Meredith2424

Did I hear fudge?!?!? Oh my, I am not a sweet person, but fudge is my downfall. I would like to try the recipe for Christmas though! Thanks for all of the advice on the unfill. I called today and the lady told me to come in "now"! I told her that I had just gotten downtown for my aerobics class at school and couldn't come in "now". She told me, well then, here's your oppurtunity, you should decide and come in now! WTH is this womans problem? All of this after I told her I could wait a few days because i knew the doc would be busy. Also, I thought to myself, wouldn't you be glad that I was exercising? Whatever, i just thought it was strange for her to act like that, but finally, she told me that I could come in Thurs at 1130. I will have to leave class early, but oh well, works for me! I think that I will go with the -.25cc's Ok, just thought that I would ck in. Have lots of homework to do and it's already half past eleven! Night Meredith

Apples and Lori~ You two look great! Im glad you got to meet one another and have a nice visit. Laura~ Glad you are home safe and sound. Looks like all of you had a nice meal together. Back to the old grind, huh? My Thanksgiving was very nice. I love seeing my 2nd, 3rd, and 4th cousins on my moms side. Suprisingly we are all so close since my mom is an only child. So every year my grandma (90yrs) and her sis (85yrs) make dinner and dessert for everyone. Grandma made 8 pies from scratch and Auntie Dort made dinner for everyone. She needed help this year though because her bad back. But, she loves to do it she says! It is just so wonderful getting together with everyone! My band is soooo tight though. I have barely been able to eat anything since monday. I will call the office tomorrow and hopefully be able to get a little bit out. I know that Cheri recommended about .25cc's out. I'm at 6 cc's right now and last fill he put in 1cc. But, at 5cc's i wasn't happy with my restriction. Any other suggestions from anyone else? Just curious if anyone else has dealt with this when finding thier proper amoutn of restriction? Thanks all! Love you! Meredith

Hey everyone!!! Tried to post last night, but as all of you saw, the site was down for awile, so I went to bed. I had a tough time getting up this morning. It was so dreary and crappy outside that I just wanted to stay in my pj's, but I put on my workout clothes and headed out the door to aerobics and weight training. I got a new Nike sports bra, it's amazing and less expensive than I thought it would be. 25 bucks. I then went to Marshalls (haven't been there since highschool cause i've been fat) and bought two pairs of exercise pants size large for 12 dollars each, two tops one for 20 and the other for 15, a new pair of awesome new balance running shoes for 32 bucks, and a beautiful christmas plaid table cloth for 7 bucks! I was so impressed with my shopping!!!! I found myself wandering into and gravitating towards the plus sized section. I was looking at size 18 and 20's and actually held them up to myself to see if i should try them on. A heavy woman approached me and said "honey, this is not your section! I don't know why you think you can fit into those?" She said it in a loving manner. I took this oppurtunity to speak with her about Lap-Band and she was very interested. Maybe I will be seeing her at the next seminar that my surgeon will host? That would reaally be great. Anyhow..... Sorry about my ramblings, i was just really excited. I do have a real question for all of you though.... I got my band filled on Monday. I'm at 6cc's in a 10cc band now. Well, when I swallowed the water in the office, I did fine and it did not hurt, but i could definately feel it go through. Usually I stick to liquids for the rest of that day and then the following day. Well, I did okay during the rest of the day with my boost and then when I got home I was hungry. So, i very slowly ate a very small amount of chilli. About 1/4 c. I pb'ed a little while after eating it. I ate a fudgesicle and called it a night. Yesterday, I stuck to liquids and in the evening, i blended a can of lentil soup and got that down alright. I then had an extremely small amout of tuna mixed with hellmans dijonaise (suprising low in cals) and ate about 1/2 c. of that fine. Anyhow, today, super tight in the am. Couldn't eat at all and even had a hard time getting down all of my boost. I think I may be too tight. I did have about 1/2c. of regular unblended lentil soup and didnt feel any tightness until about 10 min later. I went in the bathroom and forced a little up. I felt so much better after that. So, what do ya think? Get about .5cc out huh? I think so. I called the office yesterday and they said that no one would be in the office until Monday. I can wait. Tomorrow before we eat dinner I am going to tell my aunt that my band is too tight and ask her if I can fill a super small container with just a few bites of everything for me to freeze and take home to eat next Sunday? She knows about my surgery but I don't know if she told any of my cousins of not? If any ask, of course I will tell them, but you get what I'm talking about. Ok, sorry........RANT! Phyl~ HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Laura~ Miss you! Hope you have a wonderful tg with the fam. I too miss the stories of Nels, but you need to concentrate on the fam. Prayers to your daddy. Love you! Janet~ Have a wonderful time with everyone at your house. I am really excited for you to take DS to the gym!!! Show him how it's done gf!!!! Apples~ Those gals should definately keep up with the cards! I'm sure they will. They are just probably so sad about mom that they cannot imagine it without her. They just need a little push, and I'm sure they will do it. Tell them that she would be super disappointed that they did not continue to play because of her absence and that she wouldn't want that at all! Linda~ I too am happy that you are getting your hip done. You will feel awesome and look great!!! What could be better than that?!?!? Everyone else~ Sorry that I didn't say anything personal, I love you all! I just couldn't remember everything I was going to comment on. I am in Physics class during a lecture so I am trying to concentrate on two things at one time!!!! HAVE A WONDERFUL THANKSGIVING!!!!!! Love all of you! Meredith

Apples~ I'm so sorry that I didn't get on here a bit earlier to wish you a happy birthday! I love that you could just do and eat pretty much what ever you wanted today. Thats fun! Sometimes I really enjoy time to myself to run around the house and dance and listen to music at an extremely loud volume when no one is home. Other times I like to knit and craft and stay quiet. To me, it sounds like a great birthday with all of the hectic stuff you have going on lately. Also, I think that I am going to try your recipe that you posted on here the other day tomorrow. It sounds so good. Phyl~ Your chilli recipe sounds awesome too! I'm not a super fan of cilantro though. Does the taste seem to be pungent in this recipe? In some cases I do like it though, so maybe I will just try it. I'll bet that the jack cheese really tops it off nicely. Eva~ Sorry about your battery. Glad you are home safe and sound, and really glad that you and Janet had a wonderful time with Phyl. I'm so jealous that all of you are meeting one another. I hope that we are all still on for February? If so, I still cannot wait. Also, I was wondering if you have any easy suggestions for my turtles diet? I am giving him canned dog food, fruits, and veggies. He's kinda picky though, so I don't know what else to feed him. Also, since he has been in captivity since birth I am really nervous to give him any worms or minnows. Do you think that it would be ok to give him these? I don't even let him go on the grass in the summer time when I take him outside because I don't want him exposed to the fertilizer or anything else that might make him sick. I know, I sound crazy. Janet~ That pickle!!!! Why does it sometimes happen and sometimes not. I think that we are alike with our bands that we are tight in the morning and wide open in the evening. I really wish it would switch around. Gosh. Julie~ So sorry that you are still struggling with pain and sleeplessness. You poor thing. Hope it gets better for you. How about using an ace bandage to hold the ice packs onto your body? Hopefully DD and DH will be able to help you on TG with the preparation of the meal. Its an awful lot of work for you to do if you are in pain. Cheri~ Great pics of you and your little lady exercising! So cute! You look amazing. Keep up the good work! Enjoy your break from school. I know how it goes since my mother is in the same boat with her special ed kids too. I always say "it takes a special person to do that job". Linda~ Like Janet mentioned, wtg on the weight loss! You've almost lost 100 pounds!!! Just awesome! Great~ Have a good time on your trip! Can't wait to see the pics of you and apples when you meet! As for me, I got another fill today. I am at 6 cc's now. I think it's pretty tight, but we will see tomorrow evening when i try to make and eat the meal that apples posted the other day. I tried chilli tonight, and it was a no go. I should have done like i always do and waited until tomorrow to try mushies. Usually i only drink protein drinks for a day or two after a fill. As you can see, it's pretty late. I've been up studying for a nutrition exam that i have tomorrow. I always am so last minute. Anyhow, i'm going to take a shower before bed to help me relax, then hit the hay. Goodnight all. Love you! Meredith

Im here! So sorry that it has been so long since I've even checked in! I didn't realize that it had been so long. I just caught up on my reading here. Whew! Busy gals! Anyhow, my sis came home for thanksgiving on Friday, so we went out last night downtown. We first went to a great restraunt in greektown (one of the best greektowns in the country i think) and then to an irish pub called the old shelleileigh. Its a great place with a trio of guys who have been playing there for 20 years! The upstairs is all irish and the downstairs is like a club with hip hop music. We stayed upstairs. My sis, her new boyfriend, his father, andrew and myself. It was so much fun! I slept in really late today and I am so embarrassed about it! Oh well, I must have needed the sleep. Tomorrow I have aerobics and weight training and then an apointment for a fill at 4:15. I already have 5 cc's in a 10 cc band, but i do feel like I need more restriction. Phyl, Janet, and Eva~ You girls look wonderful! I hope you had a great time with one another! The neclace and earrings are also so beautiful Phyl! Nice work. I have to get dinner together for andrew and I. I really don't feel like cooking, so I may convince him to run across the street and pick up a carry out. I like the grilled chicken ceasar salad (if I've had a low cal day, which i have today, and no croutons or garlic bread) and andrew gets a grilled chicken sandwich. Delish. I am still stuck at -59. So annoying. I have eaten well, and I have been exercising like a mad woman still. My trainer seems to think that muscle is replacing fat and evening out on the scale. Who knows? It's annoying. However, I have noticed that clothes are much baggier and there is no way I can even still wear any of the clothes that I used to. They are all going to Purple Heart, or maybe to a client or two. Even when i was really fat I got lots of compliments on my clothes. So now. I am wearing a size 16 pant! From a 22 to a 16! I no longer have to go to the fat girl store for clothes!!!! That is super exciting to me. Anyhow, I willbe back later on to comment on everyones news from the past few days. Love you all. Meredith

Hello Ladies! I am happy to announce that I did so well with my eating today! And, I exercised really hard. I feel that after my slip up over the weekend, I am back on track. Thanks to all of you really. You helped me to realize that I need to just put it behind me and keep moving forward and forget about it. I put an offer in on another house today. Another short sale, but this realtor says that she thinks that the bank should let us know within 30 days as to whether or ot they are going to accept the offer. Cross your fingers. My mom and i are arguing about this house for some reason. She is nervous I think? Who knows? I think that sometimes she takes frustrations out on me too. My dad and I are really close, but my mom and I have trouble seeing eye to eye sometimes. It really bothers me. I know that a lot of you really understand this. Sorry to cut this short, I have to wake up early and go do grandmas hair. Still tonight I have to take a shower and get the laundry together for Andrew to do while I am at school tomorrow. Oh, and I totally forgot, I have homework to do also! Ick. Night, Meredith

Hey girls! Janet and Phyl~ I love your new purchases! It looks like your two had a great time! And Janet, my moms closet and yours are so similar! She is a total clothes horse too! She is the one that always buys me all of my clothes. Laura~ Hopefully when your dads results come back they are positive. I continue to pray for you and your fam. What a difficult time this must be. Like I keep saying, I couldn't even imagine how you are feeling. The pics from the air show and the sunset are great! Apples~ I admire you for your work ethic! Geez, you have been going through your moms stuff for awhile now! The rest of her fam is so lucky to have you there working so hard on everything. Also, I would like to thank you for all of your encouraging posts. You really help me. Right now, I really need it! Melissa~ Like I was saying to Apples, I too am having a terrible time pulling it together with my eating habits! So, here is my confession.... Today and yesterday I have been having major eating issues. It's my TOM and I have been craving chocolate like crazy. I never ever eat chocolate nor do I ever crave it. But, right now, holy crap! Yesterday, I went to the drug store to buy tampons after work at about 7:30 after I had hardly eaten all day. After roaming around the candy aisle for about 10 minutes I bought a snickers bar, a kit kat bar, and some smallish holiday coconut wreath. Why did I do this!?!?!? I ate them all in the car on the way home. A few hours later I was hungry for real and ate a salad. I thought that my craving had subsided and today I would start over fresh. Not the case! Andrew went to the grocery and bought peanut butter cups! I ate 3 for breakfast!!! What is wrong with me!?!?! Then, I ate a salad for lunch. Of course. Then for dinner, I ate 98% fat free frozen yogurt. I never keep any of this crap in the house and as you can see, I intentionally went out and conciously purchased it! And, the frozen yogurt I sent Andrew out to get it! He went to TCBY ( a frozen yogurt shop) and got it after I asked him to! Ew! He is the one with the sweet addiction, not me!!! So now that I am totally embarassed of my behavior, I am going to sign off. Hopefully I can put this behind me and tomorrow will be a new day. I have aerobics and weight training. Ususally when I exercise a lot it keeps me in line more than when I don't. I just really need to use some good old fashioned will power which is what I was lacking and why I had this surgery in the first place! Ick. I am just so disgusted with myself. No wonder why I am stuck at -59 lbs? Any suggestions to get my ass back on track? Help! Thanks. Sorry that I totally just purged all of this. I would never admit this to anyone except for all of you. Thank God you are all here to help guide me! ~Meredith

Julie~ You are so hard on yourself! Look at what you have done so far! 106 pounds!!!! That is amazing! Remember, now you have a tool that you did not have before. Thank God for this band! Also, I agree with Cheri about the anti-depressants. When I was smoking cigs, I felt ok. Then I quit and became fat and depressed and panicky. My phychiatrist (sp) prescribed me anti-depressants and I am still on them to this day although my dose is lowered. It might be worth a try! There is no shame in taking them and maybe for now that could be your answer. Look forward! There is nothing but good ahead for you! I know it. You should for sure talk to someone and let your DH know what is going on with you. He might be able to help you and support you more than you know. Laura~ Hoping and praying that your dads results come back and that things will work out alright. You are so strong. I am so glad that you and Nels are getting to spend time with your parents and family. Phyl and Janet~ So happy that you and Janet are going to hang out and get your purses! Don't worry Phyl, you will be down again soon. You already know that though! Let us know which one you get so we can look it up on line. I haven't ever done the designer purse thing, but love them. I'm too rough on my purses and get sick of them so quickly. I usually only wear them for one season and donate them or toss them. My sister on the other hand is a coach purse junkie. She probably has 20. No joke. It's to the point of ridiculousness. I like how you get yourself the purses as a reward! They are definately a splurge! Long day again for me today. School this morning at 10 and then work from 12-9. I'm pooped. I 'm going to weigh myself and then so to bed. Tomorrow I have a few clients and then I get to go house hunting at 3! There is one house that I really have my eye on. But, yet again, it is a stupid short sale! Ugh! You never know though, this one might move through the process faster than the others. Like Janet said, she knew someone (DS maybe?) who closed on a short sale within a month. Hopefully I will find the house that I love tomorrow. This is starting to feel like another full time job! Ok, thats all for now. Time for bed! ~Meredith

Hello everyone! I am here! So sorry that i haven't ck'ed in at all since I've been home. I've just been so busy with wrapping up this semester at school and looking for houses. I still have my offer in on that short sale, but it has taken so long that I have decided to keep on looking. I've also expanded my area within the same city by a few miles, so I have found some beautiful homes and I'm going to look at those on Friday. My trip to California was awesome! I loved it there and then came home to the cold and wondered why I live here and not there!? Well, then I realized that I would be completely miserable without my friends and family and decided that I should stay here for a very long time! I do love it here too! I love having all four seasons and snow in the winter! I will post some pics at the bottom of this post. I have just read all of your posts and caught up with all of you in the past 5 pages or so! I'm sorry that I cannot comment on all of your posts, but I will be back on regularly now so then I can keep up and post on everyone on a more regular basis. Once again, I am so sorry! As for my eating, i was really nervous about gaining while i was in cali. Actually, i stayed the same and have since lost another pound. I was at a stand still before i left and it has been coming off slowly the last 20 pounds or so, but I am exercising my butt off and have recommitted myself to only eating properly. I have done well for the past few days and I am hoping that I can keep it up! I am almost at 60 pounds lost and just one pound away from adding my new bead to my troll bracelet. My sister gave me this bead in august for my birthday and I cannot wait to put it on! As for the challenge, I am in! My goal is also to lose 10 pounds by Christmas!!!!! That will make it 70! Ok, I'm in class and should probably be paying attention! I will check in tomorrow night! I promise! Love, Meredith

Hello gals! I'm home!!! Actually, I got home late Tuesday night. I loved Cali and it was wonderful spending time with my sister. I will post some pics later. I just wanted to let all of you know that I was alive and well before I go off to school and work for the day. I will post on everyones comments later. I'm running behind this morning! Have a wonderful day! Meredith

Apples~ So sorry about your loss! That is just so sad. Hugs to you! I am in cali now w my sister. I love it here!!!! Huntington Beach is beautiful. The weather is perfect! So unlike Detroit! My band is wide open though, and that is not good. Not that I'm making bad food choices, but I can just eat more than I should be able to. I will be home on Tuesday, so I will be just fine I think. I deserve a vacation! I am going to continue to look at houses when I get home while I still have my offer in on the short sale house. I heard that they extended the first time home buyer tax credit until April, so I have time! Ok, sorry so short, but we are going to go walk around main street! Once again, I am so sorry apples. I will be thinking of you during this difficult time. Love you! ~Meredith

:sad:No go on the 2nd house I put my offer in on. Even though I went 8,000 higher than what they were asking, apparently cash is king. That stinks, but oh well. It wasn't meant to be. Still waiting on the short sale..... Andrew went with me to look at another house today. He acted like I was forcing him! We got into the car, and I was ticked! This is supposed to be fun, not miserable. His excuse was that it didn't matter what he liked about the house anyways since ultimately it only mattered what I thought. Well, golly! At least he could pretend! Sometimes he is such a great guy, and sometimes he is the biggest a$$. We are supposed to go out to dinner with his mother tonight. She didn't bother asking me where I wanted to go, since she is selfish too. I would ask someone who had bariatric surgery where they would prefer to go, instead of just assuming. I got a fill last Monday. I forgot to tell you. Now I have 5cc in a 10cc band. I feel pretty good about my restriction. I think that I may be just one fill away from my sweet spot? I cannot eat bread anymore AT ALL! None. Hey, thats ok by me. I spent about 3 days last week after the fill pb-ing to finally come to terms with this. Now, I'm over it, and have been steadily losing weight! Thank goodness! I'm almost half way. Cannot wait to go see my sister on Thursday! I will write more to all of you later, but 1st, Julie, maybe you should put a cup of epsom salts in your bath? Ok, more later, Meredith

Hello all. I'm here! Once again, busy, busy! Laura~ I'm glad that you are home safely. Your pics of your dad and mom are so cute. Take some time to relax and enjoy your boys. I'll bet that they are thrilled that you are home! Apples~ I love reading your posts! Your kitchen is beautiful! I love the flooring. You did a wonderful job of carrying the pattern all throughout the house. I'll bet it was difficult to find a pattern and style that you liked and felt could live with in ever single room! Also, I too have laundry room envy! Your washer/dryer set is awesome! Do you like them? I need to buy new appliances if I end up getting this house. Great~ WTG on your shopping adventure! So glad that you are doing well. Sorry that you had to put up with some negative attitudes for awhile, but it sounds like you are getting back to your good ole positive self! Julie~ Geez! It always seems like there is something going on! Sorry about your pain. Hopefully that can get figured out asap. Eva~ Your tile work is just fab! I love it! Basements here are really common. It's almost uncommon if you don't have one. While looking for a house one of my criteria was that it MUST have a basement. I plan on building a salon down there so while I go to PA school I can earn some extra money at home. Speaking of house! Well, I looked at some other houses last weekend because I am really leary about this short sale business. I'm so impatient and there is no certainity in the situation. So, Monday I found a house that I liked just as well and put an offer in on it on Tuesday morning. It is a foreclosure, but while speaking with the man that lives next door, he informed me that the people were going through a nasty divorce and they just left. It is a really nice house for a great price. It's smallish, but perfect for a starter home! Anyhow, I submitted my offer Tuesday morning and they came back saying that they had gotten another offer and for me to submit my highest and best terms. So I did, and now its a waiting game. I offered quite a bit more because I really want this house! According to my purchase agreement they are supposed to let me know whether or not they accept it by Tuesday. Please cross your fingers for me! If everything goes according to plan, I will be a homeowner by the end of November! God, I hope this works out! Sorry I'm rambling, I'm just so nervous. Anyhow, I am leaving for California on Thursday morning. I'm excited to see my sister and the doggies! But, I'm really nervous about flying. I haven't flown in about 5 years or so. What is the weather going to be like in Huntington Beach? What the heck do I bring to wear? I have no clue! The closest that I have been to Cali is Las Vegas, and that was in the middle of the summer several years ago! EEEK! So much going on! I"m a little overwhelmed, can you tell? Ok, well, hope everyone else is doing well. Sorry that I didn't respond to everyone, I will post more when I have more time! Night! Meredith

Hello gals. Ive have an extremely crappy day. I know it could have been worse, but you know how it goes some times. I just wanted to check in and say hi and let all of you know that I've been reading all of your posts. Also, prepare yourselves...... the dead car battery bandit hit me today as well! It's back! Thats just the tip of the iceberg. More about my issues tomorrow and comments to all of you. Just two real quick.... Happy belated birthday Julie!!!!!!!!!!!!! Laura~ Hang in there. Your family is so lucky to have you. Hugs. Ok, Nite! ~Meredith

Hello girls! Wow! I have been away from this site for almost 4 days!!! Unbelievable! I have been so busy working at getting the bank to move on this house (short sales are nightmares) and accept my offer. I have also been looking at other houses in the meantime just in case this doesn't work out in my favor. I have looked at about 20 other houses this weekend and I am not at all interested in any of them in the least. I LOVE the house that I put my offer in on and want that one ONLY!!!! Also, work has been absolutely crazy busy which is always a good thing! So really, thats about it here on my end. Laura~ I am so sorry to hear about your dad. When I read your posts today, tears were streaming down my face. I just cannot even imagine how you are feeling right now and I am so sorry that you have to go through this. Just know that all of us are here for you no matter what. Apples~ Damn girl!!!! You are beautiful! You look just amazing! Too funny about the maternity clothes. I repeat, I WAS NOT buying them for myself! No kiddies for me, and my stomach has gotten so much flatter now that I've lost this 55 lbs! Thank goodness, because at the rate I was going at before surgery, I would have needed to start wearing them without being pregnant. My belly was getting just HUGE! Sick. Anyhow, I too love your kitchen. Too cute! Also, have we decided on anything for our trip? I know that Laura has her mind on other things, so if you want me to help also I will. One of my clients is going to be renting a house in Orlando for the whole month of February also and she is getting a great deal. She said that she would give me all the info about it if we wanted it. Just let me know what I can do. Janet~ My sister bought me a ticket to go to California for the last weekend of this month. I will be arriving in Orange County on Thursday and flying home on Tuesday. She is going to the Marine Ball on Monday night, so if you want to meet up for dinner that night that would be cool. I know that you are working and I forgot how far away it is from you. Just let me know what works for you. Any day would work really, but I just thought that since she would be out for the evening Monday might work out. Great~ You poor thing. Don't let your mom and sisters make you feel bad about anything. I too am very sensitive and the way that they are behaving and the things that they are saying would make me pretty upset too. Have you just told them "Look, I've just had major surgery and I need to heal and not listen to your opinions right now!" Maybe they need to be knocked into shape and realize that their behavior is just unacceptable. I hope that I am not out of line with saying this, but I think that you are a wonderful person and I hate to see you be treated like this. BUT.... I am really happy that you got to go with your DD to look at dresses and stuff for her wedding. You have such an exciting year ahead! Phyll~ Keep truckin! :thumbup: And, your grandchildren are so lucky to have grandparents like you and DH. My grandparents were like the two of you and I have memories of them from when I was little that I will cherish forever. Oct~ Andrews dad has his "homebase" near Sedona. That is where their house was before they decided to sell everything and become "drifters". Andrew also lived there for several years a few years back. From what I hear, and from what I have seen, that area is just beautiful! Linda~ Was it you that was asking about my exercise classes? Well, if it was, I must say that I just LOVE them !!!!! This week we are doing step aerobics! YAY! Sorry that I didn't type to everyone. I have to wash my hair color off now. I don't know why I just don't do this at work? UGH. What a mess. Night night! ~Meredith

Hello everyone. I'm sorry that I have been so scarce on here lately. I've been reading every night, but I just haven't had the energy to post. So, just a little bit tonight before I go to bed. I'm finally feeling better from the cold/flu business. I think that what really helped was me trying on a pair of size 16 calvin klein jeans that I haven't worn in 4 years. They fit!!! So, yesterday I decided that I needed a break from school, so I skipped and also (like apples) went to the 2nd hand stores. I bought a pair of nine west size 16 jeans and some maternity clothes for my best friend. Then I went to another store and got pajama pants (so soft!) and a wild purple bedside style table for 14 dollars! Then off to the antique store, got something for my mom. She collects scottie dogs. And I got this weird glass head thing for myself. I then went to my other besties work and chatted with her for awhile. It was ice to do whatever I wanted! Anyhow, Laura..... wow! i'm so sorry that you are going through all of this. I am so sad for you. It is true what all of the gals are saying, we all love you so much and we are all here for you. Apples~ yay for our shopping! You talked about my schedule?!?!? Girlfriend, your schedule is bonkers ALL of the time! I just still don't know how you do it! Also, go ahead and post some pics! I would love to see ya! Janet~ Poor kitties. I hope that they will be adopted. I am one that gets quite attached too! Oct~ I love black labs! My sister has one, and he is beautiful! Well, he is a mutt, but he is mostly black lab, and he is such a lover. I miss him so much since she has taken him to cali! I think that she is flying them back for thanksgiving and leaving them here until december. i sure hope so! he has his troubles too, epileptic. he has to be drugged for the rest of his life too. Great~ you are doing awesome! hopefully that pain is just what phyl said that it was. it totally makes sense. Phyll~ Safe travels to you!!! I so wish that I could travel all around like that! My boyfriends dad and his "lady friend" sold their home and most of their replaceable posessions and bought a fifth wheel. They have been traveling all over the country for the last 2 years and have made arizona their home base. They even came here last summer! the stories and photos from their travels are amazing. Hopefully when andrew and I retire we can do the same thing! Ok, sorry if i missed anyone. it wasn't on purpose. i am just so tired and am now going to bed. I have class really early in the morning, and then have work from 12 until 8. Then I am supposed to be taking my friend who just got home from his Pacific Coast Trail hike from Mexico to canada along the ocean and through the mountains, to dinner. Thats about it. Love you all! Meredith

Im here girls. I've been pretty sick with some cold/flu business. Not cute. So, today I just decided to stay home and relax. I'm getting pretty stressed out with school and everything that is going on... house, sister gone, school, busy work. But, these are not the worst things to deal with. I know that many of you are dealing with much more serious stressors in life, so, sorry that I've just complained. I just had to vent a little bit. Janet~ Holy crap! I would be totally freaked out about the intruder! You sound like you are taking care of matters though. Phyl and Great~ You two with your new knees are going to be able to run circles around everyone else pretty soon! Geez! Keep up the good work! Laura~ Still praying for your fam and esp your daddy. How is the SIL and nephew visit going? Apples~ Will you come over and do my laundry? I have so much of it and don't feel like doing it at all. Ick. Dishes and laundry. The two worst chores! Ok, i'm gonna take a nap now. More later. ~Meredith