Sheesh - it sounds like you had an amazing holiday celebration with your family. And yes, we are getting our money's worth from the DL passes. One last trip for the remainder of the year. Can't wait to get some more trips lined up for next year. My back is feeling much better today. I drove to/from the office and sat through several meetings. Took Advil when I got home and it really helped. And man, we still have a ton of decorating to finish. My back really delayed us (hubby had to tend to me instead of decorating).

Sheesh - those pictures are ADORABLE....love the pedi picture. Core memories were made!!! ANd it looks so cold. Brrrrr..

Sarah - that pic is awesome. so serene and relaxing. I hope your little Teddy improves. Losing them is so hard. That's why after our last cocker spaniel past away, we didn't get another. The heartache was too intense for us.... You're right...they are part of the family and we still feel their loss. And it was after they past away that I was tested and discovered I'm highly allergic to them... whoda thunk? - I grew up with dogs, and a few cats too. Explains a lot of bronchitis issues in the winter, but back then we didn't test for allergies. If it's on your aunt and don't want to cause issue - lie and say one of you is ill all of a sudden. The drama isn't worth the truth.

My back seems to be improving every day. I did have to take one muscle relaxer last night at bedtime. I did more activity - some adjusting of boxes and gifts in my office area and packing for this weekend. Hubby's working now to get the area prepped to put the tree up and hopefully we can take a run to storage to get rid of some of the extra stuff before my friend arrives to clean the house. It's not looking promising, but hopeful.

Happy Friday ladies - and yes Sheesh - we have a spare room and plenty of sunshine to share so yes, you're welcome to visit...lol. Some mornings I get to enjoy a cuddly sweatshirt and by lunch (sometimes breakfast), back into my short sleeve tech shirt.

Kelly Happy Birthday to your daughter and I will pray for a speedy procedure and an easy recovery. I hope your lamp helps a bit. Hubby takes those Airborne gummies since he's around kids all day. I don't know if you've tried them or if they are a placebo, but he rarely gets ill.

Christmas decorations from my activity is paused until next week. Hubby's making headway and I'm supervising...lol. He did get the tree up...again decorating it will be sometime next week.

Hi, everyone. Kelly, you and your daughter were among my first thoughts this morning. I do hope that the surgery goes well and that the after-surgery PT will get her back to being active as soon as possible. Not being able to participate in her sports has to be very hard and yet it seems like she has been able to keep a good attitude about it all. I also hope that Shawn's foot is doing better and that your cold did not linger. With this surgery and the holidays, you certainly have enough on your plate. And I think we all empathize with the "to do list" being too long this time of year and the back of the mind worry about all the expenses. I'm amazed at how much everything seems to cost these days, and like Sheesh, I'm afraid we are in for even higher costs here in the U.S. And of course, I'm kind of bracing for the medical costs that I think will hit me over the next few months. For one thing, I'm not sure that insurance will cover my visit at Hopkins this Friday, and of course, I'll have all my deductibles to pay at the first of the year. With radiation starting, I'm sure I'll meet my medical deductible right off the bat. But I also keep holding my breath, expecting some of my costs to not be covered at all. Insurance companies do their best not to cover something, if they can.

And I agree that the cold temps and lack of light can get to us. I'm reading books that take place in Iceland where they have only 5 hours of daylight in the winter, and I wonder how they do it. I am still trying to get used to it being dark by 5 o'clock. But we did get an unexpected break in the weather yesterday. I was actually able to put on a sweater and one of those very light, packable down jackets and get my walk in outside. It was such a treat. Today, it's raining and very chilly though, so it's back to the treadmill.

And mentioning treadmills, mine is making noises again, so we went to an excercise equipment store on Saturday to look for a new one. Sadly, they don't make them as streamline as my old Precor 9.2, but I think I will soon have no choice but to choose one of the ones they offer. We found a Horizon that is not too awfully big and it gets good reviews. There's a second store that we want to check before we make a decision. They are located close together, but when we were at the first store, hubby realized that one of his credit cards was missing from his wallet, so we decided it was important to get home quickly. Thankfully, he found it in a shirt pocket.

Lois, I hope that your foot and back are both doing better. The holiday season is hard enough when we're fully healthy.

And thanks to all of you for your kind words and well wishes for Teddy. He is actually doing better. He has not coughed for several days--maybe 4 or 5 now. And he's still eating and playing. It's just this weight loss now that concerns us.

As usual, I'm dreading the long trip down to NC and back and the large amount of work we do beforehand and for my sister while we are there. We did get our Christmas tree up and decorated, so that's at least cheering me up a bit. And this is a big week for me. On Friday, I see both my primary care doc for my annual physical and the Johns Hopkins doc. Hope something hopeful comes out of these.

Sheesh, I would be honored to be gifted as an extra aunt! And you can pin a bow wherever you wish! LOL

Here's a question for you gals. Do any of you clench your teeth at night, and if so, do you use a night guard? I had my 6-month checkup last week, and my dentist and I talked about some of the effects I'm getting from doing that. I don't grind so much as I clench--hard!--and the resulting problems are becoming more noticeable and more worrisome. She said a guard helps if you gring your teeth, but she's not sure if it will help with clenching. But I had coffee with a friend yesterday who said hers seems to help with both.

It seems like we all had some rough times in 2024, and I sure hope that 2025 treats us a bit better. Once I'm through with my treatments, I'd love to set some goals and have you all keep me accountable.

Well, it's time to try to get an item or two checked off my to-do list. I'll be back on Wednesday to weigh in, and who knows what that will bring. Unfortunately, I've bounced from 129 something to 131 something all week, which is a higher range than what I had been able to maintain for a while.

YAY for Ella!!! Now the road to recovery. The challenge I encountered, was like her, boredom which led to overactivity. So be sure she still gets in her rest period to allow her body to heal. So glad it all went well!! Good luck Mama!! Be sure to check in on yourself and Shawn as well. Once she is mobile enough and feeling up to it, would it be possible for her to stay engaged with her team? Score keep etc. Sometimes being around the activity is motivating and comforting that she's not being left behind and the team knows she's coming back. I feel for you Kelly. as with Shawn's foot, that's what happened to hubby when my back seized up. And I felt horrible. Every time I attempted to help, I just caused more concern for hubby so it's just as frustrating on us immobile ones knowing we're putting the pressure on our partners. Both peeps are frustrated. Hugs to you during the season to keep everyone together.

Sarah - our temps are CHILLY - COLD for us, but probably just "chilly" for the rest of you (44 lows and 69 high). So I'm starting my mornings with a sweatshirt and socks with my crocs and then down to a t-shirt in the afternoon. Yesterday, I had trip hangover. Had a quick visit with my neighbors because deliveries that were anticipated next week, all arrived on Saturday, so another hand truck full of deliveries to be transferred across the street. And you are probably correct that insurance will do what they can to not cover portions of the treatments. Have you double checked with your provider for Johns Hopkins coverage? And glad Teddy is doing better.

End of year work issues have exploded for me. So I had to reschedule my podiatrist to 12/31. I'm closing almost 20% of my annual closings this month and two more are in jeopardy of not being ready to close. So I'm juggling all sorts of things at the moment. Fun times.

Sheesh hoping all is still going well in your area.