Starrsville - good thoughts and blessings to you..

Ethel - we do want to hear all about it!

Buffalogal - so sorry about your son! Good thoughts for a clean and speedy recovery. (And I had the heater on in my car this morning too!)

Rave: Today is our 16th wedding anniversary! Wish I had been in the pool gambling on how long it would last when we tied the knot..

Rave: We leave tonight for Pueblo (Chile Festival - yum) and the mountains (colors - and snow???) for the weekend and are taking DD with us - not as romantic but will be loads of fun.

Rave: Got the new job - a lot more work right now until I transition the old job, but looks like it will be great (and more travel - yippeee).

Rave: Biopsy came out not as good as we'd hoped, but not awful - one of those things to watch. And my doc likes to try to approach things organically so we're doing some aggressive natural therapies to see if I can heal myself in 6 months.

Rant: My Mom is scheduled for a series of scans. Possible liver cancer. She's beaten breast, colon, skin, and esophageal, so if we're all hopeful.

Rave: Free speech - one of the things that makes democracy and this country great. Hope our politicios can keep that to the forefront of their minds.

A great weekend to all!
Have a good weekend all.

Happy Friday to Everyone!

Rave: Last weekend's trip to Lake Placid was great fun!

Rant: I re-injured my back (this is the third time) since original pain back in March. Aside from barely being able to do normal functions without pain, part of the rant is my own fault...I have not been disciplined about doing stretching and muscle strengthening exercises to corect the problem and prevent these recurrances. So basically MY PAIN IS MY OWN FAULT.

Rave: Looking forward to NJ/NY/CT GTG on October 21st. Have heard from many who are coming! What about the rest of you?

Mini-Rant: Leaving for business trip in Calgary on Sunday. Forecast is for low 50's during the day and 30's at night. Brrrrr! I have to dig out my winter clothes to pack!

Mini-Rant: Missed the chance for GTG with Ethyl while in Lake Placid (I didn't know she lived there!)

Fodorite Rave: Hunnym and DH gave birth to their first little girl on Sunday! All are healthy and happy at home!

Have a great weekend! Trish

Rave--DH accepted a new job yesterday. Is to sign the papers today and give notice

Rave--The timing for that was good...he will get in a nice climb with friends before starting the new job.

Rave--Have our hotel booked for Cocoa Beach in December! Now to decide on which Disney place to stay at. Wonder if Kopp and I can meet there?

Rant--A close friend needs surgery and is terrified.

Starrsville--I love your words of wisdom

marigross--I think road rage is the reason it is so hard for teens to learn to drive too. DD is 15, so it is something I pay close attention to.

PamT--Been there, with the mammo, etc. Waiting is not fun, but when they are not rushing that is a good sign. Hang in there!

ethel--1 week!!!!!!!

StephCar--Lol at the no thumb

BuffaloGirl--Poor DS!

Seasweetie--happy Anniversary! Sorry to hear about the biopsy, but at least it isn't bad news just yet.

starrsville: prayers for you and your loved one.

smalti: Enjoy your new space!

ethel: Wow! Can't wait to hear about the wedding. May you have a long, loving and healthy life together.

angelthereader: 25 years! Congratulations and many more.

StephCar: LOL. Kids are so funny.

BuffaloGirl: I'm sorry about son and happy about your dad.

Tess: I hope the pix are OK. Those are treasures.

JJ5: Prayers for you and your family. Aging parents are tough.

seasweetie: Happy 16th and congrats on the new job.

Rant: It's cold here. Please bring summer back.

Rant: Big changes at work.

Rave: First ever sister weekend on Devil's Lake in MI. I leave tomorrow.

Rant: Still need presents and have not started to pack. I need Procrastinators Anonymous.

Rave: Being with my sisters and it's not a funeral

Rant: Living 1 1/2 hours from the airport. If traffic is OK.....

Have a wonderful weekend everyone.

Rave: My second post this morning, I forgot a Rave!

Rave - I'm doing the Sister Study - It's for women whose have a sister who has breast cancer and don't. It's very complex and goes for 10 years. Now for the rave - when the med tech came I weighed 8 lbs less than I put on the form, my blood pressure was 96/62 and my waist was 26"!! Ok she really pulled the tape tight, but that made my week. I guess it's compensation for the 3 hours of paperwork I did for the study.

BuffaloGirl - sorry about your son and I'm glad your dad is doing well. I hope he can move soon.

travel - we saw Eric Clapton some years ago and it was one of the best concerts we've ever gone to. When he talked about "Tears in Heaven" before he played it I cried.

JJ5 - Sorry about your sister and her chemo. I know you'll be there for her. Sorry about your dad. I know it makes you mad, but he's the one who is losing out. BTW when my dad was sick (5'9") he went down to 110 lbs.

Kopp - don't apologize for Disney. My kids - than 12 and 14 - still say that was our best vacation every.

tess - looking for that trip report. Sorry about the flood, let us know about the memories.

seasweetie - contgats!! September is usually a great month for an anniversary. Sorry about your mom -man she is tough! Hang in there.

tpatricco- hope your back is better soon, and do your excercises!

gomiki - have fun. This is your sisters weekend right?

Rant: I was spinning yesterday and my foot got caught and twisted in the pedal throwing my body forward and my foot back. Not where my foot wanted to go! Anyway the girls I was spinning with extricated me and got ice on the ankle. DH and friends have had quite a good laugh at my expense "You fell off a stationary bike????" Oh no, this ends the big ride this weekend. No dancing (OK, there never was dancing), no going out! Rant, rant, rant. Feeling so sorry for cmcfong.
Everyone gave me good advice. Stay off the ankle. I didn't. I had an appointment do to pet therapy with an eight year old girl who has a brain tumor. She goes through radiation five times a week for a five week period. MAJOR RANT: an eight year old with a brain tumor.
RAVE: When Catie, my pup, and I arrived her mother told us she had refused anesthesia that day because she wanted to be alert to enjoy the visit! Her mother said since we doubled up the visits her daughter was sleeping better and coming out of her terrible depression.
Yes, my ankle is worse today, in fact it hurts like ..... But my heart is full and a good deal lighter than normal.
MAJOR RAVE: No matter who you are or where you are in life, you can make a difference for someone else.

RAVE: My DH surprised me and had my car washed and waxed, and inside detailed.
Mini rant: We had 2 or 3 days of low humidity and temps in the 80's. Now it is back to hot and muggy.

PamT: Best wishes.

PM: Aloha! I hope you have a wonderful trip.

Ethel: Congratulations! Enjoy this week, your wedding, and honeymoon.

Ange: Happy Anniversary!

Steph: LOL re God.

My daughter's 2 1/2 and so doesn't have a lot of questions about God, but this morning she wanted to know exactly what sound a dinosaur makes. I kept trying to roar, but apparently, my roars don't sound enough like a "real" dinosaur, "No, Mommy. Try again."

Tess: I feel your pain. Our hot water heater broke on Valentine's Day, which was actually rather convenient because we were both home and caught the leak right away.

Seasweetie: Happy Anniversary! And healthy thoughts headed your way.

CMC: LOL about the spinning accident. I hope your ankle is feeling better soon. I had a similar accident with a shoelace in the eliptical trainer. quot;>

Rave: It's a cozy fall day.

Rave: It's library day, and that means that all of the Minerva Louise books that I've read over and over again this week (Minerva Louise is a very confused hen) are going back to the library.

Rant: I tried on 16 pairs of jeans this last week and I hated all of them. Why is shopping for jeans so difficult?

Rave: My rants are so very minor.

Happy weekend everyone!

You know, an 8 year old with a brain tumor--I can deal with my flooded basement...

That said, I just had my first little weepy session when the cleaning crew brought up a soggy box of books. It included my favorite book that I read to my kids when they were little, "I'll love you forever." That book makes me cry on the best of days, and seeing it soggy and waterlogged did it. My daughter's baby book has a little water damage but am hoping that's the worst of it, although I don't think it is. Had a nice little cry in the utility room now it's back to work. The restoration guy said he's already pumped out 200 gallons of water from the basement. Thank you for letting me vent

cmcfong: WOW....perspective!

The God thing. When I was in grade school I asked my mom why God makes married ladies pregnant. I don't remember how she answered it but I know it wasn't a birds and bees lesson.

AnnMarie_C, Most people think their chances of getting hit by a drunk driver are on weekend nights and by a man. A man in my company was turning into the parking lot of our office at 7:30 AM and was killed by a drunk woman who was on her way home from an all night drinking party on a week day.

Rant: Just having a very bad week, mammo issues, Mom having surgery today some rather monumental "other things" going on... (apparently I'm not the only one dealing with stuff like this!)

Rave: The bad stuff has nothing to do with work so at least I'm not taking it out on innocent 8th graders (the kids, in fact, take my mind off the crazy stuff).

Bennie--As you know she is a pleasure to have in class. The class that she is in is a "fun" group and we do have some laughs. Hopefully she is not too horrified by the ridiculous stuff I introduce to them (Ancient Romans dry cleaning with distilled urine and such) but it's the only way to engage ALL of the kids. There will be a handful of boys that will only take away that piece of information from the entire year of history!!

RAVE/RANT - finally settled on contractor to create bathroom in newely purchased house (circa 1958) Current bathroom so tiny and disgusting going to eventually gut it!! The rant is the cost.
RAVE - found guy to refinish wood floors. RANT - also cost
RANT - never worked so hard as my mom and I did since buying this house - 2 months and still can't move in - but hope to in another few weeks

Rave: had great time in Chicago.

Rant: don't have time to write a report.

Rant: had so many e-mails to sift through, didn't get one from a Fodorite to meet in San Francisco - she's leaving today

Rave: my younger son will be in Chicago next week, I can advise him!!

Rave: dream-planning next vacation!

Rant: still lots of work to catch-up

A huge rave for cmcfong and making a difference. If there was ever a time to disregard advice, this was it. That dear child needed you, and you came through for her. The ankle will heal. . . eventually.

Message to kopp--we (both my grown kids and I) use Brita filters--the pitcher style. The water tastes great! (And Seattle water is pretty good to start with).

jorr, that is so sad. The guy who hit my friend was speeding because he was late for work...drunk and late for work at one of the local theme parks after, most likely, partying all night, too. Today I had lunch with a friend whose son goes to school with the son of the man killed--she said the family is moving back to Checkoslovakia. This doctor had about 8 research projects he was working that could have potentially benefited who knows how many people. What happened to this man is my biggest fear come true--when my husband gets called in during the night I don't sleep until he returns I am scared he's going to get hit by a drunk driver. It just breaks my heart--thanks for listening.

How sad to hear about all of the illnesses - my heart goes out to all of you.

Rave: As cliche as it sounds, it's Friday!! And there's an Amstel Light just sitting in my fridge waiting for me.

Rave: I was in Boston this week - my favorite U.S. city outside of sweet home Chicago.

Rave: Excellent t.v. last night - Grey's and The Office are making Thursday nights Must See again.

Rave: I have no rants. It's my bday weekend (yes, I get a whole weekend) and we're taking our nieces on a hay ride and apple picking expedition tomorrow.

Happy weekend and good thoughts to everyone!

Rant: 3127 spam email in one day.

CheBird: Happy Birthday weekend!! I'm glad you had such a good time in Boston.

>>Rave: It's library day, and that means that all of the Minerva Louise books that I've read over and over again this week (Minerva Louise is a very confused hen) are going back to the library.<<

Awww, Kureiff, I love Minerva Louise!

Rants: I could come up with a big list at this time of the month, but I'll spare you all.

Rave: Ds, ddog, and I went to Dixon's Apples Wednesday. I have a bunch of apples to process and cider in the fridge and freezer. Yum!

Rave: Fall is definitely here; if you're coming to New Mexico soon, bring some warm clothes to layer!

Lee Ann