Biggest Loser Princess and Tinker Bell 2011 and 2012 -- OLD please see NEW thread

[mommyof2Pirates]

Sorry Rose I wanted to get on late last night but got caught up in my wrapping. Have a wonderful trip and a very Merry Christmas!!!!!!

Well as most of you saw I had to add another thing to my list of playing tooth fairy last night. Ryan finally lost that big snaggletooth he had. He had injured his teeth when he was two and that one tooth came down but didnt fall out. That darn tooth annoyed me for years. I almost wanted to throw a party last night when it came out. So now we were singing all I want for christmas is my two front teeth. Ryan was so excited because he didnt think it would come out until after the holidays. He got 2$ for this one.

I got my grocery shopping done and half of my presents wrapped tonight. I am starting to feel a bit more in control. Tonight will be baking some more cookies for the teachers gifts, putting together their gifts, decorating a paper xmas tree that nick has to do for school, and wrapping the rest of the gifts. Im getting there.

My grammy is quickly declining though. The past 2 days she has not been awake for more than a few seconds here or there. She is off all meds. She hasnt eaten in 2 days. So I really just think its a matter of days now.

 

[mikamah]

Lindsay-That tooth fairy better be careful upping the anty. He is so cute without the front teeth.
So sorry to hear about you Grammy. It's such a hard time of year too. Big hugs to you and your family.

 

[dumbo_buddy]

the ornament exchange was so fun! i looooove my ornament! so pretty and classic. everyone really did a great job picking out their ornaments. i should have taken a picture of lindsay's wrapping! the whole box was decorated! of course, i ripped it open before truly appreciating it but i did take the time to look at it and say, "awwww!!"

MERRY CHRISTMAS ROSE! hope you have a great trip! sounds like it's going well already with your lack of traveling far from gate to gate in atlanta!

we have our mommy and me christmas party today. having it at the old folks home again (like we did at halloween). we have a guy coming to sing and play instruments. we have had him the last 3 years. he emailed YESTERDAY about a scheduling conflict, asked if he could come earlier. we told him no (the kids need to arrive and the old people need to be brought downstairs) and he never wrote back. he better show up!! i can't keep a tune so we're in trouble if he doesn't show!

today is the wake for my friend's FIL. he lived next to my aunt and uncle (they are just around the corner). the sergeant had come to the FIL's house on monday looking for his wife. she was at work so he stopped in and spoke to my aunt. my aunt is a retired NYPD sergeant so knows the whole spiel about what they need to do to tell someone that their loved one had passed - she'd done it so many times. ugh. so sad. monday was his wife's FIRST day back at work after having surgery. and her husband died. ugh. anyway, the wake is today and i'm going to try to see if i can find someone to watch the kiddos for me for an hour so i can go.

on a happier note, my cousin who lives across the street from us is coming home from college today! she is the one who went to hawaii with us. she's a junior now. can't wait to see her. she hasn't seen baby matthew yet - she left to go back home the friday after turkey day and matthew was born saturday.

whoa...i just hit some button and i left the page. thought i'd lost my post but luckily when i hit back again it came back! i'm going to take that as a hint to get off here and get back to trying to fix these stupid bells that we're going to have the kids play when they sing jingle bells. yeah, it's going to be a disaster!

 

[dumbo_buddy]

Really??? You're going to let me kill the thread? Don't you people know how hormonal I am?? This could send me off the deep end!!!

Hope everyone is just having way too good of a day to get on the computer!

Rose - we need pics of the trip, stat!!

 

[Worfiedoodles]

It's ok, Nancy -- if my idiotic inlaws couldn't kill this thread, nothing will!

Hey Ladies!

I am literally falling asleep at the computer, but wanted to check in quickly. I got up and ran 4M this morning. It had been awhile, but it felt good. My dad arrived safely and now we are all caught up on the intrigue at the Lodge...I love my dad, but it is funny to hear about all the political infighting among the old men club.

I'm home with my dad tomorrow, planning to run and then take him out for lunch. Ben has one more day of school.

I made ranch oyster crackers this afternoon. Tomorrow afternoon I plan to make fudge.

If I were a devoted wife, I would make one more trip to the mall for a couple of things for Dennis. Honestly, I just don't know if I can face it. We'll see how tomorrow is going. It means taking my dad with me, and I know it will be a zoo, with no close parking...I just don't think it's going to happen. Maybe I'll run downtown Friday morning while Ben entertains my dad. That could be just as productive, and I could take the subway and skip the parking...

Have to sleep now. Everyone have an awesome night!

Maria

 

[lisah0711]

Good morning Princesses and Bells!

Rose, hope that you made it safely to WDW and that you are having a wonderful time.

Maria, glad that your Dad arrived safely and that the scary meeting is behind you! Are you done working for the week?

Is there something that Dennis really wants or do you need to even out the presents or something? If you do have to go out, hope it's quick and painless!

We each have one token gift under the tree. It's taken a lot of pressure off for both of us.

No more confusing banners with bears.

Just keep an eye on those text and data charges to avoid an unpleasant surprise.

Lindsay, glad the tooth fairy arrived in the nick of time for this Christsmas pictures!

So sorry about your Grammy. It sounds like she is much more comfortable and resting.

Nancy, looks like you got quite the haul at your Christmas party! :love

Really??? You're going to let me kill the thread? Don't you people know how hormonal I am?? This could send me off the deep end!!!

It would take alot to kill this thread. I think everyone is just scrambling on these last minute Christmas things.

Lisa, hope that you are doing well!

Had a good time at our neighbor happy hour on Tuesday. Between staying up late and drinking wine I was feeling a tad slow yesterday. Got the last of the Christmas cards out yesterday. Today we will do the last bit of grocery shopping. Work has to be squeezed in there somewhere and then I will start the week-end off Friday with a 14 mile run.

Have a wonderful day Princesses!

 

[mommyof2Pirates]

Nancy- Im glad you liked the ornament. I felt like it was plain but has great meaning to where I live. I decorated the box at work. You know I have my priorities straight. Im just glad it got to you on the 20th.

I hope everything went as good as it could at the wake yesterday. That is just so sad.

At least you had your cousins homecoming to brighten your day. I hope you get to spend some quality time with her over the holiday before she returns to school.

I thought of you last night when I had to ask Mike to give the boys a bath because I was busy trying to clean the kitchen and bake cookies for the kids teacher gifts, this was after making dinner, cleaning up, and entertaining the kids. I got the "I guess" response and I really just wanted to wack him with the frying pan I was drying. Men!!!!!!!!!!!!

Maria- I hope you enjoy your time with your Dad. I too need to get one more thing for Mike but I just cant bring myself to braving the mall again. I know the longer I wait the worst it will be....

Lisa H- Doing the one token gift is a great idea and alot less pressure. I tried using the gym membership as our gift to each other this year but my husband is like a 4 year old and was pouting that he wouldnt have anything to open on christmas morning. Sometimes he is worse than my children.

Just in case I dont get back on....Good luck with your 14miler. That is just so impressive.

Hello Lisa and Kathy and any other friends reading along. Rose I hope you had an uneventful trip and that your time is starting off magically.

I am almost done wrapping. Need to get more adult paper today. I almost just wrapped everyones gifts in phineus and Ferb paper but decided against it. Hopefully I can finish that up tonight.

Tomorrow I am providing lunch to my staff for christmas. So tonight I am making italian wedding soup and grilling the chicken for the salad. I dont think that will be too hard. I feel like things are slowly coming together and everyday I am feeling alot less stressed about it....or it could be the glass of wine I am now drinking every night.

Today was Ryans last day of school before the break. Today was PJ day and he was up bright and early and got dressed without us even having to ask him. That was a treat for us.

Tomorrow my in laws are watching the boys and taking them to see alvin and the chipmunks. I will be holding my breath all day that they return in one piece. Then my MIL said she would make dinner for us at our house. Ummm thats a nice thought and all but guess who always ends up having to clean the kitchen. Apparently they are making fried tacos. So not only will my stove and ateries be a mess but my house is going to stink like fried food. But god forbid I do not act excited about the idea of my MIL wanting to help out. I would be the worst wife ever if I even batted an eye at this.

Ok vent over.

Well now I need to work I guess. No motivation this week to do anything of the sort. Have a great day!!!

 

[Worfiedoodles]

Good Morning and !

I ran 4M, I had an apple and 2 Babybels for breakfast, and I'm enjoying some lovely hot tea while I type. I have to get up in a minute and get ready to take my dad shopping and to lunch. It will be lovely to go out and chat over lunch, the shopping not so much. The thing I'm least looking forward to is parking. I pretty much know where the things I need are -- these are last minute things Dennis just keeps adding to his list and I have a hard time not getting him everything he even mentions in passing. He takes such excellent care of me, I just want to do anything I can to bring a smile to his face. It's literally a tie, earmuffs, and a Patriots picture. I have to go to Kathy's mall to get the picture, which is a little bit of a hike, I don't mind that, it's just so hard to park close there, and my dad does not like to walk far. Not to mention walking in the mall...hopefully there will be a bench where I can park him.

I am thrilled to have my dad here, but I had forgotten how warm he likes it. My run was like running in 80 degrees, and that made it harder to crank out. I'm going to have to give the basement time to cool down before I start on Sat. I cannot stand that for 2 hours

Lindsay -- I would be thrilled to get a present in Phineas and Ferb paper! I don't know what you mean I also know what you mean about having something to open on Christmas morning, the difference is it's me not Dennis I like to get presents. They don't need to be expensive, I just like opening. I am a big kid! I know it is hard to feel like you are in limbo with grammy. I suspect she is at peace and resting. By the way, I consider coming to work this week a courtesy, and there should be no expectations of anything other than the basics. Today is Ben's last day too, but no pj day This poor kid has two tests and two papers due. He is going to be very happy when he gets home tonight.

Lisah -- Yep, I am done working until next Wednesday! It's a great feeling to have 6 days off in a row, and a little weird since we are usually going somewhere when that happens. Our calendar is actually filling up, this is going to be a busy holiday season! The neighbor happy hour sounds awesome, I wish I could have dropped in I am in awe you are doing 14M Friday So impressive! I'm also wondering -- did you pass a weight milestone and forget to tell us? It seems to me like there might have been one in there in all that amazing loss somewhere...

Nancy -- You have my deepest sympathy, what a very sad situation and especially at this time of year I know your cousin can't wait to get her hands on Matthew! How wonderful to introduce him, spend time together, it's going to be a fest!

Kathy -- Isn't texting fun? I've got to the point where I'm almost as bad as the kids, I don't talk on my phone very often. Texting is just faster since there's less interaction. but I like that...

Lisa -- How are you feeling? You are getting everything not so lovely out of the way so you can go in totally confident and have an awesome race. I can feel it, you guys are just going to shine!

Rose -- , Yep, I'm green with envy about your fantastic trip! Hope everything is going wonderfully and you are ending this year on a very high note!

Pamela and Dona -- Hey Ladies! Hope you are enjoying the pre-Christmas festivities and things are moving right along!

Everyone have a wonderful day, I'm off!

Maria

 

[dumbo_buddy]

uuuggghhhhh we are having a terrible couple of days here in silver beach. first my friend's FIL passed. i went to the wake yesterday and it was horrible. because it was such a shock there were so many people just outright hysterically crying. i actually took matthew with me while my babysitter watched thomas. i think my sitter claudia was a little scared at the idea of watching both. matthew was in the carseat and just like a really big purse

i drove home after the wake and going around the corner saw cop cars instead of our neighbor's house. dead. he was old but not that old. retired marine. so sad.

this morning on the news they said that 95 was closed right by here. a woman driver was going the wrong way at 3am and was hit by a truck. turns out it was a girl that lives around the corner. only 25. two of her sisters have babysat for thomas before. my cousin tracey (the one who just came home from college) is best friends with one of the sisters. this is so sad. who knows what happens or how she got on going the wrong way or if she was drinking. i can actually hear people crying from my house right now. i found the story online on the daily news and the ny post. the car was crumpled. and there are people writing comments on the story that are horrifyingly insensitive

sorry for the debbie downer post. i'm just so...ugh...sad. and yet i just have to thank god that it's not someone closer to us.

 

[lisah0711]

Aww, Nancy, that is so, so sad. I don't blame you for feeling down. It's always hard when a young person dies and more so around the holidays. Your little neighborhood does seem to be hit hard lately.

It is a good reminder to enjoy every day and what you have because it can be gone so soon.

Give your little guys some extra big squeezes!

Maria, have a great day with your Dad. Give him an extra big squeeze, too!

No other milestone yet. I'm yo-yo-ing right now. I'm about 2 pounds away from changing my clippie to 50 pounds and really need to lose a couple more on top of that to hit my goal for the end of the month. I know if I can buckle down that I can do it.

Lindsay, enjoy your dinner tonight. It's the thought that counts, right? Maybe an extra glass of wine to smooth out the edges.

 

[donac]

Just wanted to stop on here and say HI to all my friends

I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

 

[mommyof2Pirates]

Maria- Glad you are having a great day with your daddy.

Nancy- Im so sorry for all the tragedy you have had this week. That is so sad for your community. We recently had a man in his 50's avid cyclist get hit by a car crossing one of our bridges. He lived for a day or so but died once they took him off the vent. He had a wife and two teenage kids. People were putting such ridiculous comments on the news articles. I just dont know how some people can live with themselves. What happened to if you dont have nothing nice to say dont say it at all.

Lisa H- Wow close to 50. You are doing so great. You will be in onederland very soon. Great work!!!!!

Dona- Merry christmas and Happy new year to you too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I ended up leaving work at 1 today. I just had too much other stuff at home to do. Now I feel good because everything is bought and wrapped. I just have to make the soup and bag up everything for tomorrows luncheon. Then the only thing left is cleaning up and making dinner for christmas.

I think I am going to go visit my grammy either tomorrow after work or sat morning. Hopefully she will still be with us at that point. My mom thinks it would be good for me to go. I deal with things by avoiding them sometimes so I guess she is right.

Good Night!

 

[mommyof2Pirates]

Just got home a little while ago from being with my grammy. Shortly after I posted last I got a call from my dad saying she is now in the end stage. She was struggling to breath and unresponsive. They are giving her some drug I think either morphine or something like it to slow her breathing to make her more comfortable. We stayed with her for awhile and I am blessed to have been able to say goodbye while I hope she was still able to hear me. The hospice nurse thinks she will not make it through the night but we all know it is in god's hands. I just pray that my family can get through this with the holiday being in 2 days. Even when someone has lived a long long life and we have been prepared for this day to come it is still so hard to let go.

Hug your family tight and enjoy every moment of your days together!!!!!

Love you all.

 

[dumbo_buddy]

Thinking of you, Lindsay. prayers for Grammy and your family.

 

[liesel]

Lindsay I'm so sorry to hear about your grammy. I'm glad you got to see her last night before she passed away.

Nancy to your whole neighborhood. I'm sorry there is so much tragedy going on there, especially during the holiday season.

Rose I hope you are having a fantastic time at WDW! I also hope Tom got there safely, it looks like he left between storms.

LisaH on being our challenge's biggest loser! I hope you celebrate this accomplishment! I'm sure you'll have your 50 pound clippie soon. Are you doing 10 miles today? I hope it goes well!

Maria Are you braving the mall? I really should get DH another gift too, since I only have one under the tree and the other is going to be a paper IOU. The IOU is a beer refrigerator (I got him a homebrewing kit 2 years ago and he is hoooked!). He did specify one at Home Depot, then changed his mind and says he needs to do more research. So now I don't know which one to get him.

Kathy I hope you have been enjoying your time off.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone, including Dona, Pamela, Jude, Corinna, and Jen!

DH and I are both sick, he even took off yesterday. The kids are feeling better, of course, and stir crazy. We also got 10 inches of snow yesterday on top of the 4 inches from Monday. I was only well for 2 weeks before coming down with this illness, so this is frustrating. I better not get sick anymore, the illnesses and snow have caused me to fall behind in my training again and I'm just tired of being sick! At least this is a cut back week. 2 more long runs to go.

As for the car accident, I had to go meet my parents in Denver to pick up the kids who were staying with them for a couple of days. They were late and by the time I got back to my town, the weather had really deteroriated. I was going slowly down the freeway off ramp. When I tried using the brakes, nothing! DH thinks its because the tires couldn't get traction. I was in the left lane, with a big wall on the left and no shoulder. There were lots of cars in both lanes in front of me and nowhere to go but to hit a car. I tried to go inbetween the two cars, but there was not enough room and I hit a car in front of me (a brand new car as it turns out). That finally stopped the car. The guy insisted on calling the police, so we waited and waited until they called back and told us to just exchange our info (which we had already done) and go (since there were no injuries and they were overloaded with accidents). The car still was not handling well so I pulled over at the tire store, which was a couple of blocks away, and waited for DH. I refused to drive the car until the tires were replaced. The tires are replaced and the car handles much better now. I can't believe the shock I was in, an hour later I was still shaking. I couldn't believe it, I'm usually so calm when somehting happens, but this was the first time I every hit someone. Our car was only damaged on a section on the front bumper that needed replacing anyway, so its not too bad.

DH is supposed to hear about his company's CA project today, so we'll see. If not, it looks like we may be moving out there anyway. Nancy, we'll be in Northern California, about a 7 hour drive from DL, so no we can't go there every weekend like DD wants. I do know of people on the DL side of the DIS who make the trek every month! I just told her we would go more often than we do now.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas weekend!

 

[Worfiedoodles]

Sending giant to Lindsay and Nancy...it is so hard to face losses like that this time of year...you are both in my thoughts and prayers.

A huge to Lisah! Congratulations on being the Fall BL! What an amazing accomplishment, especially since I know you did it the healthy way!

Lisa -- That is so scary, I would have completely freaked out if I lost my brakes I think you did great. I really hope you feel better soon.

to Kathy, Rose, Dona and Pamela!

Ok, so I went to the mall yesterday and it was busy, but ok. Turns out the item I really needed was unavailable, so so much for that. Then I got home and there was an ink tag left on an item, so I had to take the subway downtown this morning and get it removed. I was not driving back to the mall store

I made fudge and double choc chunk bars today to take to my neighbors tomorrow night, and we just finished watching Night at the Museum II. I'm headed for bed soon. I'm sitting here yawning and sniffling, but I'm determined that when I get my rest out, I have 10M on tap. I actually think it will feel good, and help with moving the sniffles along.

Tomorrow's schedule includes my workout, the Pats game, visiting with my neighbor, driving around looking at Christmas lights, delicious Italian dinner (not takeout, but higher quality restaurant food we're bringing home), and "A Christmas Carol" with Jim Carrey. I still have an item or two to wrap, I have to stuff the stockings before bed but not put them up (kitten hazards), and then I can wake up on Christmas morning and literally set everything out.

I am eager to hear everyone's plans for Christmas Day -- I'll be back to post mine tomorrow!

Ben is adamant he is not going to "ruin" his Christmas morning by going to church. He told me, "Christmas is not about going to church, Mom"...yep, I guess he's pretty much missing the point of those confirmation classes We actually aren't going because Dennis isn't about to chance missing the Celtics tip-off, but it is kind of funny to hear him explain how church attendance is unrelated to his Christmas agenda.

Maria

 

[mikamah]

Good morning princessabelles!!

Well, it seems that in 5 weekends our little Tinkerbelles will be in their beloved DL!!! I am so excited for you Lisa's!!

LIsaH-Can I just say how inspiring you are. You set your mind to get focused, and here you are the biggest loser!! I am so happy for you and so excited and happy that you are going to rock the Tink. How was your long run yesterday? I am sure even if you fluctuate a little this week with Christmas, you will get right back on and lose it and run the Tink in ONderland!!! Congratulations!! Drinks with friends sounds like a nice evening. I wanted a drink last night but was on call, so tried to wait til 10:30, but was too tired then to stay up and have one. I'm going to do my cooking and cleaning this morning after my walk, and have that drink with my lunch.

Maria-Glad you weren't at the mall when the supposed guy with a bomb strapped to him was there. I don't know if it was real or not, but it was friday. Sounds like you have a nice relaxing weekend planned and are enjoying your visit with your Dad. Oh Ben. I just want to keep michael little a little while longer. He has really enjoyed ccd this dec and shared all the little religious tidbits he's learned. I must confess we have not been good about getting to church each sunday, and he actually asked if we could go on Christmas. He has jan and feb off from ccd, they lengthen each one by 10 min, and that way they don't have to cancel or do snow removal, so we said we'd get to mass more often.

Nancy-So sorry for all the losses in your little community. It seems the tragedy's around the holidays are always so awful. Hugs to you and your community. I hope you're having some holiday fun. Love, love the strawberry santas. My strawberries will be boring this christmas.

Lindsay-I am so sorry to hear about your Grammy. It is so sad to lose someone we love, anytime of year, but Christmas time is supposed to be such a happy time. I hope you and your family are doing ok, and that you find some peace and comfort in your good memories. I know it doesn't feel like it now, but time does heal. When i was 4, my grandparents died on Christmas eve and Christmas day, my dad's parents. I don't remember that year, but every year after that we had a mass on the saturday morning before christmas and came back to our house which was their house originally for coffee and donuts, and some of my best childhood memories are from that mass. Through the years different cousins would come, and as kids we all got out in the yard to play, and I have pics of michael at 3 weeks with my dad's brother and sisters who are gone now, too. So anyway, I'm thinking of you, and know how hard it is, but pray that you have peace this holiday, and those darling boys of yours bring lots of smiles to your face between the tears.

LisaR_Such a scary accident. I'm glad you are ok, and got new tires and are good to go. It sounds like CA is looking pretty good right now. You are going to be fine at the tink. Do not worry about having to miss some runs, you've got the speed, and after the holidays I'm sure things will settle down and you'll get those runs in.

Rose-Merry Christmas to you, Mike, Tom, Mickey, Minnie and all the gang!!

Pamela and Dona -A very merry christmas to you both!!

Well, it's Christmas eve, and my house still needs some work, I need to take the dog out for his walk, do some cooking, and finish setting up the basement play area. I spend a few hours down there last night, and hung some white lights from the ceiling, and it looks pretty festive. I baked my last batch of cookies, and figured I'd take some time and catch up here and enjoy my coffee and spritz for breakfast. I need to make chicken broc,ziti, spinach dip & pita chips, a trifle, 3 pies, 2 to bring to my sisters tomorrow, vacuum, clean the bathroom and kitchen, and then I'll be ready to party!! We also want to get Poko out for a few good long walks to tire her out a bit before everyone comes over. She has been doing well, but playing a little rough at times with michael, like he's one of her toys, and trying to nip a bit, so I want to prevent it from going any further. Done lots of reading about it, and maybe it's a dominance thing, so Michael's trying not to lay on the floor and play, and is going to do all her feeding this week too, set things straight. We signed up for training classes too starting the 7th.

So that's about it for us. Off for our long morning walk, Poko and I. I must say, I have not been watching what I eat one speck, and I am hanging in the 209-210 range, so all the puppy walking has been good for my weight, though it does interfere with my dis time.

If I'm not back later today, I wish all of you a very merry Christmas!! Love you all!!

 

[lisah0711]

Merry Christmas Eve to all my Princesses and Bells!

I've always enjoyed Christmas Eve more than Christmas, even when I was a little girl it was as good as Christmas. It's all the excitement and anticipation, and everything still looks nice before the mayhem of present opening and tons of activity in the kitchen.

Lindsay, I'm so sorry about your Grammy. I'm glad that you got to see her before she passed away. It will be hard these next few days with the holidays but thankfully you have two perfect reminders of the fact that somehow life does go on, even when you are sad. There will be plenty of comic relief from your two I'm sure!

Nancy, so sorry about about the neighborhood tragedies this week. It's hard when they are all so close together but to add the holidays on top makes it even worse.

I think your santa brownies turned out cute! And I'm sorry but I had to chuckle when Aunt Ann asked who was going to eat them.

It hasn't even been a month since Matthew was born. Be kind to yourself and give yourself some time to recover before you work on that healthy lifestyle again. And I would check out myfitnesspal before spending the money on WW unless you really like the meetings part. As we have all learned different things work for different people and what worked after Thomas might not work this time. It will be a process but with the marathon training I know that you will be rockin' it soon!

Kathy, I had forgotten about your grandparents dying so close together during the holidays. What a horrible year that was! But I like how it turned into a special occassion for you to get together and remember them and that you have really good memories of that. That is a true testimony of love of family and how they help you to live on long after you are gone from this Earth.

It's just like old times following you around from thread to thread this morning!

I know that you are going to have a wonderful family celebration. Please tell Beth and Taylor hello and happy holidays from me. I can't believe how much both Taylor and Michael have grown up since February.

Oops! Smilie police are after me . . . BRB

 

[lisah0711]

Wow! Not only were the smilie police after me but apparently I was speeding by trying to post too quickly, too. I'm gonna end up on the naughty list for sure!

Lisa, I'm so glad to hear that you are safe after that accident. Those slow-mo can't do a thing to stop what is happening accidents are the worst! It's perfectly natural to have that shocked feeling after something like that.

It really stinks that you are sick again. You do keep your fitness for up to a month so you don't have to worry about that after your rocking 10K. JG is adamant about not running when you have a lung infection so take it easy, get better, and we still have 5 weeks to go. Lots of time!

I've been studying the map and the race course breaks up into little chunks pretty easily. By the time we get through DL and around the DL hotel grounds and hit Ball Road and DL Drive we will already be up to 5 miles! Then its three miles through old downtown Anaheim (which hopefully is still picturesque) and on to Harbor and Ball at mile 8. I always loved the intersection of Harbor and Ball because you could see the Matterhorn and knew that the next turn was the turn into the entrance. Hopefully there will a lot of entertainment as we work our way down to Katella but once we are under the I5 overpass it's less than a mile to DCA and I feel confident that there will be no sweeper worries once you get there. We can do little runs all day long!

Donac, a very, Merry Christmas and wonderful New Year to you, too! Don't be shy about coming back to chat with us! You are an honorary princess!

Maria, glad that you were able to get most of your things done. Sounds like you can relax and enjoy your family as you have been planning for months!

Good luck on your 10M this morning! It will be nice to have that behind you and be ready to enjoy the next couple of days with all your guys. I think taking it easy and looking at Christmas lights is a great plan!

And Ben is right that Christmas is best celebrated in your heart and with your family, no matter where that is.

Not to mention at this stage of his life nothing is worse than to look uncool and what is more uncool than being caught hanging with your family in a public place?

Rose, I hope that you are all having a wonderful time at WDW and enjoying being together. I love the pictures that you are posting! Thanks for remembering us!

Yes, I was very to be the BL this challenge. First time ever after 10 challenges. And I noticed the Princesses and Bells were well represented on the top losers list.

Thank goodness my friend, Kathy, taught me to never give up! I'm going to hold the line here for another couple of days and then see how close I can get to my goal for the end of December and see if I can snag that 50 pound clippie. Then it's the race to the Tink and ONEderland.

I did 14 miles yesterday in 4 hours and 45 minutes -- because I can't go less than 20 m/m on the long runs. I just chuckle every time JG says "you have to slow down, Lisa." Because I had been burning myself out. It was nice to start at 5 am and be done by 10 am. Thank goodness you told me about those Pirates songs, Lisa, because that really saved me in those minutes leading up to hour 4. Trans-Siberian Orchestra took care of a good two hours. I felt like I do after a half for the first hour or so but as the day went on I actually didn't feel too bad. This morning I am pretty much myself.

We are going to do some cooking for our dinner tomorrow today. Robert has announced that he is going to stay up all night waiting for the Christmas presents to come out. He may be waiting awhile because they are coming out when I get up early. Usually Ed is Santa but he says with Robert staying up later than both of us it will have to switch to the early bird. I think that we are watching Jim Carrey's Christmas Carol tonight, too, Maria.

Hello and Merry Christmas to Pamela, Corinna, Jen and Jude!

Love you all!

 

[dumbo_buddy]

merry christmas eve!!

lisaH - i'm like you, i enjoy christmas eve much more than christmas! especially these last few years since we've spent christmas day with the cullens. this year hopefully will be better now that we're spending it on our own

i like how you break down the tink race. seems like it'll be easier to do if you think about it in littler chunks. i'll have to do that for the marathon. break it up into ALOT of little chunks. what are the pirate songs that you listened to? i'm going to have to download some good music soon

congrats to you on being the biggest loser! that is such an awesome accomplishment and a fabulous way to end the year! it's great to already be on the losing side on jan. 1 instead of starting over on new years day like SO many of us do (i do it every year!). and nice work on the 14 miler! woot!

let me know if robert sees santa tonight! watch, he'll stay up super late and then sleep in tomorrow morning and the presents will sit there.

Merry Christmas to you, Lisa!

lindsay - i'm so sorry to hear about grammy. i'm so glad that you went to visit her when you did and i just know she was so happy to have you with her. what are the arrangements for her? this has been such a hard holiday season for so many. it's never easy to lose a family member, especially one that you're so close to. and at christmas too. ugh.

are the kids excited for santa??? i wonder if ryan will get his two front teeth for christmas!!

Have a very merry Christmas, Lindsay!

OH! i forgot to say - i got your christmas card and i LOVE that you are in it with your princess medal!!! so awesome!!!!

kathy - sounds like you're all ready for a fun christmas eve! i bet poko will have a great first christmas with his new awesome family. he is so lucky to have you guys! when she nips, pull your hand back hard and yell "OUCH!" dogs tend to understand that they hurt you. we did that with fiona as a puppy and she caught on pretty good. with our dog before we just said NO! and she didn't get it as quickly. who knows. just something a trainer once told us.

i wouldn't worry about the food being consumed right now...it's christmas and we'll all be back on the losing wagon soon enough!

have a great time tonight and a very merry christmas tomorrow! xoxo

maria - yikes i just read kathy's post about the guy with the bomb at the mall! scary!

oh ben, too funny. i hope he doesn't have his christmas ruined by rejoicing in the birth of jesus christ! you know, growing up we NEVER went to church on christmas. i actually didn't even realize that was a thing to do until i was older. we never went on easter either. we went to church every single sunday without fail (even went on vacation in mexico...in spanish!) but we were always traveling on christmas and easter so we never went. haha. i guess my christmases were never "ruined" lol!

good luck on your 10 miler today and enjoy the rest of the day. i haven't seen jim carey's version of that story but maybe we'll dvr it!

have a very happy and healthy christmas!!

lisaR - so sorry about the accident. what a pain! and scary! so glad you got new tires and the car feels better. i'm sure it was really scary to know that your only option was to hit another car. and more snow?? and more illness?? phooey! right before the princess i was sick 3 different times. and we also had a boatload of snow last winter. i feel your pain. but, the good part of that is that i still finished and kicked booty during the run! so that obviously means you will too!!

7 hour drive? yeah, that's not really doable every weekend. darn! but i could see myself doing it once a month! i mean, that's assuming i had the money to do that! still, at least it's closer, right?? did DH find out about the job??

have a very merry christmas lisa!!!

rose - um, i don't mean to complain or anything but you are not posting any pics to facebook! i'm assuming that means that you're having way too much fun!! my friend is there right now with her hubby and baby boy and they are having a wonderful time but have said it's very crowded. how are your boys enjoying themselves? and how's the food?? merry christmas rose!!

hello to all of our other lovely princess friends!!

*****
well my lovely friends, it's almost christmas! when did THAT happen?? i have a four week old baby..when did THAT happen? yeesh time flies, right? he'll be a month old on monday. shoo!

christmas eve is starting out ok. i didn't get much sleep last night. matthew just wasn't in the mood to sleep. ick. i can't complain because he really has been a good baby, thank God. would have been nice to be a little more rested before seeing people later today. thomas is all about santa claus and he will be getting lots of great things from him tomorrow including a mickey mouse bike!

we'll be going to NJ later today. the tyrrells have had christmas eve for forever and it's always a great time. they are starting to have everyone at 1pm but we don't eat dinner til late and don't do the gift giving for the kids and the yankee gift giving for the adults until so much later. we're not going to get there that early. kids can only last at one place for so long! it will be the first time most people see baby matthew - it will be nice to have them all hold him and not me! my dad is one of 10 kids so there is always a bazillion people there. looking forward to it! my parents won't be there. they are going to spend christmas with my grandpa in PA who is not doing well at all.

john is sick. and you know how DH's get when they are sick. he declared yesterday that he thinks he has pneumonia. seriously?? what a baby. he just went to urgent care and they said he had strep. they didn't even do a culture. whatever, i swear that he will be better just because someone gave him antibiotics!

my goodness this week has been such a downer. people are just walking around like zombies around silver beach. the articles in the daily news and the post are so sad and the comments people are making are sick. the only things to do is to just not look at those things. we received some more bad news from friends and loved ones but i just can't take it anymore! too much!

anyway, back to happy things - tomorrow is christmas by ourselves and i can't wait. i'm making a breakfast casserole - got the recipe from sue (dcvcruiser) and it sounds yummy (and totally calorie free! go figure!) and for dinner i'm making beef stew in the slow cooker. it's not all that traditional of a dinner but it's what i know how to make well! and who doesn't love beef stew??

oh and want to hear something fun? john is currently on the phone right now putting in an offer for another contract for DVC! we'll see. we are going to lowball them b/c the contract is a little weird with banked and borrowed points and all that. it's at BLT. so we'd own at SSR, BCV, and BLT. we are nuts. we'll see. if it works out, then great. if not, no biggie.

SQUEEE!!

ok my friends the baby is up and ready to eat....again. have a very merry christmas everyone!!!

ps - i don't know if my santa hats are going to survive the trip to jersey. i didn't think about how to cover them. duh.