OK Dee I will join your team!! I always need some enticing! I had a bad start to my morning. I was sitting at a red light about 7:15AM bringing DS to school and then me to work. DS and I kept smelling burning rubber and then all of the sudden, BOOOOOOOOOOM, my tire blew up! I thought we had been shot. Ofcourse the people behind me were none too happy. I wanted to move the car because we ofcourse were in one of the most busy intersections in the city of Salem. DS is saying, no don't drive on the rim, which ofcourse I know he is right. So I put on the flashes and call DH and he says drive it because I obviously can't stay where I am. I drove out of the intersection into a convenience store parking lot. As I was sitting there a friend drove by, bringing his DD to school, so I quickly called his cell and he came back and picked up my DS and brought him to school. I called my boss and said I would be a tad bit late, ofcourse she was fine with that. DH showed up. Called the garage, brought me to Dunkies for my morning fix and then to work. I walked in exactly on time! Can you believe that? It turned out that a spring on my shocks let go on the front end and punctured the tire. Yikes! Anyway, I am sorry to be away so much. I have been working mega hours and am just exhausted at the end of the day. Ofcourse American Idol is on 3 nights a week and I have been committed to that. ;-) Tonight DS has a lacrosse game at 10:30PM, yes PM. This is the day that won't end! So, now can I be on your team Dee? By the way, I am doing WW online, CORE, and it is going quite well. If you are thinking about WW, the online plan is not too bad. Love you all, Besh

Good Afternoon, Vacation news? It was a blast. The worst thing was we had a hard time calling home to the girls. I had bought calling cards but for some reason, they were not working. I used the same ones in Jamaica and had no problem but anyway. Lots of sun, never had to leave the resort. It was all inclusive, so it was awesome. I had WAY to many banana monkeys and margaritas and came back with 5 pounds, BUT it's gone now so no problem. The girls were fine and did not get sick, DH and I did not fight, so all in all the vacation was fabulous. I have started to do "The Firm" exercise tapes. I have had the fanny lifter since Tara was born, so now I am putting it to good use. I really like them, it would be much better if I wasn't always pressed for time but thats life. Hopefully I can drop a few sizes before Easter. The workouts are tough but at the end, I feel as if I have accomplished something. DeeMarie, Have a great Vacation! Patti and Dave, I am sending loving thoughts your way. Amy, we miss you. Have you checked in lately? Tikanas & Zig, I am debating on the fast. The last one I tried I verily made it through 1 1/2 days. Giving up diet sodas for lent was one of the best things I have done. Now I need to give up iced tea with splenda. Maybe next week. Well, better run. Have a great day. Jen

Good morning. Y'all hold onto your hats - my sister who has cancer has an unexpected visitor this weekend. Her ex-husband! To refresh everyone's memory, he is the cad who left her when their three sons were 9, 10 and 11 years old - for the young babysitter. He's been through several more since then, and all have left him. When their middle son was paralyzed in a diving accident in high school, he showed up enough to get sympathy, then left town again. I despise him for what he did and didn't do for her and their boys and should really let it go, but just the mention of his name makes me crazy. So this should be very interesting. He is in for a terrible shock when he sees her, but he deserves at least a shock or two. I'm sorry, I should not be bitter, but he's the kind of man (and I use that term loosely) that loved to put my sister down in front of others, even her own sisters. Like why don't you wear clothes like so and so, and you could stand to wear a little makeup, etc. But, the good thing he is going to see her, maybe he'll offer to help out with the situation. Maybe he's turning over a new leaf. The sad thing is his own sons don't respect him, because he's never been a father figure, so this will be quite the visit for them, too. Stay tuned. On a much lighter subject, I love House, Dancing with the Stars, Ugly Betty. The last episode with Cuddy about to adopt the baby preparing to adopt the baby broke my heart. Was not prepared for the ending! Wow. Such good characters in that show - I've always loved Wilson! Re: Ugly Betty - I know it would change the whole show's meaning, but I wish they would allow her to be pretty at least one episode. BJ, thanks for sharing the history of Baby V. I can almost picture him by your description, what a beautiful baby. When are the new parents coming? Peggy, I'm so excited for you - it's like you are re-born. What a beautiful Christmas you are going to have - lights and all! It's going to rain here today. I like a cloudy, rainy day every once in a while - kind of peaceful. At least, it will keep me out of the dirt! QOD: No company, no travel, just hanging out and watching football games - college and NFL with my husband. I've got a couple of Blockbuster movies that I'm ashamed to say I've had since August (it's like Netflix, so no late fees, thank goodness) - The Kite Runner, The Bucket List, and I don't even remember the other - I think it's Smart People with Dennis Quaid. Might be a good movie marathon weekend. I definitely want to do Christmas cards. Just tell me what to do. I've always enjoyed sending them out, but it seems like each year, less people send them. So, this will be fun to share with my new friends! Hope everyone's weekend is a great one! Jan

Enjoying time on the front porch. Sorry you can't see the sweet face