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Hi everyone. I spent most of today at my Dad's waiting for the furnace repairman. We had to wait about 5 hours because it was a holiday and they had limited staff today. He got it fixed. I have spent the last hour or so warming up. I had Dad with two blankets and a heating pad. DH is cooking dinner now. We are having fish and fried rice. I am so lucky, he is such a good cook. I like his fried rice better than the chinese restraurant. Cheri, I wish I could have gone out today. Sorry, I have so much to take care of these days. I could use a day out too. I hope we can meet soon. Midway airport is closer to Cheri's but O'hare has the most flights and Airlines companies. I can do some driving when you are here. I have a small car, Mini Cooper, but DH has a cru(sp?) cab truck that would fit 5 nicely. Michigan City is the outlet mall closest to Cheri - it sounds like everyone is interested in shopping. It is a nice mall. Tina, Cheri and Janet gave you some good advice. It is up to you what to do with it. I hope you stay the road of self improvement. I think weight loss would go a long way to help with some self assurance. Weight loss will not fix everything, many of us can attest to that, but it will make you feel better both physically and mentally. It is a great place to start.

I hope everyone had a safe and happy NYE. LauraK, how did it go? Wishing you the best night ever. One of the hazards of going to bed early on NYE is waking up early on NYD. There is nobody around except my faithful sidekick Charlie (my lab). He is keeping my feet warm while I post. I wanted to put the recipe out here for the drink I had last night. It taste like a thin mint girl scout cookie - only better. Dirty Girl Scout Martini 4 oz Svedka Vodka 4 oz Godiva chocolate Liqueur 1 oz Peppermint Schnapps Warning - there is 771 calories in this recipe and takes a little over 2 hours of biking to burn it off. I am going to hit the exercise bike right now for hour number 2. I did an hour yesterday.

Happy New Year to all! DH just mixed me a Dirty Girl Scout Martini. It is so good, it taste like a frozen girl scout cookie. Yes, I budgeted (and biked) for it just in case anybody thought I was being bad. Chances are I will be a sleep within an hour because I don't drink often and when I do "look out"! That's ok with DH though because he has been called out (he is a fireman/emt) every New Years Eve, just after midnight, for the last 19 years that he has been on the department. Unfortunately, too many people drink and drive. That's why we stay home. We would rather go out on a non holiday. Have a great night!

WOW, it wold be awesome to meet everyone here in Chicago! Any time works for me. Crazy thunder storms this morning. They were really loud and woke me up. One good thing though, with the warmer temperatures and all of the rain, the snow is almost gone.

Cheri, I work at the Water Reclamation District. It is pretty well camouflaged. If you look on the north side of 130th you will see an access road across the street from Rosebud. There is a small, inconspicuous sign that says Metropolitan Water Reclamation District. If you follow that road back behind the berms and trees there is a rather large sewage treatment plant. I am the assistant lab manager there. I have worked for the District for 19 years and have spent 13 of those years at the Calumet Plant on 130th street. Thank you for the information on the retirement village. I don’t think my Dad will be interested but I figure I will try anyway. Heck, you made it sound so good I want to sign up. I like Janet’s idea of all of us going to the same retirement village but somewhere warm. I have lived in the Chicago area all of my life and I can tell you I have gotten tired of our winters. Some place warm sounds wonderful! I hope you enjoyed your day. Like I said, when my life slows down a bit we can get together for some kind of fun outing. We saw the doctor today and they took x-rays. The doctor said it was healing well for a man of his age (85) and he will start physical therapy next week. I have my fingers crossed on his recovery. I know he wants to stay in his house and hope to be able to let him stay. Time will tell. Janet, I had a flash back when I read your post about how it felt to try to clean house before your weight loss. I am still amazed at the increase in energy level. Before I would be exhausted from grocery shopping and need a nap. Nap is no longer in my vocabulary. The exercise has also made a huge difference. I truly feel great now and so strong. I am so grateful for this change and appreciate this second change and how much fun I am having. It is sad to say but when I was heavy there was very little fun in my life. LauraK, you must like this one if you are underwear shopping. You go girl! I hope you have a spectacular night. All this talk about skin makes me want to share. I have loose skin and have grown to love spanx. It holds it all in place and keeps it from taking on a life of its own. It is a must for exercising. If I try to run without it my skin flaps from side to side and feels awful. I am planning on a tummy tuck this summer or fall. It depends on when my slush fund has enough slush. I have been saving as I do not want to take a loan for it. I hope everyone has a wonderful New Year!

Cheri, after I get my Dad back on his feet, and I have a little more free time, I would love to get together for some fun. I work about 10 minutes from you. I am at 130th between Indiana and the Bishop Ford.

Happy Birthday Cheri!!! I love your closing statement about living and laughing yourself thin. I think I will make it my new mantra. Have a great day! If you have a chance would you send me the name of the retirement village you visited? If you don't feel comfortable posting it you could send a private message. It sounds like a great place. I don't think my Dad could afford it but I would like to look into it.

Thanks everyone for the kind words and suggestions. It really does help and I am listening. Linda, I think you are right when you said he doesn’t realize how tired I am. I don’t let him see it. I will keep it up for a couple of more weeks and give him a chance to bounce back. After that, if things aren’t better, we will have to get some help. Thanks for your encouragement. If that time comes I agree with the advice Apples gave me. It may be received better if the suggestion comes from outside the family. He is very stubborn and he wont’ spend a penny on anything that isn’t absolutely necessary. He just needs to see this is necessary. I am feeling a little more rested tonight. I left work at 1pm. I was headed home to take a nap. My father’s friend called me while I was on my way home to tell me that she was going to be bringing my Dad dinner tonight and we could take the night off if we wanted. I thought, is she kidding?!!!!! Of course I want the night off. I got home and took a long nap and woke to find DH making dinner. Gosh, he is a good cook. He made some type of spaghetti with sardines and fennel bulb. I had never had it before but it was wonderful. The recipe called for fresh sardines. I didn’t even know they sold fresh sardines. LOL. I thought they only came in a can. I love to try new recipes. Some are flops but some, like this one, are so good. Also, it was a treat to have dinner with just the two of us. I saw on facebook that Meredith’s dog was found. Yeh!!! Phyl, I don’t know where you are running to but “can I come too?” How about Hawaii? Happy 800 pages!

Congratulations Jessica! You have accomplished so many goals this year. 2010 was a great year for you and I would be willing to bet that 2011 will be even better. WTG! Cheri, It sounds like you and I are in very similar “parent situations” right now. I haven’t posted much in the last couple of weeks because I have had some very long days taking care of my Dad and trying to carry on my own life. I leave the house for work at 5:45 and don’t get home until 7 or 7:30. I am tired, as I know you are. I would be interested to know what you and your Mom think about the senior living place after your visit. I think that assisted living is the way to go for my Dad. Unfortunately, he does not. I have had him for dinner every night since my Mom passed 8 years ago and that has not been to hard on me or my family. I figure, what the heck, we have to eat dinner anyway so what is one more? Now that he is stuck at home, providing dinner for him and getting him cleaned up each day has been draining. I suggested hiring some help for a couple of hours a day but he refused. I will give him a few more weeks and hopefully he will regain enough movement to go back to a more normal lifestyle. If he isn’t able to make a good recovery and regain some independence I will have to insist. I can’t keep this up long term. I truly don’t want to go there so my fingers are crossed. Apples, wishing you sweet dreams tonight. LauraK, I can’t wait to hear about NYE. Wishing you the best time! Great, I wash my lab on the back porch during summer. I run a hose from the laundry tub so he has warm Water. During the winter I take him to Petco. They do a great job and only charge $31.00. I have tried to wash him in the tub but I end up with a terrible back ache. It just isn’t worth it. Tina, good luck with your appointment! You mentioned that you can’t wait to start your new life. Girl, you have already started! Congratulation, keep it up.

Merry Christmas! I hope you all enjoy your holiday!

Lori - Praying all is well this morning.

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If I could eliminate one thing from the world it would be cancer. I hope and pray that I will see it in my lifetime. Such a devastating illness. Thanks for the idea of the day. It is good to get us thinking.

Apples (((Huggs))) on DH being ok. I hope you get over the crud soon. When you feel bad think about hubby being ok and that will put a smile on your face.

Charlene - Happy Anniversary! Apples - Prayers for you and for DH Joyce - I hope the knee is ok and doesn't require more surgery Hugs to everyone. I am heading to bed early tonight. Just plain tired. My trainer kicked my butt tonight. She is such a little cutie. She made a framed certificate for me which says that I was her most improved client for the year 2010. I really have come a long way.

I had another wonderful morning! After I got my ME ME ME day, we decided that our dog, Charlie, needed a day too. With so much attention going to my Dad lately, Charlie has been left alone quite a lot. Dh and I got dressed for the cold, it was 19 degrees here, and took Charlie to the forest preserve for a one hour walk. He was so excited and happy to just run around that it made Dh and I giggle. That dog brings so much joy to my life. Charlene, you had me giggling too. I have been on a vacation of sorts. My Dad broke his arm about 10 days ago and has required a lot of help. He is 85 and he broke his right arm so his ability to do for himself has been limited. I live a block away from him so most of the help for him has come from DH and I. My sister lives about an hour away so stopping by after work is not easily done. Any way, my vacation started yesterday morning as my sister came to take care of Dad so we could go out. I took full advantage of the situation and crammed about 3 dates worth of activities into one day. LOL, it was wonderful. The vacation continued this morning when we took the dog for a long winter walk. My vacation is almost over as I have Dad duties at dinner. I am glad I have this weekend to get me through the week ahead. Apples and Cheri I totally agree with the individual posting responses. This thread is very active and it is difficult to remember everything and everybody when you go to post. Heck, after two days it just isn't possible to respond to everyone. I hope everyone takes it for what it is and don't take offence since none is intended. I can't answer the grandma question as, unfortunately, I am not a grandma yet. I think I would like "grandma Sandy" when the time comes. Well, I am off to make chicken Soup for dinner tonight. The walk in the cold has me wanting some so I better go and get busy.

I had the most wonderful day today. My sister came to stay with Dad so my DH and I could go out. We started out with our friends at the matinee of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s Christmas show. It was outstanding and had me filled with Christmas cheer. Then we walked to a nearby restaurant for lunch. We sat for almost 3 hours over several courses and just talked and laughed (and had a couple of martinis). Next we walked to Daley Plaza and walked around the Kris Kringle market where I bought a couple of beautiful hand blown ornaments from Germany. We walked back to the parking garage by Symphony Hall and got the car and drove to Lincoln Park Zoo to walk around and see the lights and enjoy a hot chocolate. Wonderful day. I just had to share. I believe this will be my Christmas day in my heart even though it is not the right day. It was a perfect holiday with my husband. I am so grateful for him and for all of you.

Hi girls and Tx. Just a quick note to say hi. I have been reading all the posts but just not enough time and energy to reply to all. Sorry. Hopefully, things will get a little better each week with my Dad and that will take a lot of stress off of me and my time. Joyce, glad to see you posting. I have missed your posts. Tx, where are you? LauraK any updates on the dating front? Cheri, you just seem to have it all together all of the time. OK, got to run and take dinner to Dad's house. Also a chair for the shower I ordered. It still needs to be put together but that shouldn't be too hard. Hopefully, that will make it possible to get him into the shower. Washing up just isn't the same as a shower. Bye-------

Cheri, you have such a way with words and accurately described what we are both going through. Our situations are very similar. I just don’t have the same skill with words that you have. It is a very difficult situation to balance everyone’s wants and needs. Like you, I still need to work. Family and work structures have changed since we were kids and because of that women are no longer house wives able to take care of family when needed. My mother in law lived in assisted living before she passed and loved it. But she was a very social person and thoroughly enjoyed all of the company and activities assisted living had to offer. My Dad, on the other hand has never been a very social person. He keeps to himself and his family. He won’t even discuss assisted living. I am sure we will get through all of this with time and patience. We will work it out somehow. We did have a very nice evening going out with our daughter and meeting her boyfriend. He is a very nice man and hope things work out for them. So cute to see them together. She just glowed around him. Jessica, I understand your excitement completely. I also just started running this year and still cannot believe I actually can do it. It amazes me how physically strong I have become. I still can’t believe I can run a 5K. Our times are close, my best was 44 minutes. I am sure we will both improve. Heck, what am I saying! Girl, we can run 3.1 miles! Who cares how long it takes; we can do it!!!! Apples, remote starts are the best, especially when you live in a cold climate like we do. I never use mine in the summer, but it sure gets a workout in the winter. I hope things sort themselves out with your father in law. I don't look forward to any of this but we have to face things and move forward. Charlene, I understand the Christmas thing. Our families are so fortunate and thus rather spoiled. We have cut back quite a bit on buying for family and instead buy for kids who don’t have anything. We have found this is what “makes” Christmas for us. I wrapped all of the gifts today any DH will deliver them tomorrow to the school that will distribute them. So sad. One 3rd grade boy asked for jeans and a v neck shirt. I just can’t imagine a 9 year old asking for clothes. So glad we could help. Thanks again for letting me put my problems out there and for all of the feedback. It helps to sort things out and to put it in perspective when you can talk about it with others.

Thanks to all for the ideas and support. My sister picked Dad up last night to stay by her until tomorrow night so I have a break. She has offered before but he never wants to go because it involves staying overnight. He always wants to come home. He had no choice last night as the electric went out which means no heat and it has been in the upper 20s here. Mine was out too so I couldn't bring him here. The electric is back on now. Maybe after going out of his comfort zone he won't be so stubborn next time. Anyway, thank you for all of the ideas. I agree that it is time for some outside help. Like I said before, he is quite stubborn and doesn't want any. I will give it a few more days and then reevaluate the situation. If he can go back to handling things like he did before the break then we will keep the status quo which is him staying in his house (1 block from me) and coming to my house daily for dinner. This arrangement has worked well since my Mom passed and hopefully can resume. I tried to get him to give up the house this last spring and he agreed. My sister and I had cleaned it from top to bottom in preparation of putting it on the market. I told him the real estate was coming to give him an appraisal. He said he didn't want to sell after all. He absolutely will not consider assisted living. I am trying to let him live as he chooses but I will have to step in if it is no longer safe. Time will tell how this will work out. Maybe if I can find someone to come in for a couple of hours a day it will satisfy what he needs while keeping what he wants. In the mean time, I will enjoy my two days off. We are taking our daughter shopping later this afternoon to pick out some boots she wants for Christmas and then out to dinner with her and her new boyfriend. She says it is serious. This is the first time we will be meeting him. I guess that doesn't sound right that we haven't met our daughter's boyfriend. What I failed to mention is she is my step daughter and lives with her mother so we don't always get to meet the friends. It should be a nice way to spend the afternoon and evening.

Jessica, congratulations! Awesome job. Think back a year would you, in your wildest dreams, thought you would run a 5K? That is such a huge accomplishment. I haven't posted in a few days. I have been very busy physically and emotionally. I got a call at work on Thursday that my 85 year old Dad had fallen and was being taken to the hospital. Well, the good news is, even though he broke his arm, the break does not require surgery. They sent him home with a sling and vicodin. It has been an emotional time for me. It is difficult watching a parent become helpless. I know, I know, it is just a broken arm. Unfortunately, he isn't acting like it is just a broken arm. He is acting like he had major surgery. Granted he is 85 and in a lot of pain. The bruising is just starting to come to the surface. I am just torn. Yesterday he was able to get himself up from the chair and the couch, which he hadn't done since the break, so he is making progress in his independence. He has been independent until this point and I hope he can regain that independence. He has lived by himself and has fought giving up the house. He won't hear of assisted living and he doesn't want to come live with me. The doctor says it will be 3 weeks until physical therapy can start and 6 weeks before the bone heals. What I am struggling with is where to find a person to come by in the daytime to give him a hand and whether or not he will even accept having someone come in. I guess we will just have to sit him down and talk to him. I can stay home from work a little longer but I, like all working people, can't stay home forever. Has anyone been through this? Where do I start to look for day care help? I apologize for unloading on all of you. I am just not sure what to do.

I am getting sick of winter and it just started. LOL, such a whiner but really 4 days straight of <20 degrees? And a snow storm on the way, I hate to say it but another of my mothers sayings are starting to ring true to me - "As you get older you just don't deal with the cold well." (((Hugs Cherri)))

Jessica, good luck on your big day. I know you can do it, because you have worked so hard. A few words of advice, if I may, rest on Friday (no exercise), eat a good dinner and have a small breakfast at least one hour before the race. Also drink a bottle of Water on your way to the race to keep yourself hydrated. Have a bottle of water and a snack, such as a banana or bagel, after the race too. Don't forget to stretch after the race so you don't get soar. HaHa, who would have thought that running had so many dos and don'ts. Oh yeah, take a camera and have someone take a picture of you after the race. You will treasure it. I just did my first 5K in September and this was the advice my trainer gave me so I thought I would pass it along to you. Oh yeah, start slow and finish strong. Sometimes when you start a race you get caught up in the excitement of all the other runners and you run faster than you can maintain. Try to maintain your normal pace until you see the finish line and then RUN LIKE CRAZY!!! I hope seeing you in this race inspires your Dad. I know you would like to try to force him into it but only he can make that decision. All I can say is – keep doing what you are doing and hopefully he will see the light bulb go off. Phyl – You go girl. And Zoey too. I'll bet you both slept soundly after that walk! Charlene, sorry about your friend. It is so hard to watch someone you care about not take care of themselves. I look at my sister and it breaks my heart. I don't know how much she weighs but it has to be the upper 200 and I worry about her health. She has lupus and bad knees so losing weight would not only help these but would help to prevent the onset of diabetes which runs so strong in our family. All we can so is support them and hope their ah ha moment comes soon. I am going to go dig my car out of the snow and go to the gym to give swimming a try. I haven't swam in years but I think its like riding a bike – you never forget. My gym is having an indoor triathlon in March and, oh my gosh, I think I will give it a go. You have to ride a bike for 20 minutes, run for 15 minutes and swim for 10 minutes. Your score is based on distance. No, I am not delusional, I know I will finish near the bottom of the pack but I will finish. Finishing after where I have been is so hugh!

Charlene, I am still running however, because of the cold weather I am running indoors. My new goal is to run a 10K in May. Until the weather gets better or any day that is over 32 degrees I will be indoors trying new things. I thought the TRX would be different enough to give me the change of pace I need. One thing I have noticed about exercising is that you need to change it up every now and then. Are you still walking? Joyce, way to go on the Water aerobics. I love water aerobics. I am always so tired (but a good tired) after class. Jodi, thanks for the encouragement on the TRX class. It doesn't start until January so my trainer said she will take me into the room during one of my sessions and teach me the exercises before the class starts. That way I won't feel so intimidated. I have watched some of the classes and they do look a bit scary but it is time to step it up a bit. Oh boy, here I go. Your description of your holidays takes me back to when I was little. My girlfriend who lived across the street was Jewish and I always loved the parties and holiday at her house. I really didn't understand what was going on at the time. All I knew is that they had the best parties and that I LOVED chopped liver on matzo. Her mother would shape the chopped liver in the shape of a chicken. Happy memory. Go get 'em Phyl!!! I hope you got the Starbucks thing straightened out. Is that golf cart charged up yet? Have you worked out Zoey's place in the cart?

Kelly...wish we were neighbors...I would absolutely love to go on walks a couple of times a day with you. It's so bitter cold here that there is no going out to walk or ride bike. I have a nice treadmill but just not the same and have a hard time forcing myself to walk on it. In a month we will be in warmer weather and plan on working off some of this stress with walking. If I bundled up, I could walk but we have so much ice under the snow that it's not worth a fall. Apples, I am the same way. Maybe try putting your treadmill right in front of the picture window. I find if I can daydream out the window the treadmill becomes easier for me. I know, I know, it isn’t very attractive to have a big old clunky treadmill in the frontroom but who cares? Remember, it’s all about you. Your girls night out sounds wonderful! Don’t forget your swimming suits – the hot tub is wonderful this time of year. I am doing great. I haven’t posted much lately because I have been really busy Christmas shopping and going to exercise. I have the shopping almost done. We still have some kids to buy for from the letters to Santa program out local paper runs. My husband gets such a thrill from this. I enjoy it too but it has special meaning for him because when he was a child he received presents through the church and sadly, those were the only presents he received. His family was very poor. Believe it or not, this program makes his Christmas! He even buys extra presents to take to the school just in case a child does not have their letter answered. It warms my heart to see this side of DH. Exercise has been going well. I have worked with my trainer 2X a week since April and I can’t believe the difference it has made in me. I can’t believe how weak and out of shape I had become. I am so grateful for the trainer I have. I feel like she has given me a new life. What am I saying, she has given me a new life. The little things amaze me and make me happy. For instance, I went to Sam’s club to get dog food yesterday and I was able to pick up the bag and put it in the car without asking for help. It has been many years since I could do that. Silly, I know, but it thrilled me. I am going to start TRX classes. My trainer teaches them at our gym and she told me yesterday that the classes were hard but I was ready for them. Who would have ever thought I would be taking “hard” classes. I have to think of a good Christmas gift for this girl.