Healthy Living Thread

[deegee]

This picture was on the news. It was taken very close to my sister's house in KY. She took a picture of it over her house, and it is seriously freaky looking. It brought a huge storm with it, lots of damage. Thankfully not a tornado though. We get the same weather they have, just a few hours later.

 

[marcy]

Holy crap, Deegee. I am glad no tornadoes came out of that but I am surprised. Did your sister have any storm damage? Great picture though.

 

[deegee]

Marcy-here it is over my sis's house. No damage for them other than branches everywhere and no power. Other areas nearby had lots of downed trees, with trees landing on houses and cars. No injuries that I'm aware of.

 

[monarch64]

Hey everybody! Sorry I've been MIA lately. My grandmother passed away last week and I've been off the healthy eating/exercise kick. I feel like I can jump back on now, especially if it stops raining every day and messing up my plans to walk.

 

[marcy]

Deegee, that new storm cloud picture is so cool! I am glad your sister’s place didn’t have much damage. Thanks, I am glad you like my ring. I have enough assorted rings, sizes and diamond accents so I kind of had a mock version of what this ring would look like with my ering. I can’t believe how much it sparkles. Initially I thought it took away from my diamond but I am over that by now. Bling grows on you. The restaurant we ate at tonight had great diamond light; I was quite distracted. I will definitely have to watch it when I’m driving and the sun is out. Yes, I should have left the ruby comment inside my head but too late now. Maybe I’m wrong, only an appraiser can tell. I am glad your hands are normal tonight. My mom had those hinged shanks because her knuckles were really large from arthritis. I bet a corner office with looks of windows would be scary during a hail storm but cool to watch lightning. Good idea to start fitness pal. It seems like it takes off calories burned but that shows how long it’s been since I used it. Marty leaves Monday I VOW to start using mine that day. Sorry to hear you hurt tonight. Accu weather has special interests you can add to your local weather that includes stuff like arthritis, sinus, allergies and my favorite bad hair days. Sometimes when I hurt really bad or have a sinus headache I’ll check just to make sure that is what is going on with me.

Monnie, I am so sorry to hear about your grandmother. Hugs to you and your family.

We went to supper, got some ice cream then wandered the mall for a while. I went and looked at my diamond in a microscope. LOL.

Take care.
Marcy

 

[Dee*Jay]

Curby, LOL on the ruby conversation – I would have done the same thing! Your ring is just gorgeous and I really love it with your e-ring! I’m glad you got to enjoy the good lighting at the restaurant! I’ll have to look into the Accu weather thing, it sounds interesting.

Deegee, the CB and I downloaded My Fitness Pal last summer but it was short lived. It’s still on my phone though so maybe I should start back up with it. I think Fitbit has a similar function though. Those pics of the storm are AMAZING!

Monnie, I am so very sorry to hear about your grandmother passing. Biggest hugs outgoing to you my friend.

Yesterday I worked like crazy. I normally stay until 6 but at 5 I picked up my purse and bolted out the door because I was just DONE. Then I walked over to where one of my go-to clothes stores used to be but apparently it’s becoming a Walgreens. I didn’t do much when I got home and went to bed with the intention of reading a book but ended up looking at the inside of my eyelids pretty quickly!

I did hit 10,000 steps yesterday, and I know this because I started getting emails congratulating me. Immediate adjustment of my settings ensued – seriously people I don’t need a zillion emails a day! I have turned into Ms. Cranky Pants over all this needless email lately. It’s no wonder I never get anything done!

 

[marcy]

Happy Thursday. 4 Days until Monday not that I am counting down the days till the in-laws leave of anything.

Wow are they smug, judgmental people. A friend of mine dropped something off last night and she has met them before and so she says hi to them. My FIL never acknowledged her and my MIL finally said bye to her when she left. This morning Marty and I were slow getting dressed and our house keeper got here before we did and they were snippy with her and telling her to leave there stuff alone in the bedroom. We were going to breakfast and in front of her they say "who is going to stay here with the cleaning lady?" I am thinking HOLY CRAP!!! I did key in on why they think I fix too big of meals for them - they kept singing high praises (which is remarkable in itself for them) of her sister who they are visiting next. They keep saying she fixes healthy meals and she is such a great cook. So I inquire about what she fixes. Now some sounds healthy, some does not but then they both say she gives you just enough food so you don't stuff yourself. She dishes up everyone's plate and gives them small servings. So I guess the fact that I have been serving meals family style where you dish up your own food on your plate and then don't slap your hand if you take seconds is why I feed them too much. Umm, hello did I tell you how much food to put on your plate and then eat? I don't think so. My FIL definitely drinks too much and my MIL gets after him for it but yet she has multiple cocktails a day as well. I have seen him sneak 2 glasses of whiskey on ice each day that he's been here. He hangs out on the patio or at the dining room table a lot by himself and that is when I notice he's been in the whiskey. What is funny is he has a big "travel" bottle that he keeps refilling out of a smaller bottle. He sure isn't fooling me that way. Awe, I feel better now.

Dee Jay, thanks for the compliment on my ring. I do like it with my ering. It is thicker than the Tiffany band so I guess both my bands are chunky. I have been eyeing a pair of E VS1 .40 carat each CBI diamonds for studs. Yes, E VS1 is overkill for earrings and my current studs are .46 ct each but I don't like big studs on my tiny earlobes anyway. WF doesn't have a pair in the .8 to 1.0 ctw in colorless and BGD has some F in Si1. Of course I really SHOULDN'T buy more bling but once I saw how gorgeous these ACA are then I wanted nicer studs. Those little add on's on Accu weather are under the button with a + on it. I loved the idea of a bad hair day but it's for frizziness. In Wyoming we need them for wind. You are getting in some good night's sleep this week. That makes up for all those nights you don't. Congratulations for reaching your 10,000 steps yesterday. You know once I noticed you are turning in to a cranky pants over emails I immediately wanted to go send you one. I am evil that way. When Marty worked at his old job after his rules and filters cleared out about 1200 emails he'd still have about 750 left. If he went on vacation for a week he spent days catching up.

We went to breakfast today, then Hallmark, a golf pro shop and an athletic clothing store. I was trying to dial in to work but my work laptop was caught in some downloading windows update loop for an hour and then I couldn't remember my last password (I forget to change my password at home when I change it at work) so I gave up on that idea. I wasn't trying to do work just do something for myself. Sadly I'll have to take in my laptop now next week and logon to the network there to get it all straightened out.

This afternoon we are having them measure for our french doors. I am anxious to get them. Hopefully the local RV dealer will call to take our RV on consignment today.

Tonight is Olive Garden for dinner with the in-laws and some of their friends. Is it Monday yet?

Curby

 

[Dee*Jay]

I just added 1,600 steps to my count for the day -- by walking over to CVS to buy candy!

Curby, Ms. Cranky Pants would be thrilled to get an email from you. However Ms. Cranky Pants would NOT be thrilled to get 10 emails a day from you, especially if they all said something to the effect of "Your 20% Off Coupon Is Waiting!" I'm willing to pay full price for some thigns just so they'll leave me alone.

 

[marcy]

Miss Cranky Pants, that is awesome you got steps to go buy a candy bar. Good point that some discounts aren't worth the hassle to get them and once they get your email address those offers just keep coming.

 

[deegee]

Marcy-OMG! Love your heart! I'm doubling up on the hugs coming your way. You're a saint for putting up with your inlaws for a visit. A whole week? Gah! A friend at work is going on vacation to Florida next week and her husband invited his mom. Same hotel room...she is NOT happy. I keep going back to look at your new band. I really, really like it! And I shamefully admit I had a pair of 1ctw studs that I replaced with ACA studs after I bought my ering and saw how awesomely sparkly an ACA stone is. I gave my other pair to my mom and she wears them quite a lot so they're still getting used.

Dee*Jay-I ordered my zip last night, but there's no way I'd have a competition with you, even if it's friendly! You'd run circles around me and do a few cartwheels while you're at it! I will be lucky to get 10,000 steps in. Especially now that we're working full force trying to meet a project deadline. We haven't even been able to get out for lunch. Our vendor guy has been bringing us lunch and we eat around a conference table. He's a meanie! I agree with you on those stupid emails. It doesn't matter how many times you unsubscribe, they seem to never go away. Grrr.

Monnie-I'm so sorry to hear about your grandmother. Hugs to you. I lost my grandmother 3 years ago this week, and I think about her every day. We're getting nonstop rain too. How am I supposed to get back on track when the weather won't cooperate?

I did really well with food today. Tracking helps me so much. I had oats and a banana for breakfast, soup and watermelon for lunch, and 2 small slices of pizza and salad for dinner. I'm enjoying a whiskey sour this evening and hoping it will help me relax and sleep. Sometimes it does. I only did the steps at work once today and my only walking was to and from my car 3 parking lots away. We have had hard rain on and off all day and it's storming now so no evening walk. Have a great Friday! (I was operating today under the impression that today was Friday. Wow-what a letdown to discover it's only Thursday!)

Marcy-I downloaded that weather app. Too cool!

 

[marcy]

Deegee, thank you for the double hugs. They are here one week and one day but who’s counting? Me, that’s who. I have been telling myself they are saints compared to Matt’s parents. I can’t believe your friend’s husband invited his mom to go on vacation and to even stay in the same room with them. I’d be Mrs Cranky Pants II. I am still amazed at how much my diamond band sparkles and how much fire those diamonds have. I really, really want some ACA studs. What color are your studs? WF doesn’t have many choices in colorless diamonds for earrings. You are a sweetie to give your old diamond studs to your mom. I am sure she loves them. I would probably trade mine towards a larger EC diamond. Yay for ordering your zip. A whiskey sour sounds good. I can’t remember when I had one of those last. Sorry that today isn’t Friday for you but at least tomorrow is Friday.

And Friday means: 3 days to go, 3 days to go, 3 days to go.

We went to Olive Garden for supper. I had salad, 2 bread sticks and some spaghetti and one meatball. I pigged out on the chocolate mint they give you for dessert.


Curby

 

[monarch64]

Thanks everyone for your condolences. I've been missing my grandma for a few years now since she ended up in assisted living and stopped knowing who people were. She never got to meet my husband and she didn't get to meet her great-granddaughter either. But I cherish my memories of her and I have several pieces of jewelry she gave me which I will pass down to Alex someday. She was a great businesswoman and she always spoiled me; I was her only granddaughter. The visitation and funeral were tough. They definitely solidified in my mind (even though we have already made our final arrangements) that I don't want a somber occasion. Just too sad.

Sorry to be such a downer!

I met my parents for lunch today after my dad's PET scan. Hopefully he's in the clear again. You guys might remember that he's been dealing with cancer for many years now (I guess a decade?), and the latest mass was in his lung last summer. He had that removed and then underwent more chemo all spring. It was his mom who died, and he's taken it pretty hard because they were very close. Anyway he seemed in good spirits today and we had a nice lunch. I had a baked potato and diet soda so I didn't eat my feelings today, ha ha. I hope his results are clear and that he gets to drive his zero-turn mower many more summers.

I did a TON of yardwork today. I wanted to have the lawn mowed and everything trimmed before the weekend since it's Father's Day and my husband's band is playing on Saturday night. I knew we wouldn't have time to deal with trimming back the jungle this weekend. I worked from 1-5 outside and sweated my butt off the whole time. I didn't even bother plugging it into SparkPeople--too sticky, too exhausted. Then I babysat my neighbor's 6 year old while her mom played softball after Alex went to bed. We worked in the garden some and boy she keeps me on my toes. I wonder how many calories THAT burned?!

Marcy, wow, I can't wait for Monday FOR you! Your in-laws are nice people, I'm sure, but the fact that they are judgmental and snippy with your housekeeper stinks. Too funny that you are totally onto your FIL's sneaking drinks game! Like no one's gonna know what's in that travel container, or see the level of liquor go down in the bottle. Sheesh. No wonder they're worried about eating too much--they're used to eating little and drinking a lot. (that is SO bad for your liver!) Well, they're old enough to know better so I don't feel bad for them. It just sucks that they're not comfortable visiting without overindulging. Oh, hey, I'm with you--we should all send DeeJay an email!

DeeJay! So awesome you're getting well above 10k steps in! What is this candy you're buying at CVS, though? I'm intrigued. I used to love Twizzlers or Good 'n' Plenty because they were "fat free." I find that if I don't have a glass of wine or beer in the evening I'm much more likely to have a sugar craving, which I think makes sense because alcohol=sugar. Um...so you should probably switch back to wine.

DeeGee, you are doing GREAT with food! Sorry about the rain there. The parking lot commute on foot is at least something, though. I hope your weather clears up soon, those skies looked ominous and scary. We are also in tornado alley and have had several bad ones over the years. We have been really fortunate this year to have been missed by some major storms. I sure hope that trend continues, but that's probably wishful thinking. Where do you track your calories/exercise? I "kind of" like Sparkpeople but I'm not super into it. I used to journal my calorie/fitness stuff but that got to be tedious with calculations on my own.

Hi to Lorelei! Hope you're doing well.

 

[marcy]

Monnie, I am so glad you have wonderful memories of your grandmother. Those good times will hopefully bring a smile to help you during sad times. I am keeping my fingers, toes and all my teddy bears legs crossed for your dad. I hope his test results are clear. Hugs to both of you. I agree that having a more upbeat funeral is kind of helpful to those of us left behind. My mom’s funeral was pretty sad but my dad’s was more of celebration of his life since we provided the minister lots of amusing stories about him and we got a lot of comments from people who liked the lighter mood of the service. My dad would have approved. Funerals are rough for the family anyway. You really burned a lot of calories with yard work. Yay. I do generally get along with my in-laws but it was easier when they lived here and we only saw each other on occasion. My MIL and Marty will go take naps, I’ll be doing something or on my laptop and my FIL goes to the kitchen table and pretty soon he’s got that drink. He is very quiet about it but he’s not fooling me.

 

[marcy]

Happy Friday!

I avoided getting up today for as long as I could. No one had eaten breakfast yet so I cooked "cereal" for everyone. That's always my breakfast of choice. The guys went to the range and us ladies stayed home. We had tacos for lunch then went shopping. My treasure is a silver rabbit with long ears that is a ring holder. Tonight we are meeting a bunch of the in-laws friends for supper. I guess all 17 of us can't set at the same table so that will be interesting to see how that turns out.

We had temps in the 80's here today. A real summer day. Wow!

Have a great weekend.

Curby

 

[marcy]

Happy Sunday!

One more day.

I slept in a little until I heard the door bell ringing - my MIL had run long pants up to my FIL for golf. I got up and locked up the house thinking she was still asleep then went back to bed. Good gag!

The guys played golf and we met them for a drink afterwards. We split some burgers at the golf course for lunch and my FIL wants pizza ordered in for supper. Easy cooking today. Sweet.

I've been on the phone with our voice and internet provider and a credit card company. Marty has a long distance package but they charged us $8.13 for international calls. When they switched providers last month their international package requires you dial *250 before you call. Nice they tell us now. That's one of those things that would have been nice to know yesterday. Then I called one of our credit cards to let them know Marty will be traveling overseas. It was all automated and since it's Marty not me I'll bet you a dollar they call me on his charges. His credit card that is issued through his company was shut off last week because of some fraudulent charges on it in Brazil. I guess there were 3 auto stores and 1 car wash charge they rejected. Nice!

My in-laws went to the bank and have been gone for a while. I am savoring the moment.

I rented "Frozen" for my MIL to watch this morning. It is a good movie but definitely not a guy flick.

I hope you are having a great weekend.

Curby

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Monday kids!

Curby, you're a trooper for hanging in there with the fam! Did you get everything straightened out with the credit cards? Citi kept issuing fraud alerts and shutting off my card during the renovation spending. Yes, Citi, I swear I realy did just spend another two thousand dollars at Home Depot... and those charges at the plumbing supply house are for real... oh, and that huge lumber yard charge -- yep, mine too!

Monnie, I hope your family gets good news with your father's results! The candy was the Godiva dark chocolate salted carmel squares. A direct result of PMS! I ate most of the bag and then felt *blech* afterwards. Some people would learn from that... I will repeat the mistake again next month, LOL. I saw your post in the toddler thread about A and the ice cream cone -- she's so super cute I just can't stand it!

Deegee, I've been wearing my fitbit about just kind of for information until I get it figured out. So far I've logged these steps: 8,258 on Tues, 10,590 Wed, 11,583 Thrs, 16,495 Fri, 12,307 Sat, and 10,696 Sun. On Sunday though I showed twelve properties, all of which involved stairs of some kind. Plus, since I keep this thing is in my bra I just put it on the counter in the bathroom when I get home in the evening and take my bra off so it stops counting a couple of hours before I go to bed. I bet you'll be surprised how much you really do move!

They installed my air conditioner on Friday so now I have cool air--should it ever actually get warm enough to need it here in Chi-beria! Saturday I ran around like a chicken with my head cut off while the guys put my kitchen cabinets together. I also went to look at granite... to the tune of TWELVE GRAND. Woah. And that was the least expensive option that I liked. The problem is I need three slabs because of the size of the kitchen so it really adds up. There are two other big granite houses in the 'burbs and I think I will try to go to them this week and see if I can find some alternatives that aren't as much as a new Hundai...

 

[Dee*Jay]

Has anyone tried doing workout videos at home? I found free ones by Fitness Blender and some of them look pretty hard core (a couple are like an hour and a half long!) and I might give one of them a whirl. If you have any other suggestions on good sites for videos let me know. I'm more interested in low impact cardio and/or toning and not really yoga type stuff.

 

[monarch64]

Has anyone tried doing workout videos at home? I found free ones by Fitness Blender and some of them look pretty hard core (a couple are like an hour and a half long!) and I might give one of them a whirl. If you have any other suggestions on good sites for videos let me know. I'm more interested in low impact cardio and/or toning and not really yoga type stuff.

I bought a Jillian Michaels 30-Day Shred DVD this winter. I did not shred for 30 days but I did the workouts 3-4 times a week during January and February. I liked it because within the one DVD were 3 workouts--beginner, intermediate, and advanced, and each one only lasts 20 minutes with warm-up and cool-down. The DVD was $9.99 at Target so tiny investment and I didn't feel bad for not continuing it as it got nicer outside and I could get out and walk. No mat necessary but she does use small weights. I have some 5 lb'rs and those make a huge difference in getting enough resistance for a good workout. I definitely saw results in my upper body especially in just a couple weeks.

Once in awhile I'll hop on Pinterest and look up workout videos. I usually just pick a 10-minute one that focuses on either upper or lower body with small weights and I'll do that a few times til I'm bored with it.

 

[marcy]

Happy No In-Laws Day!

Dee Jay, that is funny that Citi card was the bank that kept shutting off your credit card because of lots of home renovation purchases. That is the same company Marty’s corporate card is with. We are glad they caught the fraudulent charges on his card. Sadly Marty is on a layover in Houston right now and his new corporate card showed up in this afternoon’s mail. I paid his balance on Friday but it hasn’t posted anywhere yet and it was due today. At least I have a confirmation number – of course if I have to call them again they won’t talk to me. Have fun looking for granite countertops. As for Hyundai all I have to say is stupid car lease. You are really putting in lots of steps for your fitbit. I have not tried any workout videos at home but they are certainly worth a try.

Monnie, great idea to look for workout videos online.

Hi Deegee!

Marty had an orthodontist appointment at 7:30 and then his folks and I met him at Perkins for breakfast. After we ate Marty took off for DIA and his folks took off for Iowa. I picked up a loaf of bread for breakfast this week at a bread store then got a few groceries for the week. I’ve been washing all the linens for the guest wing this afternoon. I washed a fleece blanket for our love seat with a cotton blanket. Bad idea. I hope washing and drying it again will get all the fuzz off of it.

I’ll be going back to work tomorrow. I am not anxious to do that but I am sure it’ll be fine once I get there.

So I decided to use the arrows viewer WF sent with my ring on my earrings today and they have perfect hearts. Now I have no legitimate reason to buy new studs. I do have my old channel set band to trade with my jeweler in Denver and since it’s jewelry I’ll have to spend double the original amount on new jewelry. Oh darn, that will be tough to go pick out something new. They have a 5 stone ring with 3 sapphires and 2 diamonds that I might take a look at or I might get one of those pave diamond bands. Then my jewelry shopping is OVER. Rats. I am sure Marty thinks it’s about time.

Have a great evening.
Marcy

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Tuesday kids!

Monnie, I've heard of that video but never tried it. Maybe I'll get one! As for weights... I can find one of my 5 lbers and one of my 3 lbers but the others are MIA right now. It's amazing the stuff that gets lost when you move! Maybe once the kitchen is done and I repack everything they will turn back up.

Curby, the most legitimate reason you have to buy new studs is that you WANT them! And a sapphire and diamond band sounds like a good idea. (See--you should never ask ME becuase I'm all for things like this!) I'm sure being back at work is like a vacation after a week with the out-laws!

Last night I got 22 minutes into an 87 minute video and called it a day. There was way too much jumping and I just knew that I was crippling myself one bounce at a time so I went out and walked a mile and then came back in and had bacon and champagne for dinner. I found some other no-impact cardio videos so maybe I'll try one of those tonight.

 

[marcy]

Happy Tuesday Kids!

Dee Jay, it took me weeks to find my hand weights when we moved then I "organized" the spare bedrooms and I have no idea where I put them. Thank you for encouraging me to buy both earrings and a sapphire / diamond ring. I am easily distracted by new "Oooh Shiny" objects. Work was definitely an improvement over hanging out with the in-laws.

Marty made it to Southampton today and got in a quick nap before going in to work. Since the UK is 7 hours ahead of me we probably won't be able to talk to each other on FaceTime. He'll be home Saturday.

I got my cognac sapphire ring back today. It fits now. Sweet.

I heated up leftovers for supper tonight and have been working on a program for my meeting Friday night. Off to study my notes.

Laters,
Curby

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Wednesday kids!

Curby, I hope you and Marty are planning some kick-a$$ trip to use up all those frequent flier miles and hotel points he's accumulating! When I was a bank auditor I took all my points and Bill and I flew to Rome and stayed in the Hilton Cavalarie (sp?) for a week, all for free. It was marvelous!

Last night I did half of a no-impact cardio video (so about 10 mins -- HA!) and then I went for a walk/run. I think that might be the first time I've actually run any more than a few steps since I tore my ACL in 2010. How crazy is that?!? I do feel better today (less sore) than I did yesterday though. I'm tempted to do the same thing tonight but maybe I'll just do a video and a walk (no run) and then tomorrow I'll do a bit of running again. Also tomorrow I am going to to stone places out in the 'burbs to look for other (translation: less than twelve grand!) options for the kitchen. I made the mistake of wearing flats this morning that I haven't worn in a while and I just had those pedi-sock things on, which didn't come up as high as the shoe back. Now I have a blister and it stings. Damn.

 

[marcy]

Happy Wednesday!

Dee Jay, that is awesome you and Bill went to Rome for free. What a deal. I know Marty would LOVE to go to Italy. That is his dream vacation. That may be in our future. That is very cool that you went for a walk / run last night. I bet that felt good. I took a few walks at work today myself. I had lots of meetings today so I took extra hallways here and there on my way to and from meetings. I hope you find some great prices and countertops in the burbs this weekend. Ouch for your blister! I hope it gets better soon.

I was all excited this morning, the phone woke me up and it was from the company Marty works for – I thought it was Marty calling me from the UK. Sadly it was someone from the Atlanta office looking for him. At least I had an email waiting for me from him. The 7 hour difference makes it hard to find a time to talk.

I was either bored or in meetings at work today and yes my meetings are boring too. I also tested an update to our software that failed miserably. That was fun. Every time they change something another piece of the puzzle breaks.

I had cereal for breakfast, tacos for lunch and leftover pasta for supper. Then slow churned ice cream with chocolate sauce.

I have everything printed out for my club meeting program so now I just have to study it.

Still looking at WF and BGD diamond pairs. Oooh shiny.

Take care.
Curby

 

[marcy]

Happy Thursday.

Work was busy or so it seemed. I did more software testing and had meetings. I played with a Windows 8 Think Pad to see if I want it as my work laptop replacement but it's kind of like a netbook but worse. It is certainly no iPad. I think I'll ask for another laptop.

I missed a call from my moms 2nd cousin last night so I called her tonight only to find out she had a stroke. Her husband told me her right side is paralyzed and they think they can control it with medicine. The blockage is the base of her skull and if surgery failed she would die. She didn't lose her memory but is having trouble talking. They are moving her to rehab tomorrow. They think she'll come back to normal but it could take 2 years. Poor thing. Her parents are in bad shape. Her dad is in a nursing home and her mom is still home but needs help.

Marty is working long hours in the UK this week. He was happy though he went to his favorite Indian restaurant tonight for curry. I told him in an email the rabbits told me I could buy earrings. He didn't respond to that. Weird.

I had a piece of cheese pizza for lunch and a kids happy mill for supper.

I need to go practice my program for my meeting this weekend.

Take care.
Marcy

 

[deegee]

Marcy-yay! I'm glad you're in-law free! Matt and I took our niece to see Frozen when she stayed with us in December. She absolutely loved it, but at one point Matt whispered in my ear "you didn't tell me this was a musical!" My SIL accidentally locked my MIl out in a situation pretty much like yours, but my MIL didn't bother to knock or ring the doorbell. She prefers to tell everyone how Becky locked her out of the house on purpose and she was stuck outside in the heat for hours until somebody found her. (She hates Becky, so we hear this story a lot even though it happened at least 14 years ago) I'm so sorry to hear about your mom's cousin. That's awful! How has your sister been doing? The one that lost her finger. I took a nice chunk out of my fingertip while slicing a cucumber the other day and I immediately thought of you! And oooohhhh...I vote for the sapphire and diamond band!

Dee*Jay-my fitbit numbers are way lower than yours! If we don't take our 3 mile walk in the evenings, there is no way I can get 10,000 steps in. My only walking is from one meeting to the next at work. I have decided I'll have to extend my lunch break to have time to walk to get food. The closest place is .4 miles away, and the everything after is at least .9 miles away. I can do the shorter one and get back in 30 minutes, but not the others. Wow-I can't believe you're having trouble with your Citi card. Yikes! We have had that happen with our Chase card, and it is so freaking infuriating! I'm totally diggin your bacon and champagne dinner. Yummmm. I would love to find a good exercise video that didn't involve a lot of jumping. Jumping always bothers my ankles, and I don't want another body part hopping on the daily pain wagon. Let us know if you find something.

Monnie-I think the 30 day shred thing might actually kill me! I can't believe how horribly out of shape I have gotten. It seems like it happened over night! I hope your dad gets good news. My dad has been fighting cancer for a long time too. He was cancer free for several years and then it popped up somewhere else. Chemo almost killed him this time so they had to stop with 5 treatments left. It's funny you mention your dad and his zero-turn mower. My dad couldn't wait to get out on his tractor to mow the grass. He could barely hold himself up at first but he was going to mow that grass! I've been using my fitness pal to log food. I have it synched with my fitbit too, which is kind of handy.

So all I have been doing is working late and sleeping. Food has been great because I've been too tired to eat when I get home. Our big deliverable is due on Monday and we thought we were in good shape until we discovered a few team members were way behind. I had my stuff complete 2 weeks ago, but have been working my tail off to help other people catch up. Since we had already reserved a cabin in the Smokies for this weekend, Matt and I hightailed it out of town yesterday and I'm now relaxing in a remote little cabin in the woods. I had planned to take off work Monday too, but need to go in because the team will be finalizing the deliverable to be given to the vendor by the close of business. Nothing like waiting until the very last minute. Once this deliverable is turned in, the project really gets going and work will be insane. I'll check back in with everybody in 4-5 years! Matt just mentioned going to the outlets so I'm outta here. Have a great weekend!

 

[marcy]

Happy Friday Kids!

Deegee, I am sure Marty would not be thrilled with Frozen either. I liked it though. Sounds like you MIL is an equal spread around the nastiness person - picking on your poor sister 14 years later. My in-laws are like that they never let anything go. My sister has been doing okay but is in a lot of pain. She doesn't talk about it much unless I ask. Ouch for cutting out a chunk of your finger cutting cucumbers. I haven't had a knife incident in a while of course this just doomed me to do some damage soon. It's like my curb incidents. I hope my 2nd cousin recovers okay but it will sure take some time. I wouldn't feel bad buying the sapphire and diamond 5 stone band - it's more affordable than my platinum ACA studs. Good idea to walk to the closest place for lunch everyday. I wish we had a place to walk to for lunch near here. The closest place is about 3 miles and is a subway. Sorry you had to work so much this week especially to finish other people's projects. Have a BLAST in the Smokies this weekend. Relax and enjoy life. Have fun at the Outlets.

Marty is at a hotel by Heathrow tonight. He'll get to our place about 8 pm tomorrow. It's going to be a long day waiting for him. Usually he is flying home while I am at work.

Work has been okay today. I was cold most of the day but I got up and walked around the floor to warm up now and then. I really want chocolate but I ignored my little tin of quarters calling my name.

I should have time tonight to study my program one more time before heading to my meeting. I have lots of cool color photos to pass around - dazzle them with pictures so they won't notice what I say. Maybe I should stop and buy cookies for them.

Have a great weekend.
Curby

 

[marcy]

Happy Sunday!

The weekend went by way too fast. I was very lazy yesterday, I just watched movies and nervously waited for Marty to get back to the states then safely home. One of the movies I rented was "Non-Stop" about an air marshall dealing with some murders on an airplane. Probably not the best movie to watch while Marty is flying from London to Houston. Ironically the movie was about a flight from the U.S. to London.

Today I bought groceries, met Marty for a drink at the golf course and worked on laundry. I've been working on the July club newsletter and right now I have my diamond studs set up in an earring case to "watch" for awhile to see if I really want to spend that much money for new earrings. So far I haven't convinced myself these need replaced. When I picked these out I looked a every single pair of "finest" earrings in their store and picked the ones that looked the best. And 99% of the time you can't see my earrings anyway.

Food wasn't bad today. Toast for breakfast, lunch was a burger and veggies on the grill and supper was cottage cheese and bing cherries.

I hope all of you had a great weekend.

Curby

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Monday kids!

Curby, I’m sorry to hear about your mom’s second cousin. And on the credit card front I did a truly bone-headed thing. I got my new Optima card so I cut up the old one. Or I *thought* I cut up the old one, but in reality I cut p my Platinum AmEx in the name of my corporation. Oops. So I called and had AmEx send me another one but I didn’t think about the fact that all my automatic payments are tied to that card so now I have to set them up again. Damn.

Deegee, I don’t really know what to make of this Fitbit thing… On Thursday I went to seven stone houses looking for countertop material and I walked over 22,000 steps. But the thing is I would have walked that much even without the Fitbit because that’s just how much walking it took to see what I needed to see. I’m trying to decide if this is motivational or not… Or maybe I just need to approach it differently…

What a weekend! (And don’t forget the weekend for me starts on Thursday!). I have seen more stone than any one person should see when looking for countertops. That took up pretty much all of Thursday and Friday. At lease I think I’ve got something picked out, but I need to hear from the fabricator so we can confirm details.

Saturday… I have no idea what happened to Saturday… Friends of mine came over to see the new place that night and then we went to dinner.

And yesterday the CB and I spent four hours walking around Chinatown looking for things to put on the bookshelves. The greatest find was a total accident. I ordered a Lucky Buddha beer with my lunch and the bottle it comes in is AWESOME! Here’s a link. Plus the beer was pretty good so that will become my new beer to serve at parties. People will love it! http://www.luckydrinkco.com/luckybeer/verify.php?l=o

One other thing that came out of yesterday was the need for new sandals. Unless I’m wearing my tennis shoes I tend to walk around in flats. If I go any distance in my flats I really regret it later so I have to find some sandals with arch support. I had some Merrells that were great and I wore them for years but they finally bit the dust. The problem is I want to be able to wear them super casual and also slightly dressed up and I think the reality is that equals more than one pair. I also don’t love flip flops because they tend to hurt between my big and next toe but Teva has some that aren’t just the single strap across your foot so maybe by virtue of having multiple straps going up they stay in place better… I think I’m going to go to DSW tonight and see what they’ve got. I would walk over to one that’s near my office today at lunch but my feet hurt – HA!

 

[deegee]

Dee*Jay-I can't wear sandals anymore if I'm going to be on my feet much at all. I ended up ordering a pair of Cole Haan loafers and liked them so much I ordered 2 more pairs. I haven't found any sandals that work through a whole day for me. You probably get a boatload of steps in due to living in a city and being able to walk to things. Here something may be within walking distance, but you're probably going to be walking in the road which is terribly dangerous. I have been known to drive across the street to my eye dr (literally, right across the street) for fear of getting run over in the crosswalk with me having the walk signal! I can't wait to see what you pick out for your kitchen. I hate my countertops.

Marcy-I'm glad to hear Marty made it back safe and sound. I hardly ever wear earrings anymore because my ears don't show at all now that my hair has grown back out. That's why I was thinking of using my studs for a 3-stone ring! (That idea has been nixed.) Putting your studs in an earring case and watching them to decide whether or not to upgrade is an awesome idea! This is funny-my dentist likes to talk about cars with me because he knows I don't keep them long. When he asked what was on my list, I told him the BMW x5 but that Matt preferred I didn't go that route. He said he'd have to have a little chat with Matt. When Matt went for his appointment, my dentist told him if my heart desired a BMW then a BMW is what I should get. I love my dentist!

Today consisted of one giant work meeting and culminated with us handing over the deliverable to the vendor at 6:30 and afterwards we went out for a celebratory drink. Starting tomorrow my schedule really ramps up with multiple kick off meetings and requirements design planning meetings. My calendar doesn't appear to have a spare minute until the last week in July. Ugh! Food today-no breakfast because we have no food in the house, lunch was the roast beef from an Arby's roast beef sandwich, and dinner was a Jamison's & ginger ale with a few bites of Ahi tuna from the appetizer we ordered with drinks. I'm woefully behind dee*jay's step count so I'll keep silent on that. I'm exhausted and heading to bed. Goodnight!

 

[marcy]

Happy Monday!

Dee Jay, you really gave your fitbit a workout this weekend. I bet your feet do hurt. That is great you found some countertops you like and I hope the details work out for you. You do have a lot of openings to fill in your bookcases. Those are very cool beer bottles and your guests can help you fill up the rest of the cubes. Good plan! I need to get some good sandals too for that silly bridesmaid’s gig I have to do I August. I like Merrill and Keene sandals too. Crap that you cut up the wrong card! Marty is working on updating all of his accounts with his new corporate card tonight. Yes, it is a pain!

Deegee, I will look up those loafers. I basically wear Brooks running shoes all the time. They seem to work great for me. Even if I get my hair cut shorter I still always have it long enough to cover my ears. So you aren’t going to get a 3 stone ring? What is on your shopping list? That is funny about your dentist telling Matt to let you have whatever your heart desires. I like it. Our dentist knows us pretty well and does the same kind of thing. The girl that cleans our teeth will give Marty a bunch of grief about stuff too. It’s funny. It sounds like you’ll be really busy at work, at least your days will zip by (except for those boring meetings of course).

My day was quite slow and boring. I look forward to August when we get busy again. Marty had a rough days trying to get our international phone code to work. Our local phone / internet provider has changed hands 3 times in the last 2 years and this new company is pretty lame. His international long distance package is on his work number only but it only works on our home phone. He called 5 times today and they can’t even transfer him to the right numbers because they have different call centers for their customers and for customers like us who were bought out by their company. It still doesn’t work for him.

We had steak and corn cooked on the grill for supper. I had a PB sandwich for lunch and cereal for breakfast.

We are having a thunderstorm tonight. Fun! Maybe I’ll see some cool lightning.

Laters,
Curby