Biggest Loser 11 Spring Team Challenge--for Losers and Maintainers

[donac]

Good Monday morning Teams

I can't believe that I never wrote anything over the last two days. Since I didn't sleep well Wed and Thurs night I spent the last couple of days doing some things and catching up on sleep.

friday night we saw 4 guys from Drew Carey's WHose Line is it Anyway show. we went with our sons and their gf's It was a lot of fun. Two hours of improve.

Ds2's gf spent the night and they left on Sat morning after breakfast. Ds2 will be working on campus all summer with one of his professors. He will be working on something about flood control. It should be interesting.

Dh and I went to an Eagle Court of HOnor. We didn't want to go since the mother has not been the nicest person to me but they asked dh to be part of the ceremony so we went. We met up with some friends and had a nice morning. We also made plans to go tubing at the end of June. That should be fun.

Sunday was church and grocery shopping. Made a big pot of meatballs and sausage. Have to get some in the freezer.

I got into a book this weekend called Divine. It is a very Christian book but very riveting about abuse. I couldn't put it down. It was a free book from Barnes and Noble for my nook.

My mother's day/birhtday present is supposed to be here today or tomorrow. It is an extension table for my sewing machine. I can't wait for it to get here.

Only a month until school ends so it is crazy time. Lots to do to close up shop but it will be worth it. Have to think about a course that is being offered. My friend is not taking the course so I don't know if I want to take it. They don't seem too organized when we last saw them so I don't know what I want to do.


disneywedding have a great trip

shawn welcome back glad you had a safe trip back to Germany

Off to have breakfast.

Have a happy and healthy day.

 

[tigger813]

Morning all!

First, I have to wish my precious Ashleigh a Happy 11th birthday! I can't believe I have a kid that old! Where have the years gone???!!!!

Not a great night sleep. Worried about my mom today as she is having the biopsy and Ashleigh was upset about a stupid chain email she got. I sent an email back telling the kids to stop sending them to her. She has asked several times and if she gets anymore I will be calling their parents. They are good kids so I would hope they would respect Ash's wishes. She came out crying as it upset her. She had stated again that she didn't want these emails sent to her. Then I noticed another girl said something quite rude. I really wish parents would be more involved with what their kids are doing on the computer. Ash uses mine most of the time and I frequently scan over the message list to make sure she isn't getting harassed or there isn't anything inappropriate being sent to her and I felt the chain mail was inappropriate (you will die if you don't send this to 10 people)! What a waste of time!!!!

Other than that, Brian and I enjoyed watching the Survivor finale last night and peeked over at Celebrity Apprentice to see who made the final 2.

Gotta get my b'day girl up soon to frost her cupcakes for school. I will bring them over after I put Izzie on the bus. Weather is really crappy here and will be all week!

TTFN

 

[mikamah]

Good monday morning everyone!! Looking like a rainy week for many of us, and Rose, you're not alone in wishing it away.

QOTD--Monday, May 16th
Take the Spark quiz: When does food become fat?
What did you think? Did anything surprise you?
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/quizzes_start.asp?quizid=60g

Great quiz. I got 2 wrong, and feel like I did know a lot of the info. 3500 calories is a lot of calories to gain a pound, and for me, it does seem to ring true. I have not been really good and on track for quite some time, but haven't been totally off the wall either, and over this whole challenge, am still down a couple pounds. I play the scale game too, and know when a gain is fluid, but if I'm eating too much and the scale doesn't show it for a few days, I'll have a big gain later, and that will help bring me back in.

I just got a call from work to cancel me today. It's only my 10-2 day, so that's not too bad. My position is variable, meaning I can be cancelled 8 hours a week, so I know it can happen, but in the past 4 years I've been in this unit, it's only happenned about 4 times. Usually people will take it off voluntarily, but it was a last minute thing today. I'll be able to surprise michael and do the grocery shopping without him today. He'll be excited.

My friend just came back from Ireland yesterday, and her dad is hanging in still with hospice. I'm going to bring coffee over this morning. Now I can go back with lunch too. She was gone 2 weeks, and was so torn about coming back. Her dh told her when she got back that when he told the kids last week she was staying longer, her 12 yo dd wouldn't speak to him for 2 hours. So hard on them all.

Shawn- Sorry you weren't able to find the right house this trip, and that you'll have less time in Germany. I hope the perfect house for you all is put on the market July 1st, and you are the first bidders on it. Nice job on the loss!!

Tracey- Hugs to you and your mom today.It's so hard to be so far away. Hope she does well with the biopsy.

Dona- Your night out with ds's and gf's sounds so nice. Must be nice to see them both grown up and be able to enjoy their company.

Rose-the Help is a great book about Mississippi in the 1960s during the civil rights movement. It's about the relationships between the black women who worked for the white women and raised their kids for them, and how they were treated. It was really good. I heard they are making a movie.

Hello to everyone else!

Have a great day!!

 

[SettinSail]

QOTD: I got 10/12 answers correct on the quiz. I missed the one about eating more frequently can help prevent gaining fat (it didn't say WHAT you were eating more frequently!) and the one about losing 2 lbs after being on the treadmill. If I know so much about preventing fat gain, why do I have so much

I am feeling so good about something I did. My landlord has not been the best in the world about fixing things or responding to us and we are nervous he will not treat us fairly when we leave and will not give our deposit back (about 3500 US dollars). This is quite common here we have heard and there are even special renter clubs you can join and pay dues to help you with landlords. We have heard bad things about him from the other tenants here and from previous tenants. He's always been very cordial to us though and he has an adorable 3 year old daugher. One day he brought his daughter upstairs because she wanted to show me her "Princess" outfit. Well, it was just a regular skirt and blouse and didn't look anything like what we would call a Princess outfit. I had the idea to buy her a Princess outfit from the Disney store when I went home last week. DH & I discussed it - was I crazy to do this for someone who has basically ripped us off a few times?? DH said it's for the girl, she would love it, just do it. I had a Disney reward card with $35 on it that I forgot to use on my cruise last Summer so I used that and paid a little over $9 and got her the Cinderella gown. Big Hit I gave it to Mom this morning and she gave me a hug (this is unusual for Germans!) and Dad just brought her upstairs so she could model it for me. She was so cute and had put on earrings and 2 necklaces. Now I am having the idea to get her a crown too!

I am really fighting the urge to take a nap right now. I was fine this morning, got my hair done, cleaned kitchen and straightened a few areas, rode my bike to the store and returned all bottles and got tonight's supper ingredients and then just hit a brick wall. I missed the PTA meeting this afternoon which had 2 very important issues to vote on as well as a potluck luncheon
It looked like it was going to rain and since I either have to ride my bike or walk the last part after a train ride, I talked myself out of going. Of course it never did rain! I'm going to get supper cooked and try to make it to 9:00 before going to bed. DH did all the laundry while I was gone and I did most of mine at Mom's so not much to do around the house.

I'm going to take it easy the rest of the day! Hope you are having a good Monday Do something nice for someone else if you can - it will make YOU feel so good!

Shawn

 

[aamomma]

Hello everyone! Had a terrible weekend food wise - I was craving salty foods like crazy (very unusual for me, my cravings are usually chocolate related) I am up a little, but will drop it quickly. I feel like I would be doing great if I were at maintenance, but I have 9 lbs. to go to maintain. My MIL ended up in the hospital on Sat. and so my healthy dinner plan turned into bringing home pizza at 7:00 for supper because everyone was starving! Thursday we are leaving for a long weekend camping trip, so s'mores, mountain pies, etc...
I plan to get right back on track after this trip, because I want to lose a few lbs. before our big vacation in June. Took the sparkpeople quiz - I was surprised how many calories it takes to gain a lb. of fat - it seems like it should be harder to gain weight than it is!!!! to everyone that is going through difficult stuff. Have a great day!

 

[pjlla]

I think my mojo is back! Managed to pass up the cake at lunch, even when someone realized I was the only one at the table that didn't have any and very helpfully got me a piece and waved it under my nose.

I haven't been feeling "it" the last few weeks, don't know why but for some reason starting yesterday I am back to the dedication Had a garden salad at lunch and a deconstructed sandwich -- meaning I left the bread and put the meat and cheese in my salad to make it SB on program.

Kid are home early today so not sure what we are going to do the rest of the day.

I'm so glad you are back on track! Sometimes it is SO hard to get your MIND back to the right place.

Hope you enjoyed the time with your kids.

Once Alan gets here (should be momentarily) we are heading to the bank to get cash to give my friend for watching Dublin. Then grabbing some lunch, grabbing last minute things at wally world (didn't go last night), and then coming home and getting more of the house in order. Then later this evening we're going to Red Lobster with my best friend for dinner.

I've called Disney and booked the dining plan, reserved my wheelchair online through Randy's Mobility, and double checked to make sure our DVC lockers are going to the correct spot.

Have a MAGICAL trip!!

Close but not that close, it's a good 2 1/2 to 3 hour drive.

I'm sure DS texted DD about it. He misses her!! I know they "talk" often.
He wants me to drive up there to get her for his birthday and take her to a local burger joint, back here!! I'm like uh no, I am not driving 4 hours so she can eat burgers with us, then take her back home.

I didn't see this until now, but DD mentioned this to me. I agree.... 4 hours for burgers is crazy..... but maybe some time when I am in MA visiting my parents we could meet somewhere??? I'm so pleased that they hit it off so well!

QOTD-Saturday, May 14
What has been your biggest challenge during this BL challenge? How have you handled it? Do you think you have been successful?

I would say that struggling to hit this "magic" number of 128 is my biggest challenge. I obviously made big effort and big strides in regards to that goal.... I hit 129.0 the day I left for Disney, so I was pretty successful. But of course, now I need to get to work again to lose the Disney weight. I'm afraid at this point I may end this challenge either even or up just a bit (depending on how this week goes).

I'll catch up later, but for now I need to say:

I did it!!!!!!!!!


After 3 months of training, I did my first 5K in 20+ years! I finished in 43:32 (14:03 pace!)! I didn't think I would do this well, I am so painfully slow. I'll try to do a race report later.

For now I am just so happy to finally do a race!!!!!!

That is SUPER!! You should be so proud!

QOTD--Sunday, May 15
Silly question, but, do your clothes fit?

******
My clothes fit, but only because I have been forcing myself to get rid of stuff that's too big. I have a tendency to stay in clothes that are too big too long and vice versa. Either way is a very unflattering look--and I think makes me more critical of myself--which leads to a bit of body distortion. For me the hard part is getting rid of the stuff that's too big!

Rose.... I could have written exactly what you said, a year ago or so. I have FINALLY gotten to the point where I WANT my clothes to be fitted. I finally am realizing that wearing baggy, oversized clothes just make me look fat! I'm sure that I still suffer from some body distortion issues (especially in looking at photos), and when I pick clothes from a rack I almost always pick something too large to start with. But I no longer wear my old clothes.... if they don't fit well, they are GONE! The only XL item I have been hanging on to is a Disney Princesses denim jacket that I LOVE. But I've decided to give it to my Disney-lovin' cousin next time I see her. I hope she isn't offended, but I really would love for her to have it cause I think she'd really like it.

I am looking forward to that mini TR! It is hard when you have to switch gears abruptly -- glad you had a wonderful time!

I would have posted part of it the other day, but the stupid pictures took 45 minutes to load on shutterfly.... and that was only 1/3 of them! I will upload the rest today and hopefully get at least part of the report posted.


Um, to be honest I came back this time because Lisah encouraged me to...I was thinking about taking a Challenge off, but she reminded me how much I enjoy the thread, and I realized I doubted I'd do better without it. I'm still here because of how much I like chatting with everyone, and although I am not the best BL contestant, sometimes I'd like to think we're all helping each other. I know I benefit from everyone else. I think finally seeing real weight loss has helped, and I have to credit that to following WW, and actually sticking to my workouts. The BL thread has been a help with both

My biggest Challenge has been getting back on track after 2 half marathons. I think I've done ok -- I would have liked to have been more "on" quicker, but it's been a learning process for me. I actually had a loss after the 2nd trip to WDW, so that was a real breakthrough for me. I learned I could have a wonderful time, some treats, and still be true to my goals.

I'm SO GLAD you decided to continue with us for the summer! We would have missed you!! I'm sure you won't regret this decision.

Super quick update on me -- I hit everyone one of my planned workouts last week for 22 miles, I am so pleased! I had a slight gain at WW -- but I'm not upset. I usually gain 3-4 lbs with TOM, so under a half is a victory! I've also been doing a good job with food, and I'm excited for the coming week. I had so much stress at work, but I've been avoiding stress eating by focusing on eating as fuel.

Remember (one of my favorite sayings) "Food is fuel, not a Friend"!

Maria

I try SO HARD to remind myself to eat for FUEL, not for boredom relief or for entertainment. I try to ask myself "what does my body NEED right now?" and not think about what I am craving.

Evening Teams!

We're getting ready to go grab some dinner. I'm going to eat, shower, lay clothes out for tomorrow, and then watch Army Wives and Coming Home from my DVR. Then I'm setting the alarm and going to bed. This will be the first time in a very LONG time that I'll be in bed before midnight.

My next report will be from Baylake Tower!!

Can't wait to hear how it is going!!

Ugh, gorge infested day today and now I feel terrible. The kitchen is officially closed!!

I haven't run since the 5K so I think that's my issue. Soooooo, tomorrow after I drop the kids off I'm gonna hit the treadmill.
Expecting rain all week, blech!

gotta get back on track and finish strong!

I know the feeling. I was back on plan yesterday after the buffet Saturday night, but I still feel We are expecting rain all week too..... I figure at least that way I won't feel the need to work in the yard!

Good Monday morning Losers

I made it back "home" to Germany yesterday. The trip started at 11:30 am EST Saturday morning when my Dad drove me to RDU and ended at 9:00 Central European Time (3:00 am EST) when I arrived back in Stuttgart.
Got very lucky and was seated in the first row of coach on the side with about 3 feet of leg room and no one in front of me!

I didn't sign any contracts to buy a house and I didn't get DS registered for school Never found anything that was just right for us and w/in our budget. It is a buyer's market but when you need to move back into a certain area for school choice it does limit you. I will return with DH when he comes the first week of July and that is when I will say good-bye to Germany.
My hopes of staying here until the end of August are over!

I did not sleep any on the plane so I went to bed at 9:30 Sunday morning and slept until 4:00. It was not a great sleep as our village was having a festival and I could hear it pretty well. We went down to the last night of Fruhlings Fest (Spring Festival) in Stuttgart. This is similar to Oktoberfest in Munich with large beer tents and people dancing on tables, etc. Had a good time. I squeezed into the special blouse I had bought just barely. It's about a size 12 Was able to sleep from 11:00 last night until 6:00 this morning so hoping I will get over jet lag quickly. Have a lot to do this week to prepare for my BFF who is coming next Sunday for 1o days I am down .9 this morning

Staying motivated has been my biggest challenge. I need to see the scale move to get motivated and it has not moved much this challenge. I'm down almost 6 lbs in 20 weeks. Very discouraging. It might be time for me to find a program to follow although I swore I would never make myself do that again. I am hoping when I move back to US I will be able to find a wider variety of foods and that will help. I am exercising too much and too hard to have this little of a result

Woo Hoo! I ran 16.5 miles last week which is a lot for me!

Glad you made it back safely. Hopefully the jetlag won't last long. You WILL find a home.... the right one will be there waiting for you at some point in time.

Nice job on the mileage. I should try to track my mileage some time. I mostly concentrate on minutes when I'm doing stuff other than running (spinning, Treadclimber, rowing, etc).

Good Monday morning Teams

I can't believe that I never wrote anything over the last two days. Since I didn't sleep well Wed and Thurs night I spent the last couple of days doing some things and catching up on sleep.

friday night we saw 4 guys from Drew Carey's WHose Line is it Anyway show. we went with our sons and their gf's It was a lot of fun. Two hours of improve.

Ds2's gf spent the night and they left on Sat morning after breakfast. Ds2 will be working on campus all summer with one of his professors. He will be working on something about flood control. It should be interesting.

Dh and I went to an Eagle Court of HOnor. We didn't want to go since the mother has not been the nicest person to me but they asked dh to be part of the ceremony so we went. We met up with some friends and had a nice morning. We also made plans to go tubing at the end of June. That should be fun.

Sunday was church and grocery shopping. Made a big pot of meatballs and sausage. Have to get some in the freezer.

I got into a book this weekend called Divine. It is a very Christian book but very riveting about abuse. I couldn't put it down. It was a free book from Barnes and Noble for my nook.

My mother's day/birhtday present is supposed to be here today or tomorrow. It is an extension table for my sewing machine. I can't wait for it to get here.

Only a month until school ends so it is crazy time. Lots to do to close up shop but it will be worth it. Have to think about a course that is being offered. My friend is not taking the course so I don't know if I want to take it. They don't seem too organized when we last saw them so I don't know what I want to do.

Have a happy and healthy day.

Busy, busy time of year for you. Stay sane!!

Morning all!

First, I have to wish my precious Ashleigh a Happy 11th birthday! I can't believe I have a kid that old! Where have the years gone???!!!!

Not a great night sleep. Worried about my mom today as she is having the biopsy and Ashleigh was upset about a stupid chain email she got. I sent an email back telling the kids to stop sending them to her. She has asked several times and if she gets anymore I will be calling their parents. They are good kids so I would hope they would respect Ash's wishes. She came out crying as it upset her. She had stated again that she didn't want these emails sent to her. Then I noticed another girl said something quite rude. I really wish parents would be more involved with what their kids are doing on the computer. Ash uses mine most of the time and I frequently scan over the message list to make sure she isn't getting harassed or there isn't anything inappropriate being sent to her and I felt the chain mail was inappropriate (you will die if you don't send this to 10 people)! What a waste of time!!!!

Other than that, Brian and I enjoyed watching the Survivor finale last night and peeked over at Celebrity Apprentice to see who made the final 2.

Gotta get my b'day girl up soon to frost her cupcakes for school. I will bring them over after I put Izzie on the bus. Weather is really crappy here and will be all week!

TTFN

Happy Birthday to Ashleigh!!!

Can you block the email of these girls who are harrassing her? It is amazing how the kids get "sucked in" to these stupid chain mail things at that age. Your girls go to Sunday school, right? Maybe you could talk to them about having faith in God/Jesus, rather than "faith" in what these emails say. Just a thought.

My family and I were SO HAPPY with who won Survivor (won't say a name here, just in case). We were rooting for this person from the start!!!! Don't care at all for who took second place....ick. But we all went to bed happy!!

Good monday morning everyone!! Looking like a rainy week for many of us, and Rose, you're not alone in wishing it away.

Great quiz. I got 2 wrong, and feel like I did know a lot of the info. 3500 calories is a lot of calories to gain a pound, and for me, it does seem to ring true. I have not been really good and on track for quite some time, but haven't been totally off the wall either, and over this whole challenge, am still down a couple pounds. I play the scale game too, and know when a gain is fluid, but if I'm eating too much and the scale doesn't show it for a few days, I'll have a big gain later, and that will help bring me back in.

I just got a call from work to cancel me today. It's only my 10-2 day, so that's not too bad. My position is variable, meaning I can be cancelled 8 hours a week, so I know it can happen, but in the past 4 years I've been in this unit, it's only happenned about 4 times. Usually people will take it off voluntarily, but it was a last minute thing today. I'll be able to surprise michael and do the grocery shopping without him today. He'll be excited.

My friend just came back from Ireland yesterday, and her dad is hanging in still with hospice. I'm going to bring coffee over this morning. Now I can go back with lunch too. She was gone 2 weeks, and was so torn about coming back. Her dh told her when she got back that when he told the kids last week she was staying longer, her 12 yo dd wouldn't speak to him for 2 hours. So hard on them all.

Enjoy the extra time off! Do something for yourself!

Nice of you to help out your friend. I think I mentioned that DS's girlfriend's Mom just had a mastectomy and is going through chemo right now. I brought over some muffins before I left for Disney. I'd like to do more for them, but I'm not sure what. I really barely know this woman, but I would like to help. Any suggestions? The kids's Dad lives in FL, so no help there. I know her parents are somewhat local and have been around to help some. I already told her to let me know if she needs any help driving the kids around. Other than food and prayers, I can't think of what else I could do to help.

*********

Good Monday morning everyone! Day off for me, but I have so much to do here.

We had a busy Friday/Saturday with swim, but yesterday was a bit quieter, thank goodness. I kind of gave myself a "break day" yesterday, so I have to put the pedal to the metal today..... so many little things to be done!

I will try to hop back on later to chat more....................P

 

[lisah0711]

Good morning all!

I've been MIA here while my family tried to kill me off with one stressful thing after another but I'm too tough for them! I guess I should be thankful it is all happening at once instead of being strung out for a month or two.

I'm sure DS texted DD about it. He misses her!! I know they "talk" often. He wants me to drive up there to get her for his birthday and take her to a local burger joint, back here!! I'm like uh no, I am not driving 4 hours so she can eat burgers with us, then take her back home.

This makes me chuckle a bit, Buffy and Pamela. I think of someone asking them someday in a galaxy far far away "So where did you two meet?" "Oh, our Moms met on an internet chat forum!" It's nice that they got along so well.

Good Morning. We slept in the camper last night in our yard The kids have been wanting to do a couple of weeks. It was pretty comfy out there, not exactly my own bed, but still comfy. The weather is very overcast with storms predicted for the day. I think we are planning to go to the varsity game this afternoon, but other than that it should be a quiet day.

Glad that you can have some quiet and enjoyable time before you start your new job, Deb.

QOTD-Saturday, May 14
What has been your biggest challenge during this BL challenge? How have you handled it? Do you think you have been successful?

I think my biggest challenge this BL challenge has been stress and disappointment. I handled it by just getting through it -- one day at a time. And, yes, I did fall off the wagon in a big way and am now 5 pounds heavier than the start of the challenge. But I did prove to myself that even if I get off the straight and narrow, that I'm not off too long, and I can get myself back on track. So I have to say it was a success in that I know I'm not just going to let myself go and go back for good. I'll never give up and I'll keep making progress. And as part of pulling myself out of the abyss, I signed up for another half in September.

Lisah--wanted to say hi! I hope you are hanging in there!

Thanks for the , Rose.

You are having a big adjustment with this g-f thing. But you feel so much better and you sound so much stronger and happier. I think you are in better control than you give yourself credit for.

Kristina, safe travels!

I'll catch up later, but for now I need to say:

I did it!!!!!!!!!

After 3 months of training, I did my first 5K in 20+ years! I finished in 43:32 (14:03 pace!)! I didn't think I would do this well, I am so painfully slow. I'll try to do a race report later.

For now I am just so happy to finally do a race!!!!!!

Woo hoo Lisa! You are so going to rock the Tinker Bell Half!

Congratulations! And no remarks about being slow -- I could beat myself up every day because compared to Rose and Corinna I am a turtle, but it's not about comparing yourself to others, it's about doing the very best you can do! I am so proud of you!

Remember (one of my favorite sayings) "Food is fuel, not a Friend"!

Maria

Woo hoo on the 22 miles this week, Maria! Pretty much everybody is faster than me but that's okay -- the is fabulous back here!

Oh and yesterday Ryan wanted to go running with me. We did 1.5miles and he kept up pretty well. He wants to do a 5K with me and I was thinking of having him do the tunnel to towers 5K in NYC. My friend was talking about having her daughter go who is the same age. So I am going to have him run with my more often to get him "trained". I actually really enjoyed the time together with him.

Glad that you had a good week-end, Lindsay. I think it would be wonderful if you and Ryan could do the tunnel to towers 5K. He would enjoy all those firemen as much as his Mom! (in a different way, of course).

Work stress has been my worst stress this year.

So sorry about the work stress, Kathy. I'm sure that your friend needs you today so it will be nice that you can be with her.

I just finished reading The Help, too, it took forever for it to come out in paperback.

Ugh, gorge infested day today and now I feel terrible. The kitchen is officially closed!!

I haven't run since the 5K so I think that's my issue. Soooooo, tomorrow after I drop the kids off I'm gonna hit the treadmill.
Expecting rain all week, blech!

gotta get back on track and finish strong!

Don't worry, Buffy, if you first run isn't fabulous. It takes a couple to get back in the groove!

I made it back "home" to Germany yesterday. The trip started at 11:30 am EST Saturday morning when my Dad drove me to RDU and ended at 9:00 Central European Time (3:00 am EST) when I arrived back in Stuttgart.
Got very lucky and was seated in the first row of coach on the side with about 3 feet of leg room and no one in front of me!

Glad that you made it "home" safely, Shawn! That perfect house is waiting for you somewhere. I know that you will find it. Maybe it will be a new listing when you return in July.

Dona, glad that you had a good time with your DSs!

Happy birthday to Ashley, Tracey!

Have a great day all!

 

[pjlla]

“Leaving the Beasts behind in the castle”.....
aka Mother/Daughter weekend at Walt Disney World, 2011

Countdown board finally reaches ZERO!!

ThursdayPicked up DD at school at 3pm and then off to the airport!! No lines for check-in or security, so we had plenty of time to sit, play cards, relax and have a bite to eat before our 6:15 flight.

Checked into AS Sports at 10:25 pm. We got a GREAT room in the “Surf's Up” section, as requested! Very short walk to the car and no noise from the pool or anywhere! After checking in we made a trip to the Food Court for a snack (grapes and Perrier) before bed. This ended up being our ONLY visit to the Food Court for this trip.

Lights out 11:30 pm.

FridayUp, breakfast in room (instant oatmeal, canned fruit for me, homemade muffins for DD), and on our way to AK by 8:05 am! We bought DD an autograph book while we waited for the park to open at 9am. Then straight on to EE for FP and then two rides in a row with almost no wait!

Next up.... Kilimanjaro Safari (stopped to meet King Louie, Baloo, and Terk along the way!). Then Kali River Rapids, Finding Nemo-The Musical, and back to EE to use our FP. EE was down due to rain and we were anxious to move to Epcot, so we didn't end up using our FP.

 

[keenercam]

Good morning, everyone!

Kristina - Have a wonderful trip!

Tracey - I am thinking of you and your Mom and your family today.

There is so much I want to respond to here, but am on a deadline and have to be in court this afternoon. So, I just wanted to say hello and thank you all for being such a wonderful support system. Thanks to you (and this challenge), my very temptation-laden weekend went very well. I was very controlled at all of our various events, including dinner out with friends Friday night, no post-musical restaurant stop Saturday night, only scrambled eggs and a sausage patty at the Mother/Son Communion breakfast yesterday, no binge at dinner out last night, and no dessert. I am marking this weekend off as a success and hoping to finish this challenge strong this week.

Hugs, my friends!

 

[pjlla]

On to Epcot!

Met up with Buffy and her DS in Epcot for a quick hello (they were having lunch), a peek at Soarin' wait time (75 minutes) and then DD and I began our “Eating around the World” afternoon!

We skipped food in Mexico because DD is convinced it is what made her sick last year. We shared the school bread in Norway, then shared potstickers in China.

In Germany I indulged in a beer while DD and I shared a pretzel. Italy food wasn't overly appealing so we just got a sparkling italian water.

We saw the candy maker in Japan (Muyuki??) and Buffy and DS caught up with us there and we got to visit a bit more.

Then we each got a side dish of the couscous salad in Morocco (I liked it, DD didn't care for it too much) and then we shared an apple tart and a chocolate mousse from the French bakery (apple tart not great, mousse okay, but nothing special).

We met Princess Aurora while in France and saw those neat chair stacking guys. Then over to England where we met Mary Poppins and Alice.

 

[tigger813]

IS THERE ANYBODY OUT THERE?????? I only have about 5 weigh ins!!!! You have until Tuesday at 8pm to get me those weigh ins! I will get the weigh ins up by the end of the night on Tuesday

Catching up on podcasts. Got the bathroom closet done and I've just been listening and straightening up the living room.

Izzie will be home in about an hour. We'll probably watch a movie this afternoon as the weather is so nasty outside!

Back to work!

TTFN

 

[liesel]

Hey everyone, I didn't get a chance to post yesterday. My DS9 is doing his first triathlon this Sunday and we were doing some training, plus all our usual get ready for the week stuff. My brain is a bit scambled right now, so I'll try to remember my replies:

P-Yay, a trip report! I can't wait to read more!

Lindsay-A day at the track sounds like fun! My great grandma used to take my dad all the time. Aparently he got very good at picking dogs. That's great that your are training with your DS! I would love to do that 5K someday.

Buffy-I hope your run goes well today. I enjoyed reading about your race. I would love to do that one someday-it looks like fun!

Maria-Congrats on doing so many miles last week.

LTS-I'm glad you got your mojo back.

Kathy-Enjoy your kid free shopping!

LisaH-Congrats on signing up for another half in September! Is it local?

Shawn-I'm sure your house is out there somewhere. We had a small selection to choose from 4 years ago due to schools too, but love our house and our neighborhood!

Rose-I'm all for purging the closet! You definitely deserve some new outfits!

Tracey-Happy Birthday to your DD! Prayers to you and your family. I hope your mom does well today.

***********

Yikes, what a terrible weigh in!!! Its disappointing to reach my goal only to gain at the very end. I know there are several factors includng: TOM, the race, only getting 3 hours of sleep the night before the race, and 4 off plan meals this week (see TOM). I know some of this will come off quickly and I may not get back to where I was by the end of the challenge, but I will get there by the start of the summer challenge! This weekend will also be challenging since my birthday is next Monday and there is some celebrating planned.

Here's the boring race stuff:
My 5K was in Denver, which meant I had to get up early for the 45 min drive and to do packet pickup (they opted not to have the 5K at the expo, just the half and the full which were on Sunday). I only got 3 hours of sleep, I didn't think I would sleep that poorly since I didn't think I was THAT nervous, but little did I know what Mother Nature would have in store for me when I woke up.
The race itself was in City Park which also houses the zoo and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, a really pretty area. The race was entirely within the park, mostly paved, with some on the running trail. The whole thing was well organized, especially considering the 5K portion was an inagural event.
I had no idea how my pacing was going during the race (I am getting a garmin for my birthday! ) and I thought I was painfully slow, especially during the last mile. I took more walk breaks than I would have liked at the end. I was close to the end and decided to look at my ipod and see what time it was and was astonished to discover I was only 37 minutes into the race! I walked quite a bit until the mile 3 marker and then ran to the finish! I was really excited to finish in 43:32. This is only the 7th time I've run this distance since I've started training and those runs have been at a much slower pace. I learned that I can do this on little sleep, or if TOM arrives right before the race (2 things I was nervous about with the Tink half that I'm glad I've experienced here at a local race).
I was happy with my running speed (even though its slower) and would like to stay at this distance for the next couple of months and work on taking less walk breaks, especially at the end. I may gradually increase my long run to 3.5-4 miles over the next 2 months to help me finish strong. My neighbor was telling me about a local 5K in July that may be my next race. I am also thinking about doing a 10K in October that would help me get ready for the Tink in January. I am so happy to come in at a 14:03 pace for my first race, it helps me feel better about being able to keep under a 16 min pace for the Tink! Thanks for reading this!

 

[RemembertheMagic98]

Good Rainy Morning!!
For some reason my computer is not allowing me to multi-quote today (or bold or Italic or underline!!) Please forgive me if I missed someone!!

Lindsay - Congrats on the very lucrative Basket Bingo! They are my favorites. My parents took me to the track too when I was younger. My dad woudl give my sister and I $20 and we had the option to bet on the horses or keep the 20. He would place the bet and we got to keep any winnings. I don't recall any big wins for either of us...but I do know we each bet on every race! I have had a few friends do the Tunnel to Towers 5K and they said it's lots of fun! Best of luck as you train!

Deb - The camper sounds like a lot of fun! I hope you get to take it out for a spin (vacation) soon

Rose - G-f sounds like it has been pretty tough on you. I can't even imagine having to know the ingredients of so many dishes. My doctor thought I had a gluten intolerance but it looks like I could be a carrier instead (with no symptoms). I'm supposed to do another session of a g-f diet with re-introduction over the summer. On a happy note, Kelly Ripa arms sound like they are not so far away!

Kristina - Enjoy your time at Disney!! Let us know how you like BLT? I've heard mixed reviews...

Tracey - Happy Birthday to Ashleigh!! I always hated chain letters and refused to do anything with them....I lived....and with a great deal of luck!

Lisa (Liesel) - WOO HOO!! 14 min pace is sooooo wonderful!! Keep up the great work!

Maria - So glad you did come back to challenge! HOLY COW...22 miles!! That is such a wonderful achievement!! Thanks for the food=fuel reminder... I skipped breakfast by accident (ran out of oatmeal in the office!) so I have been tempted to snack on the bad stuff. I think I can make it to lunch and fill up on god stuff!

Kathy - I loved The Help! It was so inspirational! The movie comes out in August and I think my book club is going to see it together since we read it last September. Hope your friend is hanging in there! It's tough to be here and have a loved one sick over seas.

Shawn - So sorry you didn't find a house, BUT you did bring some Disney magic back for a little girl! You have such a kind heart

Buffy - Today is another day to get back on track! I agree this rain is driving me NUTS!

Dona - Sounds like you had a great weekend with the boys! Your book sounds pretty interesting....maybe a book club pick for me over the summer!

aamomma - Hang in there!!

Pamela - You and dd are too cute!! I love the matching t-shirts too! My family and I attempted to eat around the world but after indulging a bit too much in China we had to cut it short and continue the next day...oh bummer!

Lisah - Hang in there!! My family has tired to kill me with drama a few times so I can feel your pain. Wow! Another half in September!! You are awesome!!! Best of luck as you train!

Cam - I'm praying for you and wishing you all the best as you go through such a busy time. I'm sure things will calm down eventually!

QOTD - Saturday - my greatest challenge is facing the scale...I feel like my clothes fit better and I have had a good week and then I get zinged by the scale and I get discouraged. So , I have been skipping the scale for a few weeks and will only weigh myself every other week.

QOTD - Sunday - My clothes still fit...but they fit better! I went through my closet last night to change out the winter clothes to summer and I got rid of a lot. Things that don't fit right and have no hope of fitting right this summer are gone.

QOTD - Monday - Quiz....I clearly know nothing! I'm learning for the first time in my life about my food and weight so I give myself a pass for the pathetic score...I did learn some things though!

******
Monday again and this week looks like I moved to Seattle (sorry Seattle people but NJ is not supposed to be this wet!) It looks like all running will be done indoors I am still very cautious about running on slick surfaces since my ankle is still not up to the pre-surgery condition...FEAR! SO the TM and I will become friends again. I'm planning to do a spin class on Wednesday to break things up and probably some strength training tonight.

You are not going to believe this but my scale died! No, really it did! The battery always falls out because someone (Brian) lost the cover and when I put the battery back in it wouldn't go on...I swear this is a weigh in week for me!

So, errands to run this afternoon before the big condo association meeting (where I am one of the 6 people who actually show up!). They were supposed to powerwash and stain our decks this week....HA! Maybe when the rain ends we can finally get this done!

I'm trying to head to lunch early since no breakfast is killing my tummy! Have a great day and make great choices!!

OHHH I almost forgot! I did do a 5K on Saturday with my friend Christine (her 1st race!). My time was really bad because she wanted to quit after mile 2! I coached her through the entire race and we ended up coming in 52 minutes. I just killed me becuase I wanted to do it in 45 minutes, but you know what, she told me she wouldn't have finished without me and that really did make my day!!

 

[pjlla]

Yikes, what a terrible weigh in!!! Its disappointing to reach my goal only to gain at the very end. I know there are several factors includng: TOM, the race, only getting 3 hours of sleep the night before the race, and 4 off plan meals this week (see TOM). I know some of this will come off quickly and I may not get back to where I was by the end of the challenge, but I will get there by the start of the summer challenge! This weekend will also be challenging since my birthday is next Monday and there is some celebrating planned.

Here's the boring race stuff:
My 5K was in Denver, which meant I had to get up early for the 45 min drive and to do packet pickup (they opted not to have the 5K at the expo, just the half and the full which were on Sunday). I only got 3 hours of sleep, I didn't think I would sleep that poorly since I didn't think I was THAT nervous, but little did I know what Mother Nature would have in store for me when I woke up.
The race itself was in City Park which also houses the zoo and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, a really pretty area. The race was entirely within the park, mostly paved, with some on the running trail. The whole thing was well organized, especially considering the 5K portion was an inagural event.
I had no idea how my pacing was going during the race (I am getting a garmin for my birthday! ) and I thought I was painfully slow, especially during the last mile. I took more walk breaks than I would have liked at the end. I was close to the end and decided to look at my ipod and see what time it was and was astonished to discover I was only 37 minutes into the race! I walked quite a bit until the mile 3 marker and then ran to the finish! I was really excited to finish in 43:32. This is only the 7th time I've run this distance since I've started training and those runs have been at a much slower pace. I learned that I can do this on little sleep, or if TOM arrives right before the race (2 things I was nervous about with the Tink half that I'm glad I've experienced here at a local race).
I was happy with my running speed (even though its slower) and would like to stay at this distance for the next couple of months and work on taking less walk breaks, especially at the end. I may gradually increase my long run to 3.5-4 miles over the next 2 months to help me finish strong. My neighbor was telling me about a local 5K in July that may be my next race. I am also thinking about doing a 10K in October that would help me get ready for the Tink in January. I am so happy to come in at a 14:03 pace for my first race, it helps me feel better about being able to keep under a 16 min pace for the Tink! Thanks for reading this!

That race sounds GREAT! I'm happy that you are pleased with your time! That is an amazing time, all considered!!

********

I'll post more of the trip report once these pictures upload. I cannot BELIEVE how slow it is! I even downloaded the "express upload" from shutterfly and it is still taking over 2 hours to upload 440 pictures (yup.... we took lots of pictures!).

I went ahead and got DD's swim team signed up for Relay for Life. I cannot believe that this has fallen in my lap.... and with only 18 days left until the actual event!! Most of the teams have been together and fundraising since AT LEAST January! We are so far behind. And, of course, even with a large swim team, I have heard from just 3 families about participating. Well..... what will be, will be. If we raise $1000, great..... but if we only get $100, so be it! I cannot make myself crazy about this at this late time! Anyone out there done Relay in the past and have any ideas to offer? I have participated on my Mom's team in the past, but I didn't get too involved in the "behind the scenes" stuff.

Meanwhile, I'm supposed to be organizing a fundraising scrapbooking crop for DS's robotics team. This coming year's project has already cost us several hundred dollars... and then, of course, there is registration for this fall and the new "kit". We need funds and we need them NOW! I've gotta get moving and find an effective fundraiser and FAST! I think I could raise several hundred dollars fairly easily with a crop if I can just get enough participants!! I need to do some brainstorming with my friends over on the scrapping boards about this!

Hope you all are having a great Monday! TTYL...................P

 

[pjlla]

Pamela - You and dd are too cute!! I love the matching t-shirts too! My family and I attempted to eat around the world but after indulging a bit too much in China we had to cut it short and continue the next day...oh bummer!

We tried to just "snack" in most countries and shared most things. We were actually still really hungry for dinner at 7pm!

OHHH I almost forgot! I did do a 5K on Saturday with my friend Christine (her 1st race!). My time was really bad because she wanted to quit after mile 2! I coached her through the entire race and we ended up coming in 52 minutes. I just killed me becuase I wanted to do it in 45 minutes, but you know what, she told me she wouldn't have finished without me and that really did make my day!!

And in the long run, I think it is more important that you helped and inspired another person to finish the race than having a great personal time. So you are a winner in my book!! ...........P

 

[lovetoscrap]

I have got to get some time to read back! I have to keep up with this trip report.

tigger, getting my PM to you. Sorry I am always late.


I was planning to try to read back today but last night I found the absolute perfect job opportunity for me in the district I am subbing in so now I am trying to put together a resume and cover letter. It is a secretarial/clerk position so need to put together enough stuff to make me look qualified! I know I am because of my volunteer experiences and I can do everything on the job description in spades. It is a part time position (exactly what I am looking for), doesn't require any actual previous experience (which I don't have) and would be perfect to get me in the door, get some experience established and maybe move up later or at least have the experience to be able to get a receptionist, secretarial job elsewhere else down the road. But it is a longshot, I am sure many will apply. The money isn't great so I hope that will discourage some people.

Anyway, I HATE trying to write cover letters and resumes. I probably stress over it way more than I need to though.

I finally got down a pound this week and am really, really hopeful I will reach my challenge goal by the next weigh in-- one more pound!

 

[pjlla]

I was planning to try to read back today but last night I found the absolute perfect job opportunity for me in the district I am subbing in so now I am trying to put together a resume and cover letter. It is a secretarial/clerk position so need to put together enough stuff to make me look qualified! I know I am because of my volunteer experiences and I can do everything on the job description in spades. It is a part time position (exactly what I am looking for), doesn't require any actual previous experience (which I don't have) and would be perfect to get me in the door, get some experience established and maybe move up later or at least have the experience to be able to get a receptionist, secretarial job elsewhere else down the road. But it is a longshot, I am sure many will apply. The money isn't great so I hope that will discourage some people.

Anyway, I HATE trying to write cover letters and resumes. I probably stress over it way more than I need to though.

OOOoohh.... a real job! Good luck!! They'd be lucky to have you!I finally got down a pound this week and am really, really hopeful I will reach my challenge goal by the next weigh in-- one more pound!

You WILL make your goal! Positive thinking!!.................P

 

[dumbo_buddy]

hi all! DH has been hogging his computer big time the last few days so i haven't been on to check anything. finally this morning (it's 6:15am here and everyone's up except for my cousin) i said, "i'm having DIS withdrawals, hand me that laptop" lol.

we are still having a really nice time. the weather has been great. i've been eating VERY poorly though and i feel like a need a week of fasting. i've gained 4 lbs in this short time and it's because everything that is food is basically winding up in my mouth. it's gross. i need to get back on track. thank goodness for this group!

i don't know if it's the hormones or just being around DH constantly every second of every day is making me a little edgy. i think there is a reason why we all need alone time during the day. because if we didn't get it, we'd kill each other. so, yesterday my cousin and i went to the movies for a little break. saw bridesmaids. absolutlely hysterical!

we are going on a sugarcane train today. seems a little boring but thomas is OBSESSED with trains so hopefully he will enjoy it. oh, and great timing - looks like the 2 year molars are coming in. he has been SO cranky the last couple of days. oh well. at least we're in paradise!

i'm sorry i haven't had any time to personally say hi to anyone lately but once i'm home and once the new challenge starts i'll be able to keep up but while skimming i saw the following:

I just got the news that my mom has bone cancer. She will be having a biopsy on Monday. She doesn't know how bad it is yet. I will be talking to my sister later who will give me the details. I'm a mess right now. Thankfully Brian had just gotten home from work when I got the call. He, unfortunately, went through this with his dad 10 years ago. I will let you all know when I hear more! I just don't know what to say right now!

tracey, i'm so sorry about the bad news. you, your mom, and your family will be in my prayers. this is really terrible. but know that even though we're only online friends, we are all here for you.

 

[pjlla]

Back into Future World to use FP for Test Track and to visit the Living Seas and do the Nemo ride.

Soarin' still posting a wait time of over an hour.... so we will wait until EMH tonight.

Now approaching dinner time (7pm-ish). Back into World Showcase where I waited 20 minutes for fish and chips (and a lager) in England and then DD waited 20 minutes for teriyaki beef in Japan. Fish was really good, chips just average. DD liked her teriyaki beef, but I did not.

Soarin' wait time at 40 minutes, but we skipped it for now (bad idea) to ride Living with the Land, which we both surprisingly enjoyed a great deal.
Soarin' wait time now up to 55 minutes, so we popped over to Test Track. DD didn't want to do single rider line, so we waited in stand-by for 30 minutes.

Met up with Buffy and Sean and the kids rode M:S while the adults chatted. Finally off to Soarin' for my ONE and only ride on it for the entire weekend. Then a final ride on Test Track before leaving Epcot. Walked 17.4 miles today!!!!

My DD and BAMB's son!!

Light's out at 1:10 am..... wake up call set for 6am!!

 

[pjlla]

SaturdayUp, showered, breakfast in room, and out the door by 7:05 am! Parked at DHS by 7:12 am....5th car in lot!

Bad hair day for me, but oh well

We went right up to the gate to wait and the right up to the rope. Buffy and Sean behind us in the crowd, but they made their way up to us as we all did the “TSM Sprint”. Buffy grabbed us all FP while the kids and I got into the line and then Buffy caught up. Rode TSM (Buffy was the high scorer!) and then jogged to ride RNR, then TOT twice, and then RNR again! Then over to TSM to use our FP.

Buffy and DS in front, DD and myself in back!!

(sorry.... not sure why this is so tiny!)

Sunny and getting hot.

We met some characters and took some photos before Buffy and Sean stopped to grab lunch before going back to their room to get ready for the race.