I'm home! THank goodness!! :D What a trip. Loved the time with my in-laws. Momma-in-law did fine with her first Christmas without Pop. Now my Momma... lets just say it was stressful. I think we may have dementia issues popping up. I so dread trying to convince her to get checked out. I heard the same story about her broken toes 6 times and trying to wrap presents with her was so frustrating... she kept moving the items around after I had sorted them. :rolleyes:

We had a safe trip, got excellent gas mileage and even managed to snare one of the chocolate pies to bring home with us!

I hope everyone had a safe and wonderful holiday!!

:grouphug:

Debbie, he should not lecture you... hmmm does he do anything bad for his health hehehe that you can lecture hahaa thinking evil

Sandy glad you talked best way to work things out... do not let the pout get to you heehe

Woke in pain, went to church then did hour of yoga.. a relaxing one...good on stretching.. then hubby and I went to see a matinee... Its complicated... great movie. hehe

came home feeling numb/tingling face, maybe finally dose of neurontin not keeping up... humid day... and then started feeling out of it bad... so fell asleep on couch for while... now up and in pain.. heading to bed.. hugsss,sarah

two, glad home safely hugss

Hi all,
Glad those of you traveling made it back safe...lots of people are telling wild tales about the dumping of snow in places like Iowa and Minnesota...
sorry I was having a pity party before...it's time for both DH and me to lose the weight. It's depressing when you go out shopping for clothes and know that you could be in smaller sized clothes if you'd only kept your trap shut when the holiday treats were nearby:( DH and I had a talk and he said he only tells me these things to remind me of what I have told him in the past about how I wish to be, health and body wise. Grrr...and I know that so much of my weight gain the past 2 months has been because of not working out. If it's not the fatigue, it's the surgeon's orders post op not to strain by exercising, or it's the painful leg spasms...so I'm determined to do something beginning tomorrow...first of all, no more junk food. Christmas is over...and come heck or high water I'm going to fight through the pain and walk at the gym...it's the only approved exercise, so it's what I'm going to do.
There. It's in print.

Debbie, my hubby's the same way. He tries not to be too much of a task master, but reminds me of what I wanted to do quite often. :) :hug::hug:

~~

I'm up before the dawn this morn. And we have snow. Looks to be 2-3 inches. Hard to tell since it looks like a lot of wind has blown stuff around. Glad I did the necessary grochery run yesterday before it started. :)

Stay safe everyone! :grouphug::grouphug:

hey Debbie .. here's something that may help - tell DH that the only time he can 'help' you with the weight issue is that he says something NICE and compliments you ...

I'm working on this alone - and it's not as easy as they show it on TV!!

eat one handful of ALMONDS a day (check out the Dr.OZ website) .. that's about 20-22 ... and a friend of mine did this ... and dropped the weight!

no eating after 6pm (not even a fruit) ... and 'fast' 12 hours before you eat again ... that would be 6am the next day ...

remember to ALWAYS eat something for breakfast!!

water water water ... no more soda .. not even diet .. :D

no eating 2 hours before you go to bed ...

this has been working for me .. I'm down 10 lbs since August/Sept .. .

UPDATE: did I tell you that I did get an "A" in my Strategic Management course?? that means that I had to get an "A" on the final!! I was carrying a 93% thru-out the whole course!

getting ready for the next course - starting next Monday .. but homework EVERY weekend .. I didn't know what to do with myself yesterday ... usually write a paper or catch up on homework stuff! so, I made another quilt ... now, I have 2 more to tie and bind!

hope you all have a great day!!

Hellooo everyone.:)

vonn...that is how I lost 46 pounds. I also swapped my lunch and dinner.
So I eat a very light dinner and no food until the next a.m.:)...It worked
for me!

sarah...feel better...Im where you are now...feeling like carp.:(

debd...hubbies...sometimes they say the wrong things.:hug:

Pam and barb...glad the traveling went well.

Kel, tricia, fin, weav, holly, wiz,sandy and jim, supermoo, all of you big holiday hugs to
you.:grouphug:

my update: busy holiday with lots of fun. Although the day before
xmas eve, I got a call from my son while I was at school for holiday fun.
He was in VT snowboarding and had an accident. He was taken down
mountain on stretcher. Hurt his back.

His friend was able to drive him back to Massachusetts where I took
him to doctor. He has numbness and lots of pain still. We ended up
in xray on Christmas eve. Things looked okay but there was something
they want to look at again so we will re xray in a few weeks.

I have a call in to his doc as he is still struggling. Its hard to help my
210 pound 6'1" baby move around and sit up and stuff.:( Also , yesterday
was his 18th birthday. Happy Birthday!

I feel so bad for him as he has suffered so many sports injuries. He is
running out of sports!!!!:eek:

Any way I gotta go...I have an extra child for a few days and I have
to think of some fun stuff to do. Something that doesnt cost money.:oj

Also check out my thread about my dear city.....just not fair ya know.

Everyone have a great week!

Morning all! My brother is coming in from OK today. We're excited to see him. Last time we were together was at the cabin and mom got sick. Hope that doesn't happen again!

I will be glad when the holiday is over though. I want to take my decorations down but this year I am leaving them up since my brother will be here. Now I have to convince the other brother to come out to us on New Years Day. He wants us to come to his house but it will be 19 degrees outside and that's too cold for Jim. If he refuses guess Jim and I will have the house to ourselves! LOL

Have a good day everyone! :grouphug:

Sox, hope your son starts to feel better!

Oh Debbie, I drink Crystal Light green tea with raspberry. So far it's helped me stay stable in my weight. Soda is a huge no no or I can gain 10 pounds faster than a jack rabbit in heat! lol

Good morning! I slept like a baby last night...in my own bed! Twould be nice if that lasted a while.:cool:

I just looked at the calendar and realized today is DH and my 29th anniversary! :eek: The poor man has a cold and I'm recovering from the trip...what a pair. He went to work because he is planning to take off Wed and Thursday. I'm taking out the Old Year with a bang...getting a colonoscopy on Thursday morning :p.

Sox...I hope your son recovers quickly! :hug:

Deb, I too overindulged on the sweets. I held off, but gave in when I got a whiff of my sis-in-laws Divinity candy. Oh my :eek:. I plan to get back with the program full speed next week. This week will be spent prepping for Thursday. :hug:

:grouphug: to all. Those still having family gatherings...enjoy! I'm glad ours are done until the family reunions in the spring and summer!

Morning everybody! I'm slowly getting ready for my Neuro appointment today. It just takes me forever to get ready to go anywhere. I have to stop by the bank on my way....,.plus I have this ON which makes seeing out of my left eye interesting.....so I'll have to go extra slow.

Sox, you've lost 46 pounds! :eek: That's fantastic!! :) Good for you! I know you're so proud of that accomplishment.

Sandy, I don't blame you one bit for not wanting to go out in 19 degree weather. It's cold here (for GA). We're having lows in the 20's and highs in the 40's. New Year's Eve is supposed to bring some precipitation but I think it's still too warm for anything to freeze.

My crazy neighbor has his leaf blower out again this morning. :rolleyes: :rolleyes: Good grief......that man is obsessed with having his lawn completely free of any leaves or twigs. Too bad he doesn't feel the same about mine! He blows whatever is in his yard into mine. I've decided that it's not worth fighting over. The wind will decide where it all ends up anyway. :p Plus, it's not but a few leaves at the most. If it's bothering him that much then I'll allow him to have his fun. In the big scheme of things it's very minor. I've learned to pick my battles. Now, if he was bringing his dog into my yard to do his business I think I may have to say something. ;)

Everyone have a good Monday. :grouphug:

Hi Everybody!! :grouphug:

Debbie,

I need to drop a few lbs since I've gained while sitting here waiting to find a job. The others gave you great advice. I need to cut out my late night snacks and I'll be much better off. :rolleyes: You'll do fine and we know your DDH loves you to pieces. :hug:

Sandy,

You and Jim stay inside and toasty warm, it's supposed to get very cold tonight!

Vonn,

Way to go on the class and making another quilt! :)

Sox,

You're an awesome mom and way to go on the weight loss!! :)

Kelly,

I hope you can get the IVSM!

Barb,

Travel safely!

TKTC,

Happy 29th anniversary!! We had our 29th last August! :) Sorry about your mom's dementia though. I hope it was mostly stress from the holidays.

Sarah dear...

I want you to please start applying for less physically taxing jobs. We worry about you here and you need to find something easier to take with your symptoms and other responsibilities with your adorable family. :hug:You're special and any employer would be lucky to have you work for them. :hug:

Fin,

We had a ton of snow here and now the cold is coming!! :eek:

My update:

I interviewed today for the accounting job. The lady I'd replace is very organize and good at her job. It was a bit hard to read the situation but I think I did well. The new $95k per year town administrator was there and he may have felt slightly threatened since I did what he does now for free at my old company. But I might be able to do that job in the future if I get the accounting job? :)

The mayor was there too so the three of them will be deciding between four applicants. All first interviews were today and they might decide right away or have a second interview if there's a close tie.

I passed my background and drug test for the sales job and it starts next Monday if I go with that one. :Dunno:

Both jobs are great and I think I'll be very happy with either one! What a happy and lucky dilemma I'm faced with! :)

If I don't check in again until 2010, Happy New Year to my beloved online friends!

:circlelove: :grouphug:

Good evening all...watching the Bears actually winning the first half...that won't last. I wonder if ESPN is going to show the billboard some fans bought that asks the Bears owners to fire the coaching staff and GM during the halftime show...
Sox..great job on the weight loss! Wow!:D Hope your DS is recuperating...
Vonn...congrats on the A!! and thanks for the advice on losing weight...it's so difficult...:(
TKTC...hope your anniversary was special!!
Wiz, your right, DH does love me to death...he's so concerned about the spastic pain, he keeps begging me to call the neuro. I want to wait until tomorrow to make sure it's not a result of working out today...but it's been so bad for the last couple of weeks, I think he's right and I should call...I just don't want to seem like a hypochondriac:(
Sarah, I'm with Wiz...you have management skills...you could probably find a less stressful job that isn't so physically taxing...think about it, okay sweetie?

DH and I have begun the long task of filling out SSDI application...sheesh! How is a person who is cognitively broken supposed to fill all of that out? I'm so glad I've kept my desk planners from the last 4 years. That's the only way I can figure out all of those dates about doc appts.

It's supposed to be below zero here tonight...I hope Favre freezes out at the game...:cool:

Good Morning! I'm not supposed to be on the computer much (or at all) until this ON clears up but I doubt I'll ever be able to stay away completely! :o

Debbie, that was some football game! Exciting right up to the end.

It's so cold here.....in the 20's and will only get into the 40's today. Probably sounds like Spring to those of you in the North and Central states but for us it's pretty darn cold! My bird bath water has frozen! :eek: Hope the birds know how to ice skate! :p

Everyone stay warm and safe. I'll be hibernating inside today and for the foreseeable future. :grouphug:

Morning all :) As my dad would say, it's a nice brisk morn out there today. I would call it cold. :D

Trying to pace myself. Still got a lot of little things to do, some of which involve leaving my warm house. :eek: But at least it's not until the afternoon.

Take care everyone. :grouphug::grouphug:

hey all ..

congrats on your 'dilemma', WIZ ... whichever one you take will be the right one for you!

UPDATE: I do really good when I'm home alone .. or in my car ... but, when I have to start dealing with individuals regarding all this disability 'stuff' ... (yep, wanted to use another word) ... I get all stressed and my BP goes outta control, and the headache that I've had for over 3 weeks is more intense ... and then having to deal with phone calls to the PCP and neuro ... even called the MS Society chapter in Wisconsin (but they are closed due to cutbacks for the holiday week) .. and dealing with the social worker ...

I had a meltdown yesterday afternoon ... but, let it go - and finished another quilt ...still no answers to the high liver enzymes either ... and one doctor says this .. then another says that ... well, the lake is frozen now - so I can't go and jump in it for awhile!:eek:

it's a beautiful day today - taking a ride up north ... hitting a couple of quilt shops (big sales now before end of the year!) ...

have a great day ... I'm fine .. I don't like not knowing, or not having answers ... or just living my life before MS and doctors ....

I am thankful that I found YOU (or did you find me??) ... have a great day!!

Good morning fine folks!

Kel...I hope you feel better soon...im praying for ya!:hug:

hugs to the rest of you!

Busy day yesterday...a couple of doc appt. I took my
son in for followup on back. He has a deep tissue hematoma. he said
when he lies on his back or against a chair , it feels like a pingpong ball
is inside his back. hurts too! Its supposed to dissolve or there will
be some draining happening! ouch!

Anyway things should be calming down for a few days. My friends dd
just went home(she is 9 and she has been here for two days) Last night
I had her, my family of six, and three of ds's friends for spaghetti dinner.
I am whooped!:o

Happy New year to you all!!! Love to everyone!!:grouphug:

Good morning everyone!

I haven't been on much over the past few days. I broke down and took 1/2 valium last night and today I am finally able to move my hand/arm enough to type. Yeah!

Hoping you all had a great Christmas and we all have a wonderful New Year. :hug::grouphug:

Good morning all!!

Wow, the Bears actually showed up last night and played the way they should have all season...one columnist in the Chicago Tribune quipped, "Come on out Philadelphia Eagles...I know you're (inside those uniforms)...my son went to the game...I hope he didn't get frostbite. It was frigid there!!

Kelly, dear, :hug::hug:

I already worked out a little bit on the Wii fit board and am headed to the gym for a walk on the track...got to get this body moving. I wonder if working out is reducing my leg spasms, because I didn't have much pain at all during the night. It would be a godsend if this made them go away...

Hope all of you have an absolutely wonderful day!

hugsss all

Soxy, give me some tips... could lose 40 lbs... congrats..and sorry you feeling like me having rough days... sorry about your son too. hugssss

Wiz and all, on the job front...I gotta laugh.. sounds like a great plan... but I live in very small area... and already hubby looking for jobs too... I have built up to a decent amount per hour.. actually really good for the area... and if I change jobs I will have to work for far less... although no jobs out there... not management type... anyhow.. thanks for the concerns I love you all...

sunny outside, been cleaning out closets lol... yes closets... and playing with the kids... we are doing lots of puzzles as Ciara got many from Santa...

The kids sure do keep me smiling!! make me laugh each day... we had a good couple of games going last night. Sure has been fun being around home a few days. I did not make it to the ski hill yesterday, between son and I thinking the hills would be icey due to the rain back at Christmas time... and my back was so awful anyhow when woke yesterday. But we do plan to get out skiing at least twice this season... hoping we do.

Sandy have a great time with brother, and hoping the other comes your way!

Well back to closets, and playing... hugsss all, sarah

Morning all. BIG hugs to all of you feeling down and not well. :hug:

My brother, his daughter, Chris and his gf Bre went downtown to Navy Pier for Winterfest. We stayed here, too cold out. Mom didn't go, although she could have. She said no one invited her. Ugh, she wont go unless Jim and I do. Oh well, life goes on. It's really too cold and she would have got tired anyway.

Have a good day everyone. :grouphug:

Well, I am a little over half way home. I have stopped in Richmond, Indiana for the night. Driving was not too bad after the first hour. I70 was in good shape. They are forecasting snow again for tomoorow, but I hope I can make it home before it starts. I plan on making an early start.

thanks for letting us know how far you are, Barb ... will be watching the weather channel and telling the weather to work with you, not against!! safe travels, sweetie!!

I'm home, I'm home ... had a great time getting outta here and outta town .. and back to land that I'm happier in ...

it's weird, but there's got to be some sort of universal thing when I get up passed a certain degree of longitude ... and I'm in my 'happy zone' ... my mom use to tell me that - we'd be going up north ... and we'd get to a certain area - and she'd tell me that my demeanor (not manure! LOL) would turn like a switch .. must have something to do with air pressure?? who knows!! ... all I know, is that I'm a happy camper!!

anyways - splurged and bought myself a trinket or two ... and more CAT fabric ... and everyone loves the idea about "Crazy Cat Blankets" ... was that what we (yous) came up with??

(*tapping on monitor*) WAKE UP my little chic-a-dees!! WAKE UP!!

see, Tricia .. I can get up early, too :rolleyes: ... and btw - I went back to 12 pg of posts to find the words "Crazy Cat Quilts" ... (that's what Kelly mentioned) ...

made a 'to do' list last night ... so, I better get started ... I'm looking outside to the cool, blue sky and frozen tundra ... and see peace! crystal-clear, peace!! how awesome is that!!

be good - and here are some :hug: 's for everybody ...

this will be a fun year - lots of new paths of adventures to go on!!

Gooood morning, everyone!

Vonn, you da bomb!! How long's the list?
I've begun to list some things I wish to write about this year. A friend suggested journaling my travels with MS, so that the kids have an idea of what it was like from inside...
I went through my closet to clean out old clothes and shoes for charity yesterday. DH needs to do the same...his closet is chock full of clothes he hasn't warn for years. I can see where DD gets her problem of keeping everything...:rolleyes:
The post-Christmas bah humbug has hit me...I need to get my SAD light out to see if it brightens my mood as much as it does the room.

Well, I hope you all have a wonderful hump day!:)

thanks, Debbie ... I'll be your light so you won't be sad ... I must get like that too - and then a meltdown hits!

that's great about the closet-cleaning ... anything 'cleansing' makes us feel 'bushed' ... and sorta hum-bug-ish ... I have all this stuff packed now (my stuff off the walls - now they are naked!) :eek: ... and I feel lonely ... but, tax season is just around the corner .. and another course to keep me busy until spring .. then, I'm moving ... oh, yeh - and throw in the disability hearing in February ...

more quilts ... have to take pics and post and mail .. and work on more quilts!!

I'm thinking the reason for the headache is 'sinus' related ... going to try a sinus tab instead of ibuprofen (that didn't make it go away) ...

Good Morning! Very cold here today....rain on the way and then even colder temps! The only thing I don't like about that is my gas bill! :rolleyes:

I am so frustrated.I was on the phone with the hospital yesterday for almost an hour. Got transferred to several people before finally getting to the right person. All I needed to know was how their financial assistance program worked. What did I need to do in order to qualify for the program.

I spoke with a really nice lady who seemed to really want to help me. According to her, since I have no dependents under 18 living with me, I make about $65 too much per month to qualify. :confused: Huh? Are you kidding me?

She allowed me the maximum amount per expense (even though I told her some of them I don't spend the maximum on) and even then I make $65 too much per month. I don't know who compiles these figures but they don't live in the real world (or my real world) apparently.

She told me that whenever I qualify for Medicare (august 2010) to call back and I would most likely be approved for some sort of assistance.

What is wrong with our health care program (or lack of)? I now see firsthand how frustrating this can be.

Maybe I'm just not supposed to do the IVSM. I do have serious qualms about it. Everything I've read says ON will clear up on it's own. I'll just wait it out and save my bones.

Vonn, I think your "Crazy Cat Quilt" program is a wonderful idea. Are you going to have a certain cat character as your "mascot"? Maybe have it's picture somewhere on each quilt? Maybe in the corner or something like that? I can't wait to see one of them!

So what is everyone doing to New Years Eve? I'll be doing the same thing I've done for the past fifteen years......going to bed and then waking up to the sound of fireworks. 2010's got to be a better year.

OH, Kelly ... sorry about all the medical/financial snafferoos! I'm suppose to (according to the lawyer to win my SSDI hearing) to seek professional counseling and then after the hearing I can drop it .. HUH?? then, what's the use? no wonder I'm frustrated and have anxiety-attacks ... it's not depression ... I get depressed because I don't have answers ... and then it's just a guessing game as to who know what and how many times you'll be transferred to get an answer! and by the time I get someone, I forget why I called .. and I'm so upset that I don't know the questions to ask!

mascot for the cat quilts, huh? ... hmmm - maybe will have to draw one up ... (p.s. don't tell Wiz :rolleyes:... but, seeing that she's posted Daisy's pix online - I might try drawing her!!) :p sound like a plan?? :D

Daisy would be the perfect cat!! She's adorable......and her markings are so pretty.

Wiz, it's time for another picture of Daisy so we can see how much she's grown! :)

Vonn, love the plan for the cat quilts. They love warm blankets to snuggle in. Sorry to hear about that counseling thing the lawyer wants you to do.

Kelly, Sorry about the hospital stuff. :hug:

~~~~~~

Counting down until the new year, and have my check list mostly done. Got the pork and saurakraut for Jan 1's lunch/dinner. Got the Asti for tomorrow night. Just need to get some munchies and stuff - and I'm done. :)

Wiz, I love the new pic of Daisy! She is so adorable! :circlelove:

There's no place like home!!! I made it home before the snow started. I left early this morning, and made it back in good time. I have already been to the grocery store, drugstore, and post office. Now it is time for a nap:D.

Hi everyone I'm sorry I've not been around much. I am having a really bad time at the moment with my TN and a few other nerve issues. I hope you are all well and had a good christmas. Have some hospital appointments soon they want me to have some more heart tests and other things. I love you all :hug::grouphug::hug::grouphug: xxxxxxxx

hey Jackie ...sorry to hear all that's going on ... hoping that the new year will bring you good things!! ;) ... thinking of you!! thanks for letting us know!! prayers coming your way ...

Jackie, I hope your tests come back good and you're feeling better soon. :hug:

Happy New Year. I've been too busy and tired from the holiday to get on here. We did have a nice Christmas with my brother. Ive been off work but still can't seem to recover. I'm trying to type this on my new droid so that is definitely slowing me down, but at least I know I can post this way.

:hug: Jackie, I hope you feel better really soon! The crazy things our bodies decide to do just makes me want to cry like a baby and scream like a mad woman. Lately the latter seems to be winning :).

Barb, glad to see that you are safely home! :hug:

Kitty, I hope the eye situation recovers quickly. :hug:

Vonn, Sandy, Sox, Fin, Wiz, Sarah, Trish, Holly, Deb :grouphug:

HAPPY NEW YEAR to everyone... not sure if I will get to check in much the next few days. DH is home for a few days. My colonoscopy has been postponed until next week. So we are just going to take it easy and watch movies.

Feel better soon Jackie! :hug: :hug: Let us know the test results, I hope they all come out good.

Kelly,

How are your eyes? Improving I hope? :hug:

Vonn,

Sorry about your headache. :hug:

Welcome home Barb and Holly!! :hug: :hug:

Well, no second job offer as of yet. :o DH said they'd be darn fools not to hire me. :rolleyes: But at least the sales job is for sure. The training is out of town in the suburbs and I'm going to stay at a hotel for four nights so I don't have to commute and I can get enough sleep to keep up with the studying.

I have everything all set up to go so maybe the town job will come through when I'm out of town on Monday for my first day? That would be Murphy's law, eh?

Anyway, everybody else have a nice and safe New Year's Eve celebration. Hugs are flying your way...... :grouphug: :grouphug:

Barb, glad you made it home ok. :hug::hug:

Jackie, feel better soon. :hug::hug:

Pam, sorry to hear it has been postponed. Take it easy. :hug::hug:

~~~~~~~~

Going to have to drop back down to 300mg at night for the gapapentin. Been way too out of it on the increase. So gonna go a little longer on the 300 and maybe try the increase in a few more weeks time.

We met up with some friends at a Greek resturant with some really good food. And in my daring fashion, finally had a chance to try escargot - as an appetizer no less. It was surprisingly good. :)

Hoping everyone has a safe and happy new year!!!!:partytime2:

Jackie hope you feel better soon hugssss

that is as far as memory got me to for the personals... ugggg

anyhow, heading into work at 3pm, to do some stuff, then I count inventory/we are closing at 7pm so I should get the counts done and out by 8ish pm. yeahh

I have so enjoyed the days off with the family, we have played games, and had fun thru out!!

We need a daily insights convention... you know all meet up somewhere, stay over have some fun... dinners and whatever!! would that be awesome!!

well Happy 2010 to all, hoping we all have a year with less pain, less medical issues, more smiles than ever, more fun, hugss to all, have a great end of 2009 all!! hugsssssssss, sarah

Hey all! Here's wishing everyone a happy and blessed new year with little to no health concerns. :grouphug:

We're staying home as usual. :wink:

I am staying home too. I already have my pj's on, and probably will be in bed by ten o'clock. Happy New Year everyone!