I can't beleive I am starting this thread, but somebody has to

Actually, I can't believe I am up this early on a sunday

I have a paper to write for school that is due this week, so I am up working on that before I go into work at noon. I am in the process of obtaining a Ph.D from Capella University, which does online classes. Between that and work, I do keep busy, especially now with Christmas coming!

Speaking of Christmas....company Christmas party tonite at some high-end italian restaurant. I should be ok....we get to pick between shrimp scampi or filet mignon. I will just have to avoid the bread

Bawdy - thanks for the ham/cheese suggestion. I will have to try that! I am having a devil of a time finding a full-fat yogurt though.

Have a wonderful day everyone!

Robin

Robin, we started the thread at the same time, so I decided to jump onto yours

Robin is officially a member now -- she's started the thread!!!

I'm going to be really busy today so don't worry if I'm MIA -- A surprise church going-away party for a couple that is part of everything at church - she got transferred to her firm's corporate office -- a huge promotion for her, but we are sure going to miss this family.

Ok, so yes, I need to "spill" last night's escapades somewhere, b/c sleep certainly isn't an option right now. Yesterday was an amazing day. We went and chopped down a tree and came back and decorated it all pretty and then he took me back home to get dressed up a little nicer. He ended up taking me to House of Japan for dinner, which is my most favorite restaurant in the whole world, which I had mentioned a long time ago at lunch at school how disappointed I was on my birthday b/c my family wouldn't take me there. No one I know likes going there, so I wasn't going to force them, even though it was my birthday. So he took me yesterday, which was very sweet. Afterwards the plan was to go to the zoo and walk around and see the lights and go ice skating, but we never made it there. Dinner took soooooo long, and was too interesting. We got there at 6:50 and they didn't seat us till 8:40. We were there till 10 pm! They sat us at this table with this group of 6, 3 girls/3 guys very near our age. They had been drinking quite considerably and were quite "friendly." Anyway, so as soon as we sit down, this girl who is next to us sitting next to her husband blurts out, "So how long have you been married?" I immediately get totally uncomfortable and say that we aren't. So then they act all apologetic and say, "Ohhhhh, we're sorry, is this your first date?" to which I didn't know how to reply either. I think my DBF said no at this point, so then they felt the need to pry further and asked how long we've been dating, which of course, we HAVE NOT talked about. I didn't know how to reply, but he said a couple of weeks. Then they have to go on to say how we look alike, and how that means we are destined to be together or something like that. Then they make some comment about the way we were interacting and how you could tell that we liked each other a lot, and how it used to be like that for them when they first started dating. HELLO!!!!!! What on earth was going on? It was actually very amusing, but also very strange as well. So dinner made for some very interesting later night conversation while enjoying the Christmas tree. I am not going to go all into it here, but the gist is this.....we finally talked about where we stand and we are definitely dating and we both seem completely perplexed at the fact that we have only been hanging out for a month b/c it seems like so much longer, and how strange that the time seems to slip away from us when we are together, and how unusual it is that we connect as well as we do. So, ahhhh, things are very good right now. I am so high on life right now it doesn't even feel real anymore. Who knew that it was possible to feel this way??

Grady-I have thought a little about the whole Xmas gift thing and right now decided to just not think about it I did give him a card on Wednesday b/c I had completed them, and I didn't want to overdo it, so I just signed it with a little harmless heart and my name. The way things are going, though, I may be coming here for advice on what to get him. Hopefully it's something we discuss beforehand so that I am not trying to decide if I'll be the only one giving a gift, you know? Then there's also the issue of how to spend Xmas. Well, it's not an issue, more like something I am thinking about. We haven't been dating that long, so it almost seems inappropriate to be meeting each other's families at this point, but it would also be cool to see him near that time, especially since a lot of our relationship has been centered around Xmas (him helping me put up my lights, getting and decorating his tree, going to church last Sunday and today for Advent). So I suppose there may be some bigger sort of meetings going on, at least as a possibility. If they don't happen, it won't be a bad thing. I'm just trying to think of all the possibilities

How is the Bowflex?

Robin-What area are you getting your Ph.D. in? That sounds like TONS of work. Sounds like your Xmas party will have several viable options. Hope you have fun!

Patchlady-Here's to new starts today!

Hello to everyone else!!!!!

OK, last week it was my Tupperware that was missing. This weekend it's my energy. Lissette, did you go and steal that, too?

I did work yesterday on decorations from around 8:00 in the morning til almost 9:00 last night. Once I start on something like that, I can't stop. I was able to "finish up" a few tableaus (a LOT of thinking goes into this, ya know), but not many. We ate around 6:00. My menu throughout the day was so-so. Cottage cheese, yogurt, fudge. <gasp> Did I say fudge? Well, maybe a couple wee pieces. But nothing else off plan. Are sugar wafers off plan? Well, then maybe just a few. <fingers crossed behind my back>

OK, I admit it. DH and I polished off an entire package of sugar wafers between Friday night and Saturday morning. BUT HE HAD MORE THAN I DID! I SWEAR!

Typically, cookies don't do it for me. Except sugar wafers. Why I thought I could buy them "just for him" I'll never know. I guess that goes on my "don't even think about buying this" list.

Wendy, that was pretty rude of those people at dinner. Even a little tipsy, they should have remembered how awkward things can be when you're just starting out with someone. Sounds like you two handled it pretty well, though, and it did get you to actually talk about your relationship. That's a good thing.

Here's my thought on a gift. I think you need to get something for him. Nothing much, just maybe $25. Wrap it, and then just keep it (if it's small, you can even keep it stashed in your purse). Then, if he gives you a gift, you'll have one ready. If he doesn't, no harm done because you've kept it out of sight.

How about a CD? Do you know if he has the one called "Christmas Songs" that has "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" sung by the Bare Naked Ladies and Sarah McLaughlin? It's a really great CD. Another great one (that never fails to mellow me out) is Kenny G's Christmas CD.

One warning about the BNL CD. There's a beautiful song on it sung by some woman I don't remember. It's about a cat who is caught out in the freezing cold on Christmas Eve. A mouse comes along, and is afraid the cat will eat him. But the cat says not to worry, this is Christmas Eve and they will keep each other warm through the night. It's so sweet. But then, right at the end, the mouse wakes up in the morning to find the cat has died during the night. A person comes along and says the cat did a wonderful thing for the mouse by giving up its life to keep the mouse warm and the mouse should be happy. The first (and only) time I listened to it, I was crying my eyes out! I haven't put that CD in again. I know I can program my CD player to skip over that song, but I don't even want to take the chance!

Sorry. Maybe you should go for the Kenny G one!

Hi everyone...it is a new day...and feeling pretty good about myself.

Today is the big chirstmas dane show. and to get inot the spirit of Chirstmas, it is snowing! We had a big storm Friday night into saturday, but I think the storm forgot to STOP! Down in the valley they have sunny skies and clear weather. But here up in the mountains, it is still snowing like ~#$$. Hopefully, I will be able to get down the mountain and to the show. I live about 40 miles from the town where the show is. So it isn't going to be an easy drive.

Hello to all. I was up .5 lb this AM but I took sodium based anti inflammation meds after shoveling snow yesterday so I am not surprised. Sounds like I should be ok.

Treated myself to Atkins pancakes with some bluberries in them this AM, total was around 360 cals which would have been equal to a cup of cottage cheese plus some egg or fruit, hope I am ok after that.

Wendy, people are unreal anymore. That was just rude, drunk or sober. But sounds like it got some of the undiscussed stuff out of the way so maybe it was a good thing after all. Sounds like you are going to have a great Xmas!!

PatchLady, we got about 7 inches give or take a drift here and there.

Bawdy, my "don't even think of buying this " list is getting to look like War and Peace.

Here's another thing for that list: cinnamon sticks to put in the cast-iron teapot on top of our woodstove. We like to keep water boiling when we have the wood stove going to humidify the air a little. It's nice to put some cinnamon sticks and whole cloves in for the scent. HOWEVER. This morning I made DH some special Pepperidge Farm cinnamon french toast bread (it's sliced about 3/4 inch thick). Usually this doesn't bother me at all. HOWEVER. I've been working on the tree all morning, all the time smelling the wonderful aroma coming from the teapot on the woodstove, and it finally wore me down. All I could think of was that stupid toast. So yes, I'm ashamed, but I had 2 slices. I promise I'll work out later.

We got about 2 feet of snow, and it's still coming down. It's also very windy. DH shoveled the porch and front walkway down to the driveway, and 10 minutes later it was like he hadn't done a thing. I think we'll wait until the storm is over later this afternoon.

Someone asked the other day about my "leaky" pet problem. Yes, we have it solved. For whatever reason, perhaps politeness, the dog didn't want to wake us up at night to go out and so instead went down and peed on the kitchen floor. I caught her one time and SCREAMED at her. She felt so bad she could barely look at me for hours. Later I sat down on the couch next to her, and she ever so slowly crept over to me and put her chin on my lap. Awwww.

We now keep her in the bedroom with us, and use a baby gate so she can't get out the door. Hasn't been a problem since.

This morning, though, the cat did it on the hearth! Who knows what goes on in a cat's mind. We had been keeping that room (the den) closed off at night, and open in the daytime. This is the first "accident" (more like an "intentional," if you ask me) in a long time.

Back to decorating.

Good afternoon!

Bawdy, i think that it is Wendy that stole your energy!(she is high on life!) the only thing active here is my appetite, ALIVE and WELL! No I have fought it today, keeping track of the things I eat have really helped! I know what I have left for the day and try to plan it the best I can to stay in the correct cal -carb- protein area! Sounds like you are really getting hit with the snow! That in itself can bring on the comfort cozy eating!(cinnamon french toast comes to mind!) Alot of the eating that I do is impulsive, i FEEL like I need to eat, but when I stop and examine if I am hungry I have found that I am not! I have turned to water and tea and will work out tonight, Actually we are having a BEAUTIFULL day out here! 55*!!! If the roads dry up today I will run outside! Oh and as to the cat, they just do it JUST BECAUSE !

Wendy,i am happy to hear that the nigtht went well, those people WERE rude, but wasen't it a great catylist for the "serious talk"???HA I tell you when it is the right one time just gets away from you! I can not believe that we have been married for almost 15 years, I moved in with him exactly 15 years ago the 18 of this month in fact!! We planned our wedding and married at the end of Feb! The CD was a good suggestion of Bw's, What else is he into??

Elaine, your breakfast sounds good, can I come by some morning??? So did the anti-inflamatories work?? That is an awfully heavy job clearing snow and hard on the back and muscles! Speaking of lists of do not get, i have finally quit doing the "it is for my DH or Ds" shopping, I have found plenty of things that they like that I would not touch! Or I buy a single serving and make sure that it gets right to them!Ha I love chocolate, but my palate can not stand milkduds, my DH loves them so ....

Robin, Good for you starting the thread!!It sounds like you have alot on your plate!(literally speaking!) Good luck with the party tonight!

Orang, When do you have to report in?? Are they just interviewing right now?? Speaking of the family leaving, it is always the good ones that end up moving! We live near a small town and over the years I have lost some wonderfull friends!

Patchlady,Hope that you will make it to the Christmas show safely, You will have to let us know how it went!

Ellie, Hope you weekend is doing well!

A big HELLO to everyone else!

The Christmas show went GREAT! I got there safely thorugh the nasty weather. The dance numbers went well....but a couple of the tech people didn't show, so I had to work back stage curtians and cuing the lightman. This on top of changing costumes. I was basically changing in front of two other guys (sound crew, and director of the show) A few times, I had to make very fast changes....oh well..I am sure they have seen it before! (but not on ME!) LOL

My third grade daughter doesn't want to dance. She would rather sit back and watch mommy dance. This year, I decided to let her take the camcorder and let her play around with that. Well...the video came out just like a third grader did it..LOL Oh well, she can practice at the next dance show...who knows, maybe she will be a cameraperson for the news. She says she wants to be a reporter.

enough babbling...
eating today was so so...didn't start of too good. After the show we always go out to eat. We went to Fridays, I had the BBQ chikcen salad. I am sure there are a ton of carbs in there somewhere, but at least I didn't have bread, potatoes or any of those other nasty carbs.

Have a happy Monday!