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Hi Laura, nice to see you. I thought you had a very quiet 4th planned. Is DH on call for the holiday? Cheri...you are doing very nice and interesting writing on the thread lately. It's a good thing. Joyce, Glad you had a nice visit with your friends. So enjoyable to renew a friendship even briefly. Charlene, don't float away...I can't believe how much rain you are getting. Hope you are feeling okay during all of this. Linda, Yep, it's nice not to have to go anywhere for fireworks. Junibug...congratulations on taking that step in getting your life under control. There is lots of support here usually, however, our thread mistresses are all on vacation this weekend and posting will be very quiet. Hang in there and when everyone gets back, you'll see an explosion of posts. Lori, wow, new furniture, cool. I bought my first new couch and matching chair about 5 years ago. I was thrilled with it....now not so much. The fabric is ripping at the cushions and we aren't even that hard on it. The cat has done a numbe on it too, but that's my issue not the couches. Also the foam has collapsed much quicker than I expected. So some day, I'll end up either recovering this one and replacing the foam, or getting rid of it and buying something else. I love the big 1 1/2 chair that goes with it, but it too is starting to fail. Julie, how's it going? Okay I know I've missed someone...hope you are all having a great weekend. I went shopping at my sisters. She left a bunch of stuff that she wanted to get rid of and I just couldn't deal with it before, so I went there today. A lot of it is going to the food bank but now I have so much stuff I have to clean out the pantry to figure out where to put stuff. She had almost a case of evaporated milk. She is lactose intolerant...so what's with the evaporated milk? She has tons of pasta and I don't eat much of that, so it's going to the food bank. Projects and more projects...they never seem to end which is a good thing. As several other people have posted, as long as I'm busy with projects, I'm not eating. Okay....off to do some projects and cooking for tomorrow. CBL Eva

Yeah it's Friday....and yes, I'm looking forward to having another long weekend. Trying to get through my breakfast before I leave for work (mostly I eat after I get to work) but since I have field work this morning and will be out for a couple of hours, I thought it wiser to eat now. It's hard in the morning...things don't go down very easily. Off to the labor mill....hope everyone has a good day. Eva

Cheri, very interesting story about your Dad. What a great life....I would have to agree about the supermarkets and such may not be such an improvement. I can't remember a bad 4th of July....but I've had many fun ones. I have a party almost every year because you can see fireworks all over town from my house. I've been to Creed, CO for their fireworks and in the park in Colorado Spring, at the base of A Mountain in Tucson with really loud rock music....think I prefer being home and watching from here. Great, your GM isn't the only one obsessing about the stuff moving through her body. I can see how that happens as you get older because there are tales of how the older people get blockages and end up in the hospital. Jeff's great aunt had that happen to her, it was pretty traumatic. Glad you had a good visit with her. Julie, so sorry about the potty business but that should soon be over. I might wait on the rug too, especially if that little issue continues for a while. Joyce, the massage sounds nice...our friend in Colorado brought her massage table, but we never took advantage of it...I think we were so busy talking we forgot. Charlene, hope you don't float away or lose power, but geeze with storms like you are having. We'll keep our fingers crossed. Linda, sounds like you'll have a really nice weekend especially if you do get to work on your tan. It sounds like you are excited about your trip. You are going to look fabulous at that wedding. Laura, yep, sounds like you need some kid free time. Even though you love them, you still need a little time to yourself. Hopefully the art camp will work out better than the previous one. I feel so sorry for Nelson's friend, hope he finds a way out of his fear and loss. I figured you will busy with Nelson since we hadn't heard from you regularly. Soon enough Nels won't want to spend time with you so enjoy it while you can. So it looks like we did a pretty good job of junking up the thread today....good job ladies. Now just to keep it up over the holiday weekend. I had a very hard time concentrating on work today. I just couldn't get myself to focus until about an hour before quiting time. I have field work to do in the morning so hopefully it will get me motivated to get stuff done once I get back in the office. It will be very quiet in the office, about 1/2 the people are off including my boss. Yipee!! It's after 10 so I better go to sleep...another early day. Have a great night ladies. Eva

Good morning...just wanted to help junk up the thread....off to work. Ug it's hot today. Later. Eva

Apples, I love the idea...maybe we'll snowbird in your area and then we can do E&K Catered Cuisine. Will anyone pay for such services in that area. Seems you do all the work for functions for free. Kidlehopper, what sort of tips are you looking for? One of the main tips for banding is learning to eat small portions, chewing thoroughly, and waiting between bites. For some of us, it's harder than it sounds. Another thing is to make the correct choices of what you put in your mouth. For me it's getting over my obsession with food. Still haven't done that and am working on it.

Janet, cute...red white and blue nails. Safe and happy travels.

Apples, so where has Charlie ended up? Still thinking of contracting? Phyl, so much fun introducing the cat and the dog. My cat loves my dog, my dog could care less about the cat. We woke up very early this morning and have been busy doing this and that all morning. I am so looking forward to not having to work, then again, I am looking so forward to working out a business for myself so I can earn extra money. I've been looking at classes offered at the community college and I might sign up for 3 or so come next year. I still will probably take one in the fall but there is so much out there that looks interesting. I want to try and take Italian again...did one semester but had to drop the 2nd semester due to work. Started an autoCAD class but dropped that right off because of work. I might take those classes again...as an audited class. Then there is a dreamweaver class which is web design, nutrition class, and of course the real estate class. I do much better with a class because it forces me to do the work. They are chip sealing my street right now...yum love the smell of fresh oil. They were supposed to do it Monday, but I guess they didn't get it done. Okay, be back later if I don't get sucked up into some other project. Eva

Janet...have fun on your Lucky 7 trip. Take pictures! Is Phyl joining you? Apples, have fun on your trip too. I really enjoy road trips...can't wait until I have enough time to mosey along instead of drive drive drive. I bet the dog is really going to love it. I'm taking 1/2 off today....was supposed to be off all day, but I think I'll go in this afternoon and start catch up early. I need to get some stuff done for the 4th of July party, but I'm going to try and control myself and not get too carried away. Okay ladies, we are going to have to make up for Apples and Janet being gone. Keep chatting. Eva

Now for Colorado...the trip has really helped me emotionally. Going back to florence would make me phyically ill. My blood pressure would go up, my stomach clench up and I dreaded being there. Well this time changed all that. I got there Thursday afternoon early enough to see everything. The house is in pretty good shape, but stinks of smoke still. We are airing it out as best we can. I met with a interior decorator on Saturday and she is coordinating with Home Depot and others to pull off all the wall paper and paint those walls, replace the linoleum and carpeting in the upstairs area, and replace very outdated light fixtures in the kitchen and baths. This house has a full basement that was mostly redone 4 years ago so that doesn't need too much attention. There are no holes in the walls or any major damage, just wear and tear and nothing has been done to the house in more than 15 years. It should look very nice when everything is done. On Friday, I went to Colorado Springs a visited the lady that got me started at the phone company. She is retired and has kids my age. She is doing great and it was very nice to visit with her...it had been about 3 years since I'd seen her. Then I went to the German deli. I bought German lunch meats (Westphalian ham and imported smoked liverwurst) plus some other stuff and a sourdough rye bread that I have never been able to find anywhere else. I buy many loaves of bread and freeze it. It's very dense and heavy and I can only eat one slice very slowly, but I love it...especially toasted for Breakfast. I just got the bread and ham frozen. I used the vacuum packer on both of them. It was pretty funny with the first loaf of bread. I divided the loaves up in two or three sections and the first one I tried to vacuum seal sucked all the air out of the package and the bread. The bread is really tough and it did smash it somewhat, but I broke the seal and it sort of came back to it's original shape. So I figured out how to suck out most of the air then stop and seal it. On Saturday four of my high school mates showed up for a camp in the house sleep over. They had to bring their own sleeping bags and chairs, but it was really fun. I was never really friends with most of these women. One person I hung out with and she is the one that connected with the rest of us. It was very interesting to learn about these people and how their lives turn out and how their lives were in school. I had no idea. So they spent the night (I doubt anyone slept very well) and left on Sunday. On Monday, I packed up, visited my Mom and Dad's grave and redid the flowers and left for Tucson. I drove the long way over the mountains through Alamosa and then to Farmington, NM and south to I-40. At Holbrook I took the road south through Showlow, then Globe and down to Tucson. Got home a little before 2am this morning. I'm still a little groggy but it's good to sleep on one's own bed. The house in Colorado is up for sale. If it doesn't sell (there are many places for sale around there), then maybe I will have my snowbird home. I wouldn't mind living there in the summer and gardening. The most amazing thing was no mosquitoes at night. I sat out at dusk in shorts and didn't get one single mosquito bite. My legs have countless scars from bites when I was growing up. I would love to tear into that yard and plant stuff. My Mom had lots of flowers all around the yard and a great little garden hidden in the back. There is a cherry tree that had some cherries, but not too many, and two plum trees with a few plums, and grape vines. I'd take out all the evergreens and plant a couple of apple trees and a peach tree. Lots of possibilities with that property. I guess my demons are resting regarding my Mom/Dad issues. I am finally ready to forgive them and let that awful period rest in peace. I really needed to do that. I have date nite with DH, so I have to go. If I don't check in again, hope everyone has a great night.

Lori, sorry to hear about your daughter's gall bladder. At least you know she'll be in good hands. It's pretty cool you can fly in to see your grandma and help her out for the day. Do you have to rent a car each time? I was in Florence, Colorado. It's about 35 miles south of Colorado Springs. Apples, where are you going for 11 days? We all enjoy your chatter so, don't think you won't be missed. So you are working at a friend's shop? How nice is that, especially if it's close to the lake. Was this a one time thing or will you be doing it regularly? Glad you are coming to LV. Glimmer doesn't like the thunder/fireworks/gunfire either. She wimpers and tries to crawl under my legs. Phyl, love the puppy, she is so cute. Puppies chew so it's good you are working with her to chew the "right" things. We had a horrible time with Glimmer. She ate all of my bedding...holes the size of golf balls in every sheet and blanket. She still licks stuff, but has stopped chewing (of course she is 11 now). Charlene, glad to hear your eye issue isn't anything serious. That's always scary. My "old lady" friend in Colorado has macular degeneration is so worried about going totally blind. She probably won't, but her vision will be serious affected. She is 86 and she is dreading not being able to drive (yes it's scary, she's still driving). Yes, you can get a ride to the airport on Sunday, I'll have my vehicle. Julie, so you might be coming to Vegas too? Wow it looks like most of the members will be able to make it. How cool is that!! That's so funny that you have to barter the tractor show for a Vegas trip. Gee, it would be hard to decide...tractors....uh.....Vegas.....uh....tractors....hmmm...Vegas, how hard would that be to decide. Glad the pain has been managable, that's hopeful. Janet, wow, sounds like you had a really fun weekend. Kids, it sure takes a while for them to get their stuff together doesn't it? Glad Andrew didn't lose anything and all you lost was sleep. So GD is driving, that is a pretty cool...hope all goes well with that. Laura, sorry that the camp didn't work out as well as you had hoped. I think it's great for kids to "get away" during the summer and meet new people and do new stuff. We sent Robbie to a computer camp for a couple of weeks. It was just a day camp, but he really did enjoy it. I just booked a 2 bedroom condo in Vegas so if you make it, you can room with me. Maybe we can talk about the parents then. My parents were depressed too and it's hind site for me because I really didn't understand what was going on with them while it was happening. Glad you are there for your mother and at least she will talk to you. Joyce, yep the heat really is getting to me too. Colorado was warm, but not like it is in Arizona. I can't imagine adding all the extra humidity either. Linda, wow the font you are using is great for tired eyes. Thanks. Sounds like you had a fun weekend with your family. LauraK...your daughter will be just fine in time. It takes a while to get used to a new situation. Sorry about her stuff being held up, that's a bummer, but you can get by for a while sleeping on an air mattress. I slept on a foam pad and therma-rest for the last 4 nights in Colorado. It was good to get back to my bed, but the floor experience wasn't bad. I actually slept okay. How nice of your son to give you the "flower report". That's great! Cheri, Southwest airlines have multiple flights from Chicago Midway to Vegas, both with lay overs somewhere and non-stop. You have to go directly to Southwest's web site because they don't use Travelocity, Expedia, or any of the other travel services. Also, Janet's suggestion to call a travel agent would be good. Jessica, sorry I missed your birthday!! Hope you had a great day. How's the summer vacation going? Hello to anyone else I've missed. I'll be back later to post about Colorado...it was a good trip.

Morning ladies.....haven't read the posts yet, just wanted to let you know I'm back. I drove from Colorado, through the mountains and got back home about 2am this morning. Had to stop outside of Globe and take a little nap in my car. I really wasn't planning on driving the whole thing at once, but once I got going, I just didn't want to stop. I'm paying for it today because I didn't get enough sleep and I have a headache. I'll go back and catch up on the posts later. CBL Eva

Yes Janet...what ever works out the best. I can do my own room too, that way you each have your own room. I'm still working or should be by then.

Desert Rose is my vote. Do you want us to make our own reservations? I'm just about ready. I'm leaving work early tomorrow and heading out. I still have some stuff to load, but it shouldn't be a problem. Lori, I'm going to Colorado. The dog and I will be driving up there. Going to take care of some business with my Mom's house. Ug, I'm tired, can't think...I'll try and check in before I leave. Eva

Laura, What great news about your Dad.....see all of our positive thoughts going his way is helping! I'm very happy for you too! Congrats on the 3 pounds too what a very good way to get positive reinforcement. Great, good luck with that patio pour. Even though it's taking a while, you'll be so happy with it when it's done, sodded, landscaped and all. The dogs will love it too. My dog just loves to roll in the grass. I'm taking her with me for a couple of reasons, but one is the yard is fenced and has grass!! Good going with the gym too!! Phyl, way to go on the 2.5 lbs. You won't be spending all the time on the computer if you do get a puppy...it will keep you busy watching it. The get into all sorts of mischief when they are young. So Linda and LauraK are meeting right now...that is so cool. Can't wait to hear about it. So wow, you posted the pictures before I got finished posting....so cool. Really glad you two got to meet, even if only for a few minutes. Maybe we'll all get to meet in October. Maybe. Hi Jodi, glad you are doing so well in FI. Julie, how are you doing? Catching up from all your parties. Hope you are feeling a little better. I'm really tired again. I seem to run on a bunch of energy and then it runs out and I have to crash. We had another power outage last night and it woke me up and I couldn't get back to sleep. Could be why I'm tired now. Think I'll turn in early and see if I can catch up a bit. Have a great evening. Eva Joyce, a two year old is still pretty rambunctious...but they do start to calm down then (at least some of them do). It's amazing how well they learn how we operate and work themselves right into our lives. Our dog has had to live by herself most of her life since DH and I work. She has a cat to keep her company, but I think the dog keeps the cat company more than the other way around. Glimmer is an inside dog (75 lb lab mix) but is very nice and well behaved. Charlene, you'll get those extra lbs off. Now that you've been off the carbs for so long are you craving them? Or is it just the need for variety? I'm with you and the tummy lift...I doubt I'll ever look as good as Janet (I never was that small) and I don't think the fat lap will ever shrink to nothing...I'm just not built that way. We'll see about the face lift....maybe, but the tummy will have to go. Apples, welcome back, glad you had such a good time. The teeth are dramatic. with the closeup, it's easy to see why you wanted to go through this. You are brave lady to do it without the meds. I might go through it too, but I'd be on meds for sure. You will have an absolutely stunning smile when it's over. Cheri, Dr Weil supports the anti-inflammatory diet and it's your basic eat lots of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, less red meat...pretty much the same stuff we are supposed to be eating. There is some research about plants belonging to the night shade family such as tomatoes, potatoes, and eggplant contributing to inflammation but I don't think it's anything conclusive yet. Janet, where are you meeting your lucky 7's? You'll be leaving when I'm coming back. As for PS, you really don't need it...you look great as you are...but if you really felt you needed it, then you know we would all support you.

Beef is the one meat I have always been able to eat...really haven't PB's on it like I do chicken. Of course the natural, no hormone, no antibiotic meat is what I'm striving for, but haven't got to that place yet. Still trying to clear out my freezer. Party was good, we left around 10:30 and slept in this morning. Met our new neighbor and "shared" houses. He is just starting to fix up his place. Now I'm finishing up chores and still packing and organizing. Have to take everything but the kitchen sink you know. I'll check in again later. Eva

JOYCE--CONGRATS ON ONEDERLAND!!! Janet, good for you going to the gym! Back to projects ee

Sorry Phyl, everyone is busy with vacations, parties, kids, life. It seems the days I want to sit and read and respond, there aren't many people around, then the days I'm overwhelmed there are tons of posts. So what are you up to today? I'm cooking for a party, packing my stuff for my trip, doing laundry, putting up a new shelf in the closet, etc. Never a dull moment. eva

I'm a no go on Labor day too....don't have that weekend scheduled off and other people have it. I'm in for October 1st. It's a great time to be in Vegas. Should have fabulous weather...even pool weather...unlike freezing Florida this year. Busy busy day today and another one for tomorrow. I'll try and check in later. Eva

The place in Vegas is called the Desert Rose Resort and it comes up under Shell Vacations when you do a search on it. You can have your own room and unit Janet. I'll try calling them and see what they say. ee

Speaking of Vegas....do you all want to stay in a casino? Or would you consider alternatives? There is a hotel 1 block from the strip, south of the MGM and east of the Tropicana....room rates seem reasonable and it's a suite type place with living room, kitchenette, and bedroom. Some of them have 2 bedroom. It's sort of what we did in Florida. It would be a good place to sit and talk after a busy day of gambling and walking. Just putting it out there. ee

Evening ladies....for as tired as I was yesterday, I didn't work too hard today. Took my sis to the airport and went to Mescal to pick up my camping box. Went back to work and could not focus on anything, then DH called and we went to Ultimate electronics and listened to speakers. Ours are failing. Anyway, we saw a 55" TV that was $6,300.00. I couldn't imagine a TV being that expensive, but oh my, what a picture...it was truly amazing. I can't afford a $6,300.00 TV, but I hope that technology gets really popular and the price comes down. I've never seen a picture that clean, clear, and defined on any screen. It was a Samsung and one of the ratio's was 6million to 1 where most TV's are less than 1/2 of that...hence the great picture. Jessica...it is hard in between semesters...is there something you can find to do that can keep you interested until school starts again? Maybe find out what your books are for next semester and start reading ahead? Linda, I think I stayed in the Riviera a few years ago, before it was renovated and it was pretty nice then. The Tropicana is a dump at least as far as the rooms go. It is cheap however. Excaliber is too much like Circus Circus, but I haven't heard anything about the rooms. All the casinos are linked these days. You can walk from the Luxor to Ceasars and beyond (towards downtown) They have it set up so you walk over the streets and then there is shopping between the casinos in these long malls. You can walk for miles without going outside. I haven't stayed at New York New York either. I'll look into some of it too. Lori, wow already a little weather excitement. Glad you got the concrete issue settled. You'll be up and running before you know it. You could drive to LV if you couldn't get a flight...it's not that far is it? Still a long drive, but doable. I'll probably fly in too...just quicker that way. Laura, travel safe and give your Dad my best wishes. I bet your Dad really enjoys your visits and spending time with Nelson. You drove on this trip right? How did that go? Well I'm going through my camping gear to see what I want to bring on my trip. I have limited room in my Jeep, so I have to be conservative. I'll be "camping" in an empty house, so that should prove to be interesting. We are testing air mattresses right now, to see how they hold air. I'm soaking beans for the party on Saturday and will starting cooking them tonight or tomorrow morning. Made BBQ sauce already and have the pork done and in the freezer. Saturday I'll make the cole slaw, then all should be done. Hope everyone has a great night!! Eva

You guys decide, they're all about the same to me. I just want a quite non-smoking room with a comfortable bed. later ee

fly by ladies....can't read the posts, my eyes are red and tired. My sister leaves tomorrow around noon. I'll take her to the airport and then who knows when we will see her again. I have some very mixed feeling about this but am too busy with work, parties, and travel to deal with it. So when I get a chance to think, I'll work on it. Have a great night. Eva

Never mind....there it is....how weird.

I just had a response typed and it went away....how weird. Hope everyone is having a great night. I'm taking a break tonight and listening to an audio book. Eva