[size=huge]Happy Thanksgiving, Canadian babes![/size]

Hi all! It has been a real up and down kind of week. I was hoping for a day off, but I've gone from 'bra jobs' to 'bank jobs' without a breather in between. Whew! I did 5 today and booked 16 more for next week on top of the pretty full schedule that I had already.

I haven't been around, for lack of time, AND not wanting to dump on all of you.

Well, it's been about an hour. I wrote out the entire 'dump' and then erased it all. It was definately a 'ramble' and far too much of a downer to actually post here. Suffice it to say that tomorrow/today is a new day and I have lost a foster sister. :-(

We have movies all weekend, so hopefully I will have some good critiques for you later on.

I started out the week journalling. Gave it up somewhere in the middle. We'll see how the week turns out. Flying by the seat of my pants once again!

Now that I wasted all of my posting time, venting and erasing, I really to have to get to bed. Hope you are all doing well. I will try to get some 'quality' time here soon. Love to all.

P.S. Happy Thanksgiving, Duckie! One more post and you hit 100!!!

Ok guys.........
This will be my last post before leaving for Charlotte. Please know I will truly miss you guys and be wondering what you are up to. Woooooo Hoooooo! I am so excited. This will be the last race of the year that we go to and I plan on having a great time. OP, of course. I am so proud of myself. I spent about an hour in the kitchen today getting everything ready to go.......I've got lowfat sandwich meat all packed & I know how much each slice will cost. (WW points) The ONLY bread I'm bringing is some lite 35 calorie bread, I have one container with regular cheese for dh and the boys and one with FF cheese for me, I have a medium size vinyl cooler packed with little debbies (oatmeal cakes and pecan spins) for the "boys" and I have some rice crispy treats and I have 4 individually bagged servings of 1 point FF Pringles. Wouldn't you say I'm all set??!! I know temptation will be great. I know I will be tempted to get one of those big slobbering sandwiches at the track even though they cost 6.00 a piece. WHAT? You say you don't know what a "slobbering sandwich" is? Well, let me tell you. First of all, you smell it the minute you walk into the track. The smell immediately infiltrates your nostrils. The first thought in your mind is: MUST HAVE ONE! Upon going up the the slobbering sandwich vendor, you will see a huge pan full of what I believe is some type of meat. (This hasn't actually been proven yet) This "meat" is somewhat healthy though because it contains vegetables. They have managed to cut up a few onions in it so they will level out some of the grease. Once you order this sandwich, they take what looks like a hot dog bun (but about 3-4 times bigger) out and they FILL this bun with the meat-type product and then.....the final touch........they saturate the top with oozy runny clog your arteries melted cheese, and as your standing there with 62 napkins in hand, waiting to pay for this item, you notice your shoes are wet and you look down and you realize they are filled with drool..........thus we have the slobbering sandwich!I WILL DEFEAT THE SLOBBERING SANDWICH! Giving in, means I have spent a days worth of WW points in let's see, ONE BITE! I think not.

Ok, individual replys:

Michelle: Hey sweetie. So good to see you. I hope you have a really good time with your parents. I don't know what your relationship is with them, but if I was stuck with mine for a weekend, oh well, we won't go there. Needless to say........NOT a pretty picture. By the way, just wanted to mention that Tony is on the pole for the race at Charlotte this weekend. That would be the Lowes Motor Speedway...
he'll show them who really owns that track! JK! Have a great time with your family and I look forward to see those long posts again!

Lucky: Wow! Snow? That is amazing.....I can't tell you the last time we had snow here. Wait. Yes I can. It was in the blizzard of 93. (said in my best crochity old man voice) It actually hit when I was in the hospital giving birth to my second little boy, Trey. I had been transferred to a bigger city due to complications (leaking fluid from my amniotic sac) and was transferred by ambulance and somewhere between the hospital-transfer-2 weeks in the hospital & birth, I lost my shoes and was released without any. My dh found a Dollar General Store open (believe it or not) and I became the proud owner of a faux leather pair of boots complete with fur trimming the tops and rhinestones down the side. Men........you gotta love em. Wow........I really trailed off there, didn't I? Anyways, we got 21 inches and haven't had so much as an flurry since. Well, maybe a flurry, but that's about it. And don't you worry girl, I got your back covered on the man front. I am sending you all the possible and till the day you reel him in, I will keep sending you pictures of hunks from the internet!

Duckie: My goodness.......snow for you too? We love snow around here, but we never get any. If you read the above message to Lucky, you will get a full snow report from good ol' Tennessee, so I won't bore you again. I hope you have a wonderful time at your Thanksgiving dinner. The best advice I can give you is: Eat what you want, but eat in moderation. If you feel that there is something that is a *danger* food, try to stay away from it. I think we all have those. Also, real smart choice on the candy bar. I guess most would think I'm nuts for congratulating you for eating a candy bar, but I think if your really craving it, you should eat it, because all your going to do is try to find something to fill it's place and it never works and then you end up eating it anyway along with everything else......AND as far as Tony goes, (don't get me started) it's not actually just Tony I love. I love racing period. I know. I always get the speech......."but their just men driving in circles." When I hear someone say that I get hmmm, let's just say "irritated". Yes, they are driving in circles. At speeds of almost 200 mph, in extreme heat, with such physical & mental control it is unbelievable and each time they get in that car, they have no guarantee they will get out. Race car drivers defy death every day......and some are not so lucky. Just this last Wednesday, a Nascar driver (ARCA series) was killed at the very track I'm going to this weekend. (he was actually from Tennessee) He lived about 45 miles from me. He took a spin in the last turn......hit the wall, radioed in he was "ok" and the driver that was on the track behind him was too far behind him to see the wreck happen and didn't have time to react and hit him in the drivers door at 160 mph. He left behind a wife and two children. That one hit really close to home. See? You got me started! To answer your question: I love racing and Tony......in that order. (I think) Ha Ha!

SaraJoy: Isn't it awesome when you start seeing that big difference in clothes? I remember a long time ago when I had lost a lot of weight and I could wear some of my friends clothes. It was awesome and made me feel so good! I hope you have a good time out dancing tonight with your friends but--(putting on my MOM hat) Be careful. Thanks for all the uplifting advice.

J-Ann: Do I soooo know where you have been. And ANY of us could be right back there at a moments notice. I think 100 times or more, I have started out the day fairly well.....got stressed.....ended up at a fast food restaurant and well......the rest is history. And the thing about it is, it doesn't make you feel any better. It actually makes you feel worse, because then you start beating yourself up and you are worse off than when you started. You ARE strong, invincible and an amazing woman and we can do this........TOGETHER.

tontoy: Awwww, your little one sounds like such a sweetie. I bet she is adorable in her little costume. I could almost "see" her laying there asleep in those little glass slippers. I always wanted to have a little girl, but God just didn't have that in mind, so now I am a football Mom. And I LOVE it!!!
Do me a favor will you? Stay away from that scale today. It can honestly do you more harm than good. That is why I don't have one in my house. It's just too tempting to stand on it and take a peak, and then when it doesn't say what you want it to, you hate it, get depressed, start eating and this just sets up a real destructive cycle. I know it will be like chewing nails, but take that scale and put it up in a closet or have someone hide it from you and ONLY weigh once a week. Also, concentrate on the more important things than what that scale says. Remember: My weight is nothing more than a number on my scale and I refuse to be judged by a number. You can do this girl.

SweetPeaOK: Sorry to hear that you've been feeling ill. That can really stink, especially when you come back from a trip. Hopefully that trip you took to the doctor and the medicine he prescribed will be just what the Dr. ordered. (if you'll excuse the pun) In the meantime, always remember we are here for you in any capacity that you need us in.

Baylee: Woooooo Hoooo! Congrats on the weight loss. See? You were doing something right. Something has sunk in, hasn't it? Sooo proud of you for sticking to your goals and you got the pay off today. We're all gonna have bad days every now and again, it is just a fact. But, the difference is now, that ALL of our days are not bad days anymore, and when one of those occasional bad days do hit, we know to get right back on track with the very next meal. Good job sweetie. You are my inspiration.

Thin: Thin.......Thin.......Thin, what am I going to do with you? What do you think we are here for? We are here to listen to your "dump" and "ramble". It doesn't matter whether your post is so peppy it flies off the page or so low, it drags the bottom. We listen and try to help........REGARDLESS. You know what a pitiful soul I have been the last couple of weeks, heck.....the last couple of MONTHS? How many times have you listened to me ramble? How many times have I dumped a pile of trash on you? How many downers have I posted? How many have we all? That is what we are here for. To laugh, cry, celebrate, comiserate and share our trials, tribulations and triumphs with each other. If you can't talk to us, then who? We have all walked the road your on and some of us are still on it. Please.........VENT. It is the only way to make yourself feel better. If I hadn't of come to this site & vented my poor and pitiful feelings........then you guys wouldn't have lifted me up and I probably would not have been OP for the last 5 days!!!! We love you and are here for you, no matter what you need. You don't always have to be strong for us. Thin is human too. (thump) Ok, that is me, getting off my Because I love you, I can say these things, ok? I hope you have a really nice time at the movies this weekend and I am ready for a FULL report. Take care.

Ok, guys........I am pooped. I think I have been typing on this post for 5 hours now. Ok, maybe not 5 hours, but it sure does feel like it. Hello to all my other friends. I don't have to type in your names.........you know who you are. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend, and if you get a chance, turn on your TV on Sunday and check out the race. I will be the girl in the stands with the Tony Stewart shirt WITHOUT the slobbering sandwich!!! I love you all and will see you Monday.

Oh, thank the Good Lord, it's SATURDAY!!! Which means I made it through the week and don't have to work for two whole days...aaaahhhhhhh....

AquaRun this am at 9:30...I never got a chance to exercise yesterday...felt very guilty and let down and then I thought...this kind of destructive thinking only sets me up to fail. So, I didn't exercise Friday, I know I will on Saturday AND I have every day for about 2 weeks...I will not place that burden of guilt upon myself. I will just continue to eat well and exercise regularly. I'm going to succeed this time. No ifs ands or buts.

I read something interesting last night in Fitness magazine. To find out how many calories it takes to maintain your present weight, multiply your weight by 10. In my case, that's 2580 calories!! Wow! It was mind boggling to think of how many cals I was eating above and BEYOND that to gain the weight that I just worked so hard to take off...

Chat tonight? I'll try to peek in around 7 eastern time...but Lucky, I didn't see any room with our name on it...am I doing something wrong? probably

I'd better get moving...(literally AND figuratively!) I'll check in later...Have a great day. Stay dry. (Is everyone getting the onslaught of rain that we've gotten for the past two day? Oh yeah, you Northern gals are getting the frozen version...sorry!

I see there is a permanent button that I can't check so I suppose I have to ask Suzanne.

Let me know if we want this as a permanent chat room for us and I will get it set up.

I will be here before 7PM Eastern, 6PM Central and set up "Working Together" so when you get here we can chat....

Baylee congrats on the weight loss. I know you must feel wonderful about now.

In a prior post I saw where someone mentioned a password to get into a room where we can chat. Guess I missed the password and would love to join you. I am usually in the chat room (also known as my second home ) in the evenings but if there is a room there that you meet, let me know.

Sara I didn't abandon you all. But...come to think of it, where were you all when I could have used a backrub, a bowl of hot soup and my pillow fluffed???

Today has been good thus far. Have not accomplished much but will play catch-up tomorrow. I have a chicken bq'ing and the house smells soooo good. Will throw a baked potato with it and a veggie. And if I am a good girl, will even have a dessert.

Baylee to answer your question...I am having an MRI as I have a brain tumor. I had Gamma Knife surgery December of 2000 but thus far it seems it didn't work. The good thing though is that the tumor has not grown. We'll find out if that is still the case on this MRI.

Need to run go check on the bird...hope all of you have a great day!!!

I'll try to get back later for posting but I had to stop in and tell you about:


THE WEIGHT ROOM!

Well, I really did it. Took my first "Women on Weights" class at the Y. We invaded the inner sanctum of the "weight room in the back" where the serious body builders hang out. At 53 yrs., 5'2" and about 275 lbs. I fit right in. Sure I did!!! Our trainer is super patient. Good thing too since most of us are not only not in shape but don't have a shape (unless round and jiggly is a shape.) We learned to use hand weights, lunge bars and a Smith machine. That one reminds me of a midevil (sp?) torture machine but it's easy to use once you learn. I think I'm going to like this a lot. The only exercise I didn't do were crunches lying on the floor. I'll try those at home but I was afraid I might not be able to get up from the floor so I watched and took notes. I felt great when I left but now I'm getting SORE. That's supposed to be a good sign. I'll go back and work by myself on Monday. I think the "guys" were glad to see us go. It's so quiet in there it's like a little church with grunts in place of "amens".

Still OP today too! HURRAY FOR ME. Tonight I'm going to soak in a warm tub and read about reps and lactic acid build up in my muscles.

Hey...I just woke up...I told my son to wake me at 2...not that I had anything to do...I think today I'm going to blow the dust off my old "the Firm" tape. What a great workout...I'm in need of one...I feel like a big lazy slug, although I WAS exhausted this morning. After working all night, I had to drive my daughter a few towns down the road for this kid's show she's doing. Mind you, it is pouring rain. I take the parkway, cuz that's the quickest way (no lights)...the A-holes sharing the road with me, apparently don't know about slowing down during adverse driving conditions...they're still doing 65...and a bit miffed at me, I might add, because I'm not! You can barely see as it is, without the plumes of water shooting out from behind these speeding cars splattering on the windshield. I was so tense, not to mention exhausted, by the time I got home, I just crashed...

I have to gather myself together now and assume the role of one who is doing something productive...

So that I can come back and play later!

J-ann...that's great! Nothing like that good muscle ache...that lets you know you've been working!
I try to steer clear of those grunting guys at the gym...they're a little TOO intense for me!

Kat Just so you know Sweet, Sara and I talked about you in the chat room since you didn't show up!!!!

(missed you)

#@%&*@#$^&!!!
My son's friend came over to hang out for awhile. When his mom comes to pick him up, she always comes inside to sit and chat for a bit~~groan~~(as opposed to sitting in the car and honking the horn, like I do, unsociable cretin that I am!) so, I'm politely sitting there making small talk, as I try to scoot her son away from the Nintendo..."Okay now honey, you don't want to keep Mom waiting! Let's go! Come on..." He's not budging, she's chatting the whole while, and I'm trying to send telepathic messages: "GET OUT!!! I WANT TO GO CHAT...GET THE **** OUT!!!! to no avail...then I get the call to pick my daughter up...(which, on any other day would have been a godsend, rescuing me from my 'guest')...I can't send dh, he's exhausted, snoozing on the couch after working a 12 hr shift...Sooooo...once again...I, who have no life, other than one of subservience to everyone else's needs, whims and desires... missed my play time...

When's the next one????

Just thought I'd pop in qiuckly to say hello since I didn't get a chance to post today...er...rather, yesterday, seeing as how it's past 3:00am now. I've been out dancing for the last two nights in a row! I just got home.

I DID have a nice, but VERY brief time chatting with some of you gals earlier this evening. When my husband suddenly announced that some of his buddies were on the way over, I had to do some quick tidying up... so I had to stop chatting. Boo!

J-Ann... Congratulations on venturing into the unknown... the weight room! Yikes... I know how "threatening" that room can be to women. Really, us women should be there all the time seeing as how muscle burns calories!

Sweetpea... I didn't know about your tumour. You must be so concerned. You'll be in my thoughts until your MRI is over and you've gotten your results. Your chicken, by the way, sounded delicious!

Well ladies, it's 3:15 am and I REALLY need to get my butt into bed! See ya'll here later today!

Sara

Okay, I'm not the only nut posting at this wee hour! I fell asleep in the chair before, while watching TV and folding clothes...must have slept an hour, woke up and got back to the laundry! My brain probably thought..."okay, nap time over, time to go to work, just like every other night..." I watched some schmaltzy black and white tear jerker with Jimmy Stewart and Carole Lombard, it was great! I sniffled and sobbed as I folded and ironed, cleaned up the kitchen, and tidied up the living room...I'm just waiting for the last load to come out of the dryer.

IT IS STILL RAINING HERE!

rain rain go away...

I really don't have much more to say except, tomorrow...er, TODAY, is the beginning of a new week. Whatever "bad" you may have done last week is in the past. Chalk it up to experience, and move on. Let's have a GREAT week!! Together!

back to the laundry basket I go...

see ya'll later.

DO NOT POST HERE! GO TO "300+ And Ready To Try Again....#227"

See you there.