mdrai

Good Morn, Vi's~~ So, the last I heard of the boys was @ around 5am when the dulcet tones of "Animal House" were wafting up to my bedroom and I think the "Toga! Toga! Toga!" woke me up. Ah, to be young. The boys are are all asleep right now in various uncomfortable-looking positions all over the family room, w/ soda cans & half-eaten pizza everywhere... DD said it best, "That room is trashed!" I snapped a couple pics that will probably rear their ugly heads in their senior-year yearbook! I am nothing if not sneaky!! heh heh heh. Good luck w/that elephant, Judy... are YOU "someone"?? ((Pam))

There are now 4 14-y-o "dudes" here... eating everything in site, clomping up & down the stairs, & whooping & hollaring it up as they play their video games & ping pong. It's too funny. We're giving them 'til 11pm to whoop it up... then they need to be quiet -- HA! I definitely get the "cool mom of the day" award!!

Had a great time w/my college roomies last night... we laughed & laughed & laughed! Was out 'til 1am!! Had DS's bowling birthday party today... that was fun, too! Then tonight he's having 3 friends over for an all-night videogame party... I must be crazy! I have to bake & work this eve... Then more tomorrow... then ds's soccer banquet... Next week will be massive deep cleaning & grocery shopping & cooking & baking before my company starts arriving on Weds...

((Pamela)) Everyone here has spoken so eloquently to you... I doubt I can add anything more of value... but do know that we are here for you, you are not alone, we love you, and yes, now he is free & no longer suffering and is at peace... as I know from experience, that is such a comfort at this time... be gentle with yourself, friend... xoxo

Good Morn Vi's... I'm FINALLY getting my hair cut & highlighted today... it's about a month or more overdue... last month I spent my hair $$ on Mo the cat's colon cleanse, remember?? AFter that it's work & then I have to leave by 2pm for dinner... yep, that's right... 2pm for a 7pm dinner... I'm meeting my college roommate (who I see a couple times a year) and 2 of our college suite-mates (who I haven't seen since '89 or so?) for dinner waaaaayy down in Va. and w/traffic between here & there on a Fri afternoon... I need to leave by 2 to get to my roomie's house by 4 or so, then we'll leave @ 5 to get to the restaurant by 7... gotta love DC traffic -- not! It will be nice to see them... they knew dh, too, so I'm bringing lots of pics w/me... Tomorrow has lots going on as well (once I get back here in the wee hours) so don't worry if I'm not here... I shall return... Make it a great day, everyone!

Wow, it is really getting bad... I am scared... yikes.

Good Afternoon, vi's~~ oooh la la... I am a bit tipsty right now as I type this, so excuse any typos... tee hee! My neighbor/friend picked me up & we went & visited our other neighbor in the hospital (that's never pleasant)... it was ok... not great... not horrible... so then she said "let's get lunch" so we went to a little mexican place in town & she oredres us margis & the next thing I know I've had 2 & she's on her thrid and says that she usually has 5!! oh my. So here it is a random Thursday and I'm tipsy & have not done any work and now I think I am going upstairs for a nap... DH is going out downtown after work so I don't need to cook dinner we'll just have leftovers or eggs or someting so I will check back later on... A person could get used to this. Ha! Drinking in the afternoon during the week. What a concept!!

This is my new mantra / siggy / screen saver / and bumper sticker, I think!! :thumbup::biggrin: Change in plans! Am going w/a neighbor to visit my friend again @ the hospital. Also, evidently the ES principal sent out an e-mail to all teachers/staff that I'm coordinating meals for the family & I keep getting calls & e-mails about it! News to me! Of course I'll do it (they've met me before & know I'll do anything!!)... but I need to get info from the family first!! Tricky!

Morning, Vi's~~ Here it is 9:45am & I've already spent $1,300 between the carpets & my car! :eek: Maybe I should go back to bed, too, to avoid any more spending!! Am trapped @ home today w/out the car... my entire family room is in the kitchen area & all the carpets are wet... so really I'm confined to the office. Oh well, LOTS to do in here. Am trying to finalize TG menu & lists AND Xmas lists & researching prices, etc. Ho ho ho! Oh yeah, and doing a little actual paying work, too! :thumbup: Judy is the first Vi to be Secret Santa'd... my poor Vi will prolly be the last, poor thing... I'm the worst @ mailing stuff out. TracyK... take care of yourself... even if the reason that you're vomiting isn't band-related, the physical act of doing it can cause issues. My band doc told me to call his office if/when I ever throw up. They may want to check it out... Off to research those Keurig individual cup coffee makers... bbl!

Hey girls... TracyK, so sorry to hear that you're so sick. Take care of yourself!! TracyKS, so glad to hear that your boobies are ok!! yay!! Judy, you'll have to take a pic for us so we can see your Winter Wonderland! Laura, have you switched detergents lately? or using a new soap or lotion? stress? My hands always get so red & raw in the winter... ugh... hate it... yeah, the ring worm sounds gross. Sounds like you're rockin' & rollin', Pam! Great job! Hope you're feeling better, too. Hi Terri, Suzie, Jen, Kat, Janie, & Haydee!! I went to the hospital today to see my neighbor, but she was asleep, so I saw her son & bro & left her a note... they say it's doubtful that she'll last the week... what sadness, especially @ this time of year... I'll be housebound tomorrow as my car is in the shop for maintenance... the carpet cleaners are coming @ 8am... I'll probably be on here lots so see ya'll then!

Hey Vi's... What a long, strange, out of kilter day it was today. I can't even go in to it all... just to say that I hope tomorrow is back in whack! One very sad thing... I got news that a neighbor/acquaintance who was diagnosed w/a very aggressive form of cancer in Feb -- who I just spoke w/on the phone on Sat & she sounded & said she was feeling fine -- was given about 1 week to live! WTF?? The saddest part (as if waiting around to die weren't sad enough) is that she has a 10-y-o son in my dd's class... I can't even imagine. That on top of ds going on a field trip to the Holocaust Museum in DC today & finding our last name on the wall of family names & calling me crying his little heart out about it... it really caught him unawares (me, too!) and shocked him. He's still unnerved by it. Those & several other odd, quirky things... threw me off my game today. I love each of you. That's what I think "it" is all about, it the long run. Love. & the memories you leave behind. The rest is just stuff & fluff. TracyK, I agree w/J & P (they're very smart gals, y'know!) ((TracyKS)) Janie... got your e-mail. Terri... thanks again for the links! Suzie... you go girl! Laura... Hi Christmas girl! Hi Kat, Jen, Haydee!

Good Morning, Dearies... Getting an early start today... dd has chorus an hour early on Tuesday's... after I drop her off I'm going to go down to my mom's (about an hr away) and we're going to sew 15 pair of old-fashioned bloomers for the HS musical "Annie" that dd is in (there are a total of 80 orphans!! I grabbed only 15 pair to sew... see, I'm showing restraint!) That'll take most of the day... then I'll high-tail it back here & pick up/drop off kids @ activities & then end up @ the HS to help out w/whatever else they need done... the show is the first weekend of Dec... so 2.5 weeks... yep, that's just when the crazies set in in theater! Suzie... I'm eager to hear what your doc suggested for you... your doc sounds very reasonable and is a real partner w/you in your wt loss journey... that is so great! & I know how great it is to spend quality time w/a friend... that's how I felt on Saturday w/mine... When I logged in I noticed that this thread is getting up there in posts & views... + it's getting a bit slow to load (at least for me)... are we nearing a new one??? Make it a great day, everyone!

I KNOW how I got fat... and yet that self-knowledge still didn't (DOESN'T) help me... huh.

Hang in there, TracyKS!! You're doing great!! XHM always makes me cry, too... Judy... they'll be able to see your house from the Int'l Space Station!! Santa won't miss it, that's for sure!! (I still have my orange halloween lights up... I'm so bad @ holiday decorating!! lol!) Back to work... ugh...

Mmmmmm... house smells so good... am simmering Hungarian Goulash for ds's b'day dinner... w/Boston Cream Pie (why do they call it a pie when it's so obviously more cake-like?) for dessert... mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm :smile2:

Cuz' we ROCK!!! :thumbup::crying::smile2:

I was just looking at (& smiling over) the ILL postcard you sent me that's on my BB, Pam... "vitameatavegamin"... a classic! :smile2: Hope you're feeling back to normal soon!! Those are excellent ideas, Terri! Haydee... also @ PB Teen are overnight duffles, which I'm going to get for the girl nieces for their b'days, then they'll have matching sets! (Personally, I love PB Teen bedroom stuff!! So much fun! I wish they'd had PB Teen when I was a teen!!)

That's a good idea, Haydee. I know that people think that gift cards are impersonal, but I personally love them (as long as there to somewhere you actually go! lol!). I feel free to "splurge" on myself w/a gift card. I love to get kids activity gifts, as well... craft kits, learn to knit, art stuff... it depends on the age, tho... This year I'm getting all the nieces & nephews travel toiletry bags from PB Teen, & then I'll fill them w/necessaries like qtips, kleenex, toothpaste, etc... they're all getting older & need them... for my kids, too! Not exciting, but necessary & thoughtful!! (My niece came to spend the night @ my house w/her sister's falling apart overnight bag & her toothbrush in the outside pocket, ugh.)

Haydee, I'm chatty too, but it's really more just procrastination, I think. Guys do seem to like their doo-hickys... when I was in NC w/walked the mall & browsed in Brookstone & Eddie Bauer & there were all sorts of interesting "guy" items... a cap w/a flashlight in it, ugh, I can't remember the others, but I remember looking at them thinking they were cool for outdoorsy types... try a store like that?? Or if you all are doing "funny yet practical dad gifts" how about slippers or a bathrobe or something like that?? Dads are the hardest folks to buy for!

TracyK, I saw that dinosaur "toy" (it looks more like a life-size dino pet!) advertised on TV. I can see why a kid would want it... but it looks like they'd get bored w/it pretty quick... what would they actually DO w/it??... sit on it to watch TV?? Crazy TV advertising!!!:smile2:

I'm *thinking* and *list-making* for Christmas, but don't begin to decorate or wrap or anything 'til after Thanksgiving. I burn out on Christmas if I start it too early. I enjoy Thanksgiving and think it gets overlooked in the hustle & bustle of Christmas. I like that it's about family & friends & taking a day to pause and be thankful for all that's good in our lives. THEN it's on to the craziness of Christmas!

Good Morning, Girlies... I'm home! DS & I had a fun weekend together. He's a neat kid. Today is his 14th birthday! :smile2: I can't believe it! His soccer team played GREAT! We won the 2 games on Saturday, so played in the semifinals yesterday morning -- & won! The championship game was AMAZING -- honestly the best soccer game I've ever watched (& trust me, I've seen a LOT of soccer games in my time (ds started playing @ age 3!!))... we played a team from Farmington Hills, MI (I lived there my 1st year of marriage!) and the teams were perfectly matched! So at the end of 70 mins regulation play it was 0-0... so another 10 mins of overtime & still @ 0-0!... so it goes down to penalty kicks & remember that my ds is the goalie!! SOOOO much pressure... seriously, my stomach was flipping & flopping... so our first player completely mis-kicks the ball -- not only does it go over the goal, it flies waaaay over the big tree behind the goal, too! Whoops! he must've been a bit nervous, huh? So then it goes back & forth... ds stops their goalie's kick (yay!)... but then everyone else gets it in (it's really difficult to stop a penalty kick... it's pretty much just luck)... so it comes down to the last shot -- & the MI team wins! UGH! Such a heartbreaker! And ds felt really responsible, but it so wasn't his fault, he played AMAZING all game, both teams did... it was crazy!! He was sullen & moping for awhile afterwards... but came around after a nice juicy burger & bottomless fries @ Red Robin + finally LISTENING to reason & what everyone was telling him... We got home around 9pm last night... have lots of catching up to do around here... OH! (Sorry this is so long today, I guess this IS my journal, like Judy said) -- my friend & her boys came to the Sat. games & we hung out and talked NONSTOP all day (no surprise!) & went to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner & drank mojitos & shared a BIG salad + a slice of chzcake... mmmmmmm... it was so great to see her & wish we lived closer!! I'll post pics... Ideas for me for my SS... I like spicy scents (NOT FLORALS) like cinnamon & spiced pumpkin or food scents like cafe au lait... LOVE Yankee Candles... like the Warm Vanilla Sugar items @ Bath & Body Works... love Borders & books... love Starbucks & fancy coffee drinks... knitting & baking... I'm easy! Off to run ds's soccer gear through the washer for a SECOND time (ugh -- the mud & smell of them!!) Make it a great day, everyone!!

Hello from North Caroline! Am on the hotel's puter in the middle of the lobby & breakfast area, so everyone can see what I'm doing... I don't care! I'm proud of the band!! Rain & TORNADOS last night, so the games for this a.m. have been pushed back 'til early afternoon + they'll be shorter... I just hate the muddy/wet games... bleh... oh well, we'll see... they're calling for more rain... <shrug> Gotta dash... didn't have time to read... except something about curly eyebrows?? If I could find waxing for $2.50, yes, I'd travel to Alpena!! (and how did you know that's what they do when I go too long between waxings??) :cool: Make it a great day, everyone!

Jeesh... log out for a couple hours & come back & Pam's calling me a "huge white elephant"! Harumph! I've seen pink elephants before... :thumbdown: I think there were lots in Gruene! Ladies... I love you all... & am I signing off for the weekend! I've got to get baking & packing & to bed and then up to hit the road, jack. I'll be home Sunday eve & will check ya'll then. Be good & play nice while I'm gone!! Smooches!

Tracy you MUST bring that outfit w/you to Ala next year!!! What fun!! Judy, methinks thou protest too much! (Thought to self (whispered): Gee, I hope "shopping therapy Pam" has me for Secret Santa! Tee Hee!) Haydee... now there's a thought... instead of eating & spending... exercise & clean when stressed... yeah... no. :thumbup: