Hello everyone! GRETCHEN, HAPPY, HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY!!! So sorry I missed it. I was in Philly for 2 days, and got even further behind here at the office, if that was possible. Today there was another crisis and my director got sick over it. She came out of her VPs office and told me she was dizzy....her SO came to get her. Pressure, deadlines, budgets....what does it all mean in the end, huh? Nothing! After dealing with health issues with me and DH over the last month, nothing here is gonna put me in a tizzy. S#*&(w it!!! LOL Seriously, we think she has the flu, so I'm hoping she's back on board with us soon. Raeanne, you'd pack enough clothes so that you aren't tempted to do a "Girl Gone Wild" tape.....put the bottle down and stay away from those martinis! LOL!! Have fun. Maddie, I miss ya, kiddo. Please check in with us. Gotta run; DH has been having a couple of bad days and I need to go home to play Nancy Nurse...he went in for a smaller port out of his back and it's leaking all over the place. The nurse told him it would for about 24-36 hours, but he's just not feeling right about it. I've told him to call them, but he says he does not feel sick or dizzy or hurting.... Patience is a virtue, and I'm trying my best. After driving 3 hours home last night from Philly, taking care of DH, and trying to settle down, I was ready to get into the shower and looked down to find my right ankle was at least 5 times the size of my left ankle. My first reaction? BLOOD CLOT!!!! LOL; I took 2 aspirins, put some ice on it, and raised it up while I slept. It's better, but I must have twisted it somehow. Absolutely no pain, and this has happened at least once before...how looney is that? Gotta run. I wish all of you a great evening! Take care, eat healthy, and NEVER NEVER GIVE UP! DeeMarie PS: I've missed the last 3 weight watchers meetings due to illness, hospitals, and business trips. Not sure I want to step on any scale next week, but I'm not giving up!

Today is our 16th anniversary--Dave's & mine. Peg~I'm not sure I can give you any good advice but I'm certain Tikanis can or someone here. (Thinking b/c Tikanis is a nurse.) Tikanis~Thanks for commenting about the dog. Now we are getting 2. Can hardly wait. I'm so excited. Have already bought most the things we need for them. :) BJ~Hugs [[[ ]]] You are such a Dear. I would be an emotional wreck. You cannot imagine what I went through when the lady asked me to take the 2nd dog. They are rescue dogs. They weren't abused per se. They were taken out of puppy mills. We didn't have the money to pay what she wanted for the 1st dog plus the deposit for both at the apartment so she finally decided that she would give both to us so we could apply the money to the deposit. She knew we would give them a good home & that was the most important thing for her. NH Suzanne~That is one of the most beautiful pictures I've ever seen. It should be sent in to a magazine. Honestly!!! Sally~I'm glad you listened to me. It really is the truth. I went to the dr today. We haven't been weighing. I was down 5 pounds. Now, that is from 3 months ago but we were on a 2 month vacation & since we have been back we told everyone we were moving & they have wanted us to go out with them & eat sweets plus we have had Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, Super Bowl, & Valentine's just around the corner. :) Down 5 sounded pretty sweet to me! ;) Ivamae~I certainly hope I can force myself to walk the dogs in the cold weather. I have gotten them sweaters. I will have to get myself a heavy coat. Hopefully it will start to warm up once we get there. I'm not counting on it though. We were there last year in April & May & froze to death. UGH! I'm definitely going to do the best I can though. Hope everyone has a great weekend. Patti :)

Good afternoon, almost evening! It was a little cool and windy here today, with rain early this morning. Everything is glistening and green. So pretty. I had my first official workout today. I managed to do all the machines twice and lightly jogged in place after every 2 machines. I have to admit that I had to pop some tylenol and take a nap late this afternoon because I did feel the burn and was achy and tired. But, it was fun, and I'll definitely return tomorrow for a light workout. Hubby has a sleep study tonight way over in Houston, so I'll be on my own here tonight. I haven't spent many nights here alone, and it's been since Thanksgiving so I'm a little nervous. These lovely woods start feeling very dark and lonely when it's just Lucky pup and me. QOD: I think I'd like to return as Sweetpea because that little one leads a beautiful life on Suzanne's farm! Jen, so glad to see you posting and that y'all were safe even though you were frightened. BJ, reading about your windows getting washed made me look hard at mine, and I know that I'll be getting around to them sometime very soon. I hadn't realized how rain-spotted they'd gotten until I really looked. McPeg, that washstand has such good bare bones. Can't wait to see the finished product! I'm happy for you to be getting new furniture! This weekend, we're getting a new propane tank for our grill, and I'm thawing out chicken and steaks to rub down and grill for next week's meals. There's just nothing better than grilled meat - and I love the smell of it cooking on the grill. Hope everyone has a restful weekend!

Donna - I have a lot of confidence that you will find some time to "play" next week, enjoy the time off! Besh - I agree, don't get frustrated, we have all been there and if you keep behaving it will only be a temporary gain. Suzanne - I love tarragon too, also rosemary. Dee - one of our closest friends is a dentist. I always ask him how it feels to have so many people afraid of you. He is one of the nicest men I know and I can only imagine that he is very gentle and compassionate as a dentist. He lives over an hour away or I would go to him. Marci - I have my gyn appointment in a couple of weeks - I dread it too, but necessary. How is DD doing (and you)? I can't wait to see DD#1 in a few weeks! Patti - if you are reading, we miss you, hope you are having fun being a grandma LOL. My MIL had been visiting since Sunday, she was suppose to leave on Sunday but became very bored and left today. I guess my BIL's house is more exciting (thank goodness). You can't even believe all the things we did with her and she is still bored. She had her hair done, we took her shopping, out on the boat, out to breakfast twice, out to lunch another day and out to dinner one night. DH went into work late so they could spend time together and 20 family members were with us Sunday and Monday. I wish I had time to get bored. QOD - No agenda and I hope it stays that way. I haven't had my house to myself since last Friday and it feels good to just be home. As much as I go out I am really a homebody at heart. Friends are coming up from FL tomorrow evening, so we will probably go boating if the weather permits. Enjoy your weekend.