Just a quick post as I have my work cut out for me today. Have to package 3 loans for closing. This involves about 500 pieces of paper. I know this cause I have put two reams of paper 500 sheets into the printer so far. And still printing. Then to get them in all the right order and get them "sign here" color coded tag for each person. Never knew there were that many arrow sign here tags in so many colors and designs. lol There are usually at least 5 signers for each loan if not more. Have done one for 10 signers. What a momumental task. Thank God most of these are 4-5 signers. Glad they are not closing today, I certainly do not want to sit in as the notary this evening on a Friday closing out a loan. Bleh.

CHELLE...so glad your check up went so well....WOWSER 13.5 lbs. Congrats, go with while you can. Once you hit the one year mark, the hunger comes back, you can eat more, and the weight comes off very very slowly after that, if at all. I had no trouble, but I was still in my "honeymoon" stage of OMG I am losing weight so I did not eat much. Whatever you do...DO NOT EVER START DRINKING ALCOHOL, even after they tell you, you can, DON'T. No one told me a side effect of bariatric surgery is becoming an alcoholic. Yes, 4 of my closer friends who had bariatric surgery are now alcoholics and I have been on the wagon for quite some time. Hopefully it doesn't get me ever again. It helps that C does not drink either. ANYWAY...Congrats girlfriend. Hugs xoxo Glad to hear BOB made it through surgery and is doing as best as possible, beats the alternative. Prayers for his speedy recovery. I did get your texts last night but was already in bed and too tired to answer, thank you Nyquil...haha

SUSIE... what a huge compliment from the VP and told your boss too! Kudos to you sister. At least now you know all that extra work and long hours do pay off, now lets see it in the paycheck $$, big raise, big raise!!
The painting looks marvelous. Great job on that too!

SHADDIE...it is so typical that the computer techie, you, has so many issues with your computer and logging on line. Figures. Kind of like a plumbers home needs the most plumbing work done! Have a great weekend at home, try not to fit too much work in and enjoy yourself.

CEEG...luckily we live in a young neighborhood. Our trees are barely all gutter high, which involves few leaves. So far in the 7 years I have lived there, no raking involved. On the other hand, the trees do not block any wind or snow either.

Hellos to all ya'll. Must get busy, long day ahead.

Hugs

Woke up at 6:00 a.m. this morning, I'm currently eating breakfast, I already let Clyde out and I already gave him fresh food and water. My plans for today are Clean the bathroom and do my noon and night chair exercises.

Called street and sanitation but no particular yes or no, just maybe. He said they were running behind from Thanksgiving, excuses. Oh well. If I have to do this again because of no pick up, I'm putting them in bags.
We have rain coming I later today.
-----
Annie
wow that's a lot of paper work. But it keeps you busy.

Michelle
I am happy for you. I've started to post again on my fitness pal.

Susie
What a compliment! That would make me extremely happy.

To all the rest. I'll be back to find out what you are doing later this afternoon.

Morning all. We're going to MS Office 2013 & of course my overnight installation option didn’t work, so I'm without a computer at the moment.

Ceejay- Ugh, wet leaves. Hope they get picked up soon.

Terra - How'd shopping go yesterday?

Michelle - Glad to hear all is great with your recovery. Great progress, and you'll really get going when you increase your exercise. :)

Shad - Yay for the rain.

Okay, I'm back in business. I'll have to fiddle with settings to make the screen easier to read as everything is now gray and white. Sigh.

I'll try to get back here later on today.

Howdy girls,

I'm kind of excited about starting the gym today but am also a bit achey from Wednesday's yoga class - I've been pushing it and I know the trainer is going to push it at orientation today. Ok so my motto lately is "do hard things today" - suck it up buttercup. :D Nose is sneezy too - kitty sitting on my laptop leaving all sorts of fur behind is getting to me also I think. I am trying to push her away but she is persistent and keeps trying to find other ways to climb up here.

Laura - I hope your upgrade goes well. I remember when we went to 2010 - they changed everything all around and I had a horrible time with Excel, nothing worked the way it used to.

Annie - holy cow - 500 page loan packets!!! Oh my. I'll say you'll have a busy day today. Interesting that you should say that about alcohol and GBS. Just yesterday I was reading an article and they said they don't recommend booze - I guess one metabolizes it very quickly and you can get quite drunk after just a few sips. I guess the drunken feeling is what gets everyone hooked and for me, that disoriented buzz was the part I hated and when I knew it was time to stop. Of course that's intensified now that we are older, can fall more easily and it takes longer to heal up :lol: It's good though that you are warning people about it. Lots of new things to learn and adapt to. Are you going to have a D&C or a hysterectomy in January? Fingers crossed that you feel better soon.

Michelle - yay on the 13 pounds down. You commented about this not being a WOE for a non bariatric patient. I had a coworker who was a pretty big guy - they said over 350 but I didn't notice. He went through a very messy divorce and I guess decided to lose weight. He whittled down to almost a bobble head at one point. We thought he had surgery but he wasn't off any length of time to allow that. He claimed he just started exercising and watching what he ate but we noticed that we never saw him eating anymore. Turns out he decided to amp up the exercise and he lived on banana protein shakes. Exclusively. He started running on the treadmill - ran for 90 minutes before work in the morning, ran for another 90 minutes when he got home and then drank his shake and ran until he burned off that amount of calories plus 100 more. He did lose about 150 pounds he said. For the life of me, I can't understand how he survived on just protein shakes with frozen bananas in them - I discovered his "secret" one day when I walked into the copy room / kitchen area and saw him churning up one in the blender. I would not think one would get enough nutrition from that alone. As you say you are chomping vitamins and supplements and I'm sure as you are allowed to expand your eating you are encouraged to get in fruits, vegetables and lean proteins. Anyway as one would suspect, after he started eating again and cut down the exercise, he gained the weight back. Not all of it, about half. Then he met a girl, got married again and tried the same routine to lose the weight but this time it did not work as well or as fast. He lost weight but nothing like the first time. Friends were warning him about the yoyo diet but he was crazy. When I first noticed what he was doing I admit I was thinking - maybe this isn't such a bad idea. But I'm not sure you can stick with this if you don't have the supporting circumstances that you get from the surgery to go along with it. :shrug: Anyway sorry to ramble... I'm glad your friend is stable, hope things go well for him. Glad to hear everything is good with you also. Sounds like you got back on your feet quickly. Interesting too that you say you have so much energy. Is that a side effect or do you think that's from having no junk in your system from standard foods at the moment?

Susie - I love your flowers painting - so cute! And how wonderful on the compliments you got. I'm very happy to hear they appreciate and recognize everything you guys do to keep things running well. Yay you! :yay: And congrats on a successful weight loss for the year!!!! s

Ceejay - did you sweep the leaves into the street? We had to bag ours in TN - and when the rains would come the bags would float down the street and clog up the big grate drains we had on the corner. What a mess! Better rain than snow tho :D

Terra - just try a few things with the socks until you find something that helps. I think the moleskin might work better than the balm - just to cushion things until the blister itself heals. I like the regular white cuffed crew style gym socks for wearing with my sneakers for walking.

Shad - I know you are rejoicing to see the rains finally hit town - did you bring them back with you from Melbourne? :D Too bad they couldn't fall when you were working since you have a short weekend to get a lot done before you are off again. Hope you can get a few things done.

Ok, I should go get some lunch in me. I wanted to set up another playlist on the iPOD - I like walking on the treadmill to music but I think today's one hour session will be all with the trainer so I'll save that for another day. Have a good weekend everyone.

Laura ~ It went good, My blister wasnt hurting nearly as bad wearing my old shoes while shopping then they did when I wore my new shoes and went shopping.

Happy ~ Yeah I like crew socks too.

Happy – Thanks for your comments yesterday. I do worry about making a job change and then realizing how good I really had it. In addition to working for a good company with good pay and benefits (both pension and 401k), I have a good work environment in terms of boss and workload. So right now I do appreciate how good I have it. I know I don’t like managing people and playing political games (including the a$$ kissing), so that does limit me. I guess if I just want to do something different and potentially more fulfilling, I have to expect to go in at the lower level and take that cut in pay, or even make a lateral move and take the cut in pay because of course I won’t have all those years of service with a new company. I suppose it’ll be a matter of getting to a point where I feel I can “afford” to take a step down in exchange for a new experience. (Wow, 5 career changes – I have some catching up to do!)

Hope you have a good orientation at the gym today! I could never do what that guy you worked with did! Unless I had a surgery like Annie or Michelle that would make me physically not want to eat much food, I couldn’t limit myself like that in terms of calories or variety. And I especially don’t care to drink my calories – it just doesn’t register satiety like eating/chewing food does.

Annie – LOL re the grass not always being greener on the other side – I have a feeling with your reference to xdh, you’re not talking about jobs/careers, LOL. I’m glad the surgery date works out for you and that you’ll be getting assistance from DD and C. Gosh, going back after only 1 day of recovery seems so soon. You’ll know if you need more time…How was the women’s tea at church?? Good job maintaining your loss. Unlike me. Bleh. Re needing to keep working for companies that provide “affordable healthcare” plans. I think this is really changing. Maybe not at all quickly, but I have a feeling that eventually employers will get out of the “business” of providing insurance coverage to employees. Offering insurance coverage all started back during WWII when a lot of the workforce had left to serve in the armed forces and companies had to be competitive to get good employees. Not the same environment nowadays. Re the stairs – I’m taking the day off of those today because my lower calves are sore and I actually think going down the stairs is what causes that soreness, not going up! Going up just gets me winded, haha.

Wow, you’ve got a lot of paper to process today. Watch out for those paper cuts!! PS You’re lucky to not have any raking to do!! Our tree in back still hasn’t finished dropping its leaves, and this year our neighbor’s tree in front is taking its time too. We’ll never be done with the raking. Very interesting about drinking alcohol after weight loss surgery – I’m so glad you brought that up so Michelle is aware.

Shad – I hope your weekend is productive – they go so fast when part of it is used for travel! Re socks and innersoles – they do make a difference in making the shoe more comfy. Before I started wearing custom orthotics, I would buy a better quality over-the-counter insole for my athletic shoes to replace the thin, flimsy ones that come with the shoe. They really made a difference. Re socks, I like cotton socks a lot, but they can get damp and uncomfortable. The kind that are a blend of cotton and synthetic can at least wick away the moisture.

Susie – Your offsite workshop sounded like a lot of fun, as well as motivating. It’s great to get the appreciation you deserve, and to take time to consider what went well, and what needs to change. The artwork part of the day looks like fun – I love all the paintings! Re the pants you hate – I just happened to pull out a pair of pants I’d stuck in the back of the closet and hadn’t touched in months, maybe even a year, because I was pretty sure I wasn’t going to keep them. I wore them to work today and have again confirmed I just don’t like the way they look and I will be putting them in my donation bag when they come out of the laundry.

Michelle – You’re right, I need to make a change with how I think of food and how I eat. I don’t know if I could convince myself that it’ll make me feel sick in the quantities I tend to eat (not the occasional bouts of completely overdoing it). But what I believe it really comes down to, it’s sheer willpower, coming out of the desire to change and knowing that compromise is necessary to bring it all about. I’m not going to ever not like certain foods, but I will have to limit them to maintain a healthy weight. A blog I read is written by a woman following a paleo lifestyle, but she is currently struggling with controlling her intake of sugar. So she’s reading up on it and it’ll be interesting to know what she learns about sugar and how it affects our health. I’m glad Bob’s doing as well as can be expected. You’re a good friend to spend so much time with him.

Terra – Ah, so you went back to your old shoes! Glad the blister wasn’t as bad because of that.

Hi Dee!!
--
I did two stair sessions yesterday, 3 flights and then 4 flights. My lower calves are sore again, so I’m skipping that today.

I didn’t do much of anything last night after work.

Well, bf replaced the battery in our scale a month after it gave me a nasty reading and then indicated the battery was low. However, I got the same nasty reading this morning, so boo. But that means I just need to get back on track. At some point I will adjust my ticker...

Tomorrow I will go to Jazzercise class, and at night bf and I are going to see a band with a couple friends. Depending on bf’s progress with the half bath, I believe painting will happen soon. I have to dig up the paint swatch we chose so we can go buy it. And I think we still had paint for the ceiling..have to recheck that.

Okay, enough rambling, time to post before more interruptions.

Hello Again,

Ended up processing 7 loan packages today. Took me until a few minutes ago, and now it is 2 minutes until get the heck out of dodge mode. Got them all fedexed to the proper places and boy do I need a quiet evening at home.

Tomorrow is me and Sissy's momma/daughter massages. Oh how do I need it and she has never had a massage, boy is she in for a new world of relaxation. I am kind of excited about going together just to see how she reacts to it all. She and I neither have naked fears, unless in a crowd, lol. I mean once you have kids and everyone and their brother has seen your nether regions and such, who really cares. Maybe give them something to laugh about. hahahhaha

HAPPY...my surgery is called a conization. If that doesn't get rid of all the cancer cells, then I will have a hysterectomy at a later date. Hopefully this will do the trick. Prayers are in need. Yes on the few sips of alcohol and you are feeling a little good, after a glass or two, on your way to drunk hood. It is awful docs do not warn you of this before surgery. I had to learn the hard way then research it. Yep, indeed, alcoholism.

LAURA...yes, you are right to assume what you did about xdh. All is true. Nuff said. The tea was fabulous. Great finger sandwiches...homemade pinmento cheese and/or chicken salad sandwiches, oh or hot ham and cheese on sweet buns. Homemade turtles, pinwheels, cheeseball, cream cheese with jalapeno jelly, all quite yum. I also got the cutest little ornament, a teapot only the bottom was a jingle bell. Also the seat we sat in we got to keep our mugs. Mine had a scotty dog on it, the side facing me, then someone said, did you see the other side, and it was a little daschund. How appropriate for me. Great speaker/message. Great quartet sang then a soloist sang. They are all from the church and all so talented. What fun was had by all. Started 6 and I did not get home until 9:30, late for me but well worth it.

CEEG...have a great weekend.

TERRA...healing powers to you for the blister.

Hi again to all the chickies...I am outta here!

Hugs.

Morning all,
Coffee is made if any of you wish to join me on the Patio. The day is warming up already (7.00am) and it will rain again later today. The rain is welcome although it is too late for many of the farmers out west. They are broke and the banks are foreclosing on many. Why you would want to foreclose before the rainy season I have no idea. Surely if you want someone else to buy it, you would want it to look all nice and green and prosperous. Personally I think they should give a little and extend the mortgage or loan at a lower interest rate. Give the bloke ago because he can't control the weather and Tony (our Prime Minister) is adamant that global warming doesn't exist and it doesn't happen here. Typical Ostrich.

So on todays to-do list, I have to try to poison some of the weeds that spring up overnight at this time of the year. Check the tomatoes. They are way overproducing for what I need and there will be more ripe out there today after yesterdays 1.5kilo (about 3lbs) of the cherry tomatoes. Put in some more butter bean seeds. They seem to be doing well. I may try some carrots as well. Then I need to sweep out the carport, driveway and path as they are all red with fallen blossom and someone may slip on them if they get wet and yucky. I've a little shopping to do and then clean the bathroom and loo. A quick sweep of the floor may also be in order.

Happy - hope this gym helps you to get back some movement. The yoga should help with flexibility after some time so it's important you keep it up.
That cat is so spoilt. They always do what they want to do - cats. I find reverse psychology works on Sunday. She is always jumping up on me when I don't really want her there, so when she doesn't want to be there I pick her up and snuggle and keep her held. She gets annoyed and doesn't want anything to do with me for a while. Bargain.

Susie - congrats on the congrats from the boss. Nice work. And good for you getting that weight off. I must really knuckle down this coming year and get mine off. I don't really care about the weight, I care about the flab.
The painting looked good. Have you displayed them all on a wall in the office?

Ceejay - your lucky the sanitation department comes and takes away the leaves. Here you bag them up and take them to the refuse dump yourself, or you mulch them and use them in the garden or you pay for a garden sack which gets taken away once a month with all your green waste. I pay for the bag since I don't have time to go to the dump myself and I don't want to take the princess to the dump either. She might catch something :lol:

Annie - best of luck with your surgery. Hope it alleviates the pain and cramping for you. It would not have crossed my mind about alcohol and bariatric surgery. What a big day at work you have had

Michelle - give my best wishes to B and I hope for a reasonable recovery for him and that he has a quality of life that he never had previously. It's good to hear that you are healing well and that you have lost so much weight already.

Laura - Some folk are meant for one career, others for more. I have probably had (when I think of it) 5 career changes and 1 lifestyle change. Both my brothers have worked in the hospitality industry all there lives albeit in different sections. One in the kitchen and bar and the other delivering the goods for the kitchen and bar. My sister through different circumstances has had to change careers several times but has been in the last one for many years. It's all in the way the brain works. I guess looking at what I have just written, I must be the wanderer and adventurer of the family since the other 3 haven't ventured far after maturity. I've always wanted to move and travel.

Terra - hope the blister is doing okay. Must be the shoes by the sound of things so some sort of innersole is a must for you.

Hi to Dee :wave: Hope all is well.

Okay, I am finished the coffee, the heat is building again as is the humidity - one reason why you should never come to the tropics in summer. I am having a tropical fruit salad with yoghurt for breakfast - mango, kiwi, cherries, apricots - which isn't strictly tropical because I would be putting pineapple and carambola etc. in there if it was. Then I should get into the weeding and get some packing done now that the laundry is all done, folded and ready to pack. Have a great day.

Laura
Must of missed your post about a career change. Do what is best for you. I understand cause I'm in the same spot with the retirement issue.

Happy
Yes we rake/sweep the leaves to the curb and then the street department has a mulching machine that comes to suck them up. It doesn't do a very good job. My lawn mower would mulch them but the leaves were wet and since my mower is electric I was afraid to use it. I still have some more that I'm going to get either tomorrow or Monday but I will be bagging them. They can fine me if they want to but I will give them a good tongue lashing. I'm making pictures tomorrow. More leaves have either blown in the yard or this pile has blown back. Anyway I'm upset.

Terra
Hope the blister heals quickly. I'm not diabetic but I do wear the socks for diabetics because my feet and ankles swell with fluid at times. They are very comfortable and breathable.

Shad
Wow sounds like your tomatoes are doing well. I love butter beans.

--------
I've been drinking to many cokes and eating to many sweets and I'm paying for it. I haven't felt good since Wednesday. Having symptoms of the diverticulitis again. When will I learn. I can stay away from nuts etc but not those two items.

I'm exhausted again. It's crazy. I have tons of energy during the morning and daytime...but I guess after going to the gym to do 30 minutes of riding the recumbent bike, and driving 30-45 minutes each way to see Bob in the hospital....by the time I pick Santa up, go to the dog park (until the rain started today) and then get home, I'm exhausted. I actually had a late lunch and skipped one of my "snacks". Now I'm still full and will need to eat dinner in an hour or so. Plus, I'll probably need a protein shake to make sure I get my protein in. I am, thankfully, doing well on drinking water. I might skip the gym tomorrow and just take Santa on longer walks. I'll see how I feel in the morning.

I'll try and get in here tomorrow morning for personals.

Love and hugs,

Gecko in my garden. These two quite large specimens were up to hanky panky I think. All this goes on in my yard.

Laura ~ Yeah I went back to the old shoes for now. My brother says I still need to wear my new ones to break them in but I think I'll try again when my blister goes away.

Annie ~ Thanks for sending Healing powers my way LOL.

Shad ~ Yeah I think its the shoes too.

Ceejay ~ Thanks, Yeah my feet swell too so maybe I need to get diabetic socks too.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Woke up at 5:00 a.m. this morning but I didnt want to get up. Anyway I let Clyde outside already and now he is sleeping on the floor on one of his dog pads. I'm currently eating breakfast at 6:40 a.m. My plans are to clean the bathroom and to do my noon chair exercises and my night exercises and thats it. I hope everyone has a great day.

WOW SHADDIE>..those are HUGE Geckos. Yikes I probably would of screamed at first, then tried to catch them. lol

CHELLE...if you are too full to eat, skip food and do the protein shake only. Food is not all that important at this point.

CEEG...stop the cokes and sweets this minute sister. No wonder you feel like poo! hugs

Hello to everyone...gotta wrap this up and go pick up Sissy for our momma/daughter day at the spa, lunch and maybe even some shopping.

Hugs

Just passing through. Annie, I had a cone biopsy a few years back and it did get everything and I've been fine since. Praying that yours goes as well. I really don't remember any problems with recovering and don't remember how long it took but I think it was short. The only problem I had was it left scar tissue on my cervix and they cannot get endocervical cells when they try to do a pap. You might want to ask your DR about that ahead of time.

Morning
Wet and cold this morning. And I'm disappointed that the street department didn't come to get the leaves. I'm trying to be patient. But from now on I'm not going to procrastinate and use the mower to mulch the leaves. This week end I'm going to bag the rest. They can fine me if the want too but if they do I'll take it up with the Mayor. I will call them again Monday.
I rode the bike last night for 3 miles even though I didn't feel well. I fell into bed after that.
___________

Annie
I had to decide that very thing yesterday. No more sweets nor cokes. The day at the spa sounds divine.

More later

Hi all,

I'm a little sore today. Was a bit miffed when I went to the gym yesterday. I had a 3pm appointment. Wanted to be done by 4:30 as I don't like driving at night. I knew he had 2 people at 2pm because he said he did. I also know he (the owner who does the orientation) is a very nice guy and a talker like me so I thought it might run over a bit. Sure enough he was chatting away when I showed up at 2:55. I sat and waited, his sister noticed me and told him I was there. In the meantime she showed me the locker room so I could stow my stuff. At 3:15 he showed no sign of finishing up or coming to get me so I went into the workout area and stood there looking at the machines. Finally at 3:20 he came over and said to warm up on the treadmill for 5 minutes. He went back to the couple. After 15 minutes on the treadmill and no sign of him coming back even after I kept looking at him, I got off and again stood looking at the machines. He was still chatting away with the couple. He went to put me on a machine and by now it was 3:40 - no way I'd get much done, especially since Mr and Mrs Chatterbox had no intention of wrapping things up. I told M that I needed to leave at 4pm and if he was running behind, maybe we'd just reschedule. I was really irritated at this point but tried not to let it show. I don't mind waiting a few minutes if things run over but he was clearly spending my appointment time paying attention to them. They finally left at 3:55 and he showed me 2 more machines and then the phone rang and he had to take a call. All in all we went through 5 sets of exercises - barely touched on the equipment. I did pay for 3 extra sessions - not personal training, just more coaching BUT this time if I am paying I will insist he spend the time with me as this was a big farce. The machines are confusing, he said it takes about 2 weeks to get into a routine. You often do variations on the machines - feet apart, feet together, push off on tippy toes for calf raises. I can't remember all that stuff. They have a sheet with settings and reps but he kept getting distracted and forgot to write a lot of that down for me. Don't get me wrong, he is a really nice guy - I like him a lot - he's a physical therapist too so that is more helpful designing exercises and modifications. I just have to learn how to work around his idiosyncrasies. I'm going to try the gym for 3 months and see how it goes. I can tell already that I need to use the machines to rebuild lost strength. And seeing myself in knit pants and a t-shirt in full length mirrors - oofduh. :p I go back on Monday for another one on one session. Hopefully it will go better. While I was there there were 3 other guys in the gym. I was the only girl after the couple left. One guy was lifting weight and grunting so loud. Why do guys need to make SO MUCH NOISE??? My husband is the same way. I have tried grunting, doesn't seem to make the effort any easier :rofl: We have a guy who attends yoga class - she starts off with us laying on the floor quietly and getting centered. Ever single time he falls asleep and snores loud enough to shake the blinds. He's also a snorter once the snoring quiets down. I thought I was the only person distracted by it but some of the other ladies said the same thing. We all giggle. Anyway I am going to try for 3 times a week at the gym to start with and see how that goes. I am a bit sore today but not too bad.

Ceejay - smart of you not to depend on the S&S guys to pick up the leaves. Considering the vast amount of leaves, I'm sure it's a low priority for them. Better to mulch them yourself if you can. I know what you mean about the Cokes and sweets - sugar has a very inflammatory (ie painful) response on the body. And the more sugar you have, the more you want. Argh.

Annie - enjoy your spa day with Sissy - sounds like a wonderful way to spend some good time together. Your tea sounded just divine. I'm glad you had such a nice time.

Terra - maybe wear the new shoes around the house the break them in for shorter periods and less walking until your feet get used to them. Worst part about having new shoes ...

Michelle - no wonder you are exhausted - you had a lot of plumbing work done not too long ago. The insides heal slower. My Mom - a veteran of many surgeries - often warned me about feeling good on the outside but remember to temper things not to overdo it. Listen to your body. It's good that you are moving around though.

Shad - yikes those Geckos look BIG! Of course like many other of your oversized critters down under. Not quite like the cute little guy we have here who is a mascot for insurance. Sounds like you have plenty to do on your short check in at the house. You are one very busy lady. And yes, I plan on continuing the yoga - signed up for the next session(s) that run January - May. I can already see the benefits of what we are doing. Not sure if it's the yoga (would like to think so) or just that our weather has not been as frigid as it was last year at this time. But I do feel better. Need to work on my balance too - I'm horrid at that.

Laura - I tend to agree with you that it won't be long before companies jump on the bandwagon and stop offering health insurance and other benefits to the workforce. When they first proposed Obamacare I read an article online that said they would use this as an excuse to cut healthcare out of the benefits package. I interviewed at one place up here that offered employees 10 percent of their regular pay (which up here at minimum wage wasn't much) and they could use that to purchase their own healthcare if they wanted to. The 10 percent would be taxed as additional pay. And that doesn't come anywhere near to covering true healthcare costs. I also read that was something companies were also considering as an alternative - like when they went away from pensions to the 401K concept. Got to make sure there's enough money in the pot to give the management bonuses and parties. ;) Hope you make good progress on the bath this weekend.

Hellos to the rest of the chicks, I need to get myself some busy. Have a good weekend. :wave:

Michelle
Don't you over do on things this early after surgery.

Happy
You made me laugh out loud talking about how the guys who grunt when they are lifting weights etc. Think it's just the testosterone in them wanting to impress whoever is in the room. :lol: The guy in Yoga class sound like the Aflac commercial with the duck falling asleep. Don't give up on the gym or your trainer just yet. I would have a talk to him though. He's supposed to spot you and tell you what you are doing wrong etc.

Shad
Those are some big gecko's. I would have turned around and ran.

--------
If it were not so windy and cold. I'd try my hand at raking the leaves that have refilled my lawn from off the big piles that were raked to the curb the other day. Doesn't even looked like I've done anything.

Happy ~ Yeah thats a good idea....Thanks

Good Morning chicks :yawn::yawn:
I've missed u all... TY for the 'hello's' :df: to me. I'm awake in bed w a headache trying to fall asleep till 8am/breakfast & I needed to have Me some CHICKS time :bubbles: Soo much has happened since my last visit the day before turkey-day, good/funny & bad in my life, I'm not gonna tell ya & bore yall right now. I'll share some sprinkles w ya during my next few posts. I'm going back to read allll your posts later today & catch up w u. I sprained/bruised the end of my left foot that connects our 3 middle piggies together, going down several flights of stairs the Monday after turkey-day AFTER my doctor appt. :rofl: I wasn't wearing sneakers on the stairs :frypan: or that injury wouldn't have happened. Soo ever since I'm using a cane & limping in pain, I can't carry my work w crutches, so a cane is my only option. Sometimes my dh picks me up & carries me places & if he's home he'll carry my work projects for me. It'll prob b 2 more weeks till my foot can hold my body weight again. ALWAYS wear your sneakers on stairs, u could snap/break a toe or sprain your foot :cry::cry: It takes me 3x longer to move, so every ounce of energy I've had I've given for my clients orders this last 2 weeks. Dh is demanding I shut-down or he'll hide this tablet from me.
I Luv u all & I'm going to force myself today to start taking a hour's break when I'm getting exhausted, so today I'll use it catching-up w your lives :hug::sunny:

Good morning! Today's is DH's prep for tomorrow's colonoscopy so we are sticking close to home today.

That is ok as I have presents to start wrapping and other things to do around the house. I need to spend a bit of time on line ordering the last of the gifts I want to get for my brother and his partner. They finally sent me some ideas for them.

I will also be working about 4 hours today so I can stay caught up at work since I will be out tomorrow.

I am out of "time off" due to how much time I have taken off for DH for doctor appointments and procedures. My bosses told me that for Monday I can count it as a sick day for myself and it will be an excused day off as we actually have a policy where the manager can approve things like that even if it isn't my sickness. If it involves taking care of a immediate family member in cases like they are in the hospital or can't drive after a procedure that sort of thing is allowable.

Thank you all for your kind remarks about my painting and the kudos that the VP gave.

Dee: I am sorry to hear about your foot. It takes a while for that sort of thing to heal because of the daily pressure we put on the foot. I wonder if a boot would help you? When I broke my pinky toe last spring, I ended up with so much pain along the side of my foot and they finally put me in a boot and it helped so much.

Terra: I'm glad to hear that going back to your old shoes helped with the blister. I'm also glad you were able to get your shopping done.

Ceejay: Good job for identifying that the Cokes and sweets were making you feel badly and that you are going to stay away from them. I get on that kick with too many of them every once in a while and it feels good at first and then I feel awful..draggy feeling, mean feeling, so tired, bloated...it's not worth it.

So, let's make a pack..no coke or sweets this week...I bet we feel better by Wednesday!

Annie: The church tea event sounds like such a wonderful time. How did the massages go? I love to pampering like that!

Laura: I'm thinking of upgrading to 2013 in a couple of weeks; the week after Christmas. I'll be at work that Monday and Tuesday and the office will be dead so I think I might do it then. We have it available and don't have to do it, but I like to be one of the early users in the company. How did it go for you?

I was thinking about your comments about your career and doing something that more fulfilling for yourself. Have you thought that maybe you don't have to do wait to do that? Here's my thinking..... You have a great job right now that affords you so many things and you aren't ready to step away from them yet but you want to try something new/more fulfilling. Why don't you look for something that you could give 1-3 hours of your time a week or so many hours a month and volunteer in that area. There are many non-profit places that could use help in their offices or with special projects were your current skills could be utilized and it could give you a chance to expand yourself in new places and see how other businesses do things.

I have thought about this for myself for sometime in the near future. I love meeting planning but I'm not sure I would want to do it all the time. I have thought I would like to work for the Chamber of Commerce or in a city's visitor bureau. I have thought about going to those two organizations and seeing if there was something I could do for them about 4-6 hours a month and do it for free, to get exposure to those two organizations.

At this point my job is too busy and I really need to start working harder and devoting more time to my weight-loss effort so I don't want to give up those 4-6 hours but at some point I will do this.

Just a thought/direction for you to think about.

Michelle: I'm glad to hear the appointment went well and you are cleared to workout. I am not surprised that you are exhausted in the evenings. You really are doing a lot for just 2 weeks post-op. Because it was laparoscopy you might not feel like you had surgery. I think a lot of people feel that way after laparoscopy procedures, but you need to remember, while you weren't cut on the outside of your body, your body was altered on the inside so it needs to heal, also anesthesia is not easy on a person and it take a while for it to get out of your body.

You are doing well....just keep taking care of you. I'm praying for your friend Bob, please keep us updated on him. Let him know there are a bunch of women praying for him and he is on our hearts...we believe he can have an amazing life going forward and we are pulling for him.

Happy: I am more than a little mad that the trainer did not respect your time with him. I think I would let him know about it and ask that he give you a "make up" session free.

Shad: yikes on those creatures in your yard!! I hope your second week on the project goes smoothly and you can get those people whipped into shape! That is the way work goes...the project isn't that hard..it's the people! ;)

Susie ~ Yeah I'm glad I'm still able to wear my old shoes and they dont hurt my feet when I've been walking for a long time like my new shoes do. I'm glad I was able to get my shopping done too.

Hi ladies....

quick check in. I'm exhausted as usual. Seems like I run out of energy by 5 pm. I'm going to skip the hospital tomorrow. I'm sure Bob will understand as he wants me to make sure I'm taking care of myself too. I might hit the gym in the morning, and then I hope to go to my Stepmom's. We've been playing a lot of Scrabble since my surgery. We're very evenly matched. The last few times we've played our final scores have been within 5-10 points of each other. She'd like me to help her decorate for Christmas. I was going to do it today while I was there, but it was too difficult with Santa there getting into things...so tomorrow, it's day care for him, and then I'll be able to help her. It will be fun since she's got the nicest decorations, and I've already done the little bit of decorating in my house.

Santa and I had our picture taken with Santa Claus. My Santa is a lot more photogenic than I am. I'll get the digital pictures on Friday, and I'll post the best one here.

================
Susie - Sending good thoughts for your DH's colonoscopy. The prep is the worst part of the whole thing.

Happy - Bummer that the trainer/owner didn't respect your time. Aaargh.

I'll try and do more personals tomorrow.

Much love to all,

Evening all,

So tired tonight. Just going to change and hop into bed. I've been in a class all day that was completely useless.
It started late because no one knew where the room was, and when we finally found it, there was no projector and the trainer didn't show up for another half hour. Then they started on about something which was meant to happen but was never realistic. I had to stop them yakking at one point (and it wasn't even my class) They were going on and on about something that they would like to but which won't get changed. I just got to the point where I was about to move out, when I suddenly decided to take matters into my own hands and told them that since we were running up to an hour late at this time, was it at all feasible that we might talk about the subject matter for which we were there to learn. That shut them up somewhat I can tell you. Then the trainer had to disappear for 2 hours for another appointment and didn't resurface for 4 hours and in the mean time we had this man who, although enthusiastic, is about the worst trainer I have ever had the misfortune to listen to. Added to which he has a thick Bangladeshi accent which makes him difficult to listen too. So I went back to the office at lunchtime and had a whinge. Naughty Shad. For my problems I now have some more work to do! Goodonya.

So I will do personals later. Seems like everyone is going okay anyway. I'll be back tomorrow hopefully with something witty.

Monday, Monday...here we go again...

SHADDIE... well it you are taking training? Or you need to be training these slugs? haha. No wonder you are worn out. Hope you got some good rest.

HAPPY...maybe make it clear when you make your next appointment with the gym dude, that he needs to devote your appointment time with YOU, and not chatted all afternoon with others. Only say it in a nice way, lol. RE: Grunting men, I don't know what it is but when the men in my life do anything, work, play, exercise, they are always noisy. Maybe that is the criteria for moving for them.

CAROL SUE...thank you for the positive input on the surgery. I pray it goes well for me also and I will ask my doc at the pre-op appt about the scar tissue on the cervix. That sounds like a negative side to this procedure.

CHELLE...can't wait to see your Santa pictures with Santa/you. I bet they are adorable. Any luck getting the pictures posted on a flash drive for me?
Enjoy your time off with step-momma, good that you have enough energy to help her with decorating.

TERRA...how's the feet coming along?

SUSIE...prayers for DH and hoping they find nothing inside. The massages were wonderful. We were a couple limp noodles the rest of the day but managed to make it to lunch and a bit of shopping.

DEE...hope everything is going well for you in your neck of the woods.

CEEG..maybe call the sanitation dept before you rake and ask them to come out on a specific day or what day might they get to your leaves before you rake them. Save time or having to do it over again. Bleh on doing it again.

LAURA...great job on the stairs. I imagine BF put the wrong batteries in the scales if they scales did not say what you wanted them to say...lol

I will post my weekend later, gotta get at it.

Have a marvelous Monday/night.

Annie ~ My blister is getting better each day, Thanks for asking

Good morning girls,

Sort of a foggy / snowy day today. We got a light bit of snow overnight. This is a more typical winter so far (thank GOD!) milder temperatures around average and it might even get a bit warmer later in the week and melt some of this stuff. The bad part is that some of the streets have gotten a bit slick where the sun wasn't shining enough to melt the snow and it packed down as ice. You have to be very careful in the 2 parking spots right in front of the thrift shop - I was helping a lady with donations yesterday and we both were doing that slip slide careful walking. We had enough customers to make it worthwhile to be open yesterday. Also a friend showed up to work with me so it was nice to sit and visit with her too. I was supposed to go for another gym training today early but had to cancel. The cat climbed up on my last night and I crossed my leg in my sleep and hyperextended my knee for the better part of the night. It's very tender right now. I would have gone later this afternoon but they are having their annual holiday party at noon so not only would he be busy but the lot will be no doubt crowded with cars and it's a small lot. I'm hoping I can meet with him on Thursday. Will stop at the gym early on Wednesday before yoga class and get a little extra work out time in. There's an exercise ball workout class at 9 on Thursday - maybe I could see him afterwards which would be great. DH picked me up yesterday and we decided to go out for a burger at a favorite bar. It was the one with our Australian bartender who was not there when we arrived. Turns out we missed her by an hour - she had a family situation and has decided to return to Australia - yesterday was her last day and she asked to leave early. We were bummed out to miss her as we really liked her. We did get her email so at least we will get to say goodbye. :( She kept her plans quiet and we haven't been there in 3 weeks - had we known we would have made an effort to get to see her one last time.

Terra - glad you foot is feeling better - I guess you just had to stay off of it for a while to heal up. And perhaps you should consider returning the new shoes if they are a bad fit.

Annie - you made me laugh today with your comment about Laura's BF using the wrong batteries since the scale didn't work give the right readout :rofl: Oh, if only it were that easy, right? :D Glad you had a nice girl's day out with Sissy. Remember to glug the water after a massage.

Shad - what a total screw up on the class! We had several Indian trainers at my last job. I had a most horrid time trying to keep up with the fast talking and the thick accents. I imagine you get a lot of that by you.

Michelle - how nice that you spend some time with your stepmom. Scrabble is a good way to keep the brain active! Not that you don't have enough going on right now. Enjoy the decorating!

Susie - good thoughts and all for DH's colonoscopy. Hope all goes well. That's a bummer that you are out of time off - he's not had a good year medically but with all the extra time you put in (which I'm sure they are aware of) I'm glad they will work with you on a flexible schedule. It's not like you ever let the ball drop or leave your duties for someone else to deal with. I really loved your advice to Laura about the career changes, volunteering and getting some experience as well as a taste of other things to come. Very sound ideas!

Dee - glad to hear from you again. So sorry to hear about your foot injury. You have such a busy life I can't imagine having to deal with this but then again, life tends to throw us curveballs occasionally. I do agree with you about the importance of wearing shoes. I can't go barefoot anymore and when I see the young girls or anyone for that matter wearing those blasted flip flops, I cringe. A lot of people have stumbled and really hurt themselves with those. Feel better soon!

Ceejay - hope you made some headway with those darned leaves. Yes, I used to hate when we'd clean up the yard, the winds would kick up and the lawn was covered with OTHER PEOPLE's :mad: leaves! Looks like it's been on the chilly side down your way. Brrr.

Laura - I'm sure we are posting over each other. I will have to submit this and then catch up with you.

Think I'll go have an egg or two and one of my Florida oranges - or even a grapefruit although I'd prefer the orange. I'll be back later. :wave:

Morning all. Quick check in. Our performance self-assessments are due today, so I have to get busy with that.

Happy - I get furious when people waste my time like that gym manager did. He needs to know that's unacceptable, especially if your future sessions are paid ones.

Shad - What a colossal waste of time that training session was. How frustrating.

Terra - Good for you to increase the chair exercises if you can't do any walking.

Susie - I hope DH's colonoscopy goes/went well! I think your employer should be very willing to extend you compensatory time off for all the OT you work, in lieu of the OT pay if that's what it takes.

Annie - Unfortunately, my scale at home has always been very consistent, so it (or the battery) can't take the blame.

Michelle - Hope you're getting your rest. I agree with the others - Even if you wake up feeling great, you still need your recovery time. Enjoy the decorating with your stepmom, minus Santa. Looking forward to the Santa photos.

Dee - So sorry to hear about your foot injury!!! :( I hope it feels better soon.

Ceejay - Bummer about having to rake twice. :mad: I would have thought whatever city department does the pickup in your town has a set schedule...Our village does the curbside sweeping/mulching for several weeks, and after that, they will pick up the leaves in yard waste bags - for free, no paid sticker required. This week is the last week for that, but our tree in back still isn't done dropping leaves. BF will have to rake/blow/bag what he can and that'll be it.

==
I had a good weekend, it just went too quickly.

I did my Jazzercise class on Saturday morning. We did some errands in the afternoon, including buying the paint for the half bath. I did some laundry and the dog walk while bf worked on the half bath.

Saturday night was dinner and seeing a band with friends. Great show - awesome musicians, and quite entertaining in a sometimes theatrical way. The band name is Here Come the Mummies, and they keep their identities a secret - they perform in mummy bandages. Yeh, I know it sounds goofy, but they are great musicians, and I have a feeling that their "day jobs" are high level studio musicians. Annie, they are playing in Indy on NYE!!

Yesterday I did more laundry. I finally got the bed set up with our new quilt set. Bf brought down the outdoor Christmas decorations (from the attic access above the garage). We changed out a couple bulbs from one of the hanging decorations and now we don't have to go out and buy another one to replace it.

We are hosting my side of the family on Christmas Eve and have been mulling what to serve for the main dish at dinner. We definitely won't do turkey, and prefer not to serve ham. Anybody have any ideas? We are thinking of having a rib roast (prime rib). It'll cost a bundle for one that's big enough to feed a group of 9, 4 of which are big eaters, but we want to have something special and different than turkey or ham.

We ordered pizza for dinner yesterday, but when bf was going to pick it up, the car wouldn't start. Grrr. We had the pizza delivered. Bf just learned that the mechanic we used for the last job had an injury and has decided to close up shop. Bf is now researching a new mechanic. Cars are such PITAs!

That's about it for me. Everyone have a great day.

Good morning ladies,

I just had my breakfast (1/3 c. 2% cottage cheese). I bought some little fruit cups of diced peaches in their own juice to eat with my cottage cheese in the morning (per the meal suggestions given to me by my doctor), and since I have to eat protein (cottage cheese) first, I only get to eat 1 or 2 of the diced pieces. One of those little fruit cups has lasted me 4 days and I still have half of it left!! LOL

I usually have yogurt as a mid-morning snack. Lunch is about 1/4 -1/3 c. canned tuna mixed with low-fat mayo with 2 baked Wheat Thins. Yogurt or cottage cheese for a mid-afternoon snack. Then I usually have the same for dinner. Because I'm only able to eat about 1/3 - 1/2 c. at a time, I'm not getting all the protein I need, so after dinner I have a protein shake.

I go back to work a week from Wednesday. Gee time has flown by! I may still have a lot of exhaustion and fatigue (like I'm having now), but at least I only work 3 days and then my company closes down for two weeks for Christmas and New Years! If I'm being honest, I'm really glad my company closes down for Christmas and New Years weeks. I honestly don't' think I'd have enough energy to work a straight 5 days yet. I've been doing WAY too much. But I don't know what to "give up" so I can have time to rest. I've got to get my Christmas shopping done and get packages mailed, and Christmas cards done. I want to support Bob and be there for him. I'm glad I'm having this time to spend visiting Bob and to spend time with my step-mom. I just have to find some balance so I don't get as exhausted. I haven't gone to the gym since Friday, and I really must get there, but I'm listening to my body today and just doing walking.

I'm not going over to my step-mom's until 1 after I drop Santa at day care, and because traffic gets horrendously bad starting at around 3, if I have the energy, I may stay through dinner-time. I know she's enjoying seeing me more often. She's enjoying our Scrabble games. And I know she misses her son (my step-brother who lives in Belize) isn't around for Christmas this year, and since she raised me since I was 10, I think she likes having one of her kids around.

===================
Annie - I'll get the flash drive out to you with your Christmas card. Is that ok? Sorry for the delay sista. Will you miss much work when you have your cone surgery?

Dee - Sorry to hear about your foot injury.

Happy - Your breakfast sounds really yummy! It would be great if you could meet with your trainer after the exercise ball class because then your muscles would be warmed up and ready to go. So sorry you missed seeing your Australian bartender friend. Like your gym, my gym has the grunters. When I'm working out with my trainer, I don't grunt...I just say profanities when I get to complete muscle fatigue. Not ladylike I know, but oh well. I'm looking forward to getting back to strength training. As for the snorer in Yoga, I've done that once or twice. Very embarassing.

Susie - I hope your DH's colonscopy goes well today. Bummer that you are out of time off, but I'm so glad that your boss is willing to work with you...you're always going above and beyond the call of duty. Thanks for the kind reminder that I have had major surgery and should listen to my body.

Shad - Bummer that your training was so useless. Training can be exhausting. Useless training is even worse. Sigh.

Terra - Good for you for doing chair exercises. I hope you're able to get back to your walking soon.

Ceejay - So frustrating when you rake and get the lawn all clear and then a bit of wind blows and it's covered within 1/2 hour. :faint:

Laura - I hear ya' on the career changes. I've had more than my share of job changes in the last few years, and I'm really hoping to stay in my current job for several years. I'd also like to work with animals (either as a vet tech - since I'm too old to spend years in vet school, or at a doggie day care, or something like that). Problem is, that would be a HUGE cut in pay. In my existing career, my skills aren't as fine-tuned as recent college grads, but I've got decades of practical work experience on my side. The other chicks have given you great suggestions about volunteering, or working part time or whatever. That sucks your car won't start AND your mechanic closed up shop. I'm so grateful that even after moving away for 12 years, my great mechanic from back then is still in business. Hopefully I won't need his help anytime soon though. Good luck with the performance self-assessment. I've always hated doing those.

I'm going to sign off, download the photos from DropBox so I can see how big of a Flash Drive I need to use, and try and start on my Christmas letter.

I really, really don't know how to thank you all for the love, support and encouragement you've given me.

Much love and really big hugs to all,

Whoopity do da, they came and got the leaves. I called again this morning. He hemmed hawd around but late this afternoon I heard the truck. I mulched most of the leaves that blew back into the yard with the lawn mower. Told him that I would call every day that the leaves were not picked up. He saw me out working a couple of times this afternoon. Guess he was waiting for me to get through.

-------
Shad
I thought you were supposed to be the trainer! Yeah for telling them to be quiet. Someone had to.

Michelle
It's always fun to help someone else decorate for Christmas. Could you go see your friend three times per week instead of every day. You really need to rest some more. I'm proud of the fact that you have started your exercise again.

Susie
I hope that DH's colonoscopy went well today.

Terra
As daddy used to say you must go to bed with the chickens to be able to get up at 4 a.m. and have enough sleep. I got up at my regular time this morning, answered a couple of text and said I'm going back to bed. It's my last day of freedom. Slept till 10 a.m.

Laura
Yum on the prime rib for Christmas Eve dinner.

Happy ~ Someone on 3FC said to wear my new shoes around the house to break them in so I'm gonna try that first and then if I still get blisters, I'll return them if its not too late at that time.

Laura ~ Thanks, I thought it was a good idea to increase my chair exercises until I can do my walking dvd again.

Michelle ~ Thanks for commenting on doing my chair exercises but I hope to get back to walking soon too.

Ceejay ~ I've never heard of that saying, Thanks for telling me about it. What do you mean its your last day of freedom?

Good Morning Peeps!

TERRA....I wouldn't even try the shoes again and maybe get a blister. I would just take them back or exchange them. Why submit yourself to another shot at a blister? Maybe get a wide shoe or go a half size bigger. That is what I do on most shoes anyway. It feels so much better.

CEEG...victory on the leaf pick up. Bout time. We don't have leaf pick up but thank God we do not have many leaves either.

CHELLE...TAKE CARE OF YOU FIRST, otherwise you will be in no position to visit/help others. RNY is a MAJOR surgery even tho it doesn't necessarily feel like it. Recovery time is important for you, more than ever. Slow down and get your rest, and give your body time to heal. Do you want to end up back in the hospital? I think not. Ok, lecture over. Hugs...xoxo

LAURA...sounds like you should be wrapping up the half bath before too long now. Are you talking about the bathroom just off the living room? As for suggestions for Christmas dinner...I am serving Mexican, Christmas Tacos. lol, just enough red and green in there for the holidays.

HAPPY...your winter sounds similar to ours, only without the inches of snow, but the slipping and sliding in the mornings, I certainly can relate to as the driver's here think it means go faster and drive even more idiotic. I call them bastroids, that is a cross between B*st*rds and hemrroids. ba haha. Have you chatted with the trainer yet? Or do you want me to?

SHADDIE...hope they are not holding you hostage. YIKES.

Hellos to DEE and SUSIE..

In the lobby today they had tenant appreciation day with Starbucks coffee, hot chocolate or hot apple cider. Donuts from Long's bakery. I forewent the donuts but did have some apple cider. Google Long's baker in Indy. People come from all around to buy them and even stand in lines to get them. Frankly, I do not see the attraction, but then again I do not like donuts or sweets really.

Yesterday was my 3 mo anniversary here at WF. I am still loving the job and my co-workers. One co-worker came by today to get me to go down to the lobby for goodies. Surprised me as we normally only say good morning to each other every day. How nice was that?

We got our tree up, I got a real bargain for it at Menards (hardware). It is a 5 1/2 foot (I like them short and fat) tree. Really full. $14.94, pretty cheap for a real tree around here. Have not lighted it or decorated it yet as I want to get more lights first. It is really pretty tho. I will try to post it later after it is decorated. Had to get another stocking for the window for Royce as he didn't come til March after the holiday last year.

Church was amazing last Sunday. It was about peace and the birth of Jesus. The entire month revolves around the birth of Jesus at church, but the biggest thing that happened was Curtis rededicated his life to the Lord and went up front to be prayed over, I went with him as did my friend Betty who introduced us to the church. The entire time Pastor Kris was talking to C and then praying over him, I bawled like a big baby. So touching and my heart was swollen with love.

Guess I better get busy, my boss will be here soon.

Hugs.

DEE....my siggie line is after I had Bariatric surgery. My doc wants me around 175-180, and that is where I feel good. So I need to lose about 30-35 lbs to get back to that. I suppose I need a new siggie line, however I was so proud of that one. lol. Sorry about your friend being so pressuring to you on the missionary trip. How NOT christain she is by treating you that way. If I were you I would find another place to sit for the gala. I have no plans for parties, dances or galas this year. So I will wear my sweats. haha. Hope things get better for you all the way around. Hugs

Good afternoon all. Two meetings this morning & one this afternoon, all bears. I'll be back.tomorrow to catch up with you. :wave:

Dee
I have a neighbor who is similar to your friend wanting me to pay for everything. She invited herself out to eat with me Thursday but I said no. I'm learning. If you have to move to a different part of the room do so but enjoy yourself.
I'm not sure they make my bike anymore. It's called the Stamina bike. It's like an eliptical but I get to sit down. Really good for both upper and lower body.

Annie
I'm proud of you and C. Unfortunately the church I attend doesn't do any Christmas stuff. But I really enjoy going with my sister to their church during this time of the year.

Terra
I went to bed last night at 7.30 p.m. I had a splitting headache. Probably from the mold on the leaves. I'm proud of any one who can go to bed early.
My last day of freedom means I have to go to work tomorrow.
----
Back to work today. Not much going on in which I'm thankful. Two days a week would be perfect for me. If I could find a job that paid as well as this one does. I'm rested both mentally and physically, even though I work outside for a couple of hours.
I really hate that I made an appointment with the dermatologist for Thursday. I'm thinking about calling and cancelling it. I will need to go next month to my regular doctor for refills.

Dee
The Stamina Airgometer bike is similar to the bike I have. This one is newer than mine.

Hi. Thank you all for praying and thinking of ua yesterday. DH got a good report yesterday.
They did remove 5 small polyps. They always send then off but the doctor said that he wasn't concerned at all and would see him in 5 years.
Now we can schedule the surgery to repair the colovesicular fistula after the 1st of the year.

It was a long work day today so I will do them tomorrow.

Evening all,
Busy, busy day at work today. Got to work early. Got set down with a couple of documents only to get my lady boss ask me to comment on a powerpoint presentation. I really shouldn't open my mouth and brain because I then got to put the mess right and before lunch please. Ye gods. Got that done only to find that they (2 bosses) wanted a demonstration of a time fence line in MRP in SAP. I'm not going to explain it again. Just be assured it exists. So I stood there in front of about 5 people (3 with mouth open) and explained the process. Then answered the questions. Then went to a meeting where we decided who was going to document what. Seems I have something like 300+ simulations to complete, another 10 or so powerpoints presentations and a series of manuals. Okay. Give me another keyboard and I will use my toes. They don't seem to believe I will get it done. I should start taking bets on it. Enough of work. Tomorrow is a home going day and the gutter man will be there tomorrow as well. Over the weekend, I have a mountain of stuff to do so I better get some sleep on the plane.

Susie - so glad to hear all is well with the DH. Must be a load of your mind. My brother gets polyps as well. He's had several removed from time to time.

Annie - well done on the 3 months anniversary. Since you are going back tomorrow, I guess you passed the test? Glad you had a good time at Church - even if it did reduce you to tears.

Ceejay - yea for the leaves going. We don't have much in the way of autumn here. Generally the new leaves push the old ones off. Or the trees only lose their leaves when the wind blows in the spring. We are an upside down place. Many don't lose leaves at all. I just pick up the ones on the path and the road and put them on the garden. They provide good mulch.

Michelle - seems like you are taking to this new way of eating well. 13.5lb is good going. How are you going at the scrabble. Most Americans over here refuse to play, since we keep telling them they can't spell and the word is wrong. English it ain't

Laura - Roast beef sounds nice. If you like them, make some Yorkshire puddings to go with them and the gravy. Actually I think I would go for the beef and a whole lot of different warm salads.

Dee - I obviously don't have the patience that you do. I would have torn strips off your 'friend' who isn't a friend at all if she is trying to push you into something you can neither afford or need. She would be a currently ex friend of mine after that. Ignore her. Sit where you want to sit. You have other friends I hope.
I grow all sorts of plants. Occasionally I get the heirloom type tomatoes but generally I just dig in some of the last crop and get free ones. Better than buying the wee darlings. I've nearly given up on seedlings and now plant seeds - get lots of results with beans, potatoes, and tomatoes. I have a few problems with carrots for some reason. And they don't take long to get to the same growth rate as the seedlings.

Happy - Hope the knee is okay again. Sorry your Aussie mate is gone, but they come and they go. She may be back when she sorts out the family stuff.

Okay, better get off here and get my packing done. Tomorrow is another day and I want an early night tonight. See ya