I started this journey on October 10, 2005. One year, 6 months, and 28 days (574 days total) later I have officially lost 76.80 pounds. Only 50.20 pounds to go to get to my goal weight. I would be happy to weigh 160 pounds or to wear a size 12, whichever comes first.

Warning – VERY LONG Post here to start out my new journal. As usual, it is mostly rambling, so get yourself some water, put your feet up and prepare to be bored.:laugh:

For the first 6 months or so I lost fairly easily and fairly quickly. It really kept me motivated. I received tons of compliments, and I still do. Then the losses starting slowing down and it got harder and harder to stay motivated. I am still having an awful lot of trouble staying motivated. Eating continues to be a problem and exercising even more so. For the last week I have been walking on my lunch break. I normally only have ½ hour lunch but when I walk I wind up taking a bit longer and then end up working a bit late to make up for it. This is okay as I actually get off a ½ hour earlier than anyone else because of only taking a ½ hour for lunch. This was an agreement I made with the bosses when I started here. I like walking at lunch I just wish I had someplace really nice to walk. I think I am going to try a different route today and see what I think.

76.80 Pounds, I should be ecstatic. If someone came up to me and told me they had lost that much I would be in awe. And if someone had told me two years ago that I would someday weigh 210.2 pounds I would think they were nuts. In fact my MIL has had someone ask her if I had some heart trouble or something since I lost so much weight. My MIL is awesome, she told them “nope, she did it the old fashioned way”. She continues to tell me how proud she is of me. Yes I have lost a ton of weight, and I love it, but all I can think of is that I still have 50 more pounds to go. I wanted to be at goal before my babies next birthday. I highly doubt I am going to lose 50 pounds by September. It just isn’t going to happen. I am fine with that. I knew this wouldn’t be easy, and it hasn’t. I am still losing, although slowly. As long as the scale is going down I will continue to be fine with it.

Since this is my journal I have to bring this up. I see these pictures in magazines and on TV of these women who have lost 40 or 50 pounds. That is absolutely fantastic, don’t get me wrong, but they look completely different. The one I saw the other day said she lost 50 pounds and 5 dress sizes. Come on, I lost 76 and only went down two dress sizes. That drives me crazy. I would dearly love to be down more clothes sizes. Ideally I would like to be in a 12. I know I will get there, but still, the ads drive me nuts. The ads were for a weight loss program that my mother used to do and they get body wraps, etc each week so I suppose that has something to do with the drastic change in body size, but still it irritates me to no end.

I want to be skinny. I don’t want to eat very little each day to stay that way. I don’t want to exercise 2 hours a day to stay that way. I won’t do either of those. I want to be able to play with my kids, spend some time with my friends and family. I don’t want to schedule exercise. I want it to be part of our lives. Honestly, I admire the hell out of Bell and Fagan for their dedication to their exercise. I know Fagan says to find something you love to do. I don’t mind exercising. I really don’t. I mind the time it takes away from me doing other things. Yes those other things happen to be playing on the computer, cleaning the house, spending time with my kids, or just doing nothing. I know I need to do it both for my health and for my mood. I am much happier, and much calmer when I am exercising regularly.

Here is what the problem is……. I want to do it all. Period.

1. I want to spend time on Diet Talk supporting my friends and being supported.
2. I want to administer the HER site and support all the women carrying precious bundles of joy that they can’t imagine are about to change their lives forever.
3. I want to do my job to the best of my ability and even beyond.
4. I want to be a Girl Scout leader for both my girls’ troops. (Thank goodness I have a couple of years before the little one starts).
5. I want to help Girl Scouts in this area grow and expand to reach all the surrounding areas.
6. I want to enjoy time with friends.
7. I want to play volleyball and just have fun doing it.
8. I want to figure out a way for us to get out of debt without having to take a second job that I have no idea where to fit into my schedule.
9. I know this is number 9, but it is the most important one of all, I want to be a mother to my kids and a wife to my husband. I want to raise my children to be productive members of society and to be happy and healthy adults.
10. I want to get to my goal weight.

This is only a portion of all that I would like to do. These things change every once in a while. Eventually I would like to add going back to school. I still dream of a bachelor’s degree. I just don’t know what in. For years I wanted to be a CPA, now I am not so sure. I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up.

Do I have a plan? No I don’t. Okay, maybe I do. I will do my best. That’s all I ask of my kids, so why should I expect more from myself? I will get to goal, it may take me 5 years, but it will happen. I will raise my kids to the best of my ability. I hope they wind up productive members of society and healthy and happy. I will take some time for me to relax, and to spend time with friends and play volleyball. I will continue to carve out time a couple of times a week to pop online and administer HER and find support on Diet Talk. I can’t survive if I don’t. Well okay, I would probably survive, but I wouldn’t be as centered and grounded, and it would make life much harder. I will continue to do my job to the best of my ability, and I will continue to lead my daughter’s GS troop as well as I can, and to help out at the council level as much as I am able to. The only one I have no idea on how to do is to get out of debt. That will come, someday I hope.

I am still trying very hard to stay under 1800 calories a day, and I will continue with that. I am also trying to get in as much as exercise as I can. No less than 15 minutes 5 days a week is workable I think. Any exercise 5 days a week really makes me feel that I did well. Last week I managed this. I will continue to manage it in the following weeks. Not sure what I will do in the winter, but I will figure something out. A gym just opened up across the street from my office, maybe an option for winter, but that would mean more debt, so I don’t know, I will cross that bridge when I get to it.

I know I can lose the last 50 pounds. After all, I have already lost over 75. I have no idea how long it will take though. One step at a time at this point. Right now, I WANT TO BE UNDER 200. I want to see 199. That is the next very important step. I wanted to use my trip to Vegas as my reward for doing that. The only problem with that is, I am going to Vegas no matter what. Even if I don’t get under 200 before then, I am still going. So how does that work as a reward if I haven’t made the goal yet? It doesn’t. So now I am trying to think up another one. Even if I get to 200 before I leave, I still can’t justify using the trip as my reward. If I am going no matter what, it can’t be used as a reward. However, I don’t want to spend a bunch of money. I take that back, I would love to spend a bunch of money on a reward, but I don’t have a bunch of money to spend, so I have to think of something else. I’ve got it. When I get under 200, I am going to ask my parents, or my in-laws to take my kids for a weekend and my husband and I are going to pretend we don’t have kids for the whole weekend. At home, whether we spend the whole weekend cleaning house, or if he has to work, I don’t care, I just want the whole weekend alone. Definitely something to look forward to.

Okay, I guess this is long enough. Actually, it is way to long, but what’s new.

In case you were wondering my title comes from a Girl Scout Motto that says "Girl Scouts, Where Girls Grow Strong".

I hope everyone has a fantabulous day. Thanks for stopping in.

Hi Wendy

What a great start to your new journal. All the goals spelled out in black and white. You have put a lot of thought in to what you want and I know that with your kind of determination you will get it.

I know what you mean about all the weight loss comercials. THe before and after pictures look way to different - but they aren't really (not most of the time) If you look closely you can see the makeup has been changed, the camera angle has been changed, in some cases the outfits are very similar and you don't notice the differences unless you look at them very closely. I try really hard to ignore ads now. It isn't easy - specially when you walk through Walmart and there are some "NEW" pills "guaranteed to take off 3 sizes in 2 weeks" or some such thing. I have wasted more money trying all the gimicks... If I had saved what I spent on weight loss I would be rich!

That brings us to finances. DEBT! What a yucky word. I am in the same boat as you and trying to get out from under. Have you tried a consolidation loan? Be careful though - make sure you go to a bank - there are some pretty sleezy operators out there. One thing that did work for me was I had some money transferred out of my account each payday into another account that I didn't have easy access to. When we needed money for Iggy's (my dog) surgery - it was there and I didn't have to charge it. At the end of the year we keep 1000 dollars in the account for emergencies - if there is more than that it pays off something.

Anyway, enough rambling in YOUR new journal - keep on plugging - you know you ARE doing it!

Hi Wendy,
i think that your first post was so insightful and a wonderful start to your new journal (i love the title too ).
As women and mothers i think we have so many balls in the air we are trying to juggle at one time that eventually we either have to get rid of a few balls or hand them over to someone else or be ready for them to com crashing down on top of our heads.
i remember when i first started out losing weight i felt enormous guilt at taking the time for me to exercise.i thought about all the other things i could or should be doing. but as time went on i and everyone around me knew that i was a happier and less moody person when i got that bit of ME time in. it doesnt make us selfish..that one hour wont cause the world to end and its ok to put ourselves first on our to do list now and again.
i think you have done an amazing job to lose what you have so far! we are our own harshest critic. its easy to look at the road ahead and see where we want to be but they say to never forget where you came from. be proud of the great changes you have made already- i am!!!!
i feel those same frustrations today even this far along the road in my journey. some days i just want to throw my hands up and say i am tired of worrying about how much fat is in something i am tired of worrying about my weight. but i know for me that if i stopped thinking about it i would wind up back at the starting point or worse.
its worth the fight Wendy. dont be afraid to delegate some things to other people. take the time for you without feeling guilty.
you will break that 200 barrier and make your goal of 160. of that i am certain!
hugs bell :)

Terrific opening post! You definitely hit some good points.

Balancing exercise time with time for other important things is such a toughie. I've made a conscious effort to make daily exercise a part of my life, and I don't want to change that. BUT. There are SO MANY things I used to do that I truly miss. I used to spend a lot of time playing my piano. I used to watch a lot of films. Now, I rarely do either of these things, which I love to do... And when I make plans with a friend or family member, it usually takes away from my exercise time. I rarely have these opportunities, so I almost always take them -- but I feel guilty for "cheating" my plan! I often ask "what the heck is wrong with me??" because I think I must be crazy... All this blabbing is just my way of saying I have this exercise time problem too. I'm probably too restrictive on my fun non-exercise activities -- no matter how you slice it, the balancing act is really difficult. We just have to do what we can for our own health and sanity. ;)

As far as the sizes thing... I am not sure if this is true for everyone, maybe I was different because I am so short. My biggest size was 22 petite. The bigger sizes that I wore (I'd say 18-22) took me more pounds to go between. It just seemed that the way clothes were cut compared to my shape at those sizes didn't match as well. The smaller I get, it takes me longer to go down a size, but it's not as many pounds difference. Does that make sense? So maybe for me the difference between a 6 and an 8 is only 10 pounds (which takes me 6 months to lose?), where it might have taken me 25-30 pounds to go from 22 to 20 (which I lost quickly at the start of my efforts). Not sure if that makes any sense, but it's something I've observed as I've progressed. I guess as it gets harder, it gets easier! :laugh:

If your opening is any indication, this will be a strong and positive journal for you, indeed!

Lisrey :mus:

HI Wendy :wave:

WoW! what a journal title and the contents also show great strength ! Very inspiring as well :D

Hey sweetie!!! Not time to post but wanted to tell you I saw your new journal and am here for you!!!

will be back to post later

:hug:

Welcome to your new home :hug: You will reach your goal for sure!!!

Hi Wendy, :wn

A new Journal to enable your ONGOING SUCCESS ... I will be looking forward to reading about continued success ... Have and make it a great day. I am as always, Monica

May 8 – 2,046 Calories – Not good, I had a fresh homemade bun eating fest after work and before going to volleyball. Exercise was coaching volleyball and walking for a ½ hour at lunch.

May 9 – 1,547 Calories – MUCH better. Exercise was mowing the lawn and walking up to a friends house to deliver a shirt.

Volleyball last night was a lot of fun. Us coaches spent about ½ hour serving to the girls to give them some practice returning hard serves. I am paying for it today since I am really not used to it. I was serving overhand and now my shoulder is very sore today. It was a lot of fun and I needed the practice so all is well. Plus I am loving how much the girls are improving. We have two little 4th graders that at the first game were so scared of the ball they flinched everytime it came near them. Now one of them spent the last 15 minutes of practice bumping the ball back to me as I tossed it at her instead of playing games with the other girls. They are both doing so incredibly well, I am sooo proud of them. All of the girls are just getting so much better, and now we are almost done. This was our last practice. I am going to miss it.

Tonight I came home and my mom had wanted to come over and order pizza, so we did that. She and I shared a garden pizza and it was actually really good. I may have to order that again. After we ate, I mowed the lawn and then shot some baskets for a few minutes, then decided to take my friends’ shirt up to her for our sand volleyball team, so I quick walked up there. It felt good to have some energy.

My eating yesterday was really bad. I was so hungry when I got home from work that I grabbed some homemade buns and ate them before going to volleyball. I should have just eaten something substantial, but they were so good I kept going back for more. 3 buns later, I finally left. Then when I got home I ate a wrap and some chips with cheese, which wasn’t the greatest either. Oh well, it happens.

Not sure what tomorrow will bring, but I hope to walk at lunch again. That shouldn’t be a problem at all.

Lesley – Yeah the commercials are really deceiving. My mom was in one once and you can really tell that they use camera angles, and new clothes, and new hairdos to a huge advantage. As for finances, we just don’t have any money to spare. None to even put into a savings account. It all goes towards bills. We did get a second mortgage on the house to pay off some cc bills, but they have continued to go up. I need to get my spending under control, I know it, I just have to figure out a way to do it. I know what I should do, I just have to do it.

Bell – We do all seem to have an awful lot of balls in the air. Somehow I am keeping them all in the air. At least for now. I will continue to do what I can I guess, and what I can’t will have to be left for someone else. I did take some time for myself tonight and really enjoyed it. I am loving my MP3 player that my husband bought me for my birthday. I need somewhere that is soundproof to dance around in though so I can sing at the top of my lungs while dancing around.

Lisrey – Wow, I never thought of that. Maybe that is true and as I lose from here on out the sizes will fall faster. That would really be nice. Now to continue to lose. It seems like we all have the time problem, I love to hear how others work it into their schedules. Your explanation of the clothes made perfect sense, and I really hope that is the way it is for me, thank you.

Beth – Glad I could give someone some inspiration. Thanks for stopping in.

Mikey – Hey, so glad you found me. Talk to you soon, miss you.

Joanne – Thanks for stopping in my dear.

Monica – Hi hon, thanks for stopping in. I hope there will be continuing successes in here.

Thank you everyone for stopping in, I really appreciate all the support.

Have a fantabulous day everyone.

Wow, that volleyball sounds great. You found a sport that you are enjoying, even coaching!!! That is the best form of exercise, something you love doing. Good work!!!

:D Wendy-- like your new home (journal). I'm sure their will be a lot of positive growth in your future. One day you will have enough time to do everything... when they invent a 48 hour day!!! Or maybe caffeine shots at the local pub.

Have a great day...

Pat

Hi Wendy

Sounds like you really enjoyed the volleyball. I am glad you hagve something you are interested in that keeps you moving.

Thanks for your support and encouragement in my journal - it means a lot.

I like the new journal. Cool. I'm also glad that you are patting yourself on the back for what you DO, instead of beating yourself up for what you expect yourself to be able to do. Real life has other plans for all of us. Even you, Wendy.

As for the "you want it all" thing...well...maybe you and Jessica can get together and figure out how to do that. I don't see it happenning with little things getting into the way like sleep, work, family, etc. And since those things don't go away, you are just going to have to figure out what is the most important to you, and DO THAT. Let someone else do the other stuff. You can change your mind later, and switch-up what you are doing (a year off girl scout activities, but more other things, etc.). There is only so much time in a day, week, and month. Make it count. I can't stand wasting time doing stuff half-way. Especially stuff that is important to me.

You don't want to schedule exercise? I don't know what to think about that. For me, it is a hobby. It is a hobby that is a lot healthier than woodworking, sewing, collecting things, etc. I can see not scheduling treadmills, stationary bicycles, and such...but doing active things with my body is IMPORTANT to how I feel. I think that being active is one hobby that EVERYONE should have. You can do just about ANYTHING physical (golf, bicycling, karate, volleyball, walking/hiking, swimming...), but I just need to do something in general to...function worth a crap. My mind and body are connected more than I used to think that they were, and when my body is not happy, my head is not either. My activities need to be consistant and done habitually for it to give decent benefits and make me feel good. Sorry for the rant/lecture...

I also hate those people that say that they lost 40 lbs in advertisements that look like a completely different person. They suck. Yes. I said it. They suck. How in the world did they ever get so big with no muscles or thick-bones to support all of that extra weight in the first place? I don't get it.

I hope that you continue to have a good week. Take care.

21 Days Until Vegas.

Grrrrrrrrr, I am so irritated. I step on the scale every morning. I have been doing it since I started this journey and it really works well for me. I don’t get excited if the scale goes up a couple of days, I just drink more water and eat better and it usually goes down eventually. However, this week irritated me to know end. Monday through Wednesday the scale said 209.8. One day even read 209.6. Well, of course, since today was weigh in, do you think the scale could stay the same. NO of course not, it jumped all the way up to 211.4, both yesterday and today. Now I know that’s not correct. I know it’s not. I know it is water retention from the pizza and chips I had this week, but it still irritates me. I am so glad the Biggest Loser Challenge is over or I would have to report that crappy gain. This way I can just be pissy about it and still know it isn’t right. I will however put it in my log that I keep both in fitday and in excel to track my weight loss. Even though I know it isn’t accurate, it is still what the scale said. I guess it will hopefully just show a much larger loss for next week then. Okay, rant over.

I don’t have calorie numbers since I didn’t bring my USB drive thing to work with them on it, so I will have to post them later. I did walk for a ½ hour yesterday at lunch, so I got my exercise in. Which was a good thing because I got a bad headache last night and didn’t do anything at home. In fact, I ended up calling my hubby to come home from a friends since it hurt so bad.

He came home and asked me if I wanted my Mother’s Day gift early, or if I wanted to wait until Mother’s Day. He said I may want to use it before Sunday so I said I wanted it early. He got me a new digital camera!! I had sent him a link to it a couple of weeks ago, with the words hint, hint on the email. It is a cheap HP, but so far I love it. Of course I haven’t put any pics on the computer yet so I don’t know if they are good pictures or not. I guess I will find out tonight. I will need it tomorrow for volleyball pictures since tomorrow is our last game, so I am really glad he gave it to me early.

Tomorrow we have two volleyball matches to play, and then we are taking the girls on our team out for pizza, so that should be a lot of fun. I know the girls are looking forward to that. After volleyball, I need to clean my house.

Friends of ours want us to come over on Sunday, but I really don’t want to go over there. We’ll see how I feel come tomorrow, I may change my mind, but I doubt it.

Next week I have meetings all but one evening, so that will be a busy week. At least we don’t have volleyball anymore, so that frees up one evening. But I start games on the 23rd, so that won’t last long. I can’t wait for that though.

Nancy – Yes, I do love volleyball, and I love coaching too. I hope to coach again next year, but we’ll see. I just wish the season was a bit longer. I am really looking forward to playing sand volleyball, I hope I like it just as much.

Pat – Hmmmmm, caffeine shots, those just might work. I doubt it though, I really just need more time in my day. I’ll take those 48 hour days if you have any to spare. Actually, I guess I wouldn’t, I like to sleep too much, 48 hour days would really cut into my sleeping.

Lesley – I am glad I got involved in the volleyball also, I forgot how much I liked it. Thanks for stopping in.

Fagan – I don’t like wasting time doing things halfway either. My problem is that all those things are important to me. Unfortunately, the things that are getting pushed aside are the online things, and I am not sure I like that. BUT, I still have some time on the weekends to get on there and catch up a bit, so I settle for that. I am not willing to short change things that involve my kids, so I guess the stuff that gets short changed is the stuff that is just for me. I guess that is part of being a mom.

As for the exercise, it’s not that I don’t want to schedule it, it’s that my schedule is so nuts I just don’t know where to schedule it. If I do try I always end up having something else happening and then I don’t get it done and then I figure, what’s the point. This is getting better though, thank goodness. I have started planning out in the mornings when I am going to exercise and what I am going to do and that is helping. When I walk at lunch, that helps the most because then I don’t have to worry about fitting exercise in at night. I do enjoy walking and I do enjoy mowing the lawn, and I love volleyball, so I should be able to get quite a bit of exercise in this summer. By the way, rant/lecture away all you want, I don’t mind.

I think the people in those commercials suck also, but until I saw the one my mom did I never understood how much of a difference camera angles etc make. She had lost quite a bit of weight, but the camera angle, and the new haircut and new clothes really made the difference astonishing. The difference in real life, although drastic, was not as astonishing as the ad showed. They can just be so deceiving.

I hope everyone has a fantastic day and a fantabulous weekend.

Sorry about the scale-woes. That is one of the reasons I avoid things like pizza more than once per month or so. All that it takes is one infusion of salt, and super-refined carbs that my gut can hold onto for a few days, and my scale makes me angry as well. It ain't fair! How can the same number of calories of one food stick with you SO HARD for SO LONG. Pish.

The digital camera sounds cool. Great Mother's Day gift. I know that you will use it a lot too. Good for you.

Get out there and do what makes you happy. Everything else just doesn't matter that much. If making your kids happier makes you happier, then go for it. Take care.

Just a quick post, I don't want to lose this story and I absolutely loved it, so I want to post it here.

BLACK ROBBERS - True Story
For anyone who didn't see David Letterman's take on
this (And it's a true story...)

On a recent weekend in Atlantic City, a woman won a
bucketful of quarters at a slot machine. She took a break
from the slots for dinner with her husband in the hotel dining room. But
first she wanted to stash the quarters in her room. "I'll be right back and
we'll go to eat," she told her husband and carried the coin-laden basket
to the elevator.
As she was about to walk into the elevator she noticed
two men already aboard. Both were black. One of them was
tall...very tall...an intimidating figure. The woman froze.
Her first thought
was: These two are going to rob me.
Her next thought was: Don't be a bigot, they look like
perfectly nice gentlemen. But racial stereotypes are powerful, and fear
immobilized her.
She stood and stared at the two men. She felt anxious,
flustered and ashamed. She hoped they didn't read her mind but Gosh, they
had to know what she was thinking!!! Her hesitation about joining them in
the elevator was all too obvious now. Her face was flushed. She couldn't
just stand there, so with a mighty effort of will she picked up one foot
and stepped forward and followed with the other foot and was on the
elevator.
Avoiding eye contact, she turned around stiffly and
faced the elevator doors as they closed. A second passed, and
then another second, and then another. Her fear increased! The elevator
didn't move.
Panic consumed her. My God, she thought, I'm trapped and
about to be robbed! Her heart plummeted. Perspiration poured from every
pore.
Then one of the men said, "Hit the floor." Instinct
told her to do what they told her. The bucket of quarters
flew upwards as she threw out her arms and collapsed on the elevator floor. A
shower of coins rained down on her. Take my money and spare me, she
prayed. More seconds passed.
She heard one of the men say politely, "Ma'am, if
you'll just tell us what floor you're going to, we'll push
the button."
The one who said it had a little trouble getting the words out.
He was trying mightily to hold in a belly laugh. The woman lifted her head
and looked up at the two men. They reached down to help her up.

Confused, she struggled to her feet. "When I told my
friend here to hit the floor," said the average sized one,
I meant that he should hit the elevator button for our floor. I didn't
mean for you to hit the floor, ma'am."
He spoke genially. He bit his lip. It was obvious
he was having a hard time not laughing.

The woman thought: My God, what a spectacle I've made
of myself. She was humiliated to speak. She wanted to blurt
out an apology, but words failed her. How do you apologize to two perfectly
respectable gentlemen for behaving as though they were going to rob you?
She didn't know what to say. The three of them gathered up the strewn
quarters and refilled her bucket.


When the elevator arrived at her floor they then
insisted on walking her to her room. She seemed a little
unsteady on her feet, and they were afraid she might not make it down the
corridor. At her door they bid her a good evening. As she slipped into her
room she could hear them roaring with laughter as they walked back to the
elevator.

The woman brushed herself off. She pulled herself
together and went downstairs for dinner with her husband. The
next morning flowers were delivered to her room - a dozen roses. Attached
to EACH rose was a crisp one hundred dollar bill.

The card said: “Thanks for the best laugh we've had
in years." It was signed:


Eddie Murphy
Michael Jordan

Hi Wendy,

Love the new journal, and sorry it took me so long to get here. But I have found you now. haha

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY WENDY!!

i thought that story about Eddie Murphy and Michael Jordan was hilarious..Jason thought it was a riot when i showed him!
I hope you had a wonderful Mothers Day Wendy.
hugs bell :)

Hey Wendy! I love the new journal, and I love all your goals, and I know you will meet them! So sorry it took me so long to make it over here and check out the new digs. I love the Jordan/Murphy story too--that is so hilarious, and so true. I think I have heard it before but it has been a while and I forgot it.

I am so pumped for you to head to Vegas in 3 weeks--if anyone needs a little time off it's you! I share a lot of your frustrations with the television ads and the sizes not changing, and the difficulty fitting in exercise and wanting results NOW. It's great to read your journal and realize I'm not the only one who gets frustrated and still wants to have it all, anyway.

Have a great Monday and I'll try to check in with you more regularly!!

Hey Wendy! I love the new journal - and the goals you set out in the first post. You WILL succeed with the final 50, just as you succeeded with the first 75. (Never mind the homemade buns thing... if there were homemade buns in this house I wouldn't even bother with a plate, just gobble them from the pan. A gal can only be expected to stand so much temptation in her life.)

I hear ya re: those weight loss ads. What kills me is how the celebrity ads so blatantly LIE about the starting/ending weight. Kirstie Ally is 140 pounds like I'm 8 ounces. Marcia Brady on Celebrity Fit Club was as fat as me and claimed to be about 35 pounds lighter. And I'm only 5'3". Why not get real about what women REALLY weigh? It's standard Hollywood practice to automatically deduct 10-15 pounds from an actress's stated weight. And then the rest of us believe it and think we all should be 115 pounds, too, when that 115 pounder is really ~125, if she's lucky. Stop the insanity!!!!

Wow, so that was a tangent. Sorry. Hope you've recovered from those post-volleyball aches. And Happy Belated Mother's Day!!! Congrats on the new camera. :)

:laugh: Thanks for sharing that story....way to funny! I'm glad you are walking on your lunch hour. Walking is the "BEST" exercise! Don't be so discouraged by the scale. Stressing over your weight is probably not helping the situation either. Well, have a wonderful week! You deserve it!

Pat:)

Oh My GOD, I have shopping to do, plans to make, eeekkk, time is running out. Only two more weekends before I leave. I still have to pull all my summer clothes from last year down and see what I need to shop for. I have plans this weekend with a friend to spend some time shopping, so I need to do it before Saturday. Tonight I have an appt to get my hair cut, so much for my one night off this week. Last night I had a meeting with a friend and fellow Scout leader to plan our training that we have scheduled for Wednesday night. That takes care of Wed night, Thursday night I have the final meeting of the Annual Meeting committee and the first meeting of the 4th of July parade committee. Friday night we have our annual leader appreciation supper for leaders in our town. Saturday morning we have Big One’s final soccer game of the year, then I am going shopping with a friend. Sunday afternoon I am planning on taking my GS troop for a hike with the Grandpa of one of my girls. Then on Monday night I am having a picnic at my house for our troop as an end of year party. I still have to do the invites for that sometime today. So in the next week, I have 5 days of Girl Scouts. BUT, after next Monday, I will be done with our troop for a bit. I still want to plan at least one get together this summer, but we’ll see what happens. I need to concentrate on the parade after Monday.

Needless to say, I have a busy couple of weeks before Vegas. Next week so far is pretty open, other than starting volleyball on Wednesday the 23rd. I can’t wait for that. I need to check and see if everyone wants to get together and practice a bit before our first game, so I will see if we can do that sometime. I doubt we will be able to since I have no free nights between now and then. Except maybe NEXT Tuesday. But I know one of the members of the team is playing volleyball that night already on a different team.

May 10 – 1,521 Calories – Exercise was 30 minutes walking at lunch.

May 11 – 1,681 Calories – Exercise was 25 minutes walking at lunch.

May 12 – 1,467 Calories – No Exercise, very busy day. I did get the house cleaned though, at least the living room and bathroom. The volleyball game sucked though, the girls played horribly, but it was fun, and they had a great time going out for pizza.

May 13 – 1,627 Calories – Exercise was a LOT of walking through the state park here. We tried to go to the zoo, but there were so many people there we couldn’t even find a parking space, so we went to Fort Lincoln State Park. It was fun, and I had a good Mother’s Day. I ate like crap all weekend, but calories were low, I am not sure how though.

May 14 – 1,657 Calories – No exercise, I went out for lunch with my mom so didn’t walk. Today I am going to walk though.

This weekend was busy as usual, although I did at least get some cleaning done. I didn’t get through clothes like I wanted to though. I am going to have to do that tonight or it isn’t going to get done.

Fagan – I know the pizza is why the scale jumped, or should I say I suspect that is why it jumped. It just irritates me. Sometimes it seems like there is no rhyme or reason to it. It will come down eventually, I just have to keep working at it. I have already used the camera a bunch. I took tons of pics at the volleyball game and I took it with to the State Park and took a few pics of the kids. I really love it. I just need to figure out all the bells and whistles now. Making my kids happy does make me happy, but not all the time, I do have to remind myself to take time for myself. The time that I spend at some of these Girl Scout meetings is time that I consider time for myself since I get to spend time with women that I really enjoy working with. Especially Friday night’s meeting, that will be a fun meeting.

Sandie – Don’t worry about taking a while to find me, I have had a horrible time getting to other’s journals this week, I will get there soon just as you did. I had a pretty good Mother’s day, I hope you did also.

Bell – I love it when I read it, and hubby liked it also. I have to admit though that I would be pretty scared of Michael Jordan myself, he is a pretty intimidating figure. :) Although I am pretty sure I would recognize Eddie Murphy, but you never know. Maybe I will run into someone like that in Vegas and have no idea who they are? I had a good Mother’s Day, how about you? Is it the same day there?

Amanda – How did the exams go? I will check out your journal today to find out. Don’t worry about not getting in here as much as you would like, if anyone has a good excuse you do. Med school should be taking up your time right now. I enjoy reading your journal and other’s journals for that same reason, I think that is why this site is so helpful. We all realize that we are not alone.

Anne – yeah the homemade buns were my downfall that day, they were just sooo good. I need to tell MIL to quit bringing us them. Naaawww, I will deal with it. I totally agree on the weight loss stuff, I don’t understand why lie about your weight, especially on shows like that. You are on there to lose weight, not be vain. Oh well, we just have to remember that those are just ads and that they are out to make people look good, no matter how they do it. As for the volleyball aches, all better now.

Pat – I am not stressing about the scale anymore. What will be will be. As for the story, yeah I thought it was hilarious. I think I laughed so hard I cried. I hope you have a great week.

Have a wonderful week everyone. Love you all.

Hi Wendy

Sorry for being away so long. I am back now and I see you are super busy as usual. I am glad that volleyball has been so much fun for you. All the walking at lunchtime is great as well - goo practice for walking around Vegas!

I hope you do run into celebreties in Vegas - a dozen roses and 100 dollar bills would be a nice treat! Just remember to share the story when you get back.

Sounds like you have some busy days ahead my friend.
i am glad you had a nice Mother's Day. i worked all day and then had my Mothers Day in the afternoon. it was nice but i was a little too tired to enjoy it lol.
Have fun shopping when you go..not long til Vegas now!!!
hugs bell :)

:laugh: Wendy-- Ever thought of cloning yourself? You do the work of 3 people I swear. Where do you get all that energy? Good for you on exercising at work! That was really smart thinking on your part. Have a great day!

Pat

Hi Wendy

If you ever want to make a lot of money fast - bottle some of that energy and sell it (put me down for the first dozen bottles).

Hope you get yourself some nice clothes for Vegas.

I've been reading your journal a bit, wow your a busy bee. Good luck with all you have planned. Thats good that you can walk at your lunch hour and it doesn't take away from the family time. Very cool. My goal has always been when I get to "goal" to go to Vegas, so I hope you have a fabulous time.

So... any updates on the clothes-sorting? I'd like a shopping strategy update, please. I've bought all the new clothes I plan to for a while, so I must live vicariously through others. Also, the parade sounds exciting (although I know it will be more work for you, on top of your busy schedule). Will you have a float? Hope the others will agree to a volleyball practice so you can get your game on. Also... VEGAS, HERE YOU COME! :dn

Wooo...I am exhausted just reading out your life! You don't even realizing how amazing it is that you do all that do you?? I've done that sort of thing before and I couldn't keep it up and stay sane, let alone lose weight while doing it!!!

Am so excited for you and your trip!!! Can't wait to hear all about it when you get back!!!

May 15 – Calories – 1,928 – NOT GOOD, was very hungry for supper and ate waaayyy too much. Exercise was mowing the lawn, so that was great.

May 16 – Calories – 1,670 – MUCH BETTER. Exercise was walking to the store a block away from work to shop at lunchtime. So in essence, no exercise. And no, I couldn’t have driven to the store, the parking lot is just as far away as my office is, so even if I had driven, it would have been the same distance.

The scale was down a bit from last week this morning, hopefully it will go down ever farther before tomorrow so that I can show a loss. I doubt it though. I guess it will depend partly on what I eat for supper tonight. Not sure what that will be yet.

Last night’s training went really well. Susan and I make a great team. Now we won’t have to do any others until next fall.

Tuesday night I had planned to go for a walk, and hubby says “would you be mad if I went and mowed the lawn?” I told him yes, I will go do it, so I did. At least the front yard. I will try and do the back this weekend, or he can.

Lesley – I have only managed to walk one day this week at lunch. I have ended up going out for lunch two days and I had to shop the other day. I did walk today though. I hope I run into celebrities in Vegas also, especially if they are giving out $100 bills and roses. I could live with that. And rest assured, I will share the story when I get back.

Bell – I know, only 15 days until the flight leaves. I am so excited. I talked to one of the girls that I am extremely anxious to meet and it sound like she will be getting in earlier than planned, so that is great. I hear you on being too tired to enjoy Mother’s Day, I just wanted to stay home that day, instead we ended up running around all day. It was enjoyable either way I guess.

Pat – I guess I just don’t see that I do that much. I know women who do so much more than I do (look at Jessica). I just do what I can. I do have to admit though that the websites have suffered in order for me to get all this done. If it wasn’t for sneaking on during work I wouldn’t get on at all. Shhh, don’t tell anybody.

Lesley – (Again) – I can’t bottle it, then I won’t have any. I don’t have any to spare either, I am getting worn out quickly. I need this trip desperately. I hope I get myself some nice clothes for Vegas also, but I still don’t know if I even need any.

LovemyJeep – Hi lady, thanks for stopping in. I will certainly have fun in Vegas, even if I don’t get to gamble much. Just seeing and finally meeting my friends will be awesome. You will get your trip, I know you will.

Anne – Let’s see, I haven’t done the clothes sorting yet. Maybe tonight or tomorrow night. Not sure when that is going to happen. I will tell you all about the sorting and the shopping as soon as it happens (probably Saturday). The parade is exciting. I had so much fun last year that I just can’t wait for it this year. I know it will be a lot of work, but I should have more help than last year, so it will be fine. And yes, we will have a float. I refuse to be in a parade without one. As for volleyball, we aren’t going to have practice before our first game. We just don’t have any time that all of us can get away to practice. We are going to just get killed that first game.

Mikey – Hey lady, I finally got your email today. Thanks. I really don’t think all that I do is amazing, it is just part of life. If I didn’t have such a hands-on husband, I would never be able to do it all either, so he deserves a lot of the credit. I would get really sick of being left home with the kids as much as I leave him home with them. Poor guy.

I hope everyone has a fantabulous day.

Hi Wendy

Of COURSE you need somethingnew to wear for Vegas! Even one top or skirt or something! This is a celebration trip and it always feels nicer if you have something new to wear. Of course new doesn't have to be brand new. I like to shop at thrift stores and second hand fashion stores. I think it makes more sense while I am changing sizes - then I can trade them in for smaller ones!

Hey Wendy - just stopping in to offer you some happy weigh-in vibes for today!!

5/17 - 1,850 calories - Too high, I definitely should have done without the french fries, but they were calling my name and I couldn't ignore them. Exercise was 30 minutes walking at lunch.

Weigh in this morning was down from last week, but still not down to where it was the week before. It read 210.8 this morning. I really want to see the 209 I glimpsed a couple weeks ago. I will get there eventually. I would get there alot faster if I would quit eating out every night. Although I have eaten okay this week despite eating out a bunch and fast food to boot. I have stuck to taco and subway for the most part. Those aren't too bad, they aren't too good, but better than greasy burgers. Last night I did cave and had KFC though. Love their fries.

My parade meeting didn't go so well last night. since the GS council is reorganizing, they have all this stuff that they want to use to put on the trailer. They aren't even planning a float, they are just looking for stuff to decorate with. I decided on the way home that it wasn't going to work that way. I have an idea for a float that I think they will agree too. I don't want to just throw a bunch of crap onto a trailer and call it a float, I want to actually have a float. Not a real fancy one, but one that at least looks like something.

Tonight we have our annual leader appreciation dinner at the pizza place. Always a good time so I am looking forward to that.

My husband is planning on taking the kids out to the in-laws after Big One's soccer game so I will have plenty of time to go through clothes and go shopping. I can't wait. I am going to have a nice, relaxing day even if I do shop till I drop.

Lesley - I have tried thrift stores, and once in a while I can find something, but lately I have had zero luck. The stores around here aren't the greatest. I am going to head to the mall and see what I find. I really want to find a capri outfit to wear on the plane and at least one more pair of shorts for walking all over.

Anne - Thanks for the weigh-in vibes. It helped a bit.

Have a great day everyone.

Wendy-- Have fun shopping! Sounds like you have organized your time well. I hope the float works out for you! Have a great weekend!

Pat

Ohhhhh, there will be a float. THERE WILL BE A FLOAT! I hope they agree to your idea.

Congrats on the scale being down again. You'll see that 209 in no time. Think of it this way - you had your fast food and didn't go up. That's win-win. :)

Good luck with the clothes shopping! I don't have any luck with thrift stores either. They seem to have only tiny sizes, or everything's sparkly, or tons of polyester...

so did you find anything fab for Vegas???? enquiring minds want to know!
Hope you had a great weekend!
Hope they go for your float idea!
hugs bell :)

11 Days Until Vegas

No idea what my calories were this weekend, I never did find time to enter them in Fitday. I did walk on Friday at lunch, I didn’t have any exercise on Saturday other than walking while shopping, which wasn’t much, and Sunday I had over 2 hours of walking, and half of that was up a slight incline. So I am very happy with my exercise. My eating could have been a lot worse than it was, but it certainly wasn’t great. When I get time I will enter it into Fitday and see how bad it really was.

Friday’s appreciation dinner went really well. Everyone liked my float idea, so we are going with it. The parade committee just doesn’t know it yet. They all thought it was a great idea, so that made me feel really good.

Saturday I went shopping right after Big One’s soccer game with a friend of mine. I had a great time and got a new Capri outfit, a second new pair of capris, and a couple new pairs of shorts. I didn’t spend more than I took along (at least not on clothes) so I was happy. I had to get a few other things, so I did go over budget, but it was things for the house and to dye my hair, so I knew I would go over with that stuff. If I get a chance, I will post a pic of the new outfit, but I have to dye my hair again first so you can see the whole get up.

Sunday we got up late and just lounged around until we had to go to our GS hike. I had three girls that were brave enough to go on it with us. It was a dreary, overcast day and we were afraid we were going to get rained on. It turned out to be the perfect weather for the hike. Not too hot, and not too cold. The girls had an absolute blast. My daughter told me that it was her favorite event of the year. For someone who didn’t want to go, she sure had fun. We got home and then went out for supper. After that I printed out all the pictures I took this year of the Girl scouts and taped them to a large board so they can look at them tonight and see all that they did this year.

Tonight we have our year end picnic and they need to register for next year. Right now I think 5 are coming back for sure. I don’t even know if my co-leader and her daughter are coming back next year. I am not sure yet how I feel about that. On one hand I would like to be the only leader because then I can just do what I want and won’t have to discuss it with anyone, but on the other hand, I have no one to help out if I need it. What bugs me, especially if she does back out, is that she hasn’t told me she is. I know her daughter doesn’t want to be in GS next year, but the last time I asked her she said she was signing her up anyways, which really irritates me, because next year is a year of hard work, and I don’t want them signed up unless they really want to be. We just have too much work to do. Oh well, I guess I will find out tonight one way or the other with all the girls. I kind of hope I do drop down to five, that way I can fit them all in my van and we can do so much more.

Pat – I did have fun shopping, and I am pretty sure the float will work out. Probably not perfectly, but nothing is ever perfect. It will be fun regardless, and that is what is important.

Anne – Yes, there will be a float, not a very fancy one, but a float nonetheless. I am excited about that. I did have good luck with the clothes shopping. The first store we went to I tried on a Capri outfit that was on sale. I didn’t buy it even though I really liked it, but I wanted to keep looking in case I found something I liked better. I didn’t. I ended up trying a bunch of stuff on in different stores, and wound up back at the first store and I bought that outfit. I also bought a couple of pairs of shorts on my own after my friend had to head home. I knew I needed a couple more pairs to get me through the summer. I got home then and finally had time to go through what I had at home, and I am really glad I picked them up. I definitely have enough shorts for this summer, but my Capri outfits that I have, one of them does not have any pockets at all, so that one wouldn’t work for Vegas, and the other one has a stain on the shirt, so I can’t wear that one either. The sucky part is, I was going to wear one of those until I found out those things, but since I bought a pair of denim capris while shopping, I can just wear those. I am all set now.

Bell – see above and my response to Anne on how the shopping went. It’s all good. They did go for my parade idea, so hopefully the actual committee will go for it also. I won’t know about that until after I get back from Vegas. It will be fine though. I am in charge, so I will just convince them to like it.

Have a great day everyone.

So, you got some other things while shopping for the soccer stuff? Was it, by chance, something special for the Vegas trip? You deserve a lot more than hair dye, and complete control over the GS troup and parade float, although I'm sure that would make things much less stressful.

I hope that you have a great week. Take care.

Hey there. So glad you found some clothes and had some time to go shopping w/out the kids!! Just wanted to pop in and say howdy!! :wave:

Did you see we are both on the blue team??!!!

miss ya!!

ttyl

Yay for a happy & successful shopping trip! That's so much fun and so rewarding after all of your hard work. I hope you feel fantastic when you wear those clothes in Vegas!

Lisrey :)

Maybe the parade committee NEVER needs to know about your secret float plans. It could be a big surprise. :D Hope you get it sorted out with your other GS leader re: whether she's staying or going. It sounds like just the five of you could have more fun, especially if her daughter doesn't even want to do it.

HOORAY for the new denim capris and outfit! Sorry about the stain on the other outfit you already own, but who needs it if it's going to be all uncooperative like that? You've got happy new clothes to put on! Vegas, here you come! (So are we talking super funky hair dye? Perhaps a rainbow effect?)

Hey Raye,

Thanks for stopping by my journal lately, it is always nice to see my friend has been there, lol.

Hey, what is the stain in your shirt, maybe someone here has a suggestion to get it out.

HOpe the float turns out well and you are all proud of it, sounds like it will be alot of fun. Will there be girls and leaders riding on it? I did that when I was very young, was alot of fun. Don't forget those bags of candy to throw to the kids watching.

Take care.

May 18 – 1,631 Calories – Exercise was walking for 30 minutes at lunch.

May 19 – 1,842 Calories – Way too high, Ate really really bad. I know better. No exercise other than walking around shopping, but there wasn’t even enough of that to count as exercise.

May 20 – 1,670 Calories – Much better. Exercise was 2 hours walking with three of my Girl Scouts.

May 21 – 1,833 Calories – Again, way too high. I went over when I ate the piece of ice cream cake that I bought for our Girl Scout picnic. I’m okay with that. No formal exercise, but I did play volleyball and basketball a tiny bit with the girls.

Well our picnic went really well. The girls that showed up had a lot of fun. Out of 11 girls, we had 7 that showed up. I have 4 that are coming back next year for sure. This does not include the daughter of my co-leader so she is not helping me next year. I am not sure how that works for sure since I have always had her as my co-leader, but I guess I will find out real soon. I am hoping that my count stays this low, I have so many things I want to do with the girls next year, and with 4 or 5 I can do them. They will all fit in my van and I can run them all over and do field trips, etc. Although I am glad to have a smaller troop, it still hurts my feelings just a bit that they didn’t reup. Does that make any sense? Even though I knew they didn’t want to, and I expected them not to. I guess what bugged me the most is my co-leader. She didn’t even tell me she wasn’t going to help, she didn’t say a word until I asked her if they were going to register and she says “nope”. That is all she said. No explanation, no nothing. I was very hurt by the way she handled that. Oh well, nothing I can do about it. Now I am working on getting things organized to turn in our end of year paperwork, etc. Plus I have to get stuff together to mail to the girls that didn’t attend last night’s meeting. Not sure why they weren’t there, but oh well.

I have to run over to the GS office after work to take care of some things and then I have tonight off, YAY. I am going to try and get some exercise in, but you never know. I have volleyball tomorrow night, the first game of the year. We haven’t practiced at all, so we will probably get creamed, but I am sure we will have fun regardless. I can’t wait.

Fagan – I was actually shopping for clothes for Vegas, which I did pick up along with the hair dye, so I got spoiled a bit. I don’t know if being in total control will make things more or less stressful, I am hoping less stressful. The biggest difference is that with only 5 of them, I am going to let them do a lot more of the planning. So hopefully that will take some work off my back.

Mikey – Of course I saw that we were both on the Blue Team, GO BLUE!!!!!!!!!! I know we can do this.

Lisrey – I hope I feel fantastic when I where them in Vegas also. I am sure I will. Only 10 days left, I am really getting excited.

Anne – Unfortunately I think the committee needs to know about my secret float plans, or I would have an awful lot of trouble getting it to work. Oh well, it will be fine. We got it straightened out, she is not coming back (see above). Oh, and my outfit isn’t stained anymore, somehow the stain finally came out, so now I have two Capri outfits to wear. And no, it isn’t going to be a rainbow effect, just red. I am dying my brown hair auburn. I did that a couple of months ago, and loved it so I am going to do it again right before my trip.

Nancy – I love seeing that my friends have been into my journal, that’s why I TRY to get to other’s as often as I can. I have no idea what the stains were on my shirt. Somehow the one has black streaks on the back and we can’t figure out why. I had to throw that one away, but the other one hubby got to come out, so I can still wear that. As for the float, there will be a few girls riding on the float, but the leaders and most of the girls are going to be walking all 5+ miles of the parade route and handing out candy and trinkets to the crowd. I walked it last year and it was a lot of fun.

Have a wonderful, fantabulous day everyone.

Hi Wendy

What an upbeat journal! It was really fun reading through and catching up with what you have been doing. New clothes, hair dye (are you gettting it cut and styled?) new GS challenges - sounds like a fun time all round.

Are you allowed to have a GS group with only one leader? I know in Canada we really want at least 2 leaders at all times - for safety if nothing else. Then there is the "abuse" factor. We are never to be alone with ANY youth to avoid and false charges (and avoid any situation that would allow a child to be abused) Maybe you want to see if another parent would be a leader with you? The3n at least there is someone to take the meeting if you are ill or something. It seems that you are putting a lot of pressure on yourself (you always take everything on yourself - like I used to - and I know where it can lead). Anyway, enough lecturing, just be careful and don't take on so much that it isn't fun anymore.

Now Vegas - WOW! 10 days! I am sure you will be doing a lot of walking there and the temptation to overeat might be really hard to avoid. I know you will do well though. I am really excited for you - I almost feel that I am going myself!

Hey girl!!

Good luck w/ the volleyball game tonight!! I'll be thinking of you. I used to love playing volleyball and would like to get back into it but haven't had the guts to ask around about it. I know there are some teams that play but of course they are all those skinny moms...

Anyway...good job on playing on a team and the hiking and such. You are doing so good at being active. Did you get exercise in last night?

Hey Wendy - hooray for Super Hubby, who got the stain out! :) Auburn sounds beautiful (I was j/k about the rainbow, btw). Sorry to hear the GS enrollment is down for next year, I know what you mean about having mixed feelings. I wonder what is up with the co-leader who just said "nope"? Sheesh. Anyway, hope you have a terrific day. You need to rest up for your big volleyball debut!

5/22 – 1,886 Calories, I would have been just fine if I hadn’t eaten some of the kids’ potato oles from Taco Johns. I love them things. Exercise was about 15 minutes of shooting baskets with my daughter.

I was going to exercise last night at home, but was so tired and was busy working on Girl Scout stuff that it didn’t get done. I took a nice hot bath and went to bed early. Then my daughter comes in and asks me to go play some basketball with her. I almost said no, then figured, “why not, she doesn’t ask that often” so I went out and shot a few baskets with her. I was pretty impressed that she asked me.

I found out yesterday that I need to get someone to register as a co-leader (which I already knew) for our troop. That is not the hard part. The hard part is having someone at each meeting. I don’t need the co-leader to actually do anything, but I do have to have at least two adults at each meeting, although the second adult does not need to be a registered leader. That could cause a bit of a problem, but I don’t think it will be too big of one. I just need to talk to the parents and have them take turns. I will work it out, I know I will.

I need to tell this story in here so I don’t forget it, I never remember to write down cute things my kids do, but since I write in here, I guess this is as good place as any to record it. Saturday morning my husband decided that he was going to take the two little ones to go run errands. Squirt Girl wouldn’t get ready so she had to stay home. Junior Dude was telling me that daddy was going to take him to the rotee toe. I couldn’t figure out what he was saying. He repeated it a couple of times, and I guessed rodeo and he said no “rotee … toe”. Hmmm, NO IDEA what he was trying to say. So Sunday night we stop at the grocery store to pick up some stuff for the picnic Monday night, and he says “Mommy, the rotee toe!” little light bulb goes on above my head, roteee toe is grocery store apparently. It was hilarious.

Lesley – No, I am not doing anything special with my hair style, I did just get it trimmed though. As for the Girl Scout situation, yeah I have to have another adult at meetings etc, but they don’t necessarily have to be registered. Mostly for safety purposed, if someone gets hurt, someone has to stay with the other girls while the other goes with the injured one. I am looking forward to walking all over Vegas, it is getting closer in and closer. As for taking on too much pressure, I don’t know, maybe I am just a glutten for punishment, but I am enjoying myself most of the time. Being the only leader in the troop won’t be that different from the way it is now, so I am not worried about that at all.

Mikey – No I didn’t get exercise in last night, other than a tiny bit of shooting hoops. I am looking forward to the game tonight, I think it will be a lot of fun. Apparently my hubby is going to come along. I didn’t expect that, but oh well. My parents want the kids, so they will go over there while we go to the game.

Anne – Well, I didn’t get near as much rest as I wanted to, but I did get some good sleep last night, so I am ready to go. I am okay with the enrollment being down, I think I was just overtired the other night and things were getting to me. I am actually anxious to get started with next year since I only have a few girls. As for the co-leader, pppfffttttt. To Heck with her. She will miss out on all the fun and all the feelings of pride I will have next year when I present these girls with their Bronze Awards that they will have worked so hard to earn. Not to mention the feelings of pride when they earn their silver and gold awards in years to come.

Have a wonderful day everyone.

Wendy, I've been wanting to come in here for ages now to tell you I love the title of your journal! It's awesome! And you're doing really well with your exercise and weight loss. You'll be to goal in no time if you keep this up! Geeze... with walking for 10 days in Vegas, you might have it off when you come home. LOL J/K Wouldn't that be nice, though?

The clothes shopping sounded like such fun. I don't have anyone that likes to shop for clothes like I do except my daughters. My husband would go with me without complaining, but he's just nice... he doesn't like to shop. lol I'm glad you found everything you needed for the summer. I need some new things, too, but am going to try the second hand shops. We have a couple/few that are pretty good around here. We're really lucky!

Take care and have a wonderful time at Vegas if I don't get back in here. I just wanted to let you know how much I love seeing the title of your journal every time I'm in here.....

oh, and by the way.... what you're little one said was adorable. I can't wait till our granddaughter gets here and starts all that cute stuff! Have a good evening!

way to go on getting out and spending time with your daughter - parents need to do more of that :D

Hope you are all rested up :)

Soo...I'm dying out of curosity here...how was the game?? I thought of you several times last night and hoping that you had fun!!

Very cute what little guy said.

And you were right on in your post in my journal..we would have blast shopping together!!! lol

5/24 – 2,021 Calories – This is best guess, I ate out all three meals yesterday, baaaaddd, but necessary, so I am not sure of the calories. However, exercise was an hour of volleyball.

The volleyball game last night went great. We won one of the three games, so at least we didn’t get totally skunked. We were really close the first and second games, then the third one they pretty well whipped us. We had a lot of fun though. I was sure I was going to be too sore to move today since I know I wrenched my back at one point, but so far I am doing just fine. My knee isn’t even sore from when I landed on it for the 50th time. Good thing we play in the sand, because I think I spent more time on the ground than on my feet. It was a lot of fun though, and I can’t wait until next week to do it all over again. I do have to try and be a little less eager to dive for the ball, one of these times I am going to get hurt, but yet, that is volleyball. Hubby says he should videotape me playing so I can show it to the girls on my daughter’s team on what to do (as far as diving for the ball) and what not to do (everything else). Just kidding, I didn’t play THAT bad, just not as good as I would have liked. Although I really don’t have any complaints. I really wish I knew enough people to get an indoor team together for next winter. That would be just as much fun. Who knows, maybe we can find a few.

DJ – Thank you, I got the title from the Girl Scout motto of “Girl Scouts, Where Girls Grow Strong”. I am a Girl Scout leader so I thought it was appropriate. It would definitely be nice if I could come back from Vegas smaller then when I left, maybe if I really was staying for 10 days, but I am only staying for 4. Oh well, I will still do a ton of walking. Congratulations on becoming a Grandmother, I hear Grandkids are the greatest.

Beth – I did get some rest, but not enough. I never get enough, I am always too busy doing other things. I’ve found since I lost some weight, I just can’t sit around and do nothing anymore. I always have to be doing something, even if it is playing on the computer, and that has even started to bore me lately. Then again, I certainly have enough projects to do around the house that will prevent me from getting bored anytime soon. As for spending time with my daughter, I do spend a lot of time with her. I need to spend more time with the younger two, just one on one, but they always want to do other things that go with mom, so it always winds up being me and the oldest. Which is a good thing I guess, because the little two aren’t exactly well behaved in stores.

Mikey – You bet we would have fun. Someday we will. Maybe when we both reach goal we can meet somewhere like the Mall of America or something.

Have a great day everyone.

Hi Wendy

1 week to go! Are you starting to pack stuff yet? You must be soooo excited!

I think getting out to shoot hoops with your daughter is great! Exercise and together time for both of you - what could be better?

Have a great weekend

Hey Raye,

Just wanted to peak in and wish you a great weekend, you little Volleyball Queen you!!! Take care.

You dive for the volleyball? Now, that says to me that you really like/love that sport. Coolness. Maybe you SHOULD get a tape of you playing to show the girls. I find that I'm much less likely to dive after balls these days, and the fact that you dive at all says a lot about how much you enjoy it. Good for you. I hope that you can get a team together for next winter.

Have you gotten anything else for the Vegas trip? Have you thought about planning ahead for shows that you want to see? Some of those shows like "O" and the like sell out weeks in advance. We've only been to Vegas 3 times, but the last two times we planned and splurged on 1-2 shows that we wanted to see, instead of just walking around to see all of the sights. The "sights" in Las Vegas give me "sensory overload" in about 3 hours, and the shows were a nice change of pace and worth the money to us.

I hope that you are not too sore from volleyball, and have a fantastic weekend. Take care.

5/24 – 1,944 Calories – YUCK. Definitely could have done better here. Exercise was 25 minutes walking.

Big One had her soccer party last night. They had it at a pizza place and they had a lot of fun. The coach said he really enjoyed having her on the team, he had the least trouble with her of all the girls. Made us feel pretty good. I don’t know if she is going to play soccer again next year. He did have trophies made up for them that say “The Unbeatable Unknown Warriors”. They went undefeated this year, and they had named themselves the Unknown Warriors, so that was pretty cool of him to do.

I went out and walked a couple of times around our neighborhood after her and dad got home and then it was pretty much time for bed. We had went out to eat since it didn’t pay to drop her off at the party, drive home, and turn around and come back in less than an hour. We live a few miles out of town, so that would have been a pain. So we didn’t get home until later than normal.

I am not sore much from volleyball. My knees are a bit tender if I move wrong, but for the most part it doesn’t bother me. I walked again at lunch today so they must not be too sore.

Lesley – No, I haven’t started to pack yet. I will leave that for Thursday night of next week. I am too much of a procrastinator to start now.

Nancy – Hi lady, you have a great weekend also.

Fagan – Yes, I do dive for the ball. It is just kind of instinctual I guess, because I don’t even think about it, I just do it. One of these days I am going to get hurt though. Yes, I really do love the sport, I hope I can get a team together also. As for Vegas, we aren’t planning on seeing any shows. I can’t afford any, and I have never ever been there, so I just want to wander and see all the sights. We really don’t have any firm plans other than supper all together all three nights. I really am so excited.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Hi Wendy

Do you wear knee pads for volleyball? Maybe you should try them? They can prevent the nasty bruises and other knee injuries when you dive for balls. I know you play on sand and maybe that is protection enough - just thought I would ask.

I would really like to get involved in something like that here. When I am settled in perhaps I can organize something up there. There aren't many houses on that lake but there is a campground. Perhaps I can get a beach volleyball organzied for the campers - different people every week. SEE what you are doing???? You are INSPIRING others - I bet I am not the only one!

It is so nice to see people having fun AND getting in the exercise.

Now I know that this week will be busy getting ready - but I really would like to see you walking everyday at lunch. You need to train for all the walking you will be doing on the weekend!

I will be checking in on you.....

Wendy,
I hope if you play volleyball in the winter, you either stop diving for the ball, or insist on sand in the gym! :laugh: Cute story about your son. I'm sure you're excited about leaving for Vegas soon. We've had some mild weather the past few days... so it may be in Vegas while you are there! I will keep my fingers crossed!

Pat

I hope everyone had a great weekend. I don't have my calorie information here at work so I can't enter it in here right now. I know that Saturday was too high. Yesterday wasn't bad though.

Saturday I spent at home alone scrubbing my kitchen and washing clothes. It was a nice, day to get some work done. That was my exercise for the day, scrubbing counters, the fridge, and the floor.

Sunday we stuck around the house for the most part. I mowed all of the lawn, which takes about 2 hours, so that was my exercise for yesterday. We also went next door to visit for a bit since their 4th child graduated from high school yesterday. They still have 3 kids left to graduate. One is a freshman next year, then they have a boy who will be a 6th grader and a girl who will be a 4th grader I think. It was nice of them to invite us over to help them celebrate. We weren't over there very long though since we didn't really know the boy who was graduating. We know the younger three kids a lot more.

I am at work today and I am the only one here. I agreed to clean the office if they would let me come in today and then take my Holiday on Friday so I could leave for Vegas, so I have been cleaning here most of the day. I am done now and only have an hour left of work. I don't really have anything to do, so I am working on scanning old papers. Really boring, but necessary work I guess.

Lesley - No I don't wear knee pads, unless I am playing indoors. The sand actually is a pretty good buffer. I just landed wrong on my knee last week and thought I was going to be sore. I wasn't bad though. I hope you do figure out a way to get something like that going, it really is a lot of fun. I didn't walk at lunch today. However, I did clean the whole office today, does that count as exercise? I am hoping to get some exercise tonight, but who knows what will happen.

Pat - If I do play volleyball in the gym, I don't dive as much. I know better. I should know better in the sand also, but it just doesn't hurt as bad there. I will be careful though. I am very excited about going to Vegas, I seriously can't wait. It's almost here, and the next few days should go fairly quickly. Tonight and tomorrow night are the only nights I don't have something to do after work, so yeah, the week should go pretty quick.

Have a fantabulous day everyone,

Hi Wendy

3 more sleeps! That is so exciting. I am sure you are burning extra calories just in nervous excitment energy! What time do you leave on Friday? That was great that you could trade Monday for Friday off - worked perfectly for you.

You will be away, going out for dinner, temptations all around - have you planned how you will deal with that? I find that if I plan in advance I am better able to cope with what happens. For example - if I am going away for a weekend and I am celebrating - I KNOW I will want some desserts. and I KNOW I will justify it to myself by saying - "well this only happens once a year..." So I say to myself in advance - ok you get ONE dessert this weekend. Then I know it is allowed and it makes it easier to say no to the others. If I KNOW I can have one or two or howerver many treats I PREPLAN then I can stick to that plan. If I don't thinkabout it ahead of time I just eat anything with the "I will worry about it later" attitude. Then I come home and yes I enjpoyed the trip but I now have extra pounds to work off. If I stick to my plan I feel on top of the world. Just knowing that I have a fantastic time AND I didn't have to ignore my over all goals - makes you feel great.

Just thought it might be something you want to consider for your trip. I know you are going to have a good time anyway

Vegas countdown days start...coolness. I hope that this week flies by for you, Wendy. Don't work too hard trying to clear your desk before you go. And if you do work too hard, leave it all here when you go. Okay?

There are some free and innexpensive shows in Vegas too. You should go check some out. We just get tired of the blinky lights and...sensory overload connected with the regular sights in Vegas, so we always plan a show or two, and a trip to Red Rock Canyon or another local natural area while we are there. There are lots of natural areas around town where you can see desert plants and wildlife displays, 1000+ year old rock-art drawings from native tribes, etc. You guys could go see one of the many shows that are not sold out weeks in advance as well (jousting dinner at Excaliber, Penn and Teller Magic show at the Rio, etc.). I'm only suggesting this stuff if you get...over-loaded and need a break. Some people eat up the fast and furious Vegas tourist scene. I also like it, which is why we go back, but can only take it in smallish doses.

Have a great week!

Hello! My girls when they were younger were girl scouts. I remember there had to be an adult at each meeting w/ the leader for emergency purposes. You lost alot of weight. I am impressed and hopeful for myself. You seem as busy as me with the kids and all.

I don't have much time, but I wanted to update quickly.

I did manage to walk today, I even got one of my co-workers to walk with me. I am mostly packed for Vegas, except for things I need to pack the day of. So I am almost ready to go. There will be 11 of us ladies attending, along with 2 of our moms and a couple of husbands, and a few of our kids. It will be quite a group.

Lesley - I really haven't thought about how I will handle the food issue. I suspect that I will come back a few pounds heavier than I left. I will just have to work it off. I do plan on doing a bunch of walking though to work a bunch of what I eat off. I really am not a big one for desserts, so that won't be a problem, my downfall is pasta and stuff like that.

Fagan - I won't work too hard to get stuff done before I leave, I am only going to be gone for 2 days, so not that big of a deal. I don't know if we are going to try and see any shows or not. I don't plan too, but I am playing it by ear. I looked through the list of shows that I could find online, and nothing really sounded extremely interesting, but that was just a quick glance. We are going to go to the shark reef at the Mandalay Bay (I can't wait for that), possibly to Hoover Dam, and that type of stuff. We'll see what we find when we get there.

Angel Eyes - Thanks for stopping in. Yeah, I am going to have to find another adult to attend for just that reason. I am certainly busy, losing weight certainly can be done, but it is definitely not easy. I wish you all the best of luck, I am sure you can do it.

Have a great day everyone.

Wendy,

I know you'll have a fabulous time in Vegas ... enjoy every minute of it ... I am as always, Monica

GO GO GO!

You will have a fantastic time - I just know it. As for the pasta - maybe allow yourself a set number of pasta meals and or something. (of course there is the bread on the table...)

Whatever you do, have a great time. You don't NEED to eat poorly to have a good time and you will be so proud if you come back a bit lighter. All that walking could well produce that result!

HAVE A GREAT TRIP!!!! WE'LL MISS YOU!!! MAKE SURE YOU LET YOURSELF RELAX AND HAVE SOME FUN!!!

Only 2 more days until Vegas. At this time on Friday I will be on the plane headed for Vegas. I am scared, nervous, terrified, and excited all at the same time. Too many things going through my head. It doesn’t help that I haven’t been able to sleep the last couple of nights until really late. And of course, since I am sleep deprived, my mood sucks. Anyone want to take bets on whether I will get caught up on sleep in Vegas? HA, YEAH RIGHT!!!

I won’t be able to walk today and I am almost positive there won’t be any volleyball games tonight. It has been raining since sometime last night, and there is no end in sight. Plus hubby has to work tonight, so he won’t be home until ungodly hours of the night. Man, I hope the kids are good tonight. I am so tired, I just want to sleep. But I was really looking forward to volleyball. That really bums me out. Oh well, I guess you can’t fight Mother Nature. I don’t know if I will get any exercise in today or not. Realistically, I could if I wanted to exercise at home, but will I? Now that is the million dollar question.

Big One is getting two teeth pulled at the dentist in 45 minutes, so no idea how she will be feeling tonight either. That could put a monkey wrench in any and all plans that I could possibly make for tonight. I will have to see how she is doing after her appt.

I had to weigh in this morning for the Biggest Loser Challenge. I wound up being up .4 from my start weight for the challenge. I’m not happy with it, but what can I do? All I can do about it is just keep doing what I am doing and work on getting the eating under control. It will all come together eventually. I hope.

Oh, I also am no longer taking my laptop to Vegas with me. I had planned to take it along since all four of the active administrator’s (myself included) of that site, are all going to be in Vegas. I figured somebody had to have a way to check the site. Well, I found out that the hotel we are staying at charges $12 a day for internet access. OUCH, I don’t think I want to pay that. So I asked, and two of the other ladies are going to bring theirs, so I can leave mine at home. Which means that I won’t be able to check in here either. I guess you will all have to wait until I get back for updates.

Monica – Yes, I will have a fabulous time in Vegas, and I will enjoy every last minute of it. Thank you for always being there.

Lesley – I am going to try and limit the eating, really I am. I am just not going to be too surprised if I don’t do too well at it. I do know that a couple of the ladies going along are vegetarians, so who knows if that will influence my eating or not. Vegetarian eating is definitely not something I know too much about. I will have to ask questions this weekend and learn a bit more.

Mikey – Thanks hon, I will probably pop in for a minute or two tomorrow to at least say good-bye. I am so excited, I wish it was Friday.

Have a great day everyone.

i am so excited for you Wendy..we will all live without an update sweetie. just make sure you have a fabulous time and we will be here when you get back to hear all about it!
hope all goes well with big one and the dentist. sounds like you need some catch up sleep or just relaxation time. i say get some rest tonight or just watch some tv.
hugs bell :)

Happy trip Wendy!

Tomorrow is the big day so I don't expect to hear (read) anything now until Monday or Tuesday but I am thinking of you and hoping you have sensible walking shoes with you.

I know you are too excited to sleep - but try a chamomile tea tonight to relax. Sleep is very important and it has been proven that if you sdon't get enough you eat more and the metabolism slows down and you gain weight. BUT never mind all thet - you don't want to be falling asleep in your soup at a nice dinner in Vegas!

Have a great time wendy - you have waited for this for a long time - you deserve to enjoy it!

Wendy, have a great time in Vegas and enjoy yourself! I'm sure some of the walking you'll do will help with the constant buffets you'll run into there.

Hope the teeth pulling went okay and your daughter's feeling good by now.... take care and HAVE FUN!! Can't wait to hear all about it.... take some pictures, too!

Good Morning Wendy,

Have a SAFE and ENJOYABLE TRIP .. and WIN LOTS OF $$$$ MONEY ON THE SLOTS (or if you're brave) ON THE TABLE GAMES (I admit I'm :turkeytalk: CHICKEN when it comes to the table games -- Les is the BRAVE ONE) ...

Looking forward to hearing all about it when you come back. I am as always, Monica

Have a great time in Vegas!!!

Have a crazy time in Vegas. Not dangerous...just fun and crazy. Okay? Take care.

You should get some sleep before the trip, as you will want to enjoy it. I am a night owl anyways and never require more than 6 hrs a night. Unlike my hubby who if only gets anything under 8 hrs is a crab. Hope you have a wonderful trip.

Enjoy yourself!! Can't wait to hear all about it!

Lisrey :wave:

Hey Raye, Just popping in to join the others in wishing you a successful and enjoyable trip.

happy new journal (yeah, I've been a slacker,) and HAPPY VEGAS TRIP!!!!!!

Enjoy yourself and celebrate all you've done; celebrate you!

have a great time!!!!!

Stopping in to say "hi" :wave:

Hope you enjoy your weekend :)

Just stopping in to say hi, thinking of you and hoping you are having a blast!!!

Hope you're having a wonderful time!!! We miss you, but I'll be happy to hear all about your time in Vegas. I've never been there.....

I'm home, I had a blast, a seriously wonderful time. We had a bit of a tense time on Saturday night when one of the young kids had a pretty bad allergic reaction to pistachio ice cream. So we spent quite a bit of time in the ER that night. She is okay and is seeing the doc tomorrow, so all ended well.

Otherwise, we did a ton of walking, a bunch of shopping, some sightseeing, and even rode the roller coaster. I will post a total recap sometime tomorrow. I don't have much time right now.

According to the scale in our hotel room I haven't gained much but I will know for sure on Friday. I don't think the damage was too bad. We slept late most days due to getting in at 2 am, so ate brunch rather than breakfast and lunch. Not good for metabolism, but it happens. We are already planning another get together for next year.

I will fill in more eventually, I am extremely sleep deprived and yet I want to catch chat tonight if I get a chance.

More later, have a great day.

Hey Wendy, WELCOME BACK!! Sounds like you had a great trip (minus the pistachio ice cream incident). Ooohhh, I want to hear about the roller-coaster. And the shopping! Did you see any shows? And hey, when you go to Vegas you HAVE to eat brunch. I think it's a local ordinance. :)

sounds like you had a great time other than the pistachio icecream incident!
will keep a look out for the detailed update. in the meantime welcome home and catch up on some rest!
hugs bell :)

Welcome back Wendy!

Glad to hear you had a great time. I am awaiting the details...

I know you have to get back into the routine again first and then you will be exhausted from your trip. BUT let us all know how it went ok?

Hope you are getting back into your healthy routines too! Have a great day!

Hey there. Glad you made it back safe and sound! Missed ya. Can't wait to hear more about the trip.

My Vegas Trip

WARNING, very long

Friday
I got up Friday morning and had to have Big One at a Girl Scout event by 9 am. So I took her to that, NO sign of the lady who was supposed to be in charge. I know that she is the caregiver for her husband who is wheelchair bound, so I was pretty worried, but also, I had to catch my plane! I was freaking out. I was the only adult at the event from Girl Scouts since everyone else’s parents had just dropped them off. I couldn’t just leave. FINALLY, she showed up about a ½ hour late, so I could leave. So we boarded the plane (security wasn’t bad at all, but I’m glad my mom was with me to show me the ropes). The flight was pretty smooth and fairly short, so all was well. I fit into the seat and the belt fit me fine. Yes, I was a bit worried. I had always heard about people not fitting into the airline seats or the seat belts. I wonder if I would have fit before I lost weight? I guess I will never know. I had quite a bit of room in the belt yet, so I think I would have. Maybe not in the seat very well, but the belt would have fit.

So we arrive in Vegas a little early, get our bags, and catch the shuttle to the hotel. (Again, thank goodness for my mom showing me the ropes). We got to the hotel and as we were checking in, on of the women I am meeting calls. She had called one of the other ladies who was also driving down with her husband about 2 hours outside of Vegas, and they had just broken down. She had just passed them about 5 miles ahead, so she went back and picked up A and the kids and brought them the rest of the way to Vegas with her. Once they got to Vegas though, they couldn’t get into their room since it was under A’s husband’s name, so they were sitting in the parking lot of the hotel with no where to go and no one else was answering their cell phones. So I told them to come to our hotel and they could hang out with me.

We got to our room and got settled, and my mom called my uncle and made plans to meet him downstairs. I asked her to at least bring him upstairs so I could see him. So she did that. While we were visiting, the doorbell of the hotel rang. (Yes, we had a doorbell, the room was HUGE). It was the R & A. So we sat and visited for a while. One of the little girls whispered something to her mom and her mom told her to tell me that, so she comes over and stands in front of me and says “You are really pretty”. My heart melted on the spot and she was my girl for the rest of the weekend. A told me at one point during the weekend that when I opened the door she thought I was my mother since she had seen pictures of me and hadn’t expected my face to look so skinny. She was very complimentary about my weight loss, just from pictures she had seen.

We finally decided to go get something small to eat since we were all hungry, so we went to a place called the Rumjungle. It was pretty good, we all had quesadillas since we knew everyone was getting together for supper that night. One of the other ladies and A’s husband eventually met us at my hotel room and the group of us decided to go to the Shark Reef which was in my hotel. I had wanted to go there ever since I found out it was there, so I was thrilled. They take your picture before you enter as a group, and then after you go through, they show you it with different backgrounds. Our picture was so nice, I bought a package that gave me 2 large pictures and 4 small ones. The small ones were 2 magnets and 2 key chains. So I kept the two large ones and the free picture frame that came with it and a key chain, and gave the other three ladies each a magnet or key chain.

By that time we were almost late for supper so we took off. We were having supper at the Palace Station at their buffet so we all headed up there. Of course, we all got lost, so we were all late. Some of the ladies had to go to their respective hotels, but the rest of us ate supper and visited until it was time to go get P from the airport. I was waiting for T to return to pick me up to go out there and it was taking forever. We had time to go down and say Hi to JK who was checking in at that time. T finally showed up and we headed out to the airport. I thought we were going to be late and was getting a bit panicky, but when I called P she was still on the plane, they were just getting off, so we did make it to baggage claim before her. We finally found her and her luggage and we headed off to my hotel. The two of them dropped me off around 12:30am Vegas time, and I went up to bed. My mom was sound asleep and didn’t even here me come in.

Saturday
I woke up around 8am and noticed that the FM radio light was on the alarm clock and the alarm had been set for 8, so I woke mom up and asked her if she had set it. Nope, but neither one of us could go back to sleep. So we got up and got ready and met my uncle for lunch. After lunch I wandered around the hotel for a while (our hotel was humongous) until the other ladies decided what they were going to do. A and her family and R and her daughter and I decided that we would go to M&M World and the Coke store, so we met at the MGM Grand in the lobby. We stopped and saw the lions and the face crocodile there, and then went to the shops. M&M World was awesome and so was the Coke store. T had wanted to come with us, but didn’t make it to us in time to go along. She managed to catch up with us while R and I were riding the roller coaster around the New York New York hotel. That was awesome, but my shoulders are sore from the restraints. By this time it was time to head over to the Hard Rock Café for supper. So we did that. Supper was great, we had 25 people there, so it was a lot of fun. We stood outside under the big guitar and visited for quite a while and took some pictures. We then decided to go downtown to the Bellagio to watch the fountain show. I will try to post a link to my video of the show, but the video does NOT do it justice. It was awesome. It was here that little T shared some pistachio ice cream with her mom and suffered an allergic reaction. We gave her some Benadryl that S had in her bag and took her inside the casino and had them call an ambulance. They came and took her and her mom to the hospital and another couple and I followed. The other couple stayed at the hospital until R finally talked them into leaving. I stayed until T showed up and R talked me into letting T give me a ride back to my hotel. That was about midnight again.

Sunday
Mom and I got up and went out for brunch about 10 am. While we were eating, C (who was flying in for a work seminar) called, she was checking into her room. So when we finished eating, we went and met her at her room. She and I then caught a cab down to the Venetian Hotel and walked over to Harrah’s so I could see Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill. The one place I wanted to make sure and see down there. It was really neat. Someday I will actually eat there. I did buy two t-shirts there though. One is too small though, but I will shrink into it eventually. Or I will just keep it as a souvenir.

We met some of the other women at Harrah’s to do some shopping. We ended up splitting up and Cand I were shopping in Caesar’s Palace when we ran into A and S, so we spent the rest of the day shopping with them. We met up with everyone else at the Cheesecake Factory around 6pm. One of the girls had forgotten to eat that afternoon, so she was getting pretty sick so had to eat right away, so her and two other girls went in and ate right away while the rest of us waited for a table big enough for all 16 of us. We actually had 5 people with us Sunday night that hadn’t been with us on Saturday, so that was really nice. The Cheesecake factory was really the only place that I splurged all weekend. I HAD to have a piece of cheesecake. I didn’t even eat it all though, but it was REALLY good. We didn’t get out of there until after 10pm so we caught a cab back to our hotel and mom and I gambled a bit and I finally headed up to bed about 12:30am. We had to be up and downstairs to catch the shuttle at 4:40 am so it was a pretty short night. Our flight home was uneventful and I had planned on going home and sleeping, but I couldn’t sleep so I got on the computer and uploaded some pics, then went and picked up the kids.

I was shocked, when I pulled into our driveway, Big One came running out and gave me a hug and even admitted that she missed me. She never admits it. The other two were excited to see me when I picked them up from daycare also. They loved their gifts, I got them each a Coca Cola Bear and they each got a bag shaped like a crayon full of M&M’s in their favorite color. Squirt Girl and Junior Dude got place mats that you can color on, and I bought Big One a Tshirt. They were all happy. Their bears are named “Cola”, “Diet Coke Pop” and “Soda” by the way.

I was very very sore from all the walking but I did go for a short bike ride with Big One last night, and we have been out shooting some baskets together the last two nights. The scale showed down this morning, but I will see what Friday shows. I am supposed to have volleyball tonight, but if it storms like predicted we will be rained out once again.

I am going to post this before I lose it and then work on replies.

Have a great day everyone.

Me in front of Toby Keith's Bar
http://www.dropshots.com/photos/287306/20070603/150556.jpg

The Roller Coaster I rode.
http://www.dropshots.com/photos/287306/20070602/133814.jpg

The Bellagio Fountains:
http://www.dropshots.com/day.php?userid=287306&cdate=20070603

Raye,

wow, sounds like you had a wonderful time. So glad all went well.

The video clip was very nice, thanks for sharing that.

Its so nice when those 'crazy' kids actually show mom some sweet emotion isn't it!!!

Wendy,

YOU LOOK STUNNING ... in that picture you took ...

You can see THE DRAMATIC CHANGES that have taken place. So glad you had a great time. Thanks for sharing (it's been a long time since I've been to Vegas) .. Take care and have and make it a great day. I am as always, Monica

you look amazing, and happy, and it sounds like the trip was faboo!

so happy to hear/see it all!!--thanks for sharing!

Sounds like a fantastic time Wendy! One of these days I will have to go myself. The fountains look pretty amazing!

Got to run though - have a super day!

Hi Wendy

The trip seems to have been a big success! I am so glad you had fun. I will have to visit myself one day and when I do I will definitely look for the fountains - they look amazing!

Have a great day today ok?

You look like you had a great time and you look great in the pics great going keep it up.

You sure packed a lot in!! Glad you had such a good time, and that home sweet home was so sweet on your return. Have a great day!

Lisrey :flower:

You walked quite a bit, huh? The trip sounded fun. I've never been to a big place with lots of people that I know and/or are related to me before. It sounds like a scheduling challenge, to say the least. With all of that walking around to see things and go shopping, I'll be that the scale stays down on Friday. Good.

Do you have pictures? Are you rested-up yet? Take care.

YOU LOOK AMAZING!!! WONDERFUL!!! GORGEOUS!!!! I AM SO PROUD OF YOU!!!! WOOHOOO SEXY MOMMA!!!

So glad you enjoyed yourself. You deserve that. And just as glad that the kids realized that they missed you too! hehe

Hi Raye,

I just finished reading about your trip. It sounds like you had a great time, and I'm so gald of that. It does a body good to get away now and then and totally indulge yourself in fun and leisure. I hope it also left you feeling refreshed and rejuvinated as well.

Loved the photos too. You look great! Thanks for sharing.

Hi Wendy

Just a quick stop to say hi - now I am off to pack! Just wanted to let you know I am thinking of you - if you can be that busy and do all that then I can pack some boxes!

Hey Wendy, thanks for the Vegas recap! Sounds like you had a great time. And since you posted that photo, I can see why the young girl was so taken with you. You've got that inner AND outer glow. You're radiant. :)

Glad you got such a welcome on your return. And hey, good job on all that walking! Hope your volleyball wasn't rained out...

Bell – All went well with Big One and the dentist, she did great. I had a great time in Vegas and I even though of all of you often.

Lesley – I was actually very sleep deprived in Vegas, but I had a great time and didn’t even overeat. In fact, I wound up actually losing weight while down there. I am so excited I Can hardly stand it. Definitely check out the fountains if you ever get to Vegas, they were seriously incredible.

DJ – I took a ton of pictures while down there, and I did post a couple of them. Big One did great at the dentist, and didn’t have too much trouble afterwards at all.

Monica – I actually only lost about $40 on the slots, of course that was all that I gambled, but I had fun anyways. Thanks for the compliments on the picture, I actually like that one.

Anne – I did have a great time in Vegas, thanks.

Fagan – I had a crazy time in Vegas, and no it wasn’t dangerous. It was a scheduling challenge, and there are definitely things we are going to do differently next year, but we had so much fun.

Angel Eyes – I did manage to get some sleep before heading out, but I didn’t get near enough while down there. I need my eight hours or eventually I crash.

Lisrey and Nancy – Thanks for the well wishes.

Jessica – I did celebrate a bunch down there, we just all in all had a great time. The trip was definitely worth it and I will do it again next year I hope.

Beth – HI

Mikey – Hi to you too, hope you had a great weekend. Thanks for the kudos.

Nancy – Yes, it was nice when they actually let me know that they missed me. I wasn’t so surprised with the little ones, but the Big One never admits it. I’m glad you liked the video clip, it definitely doesn’t do them justice though, the fountains are just amazing in person.

Audrey – Thanks for stopping in I appreciate it.

Sandie – I do feel rested and rejuvenated now, but it took getting sick and taking some more time off work to get there. See below.

Lesley – Did you get some more boxes packed?

Anne – Volleyball wasn’t rained out, but we only had three players, the other team actually let my oldest daughter play with us so we would have 4. She did great and had so much fun.

I ended up going home from work early on Thursday. I had taken some Benedryl for my cold and it knocked me out. I came home about 10:30 and slept until 2 and then got up and ate and went back to bed and slept until 5. I then was still able to sleep all night. I felt better the next day but sounded like a frog for days. I still sound a little hoarse sometimes, but I feel much better thank goodness.

The scale showed 209.4 yesterday morning. So I lost 1.8 pounds the week that I went to Vegas. And get this, this morning it was even lower. Now if I can just keep it going in this direction. I was just excited to break 210. It took a long time. Hopefully I can keep the stress level at an even keel and keep it going in the right direction.

This weekend we really don’t have anything planned. I mowed the lawn today and planted some flowers (yeah, you guys are rubbing off on me), and now I am going to watch a movie (The Devil Wears Prada) and get to bed. Big One has a friend spending the night, so they are watching movies in her room, so it is nice and quiet out here.

I hope everyone has a fantabulous weekend.

Love the Vegas pic of you outside Toby Keiths bar..you look gorgeous..definately agree with Anne..you are radiant!
sorry that you have been sick with a cold but glad you are on the mend.
Had you see Devil wears Prada before? i loved that movie!
Have a great weekend Wendy.
hugs bell :)

Hi Wendy

I am SO HAPPY that you had a loss over the Vegas week. I had a sneaking suspicion that might happen - doesn't it feel great to know that you can still have a "special" time without putting on weight? All that walking and excitment!

I am chipping away at the packing - only 3 days left so we are down to the wire now. It will all get done somehow.

Have a great week

Bell – No, I actually hadn’t seen “The Devil Wears Prada” before, but I liked it. It was pretty good. I had heard it was good, and hubby wasn’t home, so it was a day for watching chick flicks. Thanks for the kudos on the pic, I actually like that picture for once.

Lesley – Yes, it feels great to know that I could have such a good time and not pay for it by gaining weight. Even more, it was great to actually be able to do all that walking and not “Bonk” to use Fagan’s phrasing. I hope the packing is going well, almost time to move. I can’t wait to hear all about it. I know you will love your new place.

Let’s see, no exercise on Sunday, it was 90 degrees + here yesterday so I decided not to do any exercise outside. I did ride my exercise bike for 20 minutes though. I can’t believe I used to ride that thing for 30-40 minutes. How did I not go crazy? It is sooo boring. Even listening to my MP3 player didn’t help. I was bored. I guess I used to play Nintendo or watch TV while riding, that helped a lot. I should have used the BowFlex since I was down there, but I didn’t. No real excuses, I just didn’t. I did do some arm exercises while riding though.

Tonight I have an open house to attend at the Girl Scout office so I don’t know what will happen tonight. I don’t know how long I will be there, but I do have my tennis shoes and socks here at work so if it isn’t raining, I will try and go for a walk at lunch. I know, I will see if my coworker wants to walk over for lunch. There is a deli near here that has home made sandwiches. Large rolls with tons of meat and cheese, and delicious soups. We have walked over there at least once a week for the last month or so. It is delicious and cheap although I am sure it has way too much salt, and probably too many calories, but hey, it’s better than fast food any day.

I did forget to tell you all about a conversation my mom and I had while in Vegas. We were walking through a casino, I am not sure which one, or when the discussion took place, but I know it was on Sunday. Anyway, we were discussing our weight loss (my mom started LA Weight Loss right after Christmas and has lost almost 50 pounds I th