Mon, 30 Aug The kids went back to school today. Joe is a senior, Jai is a sophomore, and Tim is in seventh grade. The high school has gone to a four-period day. Jai doesn't like it. Don't know what Joe thinks because he went right to work from school. I won't see him til after 11:00. That makes for a long day for the kid. He gets up at 6:00 and doesn't get home til after 11:00. Then he still has to get cleaned up before he can get in bed. Oh well, he's young.

I made out pretty well with my foot. I started out the day without the crutches, but had to come home and get the dang things. I got to bleeding and bled through the bandage. I just wish it would stop hurting. I want to get back to my walking. Will keep you posted. Keep the faith ;)

Sun, 29 Aug We had Jai's birthday sleepover last night. Her birthday isn't until next month, but we decided to do it now because she wanted to take her friends out on the boat and go tubing. Everyone had a good time, though 2 of the girls wouldn't go tubing.

I was getting off the boat at the island and my foot slipped. I cut my left foot on the bottom right before the heel. I can't walk on it and have to use crutches or hop or walk on my toes. This will put quite a crimp in my walking for exercise. The kids also start back to school tomorrow and I will have a hard time pushing a wheelchair while using crutches. This could get quite interesting.

Three of the five girls who came are still here. My oldest son is glad he had to work until three today. I know he is hoping they will all be gone by the time he gets back home.

We had steamed crabs yesterday. That is the fourth time we have had them. I love them, but can tell when I eat them because all the seasoning causes me to retain water. My ankles are swollen this morning. I still have about 18 crabs in the refrigerator I have to finish picking. I have a lot of crab meat in the freezer from the last two times we had crabs. I will use it to make soup for the winter. Keep the faith ;)

Fri, 27 Aug I just got an email asking about Norman Johnston. He was caught last Friday morning in PA. A couple heard some noise in their backyard and called the police. When the police got there, Norman Johnston just gave up. He said he was tired and the cops just wouldn't give up trying to find him. I haven't been able to walk in the morning this week because I went back to work. Have been walking in the evening and my husband hasn't been too worried about me since Norman was caught.

The kids start back to school on Monday. We will go shopping and get the basics this weekend. They always get a list of things they need the first day of school. I just refuse to go buy too many things as the teachers always want something different. They even go so far as to tell you what kind of notebooks and pencils they want your child to have. I told them when they start paying for the stuff, they can tell me what kind to buy. Keep the faith ;)

Thurs, 26 Aug Sorry it has been so long since I updated. I have been having trouble with Tripod. Gained another pound last week. Had a bad week eating-wise. Have gone back to work as of Tuesday. Maybe a more rigid schedule will help me with the eating. Not much to report. Will check in again later. Keep the faith :)
Thurs, 19 Aug I went to my weigh-in last night. Up .6 pounds to 235.8. Am not going to complain as it is that TOM. I was actually expecting a larger gain. I didn't get my walk in yesterday because the custodian had sprayed the fence around the track with weed killer. The smell made me so sick that I was barfing before we got 1/2 mile done. That just set me up for the whole day. By the time I got home I had a major migraine going because of the smell. I was walking with my girlfriend and it didn't bother her or either of her kids. It is just because it was time for me to start my period. I started yesterday afternoon. The smell was better today and we got our 3 miles in. Have had a good eating day so far. No packing in the carbs like the last 2 days. Keep the faith ;)
Mon, 16 AugOkay, this is getting ridiculous. I wish they would catch this guy already. I am tired of ferrying kids back and forth. Jai and Cat usually walk or ride bikes back and forth between our houses as we live less than a mile apart, but with Norman Johnston still on the loose, I have been running them back and forth. Cat's parents take turns, but they both work, so I have been doing most of it.

On the walking front, Denise and I are still walking in the morning, but we don't use our headphones so we can hear better and our heads look like they are on swivel sticks because we are constantly looking around. The track is fenced, but there are woods that run right up to the fence on the back side of the track. We never see single women walking when we get there. If there is a single woman, she waits in her car til we get there then she gets out and walks. We are making new friends, but what a way to make them. Several women have adjusted their walking schedule to meet ours as there is safety in numbers. (Plus, I carry pepper spray.) I don't know what will happen next Tuesday when I go back to work. I could walk earlier, but it would have to be at 5:30 and most of the women don't make it out til 6:30 (7:00 now because of Norman). Guess I will have to walk in the evening with the dog. Keep the faith ;)

Sat, 14 Aug Oh my gosh, Cecil County made America's Most Wanted. The police have been looking for Norman Johnston for about 2 weeks now and just can't seem to catch him, despite numerous sightings. The blood hounds even had his scent once, but still he runs on the loose. It is kind of scarey to think that an escaped murderer is running around the county you live in. Sure hope they catch him soon.

It was very hot and humid here today and we finally got some rain, but not enough to ease the drought any. It was real hard to walk those 3 miles this morning. It was so tempting to quit after two, but we pushed on and finished the last mile. Our time has taken a drastic drop since the humidity has returned. It is just too hot to push too hard. At least we are out there walking.

I took the kids to Burger King today and didn't get anything for myself. I had already eaten lunch and wasn't really hungry. In the past, I would have ordered some fries anyhow, but today I stayed strong and didn't get any. I didn't even eat any of the kids fries. Maybe I am finally learning restraint. Keep the faith ;)

Fri, 13 Aug Went for another walk this morning. The weather is taking a turn for the worse. The humidity is up again. I swear it was so bad you could almost suck the moisture out of the air. They are calling for thunderstorms tonight, tomorrow and Sunday. They also said there is the potential for violent weather. I sure hope we don't have much of that.

Joey got home from his trip this evening. He wasn't due til tomorrow. I haven't seen him yet. He came and rode his brother's mini-bike, then went back down to the neighbors. Guess he has to get his stuff and help them unload the truck. I can't wait to see him.

Have been doing pretty good on my eating. Drinking plenty of water. Keep the faith ;)

Thurs, 12 Aug I got up early and went for a walk this morning. It was only 71, but very humid. Denise and I were very tired and sweaty by the time we got done. Walking when it is humid sure does seem to sap your strength.

I guess if you are here, you know I did some revamping of my page. I also added some new pictures (I took the old ones off.) The new ones are smaller and load faster. Have some up on the family photo page and a couple of me on my progress chart page. I plan on taking pictures and putting them up to keep you updated on how I am doing. Keep the faith ;)

Wed, 11 Aug Got weighed in at WW tonight. I am down 5 pounds to 235.2.

I got in plenty of exercise today. I walked for an hour this morning, then spent 2 1/2 hours swimming and paddling this afternoon. I paddled 1/2 way from Garrett Island to the boat dock and back, for a total of about 1/2 mile. Then I swam the same distance. I know my shoulders will be feeling it tomorrow. Keep the faith ;)

Tues, 10 Aug Sorry it has been so long since I have been here. Time just seems to slip away. Only 2 more weeks from today til I go back to work. I have been busy trying to get things done that absolutely have to get done before then, cause I won't have much spare time after school starts.

The weather has cooled off some and they are even calling for some possible rain tonight and tomorrow. According to the weatherman we need a couple of tropical storms to come up the coast and give us about 3 - 4 days of rain each. Then we may finally catch up on our rainfall. Over the last year, we are over 16 inches below normal.

I have been doing pretty well on my eating. Will see tomorrow night if I can post a loss. Sure hope so. Keep the faith ;)

LATER Well, Jai wanted ice cream, so after supper we went to Walmart then to Dairy Queen. I really wasn't hungry. I don't know if it was because I hadn't had any ice cream in so long, or what; but I got a medium chocolate dip cone. The only good thing I can say is that I didn't finish it. Over half of it is in the freezer for Tim or Chip to have tomorrow when they get back.

Sat, 7 Aug Got up early and got my walk in this morning. I took Buster (our little black lab/shephard mix). He had the time of his life. The track is fenced in and he just ran and sniffed, chased birds and butterflies, and just had a great time. I only got 1 1/4 miles in because he just ran himself ragged and I had to get him home into the house where it was cooler. Will go finish my walk later on this evening when it cools down some.

We went out on the boat yesterday afternoon. How would I count 90 minutes of swimming, climbing on the swim deck and diving off? Where does that fit in on the exercise scale. I know I didn't have any trouble sleeping last night. I was pooped.

All of Maryland is under a drought watch and you are not allowed to wash your car. We usually wash our boat to get the dirt from the river off it when we get back. We had no intention of doing so yesterday, just wiped it down with our damp towels from swimming. The neighbor was skulking around trying to see if we were going to wash the boat. Probably would have gone right in and called on us. He is very put out because he can't water his lawn any more and he doesn't want his grass to die. Guess he will just have to suffer along with the rest of us. Keep the faith ;)

Fri, 6 Aug Weight Watchers weighed me at 240.2. I didn't get a walk in this morning. I had a terrible night and didn't get up til late. Now I am getting ready to leave to have blood tests done. The dr is testing my hormone level as I have been having hot flashes like crazy.

I have really been working on my eating. I have started writing down everything that passes through my lips. It sure does make you realize how much you eat in a day. I have been drinking plenty of water (between 80 - 100 ounces a day). Of course, with the heat in the 90s every day, it isn't hard. Keep the faith ;)

Wed, 4 Aug The weather has let up and it has been beautiful walking in the morning all this week. I have hardly broken a sweat compared to the previous weeks when I would come home with my t-shirt wet the whole way down my back. I hardly feel like I am exercising. Don't get me wrong, I still sweat, just not as much. It has still gotten up to the 80s and 90s all this week, but the humidity has been pretty low. That helps a lot. Now if we could just get some rain. We are over 16" below our normal rainfall for the year. They are instituting state-wide water restrictions as of this afternoon. I am going to weigh in at Weight Watchers tonight and see how different their scales are from the doctors. Since I will be weighing in with them every Wednesday, I guess I will go by their scales instead of the drs. Will let you know tomorrow what they said. Keep the faith ;)
Mon, 2 Aug Went to the dr today for a checkup. According to his scale, I weigh 240 pounds. Just can't seem to get everything going at once. I can juggle two things, but can't get the third one up and going. Have been doing good on exercise and water, having trouble with eating.

Joe is gone for the next 2 weeks. He went out to Yellowstone with his friend's family. They left Friday and will get home on the 14th or 15th. I miss him already.

We will probably go out on the boat this afternoon. That will give me more exercise. The weather has cooled off some. It is only in the low 90s today and the heat index is much lower than the 110 - 115 it has been. I hardly broke a sweat this morning compared to all last week. It was only 67 this morning. All last week it was already in the high 70s or low 80s early in the morning. Keep the faith ;)