Hi Jolly

:cp: about the gym today already. And It doesn't seem as if you really had to drag yourself out the door to get there. That is great. Do you find that you have more energy throughout the day when you work out in the morning?
I think I will start walking the dog early in the morning. I do need to find some extra energy somewhere. Maybe that is the place to start.

Hellllooooo to everyone else. Hope all is good with everyone.

Kathy

Good morning, Kathy. Yes, I do find I have a better day if I exercise in the morning. I am not a morning person, but I do find it harder to exercise later in the day, because so much is going on at night. Work, the horse, choir, etc. So I forced myself to start working out in the mornings. I do find that I am a lot more centered when I work out regularly. Even if I am eating too much to see results of working out on the scale. Plus then I can go home at night and veg out on the couch and not feel guilty - I have exercised.

Not today though. A fine fall cold has been going around my staff. I woke up this morning feeling icky. I tried to convince myself to go in for a bit, but took some cold medicine and an extra half hour nap instead. I am riding again tonight, so that will be some exercise at least.

I wish I knew where everyone else had gotten too. I miss having everyone to chat to. Chachee, Raven, Happy, Hippee????? Where are all you wonderful people? Need to hear from you.

Have a great day.

Hello ladies!

I swear, I'm here! I have been lurking, but not posting.

Quite honestly, I have just not had the time lately to get on the computer and type all I want to type. It's crazy around my house with my hubby leaving for two weeks this coming Monday. He has classes he need to take for his job. Good news is that I might actually get things accomplished I need to get done. Bad news is he will be gone, so I am the Head Honcho and no one else to help me out with my son and dogs. We'll see how it goes.

My sciatica is better, but is still lingering. I'm trying to take it easy with exercise, but it's hard to not exercise. I am trying to do more walking and that seems to help.

I will probably be just lurking and occassionally posting for the next while. I just gotta get organized and have some better time management.

I am thinking of you all often and wish you all the best of luck with everything. I'll try to post when I have some free time.

Chachee

Hi ladies... lots of catching up to do, so this will be long, I guess!

Well, I'm feeling better. I've been making my lists and crossing things off. The stress is just starting to ease up a bit. I still need to get my car in for the emissions test tomorrow, but my boss is letting me use the company truck till I get it tested and get my new registration. I can drive at least without trying to swivel my head 360 degrees the entire time I'm in the car.

I have made small steps towards improving my finances and my eating. I have shaken the fast food demon again, and have brought my own food to work all week. Admittedly, it is not the lowest calorie food, but that isn't my main concern right now. Small steps. First just get back into the routine of cooking and eating at home, as well as bringing the much more healthy home cooked lunches rather than ordering pizza or fast food for dinners and lunches. Just those couple things alone have really relieved a lot of stress. I still have a long ways to go to get back on track, but I feel like at least I'm heading in the right direction. Work has been a total stress-factory, and yesterday one of the guys from engineering came out to the plant and brought *gasp* donuts for us all. I melted down and had THREE of them. Horrors. Oh well. :D Like I said, I'm just really happy that for 4 days in a row, I've avoided buying any fast food at all, and I want to continue that. I do need to work on my water consumption, that should probably be my next issue to deal with.

The 'tupid pup (Artemis) seems to be getting a glimmering of a clue on this potty training issue. She still will go in the garage if we're not quick enough getting her from the crate to the door, but she WILL go outside now, whereas before she was actually holding it till she got back into the garage. The night before last, though, she decided to wake up at 1:30 in the morning and start barking. She barked and howled (which got my great dane howling, too) till about 4:30 a.m. The garage, and her crate (and my great dane right now) are right under my bedroom. Needless to say, I didn't get much sleep. I swore if she did it again last night I was going to go out today and buy a cattle prod. :devil: Fortunately, she was as quiet as could be, and even did all her business outside this morning, and after she ate and played for a while and had a drink and a cheesie snack, kenneled back up just like a doll, and that was that. Maybe there's hope for her yet?

I was also blessed with a wonderful riding experience on Monday night. Well, and one on Sunday with my pony, too. Sunday my daughter was giving me a really hard time about not riding much after my last fall. That fall scared me more than I thought it had because of the cracking sound in my back when I fell. I realize I just popped my back, no big deal, but the "what ifs" came to haunt me. What if I really HAD broken my back? I had a long talk with Arashi Sunday morning. I cried, and I told him how much I loved him, but that I would be too darn scared to ride him if he didn't stop acting like a moron and tossing me off over silly stuff. I apologized for not being a better rider, but that BECAUSE I wasn't a very good rider, he needed to take care of me. I cried because I didn't have him when I was 12 and totally fearless and athletic and could ride nearly anything. And I cried over the irony of FINALLY having my OWN horse, and being too scared to ride him. And when I took him out into the ring, my daughter asked me if I was going to ride, and I explained the fears to her. And bless her heart, whether she really meant it or was just being nice - she empathized and told me she understood about fear, but that I needed to remember what I had struggled to teach my kids, and that was that fear is ok. Fear is normal and acceptable. Letting fear stop you from doing something you want to do is NOT acceptable. And she is right. And so she got up on Arashi first, just to make sure he wasn't going to act like a stupid idiot. And he didn't. Not only did he not act like an idiot, but the first steps he took away from the mounting block were GREAT BIG steps so that he would be absolutely sure to step over it, not trip on it. I think that's when I realized that he really did feel bad about what had happened. Horses are smarter, I think, than many people give them credit for. When I got up on him, he didn't move at all, and bless his heart (and thank you Jolly for your helpful hints and tips) he's even starting to leg yield for me. No, it's not perfect, and yes, he's still a little unsure of whether he's doing what I want him to do, but ... he did it. I was so proud I got goosebumps. We worked on slow figure eights and leg yielding and just walking over the really low jumps. He was absolutely an angel. And I was euphoric. Then Monday the kids were to have their lesson, but I got roped into part of it too. Rosa made us all ride bareback!! She used Cookie, the wonderful old grey mare, and we each took about a half hour turn working on the lunge line and free walking bareback. She made me close my eyes and hold my arms straight out to my sides, and it was amazing. I had so forgotten how it felt to really FEEL a horse like that. And when Nickie rode... wow. She was doing a bareback posting trot, and I was impressed. Machine worked on his trot too, but not posting, but he was thrilled at being able to do a bareback sitting trot, and I was really proud that he had the guts to try it first time. Tonight we're off to the stables again. I hope the weather holds!

Lucky - How are the ponies?? When do we get pics!? I'm with you on the "uh oh we may end up keeping this dog" issue. I had really wanted something totally tiny and cute like a min-pin or a pug or something, though. Plus I was really hoping to find a better home for this one, she's half greyhound and half husky (near as we can tell) and really needs to have room to run. I'll have to post some pictures of her, she's just beautiful. But I don't feel like I can give her the best home... a good one, no doubt, but I'd love to see her with someone who had time to work with her - more than I do. She has such potential as a working dog or frisbee dog or something. We shall see. :)

Hippy - It sounds like your brother will be better off without his stbx, but you're right - it sucks that she's putting his child in the middle of it all. That's not fair. I hope a good lawyer can straighten things out.

Happy - How is your husband doing on his new plan? I'd gladly send our 70s weather your way! I'm sick of it!! It's freaking November already, get over the heat. I want the 50s and 60s and that crisp feeling... right now it's just humid and yucky.

Chachee - Hope everything is going ok for you! I know how hard it is to be so busy you can't find time to breathe, let alone sit down and post.

Jolly - How are you feeling? I hope better. You sing in a choir?? That is so cool! I've always loved to sing, just can't read music worth a darn. I agree with you on the working out. I'm not sure what it is about getting the body going like that first thing in the morning, but if I can drag myself into it, the effects last the rest of the day. And if I do it regularly, like you, the energy and the stress relief are very, very noticeable. I need to pick a day soon to start making it a point to get in at least 20 minutes 5 times a week. That's a nice, slow start.

Back to work... today is one of those days where you start one thing, then get interrupted by three other things, start them, then get interrupted by two or three more things... pretty soon you're in the middle of 15 different things. None of which were what you were intending to do when you came into work in the first place! *bark* :lol:

Hope everyone is doing really well!

Good morning everyone. I am so glad to hear from everyone.

I am feeling a bit better today. Not great though. I didn't make it to the gym again. I am either going to go to the gym or the barn after work tonight. Whichever I feel up to. My eating is off right now too. Not good. I am just trying to get plenty of sleep, and feel better. And not go crazy because I haven't heard about hte job thing yet. Ah well. If it is meant to be, it will be. Stressing out won't make it happen any sooner.

That's about all I have for right now. I need to do some work, as I bailed early yesterday to go sleep. I will check in later.

I MISSED you guys so much!!

I am sorry there are some not feeling people here..

Jolly i hope you feel better..I missed ya girl!!

Lucky you were so sweet to send me pm ...made my day!!

Raven..loved your journal about the callings. I was so floored by what you were feelings

Chcahee..where is your hubby going??

I know i missed about 4 other of you..please forgive me..i only went bakc a apge..i missed you all!!


Tracy

Good Morning everyone

Just thought I would pop in quick before I have to run off to work.

Hey Tracy how are you. Great to hear from you. How is life going? Is it a little less hectic now?

Jolly I hope you are feeling better. How come a person can come down with a sickness in a day, but it takes days to get over it?
NO name for a pony yet and we have to register him very soon as soon as the papers come. Any ideas. I will try and get the pics posted today after supper when I am off work. I was thinking Rambunctious (sp?) Kristi does like that also. Or Skipper. Its funny because she will work with him and he does everything that is asked of him, then suddenly he starts to kick up his feet and run around and just be goofy, then he comes back and stands beside her and away they go again.

Raven what a wise daughter you have. I am so sorry that you have been going through that. But I am so glad that Rosa made you do that. I can tell when Kristi has had a stressfull day because that is the first thing she does with Lucky. Arms straight out and in a canter away she goes. Amazing her total trust in that horse and he never lets her down when she is riding like that. I on the other hand have a heart attack. Also if she is not jumping with proper form, Linda has the girls jump with one hand behind their backs. Amazing how this will correct the problem.
I am also feeling for you for the dog. We have a Husky and if someone would have told us the amount of exercise they need! I can't imagine adding greyhound in with the mix. And the howl-oh can they howl. I can go on and on about the bad BUT boy do they give the love back. And they let you know they love all in the family.

Chachee it is so great to hear from you. We have been missing you also. It will be great that you will be Head of Household :queen: for a little bit. You and your son will have fun together. Then when your hubby gets home the crown gets happily handed back over. Let us know how things are going.

Hippy how are things going for your family? Hope all is well.

Hi Happy, hope all is well with you also.

Have a great weekend everyone.
Kathy

Hi Everyone,

I am just trying to post some pictures.

The first picture is of Kristi and Lucky. This next one is of little no name although he does look bigger in pictures than he really is.

Heres another of little noname.

One more of Lucky

Lucky, gorgeous horses there! Tracy, great to hear from you again, congrats on passing your class, wish mine were over already, I am soooooo behind. Hope you are feeling better Jolly. And Raven, I'm so happy to hear that you summoned up the courage to get back on Arashi again. Chachee hope the head Honcho stuff is not wearing you out.

Sorry for the quick post, it's after 1am and I have to get up at 5:30 because the workmen are coming to remodel our basement. Just wanted to poke in and say hi. Will try to get back here tomorrow.

Hi all. So glad to hear from everyone. Tracy, how have things been going? I never have time to check peoples journals. So I can't keep up unless its here. Lucky, your babies are gorgeous. What fun! Raven, good job on Arashi.

I am just dealing with still not hearing anything about hte job, feeling sick, worrying about money, and having no social life. What fun. I am trying to work out a few things right now. We shall see how it goes. Hopefully, things will look up soon.

Take care all. have a great day.

Good morning everyone.

Hope everyone is having a great day.

Happy how are the renovations going on the house? How is it going with DH and you together eating healthy?

Chachee how are you doing? We are thinking of you!

Jolly how are you feeling? It must be getting stressfull in itself just waiting to hear about the job, not to mention everything else you are worrying about. I hope that everything works itself out really soon for you.
Have you still been making it to the gym? I got a free 3 day pass for the gym here so I am going to go for the rest of this week.

Raven how are things going for you? How is that website comming along. Have you been riding Arashi a little more now? How has he been doing? Have you been on Shadow for a ride?

Hippy how is everything going at your house? Has your brother had a visit with his son yet? Let us know how your doing when you have a little time.

Well I must run and get caught up on the housework.

Talk to you all later

Kathy

Good morning everyone. Hope everyone is ok.

I worked up a weekly menu and workout sheet. So far, so good. Doing a lot better with my eating because of it. And exercising too. I didn't make it to the gym this morning - I had a lot of chest congestion with this cold. But I packed my bag to go get a quick workout after work today. I have to keep it short, due to working 3rd shift tonight, but will at least go. I am eating a bit more sugars right now, again due to the cold and medicines making me sleepy, but overall am doing better. I am looking up diabetic guidelines on portions too. First is to make and stick with menus - even budgeting in out to eat times. Then, work on portion sizes. Lastly, I will try to decrease my salt intake - I LOVE salt. I just can't deal with that one right now though. I would go nuts. Or nutsier.;) Who knows? I am also making plans to try one of those speed dating things in January. This is totally not me. I am kind of shy. It takes me awhile to get to know people, then you can't shut me up. So, even though this idea is scary, it will (hopefully) teach me to open up to people quicker, get and share information, and really schmooze. this should help in other areas too, as right now the biggest regret I have is that while I know I can do the job I interviewed for, I don't think I did a good job of convincing them that. We shall see.

Have a good day all. Hope to hear from more of you later.