New and would like a buddy

[MI CHICK]

I'm Baaaccckkkkk
'puter was down....I was going thru such withdrawal
But I'm happy to get back & see that you have just kept chatting away LOL!!

Today I start w/a new Fri client on a 2-11:30pm. My one client who had the heart attack & was back in the hospital died on Tues. So that's sad. That's the 2nd client I've had die this year. Down side of my job. You are w/people on such a personal level that you always end up attached.

Tomorrow morning I leave for the lake weekend. Then Monday morning I am leaving for Ohio w/my cousins sister. We will stay Mon & Tues, returning Tues evening.
So the next few days are going to be busy. Some very happy & silly and some just the opposite. I will try to avoid really bad stuff like handfuls of mm's or chips but I have bought my beer & am sure that I won't be eating on plan. Even though I could eat hamburgers w/o the bun & I'm pretty sure someone was either bringing a fruit or veggie tray. So it need not be a complete disaster. Besides I found years ago if I've been eating healthy and then have a binge at something like this I end up sick.
Have no idea what's going on with the visit to my cousin. But the sisters are diabetic so they don't eat too badly. Even though if I was dying of cancer I don't know how hard I would be trying to keep to my diabetic food list. But now that I say that I know her son said she's having a hard time eating anything.
Ok enough of all my sad happenings

Elaine I've teased my dh about becoming a trucker so that we could travel all over like that. We do so love our road trips. Like T & her dh we love to just set out for a long drive. We have a couple books for MI that will take you on scenic drives & have places to stop for these nature hikes. I throw a picnic in the cooler so we only have the cost of gas--which now a days can be quite a bit. Glad you were able to pretty much cover the country before dh had to return to work. That was interesting about the workamper jobs.

D my folks were w/o electricity for 8 days after our last storm. It killed their fridge & they are still living out of their cooler waiting for the new fridge to be delivered. Also fried a few of the wall sockets so that had to have an electrician in. They are finally feeling a bit better. When they got their power back on this week we had dropped to the 60's so they didn't need their a/c....lol!! And my MS client keeps her house to be a consistent 72 all year long thru heat & air. Has a repair man come twice a year to check out both systems to make sure that nothing is going to die & leave her in a mess. Glad ds is ok & yes they do have those first silly accidents & yes it does raise their insurance--especially the sons. Ds at 26 is finally down to regular rates, but he hasn't bothered w/a car the last 2yrs. We bought him a good bike & all the gear he needed for safe riding in all our city conditions & that's his wheels. He loves it. He plans on moving to a state where he can use mass transit & his bike/legs when he's done with school. If there is any place on the earth where it would be safe for your dh to ride his Harley it would NE !! Are you afraid he's gonna hit a steer D?? And I knew that Wally World is WalMart. Course my db that lives in WY is the one that taught me that term...lol!!

I guess maybe we all have some of those days where we look in the mirror T & think who am I kidding---let's just buy some of those cute polyester pants w/the cute matching tops and call it a day. Could say I was 70 & folks would think how great I look. Especially with the way I don't color my hair. I know I've lost the 16lbs the same way I put it on, a lb here and there, & that it probably will stay off this way but I do get impatient for that big drop!! But not enough to exercise like Y all the time

I bought one of the convection counter top ovens w/a gift card I got for Christmas. I really like it. Can't say that it really seems to cook much quicker but it is nice to not turn on the oven to cook a smaller something for just the 2of us. My mom had one that was the whole micro/conv model & she just loved the convec part. But she never really figured out how the whole thing worked (she's was in her 70's so that's ok) it died a few months back & she really misses it. Maybe one day I can have the whole deal.

Yeah D that 45mins is the reason that it will be hard to get Americans out of their cars & on to their legs for even close errands. I can drive there in 10min. If I power walked I could probably be there in 30 instead of 45. Biking works the best as a replacement as you can make such good time--but the traffic here is so heavy & there aren't sidewalks in all places. But the main reason I've done no biking this year is my hands.

Ok I really need to get a move on. Need to pack etc. I will be spotty in my posting over the next few days but I will return. And hopefully still at 233

[Denise78]

Oh just take the day off YH and come have coffee with me!!

Our other house is in the next town over, about 9 miles away. That's where we lived when I first moved here. The high school, banks, library, gas stations, little grocery store, everything is in that town. Our little town here only has a post office, lumberyard, feed store, one church, small elementary school and a mechanic's garage but not much else. Our other house was bigger, 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, full basement, 4 acres of land. But the laundry facilities were in the basement and that was hard on me, going up and downstairs like that everyday. This house we live in now has 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, but no basement, everything is on one floor including my washer/dryer, which I really prefer. It's a smaller house but the landscape and the house itself are nicer. Only a couple of acres here but 3 apple trees, plum trees, such a prettier yard and much more quiet and private. This town is much smaller too. I like living here much better, I just wish we had a basement in this house because we lost a lot of storage room and I don't have a place now for my big deep freezer. That's still over in the basement in the other house. We have several outbuildings, sheds and garages here, so one day we will clear one out and make room for the freezer but that's still not very convenient to have to go out in the backyard to get something out of it. We have a smaller upright freezer in the laundry room here that we make do with. I miss the big freezer though. Out here, it takes an hour or two to get to the bigger stores so you like to stock up on one trip and I can't do that with meats without a big freezer. I think this new refrig will give us more freezer space so that will help some.

Yes, I remember that movie with Chevy Chase. Loved it! Have you ever seen him in Funny Farm? Now that is a funny movie about small-town life. You would like it, YH. Lots of laughs.

C, I'm really sorry to hear about your client. That is so sad. I don't think I could do your job -- I'd get too attached. It sounds like you are going to have a blast this wkd. Will be good for you to get away and forget about the sadness for a little while. I'm sure you'll do fine with your eating and won't mess up your 16 lb success! Enjoy yourself, indulge a little and then get right back on track. Most of all, have fun!!

I am dealing with insurance agents and changing stories this morning. Last night the other boy told me that he was backing up at the same time as my son. My son did hit his car and we are owning up to that. But insurance says it may only be partial fault if the other car was moving too. Now the boy is telling his mother that he was not moving at all. She's called me 3 times today and it's hard because she is a friend. I told her not to worry, I'm not out to screw her, her son's car will get fixed. I don't want any hard feelings over this! But I wanted to talk to ds2 before he talks to claims adjustor and gives statement. You know how 16 yr olds are, always running their mouths. Last night he felt so bad that he damaged his friend's car and he kept telling his friend, "oh it's all my fault, I'll pay to have your car fixed." Ugh. I told him that IF he's 100% at fault, yes the insurance will cover it but don't take on the 100% liability till a claims adjustor has seen the car and heard both sides of the story. The other boy, in my opinion, should be a little at fault if he was backing up too. The other boy told me he never looked in his rearview mirror at all. Although it doesn't sound like he told the sheriff or his mother the same thing. I think he is scared of his mother but I hope the real story gets out somehow. In any event, I just want to forget about it for a few minutes and finish my coffee so I hope the mother doesn't call me again! She can be a real troublemaker at times but she is also my hairdresser so I don't want to be at odds with her.

Well I think it's time to do something around here, maybe even get dressed for the day.

D

[Denise78]

Okay my hairdresser is driving me nuts. She has called me SEVEN times today! I talked to ds2 and he says that the other boy was backing up also but was just stopping when ds2 hit him, so that's where the confusion comes in. Not a big deal. But....my hairdresser keeps calling me because she wants the ball rolling on this. She finally insisted that I call the claims adjuster and speak to her again, even though we had already spoken this morning. The adjuster said my hairdresser has called her several times today and she told me that sometimes this takes weeks to wrap up, so she doesn't know why my hairdresser wants this all to happen NOW. She said they are shorthanded in the office today (they are 2 hours from us) so no one is driving all that way today to come look at my hairdresser's son's vehicle. That will happen next week or the week after. But my hairdresser is insisting it happen today because she is going on vacation next week. My adjuster recommended I stay out of it. I reported the claim. Ds2 gave his statement. We did what we were supposed to do. We don't have any damage to our vehicle so we don't have to worry about meeting with anyone. Of course that is easier said than done, I can't very well hang up when my hairdresser calls. And of course she called me again as soon as I got off the phone with the adjuster.

Dh has to work late. Ya know, everytime something happens, it's always ME left dealing with it. I know he can't help that but I get too stressed out.

[yellowhair11]

Holy smokes, 7 times ??? What the heck is the matter with her ? But I can see why your in a pickle being that she is your hairdresser !!! Do you have caller id on your phone so as not to answer ? Tell dh to hurry home !

[harley g-ma]

Well I am really proud of myself today,but I owe it all to you wonderful ladies.I didn't want to do my do my 3mile walk because I messed around and let it get too hot,so I tried to do a new 4 mile walking video.I only made it 2 miles as it has alot of interval jogging which I do not do.It kicked my butt! So I felt guilty and did my 3 mile walk too! I had my ipod with all my rockin' music and that helps. I would have NEVER walked the extra miles if it weren't for your encouragement.I'm doing so good on my diet too.I have to tell you all a funny story.I crack up everytime I think about it. When we were still traveling for fun,we stayed in a campground in Calif.and decided to drive thru Beverly Hills.We were driving down Rodeo Drive in this huge Dulley truck with all the jaguars,bmw's and Mercedes.Of course we were the only truck down there and it felt just like the Beverly Hillbillies,but the funniest part was we had a bumper sticker on the back that said "Tattooed White Trash" We sure got some stares.My dd3 made me take it off so her stuck up neighbors wouldn't see it!

D, I know how those stories can change.I hope you can get the truth to come out.
C, I glad you could join us,if you don't hear from me it will also be computer problems.I am enjoying you guys too much.
YH,I wish you could go home too.Don't work too hard.How did you come up with the name Yellow Hair? I was going to hike the Appalatian Trail and my trail name was going to be Sister Golden hair after the song.I am a blond and I am going to get a picture on
here this weekend.I have been the butt of many a blond joke but I love them You
have got to have a sense of humor in this world to survive! I'll talk at you girls later.

[harley g-ma]

Hi,Its me again.Just waiting for dh to get home to see what we're going to do for dinner.Last night I had a grilled chicken salad at BK.They are pretty good. D,are you on central time? My posts are always an hr off.They post on eastern time.
YH,it always amazes me when I see what time you post.You really do have a hard time
sleeping I haven't made it to Alaska yet and I would love to go.We made make it one day on the pipeline. We might actually be able to meet one day.My brother has a condo in Palm Bch. and thats not too far from you. Depending on what part of the country dh works in I might be able to meet all of you.He's planning on working another
10yrs.He's 5 yrs younger than me so he's only 52.You remind me so much of a friend I have.You could be sisters you look so much alike at least like the picture you have posted now.

T,I'm waiting to hear about your day.I hope you had fun.You asked about my windmill.Its
really just decorative and its about 7ft tall.I'm going to get a bigger one one day when I actually get to live in my house

C,it sounds like you had a rough week.I will get attached to the people in the Nursing Home when I start volunteering.It's hard not too and I have a very soft heart My kids tell me I need some drugs so I won't be so emotional,but I'm not going on anything until I have to!

[harley g-ma]

Actually,they post on mountain time.I have 615p right now

[Denise78]

YH, I do not have caller i.d. Imagine the phone tech's family does not have caller i.d. !!! That is a bone of contention with me and dh. Like a dr's house with no bandaids.

Okay EIGHT calls altogether but my hairdresser finally wore down the adjuster and they are coming out to look at her vehicle tomorrow, on a Saturday!! I told her that was great and I was happy for her. Actually, I'm happy for ME. Maybe that means no more phone calls!!

Elaine, I am on Mountain time but if you have 6:15 then I think you are posting on Central time because I had 5:15 when you wrote that. C and YH are Eastern. T is Pacific. So we are all different time zones. If you are not supposed to be Central time, you can go into your User Control Panel and change the settings.

Ds2 just stopped by to get some gas for his car. The rancher asked that he come into town to pick up parts and he didn't want to take the rancher's truck but halfway here he realized he didn't have enough gas in his car to get back to the ranch. I swear, that kid accounts for half my gray hairs! Anyway, we always have gas in some cans here so he came home and got enough to get him back again.

I have been getting updates all day long via email on a little neighbor boy. He is 7 yrs old and came down a few wks ago with what they thought was the flu. Run-down, listless, no appetite. Then he couldn't hold food down. Dragged on till finally he was vomiting so much they admitted him to Denver Hospital. Did a liver biopsy but couldn't figure out what was wrong -- only that his liver is totally damaged, possibly due to a virus. Air-lifted him to Omaha, Nebraska for a liver transplant but his brain started swelling and time was running out as they started testing family members for matches. Livers re-generate so he can get a portion of a family member's liver transplanted rather than wait for a whole liver from a child. Anyway, he is on a ventilator. They thought his dad was a complete match till they opened him up at 2 am and found some irregular blood vessels in his liver and determined that the little boy would die if they tried to transplant a portion of his dad's liver. The uncle was finally determined a match today (takes hours and hours to match every single little thing needed for a transplant). Meanwhile, the boy is declining rapidly. Just got an update that the uncle is going into surgery in 30 min and if his liver is deemed okay, the little boy should be in surgery by 10 pm tonight. Please, please, please pray for little Vonn. His time is running out.

Congrats on your amount of walking, E. What an awesome job! I bet you will see results from all that exercise. Are you weighing in tomorrow with me & YH?

I have no idea what I am making for supper. It's hot and I have the fans running but am worn out from the heat and don't feel like moving. Not much ice left and ds1 won't be home till late tonight, so that means we're waiting till tomorrow for my new refrig to be installed and start making ice for me. I could drive the 10 miles to the store but I can't drag my lazy butt out in this heat. I think I have some sugar-free freeze pops left, those will have to do in the meantime.

D

[harley g-ma]

What a tragic story! I will definitely keep him in my prayers,and yes I'm going to weigh but it hasn't been a week yet so I'm not expecting much!

[Denise78]

Oh that's right, I forgot you just started on Monday. Well, this can be your "unofficial" weigh-in if it's not much. If it's a lot, then we'll call it official.

[slendercate]

D, will keep the little boy in my prayers for sure. How are you doing?

yH, my dear sis keeps planning to come and show me how to do a avatar, so someday soon, one will apear.

Elaine, what a great life you have. We do tent camping, used our in laws camper untill it wore out. We are saving for a Casita, which is such a cute camper.

C, will keep you in my prayers. Hurry back and be safe.


T, wow, no AC? Don't know how I would stand it in Texas without one.

I have a confession. This week hasn't been exactly on plan.
I have decided to try a different plan, another lc option.
I am going to try the south beach plan. I guess I have been having trouble staying on my lc plan. I am ready for a different plan.
So, next Monday, both DH & I are going to start the new plan.

Will keep you posted.

Glad to have my computer back.

Hugs,
Slendercate


PS. Work on the old house is on hold, all inside is clean, just waiting for the tile guy, painting guy, then the carpet one. Nobody can start till the end of June.

[Denise78]

SC, sorry to hear you are having a hard time with low-carb. South Beach is low-carb so how will it be different than what you are doing now? Have you thought about Weight Watchers? That is more of a low-fat woe and you can have the carbs. It's been working for YH very successfully. C and I do our own modified South Beach, but again, we're having to watch our carbs on it, that's the main premise of South Beach.

Anyway, good luck on whichever plan you choose. I'm sure having dh eat the same as you will be very helpful! I do think it helps to stay on plan if you post here daily, hint, hint.

[Denise78]

I'm watching one of those medical channels and there's a gal pregnant with sextuplets. She started out as a skinny little thing. Anyway, they told her she has to gain 60-75 lbs during the pregnancy. Has to. So they are making her eat 5000 calories a day and she's having such a hard time doing that. The wimp.

[Denise78]

Oops, my mistake. I read your post wrong, SC. Thought you wrote that you didn't want another lc plan. Sorry 'bout that.

Anyway, SB seems to have such a good variety of things, more fruits & veggies than other plans, so hopefully it's the right choice for you!

[Teresa3]

Wow, so much has happened with you gals in the last 24 hours! So sorry to hear about that poor little boy, D, and all the incredible hassles you've been having with your hairdresser friend over the fender bender. Now there's a gal you'd want on your side if you ever need to get a bureaucrat to do anything!

Sorry to hear your ac isn't working, too, D. I sympathize because today is the hottest day I have ever experienced here since we bought our house in 1989. At least it made me not want to eat much. We just had salads for dinner. but here's the really, really, really bad thing. After all the fires we've already had, some horrible person started 5 fires off the freeway which morphed into one huge fire between here and Watsonville, burning homes and forest and stranding people in Santa Cruz because they had to shut the freeway down. I can smell the smoke through our open windows tonight. It is so scary around here right now. It was over 100 today with bone dry conditions. The poor fire fighters having to battle these blazes in this kind of heat. Dh is going to go to Marin County tomorrow for a reunion, and I am so nervous. I still hear sirens going outside. It's awful.

E, congratulations on all the exercise you're getting. And thanks for explaining a bit of your history. You do live quite an adventurous and romantic life! I can't imagine buying a house without a walk-through! You must have the dearest dh on earth!

SC, South Beach seems to be a good alternative for people who get bored or frustrated with Atkins. It allows more choices and is very healthy. It's a permanent way of eating that you can still lose weight on, although most find it a bit slower, but more satisfying. Hope it works for you!

Y, sounds like bf has realized the error of his ways and quit threatening to leave! What would he do without you? I'm sure he couldn't survive! A few extra goldfish haven't hurt you too much in the past, and I'm sure you had a good time hunkering down in bed!

C, you definitely understood me on the polyester pants w/ matching top thing! And I thought I was the only one who ever felt that way! Have a wonderful time at the lake. We'll be looking forward to hearing about it. Sorry your next trip will be on a somber note. I hope your cousin is not in too much pain.

I don't know how I will be able to sleep tonight with having to keep the windows open and hear the sirens going all night! D, I guess we'll both be having an uncomfortable night! Hope yours is better than mine! May tomorrow be a good new day! T.

[miss.amaryllis]

Good morning girls!

I've had a busy couple of days and have got up early because Ferdinand (splodgy ginger and white cat) was patting my face with his paw demanding attention and feeding. So - no ignoring his demands!

Lots of posts and lots of news from you all!

I've actually improved enough now to have abandoned proximity to my selection of dressings and the bathroom to have gone to Exeter (nearest city) to get my hair cut. About time too! Before moving from Kent I virtually had to be prised kicking and screaming from Kerry, my hairdresser with whom I could just sit and say "Do whatever you like..." and know I would like the result. I've found a hairdresser here in Exeter who is sort of like that but not quite as wonderful. Anyway, new hairdresser Michelle greeted me with a cry of how I'd lost weight. Never bad to hear! She had had a lurid tattoo done on one arm (yeuch!) and a minute frilled pelmet which I suppose must have been a skirt.

Anyway, great to have haircut at last!

Co-incidentally our lovely little café/bistro in the village has had a special bangers and mash night. A choice of six gourmet sausages/four flavours of mash, four different gravies and vegetables of choice! Their food is wonderful - a small menu which is all fresh, all beautifully cooked, no instant or convenience items at all. No, no, I resisted booking a table

The Ruler of All The Universe and I got out the atlas and I looked up the places you all live. Exciting!

The good news for the Saturday weight confession is that I have lost 4lbs! I am now 9st 11lbs !! You would laugh to see me tiptoe to the scales, sans contact lenses, sans nail polish or anything that might add extra weight and c-r-e-e-p onto the scales with a deep breath of nice light air. 11 lbs to go!

Food yesterday:

Mid morning breakfast - 2 rashers of bacon, 1 egg

Lunch - small tin tunny fish, a green salad

Dinner - slices roast chicken, more salad.

Food I'm missing a bit. Basmatti rice, glass of milk, new potatoes, chicken tikka masala (our national favourite dish) Ambrosia creamed rice, mangoes.

It's not long before my father-in-law's birthday. He will be 80! He's requested a family meal and I shall be making a birthday cake. Memo to self - Do not taste the mixture. Do not taste the mixture. He is a military man, so when I was casting around for the ideal cake, I thought of having little aeroplanes taking off from the cake's surface, but then TRoATU gave a glad cry of excitement and suggested creating the cake in the shape of "an FV Field Artillery Self Propelled Abbott gun". He sketched it out, and I do think it's possible. But I absolutely refuse to do icing in a horrible military green. It will be white, and I shall say it's for service in arctic conditions.

Teresa, I am filled with horror at the thought of such a huge fire near to you. What loony person could do that?. Terrifying! How I admire firemen - or firefighters as we are supposed to say now.

I think it sounds really romantic to be on Mountain time. Much more exciting than Greenwich Mean Time!

Lots of love to all on Weighing Day.

[yellowhair11]

on the 4 pounds Miss A - thats really great - a big drop for you ! How tall are you and E ? Are you exercising Miss A ? You need to post your daily meals to give us ideas too. I like the hairdressers that you can say do what you like, mine is like that altho there have been times I did not care for. Plus I need a wash and go style because I cant be bothered and with the horrid humidity here it will look like crap no matter what after being outside. You sound like a cook, so is C and D. I am not, maybe I will attempt some day.

I heard BF talking to a recruiter for a better job within the company - I cant blame him for wanting to better himself and get out of the job he's in but most of those jobs are in Miami south so if something comes up he would move as the commute would be horrendous. Sorry to hear about the fires T - take care of yourself, that is scary ! I take it you dont have ac, ughhh. Get out of there if your nervous !

SC - sometimes I think it is good to switch out to another plan but SB wont be that far off from LC.

D-the neighbor boy is in my prayers-I am sure you will hear something today with the Uncle doner. You just never know. Glad the neighbor got results for your sake with the car. S3's car will be tied up for days when he takes it in and that will be a fiasco im not looking forward to. Any news on when someone can check the ac unit ? Nice weekend for those air conditioned movie theatres-tell dh you cant stand it that way he will go.

E-I think you get the top prize for exercise here-you are faithful with your daily walks. Post your weight today, like D said if ng then its unofficial and we will ignore till next Sat. I can just see you guys in Beverly Hills with the jalopy truck and the white trash sticker Yeah, you have to laugh, you sound like a fun gal. How many tats do you have ? I just have a Panda and a flower on the back of my shoulders-they are very old and really need color but I never realize I have then still. I was a blonde for ages but now my hairdresser thinks it will wash me out too much so have been doing diff. colors, red for sometime, now somewhat brown with bl hilites, some red still coming thru-does not want to leave. I have a time with color because of the sun and pool so it changes so much from the day its done, I do not want to wear a bathing cap. Its hard to get a color that will oxydize to what you want. My hair is pure white at this point. I had greys in my 20's-genetic.

Hope you are having a great time C if you check in and sorry about the cousin trip to follow.

I will weigh in shortly - afraid - did not do well this week and very little exercise. Having a time of it since hell vacation, have been really tired after work and going to sleep earlier but still eating. I have all that stuff I bought up north too that I hoped to be in by July 4.

[yellowhair11]

A gain of one pound for the week but not surprised as I was off plan a couple days and not enough exercise.

[Denise78]

Good morning gals!

Congrats on your 4 lb loss Miss A. That is awesome! Sorry to hear you gained a lb YH but at least it wasn't more! I'm sure you'll have that off in no time at all. How is your back feeling these days?

The uncle was a good match and little Vonn survived the surgery. As of 6 am, both uncle and nephew were in recovery and things are optimistic at this point, although they still have a long road to recovery ahead of them.

No movies this wkd that I care to see. Nearest theatre is an hour away so it better be for a movie I really want to go to. The one I wanted to see, Sex in the City, is long gone. Tonight the town is having a benefit for Vonn so we will stay home and go to that. I have to bake a cake later for it.

T, sorry to hear about the fires. Hope you got some sleep. That would irritate my breathing if I had to breathe in that smoke all night while I was sleeping. Are you going to the reunion with dh? My dh has his 30th high school reunion next week, we will both go to that one.

C, if you haven't left yet, have a great wkd with your friends. I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers for your visit with your cousin. I'm sure it will be very heartwarming for both of you.

Will report back shortly with my weigh-in. Have a good one ladies! D

[harley g-ma]

I don't believe this! I had written a lot and was almost done and somehow I hit the wrong button and it disappearedmaybe it will appear by magic later.I'm going to wait awile and start over

[harley g-ma]

Ok,Here we go again
D,I am so ha