We are a group of non-traditional lifestyle individuals. We are partnered, single, widowed, Pagan, Atheist, Agnostic, Christian, Muslim, gay, bi-sexual, bi-colored and straight. We bask in our diversity and unite in the same goal of losing weight. If you are relatively open-minded and accepting of ALL walks of life, please join us.
Okay I don't mean to over look anyone as we are a melting pot of cultures and beliefs here...but I thought this was cute and wanted to pass it on to some friends who would enjoy it!!!
A Visit From The Yule Spirits
by Richard De Angelis
'Twas that night before Yule, when all 'cross the heath,
Not a being was stirring; Pagan, Faerie, nor Beast,
Wassail was left out and the altar adorned,
To rejoice that the Sun King would soon be reborn.
The children lay sleeping by the warmth of the hearth,
Their dreams filled with visions of beloved Mother Earth,
M'lady and I beneath blankets piled deep, had just settled down to our Solstice sleep.
Then a noise in the night that would leave us no peace,
Awakened us both to the honking of geese.
Eager to see such a boisterous flock,
When we raced to the window, our mouths dropped in shock!
On the West Wind flew a gaggle of geese, white and gray,
With Frau Holda behind them in Her gift-laiden dray.
The figure on Her broomstick to the North sky made it clear,
La Befana was approaching to bestow Yuletide cheer.
From the South came a comet more bright than the Moon,
And we knew Lucia would be with us soon.
As these Spirits sailed Earthward o'er hilltops and trees,
Frau Holda serenaded Her feathery steeds:
"Fly Isolde! Fly Tristan! Fly Odin and Freya! Fly Morgaine! Fly Merlin! Fly Uranus and Gaea!
May the God and Goddess inside you soar,
From the clouds in the heavens to your cottage door."
As soft and silent as snowflakes they fell;
Their arrival announced by a faint chiming bell.
They landed like angels, their bodies aglow,
Their feet left no marks in the new fallen snow,
Before we could ponder what next lay in store,
There came a slow creeking from our threshold door.
We crept from our bedroom and were spellbound to see...
There in our parlor stood the Yule Trinity!
Lucia the Maiden, with Her head wreathed in flame,
Shown with the radiance for which she She was named,
The Lightbringers eyes held the joy of a child,
And she spoke with a voice that was gentle, yet wild:
"May the warmth of this household ne'er fade away."
Then she lit our Yule log which still burns to this day.
Frau Holda in Her down cloak stood regal and tall,
The Matron of Solstice, the Mother of all,
Under Her gaze we felt safe and secure.
Her voice was commanding, yet almost demure:
"May the love in this family enrich young and old."
And from the folds of Her cloak showered coins of pure gold,
LaBefana wore a kerchief on Her silvery hair;
The veil of the Crone who has secrets to share,
In Her eyes gleamed a wisdom only gained by spent youth.
Her voice was whisper, but Her words rung the truth:
"May health, glad tidings, and peace fill these rooms."
And she banished misfortune with a sweep of Her broom,
They then left a gift by each sleeping childs head,
Took a drink of our wassail, and away they all sped.
While we watched them fly off through the night sky we laughed,
At the wonderous magick we had found in the Craft.
As they departed, the Spirits decreed...
Flower, that was fantastic! I haven't seen it before.
I'm just about to have dinner, and will be back to post on the food journal afterwards. Day three done! (and the scale is moving down again, but I'm not officially counting it until Sunday)
Hey gals. The scale is moving down for me, too -- I just haven't been eating that much, for one reason or another. I met a guy online who is incredible and we hit it off like no one I've ever known before. Trouble is ... I'm self-conscious about my weight, so I've been putting off meeting him, even though he lives reasonably near me. He says he doesn't care if I'm overweight, but it's cool if I would be more comfortable waiting till I've been on my fast for a while. Ugh, I hate this. What should I do? I really do want to meet him, and I know rationally that if the weight made a difference to him, he's not the kind of guy I'd want to know, but it's just the courage it would take to meet someone I like as much as him and worry that he would be disappointed with me...what do I do?????
Winter semester has started, so I'm off to hit the books while I can.
Hey Ruthie! Good to see you! I say go and meet him. If he wants to meet you, it's because of the you he's gotten to know online, regardless of appearance. How many things have we put off in our lives because we want to wait until we lose weight? For me, far to many. I understand how you feel, wanting to look your best when you finally meet him, we all can relate to that feeling. If he's truly the guy you think he is then he'll like you no matter what size you are. If he's not, then it's his loss. Let us know what you decide, either way.
I say go for it! I hear a sparkle in your voice. I am sure the sparkle in your eye is blinding too! He won't notice a few pounds, besides if he is as great as you think he is, wouldn't it be nice to share the holidays with someone new??? But be comfortable with what ever decision you make and remember you need to live now, not just when you make it to goal!!! We want to hear all the details when you do meet him!!!! ~flower
Hey, chicks, thanks for the words of support. I decided the same as you last night and we are meeting for dinner next week. Aaaaggghhh!!! Isn't it awful when we can't take that socialization out of ourselves, that we're supposed to be Barbie? As much as it pisses me off rationally, I can't get it out of my head. The other thing I can't get out of my head is fear about the whole thing, just b/c I've had such bad experiences with men in the past -- I just keep waiting for him to turn out to be unacceptably deficient in some way or another (married, or a secret addict, or a psycho, or something else I haven't even thought of). I am praying, though, that he will just turn out to have the normal human foibles just like me. He is just so exactly how I described the only guy that would ever be acceptable to me in the future, after marriage disaster #2: Muslim but American, well educated, good profession, excellent sense of humor, and as an added bonus he seems to really understand my way of thinking (which is a little off the beaten path). So yes, Flower, I do have a big sparkle in my eye, but I am also terrified. I'll let you know how it goes.
I am dead tired, eating horrible, and stressed to the max.... I had my math final yesterday, you could only miss 3 questions and pass, I missed 2 - you have to make at least a 90 on the final to pass the course so I made a 93... talk about the skin of your teeth I have the day off and then I have 4 days of tests.... My house looks like a confirmed disaster area and my scales are stuck at the same number again....
I went from 148 to 141 and then I jumped back up to 146 and holding I really am tired of fighting my scales. Kevin and I started walking again at night about a week ago and I should be able to go the gym during the holidays at least 2 times a week.... If I decide to keep my membership the only time I will be able to go the gym is on Friday, Saturday or Sunday for the next year because my schedule is going to be that screwy during the week so I am thinking about canceling it.... it is $33.00 a month and I haven't managed 2 times a month since May...That is a lot of money.
Ruthiee ~ I am with the rest of the pack... you shouldn't let the weight keep you from doing something that could change your life.. I hope dinner is wonderful...
I am going to clean house, I think... If I don't do it today I might be shoveling it out next Wednesday when I final get through with my tests.... I hope that everyone is well!
Amy-anytime I feel stressed the next few weeks, I will think of what your life is all about right now and I will be able to relax. I do not envy you at all!!!!Hugs!!!!!! It will get easier someday in the near future!
I have been so grumpy the last few days. I haven't quite figured it out yet. I am really short tempered. I think it is cause everyone is so damn busy doing stuff for the commercialism of the season that they are nippy and nasty and down right rude. I am trying to forgive and forget but I am not being able to relax at home. Time for some aromatherapy!!! Doesn't help that I work at a college and everyone is stressed about exams.
I went to the store after work yesterday and I forgot to get my cash back from the cashier. If that register is over 10$ I will get it back. Yeah right, it's gone forever. I hope karma bites them in the butt if someone pockets the overage.
On a better note, I had no problem getting out of jury duty. Work doesn't compensate pt employees for jury duty and it would make a hardship. She thanked me for being poliet and organized and she wished me a Merry Xmas. She was so nice! What a terrible job she has.
I am almost done writing out my holiday cards. Remember if you would like an old fashioned snail mail greeting from me, you must pm me your address. I am one who actually likes writing old fashioned letters. Since my grandma died, I haven't written much.
I had a nice visit with my dad last night. He brought over gifts but they were wrapped so they are put away till I get the tree up. I think I will do that on Sunday. He forgot their new winter jackets. He'll ups them to us when they get home. (Yeah, another big expence I don't have to pay for). I made an appointment for my car tune up on Friday morning. And as soon as I do my cards, my current to do list is done! That is a wonderful feeling and it does wonders for my waist line. I don't snack hardly at all when I am not avoiding chores!!! ~flower
The register came out even. Surprise surprise, but after talking to the front end manager, I got my 10$. I was as sweet as pie, and I told them it was a shame that she didn't come up with an overage because that ment someone pocketed 10$. She told me to bring in my receipt and she'd give me the 10$. Karma is working for me lately!!! Yeah!!!!
Finally finished decorating the tree. I don't do a lot of other Xmas decorating because we live in an apartment, so no one really sees the outside like they would a house, and we don't get visitors since my uncle is the only family I have here. We go to his place on Christmas day.
I'm trying to figure out how I'm gonna manage to do my nails and have time to do fancy party hair for our formal party on Friday night. I help our HR manager with party details and we are always trying to get things done at the last minute. Tomorrow night I'm staying after work to help her wrap the gifts and finish seating arrangements, place cards, name tags, that kind of stuff. Cinderella had it easy!
Flower, glad you got your money back AND got out of jury duty!
Amyjo, as tired and stressed as you are, remember you have to look after yourself! When things get this hectic, remember...food, water, rest....you need them to keep going!
Ruthie, you go, girl! I hope he turns out to be Mr. Wonderful! Will be sending good vibes your way.
I saw we had a new member post to our last thread. Was it Sion? Sorry, it's been a long day and I'm not sure. If you're still with us, welcome!
Had our first day of xmas programs at work yesterday and it was fun but I'm exhausted! One more night and then a hospice tour on Saturday and it'll be done. Last night I ate so much fudge and this morning I feel ick. Craving water and salty stuff!!!! I did so well last month--gotta get that groove back.
Is it just unrealistic to think you can lose weight during the holidays?! What do you think?
Ruthie, DO IT! Have you 2 exchanged photos at least at this point? Maybe you could introduce yourselves by degrees---so it wouldn't be such a big thing when you meet face to face? Oh, I just love fresh romance!!!
Good morning! I don't feel as sorry for myself after reading the exam schedule of amyjo... I only have one tonight, and I feel so out of the study loop. I haven't decorated yet, I'm waiting until this weekend. Good for you Ruthie for moving out of your comfort zone!
It's been so mild here I don't feel the rush of Christmas coming. It's warm like early autumn, and wet, wet, wet. I feel as though I'm in Vancouver again.
Winter will hit with a vengence, but it's been great for delivering papers.
This year I think I'm going to do some baking for the teachers gifts and friends. Most of my friends don't bake and I really want to keep Yule low-key. (Low cost too)
Where is everyone today? I may not get a winter break afterall. They may have me work over the holiday. But they must tweak my contract in order for it to happen. As I am speaking to so many friends via holiday greetings, I found out many people I know have lost their jobs since Sept 11th. LV is still over 8 % unemployement. We aren't bouncing back. Tourism has been hit hard. So sad. I am thankful for my pt job. I will hate commuting but I found a perk with the new location, wild kittie cats. It is in a plant nursrey/greenhouse. The mentally challenged employees will take some getting use to. They water good.
Well, I finished my to do list this week. My last thing is to take my car in at 9 am tomorrow. So first thing, I clean out the garbage in the car. GRab some magazines and plan my morning in the waiting room. I don't mind. As long as I don't have children to entertain. Chris is off, so he has them! I may finanly read my oprahs.
Thanks for everyones thoughts.... I am almost there During finals is a really bad time to try and diet but I did really well yesterday. I am still on E-diets mostly because I have to report my weight once a week and because they have reallyyyyy good low cal recipes. I also started posting back to Fitday. If I have to write it down I will not eat it.
Weighed this morning and the scales say 142 (yeah right) 4 pounds in 2 days is not likely unless it is allllll fluid which I did drink about 100 ounces of water yesterday but still. I hate scales!
Well guys I just thought I would pop in and say I am alive! I have a test at 10AM and then I have the weekend off (haha) and then two more test I will survive! I have to work at the senior classes graduation Saturday AM and then I have a baby Shower Saturday Afternoon so I don't expect to get too much studying done.
Flower~ Congrats on not having to take off for the holiday's! Sounds like they really like you!
Alternative Group 12-04-01
for my pagan friends....
Isn't it awful when we can't take that socialization out of ourselves, that we're supposed to be Barbie? As much as it pisses me off rationally, I can't get it out of my head. The other thing I can't get out of my head is fear about the whole thing, just b/c I've had such bad experiences with men in the past -- I just keep waiting for him to turn out to be unacceptably deficient in some way or another (married, or a secret addict, or a psycho, or something else I haven't even thought of). I am praying, though, that he will just turn out to have the normal human foibles just like me. He is just so exactly how I described the only guy that would ever be acceptable to me in the future, after marriage disaster #2: Muslim but American, well educated, good profession, excellent sense of humor, and as an added bonus he seems to really understand my way of thinking (which is a little off the beaten path). So yes, Flower, I do have a big sparkle in my eye, but I am also terrified. I'll let you know how it goes.
I have the day off and then I have 4 days of tests.... My house looks like a confirmed disaster area and my scales are stuck at the same number 
Hiya.
It is in a plant nursrey/greenhouse. The mentally challenged employees will take some getting use to. They water good. 
I will survive! I have to work at the senior classes graduation Saturday AM and then I have a baby Shower Saturday Afternoon so I don't expect to get too much studying done.
