mdrai

I read The Help at the end of the summer... didn't Laura read it, too? It's good! I kept being surprised & having to remind myself that it's set in the 1960s, in my lifetime... I felt like those folks were living in the '20s, that that couldn't have been that way since I've been alive... but I guess that was the South, so... Yay, last payment on your cruise! How exciting! Ok, back to work now... bbl...

Good Morn, Vi's~~ It's the first teacher-conference day today, so school starts 4 hours late... so we're all taking it slowly & padding around in our bathrobes & slippers... feels funny to do that on a Tuesday! Make it a good day!

Heather... My condolences to you & your family... lots of purple power & good thoughts being sent your way!! Laura... Yay on the surgery! While on liquids, remember that the FUZE slenderize raspberry/acai & vodka (which you say is conveniently open!) on ice is a QUICK, yummy, sweet drink! ... What kind of gyno do you go to?! (Oh wait, that smilie's using the wrong body part!) Haydee... I was @ the mall today too, shopping for a Sweet 16 b'day. Remember my friend w/the dd who was at the mental health facility in Utah last year? Well, today she's 16 & doing great. She invited our family to join her b'day dinner tonight @ our fav Chinese rest. I ended up getting her a bunch of $16 gift cards from all over the mall... + I'm going to the rest. early w/a dozen helium balloons & confetti & party hats, blowers + a Coldstone cookie dough pie! Janie, you make the BEST margi's!! mmmmm! Hi Pam & Judy! Off to wrap up the cards & get over to the Dollar Store & restaurant (right next to each other). THEN DS receives an Academic Excellence Award for last year's GPA tonight @ 7pm. So proud. Then home & BED! Busy Day #1 will be done!

Good Monday Morn, Vi's~~ Pam, glad you enjoyed the weekend! Now back to the little angels... or do you have off today? Judy, glad your concert went well... I bet your talents brought joy to those in attendance. Janie, you're right... I was in HS when the first "Fame" came out!... I hadn't thought of it like that... hmmm... I remember how great the music was... Haydee, Laura, Heather, Suzy, & everyone... make it a great day! It's a fresh, brand-spankin' new week -- make the most of it! :sad:

Good Evening, Vi's~~ Busy day... ramping up for a *very* busy week this week. Seems like there's a little bit of everything going on at some time or another this week. Should be good... just very carefully orchestrated! :sad: A couple days ago I bought a new book & mag for weight loss motivation but haven't had much time to peruse them yet. What I've skimmed looks good, & I'll share w/you all once I get into them! Off to do MORE WORK! :sad:

Judy -- Sounds like a good plan! What great motivation that group is! So... I'm working on organizing a 50th anniversary trip/gathering in January for my in-laws, our family, & dh's brother's family (+ maybe my mom & SIL's parents... & maybe my sister)... so between 10-14 folks, ages 4-74... We're thinking warm, beach, nature, relaxing, activities for the kids... I've got my travel agent working on options. So today we announce the idea to the ILs and guess what my nature-loving, anti-popular culture FIL suggests? -- DISNEY! You could've knocked us over w/a feather! In fact, I specifically told the TA NO Disney just because of him! & now SIL is all excited about it (they've never taken their kids & really want to)... so how ironic would that be?! It would be a COMPLETELY different type of trip, tho... much more relaxed, more hanging out by the pool, etc., than the trip last month. So we'll see... the TA is pricing out different options... I just keep chuckling about it... who'd have thunk it? (Personally, a beach resort in the Turks & Caicos was looking good to me!!) If laughing burns calories... then I'm down a bunch this afternoon! :tt2: :thumbup:

Me again! One more thought... Judy: google "Zumba" and then you can check to see if there any other classes or instructors in your vacinity. Or ask the gym who was going to teach the class & get her info & find out where else she teaches it. That sux that the class was cancelled. It's fun!

"Ok, off to watch Criminal Minds re-runs on A&E. I love that show!! " It's a good show, but it always totally creeps me out. How do they think of such gruesome plots? Did you see the season premiere a week or so ago? Where that serial killer stabbed Hodge (sp?) 11 times or something... slowly & with practiced precision so as not to kill him?... I had to turn it off... just too too gross! DS loves that show... it worries me. Hmmmmm maybe we'll try the "no tv" idea! :thumbup::tt2:

"BUT I had to sit next to the pastor's whimpy wife. We are soooooooooooo totally different. I talk about Project Runway, Rock of Love, I Love New York and she says in her little teeny voice... "we don't have a tv.".. WHAT????" This image cracked me up! You rock, Judy! "I am 110% sure that I am not with child too!! " That's what Mary said, Janie!... 9 months later it was Christmas! :tt2: Heather... your guys sound like mine! Athletic & can eat whatever they want. When dh decides to drop 10 lbs, it takes him about 1.5 days... grrr. Haydee... hope you're feeling better! "We have dinner plans w/ Jenny tonight...then a free weekend." A free weekend -- nirvana!! Wish I could jet out & enjoy it with you. Soon. Laura... you're quiet! Hope all is ok. Thinking of you... It's a relatively quiet/regular weekend... I've got a lot of work to do, kids have a few activities, nothing too crazy. Next week, however, is another story! It's teacher conference week & the kids go to school all day on M, 4 hrs late on T & W, get out 3.5 hrs early on Th, & then have F off -- my least fav week of the year! + a bazillion extra activities and events and games and horse shows, etc... ack! So I'll make sure to enjoy today & tomorrow, & use them to prepare, so we can hit the ground running on Monday! Oh... and exciting big news (lol)... DH and I may finally, actually, after 20 years total and at least the last 5 years of saying "we really need to do this" -- go buy a new matress & boxspring! I know, our lives are so swanky, right? :thumbup: Sleep number, here I come! Enjoy the weekend, everyone!

Good Friday Morning, Vi's!~~ ((Janie)) I agree w/what Judy said... small goals, back to basics, you CAN do it!! We're here to cheer you on! So I go to the cardiologist once a year, and when I check-out they make me make my next year's appointment, but I can barely remember what I'm doing next week, let alone next YEAR... so good thing they call to remind me because I have to go TODAY! whoops. Seriously. A year out? Ay yai yai! Happily, there's a SB nearby, so pumpkin spice latte, here I come! Enjoy the day!

Good Thurs Morn, Girls~~ Rise & shine, lovelies! It's another bright new day where anything can happen -- be open to the possibilities! :redface: On tap for me is work, housework/errands, DD's riding, DS's soccer game... that'll take me from now through about 9pm tonight... sounds good! A giggle a day: Here's a funny recent pic of Mo the cat taking a snooze in a very interesting spot (DS's crotch! :wink2:)! Enjoy the day!

Judy, sounds like finally a productive meeting... kudos for your honesty... you're in a tough spot... Pam, yay on all the exercise & the 30 mins!! Your description of late-day exercising was right on the money! (feet, air, motivation... bleh.) But you did it! Yay!! Janie, oh my! Do share as the drama unfolds! What's w/all this "soup" talk? I don't have a pressure cooker... but you all are making me think I need one! (I'm easily influenced, dontcha know!) I had some poignant "teachable moments" w/DS tonight... ah, parenting... why is it that it's always ME who does the "heavy lifting"? Nothing major, just life lessons learned the hard way... I think it stresses me out more than it does him! He's my baby... all this growing up stuff is for the birds! Off to finish up a few more exciting pages of the Health Care Fraud manual (not how to commit it, but about the laws that forbid it, silly girls!), then bed... g'night my lovelies!

Zumba! Yes, Judy -- you have to do it! But not in the bouncy shoes. Regular ones. It's just like you're dancing on a beach in the Islands -- I swear I want a fruity umbrella drink at the end of each session! So much fun! It'll get you ready for dancing the night away on your cruise!! What an unexpectedly nice day! One friend called to meet for coffee, and then another called for lunch! I love being spontaneous!! DD is still riding 5x/week & loving it, thanks for asking! She is considering entering her first jumper show in a couple weeks. Add me to the list of the curious, Janie! What's going on??! OK -- back to work!

Good Weds Morn, Vi's~~ What an exciting soccer game last night! We played an undefeated rival school and DS was the starting keeper (he's in 10th grade & there is an 11th grade varsity keeper, but DS got the call). He stopped lots of *crazy* shots that had the crowd on its feet! With just 2 minutes left, our team scored! So the last 2 minutes we're all up on our feet screaming: DEFENSE! And they won!! It was great! I've just got work work work today! Judy, I'm sad for you about the church. Make it a great one!

he he he... ya'll would look so hot rolling up in that thing... WITH the actual bubbles bubbling out the back... oh yee-ay-uh... that's what I'm talking about! The Bobster will look good driving it, too! :thumbup:

Seriously, Laura... I hope all that works out for you AND that you're back to feeling 100% soon!

"mohajeshishieimsdlfkj" Hey -- that's my stripper name! What're the odds? :thumbup:

((Judy)) Lounge around all snuggled up on the couch w/the tv on a talk show, your laptop, warm coco, and the doggies... perhaps a day of that will help!

:thumbup: I just had a "lightbulb" moment! For Haydee's wedding weekend, let's rent the BUBBLEATOR to chauffeur us around in bubbly, celebratory style!

Good Tues Morn, Vi's~~ ((Friends)) Hope you all feel better, smooth over work tensions, get naps, and have good days today! Haydee... I'm so inspired by you! Way to go on the walk! Love the pic -- do you get to drive around in that bubble van? Too cute! Regular day on tap here... then soccer tonight! -- DS got the start in goal, which is always good for him but it makes me a nervous wreck the whole game! Have a terrific Tuesday!

Good Monday Morn, Vi's~~ Judy, I hope you got some more sleep last night! Take care. Regular Monday on tap here... work, laundry, housework, errands... x infinity! Make it a good one!

Judy -- Grady is ADORABLE!! So cute!! Hope you feel well soon. Laura -- Hope you feel better quickly! Nothing's worse than being sick when you're a Mom, too. Lots of liquids & rest!! Pam -- The gays & the thumpers both in red... LOL! That's what we do when we go... 12+ hour days... we call it our "Disney Commando" mode! But adrenaline gets us through (& lots of Mickey ice cream bars!)! Another busy week on tap... off to get into my pj's & doze off to the tv... g'night!

Ahhhh... finally a chance to take a break & put up my feet! Have a pot roast in the crocker, pumpkin muffins in the oven, and a vodka-fuze in my hand... windows open, Fall breeze coming in... delightful! I hope everyone else is enjoying the afternoon as well! Peace!

Another gorgeous Fall day here... 70, sunny, breezy, leaves turning & beginning to fall... love it! Enjoy your days, girlies!!

Wow... we've got tumbleweeds tumbling through the thread today! Guess that means we're all out & about living and enjoying our lives -- yay! :thumbup: