Happy Birthday Michael!!!!!!! Wooo Hooo 9 years old!!!!

You are such a good mom.. getting cupcakes. I have been making no-bake cookies for Hannah's class.. and then letting Megan take some in for her class at the same time since her birthday falls on New Years Eve.

I hope he had a great day!!!!!!!

And yes.. lets work on those next 5 pounds!!!!!!

I'm still here.
I went to the orthopedist yesterday about my knee. He first wanted to give me a cortisone shot, but I had to explain to him the reaction I had to one of those once. He decided that it wasn't a good idea. So, we are going to try therapy for a few weeks. I go back to the doctor on Mar 17, unless there's problems before that. Hopefully, no surgery.

Noelle: I can't believe Michael is 9 years old. I still picture that little boy at Disneyland. They grow up too fast. We're getting cold weather here as well, but no rain. It's so dry that with the wind today there was sooooo much static electricity.

Karen: I can't imagine how cold it is where you are. I agree with you: nothing like curled up in a blanket in a nice warm house. I, too, am sorry to hear about your son's dog. Be careful if you go anywhere.

Cherie: The shoes were beautiful. You are going to make such a beautiful bride. I wish we could all be there. (We could really have a great bachelorette party if we all got together, couldn't we?) Could you verify your address for me? I sent you a couple of things, but one of them came back.

Hello to everyone else. Hope everything is well with everyone.

Cal

Whew, the birthday dinner and cake and ice cream is over!!! I had a small serving of spaghetti w/some steamed spinach, and a slice of garlic bread. I did have a slice of chocolate cake and a serving of ice cream.... I may be paying for that tomorrow, I can feel my stomach rumbling already. We got Michael the game "Rock Band" for the Xbox 360. It is a lot of fun to play! It has the drum set, a microphone and the electric guitar controllers. Michael is really good at the guitar portion since he plays the Guitar Hero game a lot already, but he is having a blast doing the singing portion--I'm here on the computer and he is sitting directly behind me singing like BAAAAAAAAADDDDDDD karaoke and Rick is banging off-beat on the drum kit :lol:. OMG, it's hilarious.

Hi Cal, I got the calendar/planner today, thank you so much! I love looking at those beautiful pictures of Arizona, and I needed to replace my planner so it's just what I needed. :hug: I'm praying that therapy will help your knee and you don't need the surgery!!!

Cherie, Megan's b-day is the same as Cal's, I'm pretty sure.

I think I am having a sugar crash already, I am beat! Anyway, have a good night all, hope to chat more tomorrow.

TGIF everyone! I love Fridays!

Alan left yesterday for LA.... and this morning I find an email from him, he sent me a picture. Totally MEAN. :-) It was a picture of the order board from In and Out Burger!!!!!!!!! ARG... we don't have those here, and they are the best hamburgers ever made. He sucks. :D

Last night, the girls and I left the puppy dogs in the laundry room while we went to the YMCA so that I could work out. (I got a great workout, btw!) Anyway.. we came home, and Maggie, the boxer, had gotten Megan's backpack down, and had chewed up her reading book, all her crayons, and the baggie that had her LOST tooth in it (she had lost her tooth at school yesterday). What a drama that was. All the crying from Megan... I had them go and clean up every single piece of debris, and finally, she found the tooth. The book is beyond repair. I had to send a message to her teacher today, asking how much I need to pay for the book... That dog. If she wasn't so damn cute she would be in a world of trouble all the time. (This is the same dog who chews up my bushes and killed my pear tree, she chewed off the bark)

Cal... which address do you need? Email or home? I'll PM you with both.

Noelle.. YUM.. spaghetti! Something I can't have at the moment. But the birthday dinner sounds YUMMY! Rock Band sounds like a fun game. Alan's boys have Guitar Hero.. and it's funny watching Hannah and Megan try to play it. Kids are great.

This weekend, I am supposed to take the girls (and a sleep over friend) to a hockey game tonight. Tomorrow.. after my Y workout, the girls and I are coming home and cleaning house and it will be an all day affair. My house is a bomb. Since Alan moved in, there just isn't enough room for everything, so things get piled up, and I am sick of it! Sunday, I am going start on the girls dresses.

Anyway... time to get back to work. Hope you all have a great weekend. I will try to check in sometime this weekend... :-)

Hello ladies, I got a short walk in this morning but still am planning to do more later. I still need to get to the Y to try it out. Life gets in the way sometimes :shrug: I went over to talk w/my old boss again about the job he has offered, it really sounds exciting and challenging and although I'm excited about it, I'm a little scared...you know, the usual "can I really do it? What if I suck at it?" I mean, the gal who's leaving has been doing it for 20+ years so I've got some big shoes to fill ya know? Plus I'm thinking about all the freedom I'll be losing :(, and not being able to pick up Michael from school or just to hang out w/him for a couple of hours before Rick gets home...that part makes me sad. But I guess in a way, it's a really good opportunity both financially, and for Michael to be a little more independent while doing his homework and stuff. I know I'll be happier using my brain a lot more often too. I may eat these words later on down the road, and if you gals stick w/me you know you'll here it :lol: Anywho... enough rambling.

Cherie, oh gosh, dogs can be such a handful. I'm really glad Megan got her tooth back though, can you imagine if the dog ate it? At least you didn't have to excavate later :lol: Hmmm, the rainbow crayon-colored poo should be interesting too :lol: I remember when my dog ate a blue frisbee, that was really weird afterwards. Sorry, don't mean to be gross :kickbutt: Enjoy your full weekend!

I guess I should get back to work. Have a great day all :wave:

Hello everyone! Just a quick pop in here tonight! I weighed this morning and was pretty happy to see 2 pounds gone! YAY!! I didn't exercsie as much as I wanted to this past week --- still trying to get some kind of a routine going that doesn't include wrapping up in an afghan on the couch!!;) But of course since it has been so cold here that is always good to do!

Noelle, the birthday party sounds like it was a lot of fun! And remember you can't give up everything to lose weight-- you still have to be able to have your treats once in awhile too! The job sounds real nice. And I know you will just do wonderful at it!

Cherie-- I had to laugh thinking of you telling the teacher that the "dog ate her homework"! That was too funny NOW! I'm sure it wasn't at the time.

Well, I need to go and get the kitchen cleaned up. We haven't had internet service today for most of the day so I wanted to pop in and say Hello.

Everybody have a great weekend!

Karen.. WTG on the great weight loss!! Sounds like you are doing something right!! Right now I am doing the "curled up on the couch with the afghan" workout. I just got home from taking my girls and their friend to the Blazer's hockey game... I first took them to McDonald's and then afterwards, I got them ice cream at Braum's.... but I was strong.. I didn't have anything!! I came home and had a small bowl of chili.

Oh.. yeah... that homework the dog chewed up is going to cost $21 to replace. darn dog. If she wasn't so cute... she would be in trouble.

Tomorrow... cleaning house.. so i guess I better go and get some sleep. Gonna let the kids have the run of the house, while I go and lock myself in my room!

Hello Everybody--- Just a quick pop in here--- it is almost 11:00 pm and I was just reading some posts--- and I noticed my time and temp. deal said that it is 73 degrees here!!! Well, I don't know where it is being measured tonight but it is defintiely not 73 degrees here!! More like 10!! I'll check it tomorrow and if it isn't correct then -- I'll take it off!!! That is just too funny as I sit here freezing!!!

Good Morning Everyone!!! Monday... ick. It's going to be a busy week. I have payroll to run at the end of the week, since they fired the three managers that I normally work with, I am having to train 6 others to show them what payroll stuff I need.

Oh... I have an interview on Wednesday. Out of the blue last Thursday, my old Ceridian rep asked me if I was still looking. I am always open to opportunites, so I said sure. She sent my resume to a company that is 9 miles away from my house, so much closer.... and they called me up on Friday. So, I have an interview set up for Wednesday... I am not sure about it yet... it just depends on what Alan and I have planned. We would love to go to Colorado, and if we really want to do that, then I should stay at my present job. Just cause of the wedding, and my really don't do alot ... so it's nice not having the pressure of learning a new company... however, if we don't move (he has been sending out resumes to different companies there... just no bites yet. So... if we do stay here.. this would be a great job I think.. so we will see.

Ok... I've said it before.. but I'll say it again.. I LOVE south beach!!!! This weekend, I was busy, so that helped. I got in two really good hour and a half workouts at the Y.. one on Saturday and one on Sunday... and for the rest of the weekend, I spent cleaning my house. So I was on my feet moving til about 7 every evening. Well, as of today.. I have lost 10.5 pounds!!! I am so excited! Now, my next small goal is 2.01 pounds to get me out of the 160's!

I hope everyone has a great day today, and that you had a really nice weekend. Alan was gone all weekend long (that is how I got my house clean!) so I was ready for him to come home last night... he got home really late... but I will get to spend some time with him tonight... After the Y of course! :-)

Back to work here.

Good Morning! Is it Friday YET?????? This seems like this week is dragging!

I went to the Y last night and had a good workout. I ran three miles. That was pretty tough, but I am happy that I am getting back into my running.

Tonight, I get to go see Van Halen in concert!!! :-) Woo Hoo!!! Alan went to see them back in October up in Kansas City, and wanted me to go, but at that point I really didn't want to go and make arrangements for the girls... so when they set a date for OKC, I told him I would go! Next week, we are taking his boys to see the Foo Fighters... and then in March, I get to go see Matchbox Twenty and Alanis Morrisette.. that one I can't wait to see!

OK.. found the perfect wedding song.. my coworker just told me about it.. Brad Paisley's "I want to check you for ticks" song. Yee Haw! :-) Do you think I could persuade Alan to use that as our first dance??? :D

OK.. back to work... Oh, weather update. It is 19 degrees here, with a windchill factor of 4 degrees. Brrrrrrr.. makes me wish I was in Colorado, where at least I would have a mountain to ski down!

Hello Ladies :wave: I dunno why but I am so tired this morning. I woke up OK and got Michael to school, then went out for my walk. I am at work right now, but am just yawning and can barely keep my eyes open! I may just take a quick nap on the couch. Maybe it's because everything is over and done with (b-day party-wise), or maybe it's too much junk food that went into my body (I don't want to lay eyes on another hot wing for a long time!) and I'm trying to exercise more...you know, trying to get premium mileage on the cheap gas kind of analogy? :lol: Anyway, something's not right... I really need a nap.

Cherie, that is exciting about the job opportunity, but you do have a lot of variables to think through. Either way, :goodluck: Have fun at Van Halen! I saw them in Vegas and will see them again in New Orleans... they were AWESOME, David Lee Roth's still got his voice and Eddie can still rip on those guitar solos... you have quite a lineup of shows to see.

Anyway, I should try to get some work done before I fall asleep :lol: Hope everyone has a good day.

Hello ladies. Did you guys hear that Heath Ledger was found dead in a Manhattan apartment yesterday? Hearing that made me so sad. He was a really good actor and it's just so tragic. :( Why couldn't it have been a really cr@ppy actor? :shrug:

Anyway, I'm getting ready for work. I'll be back later.

Hi Noelle, yes I heard that too and it made me sad. I feel so bad for his family too. Need to get busy be back later

OMG, I am down 2.2 lbs this week, bringing my total loss to 35 lbs :strong: :dancer: Perseverance pays off! Chat more tomorrow!

:carrot:WOW!! Congrats Noelle!! :dance: You are doing great!!! Do you find the WW program a fairly decent program to follow? It is definitely working for you! Have a Great Day! :flow1:

Good morning ladies, I'm still knee deep in paperwork right now, but working my way toward the weekend. I was so tempted to stop and buy some malasadas (Portuguese donuts--deep fried and rolled in sugar) this morning, but I thought about my good weigh in last night and stopped myself. I did a quick 40 minute walk this morning, and that donut would've been more points than the walk was worth so I did myself a favor. Anyway, just slogging through the morning waiting til lunch time :hun:

How's everyone else doing this Thursday? Don't desert me now girls...

Hey ladies, TGIF!!!! :carrot: I am actually doing a dry-run and doing a half-day at my old (but new again) company. I am on my lunch break and just ran around the corner to my "real" office to check my mail, emails,etc. It feels good to be feeling productive, ya know? Anyway, don't know when I'm starting up there full time yet, but it will be in the next month.

Karen, you asked about the WW plan being easy to follow? Well, it fits into my lifestyle and even though the honeymoon stage is over, I'm finding that I actually can follow it--it you follow it, it does work. I love that I can eat pretty much anything I want, as long as I count the points honestly and accurately. If you follow the plan, even with minimal exercise, you will lose weight--maybe not as quickly if you're not exercising, but it did work for me that way when my knee was really wonky. So yes, I do like this plan because it works for me.

What did everyone have for lunch today? I am having a Lean Cuisine chicken club panini sandwich. I tried the southwest panini yesterday, and it was really tasty. Anyway, not much time to chat, but just wanted to pop in and say hello :wave:

Hello Ladies,

I've had trouble with the keyboard of my computer so I wasn't able to post online. Got it fixed and am up and running again.

Ashley was sick last week with a horrible cough. I took her to urgent care on Monday then to the doctor on Wednesday. She had an upper respitory infection and a cough that the doctor said sounded like pneumonia. She still has a cough, but not nearly as bad; both of us were able to go back to school yesterday. I can't believe how often she has gotten sick this school year.
We're getting some rain this weekend and I am so glad. There's been so much static in the air that everytime I touched the light switch I got a jolt.

Noelle: You are doing so great with your losses. :carrot: You are such and inspiration and model for me. I've plateaued, but feel good about not gaining any of the 9 lost pounds back. My brother and his family are going to HI in two weeks. I'm going to have him bring me back some items from Pearl Harbor that I can use in my history classes next year. I'm still planning to go, but I don't know when yet.

Karen: I hope you are keeping warm. I think about the pictures you've shared of where you live. While it is cold, with the snow it is absolutely beautiful.

Cherie: Thank you for your address. I did not have the correct one. How are the girls doing in school? I laughed when I read about the dog eating the homework. I've actually gotten that one a few times; I've also gotten a few about siblings spilling on homework, eating homework, drawing on homework, etc.

Hello to Angie, Kempy, Dips, etc. Hope to hear from everyone soon.

Cal

Hi Cal :wave: Glad you got your keyboard up and running again, I know I go through computer withdrawal if I can't get online :lol:. I'm sorry Ashley has been ill, that must be a little scary and frustrating for you, especially if you had to take her to urgent care. I'm sending virtual :chicken: soup and lots of :hug: for both of you. I wanted to thank you again for the beautiful snow globe and calendar day planner, I love them both!

How long is your brother visiting HI? When he visits Pearl Harbor (if it's on a Wednesday/Sat or Sun), make sure he visits the Aloha Stadium flea market as well. It's across the street and just a little ways from the AZ memorial, etc. It's the best place to buy Hawaiian souvenirs and try some snacks w/local flavah :lol: -- I'd recommend the Lin's market booth for all kinds of asian dried snacks, macadamia nuts, trail mixes and fresh pineapple... so many things to try and so many gaudy aloha shirts to buy! ;)

Karen, I hope you hear back from the couple that looked at your house recently :crossed:

Cherie, hope you're enjoying your weekend w/Alan and the kids. How was Van Halen??

Angie, how are you girl? I hope you're doing well. I miss your posts

Kempy, if you're lurking, I hope you're doing great as well.

Hi to cw, Dips and everyone. Have a wonderful weekend.

We are going bowling this morning and bringing along two of Michael's friends. This should be fun or at least very interesting. :lol:

Happy Monday Everyone!!! Sorry I went MIA for a little while... Last Tuesday, I got a call from Megan at her school that she was running a temp... I left to go get her, and she ended up actually having the flu! I stayed home with her on Wednesday and Thursday... worked from home part of the time, and then came back to work on Friday. I tried to log in here on Friday, but I couldn't get to the website.. something was wrong, so I waited til this morning to try again.

Van Halen was great. I didn't know half the songs.. but I really enjoyed watching Dave. For a 53 year old man, he was HOT. Talk about ripped abs.. and he had that little "V" thing going.. hehehe... it was NICE. :D

I had my job interview on Wednesday afternoon, and a second interview on Friday evening... so not sure what the outcome will be, but I think it went well.

This weekend, we ate out way too much, but I was always careful with my choices and didn't go overboard. I did however, finally break my diet, and got a mini ice cream sundae on Friday night, but that has been the only break in three weeks. My weight has stalled out at 10.5 pounds loss... I've been here for a week, so I am going to try to really buckle down this week. It's going to be a little hard to get my exercise in, but I am going to try. Tonight we will go to the Y, but tomorrow night I am going to see the Foo Fighters, Wednesday is dinner with Alan's folks, they are moving to North Dakota to work for a few years.. and then Thursday is my PHR class. Friday, we are getting up early and driving to Colorado.. so from now until then.. it is going to be busy!

Noelle.. GREAT JOB on the weight loss! 35 pounds is so awesome!!! You should be so very proud!!

Cal.. sorry Ashley was sick. I know something is going around here.. I just hope I don't get it.

OK.. well, I need to get back to work. I just wanted to do a quick check in. I hope things are going well for you all! I'll talk to you guys later!

Good Morning... It's Tuesday. Tonight was supposed to be the Foo Fighter's concert, but due to illness, the band has postponed the concert to a later day.... oh well.. gives me more time to get ready for my ski weekend!

Tonight, we are going to dinner with Alan's parents. That will be a challenge. We are going to an italian restaurant, and I LOVE all the stuff there that isn't good for me. Moderation right?

I will be doing my 3 miles today on the treadmill. I did that yesterday and then went to the Y and did 30 minutes on the elliptical and about 20 minutes of weights... even though I am doing great ... my weight is up a pound today. Irratating.

How is everyone doing? Nothing much is going on here. Everyone around me seems to be sick, so I am trying to stay healthy!

Anyone here watch LOST? I can't wait for Thursday... (not that I will get to see it then, we are recording it to watch over the weekend). Alan and I are almost done with Season One. I didn't watch that one all the way through.. more sporatically.. so it's been fun going back and watching this season. When we went to Hawaii last May, we got to go find several of the places where the filmed the show. We saw a couple of the places last night (watched four episodes) where we could recoginize exactly where they were.. it was pretty cool. Anyway... I can't wait for it to come back!!!!

Now... back to work!

Hello all. It's a crazy hectic day for me. I'm working a full day at my "old" office, worked my first payroll for 94 employees--which is a big change from just 5 people I tell you... anyway, I'm on break for lunch and am just checking on things over here. I don't know how long I can keep this up--the back and forth thing-- but I will do it until I can't take it anymore I guess. I love working with people again, but it's a bit noisy! I didn't realize how much I like silence! :lol:

Cherie, that sucks that the concert got canceled, but hopefully rescheduled for later right? Don't sweat that 1 lb., it could be anything like a little too much sodium or whatever. You will get it off. Enjoy your dinner tonight, moderation is key.

I am not weighing in on Wednesday, but will wait til Friday morning so I won't technically miss any meetings while I am on vacation. I have to buckle down yet again. I am PMSing so I am craving sweets and junk food. :mad:

Hi to all. I better eat and then run back. At least I'm getting a bit of cardio walking up and down the street between offices :rolleyes: Chat later.

Good Morning... Its Wednesday. Feels like a Monday to me, I am just dragging this morning.


Noelle... are you going to continue doing both jobs? That would be exhausting! I hope things settle down for you a little!

Yesterday at lunch I did 3.28 miles on the treadmill, about halfway through I decided to start running. I am not going to worry about how I look after my lunch, so I will be running now instead of the walking. Something has got to kick in and make my weight change. I am up again today.

Last night's dinner was good.. I had a salad, and grilled salmon, with one glass of wine. So, not sure why my weight is up.. but it is. SUCKS. :-)

Today I am going to run at lunch, and then go to the YMCA this afternoon for weights and some more cardio. Tomorrow all I will be able to do is run at lunch because I have my PHR class tomorrow night. Then it's Friday! YEAH!

I guess I should go back to work... I am sitting here so sleepy... wishing I could crawl back into bed.... oh well.... in two days I'll be driving to Colorado.. I can sleep then!

Hello people :wave: Just a quick fly by. I am jamming and cramming and trying to get all my month-end bills posted and paid. I do not plan on working at all on Friday so I can just concentrate on getting my bags packed and all the other little things that need to get done.

Cherie, hope you're feeling a little more perked up, I hate it when you're at work and just want to snooze! :lol: You are AWESOME for RUNNING at lunch!!! :high: That is totally inspirational to me.

Karen, how are things going for you? I know there are storms aplenty going on in your area. Hope everything is OK. Stay safe!

Did I tell you guys about the ragged little dog we found on Sunday? I will try and post pics later, but the short story is that we found a little white dog who was really neglected w/matted hair and my sis the dog groomer just shaved all his hair off and gave him a bath and he was such a great dog. He was a total cutie pie. We surrendered him to the pound afterward, hopefully he will get adopted out. He was the perfect size and had a great temperament.

Then on Monday, my nephew was driving his car near his friend's house and it was pouring buckets of rain. He saw two large dogs--a golden retriever and a yellow lab just running in the rain in the middle of the road--no collars or ID. So he picked them up and brought them to our house. They had to go to the pound as well, but the owner picked them up the very next day. We are just the animal lost and found in our neighborhood :lol:

Hi Everybody! Sorry I haven't been around for a bit -- guess I just got in a "dumpy mood" with the house deal and all. I have watched 3 different moving vans go up to the houses that are behind us. :( But I guess I shouldn't let that get to me--- I don't know what their circumstances were --- if they sold, foreclosed on, rented or leased with option. Still haven't heard anymore from the people that just showed up a couple weeks ago either. So between that and just really getting tired of cold and snow--- I've just been feeling kind of down.
Cherie, you becareful driving here- Up here where we are the roads aren't really bad (right now but it has started snowing again now) But they have had some of the higher mountain passes closed several times in the last weeks.
Noelle, I had forgotten that you were going to go to the Mardi Gras--- Sure hope you have fun, I know that you will!! ;) The little white dog sounds so cute--- If I had the room I would probably have a dozen!! I know I would never be able to work in a shelter!!
Well, everybody take care and I need to get going and get out of this funk that I'm in. Guess I really need a good "Pick me up" and then a good swift :kickbutt: Talk to you later.

Hi Ladies, ----- Cherie I just wanted to let you know that we have got about 6 inches of snow in the last 3 hours! They are saying the visibility is 0% just south of Pueblo. I thought that I would send you the link to the local TV station and they have really good updates on their all the time. It is: www.krdo.com I know you are anxous to get out here to go skiing but please be careful and drive safe!!

Happy Thursday Everyone!

Karen thanks for the updates and link. I will be going and looking at the TX, NM, Southern Colorado links to see what the weather is doing right now. We are supposed to get up tomorrow morning at 4 AM (that is what, midnight for you Noelle?)

Noelle.. have a fantastic time in NOLA! I LOVE that place. I have heard its nothing like it was before the hurricane, but that they are trying to rebuild. Stay safe and have fun! Have some great food for me!

Well, I officially lost 10 pounds in the month of January. I am STILL at 162.50. I have plateaued for the past two weeks, so I am really hoping that this ski trip will help jump start the weight loss again. I did lose 17 inches from all over, so I am VERY happy about that. I hope I can make some strides in the month of February.

Well.. this is my last day of work for this week, so I need to get busy and clear off my desk and get things organized..

Oh.. and it's snowing here right now. Nothing major... light dusting, just giving me a taste of what is to come!

Talk to you ladies next week.. I should be back on Tuesday or Wednesday! Have a great weekend!

Good night ladies......

Cherie, have a fantastic weekend and yes, be safe out there! Hey, 10 lbs for a month is WONDERFUL progress. I know you will burn some major calories with skiing. Again, have a great time!!!

Karen, thanks for the shout out. Sorry to hear that you are feeling down in the dumps. I know you will get your groove back and your house will get sold! It is a beautiful home and the right person will come along. For now though, you get to enjoy the CO winter :^: I wish y'all could come out and visit and enjoy some sunshine--well, to tell you the truth, we've had a lot of rain, but still! I wish I could send you some heat. :hug:

I've got to finish packing. Michael will have a full load of homework since he is missing 1 week of school so I need to keep on top of him for that. I don't want his whole vacation focused on books! :lol: Anyway, you ladies have a great night and I will chat w/y'all later.