Hey Becky, That sounds like a lot of fun!! I wish I could come. I have to be at work on Wednesday morning at 4:30 in the morning. That means I get up at 3pm. Tuesday is also my only day off next week so I being here with my hubby is very important. We hardly ever get to spend any time together cause we work opposite schedules most of the time. I am trying to find a sitter for the weekends so that we can have more time together, but haven't found a sitter yet. Anyway, you all have a blast. Maybe I can come to the next one. Linda

How sweet of you Jacquie Your such a good friend to have. I know Joni appreciates everything you do, and hopefully one of these days I might get to travel to see Joni and we can all go out to lunch. Ya'll have a good one, Im back to painting, washing and cleaning.. Love, Sandy

Hey guys...I've decided to modify things on Tuesday. I got to thinking...instead of it being a potluck and everybody having to worry about what to fix or bring...why don't we just get together and instead of trying to plan a meal...everybody bring something they like to drink and a snack and it will be easy and we can focus on enjoying each other's company. I'll make some splenda iced tea and something like a chicken cream cheese log or dip. We'll say from 6:00 - 10:00, and if you want to come earlier...come on...just let me know. Or, if you need to come later...say 7 or 8, that's okay too. Who's up for a good time? Oh, and if any of you out of towners want to come...you can stay at my house! I have music students on Wed. morning but not until 8 am at the school! Becky

...you ain't got no troubles." An elderly man said that to me one time when I was working at a package store next door to his antique store. I popped over there to say hello and he was putting up a banner or lights or something...can't remember what it was...but he was having trouble with it and I got up on a ladder and put up one side while he held it up on the other side. Anyway, it wasn't a big thing...I was still fairly energetic back then, but I remember he said he was having trouble till I came in, but then he said, "But when you have friends, you ain't got no troubles." I thought that was sweet, and I thought about it again today. You know how I've been stressing over getting the potato salad to take to my nephew's for my sister's birthday party? It seems like a small thing to go get some potato salad, but it was overwhelming me because I am having a horrendous week pain-wise. Anyway, Jacquie went and got the potato salad and brought it to me. It was so hot and she was sweltering in the heat. The way heat makes me so sick, if I had gone and gotten it, I would have been sick before I even got to the party. Plus, I have to go get my parents and my mom stresses the hell out of me, so I would have been a WRECK. And then I would have come home and been sick for the whole weekend. But now all I have to concentrate on is talking my mom into getting in the damned car and going to the party. She's trying to get out of it and I know my dad wants to go so badly and he won't go if she won't go, so I'm hoping she will "get over it" and get in the friggin' car and go with me to her daughter's birthday party. She's got agoraphobia and has panic attacks herself, but she won't admit there is anything wrong with her...she also has whatever disorder it is that makes her think she's perfect and everyone else sucks. So anytime there is a party, she makes up some ailment where she "just can't make it." Today, her back is hurting, she says. Well, my back hurts too, but I'm going. You should have been around her when Justin got married....oh my god. It's amazing that she went to that. Anyway, thanks to Jacquie, all I have to worry about is getting Mama to the party. THANKS JACQUIE!!!!! My nephew was SO upset earlier when "Grandmom" first said she wasn't going to go. He said, "Has she always been like this?" And I was like, "ever since I first met her 44 years ago." Doesn't matter what it is, no matter how joyous the occasion....we have to deal with trying to talk Mama into going. She will not go out to eat and we never went on vacations...everything had to revolve around Mama's moods and anytime anyone planned anything fun, she would take to her bed with "one of my sick headaches." And instead of getting to do whatever fun thing we had planned, we had to be very quiet and tiptoe around the house so we wouldn't disturb her. Well, I won't go on and on. I've gotta get ready to get going, but wanted to publicly thank Jacquie for saving my life today! I love you! Joni

Those are TERRIFIC photos! Thanks for sharing them with us! It always amazes me to see before/after photos. You're so tiny now; it's hard to imagine that you were ever heavy. I'm glad you aren't 6'5"! Teann, when she saw the photos of us and Beth, said "Joni, I didn't know you were so TALL!" I told her "Well, you have to realize too, that Kim is short!" If you were 6'5", then that would have made me, in those photos, about 7'5"! Anyway, those are some wonderful photos! Love you, Joni