Thursday June 29

good early morning

no sleep.

will be MIA for a week as we are leaving for an area that has sparse coverage.

Ann hope all goes well.

Good Morning Dear Skinny Family !!

I've been off the grid with lots going on ! I spent two weeks with Chuck, hoteling it prior to his delayed closing. We finally got all moved in and somewhat organized. I made several three hour trips back to my house to check mail, mow, tend to the pool, and pack and shift clothes and kitties. Two days ago, I put my house on the market. Life is too short to hold back and overthink the past or the future. I want to live every day to the fullest, and enjoy being present with what is.

I've been trying to catch up with posts, and I apologize in advance for missing some details. Paula, continued positive thoughts your way. Your hike with DS#2 followed by sushi lunch sounded grounding. DH's Caring Bridge provided continued insight into his humor and personality. Ann...positive thoughts your way for your tests. I think you mentioned cataract surgery too... I had the lense implants five years ago with mine, and LOVE them !!! Shel... your hikes and pictures continue to inspire. I look forward to the personal drive and energy wrapped in pure whit, in your posts. BB...your evolution continues !!! So proud of you !! You are truly making peace with your body !! Diane S. really want to visit your studio !! I love hearing about your computer challenges. Carbon...hope you find peace with sleep. Liz...welcome home !! I enjoyed hearing about Aruba. I highly recommend accelerating retirement !! Devon...it sounds like you will be in puppyland soon !! I'm guessing V will make it a much different experience this time around. Enjoy EVERY MOMENT of summer vacation. You ended the school year on such a high note, I'm sure you are still plotting and planning 17-18 !! Dave and Joey..thinking about you, too !! Again, sorry if I missed anyone.

Lots of yard work at two homes, packing and unpacking have me at the bottom of my range. I keep forgetting to eat. The protein in Halo Top ice cream and all of the fresh fruits and vegetables are helping me get by. I found a groomer who does dogs and cats. Our LONG HAIR white Ragdoll male needs a major summer trim, and Sadie needs her nails drummeled. Truly enjoying retirement !!!

Living each skinny day to the fullest !!!!

Diane

So nice to have you back Ocean! Boy, you have been busy! Congrats on the rekindling and house moving. Where will you be now? What state?

Carbon, Sorry that you are struggling with the sleeping again! Ocean, yes life is absolutely too short not to take advantage of any moment as we all know too well. Ann, I hope it goes well today. How long until you'll know the results?

Weight 116.25! I can't believe it! I officially only gained 1.75 pounds! I do want to get back in a more normal, lower carb mode, but it is good to know that I can have a decent vacation and not go completely off the skids weight-wise. We got home at 11:30 pm last night so weren't in bed until after midnight. Then sleep was sporadic (not for any good reason), so my one work day is going to be tough.

This morning I am telling my boss that I'm retiring at the end of the year, so it isn't any sooner than I had planned. It will give my company an opportunity to decide if they want to plan around when I leave and if they are downsizing in my rank they may want to keep it in mind. I only work 4 day weeks in the summer anyway and have the "compressed" work week I negotiated for in the fall, then will have enough leftover vacation time to stop working in early December so there really isn't a lot of working time left.

DH gets "randomized" for the clinical trial tomorrow and starts the drug (or placebo - we won't know) on Saturday. Hopefully it will be the drug and it will work (is supposed to stop the disease progression).

Happy Thursday all!

Good morning,

Quick post to wish everyone well today. Big day for Ann and my internal clock tells me that perhaps for Paula and her DH, too.

It is a scary world out there....DD's classmate was a healthy, stellar athlete one day and on a heart/lung support system the next. They think the cause is viral but they don't know what virus. His case is attracting a lot of attention from the appropriate public health scientists. It has been an odd year for unusual viral illnesses in the area that have put kiddos into intensive care tho Theo's symptoms sound different. They think that he might be on the upswing tho he is still (at about 2 weeks) on the ecmo (the heart/lung thing) Let's all send him some well wishes, too.

Wow, what a difference 24 hours can make in anyone's life. Hug your peeps today as well as your skinny self.

Peace and Hope, Shel

diane O. So great to have you back

Shel-yes it's amazing how much life can change and we take it for granted. It can all change or be over far too quickly.

Weight: 153.6. Calories: ? But I think decent

B: 1/2 smores english muffin, scrambled egg, 1 slice candian bacon, coffee

L: 1/2 grilled chicken club sandwich (I know the cals on this are tremendous and the honey mustard didn't help), couple french fries

S1: snack size kettle corn and sf mocha lite frappuccino in tall

D: planked spiced salmon on the grill, grilled corn, grilled asparagus with cilantro chive oil, ONE glass red wine

S2: 1/2 sm. piece angel food cake, few strawberries & dollop whipped cream, 3 brazil nuts

Exercise: 35 min. back & bis (we supersetted to get out early) and 25 min. cardio=300ish calories burned.

Super fabulous night last night. I was worried I wouldn't be able to go to the gym AND prep dinner. But I thawed the salmon quickly as I made the spice rub and soaked the wood plank. Off to the gym. When I got home DH started grill and got salmon on quickly as I prepped veggies which then he manned on the grill while I prepped dessert.

In the meantime, while we were at the gym, my stepdaughter decided to clean the patio. I couldn't believe it. No one asked her. No one bribed her. She just did. Am I dreaming? She swept it clean, then power washed off the dirt and power washed the outdoor cushions! Woah!

And dinner was positively fabulous. The salmon is one of my favorites. http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/cedar-planked-salmon-with-ba rbecue-spice-rub

Greetings Busy Skinny People

Wow, lots going on out there. Good to hear from you Diane O. You are right to just "go for it" with your life. Many years ago I had to decide to marry DH and whether to not do so because of an issue that I won't go into. I did so and its happy 23 years later and the issue resolved. I decided it shouldn't get between me and my chance for happiness.

Carbon so sorry sleep eludes. Wish I had a magic pill. Wait, I do, its called Ambien, but if you can do without it, thats best. Have fun wherever you are going.

BB fabulous dinner. Wish my DH would grill but he won't even go near the stove. He bought a rice cooker to cook rice for the dogs rather than just steam some on the stove.

Liz hope DH gets the drug and that it helps. Full speed to retirement!

Paula hope the DH medical decisions get made. I do check Caring Bridge too and appreciate what is posted there.

Well, 135 today. Turkey bacon, lettuce and tomato wraps last night. Repeat tonight.

Thinking of Ann today. Hoping for good results.

Hey Devon, sounds like a killer work out. 50 lb weights with one arm. I do two to five pounds or 25 on a machine. What a wimp I am but will go to gym today. Missed yesterday because of hair appointment. I got this haircut that looks like a haystack - think of those Monet paintings of haystacks at sunset. Thats what my hair looks like. only crappy, not artsy. Big change needed in that department.

I ordered a new label printer for the art gallery since it has been "possessed" for some time. Everyone complains about it but no one does anything. So I just did it. Computers drive me nuts. Clay is much more amenable.

Shel, sorry DD's friend is so sick. None of us knows what lies ahead. Carpe Deim.

Brother and wife arrive Sunday afternoon. I know there will be lots of bad eating opportunities. Brother is sleeved and has low appetite due to cancer drugs but SIL is another matter. I am going to feed them the weird costco healthy noodle and see what they think.

Well enough rambling. Time to move debris from house and life. Diane S

From an article on exercise in the NYT today: "Workouts, for many, are something like possessions: If they don't spark joy, they tend to be discarded."

Ain't that the truth!

Quick report here on the boob biopsy. It wasn't pleasant, but it's over. Good news: (1) the radiologist and the two mamo-technicians were delighted that they got "all the tissue they need!" so that makes me happy and (2) they were all sweet and kind as possible.

The only drug l I got was lidocaine (sufficient, but no fun) and a cup of apple juice. Because I had to skip lunch today (the exam was at 1:00 pm) I had extra calories that I devoted to chardonnay during an early ****tail Hour (we started at 4 pm today). Seems only fair, eh?

I'll find out the results next Wednesday (the day after July 4).

That's all the news fit to print. :)

Doing the smart thing.

What a relief Ann! I vote for ****tail hour. Fingers crossed for good results. Diane S