@MusicCandy @SadMe70 A place to communicate

Thank you. I don't run into many people who do understand. I don't always have to have my way, but I don't like my specific plans just being "taken over" by someone else. It just took me by surprise and I reacted from my "lizard brain!". We all have one, but I can usually control it better. I did all my stair exercices and my sister texted me and apparently it didn't faze her. She really is the sweetest one of us and willl alwys smooth things over. Shehad to put up with my mother 3 doors down for years and that must have prepped her!

I am having a busy night at work and I know I will sleep when I do get the chance. Thanks for sipping one for me - mine comes later my friend.

I'm glad your sister was not bothered and hopefully that has made you feel better!

My eating and exercise have been so-so this week. I am clearly not going to lose any weight, much less 10 pounds, before I got back to work in less than a month, so it's good that I bought 2 pairs of bigger slacks last year. I had a mostly productive summer this year, though I've not done much this week. I've felt like I have no energy and I'm not sure why.

I did start one of my indoor projects yesterday. When I worked at home I had a cubby carved out of the unfinished basement for my "office." I had a folding table instead of a desk and I just abandoned the space when I quit that job. I then started storing stuff on TOP of the clutter! So I dug down and cleared off all the paper stuff, old computer disks, anything related to my old job, and took a big bag of trash out. I also had a washbasket on the floor there with bills that are about 8 years old (I'm am my father's daughter) so I burned those. So, first step accomplished on that project! I have a dictionary/thesaurus set in a box down there that I got from my parents when I was in high school, and used even up to a couple of years ago. I never use it now and I think it's time for it to go, but I don't want to throw it out. I'm too sentimental!

Going to try and work outside this morning, maybe start clearing old hay out of the goat barn and yard. I'm going to a myofascial release class that my physical therapist teaches at the Y at noon. I've been twice and it's fantastic. It costs $10 so I'm spending even more on exercise (yoga at $5/class, YMCA membership, personal training once a week, self-pay physical therapy once a month - yikes!) but I can only go 3 more times and it has made me feel better each time.

I hope your week is going well, and that you are sticking to your plans!

Hello. I have not gotten back to my former-office cleaning project, but I wll try to make myself throw out the dictionary set! I have no notes in it. It's purely my obsessively sentimental personality not wanting to throw out any part of my life. (Thanks for that trait, Dad!!)

I went to the MFR class again this week. Really loving it! I can only go 2 more times before school starts again, but maybe it will be enough momentum to keep me doing it on my own!

My food, wine, and exercise have been ok this week, nothing special. Wine consumption is going out the window tomorrow though. I am going on a winery trolley tour with a woman from work. I don't go out much with friends, but she's got a similar personality to mine so I think we won't intimidate each other and might even have fun (especially after a tasting or two). The trolley takes a group to 4 wineries that are west and SW of Fredericksburg. I've only been to 1 of them so I'm looking forward to some new wine.

Did you do your 2 wine-free days? How is the water drinking, the "S" eating, etc. going? I know your exercise is good!

Wow a boat! I love being out on the water but haven't done that in a very long time (except for kayaks which is fun but not really the same). I have been out near Matthews but not in a long time. It is pretty out there. Does he know how long it might take to fix it up? I'm so glad you will get to be back out on the water! That will be a lot of fun, and good for stress!

I have some lentil and veggie stew on the stove, which I plan to freeze for after school starts. I have a few things left from the spring, but I'm going to try and restock a bit before I go back. I don't to either lose exercise time because I have to cook, or eat crap because I exercised and don't have time to cook.

Wow, do I ever know about the either/or business! Cook or exercise? I'm either going to drink wine or eat snacks. We just can't win at everything! I did do the 2 days no wine( not the 2 I planned, but hey..) I know after a really stressful work shift, like last night, I simply will have wine. We lost power at the hospital for an hour and that was on top of difficult patients , overdose regulars and such- it was one of those AND THEN times. You know when things are bad, "and then" - MCV went on diversion so we were swamped - And Then, the power went out and we were on generator with half equipment, And Then.. I was exhausted this morning and drank wine before going to sleep.

The winery tour sounds like fun. I have toured a winery a couple of times and they have a lot of those around this area. I took a history trolley tour and that was a lot of fun too. I think you and your friend will enjoy each other's company. I have exactly one friend like that and we try to get together at least very other week for lunch or a walk. Like therapy.

I've done OK with the S's and exercise. I fixed overstuffed veggie wraps with guacomole and spicy hummis the last 2 days That has helped with the fiber for sure. But then I ate a big bowl of ice cream.

The sailboat is a little scary with details that I may or may not be involved with. First - its a long ways away right now and though the area is nice it is 80 miles just to get to it. It needs work, which fiance can do but that takes time from his other committed clean up projects at home. Plus where it will end up being? - in a slip or on a trailer in the yard .. trailer also needs work. And money for all that and I'll have to help there too. Fiance is mostly retired and can easily get in over his head with things like this. So I'm hoping it will work out in the long run. He is the dreamer - I'm feet on the ground. I've always had to be that way and I got that from my Dad too -- like you got your sentimentality from yours.

Almost finished with my stairs at work . This shift is starting out a lot bettter than yesterday. Thumbs up

Hello! Wow the week got away from me. I didn't realize your post was from last Saturday! Things are going pretty well here. Same pattern of eating well, exercising ok, not usually drinking too much but eating too much candy at night and not losing any weight. Sigh. I did have a new "exercise" this week. My goat pen has needed to be mucked out for a very long time. Their shed had about 4 inches of hay and poop, and there was a big area of the pen itself where the hay/poop buildup had turned to muck that never dried out. I couldn't do it myself, but we have a kid coming a couple of days a week to help with stuff we can't do ourselves, and he helped me do it. I could not even pull the full wagonloads out of the pen, much less dump them on the new giant mulch pile. I helped him for a couple of hours most mornings and boy did I sweat! It was great exercise! I call it poop cardio!! Now that it's all cleared out, I am going to try and be better at keeping it that way - another goal for me, and it involves outdoor physical activity. If I carry it all out while it's still dry it won't be a big deal.

I can't imagine your day at the hospital with all of MCV's patients and no power! I would be drinking wine too for sure!! I know it's never not hectic there, but that is crazy. I hope your days since then have been at least less hectic!

My mom had a brief hospital stay this week. She got a big splinter in her foot on Sunday, had it taken out on Monday and they put her on antibiotics. By Wed her foot was very infected and swollen and she couldn't walk. Went back to doc on crutches and they sent her to hosp for VI antibiotics. They opened the wound back up and cleaned out a bunch of ick and she came home last night. The hosp nearest the doctor was the one where Dad spent a lot of Dec to Feb and she couldn't bear to go there, so she went to one in Baltimore. I had planned to spend the day with her in Baltimore on Thurs anyway, ironically, so I went up and instead of the art museum we spent the day at the hospital!

The winery tour was great! She and I got on fine and I functioned like a normal person!! I bought a bottle at Eden Try, one at Wilderness, two at Lake Anna, but none at Mattaponi (did not like their wines). The snack box for lunch was actually mostly healthy (grapes, cherries, cherry tomatoes, cheese) but I also ate the roll and salami slices, plus I went and got a bag of doritos from the extra snacks at the back of the bus. I found out there is a central Virginia wine trail and a separate grape and grain trail that includes distilleries and breweries. You pay an upfront fee and that includes your tasting fees at the participating places. I'd like to do that but my husband doesn't walk or stand well and it would just be a hassle.

I wish you well on the sailboat project! I hope it doesn't end up being too pricey and that it gets in the water before you get sick of it being around!

We are headed to a cabin on the river near Luray on Monday for our vacation. Our older son was going to join us for the weekend near the end of our stay but now he can't come due to work. I am bummed about that. We kayak or hike almost every day and I love it. It is the only time I kayak anymore. Not sure what I will do once my younger son can't come anymore. I can't kayak or hike in the mountains by myself. I am trying not to think too much about that and get me gloomy. We will still have a great time this year!

How are things going with you this week? Are you hanging in there with your diet goals? Did you do your 2 days this week?

Hello! I got back from my vacation a few hours ago. It was very nice. Three kayak trips, one hike, two wineries, one distilery. Lots of board games, and too much wine and bad things to eat. I had a wonderful time. I did gain 4 more pounds, so I'm now 14 pounds over my goal weight instead of ten. I dread trying on my work clothes to find anything that will fit me when I start back next Monday. I love mountain hiking and wish I had time for more of that sort of thing. I would lose weight for sure that way! The kayaking was not so much exercise because we mostly drifted, but it was so lovely on the river.

Tomorrow I have an appointment with a new eye doctor. I have been going to a friend for over 20 years. He lives in NC near the beach ,and we'd go for our appts when we were on vacation. I haven't been down there in 3 years though, and I can tell I need new bifocals, and I'm almost out of contacts (which I mostly only wear to exercise), so I'm biting the bullet and trying someone new here in my town. I love my other doctor and I am not good with change! I need the glasses though.

How have you been this past week?

Yae for a good vacation. I know you hate the scale going up, but honestly, sometimes you have to splurge and not worry about it while you are off the grid. Your activities sound right up my alley of fun too. I told a friend the other day that I'd rather be out on a scenic river than have a 100 dollar fancy dinner at a restaurant any day. Good for you getting that break before it is back to work time. Just be glad you didn't book a big house at the OBX - those poor people! That is a lot of money for the locals to lose too.

So lets see ehat did I do last week , work , then work and then guess what.. It is almost all work with a little play - but not enough. Same thing this week. Fiance helps a lot though with Rachael and things that just have to be done.I'm trying not to cook a lot anyway since the ants have taken over. I leave the windows up and we are next to a wetland, so it is to be expected this time of year. When it gets cooler they will go too- these are so tiny you almost don't notice unless there are a lot of them.

Other than that. life has been OK- no emergencies and I did have some pool and sun time. I didn't keep my 2 days, but on those 2 days I only had 4 oz of wine. I was just too tired to fight the urge. Hope you have a few days to get things together before school. I don't start until Sept. - so I am looking forward to some entire days off before then.

I got my eating better under control this week and lost the 3 pounds I gained at the cabin. Now I'm back to those pesky 10 that don't want to drop off. I did exercise well all week too, so maybe I'll get rid of 1 more before I have to put on my work clothes! I have to have khakis for Monday and didn't have any, so I went to Walmart and tried on the size 12, and I could squeeze into them, but opted for the more comfortable 14. My work slacks are 12s and 10s, so it's going to be a squeeze. I might be wearing those khakis a lot! (Actually they are biege jeans but don't tell anybody!)

I saw that about the Outer Banks. That really does suck. How awful to have your one big vacation ruined plus lose all that money.

As always, I impressed by how much you work! The rest of us are lucky that there are people like you who are ready to take care of us when something is going wrong.

We have lots of ants too, mostly in my bathroom sink getting water, and in the kitchen. I did make a stew this week and froze one dinner and 3 lunch portions. I have a couple of things left from the spring. I have one more thing I want to cook this weekend to freeze. I start back to work Monday, and right off the bat I have stuff to do 4 of the 5 afternoons after work, getting me home too late to be cooking. I hope to cook for Monday on Sunday, but then a few of my other meals are called "tell my son what to cook and have it ready when I get home"!!

My son went to visit my mom for a few days. It was his first time driving to PA on his own, and he has only driven on the beltway twice with me. I didn't want him doing that alone so I mapped out this elaborate route that avoided highways but would take him a lot longer. Then he texted me when he got there so I'd know he was ok, and based on the time frame he clearly went on the beltway. I didn't ask him because he drives home on Monday and I just don't want to know until he is back here safe. He goes back to VCU on Aug 19.

I'm glad you got to have pool time! On the wine, you have been doing so great with your 2 days, I don't think it's a big deal to miss it one week. Plus 4 oz is so little wine. Just like me and my tons of M&Ms last week, you have to every now and then. And you didn't overdo it like I did!

Hey - I'm so happy for you losing that vacation splurge. In reality, it probably wasnt really fat that you gained, or lost -- i'm guessing mostly water from just eating the stuff you usually dont- but either way its good to see it gone. Based on calories alone, that would be way too many calories to gain or lose in a week. It does help your state of mind I know, and probably you feel less bloated. I won't tell a soul what kind of pants you are wearing either way!

Work doesn't look like it will let up any timw soon, so I make a decision to give up on ONE of my Fall classes- an after school enrichment music/art class. That one was hard to be profitable anyway without a full class- and that number can be hard to manage. Plus I tell myself I can pick it back up after Christmas, but that is probably psychological too. Just my mind have an easier let-go. I really doubt that I will based on the past few years trying to justify the 3 hours it takes - only 1 hr. of class but an hour planning and an hour setting up- clean up. I am relieved after sending the e-mail to the Director.

I thought about you and the kayak. The kayak accident/drowning in Richmond is very close to my area. I've been to that Landing, and there is a lot of woods and debris, so who knows if he got caught in fishing line or a log trying to get the kayak upright, and his life jacket was in the kayak. He is the brother of one of our nurses. She is hoping the coroner will find a heart attack, but either it is sad. Fiane and I were going to try to take a river walk that day and they had the river access park blockes-I thonk it was because of the rescue in progress. But we had a nice hike anyway down the trail next to the Boulevard Bridge to the Pump House. I'd never been there- it is behind Maymont, beautiful old archetecture that they are trying to restore. It was a 19th century party place with fancy open air parties. You can google it and see the building - really stunning stonework.

I know that feeling letting a child drive on the highway like that. My daughter took some trips similar to that, but always with a friend. Not that that helps- sometimes it is more distracting. I'm sure he did just fine and good for you managing that stress. I am trying to get a little pool time every day, even 20 min. for my stress. I am in the middle of stair sets now at work. Eating has been so-so and wine - about the same. I really want to committ to something more structured, but work hours are so crazy I haven't taken that step yet.

Funny, the ants in my house also congregate in the kitchen and bathroom sink too - plus any tiny crumb on the counter or floor. I'm trying not to cook anything messy for now. I wish you well on your cooking ahead. I did make a marvelous salad dressing - with tahini and mint /basil from my garden because I have a lot of it and I can't take time for jam right now, It is just 8 TBS tahini ( you could use any nut butter) a big handful of mint/basil/parsley, half a lemon squeezed, garlic if you like, some honey and I added some rasberry olive oil and water to thin it. Blend and it keeps a week in the frig.

Taking my Mom to an evening church service tomorrow- with Bluegrass music - isomething different;; plus her usual grocery trip ( I forgot my card pin comment) and dinner. She better behave

Hello! I'm getting adjusted to getting up at 5:30 again. I had one night where I hardly slept so getting up was rough, but the last 2 have been better. Our first day staff meeting had a movie theme, so they had oversize candy boxes right off the bat. I didn't eat any. One of the special ed paras has a husband who works for a distributor to 7-11 and they get to buy leftover junk food really cheap, so she brought in a pile of it for our room and plans to keep doing it. The principal had a snack bar on Tuesday. Sigh. Three days in and it is already non-stop junk. I wish these people cared more about their health! It is going to be a real struggle not to gain another 10 pounds. So far I have resisted, but that's only 3 out of 185 days of temptation. The actual work part is going well though! Classroom prep and lots of other prepwork, open houses, etc.

How may classes will you still teach this fall? It sounds like maybe it was right to give one up, even though I'm sure it was hard. You are pretty busy and you need the break that will give you! At least I hope it will give you some break and not get filled up with more work right away!

I'm so sorry to hear about your friend's brother! I worry what I will do on vacation once neither of my boys can come. I am afraid to kayak myself, even though the Shenandoah where we go is calm and shallow. I have not been to Maymont. Maybe I can get my son to do that hike with me sometime when I go down there. I don't actually go down and see him much during school. He's really busy, but I feel like I ought to see him more anyway. How long a hike is the one behind Maymont?

My son drove on the highways but he got to and from PA safely! That's one worry off my mind.

My eating and wine has been ok so far. Mostly I have been too busy at night to overdo it. I had good dinners planned for this week, but that partly relied on my son doing some of it. I have him one more week. I don't have much coming up for the weekend, so hopefully I will spend a lot of it cooking. Your dressing sounds wonderful! I always want to incorporate more salads into my diet - they are good to take to work. I never seem to do it though. I usually use oil and vinegar type dressings though, so yours sounds delicious! My sister has given me flavored vinegars, so I sometimes mix one of those with some olive oil.

I hope your Mom behaved for the church and grocery store trips!