I'm here to help...

[Gwendolyn Smythe 4]

ny sparkle girl - i can only imagine what you are feeling. knowing where cedarhust is, i grew up in bayswater, like to suggest to go down to the ocean and just listen. sit in the sand. and just feel your feelings and everything around you.

that is what i used to do. somehow the sound of the ocean i found soothing, when there were a lot of waves - i would just watch them come rolling in, i liked putting my toes in the sand, etc. hope this helps you. i miss not being able to be by the ocean.

dassi - i would tell her, and then ask her what she would like you to do in the future. even though she said good by, she may still wonder each day what is going on.

instead of a letter can you call her? that way you can be there for her, no matter how she responds.

thank you one and all for your support :w00t::thumbup:

i have to get back to the gym, besides over eating, i am also a major procastinator - for that i give myself :tt2::thumbdown::thumbdown::thumbup::thumbdown:

have an easy day everyone.

gwendolyn smythe

[Gwendolyn Smythe 4]

jbflorida,

we live in the villages part of the year. we are snowflakes. we will be down probably nearly full time the end of september. i am going to have much needed knee replacements.

if there is a support group here, i have not found it yet.

not to sure why, but in the villages, i find some people still in the adolescent stage of life. i did not expect to find that.

hope our paths cross.

gwendolyn smythe

[Apples2 19]

Hey Cutie-P-tooties!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! As you all know, it takes awhile to catch up with posts after being gone for almost a week. I will do my best to say what I want to but am sure I will miss something or somebody. Take no offense, please, if I miss you in my post.

Phyll...when DH my "buffet" table for my new deck at the lake (yes..buffet table), he made two metal signs part of the table....imbedded right into the table. One says "Our dog is not spoiled, we are just well-trained". Other is "Dogs smile with their tails". Oh yeah, he did another one for me "I'd rather be lost at the lake than be found at home".

Just make sure to take a little time for DH once in awhile. LOL

Jodi...so sorry about having to put down you much-loved pet. Happy to hear you will be joining us in Vegas.

Julie....hope you get some news soon on a mayo appt. and some answers to what the heck is going on with you and get some much needed results. Also, happy to hear you are making it to Vegas.

Janet:

Happy Bandiversay to you x 3. You are our fearless leader and I thank you for what I have taken from lessons learned from you. I am more than happy to put you up on a pedestal....you deserve much happiness.

OMG....you new pup is so cute. Those eyes are the ype that just make a person melt. She will have a very happy life with you.

Arlene...you will get this new food regimine figured out. So many of us here to support you in it. Happy you figured out your resting metabolism and can work from what you know can be your daily intake. So many ways to have wonderful tasting food that is not fattening. I cook low fat/low sugar all the time for DH and he does not know the diff.

Hey Eva...can hear the relief in your posts when you talk about retiring....gotta do a job you can love (somewhat at least). Time to do something that is your "passion".

Welcome Newbies...looks like you got some sound advice to your questions. Come back often. That's how we all started. With questions, loved the ppl here and kept coming back for more!

Great...happy you are going to be doing some travelling with DH. Hope you are meeting some new ppl at your gym. Way to go in going most days. Soon you will be not seeing your visits to the gym as a "job".......for "fun" is a better way to think of it.

Laura....thanks for sharing photos and posts of Paris. Just letting you know I am living through you right now cuz not sure if I would get DH to go there. Will need to be one of those GF trips. Safe travels...have fun. I agree with Arlene...Nels has sprouted.

Julie....forgot...Happy Fake Bandiversary to You!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cheri..such a sad story about your school friend. And, thank you for sharing the story of your father. It is tough to see and experience as a daughter. Hang in there.

Hey, Melissa. Hope things are going better at work and good to hear you are "hanging in".

Where's Jessica? I truly miss her posts.

Judy....what some else said....Karma...just sounds like a b__tchy person in a b__tchy state of mind. Like I was saying last week. You just gotta be satified with what you have on your own side of the fence. If not....make the attempt to fix it. Good for you for walking away.

Had a good week and a few busy days with lots of prep to do for our upcoming "breaking in the deck addition" party on Sat. Finally able to find a time that worked. So many activities this summer at the lake...now our turn. DH invited EVERYONE he has come into contact with up there and some from home. I am sure I will see him out by the resort driveway on Sat waving perfect strangers in. Sometimes wonder if he knows what it takes to host something like this. He says I make it look easy and most times it is. But, so much going on this week. I need to just breath and get after it along with a pile of other stuff.

Going to keep the menu simple. Making my homemade BBQ meatballs (10lbs). Picked up sausages from the locker this morning. I grill them and then cut into bite-sized peices (11lbs) and serve them in a Hawaiian/papaya sauce. Making 8 doz deviled eggs (192 halves), chipolte dip, ham/chees dip and a bacon/cheese corn bread. So with that said, I need to step back from the monitor and get my laundry done and some cleaning underway so I am ready to dig in on Friday.

Have a "Sweet 16" party for a neighbor girl (also neighbor at the lake) tonight and long hair appt tomorrow. Talk to you all later.

[Apples2 19]

:tt2:

jbflorida,

we live in the villages part of the year. we are snowflakes. we will be down probably nearly full time the end of september. i am going to have much needed knee replacements.

if there is a support group here, i have not found it yet.

not to sure why, but in the villages, i find some people still in the adolescent stage of life. i did not expect to find that.

hope our paths cross.

gwendolyn smythe

Gwendolyn...we do some winter time in the Ocala Ntl Forest by Salt Springs....not too far from you. We'll see if we travel back to that area again this winter. Maybe can meet for lunch sometime.

[Gwendolyn Smythe 4]

Apple2 - that would be great!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You can get to see what The Villages is like - I jokingly call it the Stepford Village, with Stepford Families.

Looking forward.

Gwendolyn Smythe

[Gwendolyn Smythe 4]

Hello

As a newbie bandit with an inquiring mind wants to know; what is happening in Vegas, and does DH mean Dutiful husband?

Gwendolyn Smythe

Edited July 20, 2010 by Gwendolyn Smythe
spelling error

[Apples2 19]

Apple2 - that would be great!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You can get to see what The Villages is like - I jokingly call it the Stepford Village, with Stepford Families.

Looking forward.

Gwendolyn Smythe

We have been through The Villages. Very nice/very unreal!

[Apples2 19]

Hello

As a newbie bandit with an inquiring mind wants to know; what is happening in Vegas, and does DH mean Dutiful husband?

Gwendolyn Smythe

DH usually means "Dear Husband". Now, at times it has meant "Damned Husband" and a number of other things. We have DD...dear daughter, DS...dear son, GF...girlfriend, etc.

The Vegas thing....a bunch of us are meeting in Vegas in Oct for a get-together. Last meet was in FL in Feb. A wonderful time was had by all. :tt2:

[Gwendolyn Smythe 4]

Hello

Since everyone is sharing what is happening with them, I thought I would share where I am in my journey -

My kid cousin is coming this weekend, and I am planning to ask her to make me blouses in the future. Ones with billowy sleeves, darts in the front and side. My bat wing arms will now be XXL when I reach my goal weight, and want to hide them.

All other sins will be hidden by skirts. Who knows I may be daring and buy slacks. I remember a long time ago, that one of the on line companies made slacks to fit just you.

Then I was thinking, when I was thinner and lived near NYC I knew exactly where to shop to get the best deals, of course that was more than 4 decades ago. I guess I will find more places where we live - another adventure in life.

Funny, I haven't thought about buying clothing with a smile on my face in decades. My new slogan in life will be "Charge it."

In all fairness, I was banded 6 days ago, not living in the now, but looking down the road.

Gwendolyn Smythe

[Apples2 19]

Hello

Since everyone is sharing what is happening with them, I thought I would share where I am in my journey -

My kid cousin is coming this weekend, and I am planning to ask her to make me blouses in the future. Ones with billowy sleeves, darts in the front and side. My bat wing arms will now be XXL when I reach my goal weight, and want to hide them.

All other sins will be hidden by skirts. Who knows I may be daring and buy slacks. I remember a long time ago, that one of the on line companies made slacks to fit just you.

Then I was thinking, when I was thinner and lived near NYC I knew exactly where to shop to get the best deals, of course that was more than 4 decades ago. I guess I will find more places where we live - another adventure in life.

Funny, I haven't thought about buying clothing with a smile on my face in decades. My new slogan in life will be "Charge it."

In all fairness, I was banded 6 days ago, not living in the now, but looking down the road.

Gwendolyn Smythe

It is a great feeling to think about being able to walk into a "normal" shop again to look for clothes. I had a tough time steering my shopping cart away from the women's dept and into the regular sized clothes.

Just take things step by step, day by day, follow ALL of your doc's orders and you will be right where you want to be one day. We have many discussions on this thread about excess skin. I have made the decision to accept what I have....soooooooo much better than what I had b/4. There are ways of dressing that cover our little trouble spots. I guess I look at it this way: If twelve 54 yr old women were lined up,(even without weightloss issues) I don't think a person would find one that was totally happy with her thighs, her arms, her belly, etc.

[Great2BThin 5]

Gwendolyn, I know exactly where the Villages is, my parents live in Water Oak just down the road. We go to Publix in the Villages a lot and shopping there some as well. They attend a church in the Villages too, though they have a real attitude as she says they make them feel like they don't belong because they aren't part of 'the Villages'. I don't know, think it just might be their negative attitude as well. I haven't been down to see them for quite some time and am contemplating a fall or winter visit if I can talk DH into going with me. Congrats on your new band. Shopping will become so fun! Just ask anyone on this thread, I've become quite the shopper after hating it for years. LOL I've reigned it in some now that my weight has stablized I really don't 'need' anything. You are more than welcome to meet us in Vegas. We are going the weekend of Oct 1st most of us are flying in on Fri and out on Sun but there are a few stragglers staying til Monday.

Apples, welcome home. Sounds like quite the party you got planned. Do you mind sharing your sausage recipe? Sounds yummy.

My lunch this afternoon was wonderful. Met a friend/neighbor from 10 yrs ago when we lived here before. We went to Cafe Rio (not sure if that is a local or national restaurant) and I had about a third of the innards of a burrito and brought the rest home for DH.

[Apples2 19]

Great...nice you could reconnect with an old friend. I hope you can pick right up where you left off. So good for you to start forming some friendships with DH away so much.

You know how I throw things together and really don't follow recipes much but will try with this sausage one. First of all...it's all about the sausage. It's the best sausage ever...made by a local locker. So lean and a great flavor.

I just grill the sausages and cut into bite-sized peices. Put in slow cooker and add a blend of the sauce. I use the following for a normal size crowd (about 6 large sausages...brat sized).

1 cup pineapple juice

1 tsp white vinegar

1 cup papaya juice (I like fresh)

1 large mango mashed

1/4 tsp salt (I use sea salt)

1 tsp lite soy sauce

2 Tbls honey

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp minced or dried garlic powder

1 red and 1 green bell pepper (chop it as small as you can....in other words...chop the crap out of it)

1/2 onion chopped very fine

Blend all in a sauce pan and bring to just about a boil, stirring constantly. Turn down to a simmer and cook for another 15 min...stirring occassionally. Pour over sausage peices in slow cooker. That's it!

[Gwendolyn Smythe 4]

Great 2B thin - I have heard that comment frequently.

Villagers, not all, feel that since they are paying bond fees, and other fees that outsiders should stay outside. I think the feeling is at the highest when they can not find a parking space, have to wait in line to long, etc.

Personally my DH and I do not share these feelings. It takes both the Villagers and non Villagers to keep the businesses here in business. Many businesses here have gone under.

So say Welcome to your parents from a Villager, and ignore all others.

Your Mom is right sad to say.

Gwendolyn Smythe

[phyllser 3]

Hello

As a newbie bandit with an inquiring mind wants to know; what is happening in Vegas, and does DH mean Dutiful husband?

Gwendolyn Smythe

HAHA!! Took me a while to figure out all the lingo, too! Us more mature types have to constantly stay alert to the new acronyms!!

:biggrin:

The Vegas thing... don't know how many are coming or what the room situation is, but you are certainly welcome if you can make it.. Oct 1/2/3 I believe are the dates. We are staying at the Desert Rose. Individuals are booking their own rooms and pairing up with others.

Just got back from the gym... 2 days in a row.... yay, me!!

Today is my 3 yr "Bandiversary"!

Yay, me!!

I did about 8 or 10 weight machines.. legs, arms. Then rode the bike for 20 minutes. DD showed up on the bike next to me a few minutes after I got started, but she was doing 30 minutes. I was tired after 20 so I quit. Have mammo early tomorrow morning, and my intentions are to take my gym stuff and go there afterward. I won't do the weight machines 2 days in a row, so I'll just ride the bike tomorrow.

Had to take the puppy for a scooter ride when I got back from the gym. She was so excited to see me on the scooter... so I made a couple of rounds of the condo parking lot! She already had a 3 mile ride this morning down to the lake and back. Last stretch we do down Safeway shopping center. About the time we pass Sports Authority, she knows we're getting close to my latte place! She loves the attention she gets there, and the doggy treats!! So she gets all excited... standing up in the scooter basket and wiggling all over the place and wagging her tail!

Her favorite barista was working today.... Ashley! Ashley has to come out of the shack and let her lick her face and neck! Then the owner stopped by and she LOVES her too, so she got in some more licks! I make her "SIT" for her treats. But she gets so excited over there she gets mixed up between "sit" and "down"!! But she's trying so hard to please that I give her the treats anyway!!

..... Jodi, I am so sorry you had to put your furry down. That is so sad. But you gave her 6 more years! That's awesome.

Edited July 20, 2010 by phyllser

[Great2BThin 5]

Great 2B thin - I have heard that comment frequently.

Villagers, not all, feel that since they are paying bond fees, and other fees that outsiders should stay outside. I think the feeling is at the highest when they can not find a parking space, have to wait in line to long, etc.

Personally my DH and I do not share these feelings. It takes both the Villagers and non Villagers to keep the businesses here in business. Many businesses here have gone under.

So say Welcome to your parents from a Villager, and ignore all others.

Your Mom is right sad to say.

Gwendolyn Smythe

Interesting, I can see that attitude if it is a private Village owned property but a public store etc. they can take anyone's money. LOL My dad golfs a lot and he said lots of Villagers come to their course as well. I hope you can join us in Vegas, we aren't too scary. My kids are giving me a bad time because when they were younger I had strict rules about them talking to people they did not personally know on the internet and now here I go off to Vegas to meet some. LOL