HL/WWSG - 2 - 15 March

[Leslie Ferguson]

Greetings friends and neighbors, here comes March - in like a lion to keep with the nursery rhyme. This past weekend has been a wild one and the beginning of this week doesn’t look like it’s going to be any nicer for a lot of the nation. In the past week we’ve seen a case of the influenza and on a different account kids kept out of school because of snow and ice - hopefully February will be the last “bad” month this year (but I won’t hold my breath. It’s been a little sparse around here in the past couple weeks - I hope there are people out there doing and being just not stopping by to say hi. Before we delve into this week I’ll try to recap the last week.

Life successes include - Karen kept her sanity with kids and schedules including her workouts at the Y and kids schedules - music, dance, religious school, shopping, DH work, and general house maintenance, and kept her taxi service in business along with school/class-mom kinds of things; and I had a week that started roughly but got better along the way (health-wise) and I have finally cemented by second (and longest-term) internship this past Wednesday.
Stressful living - Laura and Kate have MIA for a few weeks but life has dealt them both interesting hands this year so we’ll keep them in our thoughts and prayers for a return; Karen has had a couple nagging days with kickboxing (knee issues) and keeping all the tension levels in check with the competing schedules; and I finally kicked the flu and am about 95% healthy these days, getting ramped up for the last push before mid-terms (before the middle of March).

Workouts: papers and school work may impact but I’m going to try to spin sometime this week - probably Monday and Thursday, may be able to run on Tuesday and Saturday (certainty there), and I’ll probably practice with our Ultimate Frisbee team (we’ve got a tournament in the middle of April so we need to practice for a while) on Wednesday.
Healthful living: I’m going to try and not overdo it but I need to work on getting more exercise if for no other reason than my own mental health.

I think that’ll be it for today but I think I’m going to toy with a two week thread. Not that we couldn’t keep doing them weekly but given the traffic I may see if every two weeks helps (at least keeps me from composing the starting post - unless someone wants to kick off instead of me - I’ll cede that if someone else wants it).

Oh, and don’t forget that the clocks get set forward on Saturday evening (it can’t be Daylight Savings time already). :rolleyes:

It’s time to try to do a couple things since and I’ve still got a paper hanging over my head so I’ll sign off and say until later - be good to yourselves, stay warm and dry and have a good week.

Peace to all,
Les

[Laura]

Hey Les and Karen,

You are right in that life has kept me extraordinarily busy. Our court house is starting 3 death penalty cases over the next few months and the amount of work that entails above and beyond all the normal work means everyone is on overdrive. Each trial will require polling 600 jurors each. :eek:

Diet has been going well; exercise not as much. I am keeping up with my stretching but man I am tired at the end of the day. I think I will appreciate daylight savings time.

I am sorry to say that I really haven't kept up, but I hope you are both doing well. Laura

[mackandme]

Les, congrats on the internship!

We just got back Saturday night from a trip to San Antonio. I used to live there, but DBF had never been. He loved it as much as I do. We met up with my parents, who were there for a scientific conference. We ate lots of good food, and did lots and lots of walking on the Riverwalk. Too much walking for me, as it flared up my pain pretty badly. I did some shopping in La Villita (the original San Antonio settlement, with the old buildings preserved and now housing artists' shops), and we hit the outlets on the way back. I've never actually been outlet shopping before.

We also visited with my old co-workers there, and quite a few times they asked me to come back and work for them, so i know that option might be out there if things get really bad here. They could probably come up with something for DBF, too.

Other than that, just the usual hectic here with lots of medical appointments, trying to get out to see Mack, and wading through all the stuff DBF has now deposited in the house. He *said* he didn't have much stuff. Famous last words! :D

[Leslie Ferguson]

Welcome back Laura and kate I'm glad that things are reasonably well with you and you've both been missed. But I fully understand your situations - Laura with 3 big time cases to prep for and Kate all the fun things in your life (new job, new roommate).

Kate - Oh, how LW and I love San Antonio. We spent many a holiday season on the Riverwalk and visited most of the missions in 30 months in Corpus Christi/Portland. DBF only had a "few" things -- why do I doubt that even if I had been there to hear him say it. Hope things get put away soon and things get settled in your house.

Kate, thank you - the Internship is a load off my mind and relieved a bit of tension. Now all I have to do is get through classes and I'm in like Flynn. :cool:

In all, today was a pretty good day for me too. My paper is finally moving - not quickly but in fits and starts. On a personal note, I ran for an hour this afternoon. I couldn't pass up 70 degree weather with a light breeze. It was a little tough sledding to start with - my quads are a little unhappy right now. But considering I've only run twice in about 8 or 9 days that's not too hard to believe. I just hope I can get a couple more good runs under my belt - May 18th is coming down the pike and the half-marathon will be a challenge unless I can log some quality miles between now and then. Part of the reason I couldn't pass up a run today -- it's supposed to pour tomorrow and I'm working from 5 to 7 that may preclude running and getting cleaned up.

Off to the paper and more work - I hope all are well and surviving the next round of storms in the Midwest.

Peace all,
Les

[karen w]

Laura and Kate-HI!! Always nice to hear from you whenever your schedules allow.

Les-It is hard to beleive spring is right around the corner. DH is busy accumulating all of the seeds for our vegetable garden and now that March 1 has come and gone, he needs to get some of them started in the greenhouse ASAP like the eggplants, tomatoes etc... Sounds like you had a grand day for a run.

It is very mild here today, too(~50 ish), but overcast and dreary with lots more rain on the way for tonight. I am dragging a bit this week, but I'll blame that on female monthly events(nuf said). Anyway, I still had a great swim and I did go to boxing. Class was good since we worked on a few less familiar techniques, but I did not get my usual energy burst from boxing today. Ahh, this too shall pass, I know!;) Anyway, just waiting on a friend(chronically late one at that) who was supposed to be here ~1 hr. ago to pick up something. We were going to get together for coffee/tea this morning, but she had to cancel because of some school issues with one of her kids.

That's my story for the day. Nothing on the docket but guitar tonight.

Have a good day,
Karen

[Leslie Ferguson]

Hey Karen - sounds like DH may need to get busy. ;) It sounds like you had a good evening too, hopefully the guitar went well.

Drive by - it's been a busy night paper and all and now the rain is starting. I've got most of my data on paper now and will need to move things around - lots of stream of consciousness writing (it wasn't getting down any other way). Tomorrow, if the rain isn't too terrible and the tornado's stay away (there's a warning over night) I'll try to do a little Ultimate tomorrow - we've got a tournament in mid-April in Richmond. Of course, I might want to rethink that since I'm without a shower right now (there's a leak and they didn't do much to fix it - they didn't listen to me either because I knew how to fix it).

Have a good evening and I'll drop by tomorrow.

Peace,
Les

[karen w]

Les-How did your weather turn out? It rained cats and dogs here last night which ,of course, kept me up part of the night worrying about the basement flooding. Knock wood. . . IT'S DRY! You think I'll ever stop worrying? NAH!:o

Sort of a weird day here, but a very good one for a change with 2+ workouts. As I was lying awake in bed this AM listening to all of the rain and wind, waiting for the alarm clock to go off so I could head off for my swim, it starts to lightening. UGH! They close the pool with any electrical storms. I figured it might pass, but it continued another 15 min. so I turned off my alarm and rolled over for another 10-15 min. Even though the lightening did pass quickly, I stayed home and hopped on the treadmill for an hour. Then instead of going to boxing after the kids went off to school, I went for my swim. The guard said she did end up opening the pool since the lightening seemed to start and stop so abruptly, but nobody showed up! There were 2 people in the people. She said it was the freakiest thing!:p Anyway, I had a fantastic swim and caught up with a few people at the YMCA that I don't see regularly anymore since I started going so early. After my swim, I went for my weekly milk and produce shopping.

This afternoon got in my 3rd?? workout. . . ummm. . .well. . . DH did have the day off. OK. . .TMI:o . No more details.:D But #3 is a charm as the saying goes!!:D

Have a good evening all,
Karen

[Leslie Ferguson]

Hey Karen, I'd hope you will trust the drainage correction that they put in now. You've pretty much proved it out by now. 3 workouts - that sounds like a good day (ok a great day). That's pretty weird about the pool and the fact that no one was there this morning with the electrical storm. Still fortuitous that you didn't go in at first, then you wouldn't have had the chance to see those people you needed to see later in the day.

Last night the weather was pretty exciting - raining and blowing hard enough that we had to close the bathroom window to keep the rain out. Today was pretty nice and probably in the upper 50s (until the sun started gonig down). Still nice enough temperature wise to play Ultimate in shorts and a t-shirt. Luckily for me they fixed the tub so I'm not getting funky tonight. :rolleyes:

I had a good day and was fairly safe even if the field was really muddy. :D :D We played for about 90 minutes and I had a blast. Of course, being the klutz that I am as we're warming up just tossing the Frisbee around I decided to try to track the disc down and stubbed my toe on a big tuft of grass (the field hasn't been used since late November and the grass is quite cloddish - the geese don't help it much) - needless to say I pulled my best Calvin and went sliding on my right side after landing on my elbow and shoulder. Muddy galore and happy as a clam at the time. Then there's now... my shoulder is starting to get a little achy (I had to fall on my shoulder that has arthritis didn't I :rolleyes: ). I'll be okay but I've been better.

Almost done with my paper - finishing touches which is good because it's due tomorrow.

Have a good evening and a good remainder of the week.

Peace,
Les

[Leslie Ferguson]

Back to back... today was a rest day - not only because I turned in my paper that was due but because I was finishing research for the project due next week and smoothing one other project that's done for next week. That and I'm feeling a little stiffer today than yesterday and aspirin has become my friend. I hope the stiffness in my shoulder doesn't precipitate into something worse than it is and the knot goes away. I couldn't have spun (the position of the bike makes it difficult to ride, even if I don't put my hands on the bars) so I will rest my shoulder a little. However, ice and aspirin have been my friend tonight and I seem to be getting better now that I've shifted from Tylenol to aspirin.

See you all tomorrow and peace,
Les

[mackandme]

Hi all. This is a week I'm glad is over. Work has been busy and drama-filled because of our elections. Today i slept until after noon i was so tired!

I've really been slacking on my physical therapy exercises, so i need to be better about that. We're going to finish up in a month or so, and she wants me to ride the bike or swim after that. She says those will be the best options for my problems. If the house were big enough, i'd get a bike so i could do that at home, but with only 2 bedrooms....

Having DBF around has been a lot of fun. And last night I got home from work at 1 a.m. and he had fed the cats, cleaned the litter box, etc., which was awfully nice of him!

Karen, it's definitely time to think about planting. Again, no room for a veggie garden here. But i do need to pick out some shrubs for out front, because what i've had out there just isn't working. And I *still* need to get rid of last fall's leaves!

Have a great weekend, everyone.

Oh, i almost forgot. I e-mailed my contact for the job i've been waiting on, and they said they're in a hiring freeze! Super bummer. She still sounded like she really wanted me to have the job, and they're going to try to get a waiver for it. But i won't hold my breath. I guess it's time to start looking again.

[karen w]

Kate-I'll continue to send positive vibes about that job you want, but in today's economy(recession. . . I don't care what Bush says!:mad: ), It's not a surprise people are not hiring. Hope you get some much needed R & R this weekend.

Les-OUCH! Sorry you are so achy. Could it just be from starting up the workouts once again after a lengthy break during your "crud." If so, you know that too shall pass. . . in time. In the meantime. . . baby steps!

I had a very good swim this morning and the jacuzzi was actually working well plus the temp. was just right for me. . .not too hot or cold. Rest of the day I spent doing the bed linens and towels in the house(that time of month again!:rolleyes: ). While the first loads were washing and drying, I biked for a bit and did my abs. I had to make a quick trip to drop off DS#2's winter boots at school. His science class has been collecting sap from the trees to make maple syrup and they were going out into the woods today. He forgot his boots at home. And since he rarely forgets "school" stuff and this is too cool a project to miss out on, I was a nice mom and dropped them off for him. Of course, he has me involved here in more than one way. He has been bringing home the sap with instructions for boiling it down to make the syrup. We boiled a gallon the other night and another gallon tonight. Then we return it to school. I imagine it eventually goes through some sort of filtering process, but they want to make enough maple syrup in class(~1 gallon) to have a big party with maple syrup drizzled over ice cream. Rumor has it they may try to get enough to send some home to the families. That would be a nice(and
tasty) treat!:) Anyway, also made a stop at Goodwill to drop off some clothes etc... Rest of the day was finishing up the beds and laundry.

Busy weekend with an eclectic mix of activities coming up but it should be fun(and interesting!) Hope it is a good one for everyone else.

Karen

P.S. We are supposed to be getting a wind swept rain tonight(1-3") and tomorrow. Let's hope I can sleep and not worry about the basement. Yes, Les, I know it is theoretically "fixed" and has survived several real life tests, but.....for 9 years it was dry and then "BOOM!" That and the fact that in spite of the "tests," I don't beleive the sump has ever really kicked in for any of our rains to date. We did test it initially, so we know in theory it works. Anyway, just worrying out loud here. . . ignore me!:o

[Leslie Ferguson]

Ditto here Kate, sorry things are on hold with your potential job and I'll send good vibes your way that you'll find something new to push yourself at. Oh how I know about not doiong PT exercises and paying the price for it later. Hopefully you get some of them in - isn't DBF a cool guy too. Cleaned the litter box and fed the cats -- he's great!

Karen - No problem about your concerns about the sump - you have every right to be worried because I know that I was worried for months after the AC drain overflowed into my basement and got a ton of things wet. So go ahead and worry. That's awfully nice of you to take DS#2's boots to school for him and that you'll make maple syrup too - boiling sap sounds like it's very hot and time consuming. Have a fun weekend and I hope there aren't too many more laundry days like today.

As for the aches - I know exactly what happened - falling on my shoulder made my shoulder hurt. It's getting better with all the aspirin and ice and a little rest but there's a healthy bruise on my elbow and shoulder where I lit on the ground (the mud was a dead give away too when I got home). Still taking it a little easy coming back but tomorrow may have a run that will encompass some hills (since it's hard to not have hills around Alexandria). Besides that, I'll probably do some studying and writing for my last projects before mid-terms 17-19 March. Looking at some more rain down here tonight too - probably less than an inch but we've had a bunch already today.

Have a great weekend and peace friends,
Les

[Laura]

Well so much for my contributions this week. I had great intentions, but eventually caved to the illnesses that have been floating around the office and at home (DS was home sick for 3 days) and am now fighting a nasty cold. I might go on a walk later, but that is about all the energy I can muster at this point.

Les, DS is totally into Ultimate Frisbee as well. Right he is practicing 2 hours a night with his HS swim team. They then play ultimate frisbee for an hour after doing some ab work. No wonder the kid can eat like a horse! Sorry about the shoulder, but I do imagine you had fun sliding around in the mud.

Karen, I hope the pump holds and the basement remains dry. Sounds like you are busy as usual.

Kate, bummer about the job. I hope that they are able to get that waiver for you. Keep up with those PT exercises! :D

[Leslie Ferguson]

I'm sorry that you aren't well Laura and I hope that you rebound quickly. It's tough when folks are sick all around you isn't it? Just imagine having ~150 students and ~60 of those work in churches that have any number of people in them - the odds of someone picking up a bug and spreading it around are astronomical. :rolleyes: Ah to be young, I remember the days of playing hours of Ultimate in San Diego in HS after everything else was said and done in the day. I hope that you had an ok walk this afternoon if your energy held out.

I didn't get to run today because my shoulder flared up and I didn't want to risk anything. So I stayed in and rode for about 80 minutes on my trainer. It was a great time to read a bunch of stuff that I'll need for my last project (due on Thursday). It was a wild weather day here - we had 50-60 mph winds and what started as gentle rain this morning that morphed into sporadic torential downpours. Hopefully it will just be cold tonight as opposed to cold and wet.

Time to turn in since after I set my clock ahead it's now 12:15.

Have a good Sunday and I'll be in touch. Peace,
Les

[karen w]

Evening folks,

Quiet around these parts today. I'm guessing Les is submerged in school work among other things and the rest in your daily work. We had a wild weather weekend here with lots of rain and wind. We faired well, fortunately, but there were alot of power outages in surrounding areas. That's all said and done now, and today was a calm(albeit cold) one. I had a good swim and went to boxing class. Low attendance again today and one new student so the instructor kept to the basics, but it was a good workout. Tomorrow may be more of the same.

Have a good evening and hope all are OK out there,
Karen

[Leslie Ferguson]

Hi Karen, it was a busy day yesterday but I'm making in-roads to the remainder of the school quarter (mid-terms next week). It looked pretty interesting up your way this weekend - I'm glad that you didn't get too swamped and luckily there wasn't any snow up your way. A basic class isn't always a bad thing, and just think -- new boxers means fresh folks. :D Hopefully tomorrow goes well and you'll have a quiet week.

I've been having pain in my shoulder still but I think it's just after-effects of the tumble but probably more associated with the previous damage to my shoulder (broken collar bone eons ago) and arthiritis in the AC (mid-collar bone) joint. I spoke with my classmate who's a doctor and had him give me a check out and it appeared (without x-rays mind you) to be something that will just take time to heal so it's more aspirin but he recommended heat as opposed to ice, especially since the ice makes my shoulder hurt.

I spun tonight for about 40 minutes, not my original plan but at this time in the school year I'll take it. I think that's about it for now - howdy to the rest of the gang and I'll see you all on the 'morrow.

Happy Birthday KATE! Hope it was an enjoyable one.

Peace,
Les

[Leslie Ferguson]

I had a good day and was taking a little break from studies. As expected, it looks like the heat did a good job today because my shoulder and neck are feeling a lot better - not perfect but at this stage of my life I'll take a little pain (2 out of 10) - I've had worse. But a better thing today - I forced myself to reward my progress on my last project and went for a run. Not my norm (60 minutes) but 52 minutes in tank and shorts (it was ~50/51) felt very good. I have to remember to keep doing my runs because that keeps me balanced in my life (not like I've become over the past couple months with all my studies).

But for now, I'll go to work and finish my project for Friday (I thought it was due on Thursday but I might finish it and turn it in regardless). I may see you all later this evening but if not have a great Tuesday.

Peace,
Les

[karen w]

Les-50 some minutes is nothing to hang your head low about. Sounds like a pretty darn good run in my book! Hope it cleared out a few of the cobwebs and got the school juices flowing/refreshed for midterms. Glad to hear your aches and pains are easing up somewhat, too.

I had an interesting day here. Started with a great swim and quick trip to Target(DD is going to ANOTHER b-day party this weekend. . .this time a slumber party!). So I picked up a present there and headed to boxing. Again, class was quiet(not sure why it is so quiet lately??), but good as usual. Then this afternoon, DH helped me out at Costco. I needed more than usual for company this weekend(FIL and his companion on Sunday) and DH needed a few "noshes and nibbles" since he has a board meeting at the temple tonight and this is his month in charge of snacks. Nothing in Judaism is done without food involved, you know!!!;) As we like to say(jokingly, of course). . . "They attacked, we won. . . let's eat!" He also had to write a few minute speech as he is in charge of this months opening prayers so he was busy composing all afternoon and I think it turned out nicely. The "interesting" part of the day was some issues(again:rolleyes: ) with DS#1. This time it was primarily about some lies that have caught up with him. I won't bore you with details because alot of it is "normal kid stuff" I know but that does not mean it is right nor that I let him get away with it. He came home from school with a "punishment" for himself. But after a long talk with DH and I, I told him that I am not going to formally punish him for the incident as he has already punished himself in many ways. I explained to him because he has lied about this issue(and some others) repeatedly now, he has lost my "trust" and once that is lost it is very hard to earn back. We told him that we will really have to question every thing he tells us more carefully, think twice about rewarding priveledges etc... to him and that he will have to work very hard to earn back our trust(and for now, I think that is pretty darn good {self-inflicted} punishment). I guess it's kinda liked the boy who cried wolf as we explained to him. He has told us so many times he has stopped doing this particular thing(does not even matter what "it" is as we told him. . .it is no longer about the act, it is about honesty!) and has gotten caught doing "it" so many times that the next time he claims that he did not do it, do we beleive him?? OH BOY!! THE JOYS!! But alas, we love them even when they mess up. . . RIGHT!;)

Anyway. . . my rambling for one day is over. Have a good evening,
Karen

[Leslie Ferguson]

Les-50 some minutes is nothing to hang your head low about.
Not so much hanging low just commenting that it wasn't the "standard" run. But I was squeezing it in before work and 50-55 minutes was all I could afford and still get to the Computer Lab on time.
Then this afternoon, DH helped me out at Costco. I needed more than usual for company this weekend(FIL and his companion on Sunday) and DH needed a few "noshes and nibbles" since he has a board meeting at the temple tonight and this is his month in charge of snacks. Nothing in Judaism is done without food involved, you know!!!;) As we like to say(jokingly, of course). . . "They attacked, we won. . . let's eat!"
That's not unlike the Episcopal Church (Anglican Church) around here - the standard fare is the "covered dish dinner" where there's always food to spare, even when more people show up than expected.
The "interesting" part of the day was some issues(again :rolleyes: ) with DS#1... (and for now, I think that is pretty darn good {self-inflicted} punishment)... OH BOY!! THE JOYS!! But alas, we love them even when they mess up. . . RIGHT! ;)
Ah the joys of sons. Never had the experience but was one once (I guess technically I still am a son but I digress...). It sounds like you're raising him well and he'll work out for the best in the long run.
Sorry the remainder of your day was a little off (for no real good reason it appears) especially at boxing. Still sounds like a good day all around so take it and run.

That's about it for the evening - have a great day on Wednesday and a great hump day.

Peace,
Les

[karen w]

Pretty typical Hump-day for me with a swim and boxing and trip to the produce/dairy market for veggies and milk. ANOTHER quiet day at boxing with my own bag to beat up. . . what happened to all those people that come out of the woodwork in spring to shape up for swimsuit season? Anyway, I digress. . . I did acquire a new pair of swimming goggles this morning from a woman in the locker room. She usually works out in the gym and only swims once in awhile. Today she swam with me and later in the locker room commented that I had a very narrow face. Apparently, her DH bought a pair of googles that are specifically designed for narrow faces and they fit neither her or her DH. I will happily try them out tomorrow as I DO have ALOT of trouble finding goggles that fit and are leak proof on my face. I have found one style in one brand only that works to date, so I usually make sure I always have an error and a spare. The one she gave me I have never tried. Hope it works!

Nothing else new to report here. Have a good evening,
Karen

[mackandme]

hey all, just popping in quickly. wanted to report that yesterday, i managed to take a break from work and actually make it to the gym! i planned on doing 20 minutes on the bike (the max time i had) but pooped out after 17. i wanted to go again today, but i sat down at 3 and didn't have time to get up again until 10:30, so that was a no-go.

i did give mack a bath this morning. he was covered in mud from head to toe. so i got an upper-body workout. but i'm willing to bet he'll be covered in mud again by the next time i get out to the barn!

hope everyone is having a great week.

[karen w]

Kate-As I said yesterday to Les. . . a workout(even if 17 min. and not what you wanted) is a mark in the positive column in my book. It counts so no beating yourself up because you listened to your body and stopped when it was necessary. I think Mack has been talking to Les too much with all of that "rolling in the mud" kid play!;)

I had a very busy but productive day beginning with a good swim. My new(free) goggles seem to work well this morning. They kept the water out which is good, but the visuals out of them are a bit different than my standard pair. Nevertheless, it will be a good back up pair. The water in the pool today was perfect, however, the air was cold and the jacuzzi WAY WAY too hot! I know. . . .whine. . . whine. . . whine!:p After breakfast, getting the kids on their respective buses etc..., I made a trip to TJ's and then to boxing. Great(albeit small once again) class today. After lunch prepped a few things to cook for the weekend and then went out to pick up the last few things that I needed for Sunday's company. That way tomorrow I can get a head start and hopefully not have to run out anywhere. I will probably exercise at home(bike) along with my swim to make more time in the kitchen. Kids picked the menu for our Sunday dinner with Poppa(one that he likes, too. . . PHEW!) It will be a big make your own taco bar night. Tomorrow I will get the filling made among other things.

This evening picked the kids up from school for DS#1's orthodontist appt. and DD's gymnastics. DS#1 got spacers put in on the bottom and goes back in 2 weeks to get his bottom braces. Since I was out and about a good deal of the afternoon with them, I treated them to Panera for dinner. (DH and I ate at home).

Have a good evening,
Karen

[Laura]

Hey all, Still fighting a cold/sinus infection. I may try to make an appointment for the doctor for Saturday as I don't seem to be improving the way that I would like.

Karen I hear you on some of the lying issues. I have had similar issues with DS. Over ridiculously minor things. It is amazing that I almost always catch in his lies without even trying. He told me he would sometimes lie to avoid me getting angry. I told him that he was free to tell me that I promised a reasoned response to whatever he did, but that did not mean he was not going to have consequences for his actions. But if he lies on top of it, the consequences will be more severe. It seems to be helping.

Les, I agree with Karen, I would chalk a 55 minute run as darn good workout!

Kate, great job on the 17 minute workout. That is 17 minutes more than me right now. :o

[Leslie Ferguson]

It does look like "boys never change do thay".
But for now... drive by...

Sorry you're still not feeling well Larua and hopefully the doctors have something worthwhile to tell you tomorrow.

Ditto here Kate that 17 of 20 minutes on the bike is fine and especially since you got to wrestle Mack in the mud. ;) :D A guy after my own heart.

Karen - Glad part of your trip to the Y was productive and the rest of your day went well too.

I'm officially done with my last paper/project and now it's just three tests between now and Wednesday next week. I've got study guides for two of them (they've already been written) but the third... that's another story.

Might run tomorrow after our review session for the first test (Tuesday). But I'll hold off more comments until tomorrow - have a great Friday and peace,
Les

[karen w]

Laura-Feel better soon! What you have told your DS is exactly what we tell our kids about lying. . . tell the truth and I might not be happy and their might be consequences, BUT I will not yell. Lie and the consequences become much bigger! We did have a good session today with his counselor and he is going to work on telling the truth. That's all I can ask!

Les-Woo Hoo on finishing those projects. Now good luck on the tests. Did you get a run in today?

I had a good swim this morning and then biked after breakfast along with ~15 min. upper body weights and abs. Then it was a load of laundry, wrapping some presents, and onto the kitchen to do ALOT of stuff for company etc... Got alot done which I will finish up tomorrow. I also made a big pot of Prakas(stuffed cabbage rolls) and sweet-sour cabbage borscht for us later next week. Two of my absolute favorites that I really only make once a year or so. And with cabbage on sale all week for St. Paddy's day, the timing is perfect. I will let them cool overnight and freeze a bit of each for later use, too. DS#1 is looking forward to some Prakas this week. He loves those, too.:)

Tomorrow after my exercise(elliptical), I will finish up stuff for the tacos on Sunday when Poppa comes for his visit. It will be mainly alot of veggie chopping, guacamole, and I still need to make a dessert. At this point we are having Hamantaschen. May also make some cinnamon spiced fresh oranges which might be a nice refreshing (and healthy) dessert after a spicy meal. If I have enough time, I'll try to make mandel bread or brownies or something. Otherwise, we'll just keep things simple(and more healthy;) ) this time.

DH is taking DD and DS#2 to services in the morning at the temple. They are having a special "learners service" in which you are allowed to interrupt the rabbi at any time to ask questions about what is going on in the service. DS#1 is going to a classmates house for a student council project. Then in the evening DD has her b-day party sleepover at her friend's house. We'll pick her up Sunday morning on the way to religion. In the afternoon, we visit with Poppa. That's the weekend in a nutshell.

Enjoy,
Karen

[Leslie Ferguson]

Karen and Laura, I agree with you both even though I've never had my own kids (but my Sailors... that's a different story) and telling the truth, no matter how painful is better than telling a lie and then having to deal with the pain on two accounts - the original bad thing and the lie.

Karen - It sounds like you have a busy weekend planned with a drop by from FIL and companion. Isn't it nice to have your two favorites that you only have once or twice a year together? (does that sound coherent?) I know you'll have a good weekend with the visitors and the remainder of your cooking and baking. Now let's hope that DS#1 has learned his lesson.

No, I didn't get a run in today, not in the offing but spent time seriously preparing for my first two tests so I'll take that over a run - better for my karma. :p And I'm feeling a little better about two of the tests (I haven't put much thought into the third). Since one is a take-home/pick-up online I'm gonig to take that test tomorrow so I can clear my brain for Tuesday's test.

But I hope to run before taking the test tomorrow - that way I'll be primed and ready to go for the 90 minute test.

Good seeing you on this beautiful day. Peace,
Les

[Leslie Ferguson]

Back-to-back but I had a good day today and wanted to close out the week with one last report (and I'll probably get a new thread started tomorrow). I took my first test this morning (on-line test) that took 90 minutes to complete - I can say that it's nice to have one done even if there are two more to go. I celebrated my accomplishment with a run and actually had my longest run in a while - with hills thrown in too (not hard around here though). Ran for about 90 minutes and it was good and relaxing. I think it was nearly perfect at 60 with a slight breeze - luckily most of the shade was on the up-hills or it might have been a little cool when I was in the shade and wind. Nice to pick up some quality miles as I realized that I've got a half-marathon in two months and I haven't been getting good runs in. I realized tonight when LW got back from Norfolk that I was missing the Shamrock 8k, half-marathon, and marathon (8k was this morning and the half and full are tomorrow) for the first time in 5 years. Bummer. :( Oh well, whenever I get back to Norfolk I'll just have to get my streak started again.

Hope everyone has a good weekend and I'll see you tomorrow.

Peace all and blessings to you,
Les

[foodfiend]

Hi everyone,
It's been about a year since I lasted posted. I wanted to give a quick update.
Last year, I was fighting fatigue issues among other things (Turns out I had a thyroid problem too). I am happy to report that I am recovering quite nicely, with the help of my naturopath. I am much more active than before, taking dance classes among other things. It looks like dance will become a serious hobby for me. I also power walk, but that's more to help shed a few pounds. (Turns out I do have a problem with simple carbs, so I've been on a low-carb diet).
I feel so much better than before! My mood has improved, and I can finally do activities I wanted to do before but couldn't. Thanks to everyone here who chimed in with support!

[Leslie Ferguson]

Foodfeind - Thank you for checking back in. I'm glad that things have worked out so well for you and that in general, it was relatively simple things that needed a little tweaking as opposed to wholesale changes in your life and health. Isn't it nice when you are free to do things that you want to do? I hope things continue on the right path for you.
Peace,
Les