130/120 Club?

Ok 1/2 hour to go of this long long day.. Carrie, I know how you feel. I am so bored at work today. If I was coming back next week I would have things to do but I'm not so I don't want to leave half finished work...

Margo... My husband would never do this party planning on his own. He is not creative that way. I say my husband and friend are doing it but really it's all my friend. She just needs my husband since he is closest to me. LOL

I'm glad to have all your support when I try to quit smoking.

Carrie- congrats on 3 years... one day I will be there. Did I ever mention that my mom's name is Carrie too. There is really no relevance to that but an interesting sidenote. Sorry to hear about your dog going bald. I have 3 cats. They are very old, about 12 years old, we got them all around the same time. Anyway one of them is starting to lose all her hair too. Not because of allergies though. Just age I think. It's funny to see her though. She is bald all on the inside of her back legs and her "pubic" area. We joke around alot and say that she's a shaver (if you get what I'm saying )!! LOL.

My cats are my babies. My ladies actually. They are all girls and since it is just me with the 2 boys I refer to them as my ladies. Ok now I am just ramblin.

Anyway Ladies, I'm outta here! Have a great weekend! Can't wait to tell you about the party 

Stacy-I hear you on the stitches girl.  I would never guess you smoked.  Do you ever feel it in your lungs when working out?  If I were you, I would not even think about quitting right now with everything going on in your life.  I'd probably be smoking three cigarettes at once if I was you right now.  Can't wait to hear about your party!!!  And, I'm sure you probably know that I stay at home with  my baby...but in my "old" life :)  I was a social worker (well, I still am a social worker) and I worked for Child Protective Services as a supervisor.  I love, love, loved my job.  Of course it's  easy to say now how much I loved it because I don't do it anymore :)

Margo!  Sterlite?  I have Sterlite stuff.  I never knew...  You're birthday is right around the corner!  Have you made it known what kind of birthday you are expecting?  It helps not to be subtle with men :) 

Carrie-Glad you can cross your legs now :)  I'm such a baby with stuff like that I probably would have needed a tranquilizer.  I've heard it's absolutely no fun.  And that's an understatement. You're so cute to "babysit" the girls.  What kind of cookies?  I just made some sugar cookies shaped as the number 2 for my nephew's birthday this weekend.  I found the best and easiest sugar cookie recipe on Allrecipes.com.  It's called something like "The best rolled sugar cookies".  Hope your poor little baby starts feeling better after you visit the vet!

I'm feeling overwhelmed by the amount of stuff I need to do this weekend to get my house back to normal.  We aren't technically supposed to put furniture back until next Tuesday, but I'm pretty sure we will on Sunday.  I also would like to get a long run in tomorrow, but the low tomorrow morning is supposed to be 27 degrees, so I don't know what I'm gonna do. 

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Hey ladies!

Oh Margo it is so good to hear form you! i will answer you questions too after this. I have too jobs btw, i do accounts receivable for a non profit org (yep im that nerdy stacy) and im a massage therapist!

Stacy you probably are all done loggin on until monday, but i wanted to say have a fun bday party!! Disco?! thats amazing hehe. I have to say i've never heard of a chinook either sorry!

Carrie- have fun with the 13 yo. just let your inner teenager run wild haha and cookies are always fun. i think ill be hanging with my little sister shes 11. (shes a half sister thats why shes so young!) Shes the cutest  thign ever though:)

Greta i would definiitly be putting my furniture back on sunday! I hope you can get some good running in this weekend!

Ali have fun on your trip! keep up with the as much healthy eating as you can and get feeling better!

Sarah 128 by costa rica trip, thats a big goal, but you can do it! I hear you about feeling like a fatty i didnt work out yesterday bbecause i worked late and didnt today because my fiance's brother was in the hospital and i was just soooo tired! i dont know why, but we will both pick it up tomorrow right?

Have a good night ladies. im off to bowling!

Carrie -

• YAY to your 3 yrs. sober from smoking. :D 
• HAHA..yeah, I know I guess I'm an 'all or nothing' person. hehe. I have to find that balance with posting and the rest of stuff in my life, like workouts/eating, etc. :D Anyway..thanks. :) 
• Glad you're feeling better and can cross your legs and that Jaime took you out for lunch..sweet of him. :)
• HAHA, yes, I 2nd Danni's comment about letting your inner teenage run wild and baking cookies with your neighbor's daughters! :D Nice of you to watch them. :) 
• Love your 'C words'...HAHA! Funny! :D
• Fleas! :( Awwww! Poor pooches! Hope Churchill gets better soon!!! Adorable that you call him 'monkey' though. Sweet! *hugs!*

Stacy -

• Enjoy your time off from work and the time spent with your Mom!!!! (Hugs!)
• hehehe...I hear ya (Stacy and Greta) about men not being as creative or being too subtle at times. hehe. :) Enjoy your party though! Can't wait to hear about it!
• Aww! Sad to hear that your cats are losing their hair because of being older, but funny about the 'shaver' comment. ;D Though sweet that you call them 'your ladies'. :D  The dog we lost a few months ago (RIP Max!!!!!) he was an older dog (chihuahua/corgie mix) and at times his hair was sparse...like on the top of his head, we called him 'old man' sometimes. :/ AWW! Maxie! :( (sigh!) Anyway...so I hear ya (Carrie too) about our lovely animules..:D at times losing their hair...:(

Greta -

• YAY for using Sterilite! :) Awesome. :D Thanks for being a consumer! :)
• Yeah, bday's coming up.... I told my b/f and my fam. that I wanted to do something 'special'...though not sure what that means to them as far as what they are planning. So we'll see. :) I know that next Sat., 14th we're having a family dinner at my Mom's...then I think my bf is taking me to dinner ON my bday..which is next Sun.
• Cute that you baked '2' shaped cookies for your nephew! :D 
• (hugs!) Hope you get 'unoverwhelmed' about your house soon! :)

Danni -

• Have a good time hangin' out w. your sister this weekend too!
• Aww....sorry to hear your fiance's bro was in the hospital!!! :( Is this the same one you talked bout a long time ago? :( (hugs!!!!)

Where's Heather and Rennai?

Yes, hope Ali enjoys her trip and that Sarah keeps her goal going for her Costa Rica trip (funn!!!!)!

Hi to all the rest of the ladies!

AND! Tracy  - CONGRATS ON YOUR WEDDING TODAY!!! YAYYYY! :D Can't wait to hear about that either!!! :D

It's good to be back! :)

I hope you alll enjoy your weekends too!! :D

(hugs!!)

Take care and ttyl!

~Margo   

 P.S. (EDIT!)

I just tried to watch Rennai's Youtube video of David's song...but my computer speakers must be really sucky, cuz I had a hard time understanding the words. :( Though otherwise it was awesome that he was singing for you Rennai! :D Oh and the pics. from the Myspace links you put on here of him...also nice! :D Happy for you lady! :D

I also love the other video w. Mushu/Darwin! ADORABLE!

Oh and also watched Carrie's Youtube video of Huxley and Churchill running around playing! SOOO CUTE! :D Sorry to hear that they run around like that in the middle of the night too though! hehe.. Adorable to watch though. :)

I should get video of my bf's dog, Skippy when she's on a running rampage around the house. She runs soo fast and all around the furniture and behind the couch it's crazy. She reminds me of a rabbit! haha. Anyway...:D

Off to run some errands. Have a great day ladies!

So first off Alabama is playing LSU today.  Just had to mention that.

Churchill feels like a million bucks today.  He does this really heavy breathing when he's happy, like when you pet him and we call it 'purring'.  He was alll about that this morning.  Jaime and I sat for almost 20 minutes just petting and rubbing him and he just LOVED it.  Before with the fleas he was miserable and didn't want to be around anyone.

I woke up at 6:15 this morning.. I needed to get started on the cookie dough that I'm bringing to the girls tonight but not that early.  Maybe the time change is affecting me.

Oh and last night, I fell asleep on the couch and I vaguely remember talking to my husband in my sleep.  He was asking about.. air conditioning or heat?  I don't know, but at one point I totally remember talking to him about the Chinook and he kept saying Chinuck and I said no it's a Nooook not a Nuck.  Then I fell back asleep.  I know that Stacy won't get this until Monday but anyway :)  There it is.

Greta the cookies I'm making are these chocolate chip and peppermint cookies.  You take 1/3 cup of white chocolate chips and melt it and add it to the butter and then sugar and you know how it goes, flour etc.  I think that is really neat that you add it to the dough.  Then you put 2/3 cup of white chocolate chips, 3/4 cup of dark chocolate or semi sweet, and like 12 mashed up peppermint candies.  It's crunchy but sweet.  Reminds me of Christmas 100%.  I just made the dough and haven't added the chips or anything, I thought the girls would like to help me do that.  The sugar cookies sound amazing, and in the number 2 as well?  Genius.  You should open a bakery and hire me as assistant ;)

EDIT: A while back I told you guys that I was asking my boss for a raise and that I didn't get it.  Well I wanted to update that every paycheck since then has had a 'bonus' that if added up would amount to more than what I would have asked for.  I just realized that I hadn't told you all, and I just got my paycheck and it also had another bonus in it.  My boss is a good man.

Margo i hope you do something special for your birthday! I will be thin kig of all you birthdya ladies! i have to admit though im having a hard time keeping track of which day everyones is on, but i believe yours is sunday the 8th?!

Greta what are you doing the the little mans bday?

Carrie- i forgot to say congrats about you being smoke free for 3 years! thats amazing!! i would have been like your husband, no marriage until no smoking. Your cookies sound amazing! i love white chocolate and peppermint, have you eve had the peppermint bark?? so good!

So im not hangng out with my lil sis. shes at the age where shes all about hanging out wiht friends. its sad and scary i feel like she is my child or something lol, but its good to see her growing up happy. We are going out to dinner wiht my dad and stepmother and maybe going to play some pool

i havent been to the gym in 3 days!! i absolutley must go tomorrow and get some running in!!

hope everyone is having a nice weekend, stacy party hard!!

Carrie!  Roll Tide ;)  I need that cookie recipe!  That is so awesome that your boss has been giving you bonuses.  See, and if you never asked, you probably wouldn't be getting them.

Danni-Have fun with the fam tonight and get to the gym tomorrow :)  Don't you leave on your cruise soon?

Margo!  Love that you're back :)

I had a very rough run this morning.  I'm over it though :)  So hoping to get my house put back together tomorrow. Did a little bit today.  And I'm making a Cooking Light clam chowder for dinner.  I have to start on all the birthday preparations this week.  You know me...I've got a cake planned!

Carrie - Awesome about the bonuses in your checks! NICE! :D

Also, YUMM to your cookies! :) Yay! WHEN we all meet up one day, I think we should all bake together....:D Let us know how the cookies came out with the girl!!??

Glad Churchill is feeling happier too! :D

Funny about the 'chinook' talk with your hubby. :D

Danni - My bday is actually on the 15th...same as Greta's little boy. :)

Stacy's bday is on the 9th (tomorrow). :)

Thanks appreciate the birthday thoughts. :D I hope we do something special too. :)

Sorry your not hanging out with your little sis...but hope you all have a nice time at dinner. :)

Hope the gym goes well too!

Greta - ooh..Clam Chowder dinner...yay! I want to see pics. of the cake you bake your son! :) Cute! Hope is all turns out fantastic! :D

It's nice to be back too, thanks. :)

Have a great day, ladies! :D Hugs!!!

Good morning!! I'm backkk. The NYC trip was a disaster. Really long story, but basically, my friend and I were visiting our friend who lives in NYC and she left us stranded in the city for a whole afternoon/evening while she was at work/ at a random night review session for an uncoming exam. When we finally did see our friend at 10:00 at night, she was a completely different person. Has that ever happened to you guys with a friend? We've all been good friends since middle school/highschool.. and I haven't seen this girl in about a year.. and she's soo different now. And not in a good way. Very superficial/condescending now. Almost like an older version of those girls on my super sweet 16. I guess thats what living in a loft on Wall Street that mommy and daddy pay for will do to you. Me and the friend that visited with me didn't even know how to act around her. It was so weird. My friend was so upset that she actually got her train moved and left yesterday instead of today because she didn't want to be there anymore. Now neither of us know how to act toward her anymore. We've been friends for so long, but now we feel like we don't even know this person. So sad. Also, I was horribly hungover saturday morning and saw almost none of the city before I left because I couldn't get out of bed. Ohh man. At least I don't have to worry about my calorie consumption now. hahaha.

I hope you guys had a much better weekend!

Stacy - The disco party sounds fabulous. I hope you had an awesome time!

Carrie - I hope babysitting went well. Those cookies sound delicious, can I have the recipe? I'd love to bake them when I come home for christmas. Just to prove to my parents that I'm not completely domestically inept.

Greta - Good luck getting everything back in order with your house! I'm sure you'll be soo relieved when that's all over.

Danni - I am so jealous you went bowling. I always try to get my friends to go and everyone laughs at me and never wants to! Hope you had fun.

Sarah - How was the date? You were supposed to go on Friday, right?

Margo - Happy Birthday!

Have a great day, ladies! I am doing homework all day (the story of my life) and then going to my boyfriend's house to have an early thanksgiving dinner with his family. I'm not sure why they're having two thanksgivings, but hey, I don't have to cook tonight so I can't complain! Talk to you later!

Ok I typed out a long thing and then my computer crashed.  It happens to everyone doesn't it.

I made those cookies last night and they were seriously some of the best cookies I've ever made.  I love them.  I'll try and get the recipe to you guys soon.  I had tons, too many, and then some pizza on top of that :)  But I weighed in at 130, so I'm not really up that much.  I'm really hoping to be back at 129 this weigh in... nervous.

In small news our puppy, Huxley, learned how to cuddle this past week and whenever we sit down he curls up next to us, a minute ago he had his sleepy head on my hand while I was typing.  :)

Danni sorry you didn't get to hang out with your sister, but it's cute that you are so protective of her.

Ali, sounds like the weekend was a total bust.  I'm so sorry.  I hate it when people change for the worst.  Does that mean that you had to travel back home alone?

Greta I want to know what you're going to make for your little guy!!  Hope you get your furniture back in place.  Plus clam chowder, that sounds super amazing.  I'm thinking of grilling some chicken for the rest of the week.

Ingrid I just read on fb that you had a fever?  Is your sickness not finished with you yet?!  I hope you feel better soon!

Margo I'm so glad that you're back and active in the forum.  We missed you :)  Churchill is like another dog :)  We're taking them both to the dog park, or I am, this afternoon to get some exercise.  Huxley doesn't really know what to think of the dog park so he's usually pretty shy and Churchill just wanders around while we're there, at least they get pretty tired which is the point.

Rennai!?  Hope you're having a good weekend.

Recipe, here it is, I just analyzed it :)http://caloriecount.about.com/aunt-nancys-pep permint-chocolate-cookies-recipe-r283701

 Stacy - HAPPY BIRTHDAY! :) Hope you have a great day and week! :)

Ali - So sorry to hear about your bust of a trip to NYC and your hangover. :( Feel better soon! I've had something similar happen to me with friends that change. It reallly sux! So I hear ya. :( (hugs!!!!)

Thanks for the early bday wish too. ;)

Rest up and enjoy your double Thanksgiving time! :) Nice!

Carrie - Sooo adorable that Huxley cuddles now. Cute! AWWW..sleepy head on hand while you type! Priceless. :D

So cute about how your pooches are in the dog park too. ;D

Hmm..will have to go back and print out all these receipes you ladies have posted (now and before!) :) Glad the cookies turned out awesome! :)

Ingrid - I hope you're feelin better!

Greta - Hope your week goes well with all that you have going on! :) (Hugs!)

Hi to all the rest of the ladies!! :)

Curious....anyone heard from Amanda lately?

Ttyl..

~Margo

Stacy-Happy 30th!!!  Hope you had a great weekend celebrating!

Ali-That is the worst!  I'm sorry the whole trip was a let down.  I know EXACTLY what you are talking about.  My very best friend from middle school all the way through college and beyond--just a couple of years ago she totally changed.  It's actually very difficult to completely accept, so depending on what happens with your friend, it will be a long journey either to overcome her changes, or to mourn the loss of a close friend.

Carrie-I think I will have to try those cookies over the holidays.  I'm not big on peppermint, but they might be quite festive.

Margo-You've been addressing everyone else--but not saying much about what you've been up to lately...  And we haven't heard from Amanda in a long time..she should be back in the States now....

Rennai?????

I'm gearing up to go get on the treadmill.  I'll hopefully be back later to say how great it was.  Ha ha.  Happy Monday.

As for me...hehe...well...bf and I are STILL waiting to hear bout the house. :( Stinkin' short sales!! :( We're trying to stay positive though! Hopefully we'll hear GOOD news this week! Let's see....this Wed., my cousin is having her 3rd baby and I'm excited to visit her after work that same day! YAY! :) I haven't really visited anyone in the hospital that's just had a baby...so that'll be different. :) I'm happy to give her the baby clothes I bought too! She's having another girl. :) (Currently, she has a boy and a girl). Then I'm going to hopefully get in some workouts this week! Then Saturday is a family birthday dinner at my Mom's house...hope it'll be good. :) I've found my expectations for things never go as I plan, so I'm trying not to have too much expectations...haha...so that nothing can go wrong if I don't 'plan' for a lot, right? :) Then Sunday is my b-day..and my bf is supposed to take me to dinner but I don't know where...a surprise I guess. :D YAY! :) I've been working on some of my crafts this past weekend too..making cards for people (birthdays and such), that was fun. :) Otherwise, I'm just pluggin' along, working on getting myself into a better workout routine and eating better, which is always on my list. haha. :) Anywya, thanks! :)

Hope Amanda and Rebekkah come back soon too! :)

Have a good run today, Greta!!! :D

~Margo 

Ok Good morning ladies!!! Thanks for all the Birthday wishes. I am officially 30 today!!

So the weekend... SOOOOOOOOOOO Fun. OMG. I woke up yesterday morning and my house was a disaster.... I just finished cleaning it this morning. The disco theme was awesome. There was lights hanging everywhere in the basement and my husband went out and bought an actual disco ball that is hardwired into the basement. We might actually leave it there because it's super cool. I drank a ridiculous amount and as a result spent the whole day yesterday on the couch. My friends bought me this ridiculous get up to wear. It was awesome though. I had a miniskirt and these knee high socks with flourescent peace signs on them and crazy happy birthday sunglasses. I had a great time. There are some pictures on facebook and I might post a few of them on here too.

Margo- Good luck on the house. I hope you do hear about it this week and it's good news. Oh and a new baby.. That's always fun. My little sister just had her 3rd baby in September. I love babies. I enjoy them even more when they are not mine LOL.

Greta- YAY for getting your house back in order. I can't stand living in a mess either but I'm sure it was worth it. THe floors probably look awesome.

Ali- sorry about your trip... that sucks when you are expecting to have a great time and it ends up not being worth the hype and then your friend not being the same friend she used to be. that sucks.

Carrie-- FUnny about the chinook story.. Does that mean you dream about us calorie count women!!?? LOL. Glad your cookies turned out good. I'm not a mint fan either but they do sound very festive. I could try making them and take them into work or something.

Danni - I hope your weekend was great despite not being able to hang out with your lil sis...

Anyway ladies, My husband is taking me shopping today. I have a couple gift cards and hope to get some christmas shopping started today too. Have a great day!!

ok so I have a few questions and a request for support :)

This morning I weighed in at 130.5 which isn't horrible, but it's not the 129 I saw last week.  I'm going to try to be really good this week with eating but I have questions about it.

Last week and the week before I limited my calorie intake but I don't know how much I limited it.  I haven't been counting just keeping up in my mind to keep it less than what it's been before.  You know?  So now I'm thinking I should count calories.. but I know that if I count I'll get in competition with myself and think that less is better, so that's why I haven't been counting.  Because if I count and I'm at 700 for the day I think.. if I limit my dinner then my deficit will be that much more.  You get me?

So the past few days I've been eating way too much candy.  Just a little here and there will really add up and I didn't just stop with one this weekend.  Today no candy until dinner time and then I can have one piece.  (I was packing several pieces in my lunch for work)  I also have two servings of veggies and a serving of red beans and rice.  I can't imagine it's that bad for you, kidney beans, tomaotes, green pepper, onion, rice, turkey sausage?  Right?

I'll be working out tonight after work.  I just don't want to hop right back up to 130 and I have a hard time thinking that if I don't limit my calorie intake it won't happen.  Does that make sense?  Obviously I'm not going to turn anorexic I love food way too much to do that, but I'm nervous that there is no other way to get my numbers down.  You know? 

me me me

EDIT: Happy Birthday Stacy!!!! Woo HOo and yes I do dream about CC ladies, all the freaking time! 

Oh and the cookies, I'm not a huge mint person either but if you crush them up a whole bunch.. oh my gosh it's to die for.  Not lying.  Try it this weekend, today, or tomorrow.  You'll love it I promise.

Stacy im so glad to hear you had a fun weekend, even with the hangover. haha sounds like it was a really good time!

Margo i hope you hear some good news on the house too!! iknow a lot of people have to make a million offers before they get the right one, but lets hope this one sttles for you. How much are you working out now? get back in the groove girly!

Carrie you could try counting calories again and see how it goes. if you find yourself getting too competative and looking for that lower number then stop. maybe you could post your intake on the forum that way we will remind you not to go too low and kind of help you keep it in check. I know that sometimes i have to count again for a few weeks just to get me back on track so it might help.

So i wish rebekkah was in right now becaus ei have a story that would make her feel a little better about herself...

i wetn to the dentists today becaus ei needed two fillings. I have a phobia of needles and just things that break the skin in general (i know its ridiculous and theres no reason to be afraid of needle, but thats why its called a phobia) so i was actually fine last night and this monring, i wasn't nervous at all, not even when i got to the dentists office. I felt some butterflies when i got in the room but nothing too bad. So i sit in the chair and the dentist puts numbing gell in my mouth where he is going to put the needle, now i'm feeling a bit more nervous but i tell myself its no big deal. They lay me back in the chair and it just goes down hill; i start shaking, and even cry a little (ugh embarrasing! i hate crying!) The dentist put the needle in my mouth and i breathe through the shot and find that its not bad because i cant even fel it, although it takes wayyy to long.

So im releived thinking everything is ok. then as im talking to the dnetal assistant and waiting for the novacain (sp?) to set in i feel sick to my stomach...and pass out. Gahh it was the sandwhich shop all over again! remember i passed out when they girl cut her finger at the sandwich place? Its so frustrating, i mean how am i going to have children?

anyway they gave me valium for next time, sinc ei have 2 more cavities. it better work!

Rennai Soraya? where are you girls?? (and i miss amanda too!)

Carrie - I can totally see why you would be frustrated because I know I would be too. I think if it were a larger gain it would definitely be a cause for concern, but because it is only a pound and a half it could be any number of things that contributed to that. Maybe you had some extra sodium the past couple of days, or drank a lot of water or something like that. Our bodies fluctuate so easily. That's why they say it really isn't good to weigh yourself every day. I even saw the nutritionist on this site (Mary?) suggested waiting until the 5th day of your period to weigh yourseld bc that's when your body is at its most accurate weight. I try to weigh myself once every couple of weeks instead of every day because otherwise I think I would go crazy. I wouldn't beat myself up over it if I were you. If you still are concerned, though, I don't think counting would hurt. It will at least hold you accountable and maybe make you think twice about eating the candy! Also, thanks for posting the recipe! I can't wait to make them!

Stacy - So glad your party was a blast. It sounds like your husband really went all out! Very cute. Hope you are having fun shopping. I'm jealous!

Margo - Good luck with the house!

Danni - Your story cracked me up. Hopefully next time goes better!

I'm feeling pretty good about things today. I FINALLY got back to the gym and had an awesome workout... i ran 3.6 miles, which is the most I've ever ran in my life (nothing like Greta,  but maybe I can get there one day!) I weighed myself and it doesn't seem like I've lost any weight, but I feel good and my clothes seem to be fitting a little looser. I would like to be seeing better results, but my scale also sucks and I'm too cheap to buy a new one right now, so that might have something to do with it. I think I'm just going to keep trying to push myself at the gym, eat right and wait until I'm home for thanksgiving to weigh myself.

I also found out yesterday evening that I am going to be published in my school's environmental law journal, so I was really excited about that. At least all the hard work is paying off!

Hope Monday has been treating you all well! Ttyl

I'm so excited--I got one of the gifts for my person for the holiday exchange today :)  I know we said we wouldn't put a monetary limit on it...but my experience is that when there is no limit, the range varies sooo much.  Do you think we should implement a range of some sort?  I just want to make sure my person doesn't get way more or less than someone else.  Then no one's feelings get hurt.  We always did a "no limit" exchange at work and some people would seriously spend $100 while other would actually go buy something for their person at the dollar store, and that's it.   Oh the actual crying that would take place afterward.

Carrie-I agree with Ali that it could just be a fluctuation.  I always fluctuate about a pound at a time.  And, if you know yourself and don't want to count calories because you think you will be too restrictive (i.e. competitive with yourself) then I suggest not counting them.  Never have a net of less than 1200!  I think you have the right idea what works for you--watching your portion control, limiting the candy :) and working out.

Stacy-Your husband really does sound awesome.  He put so much effort into your birthday!

Danni-Ugh.  That sounds horrible!  I don't like the dentist--but you win!!!

Ali-Good for you for running the most you ever have!  That is so awesome and reallly an accomplishment.

My run did end up pretty good this morning, as far as treadmill running goes.  Most of the time my baby only lets me run about 2.5 miles before he is done being in the workout room.  Today he let me run all 5 without stopping! 

Greta I'm so glad you're excited.  I personally have NO clue what the money limit should be.  I'm thinking $20?  But then you have to think about postage.... I'm really bad at this.  I know that I'm going to do something semi crafty (sounds like Margo is too) and I already have half of that done so I can't put a money number on that part, but I am going to buy something else.  Anyone have any ideas?  Let us all know :)  I'm very very excited.  VERY EXCITED.  I already have part of mine done too.  I hope she likes it.

I hope the weight is just a fluctuation.  I really limited my calories, even though it was after a huge eating weekend, two of them.  So over the week my net wouldn't be that low, but it's hard for me to sit back and eat a bunch knowing that it will all even out, you know?  I mean, I really want to, but I'm afraid that I was only 129 because I was really pushing my limits.  Whatever, just watch portion, limit candy, keep working out (which I've failed at).  This crazy biopsy.  It's like my body is crazy.  My lady parts are AWOL so I'm taking it easy all around the past few days. Today is the first day that I haven't been uncomfortable all day long.  It's crazy weird.

Ali you're published?"!?! That's wonderful!  My husband is a scientist and he's been published in like.. 'NERD WEEKLY' or whatever.. neuroscience.. magazine it is.  Anyway, it was a huge deal for him.  I don't know if it's as huge a deal for you but heck, it's huge in my mind! I've never been published!  Congrats!  And yay for running 3.6 is a long way, I don't think I could do that with out stopping.

Ladies.  Tonight I rewarded myself with some much needed shopping. I haven't bought long sleeve things in years and I desperately needed some.  So I went to Plato's Closet where things are second hand but trendy. I got 4 things for $50, nice designer long sleve shirts and some sweaters :)  Anyway, there was a girl talking at the front desk about working out.  She was like, yeah I do some cardio.  And another girl asked, do you lift weights at all?  And she was like, well I never go to that free weight section because there are always these guys that are all big and buff and it's awkward so I go to that room where there are these machines and I do that because it's a really awesome workout. 

I was so  close to walking up to her and saying, lift the free weights and always ALWAYS lift heavier than you think you can (within reason). Plus I looked way better than her, in shape wise, and I just wanted to be like.. well you COULD look like me.

Instead I had that little convo in my head :) But I was proud of myself forlooking hot naked in the dressing room. 

And to everyone who posted on my FB wall... I love you all so much.  I actually got a little emotional (not crying but still).  I'm so lucky to have such awesome wonderful friends, friends who I KNOW I would get along with in real local life.  I'm so so lucky to have you.  Every one of you.

on to dinner!

I was looking at FB and I just had to tell you ladies that this is one seriously good looking group of girls.  That's all.