It's a beautiful day here in Arkansas. I'm feeling really good today. I had my first real session with the workout program yesterday and did pretty well. My girlfriend threw up though. I felt sorry for her. I'm doing a spin class today. I ate pizza yesterday, but still stayed around 1600 calories so that wasn't too bad. The trainer said that our workouts should burn around 700 calories.

Paige-I actually had a little time to change my avatar too.

Lori-I wasn't able to view the pics either.....only a small red x. That is wonderful that you are in the 130's! I'm so happy for you! :D

Kerry-Sounds like you had a fun weekend and if I looked like you, I'd be perfectly happy with maintaining. Zac is feeling better and he does have allergies, so that could be it. He inherited the dreaded allergy problems from me unfortunately. That was a great story. I'm glad your niece is O.K. That shows how important it is for everyone to know CPR.

Julie-Sounds like you're doing great with your workouts. I usually exercise Mon-Fri. It seems to be harder for me to find time on the weekends since I work.

Marie-I could not imagine snow right now....that stinks! A cruise to Alaska sounds like a lot of fun. I hope Goldie is feeling better.

Judy-Good luck Thursday!

Lori--congratulations on reaching 130! I guess that means that your ship has come in :)

Kerry--I'm so glad that you are able to share a good story about your niece instead of a sad one! I hope none of the kids are too traumatized.

Kim--a workout that burns 700 calories, wow! I can't imagine my body working so hard. You've really shown a lot of dedication. One of my co-workers here loves spinning, her eyes light up with an eerie glow whenever she talks about it....actually, it's a little frightening....

It's officially summer in DC, if the temperature is over 90 degrees. Time to take a walk and head to Curves.

Have a good evening, everybody!
:wave:
judy

I didn't read the story yet, but will later tonight, but how scary! That just sends shrills up my arms!!! My oldest son went under and the teenager in the pool just stood there. Thank goodness I was on the deck, you know how they say about super strength, well I had it. I bent down and grabbed him by one arm and picked him straight up and swung him to where I was standing. And trust me, my kids were never light weights!

Judy, not at 130 yet, I'm at 139 so I have 9 more to go! It will probably take the rest of the summer, but hey what the heck. I like the co-worker's twinkle, I almost spit my coffee on the screen :lol: !!!

My kids are dying to get out of here tonight, how funny! There first night of summer break and they both want to leave.

Kim, your poor friend! I hope she dosen't give up that's really though! You keep he motivated and let her know that it's ok to toss her cookies. I don't think many of us could keep up either!!! Glad Zach's feeling better!!!

I can't tell at work, the red X is on almost all pictures! So it's so hard to know. I was affraid of that when I loaded them, but I'm just learning so I'll get it.

Ok, I've got tons to do tonight, I'll check back later!!!

Ok the pictures appear to be working now!
http://users.adelphia.net/~lmatis/

Hey everyone just a quick post. We just got home alittle while ago from DD's dance recital. I feel like I can breathe again...it has been insane and she is only 4. I had to rush from work and pick them up at 12:00 but I had to stop off at the store and get a few last minute things that she had to take with her and then order her flowers so that I could pick them up on the way. We got home and I had to get her costume on and her makeup!!! Putting makeup on a 4 year old is not an easy task...but it was accomplished and yes she looked like a hooker...but she fit in with all the others so I quess I did a good job. Then she had a hair appointment at 1:30 then we had to pick up her flowers...and then I had to drop her off at 2:30 for rehersal. And of course they were performing downtown where the Houston Ballet performs...I dropped her off and went and parked the car in the underground parking and got lost!!!! Felt like an idiot!!! Then we rushed over to Spagetti Warehouse for a quick dinner and then back to the theatre for the 7:00 show and we got home at 11:00!!!! What a day!!!! Anyway things should calm down alot now that this recital is over!!! I'm off to bed.

Lori - We can see the photos. Yay! That is quite a view you have there. Where were you? I guess I never realized that area is so picturesque.

Paige - That is quite a day you had. Phew! It sounds like it went well and you sound so proud. That's great! You probably burnt lots calories in all that madness.

Judy - I see you're having the same weather we are right now. It's hot and sticky. It keeps raining every evening just to keep the humidity high. :lol:

Kim - That's awful about your friend. I hope that's not a regular thing for her when she works out. I once ran track with a girl that threw up everytime she worked out hard. We'd run a couple miles then she'd puke and feel better. I always felt awful for her.

Thanks for the kind words about my family. We are still pretty shook up about it. The really awful part is that there were three grown women (her mother included) sitting on the deck by the pool with the baby fell in and the 7 year old was the only one paying enough attention to go after her. Poor Madeline will never get to be a child because her mother is one. I just know I wouldn't have wanted to be on the receiving end of the wrath my brother laid into his wife. She's wracked with guilt now as well she should be. Maybe this will help her wake up and be a better mother, but I doubt it. We're talking about the mother of 4 who doesn't work and has a FT nanny and housekeeper. She can be caught napping at all hours of the day and then tell you how exhausted she is that evening. :rolleyes: (did that eyeroll smiley just show up? I've been needing it for months)

Alright, I'm off and going to try to do better today. I didn't eat too much yesterdday bc I skipped dinner since I had a big lunch, but I did eat really bad stuff.

See ya later gators! :)

Hi all, well this is my last day off until July. I have to work the rest of the month. End of year state reports and the such make it a bit busy at work. So I'm oging to enjoy my day off. I'm knitting a green sweater that I started before all the home improvements started. I want to finish before I go to Alaska in July.

Goldilocks is home from the hospital and has a cast on her back paw. She walks really awkwardly but she is able to get a round a little. Right now she's zoned out on pain killers.

Today is DS#2's last day of school. He has grad practice tomorrow then graduation on Sunday. It's hard to believe that my children are done with K-12 schooling. It sort of makes me feel old. A funny story about that child, he dyed his platinum blond hair burgandy and it looked ridiculous. I saw him last night and said we have to fix it since it was naseating. He just said it didn't turn out right. What an understatement. So we went to town and got color remover and then a strawberry blonde hair dye. Well, there was no way that all the dye was going to come out of his hair since it's so light, so he's now a strawberry blonde. It looks sort of cute. Thank goodness they wear graduation caps at the ceremony.

Kerry, I'm so thankful your niece is all right. The mother sounds delightful. Thank goodness for your older niece. I'm going to do better today with the eating too. And I plan to exercise. I might have to dangle a brownie in front of my nose to get me on the gazelle, but I will do it.

Lori, the pictures are awesome. You did a good job with them. And congrats for 139.

Paige, enjoy the last week of quiet before you summer vacation. You'll have a great time in Phoenix.

Kim, way to go on the work out. I can't imagine doing something that would burn 700 calories on a semi-daily basis. Wow.

Well, I'll talk with you all later.
Marie

Lori, I'm still happy for you, only nine lbs away--Land ho!

Marie--I'm glad to hear the Goldilocks is okay.

Not a lot to say today, I'm just jumping in between meetings to say hi, and wish everyone a great day!

judy

Good Morning Chickies :coffee: !!

What's up with these crazy work days???? Holy crap I'm dying for another holiday weekend! And to think it's only June! They changed the way they pay our drivers so this time the crap rolled uphill. The drivers are calling the sales dpt. and me every 2 seconds, I can't get a squating thing done. I had to re-arange my whole desk to get a big calander on my wall so I can better track what jobs I have out and where the drivers are. It's crazy, we have a dispatch office that is supposed to take care of this, but it just never seems to work that way.

Kerry, I live about 50 miles North for Pittsburgh, it is a small town called Kittanning. Have you ever seen the movie Mothman Profices with Richard Geer? The pictures are along that river, you can almost make out the bridge in the top one, but were pretty far down river on the trail. The movie was about the WV bridge that fell down. They digitally made our bridge appear to fall in the movie, it was kind of neat. But anyway the bike trail is our old rail road tracks, they weren't used anymore so the county tore them up and cleared them for trails.

Paige, I know excatly how you feel!!! Football will be starting at the end of July and it is total kaos every night. And games are an all day Saturday event. It's a ton of fun, but I'm always ragged from running around like a nut and constantly wasing muddy uniforms. I bet she was cute, hooker make up and all :D !!!

Marie, glad Goldie is home! Love the DS hair story! That is so typical, it turned out wrong! My oldest DS is only 11 and we can't get him to cut his hair, it looks awful. I'm trying to be understanding, but I just want to buzz it all off. Hope you get that green sweater done, and wait til I tell my DH your going to Alaska! He wan'ts to do that, but I advised him it will be a few years until we can afford that trip.

Judy, it's great to have you back posting! Thank you for the encouragement! I'm starting to feel really flustered about maintaining, I've never done a very good job at it so I have so much to learn.

Last night DH got the first load of our decorative stone for around the skirting on the trailer. I'm so excited, no more major weeding by hand!!! You can't run the weed wacker that close to the skirting, it puts holes in it (which I did last year). Ok, I have to get ready for work! Chat with you all later!

Good Morning Ladies :coffee: I weighed in a day early today was glad to see a solid 141. I am inching my way closer to the 130s. I'm going to have to take this seriously again if I really want to get there. :p I have been doing much better with my lunches again and I am cutting back on the snacking. I still have trouble with chocolate and ice cream cravings. I think cutting out all the liquid sugars ie regular sodas, has made all the difference in the world for me in the long run. I think that staying away from them and portion control will be my success in maintaining if I can ever get to goal. :lol:

So good news :) I got approved for a mortgage yesterday!! And at a great rate (5.25). I never thought I would get that low! :eek: So I called my landlord last night and asked her if she is still interested in selling the house we're renting (it was on the market before & she couldn't sell so she rented). She said that she IS interested in selling and will check her mortgage balance and get back to me with a price. Of course I know what I am willing to pay and I am REALLY hoping it is in that range. Otherwise we will be house shopping. ;) I am so excited about buying a house and my head is just full of all the things I want to do to the house we're in. Wish me luck! :D

Well, it's almost Friday!!! I am getting my hairs cut tomorrow so I'm taking off with my gf at 1:00. So tomorrow is a half day! My week is almost over. It sure has been a long one.

Hope you're all doing well and we see you around in the next few days. :)

Happy Friday!!

Oink, oink, oink! I took the kids to Ponderosa this evening and had steak & fries. I ate way tooo much and feel like an over stuffed pig! :ink: They get free meals for not missing any school so they have been bugging me to go. I had to run down and look at yet more decrative stone for the sidewalk so I figured what the heck, were going to drive right by and who wants to cook! I best get out of that mood asap!!!

Well we had another hectic day at work, and I don't see an end any time soon in sight! It's storming very badly, but I really can't complain. They have been threatening rain all week and this is the first we've gotten it!

C'mon Kerry, 141 way to go!!! That's really great about the mortgage, I hope you guys get the place your in. Moving is such a hassle, I don't know why I feel the need to move every couple of years. It was such a joke when I bought this double wide, I kept telling everybody "hey it's on wheels we'll just take it next time I get a bug up my butt"

Well I still need to work out, but the bad food is still too fresh in my belly, hope it digests soon. I'm about ready for bed.

Check in tomorrow!!!!

I'm with you on the oink oink and the hectic day!

We went out to the Olive Garden and stuffed ourselves and I drank too much wine. I needed a night out with DH and we have so much fun wining and dining. I had hardly eaten all day due to the rush rush of work and then going to get my hair cut.

Yes, I've cut even more off the hairs. I like the shorter hair for the summer and for the slimmer me :)

So it's Friday and we are forgiven for taking some time with our families tonight and enjoying ourselves. My mom is coming tomorrow so I'll have to watch her evil influence.

Thanks for the wishes on the house. I'm worried bc she's getting it appraised. I think she wants too much for it. We'll see, but we're going to look at another one we're interested in tomorrow as well. Keeping the options open ;)

I'll check in tomorrow. Hope to see you girls around :)

Hi all,

Hey Kerry, congrats on the mortgage. You're doing great and looking at other places is a wise idea. You might find something that is just you. I love the Olive Graden. I don't think I'd care about my diet at that place.

Lori, is Ponderosa a chain where they serve great rolls with honey butter. I remember a place in Virginia that I visited often when we lived there. Ponderosa sounds familiar (this as about 17 years ago...). If it's the same type of place, I always left there stuffed and just wanted to puke because I'd overeat so much.

I've been doing pretty good. I visited the dr. and we talked about my weight and my genetic makeup. Basically I'm not to be obsessive about it but that's hard. I'm also trying Xenical with the hopes that will give me a boost (and I'm talking about the side effects) :)

I got an iPod mini yesterday and I'm listening to my MP3s as I write. I just love it. It's an adorable pink.

DS18 graduates from high school tomorrow. He's been done since Wednesday and he's talking to the Air Guard recruiter and plans to join sometime this summer. He's taking his tests this coming week. So pretty soon another son will be leaving the nest. That will leave me, DH, and the 3 dogs. I'm pretty excited about it.

I went for a hike on the mountain today with 2 dogs (the other one has the broken foot) and it was great. I love to exercise when it is nice out and I get to hike. It's truly the only exercise that I love.

That's about it. I'll talk to you all later. Happy weekend.
Marie

What a stressful day. I found out this morning through the kindness of a neighbor that this property has a city sewer line running right through it :( It just sux. There is no way that you can add on to that side of the house bc you can't build over it. It actually goes under the carport! If something were to happen and the city needed to, they could bust up the lawn and the carport. Not sure if we want this house now. We looked at another in forclosure and it is scary!

We're going to enlist the help of a buyers agent on Monday. I need HELP!! Talking to my dad about the possibility of adding a bath if we buy a 1 bath home. They're much more affordable and he says adding one would cost between 2-3000 depending. As long as it's not a cement foundation he says it's doable.

Too much to handle. Not sticking to diet very well, but I'm having SERIOUS PMS and I'm sad that I'm not pregnant. I thought there was a chance that it might happen this month. Alas, no. :cry: I just can't let it all shove me back into that bad place that made me want to eat and eat.

I hope you're all having a splendid weekend. My mom and grandma are coming to town and should be here in a matter of minutes. That will be a nice distraction. :)

I hope we see some of you around :) Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Oh and Marie - Congrats on the IPod! ;) I've been shopping for an MP3 player as well. But I think I'm going to buy a Dell. And I hope the Xenical helps. I think my SIL is doing that or Meridian. She's tried a couple things. Good Luck!! :)

Hi, all--

I'm in a great mood today because I have a new job!!! I'll start later on in July. To celebrate, I had a tall chai and a piece of cake from Starbucks, a big change from the blowout meal I would've had in the past. Mostly I feel a tremendous psychic weight has been lifted from me, it's amazing that I carried this around with me for so long.

Kerry, good luck with job search! It's so hard making these major decisions. It sounds like you are getting expert advice (and at a good price, too :lol: ). I'm sorry that you are feeling blue. Hang in there with us, okay?

Marie, I haven't been to Ponderosa in years, but I can still see, smell and taste those rolls....I hope you have a great time at the graduation ceremony.

Okay, now you've made me hungry! Time to rustle up some grub, as Hoss used to say to Little Joe.

judy

Good evening!!!

Kerry, it's ok! I LOVE to house shop, and buy them too! Don't get yourself all worked up. Here's what I do, go to the local real estate agent and pick up a sales flyer, or sometimes you can find houses listed online. Then find an agent who has similar taste as yours and shop til you drop! I'll be honest with you, you will find something wrong with every house you look at, and when you find something and own it, something will always need to be fixed :dizzy: so don't set your standards too out of reach :lol: . As for the PMS, it's probably a good thing if your thinking about buying and moving. Nothing worse than packing with a bucket between your knees coz you got morning sickness ;) ! Ok seriously, when your expecting you are sooooo tired you can barely do your normal daily activites. Add a move into it and they'll be carying the couch with you on it :faint:

Judy, Yea a new job!! And you deserved the Starbucks too. Man do I love that place, good thing there isn't one close buy! Will you be traveling as much with the new job? You'll have to give us all the details!!! Oh and Ponderosa isn't like what you guys remember, now it's all about the salad bar (wich I just hate) the steak is pretty good, but I prefer the Texas Roadhouse.

Marie, oh my goodness just you, DH, and the dogs! Look out I here another shade of purple brewing at your house!! Congratulation on the graduate, I bet he's all excited. Marie, my Dr. put me on Meridian last year. I had real weird side effect from it, I had a strange metal taste in my mouth no wonder I lost weight, everything tasted like _hit! Needless to say as soon as I quit taking them the weight came back. After talking to my regular Dr. and my thyroid Dr. I figured out I'ld have to do this on my own. Their both over weight and I felt like I was talking to my 11 year old about it (which he may know more than they do) I have some odd genetics from my family, I have no boobs and a bubble butt like my dad's sisters and my spare tire is from my mom and her family. I don't have a chance in **** of looking like the magazine chicks, but then again I'm only 5'1". Finding what works best for me dosen't work best for everybody so here's my best diet advice, Never give up, the best diet is the one you can live with, and eat the damn cup cake coz if you don't next week you may feel deprived and eat the whole dozen.

Can you guys tell I'm all wound up??? We almost have the whole sidewalk done! DH has to get another load of decorative stone tomorrow and i'm 3 pattio stones short of what I need, but we got the whole front done today, we only have the side left to finish. I even bought some hanging baskests (never did that before) and picked up the last of my shrubs. I'm so excited!!! I worked out and ordered pizza! I have got to cook something tomorrow and behave! I best get to bed, I'll chat with you all tomorrow!

JUDY!!! CONGRATULATIONS ON THE JOB!!! :dancer: :dance: :hat: :cp: :bravo: I am sooooo happy for you! I can see a changing of the tides in your life. :) How awesome?!

Lori & Judy - Thanks for the house searching pick-me-up and Lori you crack me up about m/s and moving. :lol: You're probably right, but I just want both of those so much! But house then baby is the smart way ;) I'm just sad that things have taken the turn that they have with this house. I can't believe there is a city sewer line under the house. Who'd of thought?

Trying to keep making good choices. After this weekend, I'm getting back on track. I know I'm bloated and pmsing right now so I'm not getting near the scale.

Changes I've made that make a HUGE difference:
1. No more sugary soda - only some diet (d.coke with splenda and d. cherry vanilla Dr.P) but lots more water.
2. Smaller portion sizes all the time. :)
3. Almost no snacking between meals and sensible snacks at that.
4. Not obsessing about food - like OMG I want a COOKIE!

I feel good about these changes. And they feel permanant. I'm also thankful to have you ladies as my support group. :grouphug: I WILL NOT fall into the pit of dispair and eat until I can't fit in my jeans again. :nono: I will stay focused and trimmer even if I struggle to find a house and get pregnant. I WILL be more thankful for these things in the end. :smug:

Thanks for listening. :)

WAY TO GO, JUDY!!! You got the job. That is just so great. I hope that makes the difference in your life that you were looking for. Congratulations.

Lori, so you love to move, huh? Oh I hate it. Packing, cleaning, unpacking. Yuck. At least you have your house on wheels now. :) The work you're doing sounds nice. You'll have to take pictures and post them on your site. I told my dr. that I was obsessed with my weight and he told me not to be - genetics and all. Basically he knew that I still would, but it was nice to be told I'm not going to keel over at any minute because I'm fat. BTW, my dr. is a beanpole so I tended to listen. The Xenical is okay. In some ways I like the side effects since my antidepressants are constipating. :)

Kerry, definitely look for a different place. The sewer thing sounds like a bad point to the house. I'm sorry that you didn't get your wish to be preggers. It'll happen and I'll be praying for you.

Today is the graduation, so I don't have too much more planned for the day. We're taking him out to dinner tonight to celebrate. He didn't want to have a party since we live so far out of time. I think if people didn't show because of the distance he would feel bad.

I exercised twice yesterday. I did the hike, then last night I worked out on the weight machine. I'm doing chest/arm presses, shoulder presses and leg presses. I'm going after the large muscles so that the metabolism gets revved up. I do need to add crunches to the workout, but so far I've been avoiding it.

Well, I must go vacuum the house, then swifter it. Blech... I hate to clean but I like a clean house. So I gotta do what I've got to do.
Marie

Hello Everyone:
I have been reading through all these pages! Well not all of them cause I don't know if I would every finish them.

Hope you don't mind me joining in here. I am looking for a group or two to hang out with. I just started last week doing WW on my own. Money and Time and the fact I just can not find a meeting I like.

About me:
mom of one teenage boy (13 almost 14)

Work full time and then some (hence me posting here) I am a corporate event planner. Although I really have no title since I got the job. Oh well they did not move me to Salary exempt either so they still have to pay me OT.

I love Disney! and we are going Nov. 19-25 with my niece and sister! I can't wait. So saving money for that too. I can't wait to go. Only 159 days left. Tink is my favorite!

WW is my plan. I also take a water class starting tomorrow for one hour a week. I am also going to start walking. My one friend moved 10 blocks away and now we are walking to meet up and talk for a bit every night. Funny how moving away I see her more.

Off to fold all my laundry. Since today was cleaning and wash today! But I feel so much better when I keep up on stuff.

Welcome Disney, you'll find this a great, supportive group of ladies. We share a lot in common and that has helped me find support to lose weight. Once in a while we talk about weight loss, but anything is a safe topic.

I took an aqua aerobics class a couple years ago and it was fun. You'll really enjoy it. Good for the walking and doing WW. I count calories but more loosely then exact. I alway round up to the nearest 50 calories when I eat a food. I figure rounding will someday make me lose the roundness.

TTYL.
Marie

PS If you can stay non-exempt, I would. OT is great. Exempt is a way for employers to screw their employees with the government's blessing. I wish I was non-exempt - can you tell? BTW, I'm a database manager for a school district.

Good morning Chickies :coffee: !!!!

I had a great weigh in this morning 136.5 lbs. All that killer work over the weekend must have helped! Shoveling gravel and planting my shrubs. That's a 2 & 1/2 lb loss.

Welcome Disney (what should we call you??)
Sounds like your just as busy as the rest of us! BTW, I just hate laundry!! I've never been to Disney World, I just started a new job last Aug. so I only have 1 week of vacation so we can't go too far this year. I promised the kids we'ld hit the beach for a couple of days. Next year I want to go to Mt. Rushmore so Disney isn't looking too close in the future. WW is a great plan and the water thing sounds really cool!

Marie, I'll try to get some pictures later this week. It does look better, it's a shame it took us 2 years to get it done. How did graduation go? Wow working out twice in one day, you're on a roll now!

Kerry, don't get too upset, the sewage runs through everybody's yards here were I live. So yea it's a pain to have the convience, you'ld think those engeeniers would be able to come up with a slightly better placement. But hey look at all the things that are going right for you now. Full time, the weight loss, and the new habits. You'll be thankful when you do get pregnant that you've got your weight down and you'll have an easier time watching it too.

Ok, I've got to jump in the shower, I'll check back later!!!!

So what's the consensus?
 

Should I consider the house or not???? I'm so confused. I'll be glad when she gives me a price tonight. Poor Bella is sitting in a kennel today so that the appraiser can come to the house :( Plus my washer is broken and I have to call a repairman. Geez! :mad:

So in the throws of all this I broke down and had a Krispy Kreme this morning. I couldn't resist. I'm never going to get below 140 like this. B/w the PMS and the stress I'm dying here. I got to get a better frame of mind on.

Welcome Disney :) I hope you like our group. Don't mind my whining right now. I'll get an attitude adjustment soon ;)

Good morning ladies! :coffee2:
Hope you didn't count me as MIA. Things at work are a little busier than I counted on :stress: I use to do this same job years ago before we were bought out and things have changed quite a bit...not to mention a larger work load! And my raise was smaller than I thought :cry: But oh well...I was slacking for a while so it is coming back to bite me :^: At least I have not resorted to my usual stress eating! I went to the mall this weekend and finally bought myself two new pair of capris….didn't want to buy more since I still have 18 or so lbs to lose, but I am down from a 14 to a 10....could have squeezed into an 8, but I hate wearing tight clothes. I'm pretty happy :D I have not seen a size 10 in about 12 years!

I have been trying to get caught up on all your posts, looks like quite a bit has happened since last week!

Kerry-Wow you have had a lot going on this past week! That is so scary what happened to your niece Lillian! Thank goodness for her big sister! What a hero! I personally am terrified of the water. My husband is taking our 2&1/2 year old to YMCA this summer for swimming lessons. I still can’t swim, but I want my son to know…I think it’s a good thing for children to know in case they get into a situation like that so they have a chance at saving themselves or in the case of your niece helping someone else out.
Good luck with the house! Have you been at the place you are renting for a long time? Do you really like it there….maybe right out a list of pros and cons. Don’t stress too much about the donut! Just move on and forget about it….maybe try to go for a walk or something to distress yourself! I hope everything works out!

Lori- Man I am jealous! 136.5!!!! You are :smoking: I go for my weigh in tomorrow, and I refuse to get on the scale til then so I am not sure where I am at yet. Sounds like you guys are doing a ton of work on your landscaping…We’re trying to get ours finished up. We put a drive way in last year and right now, since we have been trying to get grass to grow around the edges there has been a lot of mud tracked on to it and it looks awful! We had someone power wash it and it still does not look good :shrug:

Judy- Congrats on the job! And celebrating without :ink: out!

Marie- Hope you guys had fun at the graduation dinner! Good for you doing weight bearing exercise! :bravo:

Welcome Disney! There are a great bunch of gals on here!
What a coincidence! :cool: We are going to Disney in November too! We’re going from the 5-13th. I can’t wait!

Not sure when I will be back on again….hope everyone has a good week if I don’t see ya! :flow1:

Today is my first official day of summer vacation!! Wooo Hooo!!!!! I still got up at the same time so that I could get my shower in. DS had summer school from 9-10 so we dropped him off and went over to a nearby park for a while. DD enjoyed it, it wasn't to hot out yet. We are taking care of a friends dog until tomorrow and boy will I be glad when she gets back. It isn't that Bella is bad, she is just the size of a pony!!! Two dogs, two kids and a husband are just too much!!!! But she is going to watch Winston for 10 days when DH flys out to Arizona on the first so it is doable...I just wouldn't want this to be a permanent thing!!!

The diet has kindof stalled!! The last two weeks I have really just stayed the same... It has been so hectic that I guess I am glad I haven't gained. I have done a horrible job exercising and drinking my water so I need to get refocused on that.

We fly to Phoenix on Friday. The kids are very excited!!! My dad made reservations for next Wed-Fri at Disneyland so needless to say they can't wait, and then after the 4th of July we will drive out to the Grand Canyon. Otherwise we will just be hanging out at my dads or my brothers by the pool. Ain't life rough!!! Can't wait!! Once we get out there I will do my best to try and keep in touch. I need to so I don't lose my focus. I'm not going to get upset if I don't really lose any weight while I'm gone...I just don't want to gain any. But hey, if I do lose a few pounds that will be fine with me!!!

Kerry- Good luck on the house hunt, I know it can be stressful. The only advice I can give you is to think about the re-sellability (not really a word, I know)of which ever house you buy. It is really a pain when you are trying to buy a new house and can't unload your current one.

Welcome Disney! Which one are you going to Disneyland or Disneyworld? I have been to Disneyworld several times but never to Disneyland so I am excited to visit it this summer.

Julie- Welcome back. I'm impressed that you have the willpower to not stress eat!!! That takes alot of dedication. I know stress eating has certainly played a role in getting me to my highest weight! I hope things settle down for you at work soon. Hang in there.

Marie- Congrats on DS's graduation. Your on your way to being an empty nester!! The thought makes me want to cry but by the time my kids are that age I might be packing for them!!! Who knows.

Lori- Congrats on the weight lose!!! That is awesome!!!

Hope everyone is having a good day! I'll check back later.

Hi all,

It's a beautiful evening here. Since I complain about the weird weather we've been having I thought I should say how nice it was today. My pool got back to 82 degrees and I went swimming late this afternoon. I did laps. Yes you read that right. I exercised on a work day. Usually I'm so exhausted from work I don't exercise. But my pool was so inviting - I swam 1/4 mile. Not too far, but as much as my asthma could stand with the chlorine vapors. After I post, I'm going to use my exercise machine and do some weight lifting. Now if I can get the eating in even better control, I'll be on my way.

Lori, you're just cruising on the weight loss. WAY TO GO!!!!!

Kerry, I have to agree with Paige that you have to consider the resale of a house before you buy one. Just because it's simpler to buy what you're in doesn't mean that it's the wisest choice. You will know what to do when push comes to shove. And, I envy you that Krispy Kreme. I'm lucky that the nearest one is 4 hours away or I'd be forever off the wagon.

Paige, I'm glad you're enjoying you start of summer. I only get a little over a month off this summer but I'm looking forward to it. I wish I had the full three months that the teachers have, but I take lots of days off during the year (during my slow times).

Julie, congrats on fitting into the 8/10's. Two dress sizes is great. I hope you have time to drop in this week.

Well, I'll chat with you all later.
Marie

Thanks everyone for the welcome. I will get to know all your names sooner or later.

The water class was fun. I went in with the attitude I don' t care if all the skinny minne's are there or all the older women. I am doing this for me. Most of the people doing the work out by me where really nice. I even introduced myself to a few people. I am thinking of signing up for Wednesday night now too. It is only 27 dollars. So that is 2 hours a week I can make sure I work out. Although I really do try and creep in extra excerise. Plus at work they are doing construction. So for now to use the fax machine I have to walk to the other side of the building, also to get the mail, to get supplies. So I spend some time walking. Even the kitchen is aways from my desk. Glad the bathroom is still close with all the water I have been drinking. :o

I bought myself 2 pairs of sandals today. The disney board I go to www.wdwinfo.com has lots of people raving about the airwalks from Payless. They are suppose to be so comfortable like Tevas. So I got a pair. Then I got another cute pair for work. Also I hit footlocker for DS he needed basketball shorts. Well he ended up with 4 pairs. They were buy one get one free. And t-shirts on sale. So I bought us each one. Of course he wants the one I bought for me. Never fails! LOL

I am going to Disney World. With my son (13), Sister (41 on Sunday), Niece (11) so it will be great to get away. I do however need to start working more OT to pay it off. I am not saying a word about them changing my statis. I love my OT!

(Kerry?)Not sure who has the Rottweiller! We love them. My dad has one and always has. Can't imagine any other dog. It is funny there are 2 down the street when we first moved here. We would be walking and see them. And keep walking toward them. Moving to the size a bit so they could pass. One day the owner said you are the only 2 who don't freak at the dogs. I laughed and said we are dying to pet them. So now we always stop and say hello.

Lori! Way to go on the loss. I can't wait to get some off. I know I feel better with the 7 pounds I lost last week. Before going to lunch today. I saw 3 very large people. Boy did it make me behave!

Sorry I have now written a book! I will be back tomorrow. Again I thank you for the warm welcome!

Good Morning Chickies :coffee: !!!

I'm really sleepy this morning! I can't chat too long, my kids are hanging with my sister-in-law and her 4 kids while they are off for the summer so I've got to move a few mins. earlier to get them dropped off. They went fishing almost all day yesterday, they got too much sun and my oldest DS broke his pole so we had to run to walmart and get another one. I hate running during the week, it just kills me.

Thank you for all the encouragement, I'm pretty excited about the loss too. I'm just slightly worried, I'm under 10 lbs to go and my spare tire on my gutt is still pretty big, so I'm not sure if it will be more weight to lose or just toning to get rid of it. I'll soon have to call the Dr. to have her analyize my thyroid levels after all this weight loss so I guess I'll need to talk to her and everyone else who will listen to me whine. Did you ever notice when thin people whine about problem spots nobody listens?? Well we'll see, I'm getting ahead of myself I think.

Kerry, I have to agree with the girls, if she couldn't sell the house before you need to consider why and are you planning on keeping it or just staying in it for a few years. Why don't you give us a run down on the place, how many bedrooms and baths? Is there a yard? How about the privacy and what's the neighbors like? BTW did she give you a price? I'll be glad to give you my 2 cents, but I need to know the details and your future plans, as in you mentioned adding on like the place may not be big enough.

Disney, sounds like the water class was a hit! It sounds like fun, I love to swim. Don't worry you'll get your weight down, I started at the end of January (didn't want it to be a New Year resolution) and it VERY SLOWLY came off. Your trip sounds awsome, you'll have to give us details and pictures!

Marie, glad the weather is getting back to some what normal for you so you can enjoy your pool. Glad to see your getting back on the work out wagon!

Paige, I'm sooo jealous of your summer break I'm green :lol: !! I hope you can keep up while your in AZ. I was noticing your 10 lb suns, and I see you've hit 40 lbs lost, your doing great! Keep up the good work and as long as you don't gain in AZ that will be 1/2 your battle!

Juile, glad to hear from you. Sorry the new position is so hectic, I can relate. My job has it's slow months and so crazy busy I don't know if I'm coming or going. What kind of driveway is it, cement or black top? That sucks that it's so hard to get clean! This is the first time we've ever really tried our hand at landscapping. My DH is all into it and I'm very pleased with the way it's turning out, so were happy all around. Now if I can get the inside back in order maybe I won't be as tired! Did you ever notice things fall apart where ever your not standing barking order for the children to pick it up now???

I've got to get a shower, now I'm running behind! C-U-All later!!!!!

Good morning :coffee: I'm tired this morning too. I think it's the stress. I'm having a lot of dreams at night too.

Disney (not sure what else to call you ;) ) - It's always good to find another Rottie lover in the world. They are the most awesome animals and such adoring pets. My Bella is a complete spoiled Princess. You would just love her :) As for the weight loss goes, it sounds like you are on the right track and have a good mind set in the beginning and that make all the difference. When I started back in January I just told myself that this was it - now or never and changed things that needed changing for good.

Paige - You lucky little devil! :devil: Lounging by the pool with your adorable kids for weeks! I think you'll have no trouble maintaining and might even lose if you make smart choices. ;) You seem to do really well making smart choices too. I hope you have a blast and enjoy your time with your family. We'll miss you so please try to check in once in awhile if you can. :)

Marie - I'm so glad you got to get back in that pool! And you did laps! I'm very jealous. Swimming is my favorite form of exercise. Both my brothers and myself nearly lived in the pool every summer. I LOVE to swim underwater and dive for things :) Enjoy it for me ok?

Julie - Job stress can really stink. I hope your getting into the swing of things and that's great that the stress isn't driving you to eat. Isn't it wonderful to go shopping and buy those smaller sizes! I simply love it. I can't wear my size 14s or 12s anymore. Well actually I like to wear the 12 shorts so they're really baggy :lol: DH thinks it's cute :o of course my mother would die with my panties showing, but they'll look great with my new bikini!

Lori - See we are the same with this belly flab :( And you even work it hard! I am so HAPPY with the rest of my body but wonder if it will ever improve the belly even if I get to 135. I hope the doc can give you some good feedback and be proud of you for the weight loss too :)

OK about the house. . . She STILL hasn't given me a price. That's a problem, but here's the scoop. This house sits in one of the BEST most resellable neighborhoods in town. It has two major flaws that I can't do anything about: it sits directly in front of a big electrical sub station and it has the sewer line under the property. Still no word from the city as to whether or not it is active sewer or not (should hear today). This owner did a little upgrading bc the kitchen cabinets were falling apart, but not much. It's brick with 3 bedrooms, 1.5 baths with eat in kitchen and LARGE living room with built-in bookshelves. ----- Things we'd do to improve: make the .5 bath a full bath immediately, rip up the carpet and refinish the hardwoods, landscaping landscaping landscaping, including repairing the sad driveway, new fence on one side, more painting (we've already done some but the ceilings and trim need it bad + the exterior shutters and such)

I would put an addition where the carport is since it's existing structure and would be a no-brainer. But even without that the SF is about 1400. She bought the house in 1990 for $72k. So if that gives you any idea and you could help me sort my confusion out I'd appreciate it. I like the house and I think it has lots of potential. AND if in five years I can't sell it I can always rent it again since we're so close to the college. That would always be an option.

Sorry to write a book. :D I'm off for now!!! Have a great day!

Good morning!!
I managed to break away for a minute so this is gonna be quick. I'm waiting for a program to finish it's job and it is taking a while....

Paige- Have fun on your trip! You should do great! Just watch your portions and try to get a little more water in...I'm sure you can maintain or even lose while on vacation since you will probably be more active. :D

Marie- Sounds like you are having fun with your pool! I wish I knew how to swim. I feel like I am missing out on alot....but I do get in once in a while when we are on vacation, I just can't bear to put my head underwater....maybe some day I will be brave enough to do that. :cool:

Disney- Don't you just love shoe shopping....I think my husband is going to kill me, my closet has more shoes than clothes in it right now and I don't even wear half of them :lol: I must have a shoe addiction. Is there a cure for that? Anyway you will have a blast in Disney! Looks like you are well on your way with your weight loss goal, so you will have the energy to enjoy it even more!

Lori- I hear ya on the belly thing...it is the biggest part of my body! :( If you figure out a way to get rid of it let me know...so far all I have been hearing is cardio cardio cardio...so far it is helping me a bit, but no where near as much as I hoped.

Kerry- Ask yourself a couple of questions...do you REALLY like the house? Is it a place you want to spend at least the next 10 or so years in? Would you get the money back that you put into the house when the time comes for you to resell it? Is there anyway you can find out what the other houses in your neighborhood are worth? I would definately find out ahead of time if you are able to make the improvements that you want to the house because of the sewer line before I would agree to anything....also all the things you mention can get in to way more than you might think....we put a ton of money into the house we bought thinking that the house didn't need that much, but like your house it is in a good neighborhood, and we are able to do all the things that we planned (still a work in progress) Landscaping can get into a lot of money too...I was shocked at the cost! We have a fairly large piece of land. My husband owns his own business and I work full time and with our son we don't have a lot of time to spend on it, we do what we can, but we do have to hire someone to help, so it gets into more than we expected. I'm still glad we bought the house but it does help if you can do alot of the work yourselves. Just ask yourself if this would make you happy....that is really what counts! ;)
Keep us posted!

After reading Julie's post I thought I should add the following:

DH is in school for interior design after having an 8 year career as an interior painter/remodeler. He will have LOTS of time to do the work since he only goes to school from here on out (after summer) until graduation (the house becomes his pt job). My dad lives two hours away and has volunteered to come up and help with projects. He has: gutted and remodeled kitchens and bathrooms, built entire rooms, decks and porches, and does plumbing and electrical. Since DH can do all the framing/drywall and tiling and Dad does all the other - we are LOOKING for something we can invest time, energy and the $$ on materials to make worth more.

Personally I can't wait to gut the bathroom and do the work. :lol: I'm so weird!!

Kerry- That is wonderful....sounds like you have it together! :cool: I hope the price that she is asking is what you hoped...have you heard anything yet?

Lori...I forgot to add in my last post, that my driveway is black top and was done in Oct last year...so we are not quite ready to coat it again....seems to be looking a bit better this week with all the rain that we had..keeping my fingers crossed! ;)

Went for my weigh in last night girls...down another 2.7!!! :D

I'm stressed and I'm BAD. :devil: I'm really MAD at myself for not losing weight in weeks. I gotta get back with it. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME!!!

Still no price on the house. Word from the city about the sewer line is NOT good. 10k to move it, can't build or add on anywhere near it (not even driveway) and if they ever need access they can rip out our carport and we'd have to pay to fix it. NOT GOOD.

I am house hunting. :dizzy: :p

Kerry that stinks! Sorry it is not working out, but there is a reason for everything! You might find your dream home while you are looking...don't worry about not losing weight for the past couple of weeks. At least you are not gaining! This is a stressful time for you so don't beat yourself up...only makes you want to give up and you don't want to do that! Been there done that...not a fun road to be on! Just keep in mind all you have accomplished and focus on it! Hope things get better for you soon...keep us posted!

Thanks Julie, that's good advice :)

Where is everyone?

I did better today. I am under my calorie ceiling of 1350. Gotta keep it up though...

Good Morning Chickies :coffee: !!!
Well the weekend is slowly coming around. Yesterday was busy again at work, it's not a bad thing just makes life hectic! I have my lunch cooking this morning and I only have about 10 mins. before I have to jump in the shower so I'll try to be quick!

Kerry, the house your in sounds wonderful, but if your not satisfied with it and can't change forget it. And it's never a good thing to be that close to a power staion. Ours is just down the road from me, but it is out of site. I know from experience that bad things can happen down there. We were heading back from a walk and they had a blow out of some sort. Crap was popping and sparks were flying. And the sewer line, who wants to pay to move it, it's not your fault nobody was bright enough to think of adding on when it wen't through. Start shopping! And for goodness sakes have fun with it. Your doing great just holding your weight, you'll start to lose again when ever you get two seconds to focus again.

Julie, I don't know anything about black top. But it should clean up! Try a garage broom, you know those wide ones. And I would use some sort of industrial cleaner like tornado (it's called valley now) just becareful not to get it on your hands straight. It is some powerful stuff. I've bought it locally but it's not easy to find. It's yellow and in a jug that looks like windshield fluid. We scrubbed our house down with it, man what a difference it made.

Ok I really have to run, I'll try to catch up more tonight!

Hi--

Not much to report lately, just thinking a lot about summer plans and transitions....

Paige, I hope you enjoy your vacation, it sounds wonderful! Send postcards!

Lori, congratulations on having a problem spot--I'll bet this time last year you thought of your entire body as one big problem spot, now it's jsut a strip a few inches wide across your belly, good for you.

Kerry--Maybe you can get one of those reality shows to adopt you and trail along behind you..and maybe pick up the tab for repairs....

judy

Where is everyone??? :listen: :kickcan:

I'm doing better the past couple days. I had a couple chocolate moments yesterday. Darn stress. Then today I couldn't refuse a chicken biscuit from Chic-fil-a. Crappy way to spend 420 calories, but oh well.

We looked at houses last night. I think we're going to make an offer on one. I can't believe it, but it's a BRAND NEW house. Who'd have thought. But it's in an established neighborhood with big trees. The lot was vacant and the builder decided to build. Nice house, smaller than we wanted, but it's so nice and shiney - we can't resist. I'll let you know! Looks like we're moving. There's some good exercise ;)

Hope to see some of you around soon. :p

Kerry, this is exciting! A shiny new house sounds like fun.

I didn't work out this morning, but woke up feeling refreshed by the extra sleep. I had a lunch meeting at a soul food place, which limited viable options for healthy eating. I had baked chicken, collard greens and yams. I only ate a bit of the yams, which I love but were swimming in butter. Even so, I've felt stuffed all afternoon.

I hope everyone has a great weekend! A friend wants to go to the BBQ festival, but I will try to distract her with movie options--there's no way I could stay on program surrounded by fired-up grills....I saw Crash last week, and it was great, I gave it two big thumbs up. There are several good documentaries out now, so I'll try to check one of them out. And I'll be getting my hair done on Saturday. I have dreadlocks, so it's an expensive, half-day proposition. But it's fun to hang out at the salon, this particular place has a smart, fun clientele. I'll have to remember to pack a war bag of water and snacks, though. And do an extra-long workout at Curves, to make up for the stray calories that are bound to jump down my throat at some point over the weekend :devil:

judy

Hey all!! We made it through another week!!

Kerry, sounds like fun!!!! Did the old landlord ever give you a price?

Judy, man 1/2 day at the saloon, I truley think I'd fall apart! I keep getting all mine cut off!

I fell last night and slammed my knee into the dresser, it is super sore. It hurts to bend it, but it didn't swell up. I think I brused it pretty bad so I didn't work out yesterday and I think I'm going to wait until tomorrow to resume.

Ok, I have a cat issue! My littlest cat won't burry her business in her litter box, and she is super picky. I have noticed that she picked a spot around my dinning room table to use for her extra bathroom. (we don't use the dinning room) Well besides wanting to give her a dirt nap, the kids won't let me toss her out. Is there anything out there that will make her use the box??? I have experimented and I have a great solution to get the smell out of the carpet, but she whized on the kitchen floor while I was scrubbing the carpet. I don't know what to do, her box isn't full! What the heck is her problem??? Any ideas??? The dirt nap sounds best to me, but I guess I should try something first for the kids sake. My older cat has her own box and would use it if the crap was stacked to the top, so it appears I have a cat with a personality problem! I told the kids the next step will be a cage if we can't get her to stop. And she isn't young either, I've had her for over 5 years and this is a constant on and off problem. Well I've got to go, chat with you all tomorrow!

Hi all, Lori, I would go nuts if an animal of mine did that. I don't have any solutions for you but you do have my sympathy. I'm not a cat person, I'm a dog person, but right now I'm not too thrilled with two of my three dogs. Kodiak, yes the infamous dog, ran away yesterday when we took him hiking. DH found him last night and he stinks to high heaven. At 5:30 this morning we gave him two baths and it hasn't made the smell go away. It's better, but nauseating. Then there is Goldilocks with her broken foot. She won't leave the cast alone and has forced us to use the elizabethian collar. She looks like an idiot and keeps crashing into things. BTW, the third dog is Blizzard, and she's an angel.

Kerry, go for the brand new house. I love mine and it was worth every penny. That's just so exciting. I'm glad you kept looking. The sewer problem sounded bad.

Judy, what exactly are dreadlocks? I'm pretty dumb when it comes to hair terms. But a half day at the salon sounds like fun. I love getting my hair trimmed.

Well, I've been so-so on the food part of my diet. Not bad but still could be better. I am trying though and that's good. Exercise I'm doing pretty good on. We went on the full hike last night (yelling for Kodiak the whole time). When DH drove it last night he checked how far we go. It is 1 mile up the mountain and 1 mile back down. So that's not too shabby.

I got my printer yesterday. I won the eBay auction about 2 weeks ago. It's a color laser printer. I paid 200 for it and 225 to ship it here. It's a HP 4500DN. So it's networked and will go perfectly on my home network. I did do the config page and it prints beautifully. The printers, when new, were about 2500 so I go a great deal. Lots of life left in the consumables, too. I also bought Hallmarks Card Studio Deluxe and have been making greeting cards. They look store bought the printing it so nice. So eventually, it'll pay for itself. Right? I haven't set it up on the network yet since I need another ethernet cable. DS took my last one when he moved out.

That's about it. I did make it through a 5 day work week. Two more to go and then I get 5 weeks off. It'll be great, but I really do like my job. In some ways I miss it (but not too much). Did I tell you all that I'm going on an Alaskan cruise at the end of July. My tickets are supposed to arrive any day. I'm getting excited about that.

Talk to you later.
Marie