "short" run. I did 5 on the treadmill at the gym last night. I need to ease back into it after being off for more than two weeks with this cold. BTW, got a flu shot this morning. Don't want a repeat of last winter.

Pam: M noticed last night that one of the wheel covers on the new Echo is gone (I'm using the Echo; he has the Acura). I got it replaced today - a big round piece of plastic that they charged $50.00 for!!

Oh yeah, this is a weight loss forum, so I should add that I dropped in to WW this morning after getting my flu shot. Up 1.2 lbs. She encouraged me to attend a meeting this week because the topic is about why we should keep trying.

I'm leaving tomorrow around lunch time on a business trip and won't be back until Monday. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration all of you. Hug your families and friends. You never know what the future will bring; you can only be sure of the present.

[MelissaL]

Susan: The condo sounds like it's meant for you. Guys have a different response to stress that what we do and they have a hard time breaking things down. Sounds like being patient might be best in this situation. I'm glad your dad's prognosis was good--my dad went this morning to the doctor and they're sending him for more tests on the 21st of December. They seem to think he's bleeding somewhere but don't know the location. I'm a little surprised they're not getting him in sooner. They also said he's anemic and that's why he's cold all the time.

Pam, Lisa, Lala: I hope you all had a peaceful Thanksgiving!

The snow we were supposed to get didn't materialize, thank goodness, but we did get just enough to make driving a challenge. I'm working tonight at the WW Center so hopefully by the time I go the roads will be clear.

I didn't do all that bad with Thanksgiving--I'm trying to stay focused. I went to my meeting on Wednesday morning and was up another 1.2#. I wasn't happy at all because I'm 7# from where I want to be I know what I need to do and I'm working on that this week.

Lala: I talked with DH today and he said Wales got 5" of snow last night! They're not playing their game tonight because the field is frozen. He did say he's been having a great time.

Have a great weekend!