Apples2

This is a photo of the day I started down the long road to a new mouth

Great...just looked at our MPLS newspaper. High of 24...low of 8. Cloudy day with chance of snow late. You shouldn't run into any troubles. You realize that there are MOA shuttles. Just go onto their website for when they run. I think it is every 1/2 hour. It was 5 degrees when I left this morning but by afternoon it was 15 with the sun shining so it felt fairly warm. You most likely won't be outdoors at all except to catch shuttles and they are pick up and drop off just outside the doors in a parking garage.

Not the best shot...DH is snoring (oops) so took it myself. You guys are not going to see any more than that of me today. Bad hair day.

Kelly...my teeth are all glazed porcelain and will not EVER stain. I will get DH to take a photo when he wakes. He has a nasty cold. He was resisting sleep and outside working. I did the "little white lie" thing. When he came in at 3pm for coffee and homemade pie, I told him I was giving him liquid daytime Tylenol. I made it the nighttime so he could settle in for the day and get a nap b/4 dinner. Drugged my own hubby. Yep, I did.

I haven't even looked at how to post a pic on this new site. Someone????

My DH struggles with this a lot lately. He was such a workaholic when the boys were growing up. There was not much that came in the way of work. He has tried to make up for it since but one of our sons is very bitter about it and tries to throw it in his face every chance he gets. None of us are perfect parents but we should be able to set our lives aside once in awhile to do things that are important to our children. Not a lecture, Great. It was meant to be a pat on the back for what you are doing for you DD. Too bad I'm not a bit closer...I would pop in and have lunch with you at the MOA. I love Nordstroms cafe...

Jessica...congrats on the 5lbs lighter! You are plenty close to onderland and hope you can reach your Jan 1 goal. Great deal on the bike...wear you helmet (the mom in me). Take your doc up on the challenge.......seems to me that you have taken every other challenge that you could this year, so why not????? You are an inspiration, Jessica. So proud of our little girl!

Great....like your attitude....do it cuz your DD asked. Take it while you can. Yes, there is a Loft and an Ann Taylor store at the MOL

Phyll...congrats on the cute little red cart. You are going to look so cool tooling around with Zoey licking your face.

TODAY WAS THE DAY!!!!!! My mouth is complete!!!! So happy it is all behind me. And, so happy that I went to a dentist who specializes in what I had done and is a perfectionist. I am sooooooooooooo happy with the job he did. I have teeth that will last me a lifetime and will stay beautifully white. Every darned tooth in my head has a nicely glazed cap on it. And, never ever would a person know they were caps. I was so worried when I started this that I would end up with "Chicklet" looking teeth. Woohoo! Think I will Celebrate with another cup of cappccino. Now, I need to thank you guys for putting up with my A$$ during this process. It was a long one (April...I believe) and I do so much appreciate that I had you guys to whine to. As a matter of fact, I want to thank you all for just being here on a daily basis. I consider you my true friends. Amazes me that friendships developed just by making a few posts a day. And, that we keep making new friends (Kelly, Chris) and love our old friends that sneak back home (Meredith...glad you snuck home). My appt was at 8am and it's a 70 mile drive one way. Well, after that snow storm yesterday, I was so concerned how the roads would be so I left here about 6am. Got there just in the knick of time so glad I left early. Spent till about 10:30 in the chair and then off to Target and then hit my favorite consignment shop. Good things DO come to those who wait. A story here but I'll try to make it short. Last year I met Great for the first time ever on Thanksgiving weekend. We met at a restaurant inside a mall. Well, after lunch I decided to do some shopping. I picked up a Jones NY sweater and tried it on. It was soooooooooo pretty and just the right color of red for me and fit perfectly. I slapped my own hand and made me put it back. While in the consignment shop today, I spotted it. Same size...tags still on it and I got it for a whopping $8. When I put it back on the shelf last year it was discounted to $54. New smile, new sweater. Cheri....I cannot stop thinking about that poor family. I went in and looked at the news clip of the family talking to the reporter. They showed photos of the mother and her 2 daughters. I will never in my lifetime get how ppl can kill other ppl. I just can't process it. I cannot imagine how this affects you. And, just a short time after the tragedy with Mikey. So, so sorry you have to deal with this and that the students have to deal and that their family has to deal. Meredith....good going on getting back to the gym. Keep it up and make good choices and you will be right back to where you were b/4. And, congrats on stopping yourself now instead of 50lbs from now. Melissa...sorry about your job and insurance situations. And, I agree with Phyll....you employer should not even touch your purse or any of your personnal belongings. Shame on her if she does. I would ask for a locker of some sort. Kelly... you have such a beautiful area you live in...makes the walks a lot easier, I bet. Joyce....Woohoo...back to the gym...way to go! Hope you keep it up. Always helps when a friend is along. Kick butt, Joyce. Sorry...did not address you all.....not that I don't care...it's called CRS. Well, better get something done today. Sending the love.

OMG Cheri...that's awful. I am so sorry. That's all I can say and that I will be thinking of you as you deal with yet another horific incident. That poor family.

Arlene...it's so tough cuz you want to protect your kids. Gotta love 'em but sometimes the choices our children make can just make us shake our heads and wonder if they learned anything from what we taught in our home. There's such a fine line as to what to be involved in. So sorry for the drama. I guess each and every one of our families have some kind of drama going on. Hope your FM settles down. Sending the love. Didn't get a chance to experiment with a Protein Bar recipe. Got our yeilds proven for crop insurance and made some PB fudge. Didn't get my last tree decorated like I wanted to but will try to get it done tomorrow after my dental appt. Hoping this one is it. You had asked on Monday if I was working....I only work on Mondays the months I am at the lake.

Great...there's always hope that you might settle into a not so crappy relationship with your sisters. Maybe later in life. Sometimes takes some longer to mature and realize what they have. My advice is to not stand on one leg waiting for that to happen but don't close the door for the opportunity for it to happen.

Glad the fill is behind you, TX, and you now know what to expect in the future. Try to not think about how much fill you have. Best to go by how you feel as far as restriction goes. We are all so different. My doc does not discuss with his patients how much fill is in the band or how much he puts in. He wants us to concentrate on what we feel as far as restriction goes. Kelly...forgot to WOOHOO you on the 3lbs lost. Way to go!

Once we get to December we just concede. We accept what comes our way and deal. We make our own fun. You should see all the fun we are having today. Counting corn and bean bushels for crop insurance yeilds. (No claim...just sets the tone for next year). I am SUCH a patient person. If I wasn't, I wouldn't have a hubby. He would have maybe made it 2 yrs. Love him but wants to do this himself. OMG...I recheck and try not to ask him if he pulled the figures out of his rear. Takes him 5 hours what I can do in 30 minutes. Gotta let him be proud and do it. I just change his final #'s and all is fine. Gotta love him!

Right there with ya, Joyce. Don't know exactly what you are going through but it's been a challenge here for us too. My advice to you...take care of yourself first and do not let anyone mess that up for you. You first.

Meredith...you are in the BEST place ever if you are needing understanding and guidance. There's so many of us with so many different experiences....just pick a subject!!! I say the best way to get back on plan is to go back to what worked for you to begin with. What really clicked for you????? The worst thing you can do is beat yourself up. Hop on that horse and get back after it and don't look back. I also would want to have the surgeon go in and look at things and see just what is going on with the band. You don't want to cause adhesions or something having your band in the wrong position. Hopefully it will be an easy fix or no fix at all. Just be very mindful after your second surgery that when things are not as they should be, seek help immediately. I think I can speak for us all here when I say...we sure missed our little Meredith when you went missing. Great...I'm fine...just a dr. appt. to take care of my emotional health. Crazy-A$$ year around here. Otherewise, healthy as a horse (nag maybe????). Had my physical a few weeks ago and I could pass for a 20 yr old on the inside...outside...not so much. Thank God for clothes, makeup and bras. I can see that you worry a great deal about your GM and her feelings. Bless you for taking such good care of her...even when you are so many miles away. I am sure it wears on you to be that far away. Try not to worry about who does what (your mother and sisters) and you just have the relationship you want with your GM and try not to let anyone else infiltrate what you have with her. I may be stepping over the boundries and sound like I am judging them, but, I THINK THEY ARE PILLS!

Good luck with the fill, TX. Thanks for the tip on the Jimmy Dean Breakfast. I am an egg eater. Never used to be but they are a big part of my menu daily. Egg salad, omelettes, scrambled with turkey sausage. I make hard boiled often but do not like the yolk that way. I take it out and give it to my dog or my DH (they will eat anything) and put a little mayo as a snack. I will have to pick up the JD bowls to have on hand. I love to cook but sometimes nice to have something quick that I don't have to make myself. Still wicked weather here today. Visibility is less than 1/8 mile. Supposed to let up later. Gosh, AZ is really tooking good to me. Ready to pack.

Has anyone else had this? I go into my contents to see my subscribed threads. I have checked and rechecked to make sure I have everything in order in my settings. The main thread that I post on has disappeared within my subscribed threads and I cannot get it to show up in my list. Also, lost over half of my "friends" list. And, still not getting email notifications. I'm not a quitter and usually adjust to change easily but this site is testing me. I have been visiting another site and may just make that my new obscession.

Arlene...sorry you had a tough night...damn the FM

Good Morning to All....hope you got some sleep, TX (and Julie) TX...now, that's determination....signing up a year b/4 the event. You can easily do that 5-6lbs/month. And, as I stated last week, once that fill is done, you will wonder what you worried about. Wouldn't it be nice to be at ultimate restriction with one fill????? Be prepared...might take a couple. Some ppl here have had many and some of us only a couple. Hope the PT is helping the shoulder. Hey All....we are in the middle of a full-blown winter storm here. It started raining yesterday morning....and, of course, I was on the road heading to a doctor appt. When I came out an hour later, it was just crap to drive on. Took me close to 2 hours to get home. School closings this morning. The mom in me kicks in and begin to worry by my DS's driving on ice and snow. Not supposed to let up until evening. I hope Janet is having a wonderful time with family. I can't remember what was on the thread yesterday so will not be "talking" to each of you. All I know is that I was pretty excited to hear that Laura's dad had enough "gumption" to fly the family back to FL. Tell Nels that I think that was the best part of the entire trip also. I have most of my house decorated and 2 of my trees up and decorated. One to go. Would have been done but DH was not available to haul it up from the basement. Was thinking of posting photos but a person cannot even go in to look at them without getting knocked out of LBT. I'm not a quiter but I sure am disgusted with some of the changes.....or should I say gliches. Makes me not even bother checking. Well, been up since 4:30, made the coffee, did some reading and caught up with my girls (and TX) and now it is time to start my day. It will be oatmeal for Breakfast and then I am going to experiment with a Protein Bar recipe. I "surfed" last night looking at different recipes and wrote a few things down from some of them. I think I am going to make my own oat flour and start from there. I really like that the bar I usually eat has Fiber in it so I will make sure to add some of that also. I am just getting tired of my favorite bar I purchase and they are now close to $8/5 bars. You all have a great day. Hope your weather is better than ours. Cannot wait to get in that vehicle and head south. DH's dad left yesterday right at the start of the storm and drove his motorhome out of it when he got out into SD. One month of winter and we are heading out.

Phyll, glad you had a good trip. I am also peeved by the new format. When I click on to look at a photo (like I just did for Zoey's) it takes me all the way out of LBT. And, when I go to my profile, I have so much missing. This thread is not even listed as on of my threads.Too much going on right now to deal with it. Jodi...give Dassi a pat on the back for sticking up for herself. Sounds like things are going good for you. Hope you find the time you want to hit the gym Jessica...nice to hear from you. Good going with your grades! Good luck with food choices on your trip. As you stated, best to bring your own if you are worried about it. Our choice what we put in our mouths so we need to not got with others choices.

Question....have you guys noticed your friends list on your profile since the change? I am missing more than half of my friends I had listed and many of their profile photos are blank. Even some of my friends from this thread have been deleted. Sucks

First of all, congrats on your weightloss thus far. And on your new-found energy level. As far as the rate at which you are losing....please try not to compare yourself to others. Every pound lost is a step in the right direction. You are averaging 6lbs per month. If you continue at this rate, next year at this time you will be down another 72lbs. Just keep focused on your ultimate goal. Good luck!

Elcee....I sure am missing my email notifications, too. As far as the hovering over topics....there's a little icon (greenish) off to the right of the topic. It's a little hard to see at first. Click on it and it will open the first paragraph of the thread. Change sucks, doesn't it??????