Healthy Living Thread

[marcy]

Hi! Work was long, evening was short and it's time for bed already. We met some friends at the golf course for supper and a drink. The in-laws were there so we talked to them for quite a while then came home. Marty had to start taking malaria pills on top of 8 shots for a possible trip to Africa. Fun! I told him when he gets back he has to sleep in the RV for a week.

No news on the new home front. Marty told the real estate lady to contact the mortgage company and get creative. We can't be without a home for 6 to 9 months. We'll see what they say. The worst that can happen is we stay in our happy little home and don't move. The in-laws have their place for sell here and they said we could live there while a house is being built. Since we are not desperate nor backed in to a corner it gives us some flexibility. We could also live in our RV if necessary but then again we'd have to probably drive each other crazy. Our RV is big but not big enough to live in for 6 months. We also don't relish moving twice. Based on what I see online some companies just want 50% up front for upgrades, others just say okay and roll it in to your mortgage. The company that builds these houses is based out of California and I am sure they do business different that in the laid back ways of the west. I don't mind giving them some cash for upgrading countertops, cupboards, lights, faucets, etc but finishing the basement and adding AC? That is a bit much.

Take care.
Marcy

 

[cjusty]

Can I join in here?

I want to lose about 20 pounds and recently joined myfitnesspal.com to help me. I don't know if any of you are familiar, but you enter your info and your goals and it sets your daily calorie goal. You then log your food and exercise daily. This has really helped me start to make better choices. For instance, my husband took me and the kids out for a late breakfast today and normally I would have ordered pancakes, eggs, hashbrowns, and toast. The thought of having to log and seeing the calories really deterred me. Instead, I ended up ordering a eggwhite omlette with a side of fruit. I'm not sure yet what we'll have for dinner.

I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend.

 

[marcy]

Hi Cjusty! Welcome!!! Myfitnesspal is a great app. It sounds like you made great choices when you went to breakfast. mHaving those smart phones can help keep us all on track. I look forward to hearing more from you.

Hi everyone! I hope you had a great weekend. We finally are getting rain in this area. Yippee!!!

Marty took off for the UK this morning then he's probably going on to Uganda. I rode down to the airport with him so I can pick him up in a few weeks. The day he comes home he is up almost an entire day if not longer so we hate to have him drive home that day. Plus I plan on going shopping that morning for my last upgrade (ha ha good one) while I have some cash. Once we figure out the house shopping and what to do I will have to be saving money for that. I am debating between a new ring for my EC diamond, an upgraded ruby ring or a rose gold pink sapphire band. Of course they always have new things that distract me as well.

Our week was busy. Marty played golf both days. I did laundry and ran around doing errands. We took my parents out to show them the lot we might buy and the house that has the same floor plan we like.

Last night Marty and I went back to look at a few more used houses we found on line. The ones that seem to have everything we want are rural and we don't think we want them because Marty needs high speed internet, the country roads are often impassable which can make it hard to me to get to work, a well and a septic doesn't sound like something I want to deal with if Marty is gone and taking care of acreage is something that doesn't appeal to us. Marty wanted to move to the country for a long time but he has since changed his mind.

I made a roast for lunch today before we left for the airport. Yesterday we ate at Olive Garden and I had spaghetti. I have leftovers for the rest of the week now. I picked up some baked lays and the 80 calorie wheat buns so I can have easy lunches this week. I accidentally picked up the snack size frozen weight watchers bars. The are only 45 calories each but give you enough bites of chocolate they are pretty satisfying.

Tonight I had some cards and bills to put in the mail so I went out and drove around the area we are looking to move to looking for houses and lots for sale. The area has greenway throughout it and I saw so many people out walking. My current neighborhood doesn't have a nice place to walk. Another reason to want to move, huh?

Well, I swear I am going to be early. Wow, I am full of all sorts of whoppers tonight. Marty's plane lands in Frankfurt at 3:35 am our time so I'll probably check flight status off and on when I wake up. Then he flies to London from there.

Have a great Monday!
Marcy

 

[cjusty]

Marcy - that's exciting that your looking for houses!

We slept in today and then had to run some errands. We decided to eat at our favorite Mexican restaraunt. I had nachos, but was only able to finish about half. Since we ate lunch late, I wasn't hungry for dinner and just ate some strawberries.

 

[deegee]

Welcome cjusty! I've heard good things about my fitness pal. I usually count weight watchers points, but I'm thinking I may need to try something else to get myself back on track.

Marcy-you guys are thinking about building? That's really exciting! I don't think I have the patience to build. Plus I'm not good at picking things out as you know. It would take me years to make decisions. Matt and I have been talking more seriously about moving. He doesn't want to, but I do. I'd like to be closer to town. I'm tired of getting stuck for hours on the interstate multiple times a week. Most of my friends are in town, and I'd like to live closer to people I know since he's traveling a bunch lately. It sounds like Marty will be gone for a while. Matt hasn't had to travel outside of the country yet, but he'll be going to India at some point.

Our power went out again last Tuesday night, and I couldn't stand the thoughts of spending any more time in the dark in our oven/house. We left town Wednesday morning and came back Saturday, hoping all power would be back on. We went grocery shopping for a few essentials last night because we had to throw everything in the fridge and freezer away. We didn't buy much because we're having really severe storms and can foresee more power outages. I got a call on the way to work this morning that the section of town where I work got hit hard yesterday and the building is without power. Matt's building in a different section of town is without power too. There are still 70,000 people who have been without power since June 29. Crazy. Needless to say, food has been lousy. We have been having to eat out every meal and it has been too hot & steamy to exercise. I'm craving real food and a nice, long walk. Maybe tomorrow. Have a great day!

 

[cjusty]

deegee - wow, I hope you don't lose power at your house again and that you get power back at work.

Here's what I ate today:
breakfast - berry/spinach smoothie
lunch - subway veggie delight
snack - pita chips
dinner - stirfry with rice and chicken

Tomorrow will be one week since I started using myfitness pal and I'm really liking it so far.

 

[deegee]

Good evening! The power came back on at work late last night, so it was a regular work day today. It felt good to be back on a normal schedule, although it will be some time before things are truly back to normal here. There are so many downed trees in the roads and on houses and cars, and wires everywhere. Once inside, things seems normal. I have coworkers who are still without power and have been since the first storm on June 29. I had yogurt and blueberries for breakfast, a Healthy Choice steamers meal for lunch, and we stopped at a home cooking restaurant for dinner. I was craving fresh veggies since they haven't been available the past week, so I ordered a garden salad with grilled chicken on top. It tasted wonderful. I bought a pork roast but forgot to put it in the crock pot this morning. I was too busy calling my group to let them know to come to work! We didn't walk tonight. I fell sound asleep on the couch when we got home. I'm really messed up right now with sleep, eating right and exercising. Ugh.

cjusty-I'm glad you're liking my fitness pal. I'm going to have to look into it. It sounds like you ate very healthy yesterday. I have gained about 10 pounds of my 65 pound weight loss back, and I'm not at all happy about it. I refuse to buy bigger pants, so I'll be suffering with them being tight around the waist until I get this back off!

Have a great day tomorrow!

 

[cjusty]

deegee - I'm glad things are starting to get back to normal for you.

This is what I ate today:
breakfast - 1 slice of breakfast pizza
lunch - leftover stirfry
dinner - small bean/beef/cheese burrito

I started taking walks around the block on my morning and afternoon breaks and taking the stairs whenever possible. Also, today has been 1 week since I started using myfitnesspal and I'm down 2 pounds.

It's supposed to be 106 here tomorrow. I don't want to heat up the house with the oven so I'm trying a new crockpot recipe tomorrow, chicken cacciatore from skinnytaste.com. I did all the prep tonight so I just have to throw it in before I leave in the morning. I also have blueberry muffins, from the same website, in the oven right now.

Where's Marcy?

 

[marcy]

Hi everyone!

Cjusty, the house hunting is becoming more of a challenge and headache than fun. More about that later. Congratulations on your first week of using fitness pal and finding it so handy and useful. How did you chicken in the crock pot turn out? And the muffins? I will have to check out that website. Woo hoo for losing 2 pounds so far and that is awesome you are getting in so much walking. All of those extra steps sure help. Thanks for missing me.

Deegee, I would agree with you on moving since you can get closer to work and your friends. I would hate that kind of commute. I am already thinking about having to get up 10 minutes early if we move. That is nothing compared to your commute. How long does it take to get to work on a good traffic day? Too funny about how long it would take you to pick out things for a new house. We usually pick things out pretty quickly. How exciting that Matt might get to go to India. How awful you lost power again but I am glad you have it back and can work again. That is too bad so many are still without power. Rats for forgetting to get your pork roast in the crock pot. Aak! I worry about forgetting to turn it on.

Work has been horribly slow this week. It makes for very long days. I had cereal and strawberries for breakfast. Lunch was some pasta and a few chips. Supper was a junior hamburger, a few fries and 2 little 60 calorie ice cream bars.

Sorry I haven’t checked in for a few days. I never sleep well when Marty is out of town so I’ve been pretty much a couch potato for a few evenings. Marty is in an old hotel this time and doesn’t decent internet access there that works well enough to do face time so I only get to hear from him in email when he is at work. I am all sad without him and I am finding myself really bored so I got kind of depressed. I am better today tho so don’t worry! I usually don’t get like that.

The house hunting is progressing painfully slow and I am a worrier and inpatient. Our real estate lady has not given us very prompt or respectful service so I am about ready to find a new one. Every time we’ve made appointments she calls and moves them later. I was supposed to meet her at 5:30 today then she called this afternoon and moved it to 6. Then she called me about 5:15 and moved it to 7. I might just ask her tonight if she is too busy for us. I am meeting her to get a market analysis on our house. I am all nervous about what she says.

We still have not found a used house that would work for what Marty wants as his office. The place where we can get a new house built has a trade-in program where they will agree to buy your house at the time you close on your new house. They only take 3 at a time and were full but Saturday I put a bug in one of the ladies ears we sure were interested and to keep us in mind. They had an opening yesterday so I quickly responded we are very interested. So now we need a market analysis on our house. Then they will come look at it, see if they will take it on their program then they have people come check it for things like the roof, foundation, etc. If there are any issues we have to fix it to their satisfaction then they will give us an offer for what they pay. It looks like it is about 20% off the price it would be listed on the market which in my mind is worth being able to live in our house until we move. Again, it depends on if they take it and if we agree what they offer is fair. If all that works out okay I would take their buy offer to the mortgage company and make sure that works to do a contingency loan / buy for the VA loan. If that works okay then we go back and sign a contract on the house. No, I am not done yet. This company wants 50% up front earnest money for any and all upgrades including the partially finished basement and air conditioning. I am like seriously? If we are pre-approved for x number of dollars what does it matter? I can kind of understand if we want upgraded countertops, faucets, tile, etc. but the other things are kind of basics. Of course there is no way I can give them 50% up front so I will have to see what their minimum deposit is and then figure out where to get that money or see if the mortgage company and put up the earnest money that is then rolled in to our loan. I have no idea if any or all of the above works.

So my HLT friends you see why I have been a vegetable on the couch at night, thinking too much at night, not sleeping and a little depressed. It is all exciting and scary at the same time. I also hate to be asking these questions without Marty here with me.

Wow, it feels good to get that out. Thanks for listening. I know this is not really a bad problem to have but it is a bit overwhelming at times. Our current house payment is less than most people pay for rent. That is hard to give up!

Wish me luck with the market analysis tonight!

Laters!
Marcy

 

[marcy]

Well, the market analysis went better than expected. We are going to ask for the trade in program and make an offer towards the new house. Cross your fingers it all works out for us. We can live in our house until we move in to our new house. They buy our house at closing. Keep your fingers and toes and eyes crossed it works out the way we want. If we sell the house first we would end up with more cash but we'd have to move twice and they wouldn't start on our new house until we sold our current house. Then we'd be in limbo for about 4 to 6 months. We can move in to our in-laws house but we'd have to do satellite internet access which is painfully slow and my mother in law keeps her house so clean you could eat off her floor I'd be a nervous wreck in her house.

Marty was texting me while I was at the realtor's office. I finally realize it's like 2:30 in the morning there and he said he was wide awake. He goes to Uganda on Sunday and back to the UK on Wednesday. Aak. He starts the malaria pills Friday.

 

[cjusty]

Marcy - that all does sound stressful. I read your update and I hope it all works out for you. Good luck!

I thought the muffins were ok. I was a little disappointed because most of the reviews said 'best muffins I've ever had!' and 'my husband thinks these are the best and asks for them all the time!' My husband said they were nasty. My kids like them though. The chicken was pretty good, I would make it again.

What I ate today:
breakfast - 2 blueberry muffins
lunch - leftover burrito
snack - 2 really small peaches
dinner - chicken cacciatore over egg noodles

 

[marcy]

Hi! We had a potluck at work and even though I took tiny bites of assorted things I ate more than normal. I am still stuffed! It was pretty good though but most of it was not too healthy. Our division has 3 departments and we don't interact too often with the other divisions so I suggested this. I think most people enjoyed it. As usual some people did not but they aren't usually happy people anyway.

The only news I heard on the house / trade today was it is okay for us to get money back at closing. They are coming to look at our house next week. My garage and basement are an absolute disaster - Marty has been meaning to clean them out and up for months but golf came first. I will at least have our main floor inside looking good.

Marty is flying to Uganda on Sunday night then will fly back to the UK next Wednesday. The Olympic torch is coming through the town where he is staying this weekend so he hopes to get a picture of it. That would be COOL!!!

I stopped by to see my parents on the way home but they weren't there. I drove over to a nearby furniture store to look around. Ouch! I need to save more money. Then I drove back to my parents house but they still weren't there. I tried. Maybe I can catch them at home tomorrow.

CJusty, I will have to try the muffins now to see what I think of them. It looks like your food was really good today.

Take care.
Marcy

 

[cjusty]

I am going to keep this pretty short since because I'm super tired. I ate ok today. I had snacked more today than usual, maybe because I was tired? I also didn't get to take my short walks today. Oh well, back on track tomorrow.

Marcy - if you end up trying those muffins, let me know what you think.

Now off to bed for me.

 

[marcy]

Cjusty, that is the right attitude to not beat yourself up for taking a detour from your goals but to realize you can and will continue to go back on that quest tomorrow. I tend to snack when I am tried, stressed, bored, etc. I hope you caught up on some sleep.

I got up before 6, took a shower and ventured to our local Walmart. Someone told me to try "goo gone" to get some degreaser off our garage door and that was the only place they knew I could get it. I picked up a few other things there as well. It was not too crazy busy that early in the day. I came home and cleaned the bathrooms, dusted a few things and started laundry. Then I finally fixed breakfast. I made a canadian bacon, egg and thin swiss cheese sandwich for breakfast. I picked up some 96% lean ground sirloin and have 80 calorie wheat buns and 40 calorie swiss cheese so I think I'll have a cheeseburger for lunch. Mmm.

Marty and I finally caught up with face time this morning. He played golf in the pouring rain today and then got to go see the Olympic Torch arrive in Southampton. He said it was cool. He heads to Uganda tomorrow night.

The house plan we are considering has an open house today so I think I will go look at it again. I need to go try to clean the garage door.

Have a great and healthy weekend.
Marcy

 

[deegee]

Marcy-that is a lot to think about. The trade in option sounds great. I have never heard of that. One of my 2 biggest concerns is buying a new house before selling the old one, and that would certainly solve that problem. I would hate to make 2 house payments for an extended period of time. My other concern is, like you, we have a very low house payment right now. It was so low that we refinanced a few years ago at a lower rate to increase the payment a little but cut off a bunch of years to get it paid in full sooner. We have fewer than10 years left...do we really want another 30 yr mortgage? I guess you have to weigh the pros and cons. I'd sure like a smaller house closer to work and friends. Matt and I carpool, so my commute is an hour and 5 minutes each way. At least twice a week, the interstate is closed either in the morning or evening for accidents or construction. One night this week we were almost halfway home when we had to put the car in park on the interstate. The road was closed 4 miles ahead, and we were stuck...very common occurrence. We happened to be right at an exit, so we were able to get off the interstate to go eat dinner. By the time we got home, it was 8pm and I left work at 4:30. Marty getting to see the torch go by is really cool. I hope he got good pictures! I hope you were able to get to the open house for the plan you are considering.

cjusty-I have days where I feel like all I do is snack. It's great to have the attitude to put it behind you and move on the next day. So many people in my WW group would have a bad day and decide they blew it, and then they wouldn't try for the rest of the week with the intention of starting over the next week. Are you cooking lighter meals for your family? My hubby lost weight on WW as well but has gained it all back plus some. As soon as we get back to normal around here and don't have to eat out for dinner every night, I intend to get back with cooking healthy meals that he will eat too. His problem is eating too much junk...candy bars, chips, sugary sodas, etc.

We went to KY yesterday after work to celebrate Matt's birthday. I did really well for breakfast and lunch (blueberries & yogurt for bfast, a healthy choice meal for lunch), but for dinner we ordered pizza from a restaurant that has my favorite pizza. I ate too many pieces and then had birthday cake and icecream. Today I had cottage cheese & raspberries. We will go someplace for dinner and I'll have to be good to make up for the extra pizza and cake from yesterday. We have been cleaning Matt's study today. He is such a packrat! We got rid of so much stuff that the room looks bigger. We still have work to do before we paint in there. We're moving along rather slowly with our painting project. The days without electricity have really thrown us off. The power went off as we were leaving for work yesterday and I nearly cried. I did a happy dance when we got home and it was back on. Have a wonderful weekend!

 

[marcy]

Deegee, you are so right that I have a lot to think about. I have been searching online for pros and cons of walkout basements. Of course I found all sorts of horror stories about things that can go wrong. I am NOT going to go read up on those malaria pills Marty is taking. I’ll go bonkers. Too much information can be a bad thing. I also would like to get an idea of the slope, angle or the lot we picked and if the ground will be flat out the basement door. Being stuck on the interstate trying to get home or go to work does not sound fun. Right now it takes me about 10 minutes to get to work. The place we may move to will be a 20 minute commute. Aak, I’ll have to get up earlier. Marty got a few images with the Killer Rabbit in view. It was raining there but tons of people were there watching the runner and torch go by. Happy Birthday to Matt! I am looking forward to thinning out our excess stuff when Marty gets back. He is going to have them bring us one of those giant trash bins for a few weeks. I would cry too if the electricity keeps going out. Are power lines still down in a lot of places?

My realtor called me before lunch saying she’d get ahold of me in a few hours and we could get together with the contract she came up with for the house / trade deal. Of course I still haven’t heard from her. She is SOOOO bad at keeping up with appointments and things she'll say she is going to do. Even if she is too busy she can at least call me and let me know. Sigh. Earlier today the lady who is going to consider taking our house on trade emailed her asking for the market analysis on our house and after the realtor didn't answer her in 4 hours I sent it to her. Probably didn't set well with the realtor but hey I am over it.

Laters,
Me

 

[deegee]

Marcy-I don't blame you for being aggravated with your realtor. When we bought our house many moons ago, our realtor kept showing us houses like we had described we were not interested in. One right after the other. We even explained to her after each house that it was exactly what we were NOT looking for, and she'd line up another wrong house the next time. We bought a house that was for sale by owner that we found by ourselves while driving around one evening. We arranged to see it, it was what we were looking for, and we worked everything out ourselves with the owner. I'd be thrilled with a 20 minute commute! The 2 areas we're looking in should cut our commute time down significantly. I'm really excited for you guys! You're moving forward! Yes, there are still people without power 2 weeks after the storm. There is still a lot of cleanup to do. The community where I work is still quite a mess. Yesterday was the first day Matt had been there since the storm, and he was quite shocked at the damage.

 

[marcy]

Deegee, you've got to love that kind of customer service. This realtor did the same thing. The only day she took us around to look at houses she did not show us one single walkout basement which was the first thing Marty said was a requirement. That is great you found the house you ended up buying on your own. Probably both you and the previous owner came out ahead that way. The place we are looking at having a house built can probably handle any and all of our dealings, paperwork and questions without brining in the realtor. I don't feel the realtor deserves much of a commission off of the house we buy and selling of our house. It is now 7:40 pm and she has not called me back yet.

Laters,
Marcy

 

[cjusty]

Deegee - I am trying out some healthier recipes for my family. I still make a lot of the stuff we've always eaten, I just eat less. I think my biggest problem is prortion control.

Marcy - You must be so frustrated with your realtor!

We took a short road trip this morning/afternoon so we ate while on the road, so fast food. Not good, but I tried to make smart choices at least. Does anyone else find it's harder to be 'good' on the weekends?

 

[marcy]

Cjusty, weekends are harder for me too. We tend to eat out more and there seems to be more temptations around. I found what helped me out was allow one day a week where I could eat what I wanted but I tried to eat it in moderation. When I get fast food I often get a kids meal because they are smaller portions. Yes, I am quite frustrated with my realtor. If I knew how to negotiate the deal up front I'd bypass her completely. Maybe I can hold out on that until Marty gets back - he has been making big deals at work for years. He'd probably get us a better deal.

I'll actually have to tell you guys a funny story about when we bought my last car. Our 2005 was out of warranty and it broke down. It was locked up hard - you could not steer it or get it in gear. We had to have it towed to the dealer 50 miles away. They told us they had to order in a computer chip from Germany that was going to cost $2200 (parts and install) and even after it arrived in about a month they didn't know if that would fix it. So we decided to trade that car in for a new car. We are setting there with the salesman and he dickers with the numbers and gives it to us to look over. So Marty starts kind of asking for this, and asking for that and is saving a few more "you know we haven't looked anywhere else yet" stories and Marty looks at me and asks me what I think (and mind you my car is in their shop, torn apart and they have no idea what is wrong with it) and I say "I didn't think we'd get this good of a deal". The salesman actually got up and left. Marty is setting there shaking his head because he couldn't believe I didn't play along with him to get more taken off the car. I have been informed I am never allowed to speak again when he is negotiating a deal. Maybe if I look shocked or angry he can get us a better deal. The company he used to work for would fight to save another penny so he is used to pushing back and asking for a better deal. I told him next time to let me know not to agree to the first few offers. Usually I am setting there making jokes and refusing to sign anything so I guess Marty expected that is what I would be doing. To be fair though I didn't have a car so I was more worried about that.

 

[cjusty]

Marcy - I think I probably will start ordering kids meals if I have to get fast food. The story about buying your car is funny. My husband and I both worked in the automotive business for years, so we're pretty tough negotiators. Actually, for some reason I'm the tougher negotiator. But only when it comes to buying cars.

I made breakfast burritos this morning and I only ate half of one. I'm not sure about lunch and dinner yet.

Hope everyone's enjoying their weekend.

 

[marcy]

Cjusty, the kids meals are just a perfect size for me plus they are generally cheaper. Restaurants sometimes don't mind selling you a seniors meal either and they usually have smaller portions. I bet you and your husband have a lot of experience at negotiating since you were in that field. Marty read somewhere that when you are going to buy a car - pack a lunch and set there and dicker all day. The longer a salesperson deals with you the more business they are losing so they may give in to what you want just to get rid of you. We bought our '05 from this same guy and Marty actually ending up getting us a few more breaks by the time our car was delivered. The car we bought that day turned out to be a dealer demo with over 10,000 miles which meant they had to sell it as a used car. That is 1/4 of the warranty already! Plus they didn't offer to reduce the price. It was funny because they were looking for the upgraded model in the area and they'd bring us what was out there (it was about a month before the new year models came out so pickings were slim) and this one had a different format and said "in demo" right at the bottom. I asked about it and they said "it's probably in a warehouse somewhere". I was right and they were wrong but we didn't want a used car at a new car price. So I start searching dealers to find the model we wanted and found one in New Mexico. I talked to a salesman there and he emailed me the specs on 2 cars they had in that model. So we picked the one with the winter package and I called our salesman and tell him a dealer in NM has the the car I want so he just has to get it here. Then we get to see the ugly behind the scenes how dealers don't play well together because they aren't giving up a popular selling car unless they get one in return. Blah, Blah, Blah! So finally they get it all worked out between dealers and my dealer is trying to tell me we have to pay shipping BOTH ways - for my new car to be delivered and for the traded car to be sent back. I'm like NO - you sold me a used car now make it right. So i finally agree to pay shipping one way. The salesman calls me and tells me it will be in on Tuesday. I take the day off from work (Marty was in Arizona) and my parents drive me to the dealer and my new car is no where in sight and they have no idea where it is. They finally track down the trucking company that picked it up and this time they remembered to ask when the truck is getting to Colorado. Well sadly it was not for another 5 to 6 days because after they picked the car up in New Mexico they were headed to southern Texas first then heading north. About then Marty got involved and we all of a sudden didn't have to pay any shipping charges, they gave up new floor mats, Marty got several very nice golf shirts and the owner hunted us down and apologized to us for all the hassles we had trying to buy a new car from them. Funny thing is we are considering switching brands next time because another brand will drive 100 miles to pick up my car, take it back for service and leave you a car to drive. Then they return with your car and you are done. How sweet is that?

Speaking of negotiating this afternoon my realtor is going to meet me at 4:30 to go over our contract offer on the new house. Does anyone want to bet me a dollar it gets postponed?

I got up about 8 today. I hadn't heard from Marty since yesterday afternoon which was weird and no emails either. Waah! I took my shower and decided to sweep the steps to the basement. I got down there and decided if I had a dozen high school aged boys we could maybe get it cleaned up in a day but since I don't know a dozen high school teenagers I decided to do what I could with the garage. My sister and her son were coming to town anyway for my nephew to help my parents and my brother in law said he would take all my cardboard boxes so I pulled most of them out of the garage and folded them up then swept the side of the garage where my car parks. The other side is still messy but looks a boatload better.

After my sister got here we went to see where our house will be built (if it all works out) and when I was showing her the model home in that plan I noticed one of the ladies from their office was next door at a model home so I asked her to let us in to see that home. She is the one coming to my house tomorrow to see about the trade in deal. After we were done there we went to Olive Garden for lunch. We both had salad, 1 breadstick and split an appetizer. I am pretty full from that.

Marty called me why we were eating and asked why I hadn't answered his text or email so I guess his SIMM card isn't working too well since I never got them. He is on a plane to Uganda right now.

Take care!
Marcy

 

[marcy]

Okay - the realtor was about 30 minutes late. Sigh. But we have a contract to give the seller now. Step 4 accomplished - only 4816 more to go.

 

[cjusty]

Marcy - wow, sounds like the dealer was giving you the run around but I'm glad they eventually made it right. Yay for having a contract, good luck! What's the next step?

We ended up having Chipotle for lunch/dinner, I had a burrito bowl. I might have some fruit for a snack later if I get hungry but I'm still pretty full.

 

[marcy]

Cjusty, fruit sounds good. I have some strawberries but need to pick up some peaches. They are starting to get good now.

Our next step is tomorrow the builder sends a representative to see if they will take our house on trade. If they do, they will make us an offer (may include we have to fix some things). If we accept their offer the realtor will give them our contract which they can accept, counteroffer or reject. If we both end up agreeing to everything I will go to the lender to get the pre-approval document, I pay a deposit and the fun will begin. And I get to do all of this without Marty being here. Aak. I can hear him now if we get it all going this week - "I leave the country for 2 weeks and look what you did!" I can point out to him at least I didn't agree to spend that kind of money on jewelry.

Marty's plan will be landing in about 50 minutes. I hope he'll be able to send me a text from the airport when he gets there.

I hope I sleep tonight.
Marcy

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Worked it hard in the pool today--I thought it would be busier with summer vacay and all...plan to go again tomorrow. It has been wet the last day or two--or I would bike ride. Keep well folks!

What else are folks here doing for regular/dedicated exercise?

cheers--Sharon

 

[missy]

HI:

Worked it hard in the pool today--I thought it would be busier with summer vacay and all...plan to go again tomorrow. It has been wet the last day or two--or I would bike ride. Keep well folks!

What else are folks here doing for regular/dedicated exercise?

cheers--Sharon

Hi Sharon, swimming is great exercise!
My favorite go to activity if I cannot cycle due to weather is the Cybex arc trainer. I love it and have been using it since I injured my knee and stopped running. It is low impact and aerobic and I have been able to maintain my weight and health using it.

This is the one gyms have:
http://www.cybexintl.com/cross-trainers-770a-total-body-arc-trainer.aspx

and this is the one I have:
http://www.cybexintl.com/cross-trainers-360a-home-arc-trainer.aspx

I love it so much I ended up purchasing another for the beach house. The weather is so unpredictable and I need my workout fix every day LOL.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Worked it hard in the pool today--I thought it would be busier with summer vacay and all...plan to go again tomorrow. It has been wet the last day or two--or I would bike ride. Keep well folks!

What else are folks here doing for regular/dedicated exercise?

cheers--Sharon

Hi Sharon, swimming is great exercise!
My favorite go to activity if I cannot cycle due to weather is the Cybex arc trainer. I love it and have been using it since I injured my knee and stopped running. It is low impact and aerobic and I have been able to maintain my weight and health using it.

This is the one gyms have:
http://www.cybexintl.com/cross-trainers-770a-total-body-arc-trainer.aspx

and this is the one I have:
http://www.cybexintl.com/cross-trainers-360a-home-arc-trainer.aspx

I love it so much I ended up purchasing another for the beach house. The weather is so unpredictable and I need my workout fix every day LOL.

Missy:

How did you injure your knee? I fell skiing a few years ago and took at hit to my left knee and while it is OK, I still feel it when I run. Or sometimes when I sit for extended lengths of time......(flying, etc...)

I've seen these CT's at the gym...I use one once in a while...I am not much of a gym person...will do the treadmill on the odd occasion. BUT now I know you have one at the BEACH HOUSE

My river runs have really helped my core--and defined my abs. I no longer lane swim since I did that for so many years and it is not exciting enough for me to hold my exercise attention and I don't want those big lats back........I do my own thing in the deep water as well. Our summers here are not long and hot--short season, seems like we "need" to pack in outdoor activities (I like the intense dry heat) in a few months. I do cycle--I love my bike; and run if I can tolerate it. I am not a great runner.

My pal is a hiker--and since we live in the Rockies; I should do more.....

Thanks for sharing! Keep well!

cheers--Sharon

 

[missy]

HI:

Worked it hard in the pool today--I thought it would be busier with summer vacay and all...plan to go again tomorrow. It has been wet the last day or two--or I would bike ride. Keep well folks!

What else are folks here doing for regular/dedicated exercise?

cheers--Sharon

Hi Sharon, swimming is great exercise!
My favorite go to activity if I cannot cycle due to weather is the Cybex arc trainer. I love it and have been using it since I injured my knee and stopped running. It is low impact and aerobic and I have been able to maintain my weight and health using it.

This is the one gyms have:
http://www.cybexintl.com/cross-trainers-770a-total-body-arc-trainer.aspx

and this is the one I have:
http://www.cybexintl.com/cross-trainers-360a-home-arc-trainer.aspx

I love it so much I ended up purchasing another for the beach house. The weather is so unpredictable and I need my workout fix every day LOL.

Missy:

How did you injure your knee? I fell skiing a few years ago and took at hit to my left knee and while it is OK, I still feel it when I run. Or sometimes when I sit for extended lengths of time......(flying, etc...)

I've seen these CT's at the gym...I use one once in a while...I am not much of a gym person...will do the treadmill on the odd occasion. BUT now I know you have one at the BEACH HOUSE

My river runs have really helped my core--and defined my abs. I no longer lane swim since I did that for so many years and it is not exciting enough for me to hold my exercise attention and I don't want those big lats back........I do my own thing in the deep water as well. Our summers here are not long and hot--short season, seems like we "need" to pack in outdoor activities (I like the intense dry heat) in a few months. I do cycle--I love my bike; and run if I can tolerate it. I am not a great runner.

My pal is a hiker--and since we live in the Rockies; I should do more.....

Thanks for sharing! Keep well!

cheers--Sharon

I hear you on feeling like you need to get in as much outdoor activities as possible. It seems we only have 2 seasons here- summer (hot and humid) and winter (freezing) LOL...though not last winter which was quite lovely and mild.

Your river runs sound like a pretty intense workout Sharon. Defined abs are a good side effect for sure. Could you explain what river runs are?

I would love to hike where you are- such gorgeous scenery. It's more fun to workout with a friend I think- you should join your pal on some of those hikes. I wish we got to hike more.

To this day I am not sure as to what caused my knee injury. We were on a "cycling" vacation where we long distance cycle every day for our 2 week vacation weather permitting and all seemed fine but one night I got up off the couch and all of a sudden intense knee pain and I couldn't straighten it. Weird.

The orthopedist was sure I tore my meniscus but we did 2 MRI's (don't ask) and there was no tear. However, I could not bend my knee straight for over 6 months and was in a bit of pain for over 8 months. I did physical therapy and everything I was supposed to do and I am back to almost normal but I still cannot put my weight on it in a bent position if that makes any sense. A bit inconvenient especially when I am trying to find the kitties if they are under the bed. I either have to go on my stomach on the floor or have my dh find them. But it could be worse and I am thankful to have most of my knee function back. It was a tough 6-8 months for me and I had to find other activities besides running and that is when I started doing the arc trainer(my dh read about it in the WSJ). Luckily I was able to cycle the whole time also. Against my physical therapist's instructions but my orthopedist said if it didn't hurt I could do it. My knee hurt less when I was cycling then when I was walking.

Anyway, sorry for the long story. But I just wanted to share about the arc trainer because it seems to be one of the few great workouts I can get without putting any stress on my knees. I don't like to swim because I have bad memories from when I was in competitive swimming in school (hated it and till this day hate the smell of chlorine) and swimming really is one of the best low impact workouts around.

Anytime you want to try out my arc trainer at the beach house- c'mon over!

 

[marcy]

Sharon, it sounds like you had a great workout in the pool. We are getting some rain too.

Missy, thanks for the suggestion for low impact / aerobic trainer. We might have to look in to getting one of those since both of us have problems with our knees. That is strange they can’t find out what happened with your knee but that is great it is doing so much better.

I was using our treadmill until it started to both my knees so I do some stretches and walk.

I talked to Marty this morning. He said he made it to the hotel but that 35 miles took 90 minutes and the driver had to playing a massive case of chicken the entire way. They did meetings at the hotel today and will go to the business sight tomorrow then he gets on a plane late tomorrow night (my time) but Wednesday morning there. He then goes back to the UK for a few days before coming home.

I met the lady today who photographed and looked at our house to see if they will take it in on trade for a new house. She said she’d let me know in a few days. Inside is mostly fine, outside is in sore need of a painting. We’ll see what they say / offer. I sure hated not having Marty deal with this because he’d know the answers to some of her questions. If they agree to take it on trade they will have it inspected for which we will be responsible to repairs if they find something. Send PS dust our way, please.

I had a Smart One mac and cheese for lunch. I like it better than the Lean Cuisine one. For supper I made some oven fries and cooked a hamburger (96% lean) in the foreman grill. My sister brought me some tomatoes and a cucumber from her garden so I ate them while my supper was cooking.

Tomorrow I am taking my team to lunch and they picked Olive Garden. I am meeting a friend for supper so I’ll have a busy and tempting day.

Take care.
Marcy