Last 15 months: Dec 2003- Went ot Alaska for Christmas w/ my family, first time in 15 years. Wonderful. January 2004 - DH decided he needed to separate and went looking for a place of his own. I received emails, cards and support from my SS sisters and DH & I went to counseling and started some work. May 2004 - My yearly visit with my Kentucky family and MADDIE! Loved it and LOVE her. Spring 2004 - Exchanged a series of emails with DeeMarie and we learned a lot about each other. Very fun and lovely conversations. Beautiful person, she is. June 2004 - Surrendered my dog to keep my husband. Painful but necessary. Again, lots of support from here. Summer 2004 - Spent living in Alaska. Drove up and down the state and had a killer time. Loved it but was happy when I got home in the fall, then I got homesick for Alaska - lol. September 2004 - Went to NY and met Raeanne and her DH- visit too short and had TOO much fun! The people are so fantastic that we're thinking of moving to that coast in a few years! Scoping weather and property now. DH started 2nd year of law school - only 1 more to go after this. I started back to college to finish a degree I started many years ago. All children in school. Dec 2004 - Had DH's family here for holidays. So stressful, DH blew a gasket and almost left again. Back to counseling...and deal making. Lots better now that family's gone. January - Signed up for another college load; continuing to work toward that piece of paper I want. Becoming aware that time flies when you don't have any. Signed up at WW Core Program. Determined to lose weight and be healthy. Still here, after many years and still checking in really regularly. Planning a trip to east coast in March to scout a place to live when we finally move. KYSusie~ Good to hear from you. Keep on truckin' toward wellness. Back to the laundry and paper I'm supposed to be writing! Check in, everyone!

I thought I would check in before leaving for the weekend. Yesterday was a day from hell. I am asking you again for prayers and support for my family. What I am going to tell you is almost impossible to believe. It concerns two of my nephews. One is ninth grade, the other away at college, finishing up his senior year. Last week my brother and his wife received a call from the ninth grader's school, saying that he had suffered an "episode" and recommended taking him to the doctor. To make a long story short, he had gotten extremely stressed out at school (he is always on the honors list) and just cracked. They described it as a manic episode. He is seeing several doctors and has gotten better, went back to school yesterday. When talking to my mother yesterday morning, she said she had started receiving some very bizarre emails from our other nephew, who is away at college. She didn't want to bother my brother, because of everything they had been going through with the younger son. I asked her to forward them to me, and gosh almighty, they were more than bizarre, really out of it, almost suicidal. So I told her I was going to track down my brother and/or his wife at their work and let them know. To make a long story short, this nephew has also suffered some sort of manic breakdown - they tested him and did not find drugs or alcohol in his system and will be committing him to a mental hospital for evaluation. My brother is with him, as my sister-in-law had to stay home with the other son. I was hesitant to post this on a forum, but I believe in prayer and that it can help heal, and my poor brother and his family need it in the worst way. They are just stunned and in shock. They are the last family you would think something like this would happen to. Very stable environment, very supportive of their children. Thank you for letting me share.

Happy Friday!!! TIGIF for sure. I am hoping to get my two fields and lawns mowed! That is if it doesn't rain which it may. It's a huge project and I should have been doing a little each night this week but I didn't. I also hope to get some gardening in. My tomato plants are on the porch hardening off now but I won't be able to plant them until the end of this month. I can put my lettuce, spinach, carrots, beans, etc in. Seriously, just last week we got a foot of snow in northern NH!! Casey has a major swollen eye this morning. Not completely swollen shut. It was so windy the last few days - really high winds she probably has some sand or something in there. I will go check her at lunch and if it's worse I need to call the vet. Poor girl looks like she got slugged. Tikanis, sounds like you have a nice full and fun weekend ahead. Maddie, I know you aced your finals. It's s done deal you got A's across the board! Maddie, I used to ride a bike with Mark until I got horses! Mark has a Harley of course and my bike is an old Kawasaki that starts every time....unlike the Harley which I call flipper because of the cute little noise it makes when it doesn't want to start. For this trip we are renting a full dresser so we will be riding in comfort. I am getting excited about this trip. Donna, thanks for the info on Philly. We are going to stay at Penn's Landing. Seems like we will be able to see a bit there. We are only there for the night so a nice room and a good meal are going to be our main priority. I am sure we will see enough but during my research it sure seems like a really nice city to visit and spend some time. But if I can't bring Sweet Pea I don't want to go usually! LOL Marci is going to Florida to spend mother's day with her kids! Next??

Good morning everyone! Patti - I'm not as bad as you are with my sleep. Last night I cheated and took an allergy medication because it usually makes me so drowsy for the first couple of hours. It was enough to get me to sleep. I'm relearning to sleep, somewhat. I have had to take naps now which have been helping. Normally I never nap because of irregular sleeping. We do what we can. What does your doctor say for your insomnia? CONGRATULATIONS on your loss! You go girl! Milkdud - Isn't it wonderful looking at the world 'anew' again with Aubrie? She sounds wonderful. Do what you can with your eating but don't sweat it, just carry on after she goes home. Enjoy your time together. Wish I were a fly on your wall! LOL Wodka the fact you are holding your own on the scale is fantastic with the company. I'm with ya because I experience the same each time we visit the in-laws every month. Drinks, nibble bowls of nuts and chips - very hard. Sometimes I have to 'plan' those visits by bulking up on more veggie/fruits, less carbs a day before and after the visit to allow myself a few extras while there. The key to that was 'planning'. It's much harder when you have a visiting situation that goes on for a couple of weeks. So pat yourself on the back for holding your own! You are doing great! I'll be thinking about you when I working downtown today - I know you will be happy to get outside again! Nhsuzanne - how is your flush going? Mine helped a lot to refocus and remind myself how little fruit and veg I've been eating! I get lazy. Marci glad to see you post! I hope you'll post a pic when the kitchen is done. Happy 4th of July to my neighbours! Have a safe holiday. I'll be thinking about everyone today when I'm downtown. We are a wonderful group of friends to share our journey. All of you are helping me find my inner peace again. I feel strength, love, joy, friendship and so much more. Let's make this a special day today. Be true to yourself, smile when you look in the mirror. We have been blessed to live in countries that give us opportunity. Things are getting tough around us with fuel prices rising but not as tough as other areas in the world today. It may mean we have to adjust but we can adjust. We have the freedom to choose. There is strength in community - let's hold fast together during the challenges that face us. We are blessed to have the internet and this forum. We are blessed to share as one our troubles with all the miles between us. When you feel weak, remember you are blessed. Make today a great day! Our countries give us freedom to choose. Make the right choice today in all aspects of your life. Happy Birthday! Peggy