Great2BThin

So am I right in assuming that I still have to set my font every time I post? Has anyone figured anything different out? I went to control panel and didn't see an option there Also my same color is gone ? [/color

"]We are up and running! WOOHOO!! But how come there's a seperate post titled Apples? Are we switching over?? BTW Happy Birthday again Apples!! I see I am not getting email notifications either, gotta figure it all out again. We are expecting a blizzard here today they say. I hope they are wrong as we leave in the morning to drive and across Wyoming on I80 is no fun in a blizzard! Today is packing and getting everything ready as I imagine DH will want to load the car tonight so we just have to get up and go in the morning. [/size]

Good morning! I got a prize at Bunko last night, the prize for doing the worst and having the most losses! LOL Family drama is calming down a bit and I am feeling better about it, made some decisions about what my relationship will be and how I will react to it going forward. No more doormat for me. Feels empowering, now to hold strong and do it. DH promises his support as do my kids. FAcebook games: I play some solitare type games sometimes but never got into that farming and what not. When I worked at the rec center in Denver my coworker was farming all the time, I just didn't get it. I have most of those apps blocked on my FB as I was getting so many farming, pet, frontier, mafia, etc. requests and posts. My favorite game that Phyl got me hooked on was a Suduko game and they discontinued it. Janet, enjoy your vacay! I enjoyed your post, great reminders and info. Phyl, sorry to hear you aren't doing well. I'd never guess either that you were depressed and hope the gain disappears after your meds get changed. Apples, maybe you can crank up your furnace and put those shorts on and pretend. LOL Have a fuu-fuu drink with an umbrella in it, put on some beach music. LOL How did you make out at the consignment shop?

Thanks Cheri. Love it, gave up guilt for lent and haven't taken it back. AS for wanting to be invited if it didn't involve Grandma no I didn't want to at all. Since it did involve her, I sortta did want to. But going forward, no and for Christmas not at all. My focus and energy will now be focused on my kids and my upcoming grandbaby who do want to spend time with me and love me. Forget the rest. Good morning! Another busy day for me. Going to meet a friend at a craft/gift boutique. It's a place with lots of different booths (years ago I had one when I had my craft business) and there's also a little restaurant there with various Soups we will have lunch. Then to costco, but am debating about waiting to go there tomorrow. President Bush is supposed to be there and thought it might be interesting to see all the hoopla, though it might be too crazy. Tonight is Bunko. Eva, is it Ohio you are going to? What route are you driving? Janet, vacation is so close. A nice long time to recharge. Your family is so lucky to have you to take them, many memories will be made I am sure. Linda, Thanks for the advice. I have talked to someone somewhat about things while I lived in Denver. Glad to hear you will be as well. HOpe things calm down for you soon, miss ya! Julie, do you go back to Mayo anytime soon for your shoulder pain?

That's how I did respond the first time and then she went there and sent this latest one. I may not respond at all to it and leave it at that. Then she will go tell my mom I am sure and then I will get a phone call from her to deal with. LOL See there are some plusses with having moved away from my extended family! Just miss my kids

Thanks Apples for making me smile about it. I knew if I responded right away I might say something I might regret so am taking my time to craft just the right response, DH offered to help me. She can wait a day. I am leaning towards leaving it at, Grandma can't get in my car and hopefully she'll feel like the a$$ for righting the email in the first place. But I doubt it. I pray every day that I am breaking the cycle in my family with my kids. I can see how dysfunctional my family is and even how my mom was raised by my Grandma, I am sure my family is far from perfect but I pray I don't repeat the same mistakes. It also didn't hurt that I submitted a prayer request for dealing with my family situation to my ladies bible study this morning.

Whew, first time to sit down at 'puter all day. Good to keep busy to keep my mind of my family drama. The latest: After telling DSis that I would not be able to pick up and deliver Grandma to her place for Thanksgiving dinner that I am not invited to, I got a scathing email wanting to know why, and why couldn't I spare 10 min. to do this for Grandma and asking what she is missing. I have yet to respond. The nerve. I haven't even emailed Gma yet today, I just need a break from it all today. I had Bible study this morning, lunch with the gals after, went to get my new reading glasses which don't fit right and have to be returned and to Ikea. Tonight is book club so just having a day off from things. Arlene, have a good trip. Back away from the carbs! Julie, a pay cut + health insurance might be like a pay raise in the end. HOpe it works out. Jodi, are you sick if you mom is coming to nurse you??

Jodi, How cool for Dassi to do a commercial. Nope that's not the case with my sisters, I have always gone when invited. I work it out somehow, as family was always so important to me. But now not so much. I will concentrate on my family meaning my kids and my new grandbaby. My kids already don't want much to do with them and they hardly have a relationship wiht them. Sad because they are the only 'kids' in the family.

Why is it that we always think this year will be different? Like DH said they haven't appreciated you and have crapped on you for 52 yrs why give them 53?? I am the same way with the salty crunchy thing. Just can't have it. For me it's my chocolate. Some folks say they have to stay away from it, but I've never been a fan, but salty crunchy I have no control. And the healthy stuff just makes me want the real stuff to statisfy the craving.

That's a loaded question with many interesting ways to answer. First depends on what it is 'you want'. If it is to eat healthy and lose the weight and follow the rules given to you by your surgeon for success with the band, then yes I can eat whatever I want. If by what 'you want' is ice cream, sweets, junk food, all the foods that got us into this in the first place, well sure you can eat those too but you won't get the results that you want. Many of those foods are sliders and go right through the band. I could eat a whole heck of a lot of ice cream and never feel full. But if you follow the rules and eat Protein (hard proteins) then you will feel full faster and can have a treat once in awhile. My nutritionist said 10% of the time. The only foods that I can't eat because they get stuck too easy are bread, lettuce and Pasta. Though others can eat them, it all depends on your band and your restriction. I don't want to eat them so am glad I can't. Well sometimes I do want to eat them and then I am glad I can't.

I just told my DSis (and D in this case is not for Dear!) Sorry but no I won't be able to. She doesn't even need an excuse (which I have plenty of LOL number one Grandma can't get in my SUV it's too high). On another note, Apples, I've been meaning to ask, I probably missed something when I skimmed posts after being gone. When and where in AZ are you going? I know in Vegas you were talking with Eva about renting a house of her's. Sounds fun and a good break from the cold for you.

Thanks for the support Apples, aRlene and Janet. You are right I do need to step back, just gotta figure out how to go about it. My sisters do take care of her but are more than willilng to let me do the mundane stuff. They about panicked when I mentioned before moving about them doing her banking etc. Well now they have gotten themselves added on to her account 'for convenience' so now there's no excuse. one of the things I am upset over is where Grandma spends holidays. Every holiday since moving she has spent with them. Every time I ask I get the same old lines how she doesn't make plans or promises and then as the holiday approaches says I promised your sister, or I don't want to interfer on your family etc. So DSis is having Thanksgiving dinner. I am not even invited. However, was asked today if I would pick up grandma and bring her to their place as it would 'really help out' Are you freakin' kidding me??? Now how do I tactfully reply? If I say what I really want to say, then it will blow up, mom will get involved, Grandma will be hurt, etc. I just don't know. But I did not drive 600 miles for Thanksgiving just to help them out! I will have Thanksgiving with my inlaws anyway, but it would've been nice to have been invited and would've tried to work out to be both places. GRRRRRR Oh and already after we asked Grandma to spend Christmas eve with us, she is committed to my sisters as well, and you guessed it, we were not invited.

Warning....Venting ahead! I am so ticked off and hurt by my stinkin' family (extended as in Grandma, mom and sisters). Why do I get all the crap jobs and stuff to do and none of the praise, the holidays etc. I've been venting to DH all morning on the phone and he said, no wonder you have 'not good enough issues, etc.' I can really see where it comes from in your family from 2 generations. And then I feel so guilty being so mad at a 101 yr old grandma. Nuff said w/o going into all the details, but I am thinking of pulling back on all I do and letting my sisters deal with it all, and I will just fly in once a month to visit her. I feel so used and taken for granted. When I speak up, I'm the one that's unreasonable, etc. It just sucks! Apples, that just sucks (or shall I say blows with all the gas they pumped in) about your colonoscopy prep. At least it is done now. Glad you had it done especially since they found a polyp. I am on the every 5 yr plan myself even though they didn't find a polyp, my dad gets lots of them. Not sure where the MSP dream came from, DH was asked to go there just before we came to SLC though. Janet, thanks for the popcorn info. It's something I just gotta stay away from even the healthier kind, it just triggers something in me and is a major red light food. It will not be replaced in my pantry. LauraK, is it getting serious already with this new guy? Hope it works out for you. Phyl, did you make it to water aerobics on time? Question on the 'motor homing', do you get claustrophopic after the winter? I'd love to do what you are doing in about 10 yrs, but not sure how I'd do in an RV for a long period of time. Granted, many of them are huge, but doubt we'd get that huge of one. How long have you done it?

Good morning. Feeling a little better today. It's weird, I have had this feeling like I am coming down with a bad cold feeling for 3 days now but so far not a horrible cold, just a general blah feeling, headache, and runny nose. Maybe my flu shot is keeping me from getting it worse and it's a touch of the flu or something. DH left today for TX so I am just taking it easy. Do have a hair appt later this morning which I will keep. Darn it all, I did so good on my carbs yesterday and then last night there was one bag left of microwave popcorn and I made it and ate it. But still had a good day overall. Apples, hope they were able to do your procedure today, let us know how it went. So important to get those colonoscopies at our age. I had the strangest dream last night. DH got transferred to Minneapolis and you drove over to help me look at areas to live in. Arlene, enjoy the Grand Canyon, take a pic for me since I'll probably never go. LOL Linda, missing you!

Apples, are you just taking regular miralax and ducolax? I had to some RX for something called MoviePrep and it worked wonders. LOL It was $52 or something though. DH had that too and worked great, no nauseousness and no cramping. Arlene, Apples is right, you can do Vegas very well on protein. Remember what happened when you had a bagel last time?? I like buffets for that reason, can load up on Proteins quite easily.

Arlene, I wasn't being food police. I was just shocked how many carbs were in it and since I want to lose a few, I want to really limit them. I really some carbs are good carbs and part of a balanced diet, but for now for me, back to what lost the weight in the first place, little carbs. Have fun in Vegas, never did the Grand Canyon thing, for some reason never had the desire to. Some day maybe. LOL Gonna hike down it or anything?

Thanks Apples for saying that. I think this whole move and what not has thrown me for a loop. I don't do some changes very well. In some areas of my life, I love being a 'fly by your seat' type of person and hate plans and routines, but in other areas I need that. I got depressed about moving, changing my routine, etc. I need to quit whining about it and deal with it and make a new routine. Being kindda under the weather with this cold or whatever that is knocking me for a loop has given me lots of time for introspection today. And after committing to Arlene about cutting back the carbs, I really didn't realize how many I was eating these days. My breakfast alone had 29 grams that I was eating. Did check and my mushrooms tonight only have 4 gms. Whew! Last night DH and I went to the grocery store to get a turkey, they had them for $3 if you bought 4 12 packs of Coke products (which DH brings to work) and spent $25, so we got me some really good cuts of steak and cut them into my size portions and froze them, now he gets out his deer steaks and one of mine and grill them for dinner. YUM! It was trying to rain and snow earlier, luckily the sun came out as he committed to grilling outside tonight while I am a lady of leisure trying to shake this crud!

Your hunting season is so late. DH did his archery in Aug/Sep and rifle was October. And since we are not going to S Dakota this year for Thanksgiving, his hunting is all done this year! Yippee!! Next year he has plans for 2 or 3 states though, out of state CO to still go with his bro and our son and then of course he'll be a resident of UT so just has to do that and we will for sure go to SD next year. Well I stopped getting my email notifications again and had no idea there were new posts til I realized it's been a while and there's no way this group has been that quiet! Feeling a little under the weather still today. So I did not go to the gym (shhh don't tell Janet) HOWEVER, I DID WORKOUT! I did one of my P90 DVDs at home. These are what I did during my entire weight loss phase and lost over 100 lbs on them, I got so tired of them, but after today I really missed them so think these will become a big part of my routine again. I hate going to the gym so will supplement my routine with these and go to gym as well but not as often. I hadn't done these DVDs since my knee replacement surgeries, some moves were harder but was able to improvise. Oh the power yoga about kicked my butt! I will be sore tomorrow. Also, Arlene, I am cutting out carbs today. I had oatmeal for Breakfast out, but put it back and had bacon and for lunch some chicken. Tonight is steak and mushrooms but gotta check out the carb content of mushrooms, don't think there's any but not sure since I don't have them often. Apples, as someone told DH as he was prepping for his colonoscopy and I thought it funny, BOTTOMS UP!! LOL

Phyl, no my eyes were not dialated this time since they just were last year he said, however, when I go back for my recheck they will be in 2 mos. He wants to get a really good look at it next time to be sure it reabsorbs. I almost always go to an opthamologist vs an optomitrist and this year didn't due to our horrible eye insurance which we just cancelled. It didn't pay to carry it at all. He also asked if I saw 'floaters' etc. and had no other symptoms but am to call if I do.

Good afternoon. Brrrrr it is cold out but now snow. DH is up on the rooftop hanging Christmas lights. He's now thinking he should've done it last weekend when it was in the 70's. LOL Darn it all, I feel like I am coming down with something. Sore throat, runny nose and eyes and just feel blah. Cheri, I sound a lot like you in your advice to Jewel. I have a very sober side as well. Can't remember exactly how you put it but described me pretty well. Phyl, the eye dr asked me over and over about my blood sugars as I guess this is something they see in diabetics. My sugars are always low, last check 2 mos ago my glucose was 78 (just looked up my blood test results) he seems unconcerned because it was just one spot but hmmm, maybe I should call my primary care and just ask them. Thanks.

Almost forgot, Janet & Arlene, I know you are QVC shoppers I got the Special Value today the Bare Escentuals make up kit. Got 3 of them, one for me, one for DD and one for DS's girlfriend. But darn it all, DD gave me DSIL's number to use as once a year he gets a discount through his employer and I couldn't get it to work. Of course, couldn't call him and ask as he's on a cruise ship so had to pay full price.

I'd like to nominate Boston during rush hour as well for the worst traffic ever. DH & I flew in there once in the morning rush and rented a car to drive north to Maine. Oh my. The lane markers are just 'suggestions' as are red lights and oh the medians? those are meant as passing lanes. We were so totally freaked out. Just got back from the Walmart Vision center (one of the few places that takes our insurance). Only DH was going to go and had an appt, we pay monthly for eye insurance. So our premiums thus far for the year have been over $100 guess what we saved on glasses and exam? $82. Something wrong with this picture? So we are going to cancel the eye insurance for next year and just up our HSA deductions, so while there I thought I might as well get an exam as well thinking I didn't really need one. Guess what? I have a hemorage (sp) on the back of my eye by the optic nerve, he called it a 'dot' one meaning very small. I need to get rechecked in 2 mos to see if it has reabsorbed. Totally freaking me out. Any of you nurses know much about this? The eye doc said the first things they are concerned with is diabetes and blood sugars. Those are excellent as I just had my physical a couple months ago. So I ordered some new readers as well. Laura or Phyl, do I need to be super concerned about this 'dot hemorage that you know of? Michaele, welcome! I agree with the others, sounds like you are too filled. Reflux and vomitting aren't good. And when we are too full we eat sliders and the wrong foods and more often than not gain weight instead of losing it. At first when we get our bands we think we need super restriction to lose well, but too much is as bad as not enough, we need to find our 'sweet spot'. So sad to read of your infertility problems. My DD was told she couldn't have kids or would have a very difficult time, she just got married in March and decided then that the didn't need to worry about birth control and guess what? She's expecting in March. We are so very thrilled. My point is we never know what's in store for us and I pray that the foster to adopt works well for you. Apples, my cousin in MSP said it was snowing bad there. We look like snow but so far none. So glad to hear DS got a job and accepted into the program. Is everything good between you and him now? I know it was a tough go there for a bit. Phyl, your beading looks beautiful on F/B. Hope your pain issues are helped by the shot. Eva, sounds like you are settling into your new schedule. Where is it again that you are driving to? I remember a long road trip but can't remember where. We are driving to Denver for Turkey Day, having grown up with a Dad in the airlines and now DH, I don't do road trips often so am apprehensive about this one in the winter. That and i-80 across Wyoming is just so darn scenic. Arlene, sounds like you are getting your mojo back. I've allowed some carbs to creep in too so I will think of you and watch my carbs as well.

Arlene, I went to the movie for ya this afternoon. After reading about you going to a movie, DH came home early and it sounded fun. Though we went and saw a different movie, Morning Glories. I liked it. I think DH did too. Most of the audience was our age, too funny. Harrison Ford is pretty good in the movie I thought. Then we went to Costco and bought some new lights to put on the house. Gonna get our 'ho ho on' tomorrow. DH is willing to haul out the Christmas 'junk' as he calls it. LOL Glad you didn't feel beat up. Everyone here just cares so much for one another and wants to see everyone succeed.

Good morning! I think I am finally caught up on some sleep and am looking forward to my first weekend totally at home since we went to Las Vegas. I love the travel but need to take a breather I guess. I am hoping to convince DH to get some of our Christmas boxes out. They got stashed below the steps downstairs by the movers and I am not really sure if it's all there or not. Probably won't put up stuff yet other than maybe my village but I want to know where it all is. Also want to get my shopping done before Thanksgiving or while in Denver for Thanksgiving, since we are driving then. That way I don't have to worry about packing it for the flight when we fly for Christmas. Apples, all I know is we are driving to Denver for Thanksgiving beyond that not sure. I figure there will be a family gathering somewhere with DH's family. DD is committed to going to her inlaws this year. My big day is the day after and I am goig shopping. I don't have to be up with the birds and go to all the early bird sales but I like just going out and watching people, seeing all the festivities, etc. For sure DD and DH are going with me and hoping DS does as well, but with working for Walmart I am sure he has to work all night Thanksgiving night so he may not be up to it. Janet, no I don't hate Utah that much. Granted I don't love it here. But I do miss the kids and feel isolated here. I am not Mormon and have no plans of ever being one so am sortta ostrasized by neighbors. They are friendly on the surface but once they know you won't convert they sortta write you off. I do have some very good friends here and that helps a lot and I keep busy. The isolation feels even more so when DH is travelling so much. I think of getting a job sometimes but then I wouldn't be able to do the travelling I do so it's a catch 22. Arlene, Dr Lori thinks you do need to have a complete breakup with carbs. They tend to get you in trouble. Some people are more sensitive to them and addicted to them. Also, I don't mean to disagree with Janet, but my doc would disagree with her's. He gives fills if you are losing because he says the band gets looser and it's harder to manage the hunger. Just saying as there are different opinions out there. You, of course, need to do what your dr wants. I'm wondering if I need a tweak. I can sure tell I am eating a bit more. Like one chicken thigh was more than enough before but now I have pieces from a second, etc. But am afraid of reflux as I had that with more before and am perfect now. Julie, Didn't mayo give you any more options if the therapy didn't help? All those drugs can't be good, but neither is not being able to function because of pain. You've been suffering too long and taking such strong stuff for so long. I wish someone could give you some answers and relief. Cheri, glad you figured out your gas problems. Enjoy your lighter work day. Sandy, what a goal! Good luck with it, I know you will complete it in no time. Laura, all you do for other's, this child's mom can take care of Nelson for you. Especially since you are doing such good for her husbands clinic. No guilt allowed! LOL Linda, hope things calm down for you soon, miss ya around here. Eva, do your torts like having mom around more? LOL

Kelly, it had a camera type thing that was mounted on top of the tv similar to the motion sensor on the wii that followed you around. then when you were done with a game it played back 'highlights' and you could watch yourself playing. That was a hoot, almost more fun that playing the game. LOL We were 'bowling' and then when you watched yourself bowl it looked so hilarious.