There we go. Pledging to do better this month. I WILL have a victory this month.

I'll be back later to put the links in, or if someone else is around first, you can do it.

To go back to May (oh if only we could go backwards in time) click here http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/supp...es-gear-5.html

Shad--thanks for starting the new thread.

I had a very busy and FUN weekend. We had a family reunion in conjunction with a wedding reception for my cousin who got married the day before.

She had been divorced for almost 30 years! she had dated a guy for 20 of those years and he died about 3 years ago. She has been daiting this guy for a couple of years and they got married. We were all surprised last Christmas when they told us they were engaged.

They bought this beautiful home that is in Applicaian country in Ohio and it is a beautiful setting. We had a fun reunion and then we all stayed while their co-workers and friends came for the reception. They like bluegrass music and had a band...and I got to sing with the band! It was such a fun night.

I didn't get to get any housework or laundry done until today. I also worked a couple of hours. It's been a busy weekend and I am ready for bed.

With the posts on the other thread I won't do any personals...I'm too tired to remember them all but it is so good to start this month with you and as Shad said,"Pledging to do better this month. I WILL have a victory this month".

What will be your victory? Mine will be balance in my world and it will show at the scales.

Good morning ladies,

Thank you Shad for setting up the new thread. I do need some arse kicking myself.

Have I said that the mosquitos are HORRENDOUS???? Swarming all over day and night - you can't go outside. They hang on your clothes and travel into the house and they are huge. Everyone here said they have never seen them this bad. And it has rained the last 2 day replenishing the standing water puddles which makes new hatcheries. It's so bad that I called Mom yesterday and suggested she postpone her trip up here. She agreed, said she doesn't need to be getting bitten and catching some horrid disease or getting sick. She has the kind of scent that attracts biting insects anyway. We are all disappointed but I think it's for the best. DH ordered another bug net suit so that we have something to wear while ATVing. At this point I don't even want to plant the garden although we are fast approaching do or die if something will go in since we have a short growing season.

We exceeded sales expectations at the shop for May. That's good because there are always projects that need to be done at the shelter. We still need more help moving things through the store. Never fear, the biddy patrol is ready to step in (and over everyone) to accomplish things their way. I am getting out of the way.

Susie - what a fun weekend you had! Sounds like such a nice trip to the cousin's wedding - what an interesting story. Glad she found a partner to share her life with.

Shad - hope you had a good time at the birthday party. Re: your comment - sometimes I wish we could go back in time for an occasional tweek or do over but alas, we have to live with our decisions.

Annie - I hope you get that call you have been anticipating today. TODAY. The waiting is horrid I know.

Hellos to Michelle, Laura, Terra, Ceejay I'm off to do some housework.

Morning all.

Shad, thanks for setting up our new thread. And the title is (unfortunately) very appropriate. Yes, let’s ALL have victories this month!!! Hope you had a good weekend at home and that your travels went smoothly.

Susie – Your weekend sounds fun. The wedding/family reunion sounds very enjoyable. Congratulations to your cousin! My victory will be to get back into regular exercise and have it show at the scale!!

Ceejay – I hope you enjoyed your long weekend. Did you visit the uncles? Did you get the lawn mowed? One of the wheels broke off of our mower on Friday! Aaargh. It’s always something with all the yard equipment. And it had to be the rear one that has the special self-propel parts on it. Grrr. I’m surprised bf hasn’t brought up buying a new one….

Terra – Did you get storms over the weekend? We had some yesterday, but I was able to walk doggy after one rain shower and before the storms started.

Happy – What a shame you had to cancel your mom’s visit because of the mosquito issue!! What a horrible problem! I hope the net suit arrives quickly! It would be a shame to forgo your veg garden as well. Good to hear the sales at the shop were good in May. Very good the biddies will get things done – maybe you can get back to your usual shifts?

Hellos to the rest of the Worldlies.
--
Bf and I decided that since we’re holding off on buying a 2nd/replacement vehicle for the time being, we would buy a used motor scooter. BF did all the research and shopping and found a nice one on craigslist at a really good price – in Sheboygan, WI.

Saturday he had a hitch installed on our car, rented a trailer, and drove up to get it. Long day for him, but the scooter is now sitting in our garage. We’ve got it added to our insurance and now bf will get the plates, a motorcycle license, and get it over to a mechanic recommended by our neighbor, who does dirt bike racing, etc., to get it checked out. We’re both signed up for motorcycle safety classes, but not until July. We really only plan to use this as a backup vehicle and ride it locally. Should be interesting...

On Sunday I met friends for breakfast, then did some shopping afterwards. I ended up buying a pair of jeans on clearance – skinny jeans! Usually I have trouble with the jean legs fitting my large calves. These are snug in the calf, but wearable. They’re actually somewhat flattering. I have a tendency to wear a lot of baggy clothes, so this is a change for me. I also bought a new top for work. Usually I never shop at JC Penney’s (I fell into the habit of just shopping at Kohl’s because they’re so close to the house), but I might make a habit of getting over there more often.

Okay, the work won’t do itself! Back to it. TTFN!

PS - Photo of the scooter:

Shad,Susie & Happy ~ Hi Girls

Laura ~ Yeah we had a storm last night, It even knocked out the power for a few mins.

Hi ladies -

Sorry I've been away. Had a busy but fun weekend. Today is crazy busy at work with sales people in from all over the country and Europe for the annual Sales kick-off conference, and I'm helping my boss and her boss get ready for the presentations. After work, we're doing an all-company outing to play Bocce Ball, which I thoroughly enjoy. I just hope the migraine I woke up with eases up so I can go and have fun. When I first arrived at the office, I literally felt like I was going to faint/pass out from the headache pain. It's definitely a worse one than I've had in a LONG time. I took some Excedrine Migraine and it's lessened somewhat.

I hope you all are doing well. I'll try and do personals later.

Quick P.S. for Laura - What a nice looking scooter!! I used to have a moped that looked more like a dirt bike, but I loved riding it around locally. I used to take it to work (when my commute was only a few miles). The top speed for it was 30-35 mph, so I couldn't take it on the freeway and I rode in the bike lane on most streets. I hope you and bf will wear helmets when riding. It's so important as drivers often aren't looking for and don't see motorcycles and scooters.

Much love,

Morning all.
Back at the grindstone after an interesting weekend. Some good, some bad. The birthday party went off well. I ended up buying Miss 5 a craft set of headwear. The box has 10 headbands and a whole raft of beads, bling, hearts, laces, feathers and flowers that she can put together and pull apart again. It wasn't the cheapest thing, but it sort of fitted so I picked it up at Sydney airport.
The noise at the party was unbelievable. How can kids yell and scream for hours on end and not lose their voices. I am for ever grateful that I didn't have girls since they scream the loudest, are the bossiest, and like getting their own way fairly regularly. Such attitude from some of them. Still it is not all them, much of it comes down to discipline or lack thereof.
Flights were more or less all on time and flight times short and smooth. A big plus. Another big plus is that I didn't eat too much either since there was little exercise to be had.
DS2 is in the middle of breaking up with partner I think. I'm not sure where that's going and he isn't revealing too much of his feelings. She disappeared for the weekend, ostensibly to paint her apartment to get it ready for renting again, but in fact I think she is getting it ready to move back into. I gather that she doesn't want to make the decision - to end/not to end - so she can blame the other half. Now he is not perfect, but he isn't entirely to blame in this case.
The other thing that wasn't so good. My DB2 had his job made redundant end of last year. He works for Coca Cola Aust. They found him another job and he has given it his best but finds that he just is not cut out for it. He did very well but as he said, he put in 120% and worked extremely long hours and still never seemed to finish all that was expected. The company offered him the job permanently - they said they were happy with his performance, but he wasn't. So he has turned it down. The company are now looking for something else for him, but it is extremely unlikely they will find anything since Coke are downsizing, resourcing from overseas, shutting down factories etc. The whole thing is a very insensitive joke. New CEO - everything changes again.
So I got back here to NZ on a beautiful calm evening. Reflections everywhere in the harbour and darned cool!. I had gone from a sunny 26C in Brisbane (80F) to 17C in Sydney and rain (62F) to 8C (44F)and going down in Wellington. Lucky I had layered my clothing. And I felt like the Michelin man getting out of the cab and getting into the building.

Happy - sounds like a good idea to delay Mum's visit if the mozzies are that bad. I'm trying to think of the chemical that they put on long laying water around Brisbane to inhibit mosquito breeding. It does work, not endangering to the environment and apparently doesn't affect the wildlife. Boo to the biddies who want everything their own way. Pity you don't have strong leadership in that charity. Still it has been good to get extra money in for the animals.
Yep, we live with the decisions we make. And whether they are good or bad decisions at least we have made the choice.

Laura - good looking scooter. I can see you zipping around on that. Will be a lot more economical around town than any car would. Hope it has lots of storage space for the groceries

Susie - Glad to hear you had some time off over the weekend and went out to friends and family. I'm pledging to exercise more and control eating.

Hi to Annie, Terra and Ceejay.

Better go and see if there is anyone else in the building. Seems like only me so far today - even the sun hasn't got up yet, although we could be in for an interesting sunrise.

Happy
I'll try to post the mosquito catcher idea that one of my friends posted. It's non toxic. and I'm going to try it. I don't blame you for not wanting your mom to be miserable right now. Hey, did you see the picture of the bear resting in the hammock. I thought about you when I saw it on Yahoo.

Shad
Hate to hear that things are not working out for DS2. Thanks for starting up the new thread.

Susie
You mention earlier if any one watched Extreme Makeover. I do simply cause it makes me at least try.

Laura
Saw the bike and thought of Mel. Would she like to have ridden on this beautiful peace of machinery. Are you going to learn how to ride it. Yes got the lawn mowed and went to the uncles. And had a good visit. Even took a 2 hour nap at my uncles Saturday. I was exhausted.

I'll be back later. Just took a look at the radar We are in for some more rain.

Shad ~ Hi how are you doing today?

Hi ladies,

I have to leave early on my shift today - this root canal tooth is really bothering me - I am hoping it did not abscess but I have a 1pm dentist appointment to get checked out. I ran some errands in town yesterday and picked up a load of fresh fruit and veggies. Always feel better when fresh is in the house.

Ceejay - hope you find the instructions for the mosquito catcher. They are just dreadful. I feel sorry for anyone who has a business that depends on outdoor activities. Even the cabin owners! I saw the article with the bear in the hammock. Too funny. Hope you don't get too much rain or bad storms.

Laura - love the new scooter. How much fun will that be? Is it like riding a motorcycle - ie shifting gears on the hand controls? It's very nice looking.

Shad - is DS2 the son who lives down the road from you? Sorry to hear about him and DB2's woes. I hope DB2 can find something to support himself. Pity the companies don't care about the long term loyal workers - in fact I think they are the first they'd like to see let go. I hear that Coke is having it's share of troubles with people switching off the sugary drinks. So you are in to the office before even the sun shows up????? Makes for long days.

Michelle - hope you headache eased up. Been a while since the migraines were troubling you - hope they are not starting up again.

Terra - you should keep track of the distance you walk and compile it. Then you can tell people you have "walked the circle of the earth" 2 times

Gotta get ready for my shift - hellos to the rest. Have a good one!

Good morning ladies,

Happy Tuesday! My boss and most of the other "higher-ups" are at an off-site meeting today and tomorrow! After a stressful day yesterday, I was glad to go to the company outing where we played bocce ball, and enjoyed delicious food, wine and beer. A great time was had by all!

Tonight, I've got a chiropractor appointment, followed by the conference call book club with some Wisconsin friends.

I heard there's going to be some severe weather in the midwest today...I hope you all stay safe.

My incision is pretty much all healed...I'm not even using a band-aid anymore. My victory will be MAKING TIME to exercise now that I can take proper showers (meaning I can scrub my back instead of worrying about getting it wet). And my other victory will be to stick to a more "diabetic-friendly" diet.

===========================

Susie - So nice that your cousin has found happiness! And how fun that you got to sing with the bluegrass band! I've never watched Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss until this most recent one. It definitely motivates me to get moving and eat better.

Happy - So sorry your mossie problem is so bad. Have you thought about getting one of those mosquito "catchers"? It emits something that attracts the mosquitos and that captures them and kills them. My ex and I thought about getting one a few years ago, and we had friends that had them and they seemed to work well. They might not have the range to cover your entire property, but maybe at least the deck and areas close to the house. Bummer that your mom has to postpone her trip, but I can understand. My ex-DMIL hated using mosquito repellant, and she was so worried about catching something from the mosquitos that she stayed inside a lot. So sorry to hear your root canal tooth is causing you so much pain.

Laura - I just re-read your post...that was quite a drive to get the motor scooter! All the way to Sheboygan! Wow!! Of course, several years ago, my ex and I drove to Chicago to purchase a lovely sofa and loveseat set that was EXACTLY what I was looking for and found on a post on Craigslist. Congrats on the skinny jeans!! I just bought two pairs of capris, along with 3 new tops at Kohl's on Sunday. I tend to go to Kohl's first because I know they carry the brands and (usually) the sizes that fit me best.

Terra - I'm glad the power was only knocked out for a few minutes. I hope none of the really severe weather gets to your area today. I heard on the news that Omaha Nebraska was in the bullseye today.

Shad - Sounds like a lovely birthday gift. You're a better woman than I for tolerating the screaming kids at the party. Maybe it's because I've never had any kids and that my nieces and nephews were appropriately disciplined, to me screaming kids is worse than fingernails on a chalkboard. Sorry to hear about DS2's possible breakup. And that's rough about DB2's employment situation. His situation sounds very much like what happened to me and so many others at the major department store I used to work at. Lots of restructuring, outsourcing jobs to overseas, and employees "transferred" into positions they aren't suited for and unrealistic expectations put on them. Wow, you definitely went through a climate shift...good on ya' for layering your clothing. I had to laugh at your Michelin man comment as I've been there - done that, especially in Wisconsin!

Annie - Still praying and sending you lots of : that you get the job you want!

Ceejay - Hope you have a good day and that the severe weather doesn't find it's way to your neck of the woods.


Much love and many hugs,

Morning all. Lovely day out there.

Terra – I agree with Happy – start journaling your steps/distance walked. It’ll be fun to see your progress in terms of the distance to someplace you’re interested in visiting, or a nearby town.

Michelle – I hope the migraine eased up enough to get you through your busy workday and allowed you to attend the outing. How long are the sales folks in town for the kick-off conference?? Re the scooter – yes, we definitely plan on getting helmets for them. This scooter is a 250cc so it could do highway speeds, but I highly doubt we’d ever take it on a highway.

Shad – That headwear craft set sounds like so much fun – what a great gift. Her parents will probably curse you when they step on the beads and other bling…but the little one will enjoy it. Sorry the party was so loud, but you knew it would be…Glad the travel went smoothly. I’m sorry to hear about DS2 going through a breakup. Tough time. And so sorry to hear about DB2’s job troubles. I sure hope they can find something elsewhere in the company for him. Wow, pretty chilly for you in NZ – I imagine 40’s -50’s F feels pretty cold to you. Did I mention that I finally laundered my down coat - just last weekend. Had to make sure I wouldn't need to wear it one more time, LOL. Re the scooter – once I get accustomed to riding it, I think it’ll be fun to zip around town with. From what I’ve read about it, it does have a good amount of storage space – for a scooter.

Ceejay –Glad you had a nice visit with the uncles. I had to look up that bear in the hammock story – LOL. Too funny. But having a bear in the subdivision would sure scare the heck out of me. Dealing with the skunks is a PITA, but a BEAR!! Re the scooter – yes, bf and I are both signed up for a basic rider course offered by the local college. In the meantime, bf will go to a nearby empty parking lot and practice what he needs to learn to pass the driver test in order to get the license. I might practice in the lot with him, but I probably won’t go for my license until after I’ve taken the safety course. If you successfully complete the course, the state DMV waives the driving test. Unfortunately, the classes fill up quickly and bf's class isn't until early or mid-July and mine isn't until late July.

Happy – I’m sorry the root canal is bothering you – I hope there’s not a problem with it. Glad you’re getting it checked out - if nothing else you can at least get more pain pills! Re the scooter – there’s no gears, just turn the key in the ignition. In my online reading, I see them referred to as “twist & go’s”. It should be fun. It won’t be any safer than riding a bicycle, except now I can take a whole lane for myself. I like that.

Hellos to Annie and Susie!

+++

I went to the kickbox cardio class last night. I’ve been to this class before with this instructor. It’s a good sweaty workout, and strenuous. We’ll see how my muscles feel tonight. The instructor talks fast and I don’t catch everything she says, and I made the mistake of being too far to the side and front of the studio – hard to see all her moves. Next time I’ll position myself more in the center, or off to the side but more in the rear of the room. I generally like the instructor. It's kind of funny because she'll say, "we're almost done with the hard part" at least 10-12 times during class.

I’m participating in an outdoor volunteer project tomorrow for half a day, but dang, rain is forecast. Oh well. I’ll dress appropriately and hope for the best.

That’s about it for me. TTFN!

I just got an email with some "kid-friendly" healthy recipes, so I saved it to the DropBox account. The recipes look pretty yummy and also easy...which I appreciate: https://www.dropbox.com/s/o6twm3z2cc...10_Recipes.pdf

Laura - Good for you for going to cardio Kickboxing!! Too funny about the instructor saying "almost done" so many times. Glad you and bf will be wearing helmets and taking classes and practicing. My moped was a "twist & go"...no shifting involved.

Michelle - You were typing over my head!

I'm glad you were able to enjoy the bocce outing yesterday. I hope it'll be nice and quiet for you the next couple days - even if you still have a ton to do, it's nice to be able to do it without interruptions. Yay for the incision being healed and not having to be covered! What a hassle that was for you! Will you be going to any of the aqua-exercise classes in the pool? I have to admit that when I passed the pool on my way out of the gym last night, it looked awfully refreshing!

Re buying the scooter in Sheboygan - apparently this model scooter is not that easy to find, so bf had to cast a wider net. I'm glad he did, it's in nice shape and he got a good deal on it. We had to have a trailer hitch installed on our car and I'm glad we finally did that - it'll really come in handy. We've been wanting to sell a bunch of our junk at a flea market and now we can just rent a trailer, load it up and go.

Happy ~ Yeah that would be cool to tell people I circled the earth two times.

Michelle ~ Yeah Im glad it got only knocked out for a few mins too. Nope we havent got any severe weather yet today.

Laura ~ I dont quite understand how to keep track the distance I walk to see the progress as to somewhere I want to visit or a near by town? Sorry Im slow sometimes at understanding things.