Geriatric MM Warriors June 13, 2010

[gettinhealthy]

Hi Diane and Lisa!! Been busy as usual.
Bailey had her puppies in the wee hours of June 29th. That was Carrie's birthday too LOL.
She had 7 again. There are 3 black (what the heck is up with that?), 3 brindle, and 1 fawn. We took them to the vet Sat to get their tails and dew claws done. They are all doing well, and were rather big when born. The smallest one was about 14oz and the largest was 16.1 oz.
Not much going on here, other than warm and humid.
Diane, sending some prayers about the jobs. Something just for you will come up very soon!
Lisa, sending prayers out your way as well for a great scan for Tom. What wonderful news about your mom!!
I have been reading the Chicken Soup for the Soul book titled "Learning the Laws of Attraction." It is almost scary! It tells you to make a journal of all the things you want in your life, and put a time line on it.
My first one was kind of silly. I wanted a neti pot to use. I priced them, and didn't want to pay the 12.99. So each day I said I was grateful for the neti pot I was going to get. I didn't know how, just that I'd be getting one. Then I one upped it. I said I was grateful for the FREE neti pot I was going to get. 3 days later, I got an email from NeilMed, and if I would "like" the neti pot on facebook, I'd get a free one! I got that email 1 week after starting my affermation!
So, in my journal, I also put I wanted to go to the Bahamas, Virgin Islands or the Caribbean next year for vacation. Once again, I one upped it. I said I wanted to go as cheaply as possible, if not free. I didn't know how I'd do this, but I began saying each day I was grateful for the trip I would be taking next year.
Well, one of our good friends just let us know (he didn't know I was doing this either) he is moving to the Virgin Islands next year, and we are welcome to visit anytime and stay with him! So we would only have to pay for the airplane ride down! I'm still working on that aspect LOL. I had been saying that affermation for about 2 weeks.
I also said in my journal that within 5 years, I would have a very successful business. I had no idea what I'd be doing or how, but I have been saying an affermation for about 3 weeks now (added it to the previous 2 also). I was at work one day, and had a brain storm of an idea for a business. I immediately called Mike, and he also said it would be a great idea, as there is no business around here like it. I mentioned it to 2 other people who said the same thing! I will share it with you both when I get a couple more things worked out with it. Just a little hesitant talking about it online, so may get your opinions via PM. So now I have been researching it a bit to see what all I would need. I am very excited about it as it will help many, many people.
Not much else going on here. Went completely off plan this week Haven't gained any weight, but not happy about it. Diane has told me if you go off a full week before completing step 1, you need to do an 8 week stint on step 1 again. Not sure if I'll do that or not. I know I should, but this is how I went off the last time
Feeling tired today, so going to take a nap, then go to the grocery store. Mike went back on call last night at midnight, so need to make sure he has everything he needs for work.
Oh, for couple tapes ordered from ebay. I got the Callanetics to do. It is "easy" to do, no cardio, so shouldn't tax my system too bad until I get into shape. People have had great results from using it. It actually originated in the '80s. I involved slow movements that work all kinds of muscles in the body.
Ok, later guys

 

[Diane W.]

Hi Kathy! Happy Birthday to Carrie & all the new puppies! That is great that all of your affirmations have come true! It's exciting that you have a new business plan too! I wish I could have a dog - I'd definitely take one of the black ones! I was thinking about you earlier when a boxer stuck his head out of the side window of the car ahead of me. I'm glad all of the puppies and mommy are healthy. Callanetics were very popular at one time, my ex-mother-in-law loved it. She said it strengthened her back. Let us know how you like it.

Owen and I got burgers from 5 Guys for dinner. We don't have a grill, so we improvised.

I hope everyone enjoys the rest of the holiday!

 

[Wisteria1956]

Hey guys!

Kathy: So excited about your affirmations! I really believe in that. I have realized several goals from my vision board. They do say not to put a money number to it because you might get more than you thought! Congrats on the puppies. I don't know how you do it with all you have to do, but I imagine it gives you a lot of joy as well.

Diane: I believe the forskylin helps. Not sure I'm spelling it correctly. The bottle is in the kitchen and I am too lazy to go look, lol! The issue I have with it is it seems to cause gas and another condition which leads me to a funny story. My SIL had a good friend who's mother always got the names of things wrong. She called varicose veins 'very close veins'. So many funny stories. Anyway once she was plagued with 'loose vowels'. See if you can figure out the problem with the forskylin, lol!

When JP and I went to see War of the Worlds with Tom Cruise and the alien hand finally emerged from the spaceship the theatre was silent in shock and awe. JP leans over to me and whispers, "They don't have any thumbs." "They could never have built all of this without opposable thumbs." I said, "Maybe they used computers." He replied, "They couldn't have built computers without thumbs." Ruined the movie for him, lol!

Kathy: I can't wait to hear about your business idea. My sister has a very successful online business you might be interested in hearing about sometime. If you want, I can give her your contact information or vice versa. She makes several thousand dollars a month part time. She trains other people on how to copy what she's done.

We love the Virgin Islands so much! That was the first place I won a trip to in my old company. We'll never forget it and have gone back several times on cruises, but never to stay for a week. We'd love to do that again. What a treat to have a friend to stay with!

Tom and I puttered around here for the holiday weekend fixing some things in the backyard like drip lines and lights. I have more flowers than ever before because I am using planting a therapy to keep me joyful and my mind away from fear. It seems to be my best therapy, along with walking with joyful music on my ipod. I especially like Cat Stephens Morning Has Broken in the morning to put me in a good mood. We're counting the days until Tom's scan and appt. Which I think has been contributing to the "loose vowels" I have experienced of late. We grilled chicken and I made cole slaw. It was great and relaxing. We hung out around the pool for 3 days.

My ac compressor is making a noise like a freight train so I'm waiting for the repair man to call. Stuck at home. It's always something and I am so tired of spending all the extra money on repairs. My transmission went out a couple of weeks ago...

Hope you both and our other friends have a great day!

 

[Diane W.]

Lisa - I'm laughing because the loose vowel version was the first thing that struck me! Hmmm...what is that supplement made from?
JP sounds like he was quite an amusing kid! Don't you miss those days?

I've been to Tortolla in the BVI and we went on a day trip to St. Thomas for shopping. I got a great deal on a watch there - I still wear it! (We went in 1986!)

What type of business does your sister have? That seems very lucrative.

I went with my friends today to a place nearby called Stonecrop Garden. Oh my - I just want to live there! What a gorgeous place. We were there for 3 hrs. - so peaceful and beautiful. We had brought a picnic and went down the road to a picnic area in a State park and sat at tables by a lake. It was really a beautiful, relaxing day.

Kathy - Hope all is well with the pups!

Talk to you all tomorrow!

 

[Wisteria1956]

Diane: Yes we are on the same page with the laughs! I don't know what that stuff has in it, lol! I have lost some inches, but not sure I can take it as much as needed.

I got a diamond watch in San Thomas that first trip as a reward for earning the trip. I lost it many years later and now I tend to wear imitations, feeling like I don't deserve a nice one anymore

My sister and I worked for direct sales companies for decades while we were raising our children. I started first and was her leader in a Swedish skin care company, which is where we won so many trips. I had the 3rd largest business in the country when the company decided to pull out of the US. Very sad, but we had 10 awesome years and I know it gave me the confidence and background to become successful in my real estate career. We taught many people, mostly women, how to run their own home-based businesses. In those days, we did everything either in person or over the phone. There was no Internet, lol!

Years later and my sister and her husband created a company that supplies all of the online tools marketers need to run their businesses. That lead her to become exposed to a company called Send Out Cards. You might have noticed the Christmas cards I make with our pictures. This company allows you to make cards either from their vast inventory or to make one using your own photos. They put it in the envelope and mail it for you for much less than it costs to buy a card at the shop - around a dollar. You can be a retail customer or you can sign up as a business builder and in addition to making your own cards, you can introduce the company to other people that want to use it. You get paid when they use the product and when they share it with other people. Tracy, my sister, is an Executive with them and loves her business. She makes the most awesome cards. Our anniversary card this year was my favorite she's ever made. Her husband took a pic of me and Tom kissing just as we were getting ready to leave their house at Easter. She made a card entitled "Meant to Be" and put our pic on the cover. On the inside she took pictures of each of them toasting to us and wrote some sweet text. She takes a lot of pictures so she's always ready to make a person's day with a personalized card. One of the concepts we learned many years ago is that people don't get enough positive mail. We always taught our consultants to send notes in the mail to thank people and recognize them for their efforts. Makes a huge difference no matter what your business is. My point about how we used to work is that we had to work a lot harder in those days because we did it all in person. Now my sister runs her new business online and over the phone exclusively. She never has to leave home and literally works in her slippers. Fun.

One time I was being given a big check on stage at a conference for an accomplishment that took a year to achieve. When I came to the edge of the front of the stage to the stairs to exit, there was Tom holding his hand out to help me down. Later a young woman I didn't know came up to me and said, "Someday my husband is going to look at me the way yours looks at you." I never forgot that and especially these days, I think about it a lot. We had so many wonderful experiences we could never have given ourselves in those days. The last time we were in St. Thomas Tom bought me my 25th anniversary ring. Just today, someone stopped me with a compliment about it. It's Australian opal and tanzanite with little diamonds. I thought it looked like the sea.

I would have loved the Stonecrop Garden. Maybe someday we can travel and meet each other at such places. I would love to do a cross country road trip and see many of our MM friends in person. That would be so much fun!

 

[Diane W.]

Hi Lisa & Kathy (& everyone else who better start posting!)

It's true - the internet does make a lot of things so much easier! Remember when you actually had to go to the library?
I was a Tupperware lady when Owen was a baby. We had to go to the warehouse and pick up our order, take it home and separate it into individual's orders and then bring it to them. Now it's shipped directly to the buyer's home! I only did that until I made enough for a riding mower. Owen was about 18 mos. old and would take pieces of the order and run down the hallway with them.

Owen went to his orientation today. He starts on Monday and he will be on the same job-site as his dad. He's looking forward to it.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

 

[Wisteria1956]

Yeah, Owen! Have a great first week!

When JP was little he would call out, "Mom, UPees is here!" That was for when the UPS truck pulled up, lol! My sister's business is much easier because there is no product to ship or inventory to hold. I made a Father's Day card for Tom of JP and himself walking down the beach. He cried - loved it!

Have a wonderful weekend! We're in a cooling trend and the AC guy just fixed us back up so I'm a much happier camper. We went to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory and walked around the mall to stay cooler last night. Cost us a fortune, lol! We bought a grill pan at Williams Sonoma - gonna try it out on the grill tonight after cucumber martinis. Actually, maybe those and fire don't mix, but I did get a cute green-tipped mulling tool also to mash the cukes.

Don't know why I've been a chicken to weigh lately. Just didn't want to be even more depressed if it's bad news, but I have confirmed clothes are absolutely looser. The forskolin must be helping. Clothes and vowels are looser.

 

[Wisteria1956]

Tom's having his scan now and I will leave soon for my mammogram. Guess we'll glow in the dark tonight.

 

[Diane W.]

Hi Lisa - Prayers and good thoughts are being sent your way today. You'll be glowing in all the right places!

 

[Diane W.]

Hi everyone!

Can you believe no one from the Boys/Girls club called today for the scheduled phone interview? I was supposed to hear between 9 & 12 today. I had another phone interview scheduled for 12:30 with CBS Interactive. When it started getting close to 11:40 I sent an email to BGC to say that I am looking forward to speaking with them, but I scheduled that time because of a previous appt. that would cause me leave my house at 12:15 and could I reschedule. They never answered. I then sent another one at 2:30 to the guy I was supposed to interview with and he hasn't answered either.

The interview with CBS Interactive went okay. I was nervous because I was stressed by the aggravating morning of waiting for the BGC to call. She said I would hear something by the end of the week. I'm not hopeful. I really feel like I choked.

Prayers for a good report for Lisa & Tom this week!

 

[Wisteria1956]

Tom's PET scan showed his cancer has returned in multiple lymph nodes. I posted on his Caring Bridge:

www.caringbridge.org/visit/tomdevries

 

[Diane W.]

Lisa - Sorry to hear that it is back. I know you both are strong and will fight this thing until it gives up.
PLEASE, go to http://doctoryourself.com/vitaminc.html . This article and so many, many more are there. The site is by the guy who was in the movie 'Food Matters'. There is so much information there and if I had cancer I would be doing everything (like I know you are) to reverse it.
I don't believe doctors hold all the answers. I know cancer is a big business and unfortunately money can be made 'treating' it - not curing it. I get so upset that people dismiss natural treatments that were proven in study after study - but not in a way that has large profit potential.
Do you notice now that pharmas have figured out a way to make fish oil and niacin prescription drugs? I thought they were just 'supplements' that didn't really do anything except give you expensive urine? Argggh.
I am still praying for you both and I know that everything will turn out fine.

Nothing new with me. Boys/Girls club sent me an email - she was busy and couldn't get back to me, she's sorry if she offended me. But, she doesn't say anything about an interview. I'm not giong to pursue it. Sounds like a badly run organization - she's the CEO?

I hope you have an enjoyable weekend.
Oh, by the way - my niece who got married on June 10th is back home. All I know right now is "he's an a**hole".

 

[Wisteria1956]

Hope you all are doing really well. It's a pretty day here, but I'm numb and exhausted so I can't think of anything to say but Hi. I do think of you all often.

 

[Diane W.]

Hi everyone!
It's hotter than h*ll outside! Tomorrow is going to be over 100*!
My friends are taking me out to lunch for my bday and Owen is taking me out to dinner. Definitely not going to be on a diet tomorrow! My nephew's little boy's 4th bday is today and they're having a bday bbq on Saturday. It was originally scheduled for 12, but they changed it to 3 because it's supposed to be really hot.

My brother's daughter had a baby boy on Tuesday. He's a month early, but over 5 lbs. My brother and sil drove all day to Florida to see them. They have a townhouse down there that is about 45 min. from where their daughter lives - so it makes it easier to stay for awhile. They sent pictures - he's so tiny and precious. They named him Quinten.

I really have to get on a plan - my summer clothes don't fit. I've been wearing the same couple of things over and over. I was putting off taking the box with my summer clothes down from the closet. I did it yesterday and holy cow - not many things fit. I did really well in the beginning of June and was getting happy about how I looked. I can't pinpoint when I lost control - but clothes don't lie. I will begin again on Saturday.

I hope everyone is enjoying the summer! Lisa - I am thinking about you and Tom and sending good, positive thoughts your way.
Talk to you tomorrow.

 

[Wisteria1956]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DIANE!

 

[Diane W.]

Thank you Lisa!
I had posted and now it's not here. That's the first time that happened to me.
I hope you're enjoying your garden and having fun with Tom.

 

[Wisteria1956]

Hi, Diane! That's frustrating about your post. I used to copy and paste it from Word to avoid that problem, but it hasn't happened in a long time to me.

I'm hoping you had a really nice birthday. We've been topping out the comfortable temp range just under 100. I just looked it up for the 10-day and it looks like we are in for another cool down just in time for JP to bring his girls to visit on Thursday. 90 - 92. Should be great. When it's hot like this you can just see the color drain out of my flowers in one day. They look tired Maybe they will perk up next week. Tomorrow I'm going to re-stain our arbor where I sit every morning. The posts are looking bleached out. Big dirty job - yuck. At least I can jump in the pool off and on.

We go to UCSF on the 12th for a biopsy, then back to the oncologist on the 18th. Break in the action while the kids are here. To the surgeon on Sept. 15. Hope we know his opinion this month though. Both docs said ok for Tom to go to the beach house we rented in Oregon for the first week of Sept. and go into treatment after we return. It seemed a long way away, but now it's only a month! Can't believe it's been almost a year already. It was two weeks after our return last year at the same time when we learned Tom's cancer had returned. So we've just about made it a year! Christmas will be a big milestone for us I'm sure.

Did I tell you Adia is going to swim with the dolphins at Six Flags the day after they get here? She's really excited and so are we. Anxious to be there an know we made it on time! I'll try and post some pics of her doing that when we return.

Hope all is well with Owen's training and your job search is coming close to a happy end.

Have a great weekend!

 

[Seabreezes]

Hello to those who are still posting.

When we got back I got busy with all of the things that hadn't been done for a while and was not spending any time on the computer. I think of you and see you on Facebook a bit, but I don't really post anything there, either. I was off line for so long, I really got out of the habit!!

I also got some funny e-mails from one of these boards and decided that maybe posting was not the thing to do. I haven't had anything lately, so have decided to post again.

We are fine here. Bob had cataract surgery a week ago and it was very successful. I had an eye appointment today and don't have to go back for a year. My cataract hasn't changed at all, apparently, so nothing will be done to it for a while.

I am down a few pounds from the trip, but not to where I want to be. As long as we are home, it is fine, but going out to peoples' houses is a bit of a challenge. I sorta push some foods around and hope it looks like I ate it

I have been able to get back to my swimming and I love that.

Lisa, I am so sorry to hear that Tom is going through so much again. It isn't fair!!

How exciting that you got a MAC. I love mine, but did spend quite a bit of time in the Apple store trying to get things to go the way I wanted. The printer was a challenge, but now all is fine. Bob just got a new laser printer and it communicated wirelessly instantly so use that one now.

Hugs to everyone

 

[Wisteria1956]

Jocelyn, it's so good to 'see' you! Congrats on being down a few lb's!

There was a woman on Rachel Rae talking about insulin resistance. I missed her, but the interview is online. She talked about body types and the middle age spread women get. Her diet sounds like MM without the counting. She calls it a modified Mediterranean diet, which sounded good and healthy to me. She allows fruit, but later in the day. She has certain servings of different food groups that are necessary and certain ones that are allowable. Like you must have 5 vegetables and you can have 3 grains. Sounded pretty good.

Also the new Weight Watchers finally takes into consideration that not all calories are equal. They are now measuring carbs, etc. I like that it's online and you can calculate your foods on your phone. I haven't tried either plan myself yet, but am still using mostly my Mediterranean recipes. Our trouble comes with going out. Not that we pig out, but it's hard to know what you are getting in a restaurant sometimes.

My knee is so much better. I can do my treadmill again so that should make a huge difference.

JP and the girls arrive tomorrow night. I'm tired already, but the house smells like paint touch ups and the yard looks amazing, lol!

I'll check in after we get back from Six Flags.

Hugs,
Lisa

 

[Diane W.]

Hi Jocelyn!
I'm happy to 'see' you too! I'm glad your husband's surgery went well.

Lisa - Enjoy your family time! I know you will!

I've been on Step 1 all week and was feeling really good. Not puffy and inflated like I have been feeling. But I was really hungry and drove thru Wendy's at lunchtime. I got 2 reg. burgers and a plain baked potato. That's all I ate today, because it is sitting in my stomach like a rock.

I hope you both enjoy the weekend!