Hi Everyone,

I'm starting the thread early because tomorrow I won't be able to do it. I have been in Lake Tahoe for a week and tomorrow is our travel day. It's been a nice week but I'm ready to go home. My dogs are waiting. Even though they don't know why I am sure life is tougher on them when we are gone. They rely on our attention. 

I had a crazy good dinner tonight....filet of sole with a sauce and capers, asparagus, and angel hair pasta. I get it every year at this Italian restaurant when we are here. I could only eat half, maybe less. It is still a splurge though. I am hoping that I have maintained this week. I am not looking for a miracle...lol. 

Tomorrow night we will have overnight guests...I invited them when I had a couple of glasses of wine...damn. Now I wish I hadn't, but the damage was done. 

I am not sure of my food plan tomorrow. I'm thinking we will have breakfast on the way out of town, so I'll stick with eggs and a piece of sausage. There will be no food in the house until I get to the grocery store ....not sure what the rest of the day will involve foodwise. 

One of my first tasks is to hit the scale. I need to see what I'm dealing with up close and personal. 

Happy Father's Day to everyone that is lucky enough to have a Dad that is still living. My Dad died young so I haven't had him in my life for forty years. We will celebrate a bit because my husband is a Dad. 

Missed you this week Jeannie...I'm sure you are thrilled to be home!

Julia

Mary,

My husband and I were talking about hurrying up to wait on people. I hope your worker shows up.  It is so hot here too. I swear; I walked out to get something out of the car and the heat took my breath.  

My beans are done; I may go take a little nap. 

Hey Yvonne,

Sounds like you are in for a busy day. 

I finished the readings yesterday and we read 2.8 million essays....oh my!  I came home late last night: KCMO is only about 4 hours from here and it's a pretty easy drive.  If I had flown, it would have taken me two hours longer because there aren't straight flights from NWA to KCMO. 

The week was hectic and I bet I walked six miles every day and mostly ate salad for lunch and dinner.  They just don't know how to make vegetarian meals...but they had salad bars that always had chick peas and black beans so I was able to eat the salad with a load of beans. 

On an aside, we always share rooms with other readers and I have often shared a room with a friend of mine but the last two years, she has not attended so I shared a room with another friend of mine....this year, that friend went into some mental thing of not sleeping....she wouldn't shut up...I didn't get to sleep before 2 all week and had to be up at 5:30....the only time I was free of her endless chatter was when I left the hotel early to go the convention center to eat breakfast and I left as soon as the bus came to get me....In fact, out of the entire week, she probably didn't read one full day because she was so manic that her table leader sent her home every single day. 

Next year, I will room with a stranger because if I had been rooming with a stranger, I would not have thought twice about going to ETS and saying, please get the crazy woman out of my room but since she was a friend, I didn't want to get her in trouble. 

We have our grandkids for the next two weeks.  My eight-year-old granddaughter is taking a gifted and talented summer program at the university and the boy is taking a robot thing.  DH and I are trying to figure out what to do with them after their morning classes. We will probably have them go to the Jones center, which has dance classes, sports things, swimming, ice skating, and other things.  We pay a couple of hundred dollars and they provide them with activities every afternoon.  Today, I really need to figure out how I am going to fit the two in my apartment for two weeks.....geeze we live in a crowded and cluttered apartment

My breakfast today was a very small whole wheat pancake with walnuts and sunflowers...I put a little cashew butter on it. 

I am making a pot of beans for dinner and will probably make an egg salad for lunch....

Ladies, I've missed you guys but have just read so many AP essays every single day that I just couldn't read or post much....plus I had so much work to do after reading and that kept me busy....I spent all my evenings in the hotel lobby, hiding behind the big plants, so I could work without my manic roommate distracting me and about 11:30, I'd go back to my room and she would be awake and manic as hell and ready to chat.....even when I took out my hearing aide, and even when I put my eye cover on, and even when I said, goodnight, she continued to chat.....holy bat****crazy......

Talk to me...I need normal....my friends...my support group....

Hi All, 

I'm here. It's been a busy week for me too. We have a week in Lake Tahoe once a year with my husband's three brothers and their wives. It's been fun but I am ready to go home and see our dogs and daughter. I have no idea what this will do weight wise. Hopefully no damage...I have tried to be careful. Yesterday we did lots of walking at a mansion on the lake...I could sure get used to living in such a beautiful spot with a yacht and servants...lol. 

It's great to have you back Mary! You truly have come out of a potentially horrible situation with a whole new life! Nice to see you too, Trish. Sounds like your vacation has been wonderful too! And Nancy, you continue to push right through pain and lead a very busy life! The knee intervention sounds great...

I have company coming for dinner...all eight will be here at three. Tomorrow we take our hosts for a fancy Italian dinner, and Sunday morning we all head in different directions. I'm attaching a picture of the view outside my timeshare balcony....

Good Morning Nancy and OFF,

I have been AWOL for good reason.  Last week, I was so busy, I barely could think.  This week, I've been in Pennsylvania.  Chris received his Executive MBA on Saturday at Penn State.  Then, Sunday, everybody in my family gathered at a huge, gorgeous house in the Poconos for a family reunion.  Tuesday, we all went to Kalahari Water Resort, and had a blast.  It was such fun watching Frankie overcome his fears, with me going down a little slide with him.  Izzy and Lincoln had a blast hanging out with Chris and Casey.  Then, Tuesday night we celebrated Izzy's 9th birthday and Mom's 90th.  Casey's parents joined us.  Now, I'm at Kathy's for a few days.

Needless to say, my food has been off the hook.  We ate at restaurants at Penn State.  At the house, we had a variety of foods.  Here in the Philly area, I'm catching up on my Philly foods.  

I want to share two pictures from my trip.