200+ Haulin' Off The Weight

KatheryneLynne

Karen...I'm from Maysville. Right on the Ohio River about halfway between Cincinnati and Ashland.

megruder

rain - Given my current situation, I'm open to just about anything, but my area of experience and real passion is theatre management, i.e. marketing, budgeting, fundraising, patron services. If I were in Chicago, I would have LOTS of options, but we are sticking around Central Illinois because the wife's grandpa was diagnosed with lung cancer back in February and was given less than 1 year, he's 93. The wife is a nurse and helps take care of both grandpa and grandma (she is 96 and has Alzheimer's). Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, the family decided to let them live in their own house instead of go to an assisted living facility/nursing home. It is making it extremely hard, especially when no one wants to force any decision on grandpa and he doesn't want strangers in his house to help and is now refusing to let male family members help with a now incontinent grandma.

Sorry about that little rant there, obviously holding a wee bit of bitterness there.

anvy0530

Katie: I'm so sorry for the situation with the wife's grandparents. It's really hard for families to ship older people to assisted living facilities even if it would be best for the patients. When I worked in financial planning we made sure that our clients planned for such events and a lot of our clients had long term care insurance and legal documents directing the family members what their wishes are in such cases. I'm also sorry that the situation is affecting your ability to find a job in the theater. Major suckage, right there. I also refer to you ladies so often that The Hubbs "knows" a lot of you by name. (I'm glad I'm not the only one who does that)

Megan: Yay for Southern charm! One of my best guy friends is from Georgia and he is the epitome of gentlemanly. I love a chivalrous guy.

Laceylala

Katie - are you like grossly not qualified? Perhaps you should look at it in a different light, and perhaps spin your cover letter that way too...maybe you aren't qualified, but you got skills, you have theater qualifications.. why don't you apply anyways? What can it hurt but just to do it. If anything it will get you out there, make your name known in that arena...
Also some times people will hire a person based on the fact that they have the basics and are really strong in other areas, with the knowledge that they can train them how they want that person to do the job. Hiring someone who is super qualified can suck too because they already have their way of doing things, which may not work out for that company. Now I know The Arts can be different in how they look for people, its not the same as manufacturing, etc...but you got this! get them with your creative, sparkling personality! So, apply damnit!! LOL.

treehugginpam

I'm going to try to jump in before I get way too far behind this time!

Kristina, red lentil thai chili sounds AWESOME!! My dinners have been kind of boring lately; I wind up making the same things over and over. I need to make something like red lentil thai chili!

Karen, I'm the same as you when it comes to friends -- I moved from the DC area to 3 hours away in West Virginia, and my two best girl friends live in DC, so I do most of my socializing online. Also like you, my amazon list has a lot of exercise stuff too. I hope things get better for Melodie!

Hailie, yay for a raise!! I can't stand parents like that. Don't they know that if they let their kids do whatever they want that it's only going to be worse for them in the future? Not to mention that teaching kids to be rude to people who work places they go is not a good lesson.

KatheryneLynne, those portabella pizzas sound great! I'm going to have to try that. Somehow I think it would be hard for me to take over your sister duties at this point, but I'm sure you'll do fine. I love weddings and I love planning things in general, but I wouldn't ever want to be a professional wedding planner. I've seen Bridezillas -- some of those chicks are NUTS!

Amy/Lacey, I'd never heard of ideeli.com before you two, and now I'm not so sure I should look into it further. Ha! Too much tempting stuff! Those dresses are fantastic.

Kerry, you're definitely a badass. You are an inspiration!

Megan, you gotta love southern charm!

Katie, I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels that way about kids and gifts. The amount of stuff my boyfriend's nieces and nephews get is just INSANE. There's no way they miss not getting anything from us. So crazy; they get more stuff than I could've ever have hoped to get when I was a kid, and yet most of it they're sick of by the end of the day after they've gotten it. I agree with Lacey about the theater jobs -- you never know until you apply. Crossing my fingers for you that you find something great!

kmturtle3

HOLY CRAP everyone has been sooo chatty! I'll do my best to catch up, but no promises!

Happy Belated Birthday KatheryneLynne!!! I hope your day was magnificent! :drinker:

Megan, I'm stoked that your date went so well. I am also incredibly impressed that you karaoke'd on a first day. As Amy would say, "you are a stronger man than me." Is there a second date in the works???

Lacey/everyone on the hubbs not committing to crap (from forever ago!), I personally think they can't ever commit to anything because they don't want to do anything. If my husband makes the plans, he can lock something in immediately, but if I make the plans, he'll get all wishy-washy back and forth on the finer details and take forever to make up his mind. For example, there's a concert coming up (Guster and Jack's Mannequin) on a Tuesday night in Detroit, and I really want to go, but neither of us can afford to take more time off work this summer, so I want to just go and then come home late and go to work tired. We have friends that want to go to. He hasn't said no, but he sure as hell hasn't said yes either. Urgh.

Nava, I totally feel like you and your awesome manfriend are going to get married, (if all the parent drama will allow it!), so you will totally get to register for stuff! But I feel ya (and everyone else) on that whole thing not being fair.... having to fork over all kinds of money for people who aren't giving it back. On a side note from that, I think it can swing both ways. Chris and I's wedding was NOT cheap (we got married at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, for all you Michiganders). Our first dance was under an airplane. Our guests had free reign of the ENTIRE museum, with drinks in their hands and no one else in there, plus amazing food (filet mignon, salmon, stuffed chicken), and yet some people thought a $20 gift card to Target was a legitimate wedding gift. Yeah... that was hard. It made me feel super greedy to get upset about it, but it was hard not to.

Katie, I don't think I could ever work from home/not work. Even if half of my social interaction at work is people yelling at me on the phone, its still interaction and I freaking thrive on that. Its gotta be hard right now to know what you want but not be there yet. I'm rooting for you to have a fast transition into the life you are dreaming about!

Sarah, I'm totally calling my wake up time "yuck o'clock" from now on. I'm pretty sure anything before 6 am counts as this. But it is awesome that you are rockin' out P90X. Are you liking it? I'm really excited because I have FINALLY developed triceps thanks to Doc Horton. (that's what my husband calls him...lol).

Lacey, I feel like you have been on a clothes buying spree lately and I am j-e-a-l-o-u-s. So fun. Keep your head on straight and all the busyness will pass and life will be normal again. Make sure you enjoy all the fun stuff you have coming up!

Jenn, get back on it girl! Don't let that 1 pound gain go to 2 or 3 or 10! Its not worth it!

Amy, I LOVE that Gabe asked about homosexual relations after you had "the talk." That's awesome. You are a rockstar mom. Add that to the list of things you do well. My sister has already started having the talk with the kids, simply because they were at my Aunt's farm and the kids got to witness horses makin' a baby. Talk about an ice breaker. :laugh:

Hosanna, I'm glad we got you in the group! You've been so active and fun to have around! I'm sorry I haven't been able to address you more on a one-on-one basis. I, like Pam, also LOVE all things wedding, so if you need advice/want to vent, we're here! And we are totally going to need pics after!

Kendal, your walk with Mr. Reunion sounds awesome. Its also cool that you guys are comfy enough with each other to "push" each other when it comes to fitness. That's a really positive thing.

Rain, I hope the hubbs is recovering well from surgery! Sounds stressful! And you should totally do whatever you want for your son's birthday, grandparents/aunts/uncles be d@mned! You should get to enjoy that day and so should Brody!

Pam, as long as you're getting the exercise in and staying under cals, I'd say you're doing amazing. I struggle with feeling like I'm failing if I don't follow my workout schedule that I made up, but seriously - if I'm getting exercise in and staying under cals, why should it matter? Plus you keep losing, so you must be doing something right!

Kristina, YES! Finishing a run is such an awesome, awesome, indescribable feeling. I actually just a new pair of running shoes and wore them for the first time yesterday - a pair of Nike frees - they are super lightweight and also hot pink and green, and I basically feel like I'm running barefoot. Which is cool, but it will take a little getting used to. Plus my leg muscles are WAY more sore today, so they must be making me work a little harder.

Karen, I hope that Melodie's hiney is completely on the up and up. That has been going on for SO long and I feel terrible for her. Hooray for the boys being back in school!

Hailie, I'm glad to hear your review went well - raises are awesome!

OK- that's all I got for now. I'm posting this before work gets crazy and I lose it.

silver02bullet

Megan, I'm stoked that your date went so well. I am also incredibly impressed that you karaoke'd on a first day. As Amy would say, "you are a stronger man than me." Is there a second date in the works???

I'm sure there will be another get together soon. I've already talked to him today! And yes, I did karaoke! Singing in front of people in a crowded bar isn't anything for me. (as long as I am comfortable with the song aka know the words) And besides, he bet me I wouldn't. I can't back down from a chance to win an easy bet.


btw- I still don't see how all of you guys comment back on everyone. Even with 2 browsers up, that's difficult. I read everything that is posted, and I tip my hat to all of those to actively respond to everyone.

rainvc

Katie: Yikes, your wife has her hands full, that is for sure. What a tough situation. Hopefully, when you move to Chicago, the opportunities will abound!

Kerry: Hellllo! Those running shoes sound cute. I really, really need to invest in some decent shoes.

Megan: I could never do karaoke! You are brave!

Laceylala

Megan - next her dares you, ask him if you get a kiss if you win.

I canNOT shop anymore!! I have enough stuff for my trip. All I need are a pair of slacks and a pair of white leggings. And some new unders but thats a different story. Please someone stop me! I can be so good for so long...and then POOF! LOL

I can't reply to everyone today. Hopefully tonight.

GonnaDoItJenn

Amy- Thanks for that! I need the kick in the butt!

Kristina- Today is completely a new day. I was craving pancakes. We went to Denny's and I didn't eat 3/4 of 1 Healthy Wheat Pancake! I was so proud of myself! Working hard as this weekend I am on a retreat and I don't get a choice of what we eat. Hopefully there will be LOTS of salad!

Katie- I know the school year gets better. I saw the preliminary schedule yesterday and I am going non-stop until 7th period (we have 8 periods) so I won't have time to munch randomly. Thankfully I am teaching newspaper 4th period so I can get a snack in.

Kerry- I totally agree! Not worth loosing what I have done so far. I have done my fair share of beating myself up this past weekend because of it.

KendalBeee

bumping yet again to keep my place

Laceylala

I'm feelin like a P90X loser. that is all.

akasullengal

Hailie- there are plenty of gyms in town close to the U, but also you have U rec centers that you can use as well. Plus, it's nice to run around town as well.

Kerry- I've thought about some more minimalist shoes, but I think I probably still need a fair bit of support. don't over-run in them to start. your feet will feel it, and they often aren't great for super long distances.

Happy hour went fine, only one large glass of wine... no appetizers eaten. Was a small group... almost didn't go, but this person who I may or may not be developing a crush on was attending, I felt like I would be wasting an opportune moment to get to know him better. Success-- sort of! I'm a bit of a loss of where to go from here with it, but we'll see.

Nice long walk with Emma when I got home tonight. Perfect weather. Probably should have ran. Will think about doing so in the morning.

Checkin in for the night, as I don't expect to eat anything else.. BARELY under again:

1540 eaten / 356 exercise calories / 16 UNDER.

treehugginpam

Kerry, Guster is GREAT! I've seen them 4 times so far; the last time was in Pittsburgh this year. It's always a fun show. Your wedding sounds like it was fantastic...I can imagine being annoyed getting a $20 Target gift card if I'd planned a wedding like that.

Lacey/Amy, you should know that I went on ideeli today and wound up buying a dress. This doesn't bode well for the future.

Megan, keep us posted about the boy!

Jenn, yay for choosing the healthy pancake!!

Kristina, great job staying under your calories even after going to happy hour. And you got a walk in too! Nice.

Lacey, the fact that you've done P90X at all makes you a winner in my book!


Have any of you P90Xers (or anyone else) tried Power 90? I just heard about it today and from what I can gather it seems like it's like a pre-P90X for those who aren't yet ready for the full-on treatment...do you all know if that's right?

qofsheba

Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Nutrition Facts For Foods


Feeling a little stupid. I want to join the 6 week challenge--do I need to do anything other than post my numbers Monday and Friday?

DeterminedMomNeb

Omg I hurt so bad my hip is sad. I did walk this morning and was really busy today.

KendalBeee

Hi QofSheba! We weigh in anytime between Friday and Monday. Kristina (akasullengirl) keeps a chart for us. Tell us a bit about yourself. Where are you from? What do you do? Relationship? Kids? Pets? Starting weight? Current weight? Goal weight? Whats your fav exercise/food for the moment? Welcome!!!

babyworms

Wow there's a lot to catch up on!!!!!

Amy - It's nice to know i'm not coming across as creepy!!!

Megan - Hurrah!!! Great to hear love!! that's so cute that he even came and picked you up!!

Nava - Yep, the zips are purchased and the dresses are hopefully being dropped at my friend's MIL's house soon to be fixed. Not taking any chances!!

RainSarah - Sorry to hear about your super stressful day!! But it's good that family were able to step in and help out. Wishing hubby a speedy recovery! Also, good on you for taking a stand on the birthday party situation. I reckon that once the kid can actually understand what's going on, the party should be about them and who THEY want there, rather than who the older and more extended family want.

Pam and Kerry - Of COURSE there'll be piccies of the wedding!! fingers crossed i'll be trim, taught and terriffic by then too :happy: My mum is throwing my Hen's party (well done on the terminology, Pam ), there's 10 of us going to Melbourne for the weekend to go to the Tuthenkahmen exhibition at the Melbourne Museum. Possibly the nerdiest Hen's party ever, but i'm super SUPER excited!!! I'm way into archaeology and old things. It'll be the first time that any two of my bridesmaids have met as well!

Lacey - I went to a christian high school, and it was pretty full on. One of the teachers nearly got sacked because he got his GIRLFRIEND pregnant - heaven forbid, a child out of wedlock. What a load of bollocks. I wish i was able to talk to my mother about sex, and i certainly want my kids to feel that they can. I was brought up in a christian household, and i'll never forget how my mother started The Talk, all those years ago. "When a Husband and Wife want to have a baby..." And there it was. I am not yet married, and therefore i do not feel as though i can talk to her, since it was impressed upon me at such a young age that it is not right for people to have sex when not married. As i said though, mum doesn't remember the conversation, and who would ever think that something that simple could cause such an impression on someone's mind? It sucks though, because pretty much the only problem that Other Half and i have is related to sex, and it distresses me greatly quite regularly, but i just CAN'T talk to my mother about it, as much as i wish i could! I'm sure she wouldn't mind, and would probably be happy that i felt i could talk to her about it (albeit a little embarrassed), but i just can't. It sucks.

Katie - Haha yeah the problem is we pretty much have everything matching already! I asked my parents for matching cookware last christmas, and the set we got should last us forever! And we have matching towels, crockery, glassware and cuttlery... We're leaning towards asking for a Kenwood mixer, a sewing machine, a nice set of sheets, and a media player. I'm an enrolled nurse working on a general medical ward. My real passions are paediatrics, disability and sexual health/family planning, but after i did my training in Adelaide i moved out to the country where there is only a medical, surgical and midwifery ward. Pleh. Oh well, i'll just hold on to my dreams! hahaha!
Also, i kind of feel your pain with the situation with the Wife's grandparents. My ward at the hospital is almost entirely a holding bay for people whose families can't manage them at home, but there's not enough nursing homes here for all the people that need them. I see so many examples of people who should have gone into care long ago, mainly for the families sake. there are so many families here who are stressed beyond belief, and whose own lives are suffering severely because the elderly relatives either don't realise or care that they're being such a burden on the families. It can be hard, but at the same time, i have a great deal of respect for family members who are willing to make those sacrifices for their family. My hat goes off to the Wife and her family

It's nice to know I'm not the only one who exists in a nearly friend-less state in the local area. It's nice to have people to talk to and vent to :ohwell:

Laceylala

Okay, gonna start at the top of page 12 and do my best lol.

Hosanna - you are doing good if you've made a friend already! I've been here for over five years and haven't made any. Well I made one in college but her flightyness and my having a kid with her last minute plan changes or not showing when I had to get a babysitter put that to an end pretty quickly. Keep up with the walking girl!

Kendall - thats great Mr R is walking/running with you.. maybe you two could do P90X together when the weather gets cold and icky. And make it a game...for every work out completed you get (se)X.

Megan - also YEAY on the date going well!!!!

Nava - working from home rocks. I wish I could do it more. My daughter was born Sept 7th - total Christmas Eve baby

Rain - 99% of the time my hubs is such a great dad. Better at that than I am in all reality. So I guess my irritation with him was more than likely fused by this fact. Also, that is effing rid-iculous about the party for your son and all those family members. I mean COME ON, are you KIDDING me? That just seriously makes my blood boil for you. I'd go simple. He isn't old enough to really be affected by the birthday party things at schools, etc. (my daughter got exposed to that last year, ugh) so why do such big events for it? Do something for him and his friends and be done with it. Its not about your family, its about him.

Pam - yeay for not weighing yourself. I totally get you on the getting bored thing with exercise. Right now I want to smack Tony's "kids" in the face. Especially "the beati-ful Dre-Ya Web-Ber!" GAG F OFF!

Kristina - red lentil chili? This sounds inneresting..do tell. Also, good job on the happy hour glass of wine!

Karen - I am all sorts of alternative these days, so sorry if I keep spouting my schtuff at you. You can tell me to stop if you want. I won't get offended. I know you are having major issues with your daughters butt and you've cut milk. Have you considered cutting any other foods or buying some probiotics for her to take with her food? You've heard my whole ear infection story with my daughter right? Total Ugh. And 97% of Md's won't admit that kids can get celiacs or other food allergies or even think of suggestion trying what they consider alternative options to keep our kids off of medications and other nasty stuff. And most of them wont suggest cutting the foods for one month at a time, which seems to be the standard practice in figuring out what food allergy Something is turning her stomach to go acidic which is causing icky poo butt rash. When we took our daughter to the Nd a few years ago, she suggested buying slippery elm bark capsules and putting it into juice for G. It is an emollient which helps repair the stomach lining, which in turn allows the stomach to start producing the good digestive enzymes which we need to not have stomach aches, and butt burn/rash. Maybe it would help? You have to get in your system and keep taking it for a while. I think it can take a few days or a week to help...okay I will stop now. I just know how frustrating it can be to keep going to doctors and not get any results but more medicine.
In other news - yeay for the boys going back to school!! And good job on running girl, proud of you!

Hailie - that is frustrating about the mother. Good grief!

Katheryne - I can't remember if I wished you happy birthday... Happy Birthday!

Lauren - I like your running goals!

Amy - purple is also my favorite color. Thanks for the pep talk - I won't give up.

Kerry - thanks for the pep talk too. No more wallowing in self pity. You WERE the bad *kitten* in that situation.

Katie - My parents took care of my grandpa because it was the right thing to do. He was horrible to everyone he ever met, especially to family, a racist and a child molestor we came to find out. It was the worst two plus years of my parents lives, and it nearly killed them. Their health is horrible now and all that aside, it pretty much tore the four of us apart. So I totally feel you on the taking care of the elderly. Although, I do wish we as a nation took care of our elders, lived with the whole family..kindof like China does. I can appreciate that family mentality you know?

Pam - what dress did you buy?

Sheba - Welcome! just keep coming back here, posting, participating, you can do it!

Okay my kid is FREAKING OUT

Laceylala

Hosanna - the mere thought of talking to my mom about anything related to sex or relationships in general is total Cringe Factor - so I feel you on that one. I was married at 22 and divorced at 24 and have a theory on my x husbands sexuality and our marriage and just telling my mom that got her all flustered and I just simply stopped. Wasn't worth going into it any more. And I don't get to spend much time with my BFF anymore since I had a kid, and she has a newborn, so any sex talk is pretty much out. And thats both no fun and no fair.


Good Grief and Heavens. A still tired husband and a super tired and cranky daughter make for world war three over hair combing at night. Gracie has large curl type hair and a very sensitive head. She fought getting her hair washed and conditioned so Jeff gave up and said fine we will comb your hair the way it is and its going to hurt. 45 minutes later, one time out, her crying uncontrollably...I stuck her skinny butt in the shower and washed her dang hair. Ay Ay Ay. She's getting a book read right now and will hopefully pass out shortly.
You know, I love my daughter and would do anything for her...and always wanted kids when I was older growing up. I am thankful that she was a Christmas Eve accident because the older I get, the more I think that had she not happened that night I would not have had any kids and been content with that idea. I'm glad she is here now..but yeesh. One is enough lol!
She has been complaining about itchy skin lately. I know its summer and she's outside in the sun all day. I've got hypoallergenic soap for her body but have been using my "fancy" for dyed hair shampoo on her and wonder if thats the cause..because her diet hasn't changed so I don't think its that. More experimenting. Yeay! (not).


Okay I am going to watch Roseannes Nuts now. Have any of you watched that? Its on Lifetime and about Roseanne Barr living on her macadamia nut farm in Hawaii and its a total crack up. I just love her. She's all sorts of nutty and a total trucker mouth, which I have a soft place in my heart for.

babyworms

It's making me nervous that so many of you ladies were married around my age and divorced so soon after!! Have any of you ladies been married early (20-23ish) and it worked??? Because i'd like to remind you all that i'm 22 and will be when i get married... I'd like to hear some success stories!!! hahaha!

Oh well. Other Half and i are going away for the weekend Taking all our own food and renting a cottage in a national park. We're taking the pups with us too, so we'll be able to take them for long walks and picnics and stuff. I'm super excited. Just heading off to a... shall we say "grooming appointment". (you know... the kind that you drive to even though it WOULD be possible to walk there... )

Laceylala

Hosanna I married my first husband because I couldn't stick up for myself to my mom nd just say I wanted to live with him. When I did tell her a week before the wedding that I didn't want to marry him she told me he'd take care of me and provide for me and people were already coming in for the wedding. She was a product of divorced parents and that skewes her visions of marriage and relationships still to this day. So yeah. Don't think you can't make it just because some don't. If you love the person and are willing to fight to make it work, and there are times that you wi have to do just that, then you will be okay.
Have a great time on your weekend!! I've always wanted go do that sort of personal grooming as well and never have. One of these days.


On another note I guess it's good I've got some of you overseas and customers in Asia and Australia to answer emails right now v
Because it's 10pm here and I can't fall asleep. Wide awake am I.

babyworms

well that's different then. Other Half and I have been through hell together already, so we're pretty sure we'll be ok forever

anvy0530

Good morning, ladies! Checking in for Wednesday: 2168 calories burned/ 1626 calories eaten/ 542 calorie deficit.. You guys were pretty chatty as I was snoozin'! I love how much everyone is talking this challenge!

Pam: West Virginia is pretty. How do you like it there after being in DC? I lived in Alexandria, VA and then moved to San Antonio, TX (which is not a small city by any means) but it still took a while to get over my love of the DC metro area. OMG- once you start shopping ideeli, you won't ever stop. And their deals change every day so you HAVE to come back and see what's on sale. It's addicting and horrible and awesomely lovely all wrapped into one. You're ruined forever, though. It's ok, me and Lacey are too. I've also never tried Power 90 but I hear that it is kind of like the step below P90X so if you aren't quite ready for P90X, then Power 90 could get you there (or you could get P90X and modify the moves so that you don't kill yourself - that's what I'd do as I'm too cheap to buy Power 90 with the intent of coming back and buying P90X).

Kerry: wow, you had an Uber-fancy wedding! When I am invited to fancy events like that, I make sure my gift equals the niceness of the event. It's so sad that people don't really have manners these days. Thank you for the parenting compliments. That makes me feel better for the times I let him play Call of Duty for hours on end. (it's really hard not to raise a kid who is into nerf guns and shooting things when half the family is cowboys (Trav's brother even runs a gun store in Idaho) and The Hubbs is a military guy - I just don't fight it) Also, I wanted to add that you need to ease into those Nike Free's so you don't get injured. Minimalist running shoes changes your foot and if you don't ease into it to allow time for your foot to adapt, you could injure yourself. Go to Runnersworld.com and search for minimalist shoe articles for more specific info.

Megan: It's hard to comment back to everyone when the thread is as active as it has been. No worries, just do what you can, no one will get offended. I also like Lacey's "do I get a kiss if I win" thing. You should do that the next time he dares you to do something.

Lacey: I feel like a shopping machine that has gone a bit out of control. I'm reigning it in though. (and in the back of my head, I'm thinking- "at least I'm not eating junk food") I also can't talk to my mom about se(x). No way. No how. Luckily, I have a friend or 2 for whom TMI does not exist so I always have somewhere to vent or ask questions on that front.

Jenn: Good job with the healthy pancakes! It's proof that we can eat the foods we want but in moderation.

Kristina: Under is under - great job! And a crush...hopefully there will be more to follow on that....?

qofsheeba: Welcome! You can be as active as you like on this thread. Most of us check in daily and we weigh in and post our weights here anytime between Friday and Monday. Some people check in a couple of times a week and some a couple of times a day. You decide how much support or talk you need. The ladies here are great!

Nebraska: How did you hurt yourself? I hope you feel better!

Hosanna: I saw the Tutankhamen exhibition when it was in San Francisco in 2010 and it was awesome! I don't think it's a nerdy hen party at all (of course, I've never been to a hen party, so what do I know??). Um...I wish I could give you a happy young & married forever story but I got married to my ex husband at 18 and was divorced 3 years later. We were high school sweethearts and I came from a really bad home situation (violent and drug abusing father, etc) so when the chance to get out of that presented itself, I took it. Unfortunately, I had no idea who I was or what I wanted at 18 and, after a while, it became very apparent that we weren't heading in the same direction. So I broke it off and joined the military to "find myself". It worked. I ended up meeting and marrying The Hubbs at 23 and we'll be celebrating 10 years together this coming December. I'm gonna agree with Lacey that you can make it work if BOTH of you are willing to. I married The Hubbs with all kinds of emotional baggage attached and we've had issues over the years with it but we've always been motivated to sort ourselves out because we adore each other and can't imagine what life would be like without each other. So...you'll be fine. Marriage isn't easy but, if you have the right person, it's totally worth it. Enjoy your weekend! I used to have those "grooming appointments" regularly when I was in America but the Germans aren't really into that type of grooming so it isn't as easy to find here. Sigh.

Ok, I think I'm caught up. I have been in a bit of a funk for the past 2 days and I can't bust out of it. I think it's due to the minimized exercise. Boo.

I've got a weird question for you guys...has any of your significant others noticed you slimming down in your...uh...groin area?? The Hubbs told me last night (probably TMI for there, sorry) that my groin area is getting "bony" (he wasn't saying it as a bad thing, just a thing he noticed while he was...down there...*blushes*) And now I'll shut up.

babyworms

Amy - BAHAHA!! That's funny as. Sorry... couldn't help laughing, i just love how open everyone is in this group. Can't say Other Half has mentioned anything, but he doesn't spend much (any) time in that area... Maybe i should use that as a suggestion... "hey honey... could you go and check if i'm thinning in the groin area..." Also, I'll take the fact you and hubbs met when you were 23 as a good thing Other Half and i have both had very full on upbringings, and have both had to grow up fast in our lives. Therefore having met at 20 and 21 we were surprisingly mature, and aware of exactly who we are and what we want from life. The last 12 months that we've been living together have been crazy, with so many issues that have crept up - health, family, work - and we've gotten through them all. We're both confident that we'll be ok. My parents married when my mum was 21, and they're still together 25 years later, so at least i've been exposed to a long and happy marriage growing up.

Other Half and i went for a walk with the PupDogs this evening. i've been working on being able to let them off their leads in public and letting them play around free. Other Half hasn't believed me when i tell him how amazing and well behaved they are, probably thinking i'm talking them up. He got to see it today, and was absolutely gobsmacked. We got a nice walk in there too

We're off for a weekend away tomorrow, so i'll check in tomorrow morning before we leave - as all you lot are across the pond and seem to do all your posting while i'm in bed! Then i'll have a super huge lot of posts to get through when i get home on Sunday!

anvy0530

Hosanna: Glad I could make you laugh! I have been working really hard the last year on getting my dog to be able to walk well off the lead (I felt like a slacker because the German people's dogs are all REALLY well trained and I felt like my dog acted like a bull in a china shop). Now that The Hubbs is walking her while I'm laid up, he commented on how fabulously she walks off the lead. He said she doesn't even chase the horses out in the field or anything (she used to go a wee bit bonkers for horses as she had never seen them before we moved here). I felt really proud of myself because I had to do 100% of her training due to The Hubbs' complete lack of patience with all creatures who don't know as much as he does (this extends to The Kid as well). Now that we have the new dog, I have to start all over again with him as his previous owners pretty much let him do whatever he wanted and he doesn't even know the command "come." Sigh. Enjoy your weekend, maybe ask the other half to check the thinness of your groin area.

ETA: Damned ideeli - I found (and bought) these boots: http://www.ideeli.com/events/56103/offers/1818470/latest_view/1386134. I have been looking for black boots with little or no heel and at least 16 inches around the calf as my calves are big (stupid calves) and these fit the bill perfectly. So they are now mine. Now I gotta stay off that site!!!

rainvc

Good morning! So glad the end of the week is approaching. I need a weekend in the worst way!

KatheryneLynne: I thought of roller skating. I used to love those parties! He's never been roller skating though, so I don't know if he'd enjoy it.

Hosanna: Hubs and I got married 6 months after college graduation. We were 22. On 11-11-11 we will be celebrating our 5 year anniversary. We've been together 8. I know everyone says this, but he is honestly my best friend. We have our issues, but life without him seems like no life at all! Best of luck to you!

Amy: No talks of my groin getting slimmer, but good for you! Last night as I was hopping in the shower my hubby said "Either your stomach is getting smaller or your boobs are getting bigger." I certainly hope it isn't the latter. I have absolutely no more room for boobs. I'm already an H cup. I hate them.

Off to another craptastic day at work. Yuck.

megruder

Amy - If anything good has come of this entire situation with the in-law grandparents it's that my M-I-L has realized how much work is involved in taking care of the elderly and has told the wife on a number of occasions that she doesn't want to put her kids through the same stress. Unfortunately, she has done nothing or seems to be planning to do anything regarding financing said long-term healthcare. So... not sure if that will help any. As for the slimming down question, um.. yes and no, the wife uses the term 'panis' to refer to the fat that hang on the abdominal area either above or below the belt line. She says it is a medical term, but I can find no proof of that. We both have an upper (above the belt) and a lower (below the belt) panis, sorry if TMI. She has told me both my upper and lower panises/panii (not sure on the plural form) are getting smaller, so I guess the answer is yes.

Lacey - The jobs I've been looking at in the immediate (1 hr commute radius) have been a stretch for me as I have not completed my master's degree for the part-time community college faculty position nor do I have the electrical or carpentry training necessary for the lighting technician/scene shop asst. The other part-time position was strictly a university student position with Federal Work Study money.
I going to try NOT to get on a our-health-care-system-sucks-soapbox, but I think part of the problem with caring for the elderly is that healthcare is too damn expensive in the US. Plus, the healthcare system is more concerned with money than quality of life. I have seen a physician actually talk family members into keeping an elderly, obviously in-pain, patient alive a little bit longer, giving them hope that every single staff member on that floor KNEW was false. WHY? So, he could charge the patient's insurance for a few more days worth of inpatient visits. I WISH I were lying. I just deleted a sentence that I KNOW will lead to a tirade on my part. Let's just leave it at yes, I agree with you whole-heartedly.

Pam - My nieces birthday party is actually this weekend and I'm trying to figure out what, if anything, we're going to get her. She is basically telling everyone to "just get me whatever, that'll be fine." She's going to be 5 and we have NO idea where this is coming from so maybe we're just stop by the party, whenever and wherever it ends up being. My brother isn't really big on planning things out ahead of time, it's that whole Y chromosome thing we were discussing earlier this week.

Kerry - Ok, now I'm feeling kind of bad about the amounts I've spent on wedding gifts. Granted it has always been more than $20 and I've always tried to put some thought into them. But, I was a college student and knew my friends didn't spend TONS on their weddings. Your wedding does sound like it was fun though!

qofsheba - Welcome!

Nebraska - I hope your hip is happier today.

Hosanna - I'm sorry to hear you are having a problem with the Other Half. I wish sex wasn't such a taboo topic. I've attempted to help many a female friend get over their shyness about sex, but women just don't seem to want to talk about it. Well, actually I think we do, it's just we don't feel it's appropriate or decent or whatever. We've been taught that it's not lady-like. I say screw that! I think less women would feel alone, inadequate and/or self-conscious if we all were more open to discussing such matters. Unfortunately, MFP doesn't allow such discussion on the boards. BTW, I think those gift ideas sound great!
That stinks that you don't have many options, especially ones you're passionate about, in your area. Since there seems to be a real need for any of those specialties, have you considered seeking out a physician in the area and working with him to create a clinic of some sort that might address one or more of those medical needs? I know it would definitely be a huge undertaking, but it might be worth it for you and your community. As for the situations of your current patients, I am familiar with that as well. I worked at a hospital for many years (dear god, 13 yrs and I'm only 32, that ain't right) and I work on a medical floor. We would get frequent flier patients that their family was trying to take care of them at home but obviously couldn't. They'd get sick, family would bring them in, we get them better, send them home and the patient would be right back in a couple weeks, rinse, repeat. Very sad. My wife is a nurse, but has only really worked cardiovascular so hasn't seen this and doesn't understand the stress all this home care puts on the family. I feel like a *kitten* when I don't offer to help, but I'm trying to keep my distance so that I can concentrate on making sure my wife takes care of herself, which as she is a nurse is already a full-time job.


Grr... I've messed up my sleep and some how my body is back to a night shift sleep schedule, so I've been up all night. Hopefully, I'll get to sleep soon after I post this as the alarm is set to go off in about 4.5 hrs. Yay! So, I have finally found a theatre job posting that is exactly what I'm looking for and I have the ability to do all the job requirements, just haven't actually done some of them before. How difficult can payroll be to learn for a small community theatre with only 6 employees? And being able to handle accounts payable/receivable for same small community theatre? I can pay bills and balance a checkbook! Unfortunately, the job is 2.5 hrs from here, which means commuting is out of the question and I would need to move. Moving means the wife and I would be living 2hrs away from each other at least 50% of the time for probably the next year as she needs to stay here to take care of the grandparents. I'm also concerned as this was suppose to be a time for me to focus on my mental health. I'm currently driving 2 hr once a week, 1 hr there 1 hr back, to see a therapist that specializes in my particular problems/disorder. This would put me 3.5 hours away, one way. I know, I know, I need to just apply and see what happens. The problem there is that applying for a job absolutely fills me with terror. Just typing this and thinking about it makes me start tensing up and I become so utterly overwhelmed to a point of wanting to bury myself in the backyard. Probably why I couldn't sleep last night. I need to deal with my mental health so I can live my life and succeed in my professional and personal life, but I WANT to start my career. I hate being torn like this. I hate having to apply for a job. The frustrating part is that I don't really have a problem with the interviews. I just literally freak out over putting together a cover letter and resume, filling out an application, and finding references. It just seems SO stupid and irrational. It's f 'd up and bass ackwards. Why am I like this?! I need to just back away from the keyboard and hit "Post Reply." TGIThursday, a.k.a. therapy day. Only 7 hrs.

ETA: Sorry for the extremely long post and the bonus craziness.

treehugginpam

Hosanna, I love your idea for a hen party! I've always wanted to see the Tuthenkahmen exhibit (I took a couple of anthropology/archaeology classes in college and loved that stuff), so I think it's a great idea. Your weekend in the park sounds like fun too!

Hosanna/Lacey/Amy, I married my high school sweetheart -- met him when we were 16, married when we were 21, and divorced at 26. To this day I don't have any hard feelings though; he was actually a great person. Unfortunately, we were young and hadn't really learned a whole lot about ourselves yet (unlike you and your husband, Hosanna), so it just became more and more apparent that we both wanted different lives. I'm an introvert and usually don't like going to big parties, being around a lot of people, etc. (sometimes I like it, just not all of the time), and he was an extrovert who was a drummer in a punk rock band and who loved being around people all the time. Kind of a big difference there. I chalk it up to experience...we were young and didn't know what we wanted from life yet, but we're both much happier now (we don't keep in touch, but I know he's happy because we still have some mutual friends). I definitely think marriages can work when you get married young, you just have to work to grow together instead of letting your changes make you further apart.

Amy, I actually lived in Virginia too, it's just always easier to say "the DC area" in case people don't know the area. In high school I lived in Vienna, VA, then I moved around to various places after high school (Manassas, Centreville, Falls Church, even Gainesville), and I wound up in Reston for a several years before I moved out here to Morgantown, WV (about 3 hours away from Reston). I have to say, I LOVE it here! The pace of life is just so much more relaxed, it's beautiful, things are WAY less expensive, and it's a college town (West Virginia University is here) so it's more progressive than people imagine West Virginia to be, and there's plenty to do. Also we're only about an hour and 20 minutes from Pittsburgh, so if I'm craving a city it's not TOO far away. The only thing I miss about the DC area (besides my friends) is that they have just about every shop known to man so you never have to want for anything. Plus there's so much history there and so much to do! We still go out there quite a bit though (usually once a month, sometimes once every two months) to visit friends and the bf's family who lives in Herndon, VA, so I can still enjoy it. Every time we go there though I always wind up saying to the bf "Can you BELIEVE this traffic?! Ridiculous! SO glad we don't have to deal with this anymore!"

Lacey/Amy, you're so right about ideeli.com. Here's the dress I bought yesterday:

http://www.ideeli.com/events/56759/offers/2073267/details_popup?color_id=1399822

I have a dress in a similar style and it looks good on me, so I have high hopes for this one. The catch is that I bought it in a size 14, and I am not a size 14 yet. It is going to help motivate me....

Katie, I wish I had some good advice for you...I'm trying to think what I might do in your situation. I'd probably apply for the job but be terrified, like you're feeling. I'm not sure I could handle being that far away from the bf, but I know you are dying to get your career started. What does the wife think about all of that?

Amy, I'm not getting thinner there yet, but it's something to look forward to. Also, about the "grooming"...it's so crazy expensive that I started doing it myself with a kit I got off of amazon.com called the Gigi Professional kit. If they don't do it in Germany, you could always go that route. It takes a lot of patience...ok, it's a huge pain in the @ss sometimes, but works well and is about a million times cheaper.

Okay, that's totally TMI about me, isn't it?

anvy0530

Katie: I don't think you're crazy. I really don't. We're here so you can vent or worry or whatever. It's all good. My mom's doctor refers to that area as a panis, so I think that's the right term (if infrequently used - no idea how to pluralize it). I think that if you took time off to get your head right, then maybe you should get your head right before looking for the new career. I know you want to get started right now, but 32 isn't really that old (I say this because if it is, then I'm old and I don't wanna be old) - I'm sure you have time to get the mental issues straightened out and then start on the career of your dreams. It will also give the wife's grandparents time to...uh...die, I guess (that's so terrible, I just have no idea what else to put in that sentence) - I'll rephrase as: give the wife's grandparent situation time to resolve itself so that you can move closer to wherever you'd be working....that sounds better...right??

rain: I wish my boobs would get bigger...they're right on the edge of B/C (as in they've been C cups for a long time and seem to be moving swiftly to B territory).

To shake up the "work-out" routine, I did the EA Sports cardio boxing workout on the Wii (I sat on a stability ball rather than stand) and it burned some serious calories (way better than chair aerobics!). It's also been 2 weeks since surgery, so I am able to put some weight on my surgery-foot. I traded 2 crutches in for one and I am beginning to believe that the day will come when I can walk normally (and it better be BEFORE Paris or I'm gonna get pissy). I told you that I've been going down the stairs on my butt (like a 3 year old). Well, this process usually involves The Hubbs or Kid meeting me at the top of the stairs and carrying my crutches to the bottom for me while I scoot down the stairs. This morning, no one was within shouting distance when I wanted to go down stairs (I'm not a patient person) so I grabbed the crutches in one hand and scooted down the stairs on my butt and with my other hand (kind of like one handed chair dips for the triceps but while moving down the stairs). I got to the bottom of the stairs and The Hubbs looked at me blankly and said, "did you just do that one-armed?? What are you, He-Man??) Yay for muscles!! (Thank you, Tony Horton - who I mostly hate)