Thank you all for coming!

Thanks to all who came to the get together today.  That was a lot of fun.  Great snacks (especially that cheesecake, Donna!), and good conversation.  We'll have to do it again soon. Linda

Linda- Thanks so much for hosting our group! :)  Yeah, Donna's cheesecake ROCKS :) so glad I got the recipe. Kim (from Oregon City)- I want to see your Sweet Pea puggy :) It was nice seeing you again (and meeting your hubby)! Nice seeing everyone and sharing our stories :) Rebecca M.

Agreat get together ,lots of fun sharing stories. Thank you Linda for having us over.   Jo Ann

Thanks for having us over, Linda.  It was fun.  We should do this more often.  I don't even mind driving!  Hopefully to see all of you very soon again.  It was finally nice to meet all of you.  The next time we'll all be a little thinner (except Kim of course)...  Donna

Linda, thanks for opening your house and back yard to us.  I had a great time, seeing everyone and sharing stories about ourselves and our pets.  What fun.  That cheesecake was excellent, Donna.  The deviled eggs were great as was everything we nibbled!  Kim, hang in there----I would gladly share 10 pounds with you if I could.   Joann it was fun to see you again and meeting you Rebecca.  Brandon you didn't stay long enough.  Maybe see you all again soon.  Who did I miss???  I always leave these get togethers feeling happy, motivated and energized to continue on my journey.  Thanks all for being my friend.  We sure missed those who couldn't come.  Now I am going to everyones site and look at your animals!!   Julia 

What a fun afternoon! It was so nice to meet all of you and hear your stories.  It made for a great outing for Henry and I and I feel like we are all a little closer as a result. Rebecca, I'll post some puggy pics. Linda, thanks again for putting this all together!

It was a lot of fun.  I hadn't told you all that my family considers me the worst housekeeper in the world, so neatening up my house was a major feat, but it really needed it.  Today I'll do the laundry and other things I had neglected.  It also gave me incentive to have my niece come and do some yard work for me, and I think she appreciates the cash in her pocket. It is so fun to hear everyone's stories, get tips on things to do, things to try.  I loved all the snacks you folks brought.  I'm sipping a strawberry lemonade right now -- these are great Julia!  You get them at Target?  The bean salad that Diane and Sarah brought is really good.  I'll have to remember to get that at Safeway.  A good way to get some veggies into my diet.  I'm off to the store in a bit to look for Citrical Chews.  I just finished my morning pills and that Citrical Petite is staring me down.  I just can't bear to swallow them sometimes! I'm also going to check out PC Market - JoAnn tells me they have the Greens and Whey bars I just ordered on line.  Hopefully, I can find out if I like them!   Well, they come in peanut butter and peanut butter with chocolate, so what's not to like? Hope to see you all soon.  I'll have to plan it for a day when it's not so windy.  If it's cool, we can have a little fire in the little stove, but we'll have to have some food to cook on it, because I just found out that little fire pits are illegal in Eugene unless you're cooking! Linda

Linda,  what is a PC Market???  Yes those strawberry lemonade packets are from Target.  My favorite.  I have to get them when I come to Eugene as we are Target-less in Roseburg.  It is their own brand and much cheaper and I think, better than Crystal light.  I may have to check out the citrical chews too.  We do have a couple of rite aides here!!   Linda, you were talking about a book you ordered that had info on the glycemic index.  What is the name of it?  I would like to learn more about that also.   Julia

Julia - PC Market is also called Market of Choice.  There are a couple of them here in Eugene.  One near me at 29th and Willamette and another one over by Walmart and Joe's - Delta Highway and Crescent Avenue.  I tried the Greens and Whey bar.  The first bite was really disgusting -- really tastes like spirulina, if you've ever had that (it's an ingredient), but after I ate the first bit I found myself wanting more of it and I ended up eating half the bar -- I will save the other half for later.  It has good stuff in it, so I suppose I will buy them more often. The book I got is called the Complete Idiot's Guide to Glycemic Index Weight Loss.  I'm not quite sure it's what I wanted, but I haven't read much of it yet.  I keep reading about the net carbs or the effective carbs in foods and want to know more.  It seems, even when you're trying to eat high protein, you end up with a lot of carbs.  I know it's early and I'm losing well, but I read so much about people gaining their weight back because they ate too many carbs and I want to make sure I'm not going to mess up.  Just nervous I guess. Linda

Linda,  I have seen that market now that you mention it.  It has been years since I have tried spirulina, but remember the taste.  Let me know if the book is worth while.  Carbs and fiber both confused me.  Need to learn more.  I am 17 months out as of tomorrow and somehow kept thinking I was only 15 months out.  I need to get on the stick and lose my last few pounds as that window is closer than I thought.  Then I read too, about people gaining back and I don't want to do that either.  Must keep ever mindfull of the rules!!   Julia