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Julie...we must be having similar weather today. All I can hear is the wind whipping around outside and the house feels colder this morning. Still dark outside so I can't see much but schools are being called off. Yep, we made the right decision to wait until Wed to leave. Well, as Linda stated, the Vikings threw it in the toilet and flushed it again. By the end of the game, I was happy for the Saints and to see them go to the Super Bowl. I am not a fair weather fan but I think I need me a new team to root for. Today is running a few errands in town and doing a last minute cleaning of my house. DS and GF will be staying here some while we are gone. My frig is empty except for condiments. It looks so lonely. I have meals made up in the freezer if the kids need food. Have my little list on my desk of last minute things to grab. Got my scale on the top of the list. Last year didn't bring it and it was in that first two weeks of our trip that I had my unintentional, unexplainable 20lb loss. I think the scale is riding shotgun with me this year. You all have a good day. I used to absolutely love Mondays when I could hope in my little car and go back to work. Hey...everyone going to FL...remember to throw a few photos in of family, etc. I have some ready to go. Not too many..I found photos of when I first started gaining up to the time I was huge.

Hey VZ...an old regular here. Sounds like you are doing well. Wishing you luck as you go down the PS road. Things are great with me...just living a new/healthy life and feeling wonderful. Should have done this years ago. I do feel as if I have the energy of a 19 yr old. Take care and would be nice to see some of the others post with updates.

And...we are taking luggage with us for our friends that are going to be visiting us at our cabin. Long story but our friend had some shoulder surgery and no way could tug at a suitcase while traveling. So...we are actually packing for more ppl than just DH and myself.

Julie...we are still leaving early on Wed morning. Just needed to do some "creative packing" today to be sure everything fit. Just packed the things that we did not have to worry about freezing. After we leave Atlanta, our load will be less. Gotta spoil that boy of mine!

Laura...love going to Cracker Barrel for their little country store...love their baby things and ususally pick up baby shower gifts and used to pick up unique salt and pepper shakers for "mom". I have no qualms either way on the restaurant...whether we do reservations or where we go. I will leave that up to you guys. I will go or do anything.

How did I find such a great DH? Not a B&M once while loading the truck. He caught himself once when he started to say "Are these all shoes?" He just stopped and continued loading. Everything fit except waiting to load the things that will freeze until the morning we leave. Whew...I did overpack but not on a huge scale. Got it all figured out where dog will ride....now just to figure out where DH will sit. (that's a little humor is all...I do love and respect that man of mine!) Phyll...I ended up in that underwire all day too. Too many ppl around all day long. But the upside is...we had ppl around all day! Oh...and in case y'all missed it the first time: GO VIKINGS!!!!!!!!!!

And.... GO VIKINGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! FAVRE, FAVRE, HE'S OUR MAN IF HE CAN'T DO IT, NO ON CAN!!!!!!!!!

Oh...and Happy 3rd Anniversary. Give DH lots of special kisses and hugs!

Great photos, Eva...thanks for sharing

Have a great trip Melissa. Yep, stress does wonders for tightening that band. Enjoy yourself and see you in a couple of weeks!

Sounds like you need some kind of relief from your pain in the winter months. As soon as we are not so tied to this farm and our business, we are going to look for a permenent place in the South for six months out of the year. I used to love winter. Skating, sledding, walking but the older I get, the more of an attidude I have about it.

You're welcome anytime, Arlene, but I would advise you to stay put where you are in the winter. We have friends that leave MN for 2-3 months in the winter. The ones that have gone to TX end up in AZ cuz they say it is too cold and damp for their aches and pains. Glad your drugs are helping.

Morning Deb...nice to have those lazy days once in awhile. Enjoy your Sunday!

OMG, Phyll...DH just looked at these and we both said "Desert next year". Heck, DS is a pilot...he can come see us instead of us always going to him. Yep, desert next year!:cursing:

OK...got the guys fed. Made French toast, sausage and threw some homemade Texas muffins on the table (in freezer). I think they licked the plates clean. Now they are sitting at the table talking farming (blah, blah, blah) and about the advantages of geo-thermal heating. (We are doing it next summer and so is DS). I don't know how, but I missed a bunch of posts last night. Eva...happy you had a nice trip and got your fill and seem to not be having any troubles. I did not realize that you have only had one fill. No wonder you were being tempted. It's so much easier when there's some help from the band. Fingers are crossed that you have no troubles.... Linda...I have heard so many ppl say that Avatar really is not their kind of movie but really enjoyed it. DH and I will have to look into that. Maybe next weekend. I saw that Oprah show about texting. We have lost a number of young ppl around here due to texting. My son's lost a really good friend 18 months ago in a firey crash and word was that he was texting. Killed a young wife and mother of two babies. My sons say they do not text and drive. I hope that is the case. There would be a boot to the butt if I ever got wind of it. Great...hope your tummy troubles are over. No fun. I woke up one morning last week with THE WORST gas pains I have ever had. Do you think maybe it was the 2 pints of blueberries and the 2 cups of blackberries I had the day b/4????? Stupid me. They have always been a favorite of mind with sugar on them...I can't have them in the house unless I bring them in 1/2 pint. Don't know what to tell you on the hair. When we met, I thought your hair was cute. I am not one for perms and it's hard to tell what that would do for you. Have you had perms in the past? I think the only other thing you could do is the larger curling iron and use a root lifter. As your favorite hair dresser what he/she thinks. I am so into low maintenence. As I have said b/4, I am into the 2.5 minutes for hair and makeup. Was DD in Southeast Africa????? She's very smart to consider and try to foresee what kind of like her and DF will have. With what is going on, you'd think he would be into impressing no one but her and trying to change. And, I'm a believer that you can change someone for a little while...maybe and either things go back to how they were or there is resentment for being forced into changing. Better having her heart broken now rather than living a life full of heartbreak. Janet...Goldrush??? I was having visions of covered wagons, etc. Never have watched QVC. Have no clue but hope whatever you ordered you enjoy. LOL. Charlene...the front that came through here was not a quick one. It last more than 24 hours. It's clear now but we are expecting 7-10 inches in the next 24 hours and more on Tuesday. We cannot delay our trip past Wed so hoping for somewhat clear roads. One of the guys that came for breakfast said roads are icy and covered with sloppy snow. Alright ladies...now that we've delayed for a couple of days, I will need to keep myself in check and NOT do any more grabbing of things, throwing in a box and taping. I have packed more than I planned on. I was going to ask how everyone feels about this. Should we have one planned night in FL (Sat.) where we find a nice restaurant and go out to eat? Or, just play it by ear and either order in? The reason I bring it up is so ppl can be prepared and know what to bring for clothes for going out. Of course, a nice pair of jeans is acceptable almost anywhere.

Good Morning Everyone... I declare today NO BRA SUNDAY!!!!!!! With so many ppl around here all the time, I rarely have the chance to run around without a bra. Today is the day and I am sooooooo happy. I am sure it is similar feeling for the dog when I take his collar off. Phyll...I have a facination with the mountains. And to see the snow on them like that must have been just beautiful. We would rather be in the desert on our vacations and not FL but want to be close to DS. We love the forest we are in and the resort but, given a choice, it would not be FL. Janet...that just sucks about your bros house. Is nephew too old to spank????????????????? Being out in the sticks and the only 1/2 way decent shopping mall is over 2 hours away, I do a lot of ordering on Amazon.com. I have always ordered all my protein bars, flavoured syrups, vitamins, shoes, loads of books, etc. I always get free shipping if the item is a "Prime" item. I pay so much a year ($79, I think) and I ge 2 day free shipping. It really does pay for itself with the ordering I do. I am panicing cuz I ordered a bunch of books b/4 Christmas to have on hand for our trip. Well, I've read them all except for 2. Now I'll need to stop at a Barnes and Nobles along the way. I LOVE to browse book stores. I will have hubby drop me off for 4-5 hours and he will head to a farm supply and I will be in my glory. (Him too). Of course, in order to enjoy it, you cannot be in a rush. Eva...hope you had a good trip and that the fill will be what you need. And...hope you are not beating yourself up anymore. Take a look around at some posts of ppl that are about 1/2 way to their goal. I notice that there are many that get that far and then hit a plateau, get upset they are stuck and kind of go off their plan. So you took a little break...we've all done it. This is where Janet's "boot straps" statement comes in...and, hopefully this fill helps you to make the turn. Hey Laura...glad you had a safe trip home. Sorry you are feeling funky...no fun. Nice photos. That Nels is such a pretty little boy. We hired small planes once in awhile to take my boys us (just out of our little airport) and that photo of him brought back soem memories. Both of mine always had such a facination with flying. Me too...I would fly every day of my life if I had the chance. Should have become a flight attendant...serve ppl and get paid for it? Hmmmmmmm...I think I missed an opportunity there. Julie...enjoy sleeping in. I just can't sleep in...don't know why. But, I sleep REALLY good when I sleep. I do still get up a couple times a night and eat. Usually oatmeal as it goes down and I don't have to worry about laying down after eating. But I am lucky in how I sleep. Happy we delayed our trip till Wed morning. Don't think DS is too happy though. He was looking forward to a being on his own working out here. Him and DH work pretty well together but he was so looking foward to the break. Expecting 7-10 inches of snow today and tomorrow. OK...gotta run put the damned bra on. DH just got off the phone with a friend. He invited 4 guys to stop in for breakfast. HE DOESN'T EVEN COOK! Nothing in the frig besides eggs cuz getting ready to go. Off to the freezer I go for muffins and sausage. Talk to you all later.

Deb...really wish you were going to join us in FL. But, I know how it goes to need to spend time off with family. We like to vacation close to our youngest son that we do not get to see very often. So many other places to travel to but for the last 9 yrs, it's been fairly close to where he lives so that we can see him off and on during our trips. Good luck with working the Beck solution. It will be interesting to hear what everyone has to say about it. A good way to get back on track and hopefully will hold everyone's interest.

Your first step should be to try and let the shame go that you feel about this situation. It is what it is and without getting fills or having support I can understand why you are feeling the way you do. Find a doctor in your area that you can visit with and let him know what has been going on with you and inform him you want to get back on track. Also, when you do find a doc, check out if the clinic has any programs set up for after care. (Support group you can attend, nutritionist to talk to, etc.). It will take some work on your part but with proper fills and some support you can turn this around. It's never too late. PM me or email me if you would like to talk. Wishing you luck!

First of all...be careful on the Protein bars as they can become addicting. But, they are a great Meal Replacement for times when I am out and about. I have relied on them many times and even "skinny" DH eats them a couple of times a day and for Breakfast. These are some of the ones I like: Pure Protein (20gr protein)- Walmart or Amazon.com Aitkins (17gr) Walmart or Amazon.com and GNC Myoplex Lite (15gr) Same as above All of these fall into the 180-200 cal range Aitkins

Eva...good luck with your fill Jessica...good going on another 3lbs and for working so hard towards your goals! Good girl!

Arlene...I believe you are correct in your way of thinking. We will need to step in and see to it that things take the turn they should in Haiti and continue to help these ppl for a good long time. Well, I skated to town and slid back home. Just about messed myself a couple of times by sliding sideways. Thank God no other cars were headed by way. When I left the house about 8am, there was some ice on the road. Drive about 35-40 MPH. The 2 hours that I was getting my hair done it snow heavily. All that did was cause a really heavy/icy layer on the road. Even at driving 20 MPH, I slid sideway a few times. Happy to be "younger" and be home safely. Now I don't have to worry about a color or a cut till we get home. Always nice to have your reg person do it. My hairdresser has been doing mine for about 5 yrs. She is now DS's GF. But, I loved her first. She's just a nice, responsible mom of 2, lots of fun and has her stuff together. I told my kids long ago that I would accept whoever they chose to be with. We've been lucky so far. The hard part is that you get so attached after about 2-3 yrs together and then they break it off. We do and have continued relationships with all of their GFs throughout the yrs. And, the boys usually have stayed friends with their ex GFs, which helps. OK...even though it is crap and not sure why anyone (incl me) would be out on these roads, I have guys to feed today. All of them are out working in the shop trying to finish up some projects. So, better get the meal on the table. Later.

Julie...as Great said...no need to defend yourself. I am sure that any one of us would have stepped in like you did if our child or grandchild were in that situation. I feel the same as others...would prefer it to be my choice when I take my grandchildren. As everyone knows, I cannot wait for the day. I think we all understand your situation with Mimi and little better and thanks for sharing.

Good Morning.... All I heard all night long was ice hitting the house and the wind blowing. We are really getting hit with this ice storm. Fingers and toes crossed that it does not take out our power. Still dark outside but I can tell that it's raining. Maybe I can still make it to my hair appt this morning. Our temp is supposed to drop by afternoon and that's where we will run into trouble. Completed my packing. Everything is in one corner and waiting to go into the truck. And, no, I did not take 23 pairs of shoes. Just my regular boots I always wear, few pairs of my favorite sandals and sneakers. Even when trying to pack conservatively, I have quite a few boxes and a couple of storage bins. I know I will appreciate having what I really need (and want) down there. DH was giving me crap last night about taking so much. (At least he did it with a smile on his face). Told him anymore comments and his box would stay home. Needless to say, he backed off. He could get by with a container of trail mix and 2 pair of underwear and be happy. I, on the other hand, am high maintenence when it comes to what I want on hand. Just thought I would stop in and say Good Morning. Want to get all my floors done b/4 I head in for appt. (if). Hey..forgot to mention yesterday...PHYLL....what an exercise queen! Bet it was fun though. Also, wish you were coming to FL.

Yep, Phyll...BIG party at our house tonight...located in the recliners. Served popcorn and Crystal Lite.

Hey Julie...well if you are willing to sit with the dog then you'd be riding up front with me. Poor DH. (In reality...DH rides up front with me and dog in the back). But, if DH is not along dog is up front. Poor Mimi. I threw up green beans once but all I remember about it is that involved the Beatles and Schlitz Malt Liqour.