Meredith2424

Melissa~ Can't wait for the snow!!!! Glad you got to have so much fun with Alex! How much did you end up getting? On the news it just lootked like a few inches. I think that is what we are supposed to get. I was hoping for a HUGE snow storm. We still have lots of winter left! It has been VERY cold here, and it actually feels like its warmer when there is snow. I know that sounds crazy, but when there is snow, there is some moisture in the air and to me it doesn't feel as bitter. Sorry you couldn't head into work. hey, at least you got to have fun even if it did mean missing out on some money. I cannot stand this new site. My fonts and sizes don't work. It is so annoying.

Lori~ Nice recap! I'm impressed. So happy to hear the good news about DD! I will keep praying that everything continues to go so well for her. I think that I wrote in the post that was lost that my very very best friend is due March 12th. Right around the same time, right? Janet~ Glad we could junk it up a little bit for ya! Eva~ Thanks for checking in and letting us know that Apples made it safely. So glad. I guess I missed it, but is she staying with you, or in another house that you have? Im not sure. Julie~ Glad to see you on! Kelly~ Good luck with school! I love school. I don't know what I am going to do with myself this semester. It was so strange not going to school today to start the semester. The first time I haven't started a semester in 5 yrs! You will do great. Jessica~ Thank you! Also, good luck with school and, again, wtg on the scholarship! LauraK~ Mr. Mignon seemed so charming! A gambler, huh? That stinks. Well, at least he was able to get you back into the dating saddle! Yep, I'm back on, and serious about this again. Arlene~ So sorry to hear about your moms issues. Poor thing. Hopefully she will be able to persevere past this new obstacle and get back to normal. I have 2 elderly grandmothers (90 & 91) and we are going through the in and out of nursing home rehabs with the 90 y.o. This has gone on for years now. She has been doing better now for a few months. I will keep praying for her as well. Thats all I can remember right now. I will have to reread and comment more tomorrow. Watching TV about all of the snow in Atlanta. Thats normal for us here! Apparently it is supposed to be coming our way tomorrow afternoon. I will welcome it because I won't have to go anywhere and, it will give me a good workout when I have to shovel it all. Plus, since my nieces and nephew have been here from vegas (got here dec 17th) our weather has been cold, but not really any snow. I can't wait to get into the snow and play with them! So fun! Thats about it for now. Had the day off today. Did dishes and laundry and made a crock pot dinner. food today: Breakfast~ Active Lifestyle Cereal with Strawberries and Skim Milk Lunch~ 1/2 Grapefruit Dinner~ Polish Sausage, Sauerkraut, and Redskins in the crock pot. About 800-850 cals today. Gonna log dinner into daily plate at livestrong.com Have to add the sausage and sauerkraut. No grazing or snacking today. Happy with that. Probably will have a sf fudgsicle too. I do need to get into the gym tho. I just cannot find the motivation to exercise! I was so into it when I was doing all of the step aerobics and floor aerobics. Off to make some egg salad and Andrews lunch. Night all!!!!

Lori~ You and your daughter are sooo sweet to even consider changing the shower for that woman! She sounds nuts. Hey, if she wants to throw a shower for her family, she can. She also seems to not care what others wishes are, including your daughter, who is the one giving birth!!!! If your daughter wants to have the shower before the baby is born, then she needs to have it on the date it is curently scheduled for. Bottom line. Heck, it might be great if this lady didn't talk to you and your DD for awhile! LOL. I don't understand why and how people get so crazy about these things? I wouldn't worry about it (easy for me to say). I always think about what my mom says in these situations, "Consider the source". It's so true. She sounds nuts and like she wants the attention (example A, the crying at the wedding shower) and not your DD, SIL, or GD. Not fair. Your friend is so kind to have the shower for her. Try to concentrate on the positive people in your lives. Good luck. I don't know if that helped any, but I tried. I know from experience that you cannot cave in and let these people get their way all of the time. Andrews mom used to be just like that and now she has done a 360 and her whole attitude has changed.

GRRRR!!!! This site is insane! I wrote a LOOOONG post 2 nights ago and took the time to write to everyone of you individually and went to post it, and it said "sorry, lbt is down for scheduled maintainence. Annoying. I've decided that from now on I am going to copy all of my post, then press "submit", then see what happens. That way, I can Paste it if it doesn't work. But, too tired now to re-write everything. Just know that I am thinking of all of you. Went to Dr yesterday, I lost 9 pounds this month!!!!! Wooohoo!!!!! Back on! I owe a lot of this loss to all of your support. Also, last night, I had a scheduled treat (b-day cake) and a glass of wine. Well, I woke up today and lost 2 more pounds!!! Amazing. Almost to ticker weight. I mean less than 5 lbs away! This feels so great. Today went to a Baptism. Andrews niece got baptized (they are visiting here from Las Vegas) and he is the godfather. Since the Godmother lives in Ireland, she was unable to get here on short notice and I was the "stand in" which is still an honor to me since we are not blood and Andrew and I aren't married yet. It was a nice day, but very long. Oh, the best news! I PASSED my math test!!!!! I now officially have my bachelors degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with a minor in Nonprofit Sector Studies! YAY! I'm proud of myself. Worked full time, while going to school full time and still managed to graduate with a 3.8 GPA. That was not an easy thing to do. Thank you for all of your prayers, support and encouragement. Now, time to start preparing to apply to Grad School! Ok, well, I am literally exhausted and it's time to hit the hay. Going to make Andrews lunch and sleep. Cannot wait to sleep in tomorrow on my day off! Good Night all. Love all of you! Meredith

Hey Girls! I had a Janet moment at the grocery store today too! I was in the dairy aisle after I picked up my fat free yogurt and was walking past the cheese. You see, cheese is my absolute downfall. There were these containers of cheese spread and cheese dip. I love all of that crap. Well, NOT TODAY!!!!! I looked at it for a longing few seconds and said to myself "Self, it is not worth it! You do not want that, and it is going to make you fat!" Then I felt like I wanted to stick my tongue out at it. I didn't, but man, was it tempting. I won that battle. I am envious of all of your travels!!! Have a wonderful time Apples and Great. Be safe but have soooo much fun. The both of you deserve it. Lori~ Any news on your daughter and the baby? Did the test results come back yet? Did I miss something? I try to keep track of each post, but somtimes I am trying to multi-task. Also, WTG on your exercise!!! Jodi~ That party sounds like something!!!! Wow. She is a lucky girl. I will try to get back on for more later, but I am going to spend some time with Andrew now. food for the day: Breakfast~ Slim Fast Lunch~ 1/2 of Protein drink, 4 cubes of cheese, 4 "party tray" sized slices of salami Dinner~ 4-5 oz chicken Breast (poached in Balsamic Vinegar, low sodium chicken broth, water), mixed veg, 1/2 redskin potato Haven't calculated calories, yet, but around 800.

ddgal~ I'm in. It looks like we are in almost the exact same boat!!! I started at 278 and am down hovering in the 175-180 range right now. I was banded in June of 09 and am ready to get this last thirty or so off! I am recommitted and have been tracking my food, exercise, and Water at www.livestrong.com using their daily plate feature. When I was really losing weight in the beginning stages, I found that this tool helped me immensely! Do you like to cook? I've been working on some recipes to make this journey easier as well. I found a website that my dietitian recommended to count the calories in each recipe www.caloriecount.about.com Just a few suggestions! Thanks for starting this thread! Good luck to everyone!

Janet~ What I meant was that to find your max heart rate, you take the number 220 and subtract your age. I think I accidently put 120. Woops.That is your max heart rate. To find your target range you are supposed to work at 65-70% of that number. Mine for example: 220 - 28 (my age) = 192 = my max heart rate (beats per minute) 65% of 192 = 125 =target heart rate 70% of 192 = 134 =target heart rate So this is where my trainer says my target range is when exercising. Apparently if you work within this range you burn the most calories. Just some extra info.

LauraK~ In the past, trainers have told me that if you want the cardiovascular benefits of exercise, you must work your Heart for 30 mins at a time at 65-70% of your max heart rate. To find your max heart rate, you subtract your age from 120, then to find your target zone, you figure whatever is 65-70% of that. But, of course, Janet is right with the calories burned! She is the guru! Thanks for all of the well wishes for the test! I never like to speculate after I take tests. I never know. I find out on Friday sometime after 4pm on Friday. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate it. Went to LB meeting. I love going. It motivates me every time. I showed everyone my pants from before surgery and all of us wrote ourselves letters that the dietitian will send us in 6 months. Good idea! Apples~ You are so much nicer than I. I would've gone bonkers on that "friend". Duh!!!!! I wonder why she isn't losing weight??? Could it be the chicken fingers, or the fries? You are awesome! Thank you for reminding me that it is much better to be kind than say something nasty back. food for the day: Breakfast~ Slim Fast Snack~ Tim Hortons half coffee, half hot chocolate Lunch~ Salt and Vinegar Almonds Dinner~ Turkey Chili Snack~ Grapefruit (possible. haven't eaten it yet, but want something for "dessert") Cals= 823 Protein= 38g

A drive by to follow up Janets drive by... Just wanted to stop in and post my food for the day. Breakfast~ Spiru-tein Protein mix w/ 1 c. skim milk Lunch~ green salad with grilled chicken (Janet, great minds think alike!) Dinner~ Turkey chili Snack~ Grapefruit Calories= 930 Protein= 73g (Hows that for protein girls!?!?!? ) I'm back tracking on livestrong.com on the daily plate to track all of my food. I love it and they have most everything that I eat on there already so I can track it easily. Cheri~ When are we making the final decision? Talked to my aunt today and she booked our tickets to Florida for April. Something like April 6-13th. SO, that week is out for me. Laura~ Ok, so, I will be in Naples, FL (above dates) so if you want to meet up that would be great! I know I have been talking about it, but my aunt and I finally got our schedules to work out! Ok, thats about it for tonight. I have to get to bed. I have that math test tomorrow (thanks for the good luck wishes!) and I know I'm not going to ge that much sleep. I'm going to watch the 11 o'clock news, shower, and hit the hay. Oh, I also have my LB support group meeting tomorrow night. I am really looking forward to that because last month I was pretty down in the dumps. Another good thing about tomorrow, my EMU's are coming in the mail that my aunt got me for Christmas! They are awesome! Cannot wait for them! Night!

Apples and Janet~ I know about the protein! After I posted, I knew immediately that the two of you would jump on that one! LOL. I didn't plan well today and never made it to the grocery store. I only got in <20 grams today. I know how it goes, like you said, I've done it before, I just need to go shopping! I only had about 600 calories today so maybe I will have my last 200 cal in a Protein drink. Hell, I think they taste good. Kinda like a dessert. Well, thats what I will tell myself at least! Night!

Janet and Apples~ I despise math! HATE it! I'm so nervous about Wednesday. Well, we will see how it goes. Fingers crossed. Great~ Hopefully your daughters test will come back ok. I will continue to pray for her. We did it! Day one is over and on to day 2! Janet is right I think. We need to "detox" and get rid of these ridiculous cravings! Jessica~ I like you hair dark. It really compliments your skin tone and warms up your face. Try flat ironing the sides by the ears and you might like how it lays better? Just a thought. I, like Apples, thought that you wore your hair on an angle as well. I think this girl added more layers than you are used to or something. It looks cute though! food for today: 3/4 c. rice krispies Cereal 1/4 c. skim milk Hard boiled egg Medium Orange Mixed greens with vinegar and olive oil Good night all!

Back on today!!!! And boy does it feel good! Went through the cupboards and fridge last night and threw out all of the junk that might tempt me. Cut up veggies and am now going to make a grocery list for meals this week. I just need to motivate myself to get into the gym. That is going to have to wait until Wednesday night at least because on Wednesday I have a Math test at 1:30pm and NEED to study badly! The last 15 questions of the math test I have no idea how to work them. This is going to be an interesting 42 hours! So glad that I have others that are back on track with me too! Eva, I agree 100%, I need to start all over again like I'm just newly banded too! Also, Lori here we are!!! It's our "Monday"! I think that I got cocky too and a little too overconfident because my body had turned into a weight loss machine for a while. I could eat, and it would burn off, plus some. That worked still at first, but quickly came to a screeching hault! But, I'm not looking back. I've learned from my mistakes and I am ready to move forward with a clean slate. Have a great afternoon everyone!!!

Janet~ I like those stories too, I think I'm just sick of Jay-Z and wasn't in the mood for him, and looking for somthing like I saw last night on that station. Idk. I used to like hip-hop, but then it got really nasty, graphic and violent on the radio around here as local "artists" infiltrated. Detroit is all about who is bigger, badder, and most ghetto, and I can't handle that right now. It's another reason why I'm taking a semester off from school. Going into the heart of it all everyday is dangerous and depressing. However, I LOVE R&B still, always have, always will. I need positivity now!!! New Year! Thanks for reminding me about the one pot wonders. Sometimes I get into a slump with variety when I cook and needed some emergency meals in case I get home late from work to heat up. Apples is right, the one pot wonders will do well with that. Apples~ I Love to cook! I just really am looking for lunch time things to make and stuff that Andrew can have cause he too cannot boil Water to save his soul. I always tell him, "if something ever happens to me, I think you would lay on the couch and starve." He probably would. Arlene~ I went to a tupperware party a few months ago and got baby bowls that hold 1 cup with lids and some other bowls that are about 1.5-2 cups. I'm just ready to kick it into high gear again. Got everything inside that was Christmas packed away and put in the basement cedar closet. I'm dreading taking down the outside light cause its so cold out. Because its so cold, I want to do it during the day when its sunny and warmer, but I need help because I have a wreath up on the peak in the front and don't want to risk doing it myself and falling. Maybe my dad will help this week or next? I'm not really in a big rush to get that stuff done. It will happen. The house looks so boring inside now I just loved decorating it for our first Christmas here! Can't wait til next year! Ok, have a great night! I think that there is a new desperate housewives on?

Cheri~ June 11th sounds good to me! I'm going to check the rates on Amtrack and Megabus. Also, hugs to you girl. If I were in your shoes I would have done the same. The preacher saying that seems so superficial. Like he wasn't thinking about the deeper subject matters that enter peoples minds when comments like that are made. What would possess him to say that? Glad you went somewhere else. Sounds like Apples is right when she says that it might be a time for you to change churches in the New Year. Eva~ I've never met you in person, but I think that you are totally great, smart and talented! I especially love and admire your creativity and our shared love of turtles! Sandy~ I feel where you are coming from. I really do. You post about being complacent really hit home with me. I think that I just need to get uncomfortable in my own skin again like I was before I got banded. That is beginning to happen now. I need to kick it into high gear again. Apples and Janet~ The both of you inspired me with your talk of cooking (and freezing), so Andrew and I sat down last night to discuss an eating plan. Apparently he has gained 30 pounds since we met!!! I had not even noticed! I mean I knew he had a little belly now, but not a 30 pound belly! Anyhow, since I am not taking classes this semester I will have some extra time to cook and freeze things into portions. Here is my plan and any advice would be greatly appreciated. So I'm going to grill chicken and cook veggies, weigh them and/or measure them and calculate the calories in each container, then freeze. These are going to be for both lunch and dinner items. Protein drinks for Breakfast. I know that I should vary the calories in each "meal", but was wondering what calorie amounts I should do? Ideas? Also, everyone, any meal ideas/recipes you might have for this new endeavor are greatly appreciated! Please! Lori~ I am really glad that your friend paid you that compliment! Let me tell you, the ensemble that you picked for your daughters wedding was fantastic! When I went to all of those weddings this summer, I kept comparing all of the mother of the bride outfits with yours. Not a single one of them came close to looking as nice as yours did! A little note on this new Oprah Winfrey Network. Last night I was watching it before I went to bed and it was about people wanting to find their birth parents. I thought it was a good program and thought this network might not be so bad. Then today I flipped on the channel while putting away Christmas stuff and it was about "Jay-Z" and "hip-hop". Two things I could care less about. What is she thinking? I'm sure I could go as far as to say that the majority of ppl in her viewing audience could not care less about this subject matter as well!

Janet~ Not sure how to quote and too sleepy to figure it out, so I just cut and pasted my availability in the post prior to this one. Hope you get it! I'm excited! Apples and Lori~ Thank you to you both. The both of you were helping me and not even knowing it! Lori, I know that the both of us kinda did the same thing with weight. Monday is the day in this house too. I was on the right track again, then Christmas and New Years came and what a disaster that created. So, we can do this together. Apples, when you were talking to Lori about her not posting about working out and eating plan, I felt like you were talking right to me!!!! So, thank you for that from me too!!! I am heading back down the right path, but just needed the extra kick in the rear. Oh, and Janet, as always, thanks for the reinforcements! You are all awesome! Tina~ I've been doing some thinking about your situation and didn't want to comment until I really thought about it. I understand a lot about addiction and bi-polar disorder, and I especially understand about the weight. My boyfriend of almost 5 years is bi-polar. If he is not on meds, forget it. He has resolved himself to this fact, as have I. It has made our lives so much better. IMHO, I think you need them. Especially to help you get your life on track. If you can swing from mania to depression easily, you need to adjust that and get your mind on track before you get banded. I suffered from depression and was medicated for years also. Secondly, maybe you can earn the trust back that you perhaps betrayed when you were addicted by starting small like some of the others have been saying. Well, how can you start small and help yourself? The very best thing.... get out and WALK! I know what you are going to say already, you are too big. Well guess what, we have been there. I am a hairstylist. I stand on my feet all day long and at 278 pounds I was standing for 12 hours straight and not able to walk after to get groceries or whatever. Now after work I park in the furthest spot available at the store. It didn't just happen overnight. I had to start somewhere. So, when I decided to get LB, I bought new shoes, and I started to walk. Everywhere. It gets easier. Plus, it is sooooo good for you in every way. You are getting exercise for your body, and it helps to clear your mind. At the same time, you will start walking in increments that are only a few minutes and building up time and distance wise, so your partner can start building trust again. Just a thought. I hope this didn't come off as harsh, I just want to keep it real with you as to what it takes to get the weight off and get your mind clear. Like I said, I've been thinking about how you can go about doing this for awhile, so I hope that I could help.

IndioGirl55, on 01 January 2011 - 11:57 PM, said: Ok as usually trying to get everyones schedules to blend it going to be hard. So lets do this - I am going to put your name down - quote the post and insert when you can make it to Chi Town.. Apples - Charlene - Great - prefer the April dates that Cheri mentioned, prefer no holiday weekends, prefer spring/early summer vs later summer/fall Cheri - Laura - LauraK - Julie - Phyl - Tina - Eva - Janet - Open I can go w/the flow (except for 7/15) Linda - Joyce - Sandy - Jodi - Melissa - Jessica Meredith- May, or spring/early summer is best. Might be going with my aunt to FL in April and summer time gets crazy around here. But, will be able to adjust schedule to fit it this trip. Chris Candice - She's gone for 2 weeks Am I missing anyone ????

Hey chickees (and TX)! Glad to see everyones NY went well. Like I said, Andrew and I stayed home and had dinner, watched TV and relaxed. It was nice. He fell asleep early and I watched TV until 3:30 or so. Woke up today and made sweet and sour meatballs to take to my grandmas house today. Went there around 4 and hung out with my fam until about 9:30. It was nice, but on the way home was craving a salad. So, I'm going to have a small one now! You are all right, the body does crave good for you food! Chicago trip~ Since I will have to take the train or bus from Detroit to Chicago, could I chip in on the car too? Or, Cheri and Sandy might know if we can get around with just public trans? Each time I've been to Chi we NEVER need the car, but always have stayed in the city. I have some friends there too, and might stay and extra day or two to see them. Not sure yet, but I am definately in for the trip. FINALLY i get to meet all of you in person! I feel like I already know all of you so well! I read everyones posts, but there was so much today! I am so happy that everyone had a nice time last night. I am especially happy that Melissa went to the party!!!! You go girl!!!!! I might be scarce around here from Mon-Wed. I have an exam on Wed at 1:30. I still have to schedule it, so I hope that there is still room available for me to take it! Ok, goodnight! Meredith

Happy New Year Everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love you all so very much. Thank you for welcoming me back with open arms. Chicago sounds great to me!! It's about a 4 1/2 hr drive for me, but there is a bus that takes you right from my college campus to Chicago and sometimes it only costs $1! I'm serious, a BUCK! I would rather do that than drive any day. Plus, I am not a fan of driving at all. I think the website is www.megabus.com I agree with Lori, holiday weekends are mostly family time for me too, and the closer to the spring the better. Once the summer gets rolling, it gets nuts. Right? Hell, if its anything like last summer it will be insane! I had 12 weddings between June and October. Anyhow, my motto this NYE: "I'm ringing in the New Year in my sweatpants rather than sequins!" And let me tell you, I am happy about it. I always get so nervous with the drunk drivers. I don't think I'm going to have any cocktails tonight either getting over being sick and such. Our choices this evening include sparkling Pear, Apple, and Cherry juices! I think this is the first year ever I have stayed in since middle school, and the first year I haven't gone out to the bar or to a friends house since I turned 21. I'm loving it tho. Ok, going to spend some time with Andrew. I'm on the same time as NYC, so its 10:02 here. Once again, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Love, Meredith

Laura K~ I meant to tell you that the skin looks better laying down rather than standing up anyways! LOL. Was that over the line? Hey, it's true! Tina~ I wasn't fat for a long time either. I was overweight for about 5, then I quit smoking and became morbidly obese in the last 2 yrs before banding. In high school I was an all-state athlete, hockey and lacrosse, so my muscle came back quickly after I started doing step aerobics 3 months after banding. I had stretch marks on my belly from gaining weight so quickly, so I knew I would have the skin there, and I did. Plus, my mom is not fat and she has saggy skin in her tummy from us 2 kids. I wouldn't worry. I hardly notice it, unless I need to tuck it back into my jeans (haha Apples!) Lori~ Hopefully DD will be able to potato it up on the couch, relax and carry this baby to term! The dog was such a good hiker and never wandered like your one dog. I think that a gunshot scared him since it was the last day of hunting season and it spooked him. Apples~ You are too cute. What you wrote about your pup reminds me of how this dog is with my sister. He is her child as far as I'm concerned. CBL, Meredith

Hello all! Tina~ I'm 28 and have skin sag. Mostly my belly and my boobs, but let me tell you, I would trade that any day for the 100+ pounds of fat I was carrying around. I wouldn't over do it with the WL right now. It's good to keep track of what you are eating and "mindfully" eat, but don't go overboard. I think you run the risk of burning yourself out before you even get started. Also, the day before my 2 week pre-op liquid diet started I had a "free for all". Or my last "supper". I ate whatever I wanted. I had Burger King for lunch, a slab of bbq ribs and fries for dinner, and a HUGE piece of cake that my friend made for dessert. It made me never want to eat like that again because it made me feel like sh!t. And, here I am a year and a half later. Ya, I had some troubles with my band, but I would do it again 100 times. I will post more on how my fam/ live in bf felt about it later. Lori~ How is DD today? Anxious to hear if the contractions have subsided. Melissa~ Since I don't like to drive, I wouldn't want to go and sleep over there for that reason alone. But thats just me. If that is NOT the reason why you don't want to go, then girl, you better go!!!! Who cares what you look like? If these are your friends/family they will not care what you look like! Here's the doggy story.... On the 19th, which was a Sunday, my sis was at her bf's families hunting camp. She was doing dishes and getting ready to leave, packing up and such. She let the puppies out. She has the weiner dog, Brady, who is 6 and the Lab Wallace who is 5. Both are very familiar with the woods as she takes them hiking very often all over the country. Only the weiner dog came back in. They spent the entire day looking for Wallace, but he was no where to be found. Since he had his spleen out 2 weeks before and was not acting normal, we all just assumed that he was sick and had gone into the woods to die. She looked for him every day up until Christmas eve when she left to come home. Christmas was kinda sad. Not the same with out all of the pups, as they are part of our family. We had a nice time, but then there would be quiet and we would all simultaneously think of Wallace. Anyhow, she went back up north the day after Christmas. Now, she lives in Petoskey and the camp where he vanished from is about 30 min away from where she lives. Yesterday, she got a call from a man while she was on her lunch hour. He said "I have your dog and he is her doing well." She was shocked!!!! Especially because this man was calling her from 15 MILES from where the dog disappeared from. And was heading in the direction of my sisters house! Apparently this man was looking for his flashlight when his wife reminded him it was by the woodpile out back. He went out to get the flashlight, and there was Wallace cowering underneath the woodpile!!!!! I guess it took him a minute to warm up to the guy, but once he did, he hopped right into the mans truck to keep warm because the family had other dogs. They also gave him some food. My sister showed up shortly after to find a very skinny, but very happy dog! THe guy and his wife said, "you can sure tell thats your dog and that he loves you very much!" She took him home, fed him a little bit and layed in bed and napped with her "boys" for the rest of the afternoon. And they lived happily ever after!!!! I cannot wait to go up there and see him!!! It's a good 4.5 hr drive and I'm not really a fan of driving. SO, hopefully in mid-January I will be able to make it up there. Thanks again everyone for all of your love and support! HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHERI!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU DESERVE A GREAT DAY!!!!! Ok, thats all for now. More later, Mere

Crap!!! Long post and just lost it! Brief recap.. Lori~ Hugs and prayers remain for your "ladies". You are right, Katelyn is gonna be a little spitfire! Plus, aren't we so lucky to have Laura here for her medical expertise? She is awesome. Also, my sister puts the pups in the shower with her too, everytime! Phyl~ So sorry about your friend and for DH's mood. Not a good combo. Jessica~ WTG on Onederland!!!!! It feels so great, doesn't it? Also, wtg on the running. I hate running, but want to get back into it because you burn lots of cals in a shorter amount of time. Tina~ Apples is right. You remind me of how Jessica used to be. She too was so down, now look at her!!!!! Such an inspiration! You can do it! Janet~ Well, the dr said that since andrew had mono 15+ yrs ago his body still will always test + for it and since he was throwing up this week and I was so close to him and helping with his "barf buckets" his body could have been shedding the virus and since my immune system was down I could have gotten it that way? Who knows? Now for the wonderful news of the day!!!!!!! My sisters dog has been found alive and well! I know some of you saw this on FB, but for those who didn't, he is safe and sound after 10 days in the snowy, frigid weather of Northern Michigan! Unreal! Someone needs to do a news story on this pup. A real Christmas miracle!!!! We are elated! Also, thank you all for your prayers and understanding. It means a ton. Still sick. Had to take off of work tomorrow. Not really getting much better. Hopefully tomorrow I will feel better so I can pull it together to do some NYE hair for people then come home and crash. I am keeping my butt right at home this year and most likely will be in bed before 12. I'm pooped. Ok, sorry I've missed some of you, I'm so tired and past ready for bed. Night! Meredith

Hello all, I've been reading all of your posts. Busy busy. Sorry I haven't been posting lately. After my bout of stomach flu last Mon and Tues, I worked Wed and Thurs, had Christmas Eve, then Christmas. Christmas was beautiful. I loved every moment. After dinner on Christmas, I looked at my mom and said "my throat hurts". I thought it might be someones perfume that was irritating it. WRONG! I have been super sick, sleepy and sluggish ever since. I went to the Dr. today. She thinks I might have Mono. It would make sense. She took 5 vials of blood, urine (which was normal), antibiotics, and gave me a shot of B12. After the doc, i went to get gas, drive thru at the bank, and kmart for a humidifier. This absolutely exhausted me! Sorry to complain, just thought I would let you know what was going on here and why I haven't been posting. I'm going to take a nap. I have so much to post on all of your comments. I'm just so tired. More later, Meredith

Great Christmas had here! From what it looks like, all of you had a great time! Just a quick check in! More later. ~Meredith