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@Laurie and Robin - does this help?

@Susan and Believeth - Thanks for your well-wishes and Wednesday Wishes for a new job. I'm actually pretty content right now, despite the poverty thing. When I left the job that was sucking my soul last November, I took an academic-year position at a Clinical Day Treatment in a hospital. I went into it knowing that it…

@Kris - so glad to hear the curse of the 12-inch saute pan has been broken! :smile: I was going to suggest that you kindly explain to the pan that: 1. you are on budget, 2. you are soon-to-be unemployed, 3. you are on a very restrictive diet... therefore, if it doesn't start producing delectable dinners, 4. you will have…

@Karen - just popping in to wish you a wonderful trip! I hope it's everything you want it to be and more!!! Enjoy!

Yep, I might be certifiably crazy. Got to the lake today just as the sky turned dark and most people were packing up and leaving. But it's a 30-minute drive, the storm hadn't started, and I love to swim! So, I walked down the trail to my usual spot and started swimming. Bit later, it started to rain, but only distant…

The world's largest ball of tape and a human head?! :laugh: Wonderful, but I'm not stopping until I lose 2 bloodhounds!

@Robin - :laugh: Plus, I love your Craigslist finds!!! Stupid squirrel. :angry: @Karen - zinc and Echinacea!!!! :drinker: @Kaye - such wonderful progress you are making!!! Welcome to all the newlings - you've already gotten some great advice. I remember being new a year ago, in awe of how much weight people here had lost!…

Inspired by Robin and Karen, I changed my pictures. Profile pic is Lily and I on the Appalachian Trail, and the ticker is the lovely lake where I swim. :smile: Nope, I didn't get everything done on my list, but I did get more done than I would have if I hadn't made the list. So I made another one for tomorrow. Shoot for…

@Laurie - dad has hiked @630 trail miles and is taking a day off at Vermilion Valley Resort in the High Sierra, about 60 miles south of Yosemite. Hope to hear from him today. He had to skip @250 trail miles earlier in his trek (@60 miles were closed for the Powerhouse Fire, and he jumped a bit farther ahead to try to meet…

@Suzee -- Don't let my one mis-adventure dissuade you from hiking! I've had many good trips too... but, yes, it's always a bit of a crapshoot when you head out into the woods. Many thru-hikers keep a journal of their travels and one of the most popular sites for that is trailjournals.com -- you can follow people on almost…

@Kris - Best Offer Ever!!! :bigsmile: Thanks!

Best Offer Ever!!! :bigsmile: Thanks!

Yay, Kris! !!!!!That's the spirit!!! I know you will figure this out and make Doctor McHottyPants proud!!!! :drinker: Glad to hear you're following my dad on the trail (though he claims the journal is a good cure for insomnia :laugh: ). Hopefully, he'll be up in your neck of the woods in a month or so! :smile:

@Kaye - so glad you're home! Hope the recovery continues to go well and you are back to long walks and big losses in no time! :flowerforyou: @KarenLeona - hope you were able to travel to see your new grandbaby and that your recovery is progressing well too, so you can bike to your heart's content. @Kelley - glad your…

So, my section hike of the Appalachian Trail didn't go quite as well as expected. We got to the trailhead much later than we had hoped on Sunday and only made it a few miles to the closest camp. During my sleepless night in the tent, which thankfully stayed dry despite fairly constant thunderstorms, I realized that there…

@grankakes -- welcome! @Karen -- so glad everything is coming together for your trip!!! @Tina -- so sorry you're struggling! We all go through this from time to time. I agree with Sherrie - sunshine might help, plus perseverance. I know you can get past this - you're so strong! @Kelley & Susan - I did a Disney Cruise to…

Headed into the woods, first thing in the morning. I will catch up with all your posts and with the new July challenge when I return. Hope everyone has a great week and those that are struggling (with prednisone arms, new knees, the blues, or anything else) get to feeling better right quick!!!!!

@Karen - Ruckus loves the backpack too - she and Gunner would be great friends, as she's also a working dog at heart. Lily, on the other hand, is a wild animal - an American Dingo - and has no tolerance for such humiliations. She just wants to hunt. I'm hoping once she gets into the woods that she loves and realizes that's…

Still reading all your comments and quite inspired by your successes and perseverance, even though I've been outdoors more than in lately, so not spending a whole lot of time at the computer. Hopefully, that trend will continue! Trying to hike (an hour) and swim (an hour or two) daily, plus either bike or kayak (@45…

@helena - definitely see what the vet says, but my lily has the same issue and it's from nerves. she picks at it when i'm at work because she's anxious, even though she has ruckus to hang out with. for a brief while, she picked her face, but mostly, it's her bum... always the same spot, poor baby. i now give her one…

@tracy - Niantic is so beautiful! I think Tom hails from that neck of the woods. I used to live down on the shore, in New London and Groton, but when I started graduate school, I moved inland to Storrs. Perhaps we will pass each other in the kayaks. :smile: @kelley - Glad your back is feeling better. Take it easy,…

@laura - I love swimming in the great outdoors! Everytime I see water, I just want to dive into it! I would pool swim too, especially since I live in Connecticut, so outdoor swimming is really time-limited, but sadly, I am allergic to chlorine. I could deal with the rash and red eyes, but the not being able to breathe is a…

Well, I was hoping that after several days of unseasonably cold and rainy weather, today would be nice enough for an outdoor swim. Predicted high of 69 is not quite warm enough, even for a fish like me, so I will have to wait a few more days until it reaches the high 70s or 80s. Today, I will have to settle for some sort…

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@tom - i would be happy to be fitbit friends. you can find me here: http://www.fitbit.com/user/236S7R @laurie - glad you liked the new trainer! i make a quiche on sunday and eat a slice for breakfast each morning - quick and easy in the microwave, because i never give myself time to do much else. i use a potato crust,…

@robin - hope you get the loss you're expecting this week! @holly - glad your health report was so good!!!! that's probably just the motivation you needed to keep going!! @tammy - you always make me smile! @marypop - hope your event went well and you sold, sold, sold!!! @kaye - sorry you're still limited in your…

@kaye - congratulations!!!! :flowerforyou: you have been so focused and determined, and i know how much you wanted to hit this in time for your birthday! great job!!! @karen - i'm sure by now i owe you congratulations too, for your 8k!!! :flowerforyou: :drinker: @kris - so glad you got that check! i just started cycling…

Thursday Truth - I've been thinking more and more about starting a wilderness-adventure trip company specifically geared towards plus-sized persons. I've always been pretty active for someone my size and have enjoyed scuba diving, swimming, kayaking, white-water rafting and hiking - the last few backpacking trips were all…

I'm definitely in for the May challenges - no loss in April, despite increased activity... need to be more careful with my calories to get the scale moving again. I will also update my look and my workouts! Thanks for the great ideas! Well, I will catch up more later. Pretty pooped tonight.

@alison - you are doing brilliantly! a half marathon, morris dancing, badmitton, etc, etc... plus 20 pounds off in just a few (winter) months?! i'd say that's a victory any way you look at it! @laurie - great job avoiding the fast food! that must have been very tempting, given the circumstances! @kelley - hope your back…