Hi everyone, just a really quick flyby. It's been a really busy day and it's cold! :lol: It only got up to 73 degrees where I live... I know, I know, big deal! I just talked to my niece in AK and she said it was -33 so I'm not complaining :lol: It's my sis' b-day today so I know there may be cake involved, I gotta go out for my walk.

Karen, good job on the exercising and congrats on the weight loss! :carrot: Stay warm!

cw, how did your visit with the grandbabies go?

Hope everyone has a great evening. Gotta scoot for now. Chat more tomorrow.

Good Morning Everyone!!!

I was MIA yesterday due to some work issues. We fired three people yesterday, managers .... so it was a bit stressful here. I also went to my orthodontist.. for a 2+ hour appointment.... and the good news is... in 12 weeks... from TODAY... I will get my braces off! :carrot: I am so excited! Only three more months of this crap... I can do it. Its been two years as of the end of this month that I've had them.. so I am so ready to get them off!!!

South beach diet is going well. I am down 6.5 pounds since 1/5. Working on the next 6.5 pounds to get me out of the 160's. I am still in phase one.. so the food choices are starting to get a little dull, but hey.. it's working, so I won't complain too much!

CW.. wedding is May 31st. I have four months to shape up for this thing. I picked up the fabric for my girls dresses this past Saturday... and I got my sewing machine serviced.. so I am ready to start on theirs.

We are supposed to have a nice day today... get up into the 50's.. however, tomorrow, cold front and a chance of snow. Ick. I don't like that like of weather here.

Back to work!

Hello ladies, I'm back at work counting down the minutes til I can leave... still have to get my payroll numbers figured out but that's about it. I got all the party favors figured out, just have to put them together into bags, I'm still trying to figure out the food though. I'm thinking the kids will of course devour pizza, but I want to have something halfway healthy--maybe sandwiches? I'm not particularly keen on bowling alley food (wings, fries, burgers, etc.) I have to make some calls. I'm getting a cake w/Michael's pic in a bowling ball so that should be fun.

Cherie, great job on the 6.5 lbs! :bravo: :cp: And how exciting about the braces, your smile will be even more beautiful. How are the kiddos doing?

Oh, I almost forgot...the other day my 2 sisters and I took our 4 dogs walking. We came upon this man walking his 2 medium sized dogs. One of his dogs broke away from him, dragging it's leash behind. The man yells "grab her", to us, I guess... I turned around and by that time he had gotten ahold of the leash. But the dog was intent on coming toward us and slipped out of her collar. I wasn't really worried because the dog looked totally friendly. Anyway, the man is getting really agitated and he starts yelling at the dog to "come!" The dog seems afraid of him and just crouches down, but everytime he gets close the dog jumps away...go figure! By then, the man is down on his hands and knees on the wet grass trying to get the dog back, but the dog keeps running away. We are standing on the sidewalk trying to continue on our way. Then he yells "just get the f :censored: k out of here before she :censored: gets hit by a :censored: car!". My 2 sisters just look at each other and keep walking. I was behind them, closest to the man--when I realize he was talking to me--at first I thought he was yelling at his dog. Then I got pissed! :mad: So I yelled back at him :censored: you! You're the one who can't control your dog, there's probably good reason she doesn't want to come back to you @-hole!" :mad: I was so upset--because he yelled what he did, and that he was probably a bad pet owner. But can you believe that guy? We weren't doing anything but walking in the opposite direction. What a JERK! <end rant>

But anyway, hope all your days have been better than mine.

Hello again... how's everyone doing today?

Did any of you watch American Idol last night? Good stuff!!! :lol:

I have my WI tonight but I don't expect anything good :(. I'm not quite 100% w/the program but I did get all my walking in. I'm hoping for a maintain :crossed: I'll let you know how I do. Have a great day all.

Hello everyone!! Wednesday is almost over!! Working towards my weekend.

Noelle... what a jerk... I can't believe how rude and hateful some people can be.. I am glad you and your sister are OK however... I could just see a "road rage" type incident from him. Lousy pet owner.

We had an overnight guest last night... I got home, and there was a strange dog in my house... seems my daughters "found" it, and it was LOST. He only had a rabies tag on him, and by the time I got home, it was to late to call the vet. He was a cute little thing, but boy did my girls get a lecture on bringing home strange animals without asking permission. We found his family this morning and they came and picked him up... they were missing him!

Today.... I am going to the YMCA with the girls... Hannah is going to work out with me. I've already walked 3 miles at lunch, so tonight will be a little more on the treadmill and the weight machines!

Oh.. I ordered my veil today! :-) Chapel length, diamond white, plain.. should go nicely with my veil. I also ordered some hair extensions today.. I want to play around with them some. I would love to have my hair half up and half down, but my hair isn't as long as I would like it to be.. so... I may do some extensions!

OK.. almost time for me to go home.... hope everyone is having a great Wednesday!

Well, my WI wasn't as painful as I thought it would be, I was only up .2 of a lb so I'm grateful! The leader says that it's basically a "maintain", plus I did drop quite a bit last week... I accept what she said, but in my mind I'm thinking "you don't have to rationalize for me, I do quite a good job of it myself, mostly denying the fact that I actually ate quite badly during the past week :lol: ) I'm gonna really try and stay on track this week to get some good results for next Wednesday. I had really wanted to be 5 lbs down before our trip on Feb. 1, but I'm kind of losing my grip. The good thing is that I have you gals and my 2 sisters for support--that really helps, so thank you! I have about 2 full weeks before I leave so there's a slim possibility that I may make it...

Cherie, it's really sweet that your girls have a soft spot for strays, I think we all do on this thread. I'm glad the dog found you guys to keep it safe, and that the owners could be found too. Oh, and great job on rocking those workouts! :strong:

Just a quick note.. I'm about to go meet Alan for lunch. He is flying to LA today for a music convention, NAMM....

Noelle.. great job on maintaining... we have 2 weeks til the 1st, and I too want to lose 5 pounds.. so I am right there with you! South Beach is really working for me, cause I am down another pound. I've lost 8 since 1/5... and I am going to really work hard to do my best between now and the 1st. We are going back to Colorado for a ski weekend, so I would love to be out of the 160's.

Today, it's COLD here. currently 25 degrees. Cold front moved through yesterday, right at the time I was going home from work. I have a 20 minute drive and the temp dropped 10 degrees before I got home. BRRRRR... but I still managed to go to the Y and get a full workout in. Today, I am sore! :-) Going back tonight and doing the same thing. Since I am meeting Alan for lunch, I will miss my 45 minute walk at lunch.. sacrifices. :D

Hope everyone has a great day today.. it is Thursday.. one more day til the weekend!

Good morning! My goodness it is cold here! When I got up this morning at 5:00 it wa -20 degrees!! And now we have really heated all the way up to 7! Brrrrr!

Noelle, Sorry you had to run in to such a pain in the butt like that guy!! Some people shouldn't own pets at all! I can imagine how he treats them when no one is around! Plus -- how does he treat the people around him! Grrrr! Yes, I have been watching AI again too! Last night was just too funny! Love that show! Congrats om your weigh in! That really is pretty good and maybe you weren't quite as bad as you thought you were during the week.

I got a note from my son (on mypace) that their big Boxer dog isn't doing so good and they really don't think that he will make it much longer. They got him from the shelter when he was already 5 and have had him for about 9 yers now so he has had a good long life. BUT it is still hard. We're hoping to get down to the Springs to see them this week and also our other son. Our oldest just turned 35 on the 15th but it was just to miserable cold weather to get down there. Hopefully this weekend!

Cherie, I guess you really like the South Beach diet... do you like all the fish they really want you to eat? Tim doesn't like fish at all so it is hard for me to find something that works for me without having to make two different meals. Tim will eat a tuna fish sandwich but that is it! Good job on getting your workout in. I need to get that done today too. It is so cold it is jsut much nicer to sit on the couch wrapped in an afghan!! Don't burn to many calories that way though!

Well, guess I'd better get going. Have a great day!

Karen... its not that I LIKE the South Beach diet, hahaha, but it is working for me.

As for the fish... I like fish, only if it's really fresh. That is normally my choice if we go out to eat, we will sometimes make it here at home. Swordfish, Seabass ... stuff like that. Alan can't stand tuna like chicken of the sea or starkist.. but we both love ahi tuna, so we have that when we can.

I've been eating more grilled chicken, chicken sausage, turkey, tuna out of the packets, and very lean hamburger. We've tried other things too.. pork loin, shimp and we are also loving beans and lentils. I pair that up with a huge serving of steamed vegetables and I am pretty set. Throw in some low fat cheeses and some nuts and that can get me through the day.

Again, it's not that I LIKE it... I would much rather have the pasta tortillini that my coworker is currently having, or the big banana nut muffin that is in the fridge, however, I am staying motivated by the progress I am making on the scale.. Oh.. and I have a wedding to go to in four months.. so I have a definate goal in mind.. and I can do this until I get down to where I would like to be... then I will just have to slowly start eating "normal" again.. but make sure I continue to exercise. As long as I exercise, I can eat anything I want. Right now, I need to lose weight for the wedding, so that is why I am dieting.

I'm sorry to hear about your son's dog... that is really hard. Hope you get to see your kids soon! Stay warm today! I would much rather be at home curled up in a blanket as well with my doggies! Much more fun than this!

Good morning ladies, I've got around 63 degrees currently but it's gray and drizzling outside. It's Michael's 9th b-day today and I had to go out running around and hop into traffic really early to get him cupcakes at Sam's to share w/his class--I just barely made it before they entered the classroom. I had him walk to school w/my sister today, just so he could get to school on time.

Karen, I'm so sorry to hear about your granddog :( It is so hard to lose a pet, but sometimes it's even worse when you know they are suffering. :hug: Be safe on the roads out there if you do traveling around.

Cherie, I love your motivation! You will be too skinny for your dress come May ;). Ha! As if there is a thing as too skinny right? What's the saying? You can never be too rich or too thin... hehe, but I digress... OK, back on track, let's LOSE THOSE 5 LBS!!! :running:

Angie where are ya??? Give us a shout out!

Hope everyone has a WONDERFUL day. :lucky:

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: