@CMorning99 Kind of funny about your DH and women's clothes. I love relaxed fit jeans. My "behind" has always been "too big" for normal jeans. If they fit there, they are way too big around the waist. My proportions are just off from what the manufacturer thinks is "normal" I guess. If I were you, I would speak to a loan officer at the bank you plan to use and just be frank and ask about the loans. I'm sure they would be honest, or at least I would hope they would, since they know they will be getting your business soon. Did you pay for the stairs to be done ahead of time? I hate that they didn't do what you wanted and did such a horrible job. What is it with people and integrity these days?

Thank you so much @shanaber. I had a great Veteran's day. I worked at the daycare all day. The two older classes sang me their rendition of "Thank you soldiers," then the older class made me a poster with their hand prints thanking me for their service, the next youngest class made me bald eagles made with their hand and feet prints, I got group hugs, the daycare gave me a bouquet of flowers, and I had a free Calabash Chicken Basket from Fatz and my Aunt joined me for dinner. Pictures, in the spoiler, if you are interested.

@shanaber Runners calves is a great problem to have. LOL

@CMorning99 Glad that black cat is hanging in there. Also sounds like the house is coming along. Glad you found a good, professional architect and builder. As for you DH, after we built out house, I said if you can stay married through a new house build you are meant to be together. It's hard and all those little decisions that you both have to agree on. I had to laugh at the way the kid acted/did at the Goodwill. Good for you. Not so much for the store. Foxes are beautiful. I have never heard that if you see one it's a loved one saying hello. Have fun at the potluck. What are you taking?

@CMorning99 - We definitely have so much to be thankful for! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Did you get the really bad winds? I could not believe how bad they were!

We had dinner with dh's brother and sil. He wanted to have them come here and I said no. They have been back in the states almost 4 years and we have never been invited over to their house. Their mail still comes to our house and dh drives it over to them once a week. He said he could make sure they invited us and I told him no way, he was not to ask to be invited to their dinner. Well of course he did. I had our dinner all planned out and all the ingredients purchased and was pretty upset when he said we were now 'invited'... It was fine and we enjoyed ourselves but I am pretty sure they didn't want the extra work any more than I wanted to have a forced invitation.
The good news my weight was actually down today! Yay! It is still higher than I want it to be but at least it is now heading in the right direction.

I took advantage of the Black Friday sales and got some Christmas shopping done as well as a few things for myself (new running clothes) and some daycare passes for Hobbes.

I am trying to eat well lots of fresh fruit and veggies and especially getting in some ground flax seed every day. It really seems to help with the inflammation.

Good morning!

@shanaber No winds here, it was warm (low 70's) and beautiful. We do have a small system moving in this weekend though.

Love to hear that folks had a warm and cozy Tday - What is the holidays with out some family "drama" LOL

I had 4 days off and DH had to work on Friday. He is as bad as I am when it comes to taking vacation LOL. Tday was low key. The DoD announced you get a free day off if you get your covid booster. I got mine on Wednesday just in case I felt ick and could laze around on Thursday (and save my day off). I felt off, I was so damn tired and had a low key headache off and on for 2 days, but nothing like my second shot. DH and I made a small feast and we binge watched Hemsworth's Limitless and a modern Sherlock Holmes called Elementary. Friday the Goodwills were having 50% off the whole store so I made my rounds, the first one I got there right when they opened and so it was not crowded at all. I didn't quite get the the haul I thought I would but a good amount. I then decided to try more and still found decent stuff but the lines were horrendous. DH and I also bought our annual supply of Zero water filters LOL.

Saturday and Sunday were normal days with normal shopping. I did get some updates to my shop done and was rewarded with sales. I am doing better this month than last. My goal is to make $100 a day net profit, last month I managed that 4x...this month I am at 12x. As long as my supply holds out, and with a dedicated effort towards it and not an hour here or there after work, I think I might make this work. Sunday I kept busy, it was the anniversary of Mom's death and I seemed fine, but like I said, I stayed very busy. Thrifting puts me in a zone, using all my senses and I guess I blocked out everything else.

My weight is up, not shocking. I brought workout clothes and I will see if I make it. Seems we have to meet at the flag pole for retreat (5pm) 2x this week...bugger, but it is supposed to rain on Friday so maybe they will cancel . Not much else going on, hopefully I get my report back from the lawyers, the Commander wants it MEOW! Next week I have Transition Assistance class all week to work on resumes and such. I have been toying with the idea to going back to therapy, we are now 60 days out from the trial and wondering if I am going to have issues, it will be graphic I know. Also looking into retirement savings options since I can't contribute to the DoD one anymore after I retire. I am thinking of going with Vanguard target date funds, not ideal I know but for a investing idiot like myself who doesn't want to pay crazy fees with conflicts of interest...it seems to be safe until something better comes around.

Well, best get to it. Have a great week!

@CMorning99 - glad the resale is starting to. do better. I really need to get my Princess House crystal posted. I think someone might want/need it for the holidays and I really should have posted it before Thanksgiving. That implies though that we would actually be home to deal with people wanting to buy and pickup things.
I think you should connect with a therapist now and for the duration of the trial at least. It would be good just to know the resource is there if you need to talk it out. I cannot fathom the stress and emotions you will be dealing with or even how to process it all.
We have four retirement accounts with Vanguard and have been pretty happy with them.

We are in Boise...
The first couple of days here were really nice but cold. I got Hobbes out for a short run or walk every day in the big park that I love behind our hotel. We also went to a local run store so I could get a logo hat and to a candy store that has been here forever. They make all their own candy and there aren't many places outside of Idaho that you can find the candy (Idaho Spud Bars!)
The football game we came for was SO cold that we ended up leaving before it was over and watching the end from the warm hotel room. My husband is in love now with DuraFlame logs and has been buying them from the hotel office. We could have bought cases of them for what he has spent but it is making him happy and we haven't had to drive anywhere since the weather has turned.
We decided to stay an extra day because a winter storm was forecast and we didn't really want to be driving on icy roads. It snowed this morning so I took Hobbes to the park to play in the snow. At first he looked a bit confused by the snow but quickly seemed to decide he liked it especially when he realized he could eat it. When we got to the park there were so many pups out and he really wanted to go and play. We stuck to the paths and grass since they weren't slippery. The roads were very packed with snow and extremely slick. Made me want to try sliding on them like we did when I was a kid 😊
I eventually did let Hobbes off leash and he ran and ran like a crazy boy. So fun to watch him. I wish I had taken some pictures of him playing. I did think it was interesting that there was so much more snow on the roads and paths than on the grass.
Now wee have a fire in the fireplace, it is starting to snow again and Hobbes is curled up next to me snoozing away.

@quilteryoyo - isn't it crazy how the weight can sneak up on you? I know I have gained from where I was 'ok' with it but it was still higher than it should be so I am back to needing to lose 15-20lbs too. What I find most interesting though is how my body seems to be changing again. My pants (jeans) still fit fine. Some of my running leggings are a little tighter in the butt and waist but mostly I notice it now in my tops! I have been a S-M for years now and I refuse to go to a L... That means I need to fix it or go topless 😂

To that end, we are home now so I need to get back on my workout/running schedule and back to better regular eating.

I hope you have a wonderful trip to FL and an awesome, fun race! It will be so cool to run at Canaveral! Take lots of pictures afterwards!

Good morning!

@shanaber Your experience of Boise was 180 from mine LOL. I went there twice, both in the summer, and it was SO hot! I am glad you guys had fun and enjoyed some cozy winter time. I have outgrown all my bras and if I take too deep of a breath I feel like a rib is going to crack LOL

I was out all last week in Transition Assistance Class. It is 3 days mandatory class and then 2 days optional employment class. The first day was all about VA benefits which is after listening to it all was good info but not fully helpful. It was mainly talking about life insurance, medical, and crisis support. I learned that based on my status I am the lowest priority so I probably won't be able to use much. But I did learn that I need to get my medical records in between 1 Mar- 30 May to get benefits upon separation vs waiting for the paperwork to go though after I retire. I guess that should light a fire under me. I think I am going to make an appt for my bunions and I am out if ideas after that LOL. i was surprised how many people didn't stay for the employment portion. it was 2.5 days on how to use LinkedIn and write a resume. I am so lost on resumes, I would rather have to rewrite my master thesis LOL. But I got something started, a 10% solution perhaps LOL.

So my drama, ugh I hate it. Last Monday was our public hearing and my Agent sent me an email that said the only people to show up was him and PD and his wife. PD got 3 minutes to state his grievances which he said was "my driveway is so steep that it causes storm-water runoff damage". I guess that was the only thing he had on me (and it is false), which is good I guess. My Agent said he was super rude to the board members and interrupted them several times, probably when they were explaining his issue was not part of the permit I am asking for. Afterward the wife approached my Agent (she is evidently nice, my mom had nothing bad to say about her other than she does what PD says). She told my Agent that they were just trying to be neighborly and work out their differences and I refused to listen and passed her contact info to give to me to please work together, they will even compensate me. My Agent said when the PD was talking his hackles went up in some caveman response to danger. He said when his wife was talking, he stood in the back, arms crossed and stared at the Agent. So when PD was taking he made a veiled threat that "he had read the appeal form and was taking the first steps". It would cost him $850 to file an appeal (which I am sure he would justify). The appeal would delay me 3-4 months but as mentioned, has nothing to do with my permit so would be thrown out. So the question at hand was, do we call his bluff? Or do I send an email reiterating my stance that I will not make a decision for 5 years. I messaged a friend of my mom's and got a name of a lawyer she recommends in case it comes to me having to send a cease and desist letter.

My other bit of drama was I was notified the report I drafted for the commander on the mean supervisor seems to have been escalated and he was put on admin leave for a week while they sort out if they will fire him. Knowing the guy, he will probably resign first, looks better since he may go for another GS position.

The rest of life is going on. Retirement looms, I have a lot planning to do and my annual vacay is right in the middle of it and making things interesting. I did also learn that when we get our construction loan, we have to pay on it right away...so that means when I retire, we will have $3000 in rent plus about $3000 in loan payment (it is essentially an interest only mortgage). DH and I really need to look at our finances to see if I can still do my business with the extra payment and with the delays, if I will need some sort of income to qualify now.

Weight is is still going up, heaviest I have been in my life. Trying to think about what food goes in my mouth.

Best get to writing my to do list.

hi all. I'm on a break between semesters. Lots of catching up on missed appointments and house cleaning.

Mallory went AWOL back in September-october. I guess a coyote got her. I feel horrible about it. I think I let her out one wednesday and didn't see her again. I hope someone just took her.

So I got Beary a "new" lil sister. Hayami Mochi. Hayami means "rare and unusual beauty" in Japanese. Mochi is the rice gluten treat found in a few ice creams here. It's a textural treat. She had her first check up yeasterday at the vet and has a grade II heart murmur. In cats, it's rarely benign. No vaccinations and we will return in March to get her an EKG. It may resolve. If not, the vet can safely spay her with alternate anaesthesia. Really glad I didn't take her back to the pound to be spayed, I think they might be prone to miss/not look for it. She is a Caliby or a tabico (tabby/calico).

Mochi and Kevin

The vet wanted a pic of Mochi but she wouldn't coorporate so I got a nice one of her yesterday.
Kev stole Sandy's chewy boney. He's still a goon. At 16 months old Kev is 100lbs, Sandy 95.5. Please excues my half dead plant behind Kev. I repotted it and thought it loved being outside. It can't tolerate direct sun apparently...

Hi @swenson19d!! Merry Christmas!
I am so sorry about Mallory. The coyotes here have really been on the prowl and many people have lost pets. We have block walls around most yards here and they do nothing to keep the critters out especially if there is any kind of cat/dog food left out. It is much easier for the coyotes to catch a pet than have to chase after a rabbit or squirrel.
Mochi is beautiful. I look forward to seeing pictures of her as she matures, her marking are really lovely. Kevin and Sandy are so big now! I always figured they were going to be big puppies but wow! and they still have some growing to do and then filling out some more. Kevin does look like a goofball but I just want to snuggle up to him.
Hope your classes are going well and you are enjoying them.
Other than a money tree my housekeeper gave me I only have succulents and one big pothos I have had forever. When Hobbes was a puppy I had the pothos up on a shelf and he managed to jump up and pull it down shattering the pot and breaking to plant into pieces. Surprisingly, I replanted it and it has done well and just grown and grown. I figure I would really have to do a lot to kill it. The succulents do ok but I have managed to kill several along the way.

@CMorning99 - hope you are doing well and enjoying the holiday!
I don't understand all the issues with PD but I would call his bluff and let him spend the money to appeal. He sounds to me like one of those who just wants to be the center of attention and create drama. What is the decision you wouldn't make for 5 years - not the decision to build?

I have been baking and baking... gave most all of the cookies away and we had a Christmas party at agility class when it had rained so much that we couldn't run. We all decided to come anyway and just have some fun and share cookies. One of the ladies made chocolate dipped pretzels that were amazing. Today I baked my sourdough bread (for everyday bread) and I used some of the starter for sourdough rolls. They look kind of like crescent rolls as you roll and slice the dough. The recipe makes 16 rolls and since there is just my dh and me we didn't need that many dinner rolls. I split the dough in half instead and made 8 dinner rolls and put a cinnamon filling in the other half and made sourdough cinnamon rolls for breakfast in the morning. I hope they taste as good as they look! I will definitely need to get some running and workouts in to burn off all of those calories. I am also going to make bacon wrapped roasted green bean bundles for our Christmas dinner, with ham.