Apples2

Cheri..your post hit a nerve...You have my prayers...I am not always sure about what prayers are about..........wrong....yes I know..Prayers are when you have that feeling in your heart when you have really good friends and you do NOt WANT THEM TO GO THROUGH LIFE'S DRAMMAS. I am so SORRY for this absolute shock. Love you, Girl. I cannot imagine. We are here for you...you already know that..dah..that's why you come here...do not leave us out of the loop. Please keep us informed. Life has been so tough for you lately. Hugs and love you, Cheri.

Cheri..your post hit a nerve...You have my prayers...I am not always sure about what prayers are about..........wrong....yes I know..Prayers are when you have that feeling in your heart when you have really good friends and you do NOt WANT THEM TO GO THROUGH LIFE'S DRAMMAS. I am so SORRY for this absolute shock. Love you, Girl. I cannot imagine. We are here for you...you already know that..dah..that's why you come here...do not leave us out of the loop. Please keep us informed. Life has been so tough for you lately. Hugs and love you, Cheri. Youn

Good Evening All..a quick check-in b/4 hitting the hay....Had a wonderful and very informative day. Both DH and I reallhy enjoyed ANOTHER day with Eva. Our tour guide. This women is a wealth of info and gives us such a start on learning and enjoying our new state. Also, woke up in a bitchy mood (doesn''t happen very often) and spending the day with Eva and DH brought me out of it. It was a day not to be forgotten. Got home about 7pm and made a batch of chili for FIL...will make a pan of bars in the morning for him to take to his clubhouse for shared treats. Laura..breaks my heart to hear of the anxiety you feel with your dad's illness. I know what you are going through and and can only say keep living in the moment. I hope you have the best vacation ever. As i've stated b/4 would love to suprise DH and our kids with a trip to Atlantis. Chrismas gift one of these years. Hugs. Julie...sorry to hear of your returned pain and having it happen in public and trying to deal with it. Also, church politics...yuck...hope things went well with your meeting tonight. Cheri...I can see why your students love you. You are so very passionate about your school. Love you for that. Meredith...DH and I love the U.P. and was one of our best road trips. At least you recognize that you did not eat the best on vacation and are getting back to where you know you should be with your eating. Treats are OK and there are ways to make up for it. Shave a few calories off here and there during the week. Phyll...hope you are back home and done with spending $$$ on the RV...racks up fast, doesn't it? As Arlene stated, maybe a sinus infection? If you are still getting headaches and fever. Maybe check in with a doc? Hugs on not feeling well. Hi to DH and was still talking today about his dinner he made and served us a couple of weeks ago. Linda...woohoo on recognizing and taking action on the cr card/retirement/mortgage situation. So easy to put things on cr card. Working with cash is a good reality check. Janet...weird, but, certs were one of my favorite things to do...that and claims. I imagine next week will be just as hairy if your co-worker is still on vacation. Tough covering for someone but hope you see the same when you have time off. Things are winding down with this vacation and going back to reality is starting to look real. We have a good life in MN...just not looking forward to another couple months of cold weather. Hard to believe that 5 weeks after we land at home, we will (maybe, depending on if snow is melted) be able to open up the lake place. Today was the first time ever that I have heard DH say that is does not have the passion for the upcoming farm year that he has had each and every year I have been with him. I think he is at the age where he really needs to back off from the physically intense work and let DS take over. I think he's just plain tired and DS is showing more and more interest in taking the reins...a good thing. Well, gotta get up early and do some baking b/4 DH heads out to help FIL. I haven't made the decision yet if I will hang with Tanker or all three of us will make the trip to see FIL. Invited to dinner at Eva's tomorrow and looking forward to her good cooking. We are hosting her and her DH Friday evening for what my DH calls "the best fish stew" and maybe some homemade bread. Didn't address half of you...no guilt...but sorry about that. Love to all. sleep tight.

Ok...I'll start the process (like we did when Arlene's last was born). I am going to guess next Wed, Mar 2, 10am as the date Lori's GB will be born. Everyone take a stab at guessing and the winner will recieve a prize in the mail (sent from MN)...unless I am the winner and then, darn it, I will have to go our and buy myself a prize.. LOL. Keeping your DD in my thoughts, Lori...hopefully she can deal with that gallbladder soon after baby comes. No fun to think about doing that when you are adjusting to motherhood. Let us all know when you are off and running to Denver. How exciting. Arlene and Linda...we are going to try and leave here on Monday. Have a lot of last minute things to do on Monday (i.e., deliver cable boxes and internet equipment, make sure garbage is on the curb and that waste mgt takes receptacles, stop by "love shack" and leave things we don't have to take home, stop by FIL's for hugs, etc.). Not so concerned about getting out of AZ....more worried about getting into MN. Fingers crossed. If they had malls in heaven, I was at it today. Found FIL the perfect jacket. Wanted 2 but know where to get it in MN when we get back and will send it to him. He's so cute and appreciative. Also found a gift for a friend and that was about it. I am a comparison shopper and took me most of the day. I find it challenging but fun. DH always says I missed my calling...could have been a personal shopper. My heart is happy because DH has been able to spend so many special days with his dad. Watching them together is so heartwarming. Pretty sure DH is a clone. Popcorn time...was just reminded with a flip of the nose by Tanker. Linda...hoping your DH can have the gumption to do what he needs to do....we are waiting for things to come to a head so we can maybe have the opportunity to help. Hugs...know a bit of what you are going thru. Love to all...Phyll..hope you are better this week. Sending the love to all. Wishing you all a good night of sleep.

Good Evening All...had a great day. We drove up to FIL's place. DH was on his back most of the day and under the motorhome. Much appreciated by FIL though. I brought lunch along and made it easy for them. Then, got in my car and headed out to shop in Casa Grande. Hit the outlet mall (sad) many stores closed but made a haul at GNC. We are heading back to FIL tomorrow and I will hit the much better shopping area and hoping to find some things I have been lookng for. I have hardly spent much on this trip. FIL mentioned a certain type of jacket he wants so I am going to focus on finding a couple of them for him. He said "Just pick me one up but I would like navy and black..I will pay you whatever it is". Well, he's so good to us and I have casino winnings (not stating here but nice winnings) and I don't mind buying him a couple of jackets. He's lost without MIL doing some of these types of things for him. Sad but happy to step in and do it. Heading for a fun-filled day with Eva on Wed. Seeing some sights and just going to enjoy her company. Both DH and I have had so much fun spending time with her. Our walking/talking tour guide. Cheri...sorry your DH was an A$$....but, glad you can come here and vent. I have so many friends that either lost there husbands or are divorced and are perfectly happy without after their married experiences. I don't have the perfect DH (and he has a far from perfect wife) but I am thankful each day for him. I have stated many times throughout our life together that if anything (God forbid) would happen to him, I would never have the need to remarry. At this age and being as independent as I am, I just couldn't be bothered with having to put up with what comes with it. So sorry for you having your feeling hurt. Hopefully he will come around and make it up to you. Linda and LauraK...got texts from friends and DS this morning and we got over a foot of snow where we live in MN. DS said that we was out at the farm plowing snow and the snow was up to the winder on the door of the truck because of the way it was piled. He has a big Ford pickup and buried it and had to pull if out. This is the suckiness we have to go home to. Just hope we get home in time for DS's 30th bday party. Was going to make some of the food and the cake but got smart and ordered it to be delivered. Think we will be cutting it short with travel time. OMG, Julie, the story about the girl's hair...we got through life without my two doing the haircutting thing. They thought of every other mischievous thing to do but not that. Ever seen what 16 toads cooked in the microwave look like? Ever known the feeling a mom has when she finds out the her little boys took the babysitter's car (with her approval....stupid girl) and took it seven miles down the road and back all on their own? Ever come home from a long day at work and have 7 birds loose in the house and pooping on the navy couch and lamp shades? Not making light of your situation today....kids can get into so many different things. As someone stated...you sound like you feel better. Hope so. Take care. We have had the ideal vacation and we are both dreading heading back to the cold. Next year we are tacking on another month or two. Whine..sorry. Better sign off....need to figure out what to get together for DH and FIL's lunch tomorrow. Hoping to have a good shopping day and find what I am looking for b/4 we head back to "The Land of no Malls". Later

Happy Birthday to you Happy Birthday to you Happy Birthday, Dear, Sweet Laura Happy Birthday to you!!!!

Hey All....I have been keeping up with the thread once in awhile but we have been so busy that I just have not taken the time to post. I guess a person can do whatever on vacation and we certainly have. Just a little over a week left of it and we can say we have had a great time. Spent the day just hanging at the house. Have had a bit of a tough week with the band. It's much better today. Think I had a bug...was getting stuck on anything solid and that it just not the norm for me at all. Anyway, babied it for a few days and hoping in a couple things are back to normal. Eva had made the offer to take DH and I for a day of fun but turned her down because of the band troubles. Wed will be our day. Today would have not been good for it anyway....very, very windy. I did ride with DH to go up to his dad's to do a few things for him. We ended up coming back home because of the wind and blackout on the freeway. We came soooooooo close to being involved in a pile up with manhy cares. Thank God DH was not going very fast. Janet....good going and taking that step and replacing your computer...hope you got things up and going and it was not too frustrating for you. I keep thinking of your place and how beautiful your home and grounds are. I can picture you now in your office while posting. As Eva stated on the way home...your house has a warm feel to it and I believe that has a lot to do with the hostess. Phyll...hope you are feeling better and had a nice time with family. Think that bug hit all of us. I did not end up vomiting but really had to be careful this last week. Was very trying. Arlene...good to hear you went to the doc and are doing better. Good news on your mom. You are a good daughter to devote so much time to her. Stories of your sweet mom makes me miss my Lucille. She was a sweet person also. So much fun. I used to brag that my best friend was 89 yrs old. Still consider her the best ever. She was a friend to all that met her. Eva...as I stated above, today would have not been the day for our trip. We were very lucky today to not have been involved in that accident. Kind of like a MN white-out while driving. Great....thought you might be a Grandma by now. Looking forward to your wait being over and seeing photos of you holding the little one. Such an exciting time for you and your family. Hugs Linda....always enjoy your posts...so informative. You've got the workings of this band thing down and are so willing to share and help others understand. Thinking of you and your situation with DSD. Frustrating but great you are available for Aylah. Hugs. Laura...aren't those Little League games fun? So cute. Would like to go back just for a day when my boys were that age. Hope you have the best birthday ever and a great trip next week. And, your story about the 21 yr old warmed my heart. Hoping he takes what your discussed with him and makes the needed changes. LauraK...sorry to hear of your gain....just use this as a lesson and make this your point of not return....back on track and losing the little bit your gained. Learn from it and move to the next band phase....you can do it. Just don't let anything get in the way of you goal. Hugs Julie...not too long now for you either with that new baby coming. Exciting time. Hope you got some of the warmer weather that MN got a few days ago. Jodi...wishing you the best as you wrap up all the plans for Dassi's celebration. What a good mom. Hope the weather cooperates and the day is wonderful. Cheri...have missed reading your posts the last few days. Hope things are good. Not looking forward to heading back north but looking forward to staying more consistent in posting on the thread. We are so happy that we did something for the upcoming years and can be close to DH's dad and that I am just a short drive away from Eva. Can only guess what classes she will be occupied with next year...French class? Geology???? Horticulture???? Time will tell. OK...time to pop the popcorn before DH and Tanker are in the REM stage of sleep...Will check back later. Sending the love...yep, love you guys!

Hey, Shanaya....welcome...did you just not show up for surgery, or did you let them know you would not be there? Do you have another chance? Nothing wrong with stepping back if you feel you are not ready. It's a BIG plus to be prepared. Best thing that happened to me was when my insurance company insisted on a six month medically supervised diet. It gave me the opportunity to take it all in and be prepared to realize that this would be a life changing opportunity. I did not want to wake up in recovery and feel like the rug was yanked out from under me. I woke up and KNEW I could make it. My point....you have to be prepared in order to succeed. I am in hopes that you have another chance, but, take the time to research, prepare and know what you are in for. It's a really big change....key word...change.

Good Evening All... Happy Valentines Day! Hope you all give your sweetie extra lovin' today. Had a nice day with mine. He's been having a nasty time with his back since early last week...knotted and out of alignment. He went and got a chiro treatment again this morning and then picked me up for lunch. After that, we just drove around and picked up a few things we needed for FIL. I will say it again...AOTHER beautiful day here. DH asked me out to dinner but made it at home. More cozy. We tend to not go out to dinner on special occassions (like anniversaries). Just lunch. My choice usually. Tomorrow we are heading up to FIL. DH is going to do some projects for him and I am going to hit the outlet mall and a new shopping complex north of there. I have lunch made for the guys (FIL loves homemade food) and Tanker will hang with them. Not going to "shop till I drop" or anything like that, just want a few things as gifts to take home to some special friends. And, think I might consider myself a "special friend" and buy me something if it hits me at the time. LOL. So sorry, Sandy, that I missed saying Happy Birthday to you yesterday. Omitted it from my post by mistake. Happy to hear you had a great day. You are a ray of sunshine on this thread and I am so happy you came back and are sharing your life with us. I have 4 NY Times crosswords to catch up on and going to hit the easy chair. Love to all....my little Valentines!

Hey All...couldn't have asked for a better weekend. Quite the road trip with Eva....such an easy-going person to travel with...yep, decided we could do more traveling together...DH's are welcome to hop on the plane with us. Our five hour trip each way just flew by. Experienced a "Little Piece of Heaven" with going to Janet's and Phyll's world. Beautiful country. I am always amazed by the landscape no matter wherever we go but I was very impressed. Love, love, love the mountains of AZ but also fell in love with the mountains of So Cal. Janet made us the BEST kabobs on Friday evening (hostess with the mostess) and Phyll and her DH hosted a 5 Star meal at their place. Num. Cleaned my plate and shared a few glasses of wine with Phyll. Lots of reconnecting with each other. Just a very lovely time with ppl close to my heart. Not much better than that. Home now and enjoying my DH and baby dog. Will catch up with you all tomorrow or later if we hit the road early. Sending the love.

Evening All...OMG...Gem Show was not overwhelming but just saw a bit of it and might have to go back. Eva did another good job of giving us a bit of info and a view of the show. This girl puts a lot of WORK into her friends. We trucked around today. Actually picked her up on the side of the road cuz DH and I got a little carried away with the hippie/retro shops downtown. Patient girl, that Eva is. So...she texted us and she was already out of school and we were still just tripping around the incense and tattoo shops. She decided to walk and we literally picked her up on the gravel at the side of the road. Fun times. Could not decide what I wanted to buy. Stopped at the first booth and saw a rock I LOVED. My thought was "We have so many more to see, might see something better". Well, came back and it was gone. They had something semi-nice but not the one I wanted. DH is such a great guy....offering to buy just cuz I said I liked it. I am the type that it just has to hit me. I wanted a certain color. But, we have many more years to collect our rocks and I am quite patient when it comes to things like that. Just another wonderful day in Tucson. Just cannot believe the weather here. So looking forward to our trip out west and seeing Janet and Phyll ....so sweet, Phyll, that your DH is going to cook. Hey, Jodi...you busy girl...I know this upcoming celebration is on your mind and keeping you busy. You are coming to Chicago, right? Julie...take care. Please, please, please, seek out someone that can help you through this. I am sure you do not want to continue with the pain and the interruption to your life. I do not know what it is like to have continuous pain and I am so sorry that it has dropped into your life. You need to be proactive in getting to the bottom of it. I do not know if I could live a week without knowing what was going on. This all has to be wearing on your DH and DD and upsetting your family life. Take time for you and find what it takes to get to the bottom of what is going on. Hugs. Went to Eva's hair salon today. What a nice job. I'm now officially cute again. (BS, but, I girl did a great job on the color and actually saved me money and said I did not need highlights. Nice, fun girl to talk to. OK...signing off. Dog needs attention. Keeps knocking my boob with is nose. Big nose...knows how to get attention....Off to teach DH how to do as dog just did. TMI!!!

Good Evening All..... Laura....sorry you got the "sour" PM's. Some ppl simply do not have a sense of humor. I had something similar happen about a year ago when I posted on another thread. I thought I could jump in and give someone some advice that was really struggling. Did not notice it was the "20's" thread and got jumped on, PM'd, called a wrinkely old lady, etc.....Hugs on your fill issues and reflux. Oh Hell! Go buy the Coach purse. To hell with your health! LOL...OK...now I'll be getting the PM's. Bring it on!!! I doubt that this site has the availability to have a private thread. I know you can block ppl that are not members but a lot of good that does if someone wants to read. But, aren't we all here to share, help, get help, etc? That's how we all ended up here. I know that some ppl are more comfortable just reading and lurking. My DH has never ever posted on his Ag site. He types similar to a snail's pace and just does not do it. I have been pretty uncomfortable since Oct about things I say on this thread. I do not like the fact that someone took info off of here and made it possible for them to terrorize me personally. BTW...stilll an active investigation going on.... Linda....I have eaten my fair share of "crap" the last few weeks and I can tell you that I just don't feel the same the next day. Sluggish, bloated, gassy....etc. I feel better when I stay with healthy options. But, it's a trade-off. Sometimes a person just has to try 20 different kinds of fatty dips. LOL. Say Aylah's photo's on FB. Can you share her for awhile????? Arlene...your stuck episode sounds horrible. I have a little thing I do that really has worked for me. I usually don't get stuck often. Has happened twice with Eva since we've been here. Gabbing, one extra bite and it might hit. I put my fists into my armpits and pump like I am doing the chicken dance. Granted, you might not want to do this in the middle of a restaurant...head to ladies room or outside. It most always works for me and no food popping back up. Sorry for your mom's continuted troubles. Hugs. Joyce....sounds like you have had your share of PB's. Too tight maybe? I have always wanted to have the resting metobilic test. I asked my doc once and have forgotten to ask when I have my 6 mo appts. I need to do that when I get back. Just nice to know. I have done a lot of walking with DH and Tanker while here and have to be very careful not to do too much. But, some days it's so much fun and we put on way too many miles. (I don't even like posting things like this cuz I am sure it just makes you all think "lucky girl"). Figured out if I walk more I just eat 3-4 extra Protein bars and I stay level. It's got to be tough when your DH worries so much. Do YOU feel you are PBing more than normal? If so, head to your doc's office and discuss it with him. Bring your DH with you so he gets educated on the band. Hugs. Jessica...good going on the baby steps with taking off the weight. It's doable. 5lbs...5 day pouch test could make that work. Take a week or two to eat normal...pouch test again and you are on your way. Janet...looking forward to our trip. I am going to be Thelma....Louise will be the one driving. I get the couch! Can't wait to hug you and Phyll. No fussing.... Meredith....gotta learn to say "NO", girl. And,without guilt. I used to try to do it all. I have no guilt over saying no anymore. When I do for others, it has to be close to my heart or I do a turn-down. Gotta take care of yourself b/4 you can take care of others. Hugs. You'll get it. Just keep in mind how far you want to be stretched. Your life with your honey should come first. Good luck with your new food plan. You CAN do this. Melissa...happy to hear you are better after the fall. Take care. Just say NO to any carbs. Gotta clean them out of your system. It's tough but you CAN do it. If sugars are your drug of choice, clean it out of your environment. Phyll....see your sweet little face soon. Cheri...hi....silly...cannot remember if you commented on how you are feeling but hope better. Great...pretty soon we will be calling you "Great Grandma". Exciting. Have fun with DD. How special to spend this time with her. LauraK...you are always sooooooooooo willing to "kick ass". Love that about you. OK...no guilt but just gotta tell you guys...I have not been very active on the thread cuz just toooooo busy and staying focused on our time together. We always throuroughly enjoy our vacations and that's just what we are doing. Miss the daily conversations but will get back to that when we get home. Going to Eva's hair salon tomorrow to get younger. Then going to the Gem Show in the afternoon with her. Wed is busy with visiting friends north of here. This morning we just hung out. Went to a little shopping center near here to mail my Valentine packages to the fake grandkids and DS and GF. I think I have only been to Kohls once in my life. Ventured into the store. I am not sure what ppl see in that store. I must be off or something. I never seem to buy one thing there. Not sure what it is...we are all so different it what strikes our fancy. Not judging those who love the store. Gotta hit the crosswords. Later. Sending the love. If I missed anyone, oops...

Good Evening Kids... I think we should do a shout out to Chris....HOW ARE YOU DOING, CHRIS? Check in please. Another wonderful day. I started out with frying Eva's homemade pork sausage OMG. She has the recipe down. It was Tankers birthday today. Nine years old. OK...you would have had to live at our house to know how special we treat birthdays. Anyway, Eva dropped of a bunch of food the other day. NUM. Today was sausage day. Cooked a pound of it and made whole wheat toast. Every year on Tanker's bday, I make him a meat cake with candles in it. Ooops...Momma forgot to buy candles. When I divided the sausage into 3, I told DH "OMG, don't tell Eva he got one third of this sausage". I took it back cuz she made Tankers bday special. He got his bday meat cake. Thanks, Eva. The doggy drool was just a running. Cheri...OMG...I hope you have not after affects from your accident. You poor girl. Not only do you have enough physical muscle problems to worry about...you don't need double/triple whiplash to deal with. I am praying that you have not affects. OH...Toradol....I am not a person that would ever request a narcodic (makes me projectile puke)...Toradol is great with the first shot (not so much by mouth). I was cut open from one rib cage to the other and one shot of Toradol did the job. Laura...Damn, Girl...you know me...not only did I have labels on FIL's food, I had a sticky explaining how much time in frig and freezer, how to cook it and when to eat it. LOL. I feel so sorry for him. His wife hovered and he never learned how to function in the kitchen. He is just so cute. He's the man. So little and cute and has all these widows all over him like gnats. They feed him Bulgarian goulash, read him stories from their Kindles, invite him to church, pay for his Bingo at the RV park, gets a knock on the door in the morning to walk with three women....and...she just is so cool at 87 yrs old smiling all the way to his maker. I ditto what you said about the "Exercise Queen"...aka..Janet. Admiration....But..you also inspire me. Just THINK what you are doing for those ppl you treat. I am sure you are sweet and kind and would NEVER make them feel like they are getting a hand-out. Got a write on my FB wall today from a friend that just returned from MX on vacation. Our little town made national news..........-53 wind chill. OH WELL...not there...not worried about it. (Well, yeah I am cuz 2 sons are there...they are tough and have been driving since the age of 7...OK, know they are fine). Joyce...I am an early tax girl. I start early and do my appts and get them done on the earliest date I can possibly do it. It has to be dragged out because of prepays, etc. but, come early Oct.....I am ready to turn things in. By the first business day of January, I sign. Stay warm. Arlene... your blackouts remind me of the spring storms we get in April. Heavy wet snow that breaks our power lines and it is to our advantage to have the generator and fuel ready to go. We have had many, many blackouts. Good time to "snuggle"....hmmmm.... LauraK...LOVED your statement "I will do it if you will to it and I WILL finish"....such a good attitude. Such a cute kid. Cannot wait to meet you. It's gonna be fun. I am looking forward to everyone giving the 5K a try. No shame in not finishing....just girlfriends being busy. Sandy...OMG...that's a lot of shoveling. We live on 10 acres so we can pull and push a plow right through. Maybe 2 ft of shoveling by the door and DS and DH do that. I guess I am a princess now. (I used to shovel quite a bit) It's a killer. Phyll...love your stories....DH and I love the RV parks cuz of the friendships made and all the lifetime friends made. Got some real "pissed off" FL friends (not really) that are missing us at the last RV park. Trying to pull them to AZ. Saw your bracelet on FB. Beautiful. Loved your story about the ice storm and getting the bonus. I got a gift in the mail (after leaving my work place at a bank when I purchased my first insurance agency). It was for never missing a snow day. I made it 15 miles to work and never missed when and most lived 2-5 blocks from work. Made my heart happy. Lori...first thing I thought of when you talked of your accident was "OH NO....it's catchy". (Cheri's accident). Glad you are OK....worried that Cheri with all of her muscle things might have issues. At least you only had a $500 deductible. I am an old ins. agent...have always weighed the diff.....higher ded. better. But, you never know when those accidents will happen. OK..been on here a bit..DH is having "Ag Talk" withdrawl. Next year...my own lap top. Love to all. Life is good. Just out on the porch to smoke...it's kinda warm outside... Right, Eva?????????

Eva...DH just said "Oh sh_t....I might have to put a spring jacket on". This bit of chill feels like the last 2 yrs that we spent in FL. Just a good excuse for us to "snuggle".

Hey Jodi...sounds like you had a wonderful vacation and that you have a handle on everything you need to get done for your upcoming celebration for Dazzi. Hope you don't get hit with mega-snow again (or maybe I should wish for it so you have that day off work. LOL). Linda...glad to hear you are home safe and sound. Eva....I take back the warm and sunny comment from this morning. Now that the sun is not showing on the back porch, it is a bit chilly. Still nice compared to MN but a chill in the air.

Good Morning All.... Eva...love your idea of our own 5K...we can mix it up with runners and walkers. The runners can bring us walkers in at the end. I think the walking is doable for most and if there's some question about finishing and they can't, not a big deal. Hope some of that Spanish sinks in today. You will get it....baby steps. Linda and all of you that sounnd like you are going to get hit with snow today.....Nanna nanna boo boo! (kidding). Stay safe and hope it's not as bad as it sounds. Do not miss is. I am sure most AZ ppl would think that the last couple of days have been cold. I say they have been lovely. Great...to answer your questions....we bought a park model and it is completely furnished right down to pots and pans, silverware, cutlery, vacuum, linens, towels, coffee maker, mixer, washer/dryer, patio furniture, etc., etc., etc. But, will be making a couple of visits to Goodwill to drop off some loads. I like my own linens, towels, cutlery, pots and pans, silverware, vacuum, etc. Anyway, the place is really cool for a starter. When deciding which way to go, had to consider that for the next 5 yrs or so it will only be lived in 2 months in the winter. There is an annual rent on the property also. We have camped for years and years and love the campground/RV setting. We are happy we made the decision we did. DH is off spending the day with FIL. I got up early and made a couple of meals for his freezer. He had mentioned that he was eating TV dinners b/4 we got here and I was able to stock his freezer/frig. I want to be sure he has a good supply of meals in his freezer b/4 we leave. The two of them are off to purchase a towing package for his motorhome. He bought a pickup since he came down and needs a way to pull it behind MH. Then they are going to go to lunch at a cute little whole in the wall cafe that we have been eating at while looking for places. It's one of those good ole' homecooking places and has been in business since 1955. Tanker and I are just hanging and soaking up the sun on the back porch. Have turkey in the slowcooker for dinner, doing some bookwork and bill paying, doing laundry and planning my menu for the Friday Night Social Club that we are hosting this week. (I think I stole it away from someone but really wanted to do one while we could). Just a nice day of "hanging" with the dog. Laura...sound like a great idea to take parents on your vacation. Hugs on your dad's health. I know how this all wears on you and you take the brunt of eveything. It's tough but spending the vacation with them sounds wonderful. Hope you and Nels are feeling much better today. Get your rest. Well...time for another load to go into the washer. Will check back later. You all have a good one!

Eva mentioning her fish made me come back and post. For supper tonight we had halibut that Eva caught in Alaska the last time she was there. It was WONDERFUL. We have had so many of her special treats. Last night was her homemade tamales. This morning BF of her sweet tamales and halibut for supper. Everyone should get treated so well!

Hey to All... Eva...don't know what happened to my last sappy post. I went back in on Sunday morning and was going to edit a big ole' typo, DH interupted for something, came back and it was all gone. You guys are used to my going on and on and no reason to do away with a post. Another wonderful day in AZ. WE SAW CLOUDS TODAY. Still sunny and warm though. We are loving AZ. Can I say it again? We are LOVING AZ. I know we will be retiring here. Me and Eva driving around with our blue hair going to Trader Joes for spices we don't need and going to World Market for special sauces. Well...we wrote the check for the "Love Shack" today. Nothing special but cute and have a place to live for 2 months each winter. We are figuring that within the next 4-5 yrs we can spend six months here. Did a lot of looking and pondering. We met half way. DH wanted more rural and to be by his dad and friends north. I wanted close to Tucson and a short drive so that we could still see Eva and DH. We got it worked out. We are about an hour away from Eva and I love to drive so not a problem. We are both happy with our decision and considered Tanker's wants and needs when making our decisionn. LOL. Just got caught up on all of the posts. DH and Eva's DH are out on a special "errand" (looking at a peice of equipemt). What a nice man he is. He spent a couple of hours at our house last night and brough Glimmer (black lab) along. Her and Tanker were so cute together. Tanker was the perfect host and immediately handed his tennis ball over to her. Janet....sounds like an absolutely wonderful bday. You are loved...can tell by the family showing up. Family is everything. So looking forward to a road trip to see you and Phyll. Lori...so nice to hear about the shower and your trip to Denver. I look forward to time we have babies in the family. We are soooooo enjoying the personalities and time we spend with our little 5 yr old and 8 yrs old of DS's GF. DH and I are kid lovers. I am just amazed at what comes out of their little mouths. Cheri....I am so excited about the Chicago trip and spending time with all of my friends from LBT. DH and I are trying to figure out ways to make a trip to MN for all of you interesting. We live a simple life in a simple community. Reminded him the other day that it's about who we are with and sharing the life we live. He made the statement that "the girls" might be bored with a trip out to our area. To me, playing a game of cards is interesting. Showing "the girls" the farm and acreage is our life. It's simple but nice. A very different way of living than all of you live. Cute story...DS's GF's kids are "town kids". The biggest thrill the little 5yr old had was going to the top of the grain storage system and peeing off of it. (Many, many feet up and on a catwalk). Something exciting we could do is go to the top and pee off of it. (Not). Point is....when we go to Chicago....I think Cheri should pick out a couple of sites that are special to her that we can all see. We would still have time for visiting besides seeing some sights. Linda...I might do the 5K and power walk. I can no longer run but would try to keep pace with you. Sounds great. Arlene....your story about your mom and her first DH made me cry. Reminds me of my "mom" Lucille's story about her fianace going off to war and not coming back. Your mother sounds like a very special person. We all have our stories and that's what makes us "us". Eva and I were visiting on the way to Phoenix on Sat and I stated that even though things in my life were not ideal, I wouldn't want to change anything. I like who I am and even though there were not so nice things in my life....it all made me who I am. Hope the shot helps the thumb. Ouch! Meredith...so funny...know you are from the Midwest. I use the term "grocery store" also. One of DH's favorite sayings is "Change is good". Go for that career change. If it turns out to be not what you expected, you have something to fall back on. Julie...wish I knew what to say....I just hope you can find the answer to what is going on with you and that you never had to take anything again in your life to ease the pain. Hugs. Laura...get better. Colds suck. I am amazed every time I see your posts. That side-by-side photo is amazing. You look wonderful. Be proud of how far you have come. So cool. LauraK....I bet that you can do the 5K by June. Something to shoot for. Yep, you can do it. Cannot wait to meet all of you that I can only picture in my mind. It's going to be great. Melissa...You sounded so HAPPY in your post about playing with your son. Keep it going. A great way to show your son how much you want to spend time with him. And a great way to kick your physical activity into gear. Way to go! Hey Phyll...busy girl...hope your back is better. Looking forward to seeing you in a few days. OK...gotta go. Making steel cut oats with mixed dried fruit for FIL. DH is going to spend a father/son day tomorrow and want to send some for his freezer. He asks for nothing, but, when I saw him last week, he said "I don't like to eat your oatmeal every day cuz I am afraid it will run out". AWWW...made my heart happy. He's so cute. He has all these little widows feeding him. Will pop back on later. Might have to change my user name to MIAGIRL. Not going to apologize though...

Lions and tigers and bears...OH MY! Not really but almost. What a wonderful museum/zoo. We had the advantage of having our own (Eva) tour guide. This girl loves her state of AZ and has a wealth of native knowlegde flowing. DH and I soaked it up and walked away with a day we will never forget. Eva talked...we listened and we learned so much about AZ environment. Some day we will have a LBT girl's week in MN at the farm and at the lake and you will all be able to see what keeps us there in the summer months. You can all climb 80 feet up to the top of a grain bin, see the 4500 head dairy farm off two miles from us. I will take you all out to the field and give you a tour of agricultural tiling and what it takes to dig it in. Of course, we will take time to see the Mall of America. Not sure if there is a Coach Outlet or an Ann Taylor store(Lori) but I am sure fun will be had by all. I am looking forward to Cheri showing us her city in June. Looking forward to meeting all I have not met. I am thinking that next summer (2012) will be on me. Will need to rent a van to get you all out to West Central MN and back but will work that out. Only problem I have with inviting everyone to my home...we are simple people and basically quite boring. Our population does not allow for much social stimulation. We have that figured out though. We make our own fun. Some of the best times we have had are on our patio in front of the house or our deck at the lake (and some really good food and drinks). Tired...gotta sign off. Shower, bed, coffee and breakfast with DH b/4 Eva and I hit the road..... JANET....I most likely will not be online in the morning. I LOVE you and I wish for you a very happy birthday.

Morning All...just a fly-by... Welcome Kelly...as others have stated. If you are willing, share a little about yourself with us. If you need support, you've come to the right place. You were talking about your family making fried chicken and it does not work for you. You are the only one that has control of what goes in your mouth. Either have an alternative plan or just plain don't eat things that you know bother you. Yes, it would be nice to have support from your family but you are the one that needs to ask for it and put your foot down about things coming into the house if it is a trigger for you. Hugs on what you are going through. Sandy.....should have clarified. When I said we are looking for a "humble abode" I meant very humble. We most likely will spend only 2 months in the winter down here and are not ready to buy a house yet or maybe not ever. What we are looking at are park models that are already set up and furnished in an RV park. We are about 10 yrs away from retirement. Our dream is to be Phyll and DH and travel in a motorhome. Obligations do not allow that yet. I do like your idea of condo....less work. OK...gotta cut out. Gotta get the walk in and then meet Eva at the museum by 10. You all have a great day.

Good Evening All... Meredith...first off....change is good. Proud of you at your young age to persue something different. I've always known that being a hairdresser is very tough and challenging physically. I believe that I would experience the early burn-out. I get bored easily (and I have a weird thing where I do not like to tough hair)...point is...it takes a lot to do that kind of job day after day. Plus, not only do you have to have the talent for doing hair, you have to be such a good listener...EVERY DAY of work. Second...go into your interviews very well prepared. Do what you can to find out about the job you are interviewing for. Call the person that is leaving the job (if you are able to find out who they are). Ask them every question that you can think of. Study up. Walk into the interview with confidence and the attitude that you know you can do the job. Fingers crossed for you. Others may disagree but I feel the cover letter to your resume is the clincher in getting in the door for an interview. Also, universities usually fill jobs within, so don't beat yourself up if you are not called to be interviewed. Keep trying. I was once told that being persistent is the key. Not pushy...just check with the personal director about getting your resume and cover letter. Cheri...what a good combination to have your new principal that has a daughter that is willing to apply for grants and that is good at it besides. I hope this new combination turns things around for your school. I know how passionate you are aout saving the school and how much extra work you put into it. Fingers crossed for you also. Janet...hope you are having a great time with family. Linda...still the consistent person (besides Janet) that seems so bubbly about getting to your exercise classes. I guess you just seem to have the type of personality that accepts and enjoys life. I want to be like you when I grow up. Hi to everyone else. I have read here and there but did not take notes. Just hanging and enjoying ourselves. Heading to a museum with Eva tomorrow. Today was another day of "shopping" for a humble abode. Think we have it narrowed down. But, have to be sure we are ready to do it. We both think alike when it comes to things like this and listen to each other's pros and cons without getting ticked. Guess the reason for a 31 yr marriage. We love the weather here in AZ and KNOW this is where we want to winter. So, some decisions to be made in the next week or so. It has been so nice to get out and about. Walk when we want to, sit outside. This type of thing did not happen when we were in FL the last few years. Too cold and damp. Yes, AZ in the winter is for us. Tanker has been such a "travel dog". He has spent the last few days putting on many miles in the back of the SRX. Just wanted to say "hi" and let you all know we are super busy but relaxing. So different than the relaxing at home. We always have the farm and things to do. DH is so good about realizing what is needed and willing to do it. Lori...hope the shower is wonderful. Time to go sit on my butt. Loves to all

Janet..that doesn't happen often..posted at the exact same time. Have a great time with family this weekend and hope you have a great Birthday BBQ. I love you and respect you and thank you for all you have done for me. I remember seeing your avatar and reading your posts a couple of year ago and thinking "OMG...I want to be as successful as her...I want to follow her and see what she has to say". So, that's what I did and here we sit today...thank you for that. Loves.