Healthful Living/Weekly Workout Support Group 6/8-6/20

[Leslie Ferguson]

Hello again, it's late and I'm spent. It was a fantaistic weekend to cap a good couple weeks on the last thread. I'd love to go back to my normal start but I don't have time - lots of ground to cover before getting ready for the next week at the hospital.

We had all the folks check in - some good news (Laura and Karen and Kate) and some not so good news (Kate's friend). The school year for Karen's kiddoes is coming to a close quickly and they're heading off to camp. I wonder who is going to watch the Anole over the summer (assuming it's still alive). Laura has a full house with DD back from school. Kate celebrated her first dating anniversary with DBF.

I had a fantastic time in Norfolk even if it was 101 yesterday. I ran in the swamp although it wasn't wet with my old running group - a great time all around. I had a blast at church this morning played my guitar and saw folks I haven't seen in a long time. However, it still was a 4 hour drive back from Norfolk and it was 100+ most of the way - thank goodness for the new car and a great AC. :rolleyes:

I hope that all are well and I'll check back tomorrow - hopefully I'll ride (heat index is supposed to top out at 105-110 tmorrow afternoon).

Peace to all,
Les

[karen w]

Les-I sure hope you did not brave the heat and run today. I can hardly beleive you did yesterday. It is HOT HOT HOT! So hot, that every school district in our area(except us) had an early dismissal. However, our school has already announced an early dismissal for tomorrow! I have a hunch that they held out today since the middle school(DS#1) had a school wide field trip to a local amusement park today which might have been impossible to re-schedule as the park closes down to the public just for the school for the full day. DS#1 had a great time and he said that they rotated kids every 30 min. instead of every hour so that each kid could be at the water area more frequently. And I sent him off with a water bottle to keep full all day.

And speaking of our new anole, "Neo". . . she escaped twice this week in DH's greenhouse. Once he left the top open a bit too much and the other time she was able to climb the sides of the aquarium as it had dried out so she was able to get some traction; then escaped through a crack at the top. Both time we eventually found her at the end of the day!!(Oh well, drats!) Not sure who will take care of her this summer, but it won't be me. I think she has DH's name written all over her especially since he was the one that found her both times.:D

As for my day, I arrived to the presence of fire trucks and policemen at the YMCA this morning. Apparently the alarms went off and they had to check the facility to make sure that all was safe. After things checked out, we got in and were not delayed. I had a great swim and the water felt SO SO SO good this morning as it was already sticky outside. That's when I heard about all the local early school dismissals(except ours, of course). Anyway, I got the kids off to school after chasing the bus down the street for DS#2 who was so busy reading his book in the car at the bus stop that he did not see it go by. And frankly, there is such a stampede of kids running on to the bus at our neighborhood stop and I was talking with some of the other moms that I did not notice he was not amongst the pack of stampeding kids. We ended up catching the bus a few stops down the road and it was in the direction I was going to get to Target. I went to pick up a few extra things the kids need for camp. As it turns out I have to go back later this week to get one more swim suit for DS#1 and return the tank tops that I bought. Neither boy likes tanks! SIGH.:( I went to boxing after but did not put in 100% because of the heat, yet it was still a good workout. After which I came home for a shower and lunch. And instead of running more of my errands after lunch, I decided to lay low and get more camp labeling done. I think that I am in pretty good shape now.

Tonight I even lightened up the "rules" for the kids and am letting them watch TV even though it is a school night as none of them have homework and it is just too stinking hot to let them run themselves silly outside(even though DS#1 has already tried several times:rolleyes:).

Tomorrow I will swim and likely box. I may try to make my Target stop again as now I have to pick up something for DS#2 and DD to celebrate their "un-birthday's" with their class this week. AND I AM NOT GOING TO BAKE IN THIS WEATHER!!! DD's year end party was supposed to be tomorrow as well, but that is now re-scheduled since tomorrow is a half day for the kids. As for my grocery store trip(which I usually do Monday), I am putting that off until later this week as I just don't want to cook. As a matter of fact, FIL and companion are supposed to visit this weekend(Sunday) and I told DH, I may just make reservations for a change instead of dinner at home. We'll see how the rest of this week pans out.

Have a good evening and stay cool, if you can.

Karen

[Leslie Ferguson]

Hi Karen, glad there wasn't anything terrible going on at the Y this morning and that the water was perfect for your swim. I can only imagine that a nice swim felt good - it was plenty hot when I left the house this morning and can only imagine how bad it felt up there. That's too funny about the anole getting out and it does sound like the critter has a keeper in DH. :D That's funny about the amusement park too - I can understand why the school wouldn't want to let kids go early if they had everything set up with the park. You are a brave person with the heat and smart to not cook too much. It's supposed to be better after tomorrow and even down to the lower 80s by the weekend. :rolleyes I hope that tomorrow goes well with the heat etc. Just don't get too soft on those kids either. ;) :p

I didn't run today - no chance of that and it wasn't too bad on Saturday since I ran so early in the morning (so bad is relative but tonds of water and Gatorade made things ok). A change in my summer plans because it looks like I've thrown in a new race this summer - the hospital is doing a fund raiser for heart defects after a kid passed away at age 23 months from a heart defect. I can either raise money and run in a fun run/race (either 1 or 5 miles) or pay outright and run (the latter is cheaper) but I think raising $100 for heart research is much better than copping out with $25. Long day and it was a terrible weather day (work was grand) - Air Condition Red then Orange and a heat index of ~100. I got home kind of late so I went for a short and intense 30 minute ride. Now to write a couple things that are due tomorrow (review of 3 chapters in a book and a case study). But the first thing tomorrow will be my permanent filling for my root canal (and I need it because the temp is fading fast).

See you all in the funnies and keep cool and hydrated.

Peace,
Les

[karen w]

Les-Sounds like you did the best you could staying cool yesterday. I hope the same was true today. That race sounds like it is right up your alley. Sounds fun!

Another hot one today and it started off the same way at the YMCA as well. . . with the fire alarms going off and the men in red having to check out the place. All was fine again today and no delays getting into the pool, but I am beginning to wonder if this heat is somehow kicking off their alarms(if that's possible:confused:). Anyway, after breakfast I did my returns at Target and bought one more swim suit for DS#1 for camp. It seems every day I discover one more thing that they need.:rolleyes: I went to boxing and with this heat and humidity it felt like every one of my limbs was 100#, but it really was a good class. Slow to get going, but we finished with a bang. And I don't normally sweat much, but was quite "drippy" today. After I got home and showered, I made lunch for me(and DS#1 who was due home any minute). The schools did dismiss early today due to the heat and his school got out before lunch(11:30 am) whereas DD and DS#2's school got out right after lunch at 12:45 PM. So DS#1 and I had our lunches and soon all the kids were home. I think this heat and the half day one week before school is officially over was a test for us parents and a way to slowly break us into the reality that summer break is almost upon us!:rolleyes: The kids played indoors along with DD's friend from next door until about 5 PM at which point they were all getting loud and on each other's nerves(as well as mine:D), so I sent DD's friend home and gave them dinner. I am letting them mellow out and watch TV again tonight in spite of it being a school night. They really do not have any homework at this point anyway.

Tonight DH is at a late meeting for the synagogue board, but tomorrow he has the day off. He will help me do my Costco shopping in the PM. We also need to go pick up more crickets for "Neo," the anole.:rolleyes: DS#2 has his 4th grade play day and pizza party. This is a big deal in 4th grade since next year he moves up to the middle school. Yep, our town is strange in that they start middle school in 5th grade which is earlier than most districts. It has to do with what number of students each school building in our town can accomodate. There are 4 schools(K-1; 2-4; 5-8; 9-12). Anyway, I think his play day is a "go" since it is ONLY supposed to be in the 80's tomorrow!!:eek::rolleyes: I'll sent him off with a water bottle and sunscreen.

I plan on swimming and not sure what else at this point, but I'll figure that out in the morning.;)

Good evening,
Karen

[Laura]

Wow, I really feel for you guys with the heat when it technically isn't even summer. We have had the opposite weather and it has been cool, rainy and windy. It is nice today, but of course the weekend was not great.

I did get a good weight session in today and will probably walk or something later.

I bought some tennis rackets for DD and I start to playing tennis so I would like think that might happen some time this week.

Karen that is strange about the fire alarms. I wouldn't be surprised if the heat is causing a circuit breaker to flip somehow. I can't believe your kids are still in school. We finished the last week in May.

Les, I think the heart race sounds good. Those types of races always make me work harder. I am impressed that you even went for a ride given the heat index.

Well, I am off as it is about time to leave for home. Getting online while at work. Bad, I know. :o

[Leslie Ferguson]

That race will be a blast and I bet I won't go out and kill myself either. It will be an easy race - if not because it's a fundraiser but because it will probably be terribly hot.

Karen - It does sound like you all are having the worse of the weather these days although it was brutally hot today. But the thunderstorm blowing through right now should drop the temp by ~15 degrees tomorrow (I hope). A busy day with lunch at your house it appears - good that you were available to sup with DS#1. I hope it isn't too hot tomorrow and that DS#2 has a great play date. I hope that you have a good workout morning too.

Hi Laura, I'd give a bunch to have some of your weather right now. Any snow up your way? Can you believe that WA had snow yesterday? I hope that you and DD do get out and play some tennis this week - especially since you bought rackets.

Thank you also for your comment about getting out in the heat for my ride. It's actually pretty nice to ride late around here because of the shade and the fact that I can generate a lot of wind around here thus cool down a bit. I had a terrible morning at the dentist. I thought I was going to get a permanent filling - no joy - I ended up having him finish the root canal from two weeks ago and putting another temporary (but more permanent than the last one I hope) filling that I can have finally filled in August so I don't miss more work. I got to work but didn't feel like making rounds (I ended up standing outside for almost 30 minutes at 11:00 - it was terribly hot and I got really sweaty even in the shade). Spent the afternoon in the classroom going over verbatims and other class assignments. But I can say that I didn't feel like riding tonight because my lower jaw feels like I've been hit a couple times so I stayed in, did a little work on my verbatim for this week, and will turn in a little early tonight (after a little tylenol to soothe the pain). Maybe tomorrow will be a day to ride - I sense it will still be hot tomorrow ~88 is predicted so riding once I get home will fit the bill.

Hope all are well and happy trails,
Les

[karen w]

Les-Sorry to hear about the dental woes. I hope the pain subsides quickly this time.

Laura-Yes, my kids are still in school and do not officially end until NEXT week on Wed., but. . . .just because they are physically in school does not mean that they are really "IN" school. I don't think I have seen an ounce of homework in the past week, and it seems like every day one of them is having some sort of party or field day. Tomorrow is both DS#2's and DD's respective class parties; Friday DD's field day and "un-birthday as well as DS#2's unbirthday(that's what happens when you are a summer baby:p). Then on Monday DS#2 has a "fiesta party"(I'll be supplying the guacamole:)). You get the picture.

Enjoy your tennis!

Today was a MUCH MUCH nicer day as far as weather was concerned and gee. . . no fire alarms at the YMCA to start things off. Wonder if there is a connection. I had a fantastic swim, but there was a bit of a problem in the locker room as only one shower was 100% functional. Fortunately, it is not that busy at the hour that I am there that it caused me problems and they did get 3 more running before I left. BUT. . . it is always something there!!:rolleyes: Instead of boxing, I figured my body needed variety today and I ran/power walked on the treadmill. felt really good and the knee seems to be doing OK(thank goodness!:)). After I got a haircut and attempted to pick up some more crickets for the reptilian creature of ours, but she will have to wait another few days. They were fresh out!:p This afternoon DH and I did our Costco shopping. He was a good boy there.:p

Right now the kids are running around the yard and playing with the sprinkler. I think they have officially checked out of school even though they still physically have to go until next Wednesday.:p

Have a good evening everyone,
Karen

[Leslie Ferguson]

Hey Karen - glad you had a good day... I think this will be a drive by today though.

Today - lots of good reasons to ride but I got home late again (had an ATM eat my card so had to phone two banking institutions) and couldn't push myself out knowing that I would eat after 9 pm if I did.

Need to go, a couple paragraphs to write and bed is calling.

Peace,
Les

[karen w]

Les-Sorry to hear about your ATM card. That really SUCKS! I hope you get things straightened out quickly.

I had a great day today. Weather was gorgeous here. Low humidity, temps in the 80's, a nice breeze, and a bright blue sky. I had a great swim first thing this morning. After getting the kids off, I stopped at the grocery store and then went to boxing. Really good class as well. On the way home, I had to fill up with gas:((always depressing lately), and I picked up more crickets for the reptile.:p After lunch I put the groceries away, started a few things for my weekend visitors(FIL and companion), did laundry and got a nice dinner prepared for tonight.

Tomorrow I will swim and I think that I will box again as the instructor that I like is teaching and I have to go to our dairy/farm store in the morning(I hate going in the afternoon. . . it is mobbed) to get stuff for the weekend(rolls, corn etc... for company Sunday).

That's it here. Have a good evening,
Karen

[Leslie Ferguson]

It sounds like you're having a great day up there Karen. It was almost as nice down here except that it was about 8-10 degrees warmer but the humidity was low (how low? the dehumidifier in the basement that runs continuously is indication "low"% - go figure). I hear you about the gas too - part of the reason that I don't mind taking mass transit these days. It may cost ~$7 to get to and from work but it might cost almost that much and definitely would be almost as long getting there and back. I hope the remainder of your weekend goes well and that FIL and his companion have a nice visit. Also hope that the store wasn't clobbered today.

Work went well and I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop visitations, class time, etc. but still great work to be doing. On top of that I'll claim success with a 60+ minute ride. I got back to the W&OD (Washington and Old Dominion) Trail for a speedy ride between some killer (standing in 1st gear) hills. Almost done with my second full week at the hospital and loving it, even if it's a little trying.

Take care and I'll see you later. Peace,
Les

[karen w]

Les-Wow! Has 2 weeks really gone by already for you at the hospital!!?? How time flys. Glad to hear you are enjoying it there so far and it sounds like you had a great ride yesterday.

Today was a very similar day to yesterday. . . near perfect weather and a great day. Started with a nice swim and breakfast. The kids all got off for their last Friday of school. They officially have 2 full days and one 1/2 day left(next Wed. is their last day). DD and DS#2 went off with a big bag of treats for their classmates to celebrate their "unbirthday's" at school. Since it was so hot this week, I did not want to cook. I ended up buying a big case of Welch's fruit chew packets for them to hand out. The school does not want cupcakes and the like anymore for b-day treats and while the fruit chew are not exactly "health food" by any means, I think they are not frowned upon like some of the other junk out there. Besides, they are kids! Let them be kids every once in awhile. Anyway. . . I digress. . . went to pick up my corn, hamburger buns etc... for this weekends company and then off to boxing. It was a super class. Especially since I was a bit charged from a bit of caffeine I had charging through my system.:o I don't do caffeine very well, so when I do have some, I feel it! Can never pass up those free store samples. . . right!:o After class, a shower, and lunch, I did a bit of cooking for Sunday. I wanted to make a coffee cake for the morning and since today the temp. is not so hot(but tomorrow is supposed to be a bit warmer), I got it made and baked this afternoon.

DH is "on call" this weekend so we will all be be sticking around the house for the most part. Me with my weekend exercise routine and finishing the preparations for Sunday's guests tomorrow. And, of course, Sunday is Father's day with FIL and friend visiting.

Have a great weekend and Happy Father's Day to any Dad's lurking out there.;)

Karen

[Leslie Ferguson]

Hello and good evening Karen. It's hard to believe that I've been at the hospital since 5/28 (which makes today actually something like 12 work days) - the time has flown. But I know the long days are yet to come - not including a week of on-call. But I can get through that regardless of the amount of "traffic" into the hospital during the week.

You are such a great mom to try and send healthy snacks for your kids on their unbirthday. It sounds like you had a good day today and have a good weekend planned. All that and a good workout today - what more could you ask for?

LW finally got back from Norfolk after being there for almost 10 days. It's nice to have her back in the house because I may actually take better care of myself. Speaking of which, I need to go to bed - I'm supposed to go to an Ordination at the National Cathedral in the morning (one of my classmates who just graduated is a member of the Diocese of Washington DC and they ordain folks in the Cathedral which should be a blast). No workout but I hope to go for a long bike ride tomorrow after I come back from the ordination - maybe 2 hours out on the W&OD Trail (which may get me way out there).

Have a great weekend and a great Father's Day to all the dads lurking.

Peace,
Les

[mackandme]

Hey all. Just skimmed the posts, but it sounds like ya'll's weather is cooling out a little. Send some good thoughts our way - it's hot here! in the upper 90s, but the worst part is our low is in the 80s at night! we never cool off. my lawn is pretty unhappy. so is my stray kitty - she's gotten pretty skinny. the vet is coming out next friday to check on her. i tried to take her to her usual vet's office and ended up waiting for more than 2 hours for my appt! so i gave up and went home. they lost my business. so i'm going to have my ($$$) mobile vet come out. i have to use the mobile vet for the indoor cats because they do NOT travel well.

things here are pretty stressful. we are expecting massive layoffs pretty soon. this coming monday has already been dubbed "black monday," as that's the day either layoffs or announcements about the layoffs will happen at all of our papers, the grapevine tells us. i have a source in management and have been told the # is huge, tho she hadn't seen a list.

tuesday i went to a university here to get some info on their mba program. i haven't found much in the way of jobs to apply for, so going back to school may be my best option. just need to hang onto my job until fall of '09!

so, dbf and i are really sweating here, in more ways than one. keep your fingers crossed.

[Leslie Ferguson]

Thanks for checking in Kate, sorry about layoffs at work too. That must bring a little anxiety to your weekend even if you don't think you're getting laid off. I'll be thinking about you on Monday too. Sorry that it's so hot out - 80 at night isn't any fun. Also sorry that your stray kittie isn't doinog well. I hope it's nothing too bad. Going back to school - look what I started. ;) Hope things hang on for you until you start school too. I'll be thinking of you this weekend and have a nice weekend with dbf.

My workout today was a really long bike ride. I headed out on the W&OD trail and ended up doing 26.5+ miles. Oddly, it was 5 minutes faster coming back than going out. I didn't think it was that much of an incline but obviously it was.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend -- here comes the thunderstorms. :cool: See you later and peace,
Les

[karen w]

Thunderstorms are hitting us right now, too! BIG TIME!!! But I got all my cooking done for tomorrow's visitors this afternoon and had a good run/walk on the treadmill this morning. I did some weights, but not as much as I usually do or should do. I just was not up for it/into it this morning. My run was great, but later in the morning, I just had that chilled/weird feeling that you can't quite put your finger on, but you feel like you might be coming down with something. I don't think that is/was the case. . . perhaps just a bit of over doing it(me???? NAH!!!:)) Anyway, I was wearing a sweatshirt jacket half the afternoon even though it was hot and humid here today. This rain is supposed to cool things off a bit for tomorrow.

Kate-I'll keep you in my thoughts and prayers.

Les-What a grand bike ride for you!

Enjoy the storms,

Karen

[Leslie Ferguson]

...had a good run/walk on the treadmill this morning. I did some weights, but not as much as I usually do or should do. I just was not up for it/into it this morning. My run was great, but later in the morning, I just had that chilled/weird feeling that you can't quite put your finger on, but you feel like you might be coming down with something. I don't think that is/was the case. . . perhaps just a bit of over doing it(me???? NAH!!!:)) Anyway, I was wearing a sweatshirt jacket half the afternoon even though it was hot and humid here today. This rain is supposed to cool things off a bit for tomorrow.
In marathoner speak that would be called "bonking" otherwise known as running out of gas. One of the tell-tale signs of underfueling for me is being chilled. I can remember running in the summer in Norfolk (in the swamp) and finishing a moderately long run and having to get in the car and turn on the heater. :rolleyes: When a person's body runs out of fuel it tends to get cold as it tries to burn all kinds of fun things to make energy. Hopefully the chills passed once you got some food in you.

Rain has passed and I'm done for the night - have a great weekend.
Les

[Leslie Ferguson]

Back-to-backs... what a day today, nothing too terrible until I ran this afternoon backing up yesterday's ride. I'll just say this was the worst run I've had in ages. I ended up having to do 1 minute running/30 seconds walking for a portion of the run - I hope it was a combination of hills, slightly dehydrated, and beat from yesterday. I had a few sections that weren't too bad but still did 4/1 for the last 10 minutes of the run. It ended up being 52 minutes but mostly because I the route back was impassible (a huge tree fell across it sometime recently) so I had to get back so how. Needless to say, I'll claim the run as complete and hope that it isn't the first of a bunch of bad runs - I need to get some good ones under my belt so I can keep things sane at the end of August.

Kate - I'll be thinking about you as the week progresses. Peace be with you.

Have a great week all and peace,
Les

[Laura]

Hey everyone,

This weekend was good. Saturday morning DH and I swam (although he can swim about 3 times the distance I can in about the same amount of time. :rolleyes: ). Saturday afternoon DD and I climbed the Manitou Incline. It is a series of steps made out of railroad ties that rises 2000 feet in elevation in about .9 of a mile. At some spots the incline is a 50% grade. We then took the trail down which is a 4 mile switchback. My hips are killing me but it is a great workout.

Here is a picture from the top looking down.
http://www.ultrarob.com/pictures/incline/P1150079.jpg

Sunday I swam about 1000 and lounged about.

Les, I am sorry that your run was so tough. I am impressed you just kept at it though.

Karen, I am glad that your knee is holding up through all of your varied workouts. I hope you are not getting sick.

Kate, I wish for the best for you and your dbf about the layoff situation. That must be so stressful.

Tonight DH and I are going to a grilling class. Have a good week everyone!

[karen w]

Hi all,

It was a nice Father's Day here yesterday with FIL and companion visiting. We had a very relaxing visit and a yummy dinner(if I do say so myself) even though I did not care for the dessert that I made. I was in the minority, however, as everyone else loved it. I made the Creamy Cool Chocolate dessert from CL a month or so ago since it did not involve much in the oven. I am just not much for these "pudding-type" desserts. DH picked it and he like it well enough. And afterall, it was his day! The sloppy Joe's, however, were awesome. I made Bobmark's Smokey Joe's and I think they are my new favorite sloppy joe recipe(not that I have made a lot of different recipes for this over the years:p). But anyway, everyone had a great visit.

Les-You were probably right that I was "bonked" on Saturday after my workout, but I was still chilled even after eating. I guess it just took me awhile to recover. Sorry your run was a dud yesterday, but I guess you just can't have a 10 out of 10 everyday(that would be nice, though!;)). Hope the week and runs this week are all uphill(that is, in terms of qualityl not actual incline!!:p).

Laura-That looks like an awesome and challenging climb. I bet you felt so good after you finished. I remember going to Pike's Peak as a kid with my family and taking the train ride to the top. What a beautiful area of the country.

Today was a great swim and boxing. Now, it has turned very dark and grey outside with lots of rumbling and thunder. A storm is due here tonight. Seems like this may be a cooler, soggier week. :( Kids are done on Wednesday.

Have a good week,
Karen

[mackandme]

The good news is i still have a job. The bad news is dbf is on the layoff list. he hasn't been laid off outright, tho. Some people did get the ax today. Others are on a list where they will get laid off if not enough people in their department want to take a buyout. DBF needs three people in his dept to take the buyout in order to save his job. There's a chance, but not a great one. he'll find next monday. (joyful week ahead, huh?) And since he hasn't been here very long, his severence package will only be four weeks of pay.

Ultimately 20 percent of the newsroom employees are getting the ax. Don't know how one of out departments is going to get the work done, what with my one co-worker being out with the broken back. Plus how they're going to cover shifts when people take vacation, who knows. Tonight i was drawing the front page AND editing stories to help pitch in. Maybe the company's next great money-saving move will be to tell us we can't take vacation!

[karen w]

Kate-So sorry about your news. I'm sending some virtual hugs to you and DBF and I'll add a few prayers that this will all work out in the end for the both of you. Take care.

My day was pretty routine starting with a really awesome swim. I had to make a quick stop at Target after getting the kids off to school. DD is invited to a b-day party this weekend. It is a little boy who is in her class at school and he is moving this summer out of state. She really is not that friendly with him, but he invited the whole class and she wants to go. I really was not sure what to get him, and did not want to spend alot since he's not really one of her close friend, so I just picked up a gift card there. I know there are Targets where he is moving. Then I went to boxing. Really good class. After lunch, made a quick stop to Costco. I really did not need much, but wanted to get some extra fruit and milk in the house since the kids will now be home for lunch after tomorrow. Also had an appt. with the dermatologist for the stubborn plantar wart on the bottom of my foot. I go back in 2 weeks, so he can hopefully burn the living daylights out of this sucker and get rid of it once and for all!!:mad:

Tomorrow I will swim. May do a routine at home later in the morning as I think my body has been trying to tell me today to shake it up a bit this week!:D Other than that, the kids will all be home early. It is their last day of school and a half day. I know they all want to get in as many play dates as they can since they leave for camp a week from tomorrow. Which means. . . I have to wrap up most of the packing this weekend.:eek:

Have a good evening,
Karen

[Leslie Ferguson]

Kate - I'm so sorry to hear about dbf - hopefully enough people take the buyout and he won't get laid off. That definitely would make for a tough week - sending good thoughts and prayers to both of you as you await the day. It sounds like they are already having you do some interesting things to make do at the paper - hopefully that doesn't get worse before it gets better.
Laura - Those are awesome and awe inspiring pictures. I bet that was as tough going down as it was going up, but definitely for different reasons.
Karen - Glad that you had a good visit with FIL and his companion. I know the feeling on making a dessert that everyone else loves, I did that a couple years ago and the pie was a hit but I just didn't care for it. I hope that your week isn't too bad as the kiddos get ready for camp. I think it was a good idea to have DD go to the party too - never fun to be one of the few who don't attend a party offered to all the kids. Sending icy vibes for your plantar wart - hopefully they get rid of it this time. But I seem to remember that the dermatologist "guaranteed" it would be gone after that time... maybe he needs to rethink things. ;) Have a good day tomorrow too.

Sorry to be gone yesterday but the day was pretty much a bust. Long afternoon at work, a thunderstorm that blew through and knocked the power out for 11 hours at our house, peer review of one of my verbatim reports (last week's thread has a better explanation of what that is). But I got out for ~35 minutes tonight to get myself back together and then have a late dinner.

Time to head home for the evening so peace to all all and have a good hump day tomorrow.
Les

[Laura]

Kate, I am so sorry to hear your DBF is on the layoff list. Hopefully others will take the buyout.

Karen, how is the packing going. I might have missed it before, but how long is camp for the kiddos this summer?

Les, 11 hours? That is a long time for power to be out. I hope your day today has less interruptions.

I got a quick weights workout in. My right knee is bothering me a little (so I couldn't do my lunges -- darn :p), but I think that might be left over from our climb on Saturday.

Friday and Saturday are swim meet days, so I am not sure what I have planned out workout-wise. I really need to be better about getting in my cardio workouts

[karen w]

Laura-You and me and the knees, huh?!:mad: My right knee has been a touch irritable again, too. But nothing like it was a few weeks ago. Hope yours gets better quickly. Still packing up the kids. . . this weekend I am going to do most of it. They leave exactly one week from today for 2 months!!!!! ALL THREE OF THEM! When DH and I go to Martha's Vineyard in July(for DH's conference), it will be our first vacation sans kids in 11 years!:)

Les-We seem to be getting the storms each night here, too. Fortunately, no power losses this past week. Did you end up having to toss anything as 11 hours is pretty long?

Today was almost cold, dare I say! It was in the low 70's at most with a cloudy sky this afternoon and a brief shower this evening. Tomorrow more of the same. The kids are officially done with school and are already deep into the "play dates." I figure let them have as many as they want over the next week since this is their only time at home before camp. By next Tuesday I will probably be going bonkers, but in Wed. after we drop them off I can put my feet up. DS#1 had a friend come home on the bus. DD's friend from next door is sleeping over tonight and DS#2 has already arranged for a friend to come over tomorrow afternoon(DD and DS#1 have an orthodontist appt. in the morning).

I had an excellent swim this morning. Went for fruit and veggies at the dairy store and since I was out already, I decided to box afterall today. It ended up being a really super class so I am glad that I went. The kids buses were all a bit late getting home this afternoon, but they slowly piled in the house bit by bit with the last remaining remnants of their desks. I had them clean out their backpacks and toss the "unwanteds" and save what we could use again in fall. DD and DS#2 had excellent report cards:). DS#1's(from the middle school) will come in the mail. It's hard to beleive DS#2 will be starting middle school in fall and DS#1 will be in 7th grade. It seems all of his friends have begun experiencing the changes of pubery and tower over him, and he is still the little kid. DH says he was like that until at least 13, so there is still hope that he will grow taller too. He better!:eek: And my little squirt, DD, in 4th grade in fall. WOW! They grow up too fast.

O.K. you are sick of me getting all misty here, so I will get on with it. Spent a bit of time this afternoon in the garden taking care of weeds and picking some cilantro, dill, and radishes. Not too much else ready yet, but it is still early.

Tomorrow aside from an orthodontist appt and umpteen play dates, I will get in my swim and use the elliptical at home. I hope to squeeze in at least 15 min. of weights as well.

That's it here. Have a good one,
Karen

[Leslie Ferguson]

Sorry your collective knees are bothering you Karen and Laura. I hope that it isn't catching. ;)

I'll send vibes for you to get cardio workouts in if you do the same for me Laura.

Karen - No sweat about getting misty eyed over your growing children - that's wholly understandable. At least you have a bunch of things to do between now and their departure for the summer to keep your mind occupied. Actually, the only thing that was impacted by 11 hours without electricity was freezer waffles (and that's not a big issue in my book because I can toast them just fine even if they were thawed partially). One of the good things about having a lot of stuff in the fridge/freezer and NOT opening the doors at all - the fridge retained a lot of it's coldness and nothing appears to have thawed in the freezer and the "really perishable" things (and there aren't any of REALLY perishable things anyway) in the fridge have been checked without issue. But thanks for asking.

Today was better overall, even if it was tiring. Still I didn't run today even though I left work on time today. Someone was pouring buckets off the house when I got home ;) so much so that the street was almost full of water. I wasn't expecting this much tiredness after work each day too - but I guess that's to be expected in the long run. Maybe tomorrow since I did other therapy tonight (cooking with intentional left-overs for lunches :D ).

Peace,
Les

[karen w]

Les-I'm sure as you get adjusted to your new schedule and the demands of clinical work(physical and emotional), your energy level will return to normal. But, as you know, there will always be that occasional crazy day or 2 or 100!:p Hope you find time for a ride or run today with those leftovers in the fridge and nobody tossing buckets off the roof-tops!!:p

I had a great day with much accomplished for staying home most of it. The YMCA is much quieter in the early AM now that school is out and none of the teachers come for their early workouts. I had a great swim and relaxed in the jacuzzi for 5 min. or so since I did not have to rush home to get kids ready and off to school.:) After feeding everyone breakfast, I did some stretching and then had a great bike ride. I was a good girl as well and did end up doing about 15 min. of upper body weights. Then it was off to the orthodontist for DD and DS#1. Their next appt. will not be until the first week of school at the end of August!! After returning home and feeding the crew(my kids and the neighbor who slept over last night) lunch, I made some more headway on the packing for camp. There are piles all over our living room now! The kids played in and around the house all day: DD with 2 neighbors: DS#2 had a friend over; and DS#1 had to occupy himself today. This evening they were all invited to a neighbors pool for a quick swim. And the mom made my evening when she told me what kind and polite kids I have.:o:) That always feels so good!:)

Tomorrow I will swim; then likely run/walk on the treadmill. DS#1 has a friend coming over in the afternoon and DD is going over to a friends house late morning. She will spend the night there, too.

Have a good evening,
Karen

[Leslie Ferguson]

Love to chat but it's late all around. But thanks Karen, no buckets (of water) this evening. Late arrival from work, lots of good things but you're right about the draining days and finally getting energy back after I get my schedule figured out. Glad you had fun today and the kids kept in check. I hope the swim goes well tomorrow. Today I ended up with a practice Code Blue in one of my units - luckily it wasn't the real thing but I ended up getting charged up (not as much as the docs but...). It's interesting to watch the semi-controlled chaos of a mock code response. Luckily tomorrow is Friday and I can do some normal things then, I may also be able to get a ride in too.

Gotta go bed calls. Peace,
Les

[karen w]

Just a quick pre-weekend check in here. Had a good swim(plus 10 min. in the jacuzzi!!) this morning and spent an hour on the treadmill later in the morning. Did a bit more packing, went out briefly to re-plenish the rapidly diminishing supply of milk(now that the kids are home all day), DD went to her friend's house where she will spend the night, and DS#1 had a friend over for the afternoon. Otherwise the kids have kept busy roaming the neighborhood, biking, skateboarding etc... They are now at the town park for Friday night's concert in the park(bribed their daddy when he got home even though it just rained so will be wet:rolleyes:). We both figure as long as it is not dangerous or totally unreasonable to be agreeable to the things they want to do since they have so few days at home before they leave for camp. . . if we can fit all of the cr@p they are planning on taking(in addition to their necesseties) into the taxi!!!!:rolleyes:

Anyway. . . weekend is going to play out as it comes. DD does have a b-day party to go to on Sunday. I think that is the only scheduled event. Otherwise we'll let the kids direct the activities to some extent. I have to finish up labeling and most of the packing, but, of course, will still get in a bit of exercise each morning.:)

Have a good weekend all,
Karen

[Leslie Ferguson]

Thoughts of peace to you Karen on this your last big weekend to push for the kid's departure. I'll be thinking of you. I hope to get out and run and/or ride some this weekend - I have to or I'll be in trouble in the race at the end of August.

See you all later and peace,
Les