GOING BACK IN TIME

Hi people
   I know not many read this but I'm going to write it anyway.

  This last weekend I went back in time . I had my 55th class reunion. Boy have we all changed in 55 years. I guess that;s to be expected. Our first evening was casual. It took place in a beautiful place called the GOLDEN LEAF. We checked in & then started to look at people. We had names but they were hard to read. I thought it was going to be a long night because I couldn;t recognize people. I finally saw my old boyfriend & his wife. I knew Bob was coming & looked forward to seeing him again. He was talking to some boys he'd known from the west end & was going to sit with them. We did talk some.
  Chuck had found a table & was talking to some people while I walked around. I know it has to be boring for the spouses. I began seeing some people I knew & it was great. There were about 160 some there. I had taken my yearbook & people kept borrowing it. We all had to see what we looked like 55 years ago. Some were real easy to recognize but some never would have known if they hadn't had a name tag on.
   It seemed strange to me that people seemed to know who I was. I look nothing like my senior picture.
   I finally went to where Chuck was sitting & kept looking for people I might know.
   One guy came up to my table & looked right at me. He said we went to grade school together at Washington school. I was shocked because I don't remember anyone from grade school. He said we had classes together. We talked about a few teachers we had. We both remembered Miss Linder our 6th grade teacher. I guess my memory isn't too good. I'm doing good to remember who I went to high school with.
   Sat.  night we went back to the same place. We had a supper   with food from Machine Shed. You always get GREAT food from there. It felt better tonight because we knew people. Bob & Kathy (his wife) were waiting for us. We were going to sit with them. There was a lot of talking going on. We had one other couple sitting at our table. I was so glad to sit with them. His name was Don Swanson. He went to my church & we were in choir together & also our youth group. I hadn't seen him for years. We did a lot of remembering & it was nice.
    Before we ate we had our class picture taken. Boy was that a mad house. Can you imagine trying to organize about 170 people? Bob & I were standing together. The funny thing was there was another girl Shirley who used to date Bob to. I didn't really care much for  her in high school because of that. He kind of went between the two of us all the way thru school. Well we talked Friday & Sat. & got along fine. She kept talking to Bob & me . We were teasing him about his harem of exes. She stood by us during the picture insisting Bob should be between us. It was fun. I found she lives in Dixen Iowa. She works two days a week at CASI. She said we should get together for lunch some time. She's really neat.
    Bob told us a lot about what's gone on in their lives. He got married 6 months before me the same year. They had their first baby the same year Scott was born.
   He has dietabetes to. We have a lot in common. His wife is very nice & I was glad to get to know her better.
   The meal was delicious of course. Then we had some entertainment. It was 4 guys who sang together. Two of them were in our class. They sang some old songs but changed the words somewhat so they were funny & about 1956. They also did some comedy. They were very good & funny to.
    One other guy I saw when we were getting our pictures taken was John Cronk. He was also from my church. It was so good to see him again.
   All in all it was a night to remember the old days. High school for me was wonderful. I loved everything about it. It's fun to go back & relive those years. We will have one again in 5 years. I know there will be less there then. We are all about 72 now. We have lost about 110 now. That sounds like a lot but we had a class of almost 600 kids. When you consider this was our 55th reunion that's pretty good.That's a pretty good average.
    I came home not wanting to leave. Some of those people we won't see for 5 years & some we may never see again. I will remember this last 2 days for a long time.
    It's bedtime so guess i'd better quit. I'll go to bed & dream about the old days.
  See you all soon.
Goodnight all.

I FELL IN LOVE AGAIN THIS WEEKEND

Hi
 Can't believe I'm writing another blog so soon agter the last one. I had to write about my wonderful weekend with my granddaughters' I knew they were special girls but I found out just how special  they really are,
  It all started because I wanted to see a play at Pheasant Run. It sounded cute. I talked to Betsie & asked if I could use her bed Sat. night. The other two girls have loft beds which aren;t to good for Grandma. Of course she said that was fine. She's always so cute when I come up. She signs me up & gets me a towel & wash cloth. She showed me some paper where I could write  her a note about how good the service was. (Of course I wrote a glowing report).
   I had asked Brittany if she;d like to go to the play with me. She said she'd love to go. So I made all these plans where I could spend quality time with each girl. It was Becky's 14th birthday last Mon. so I said we could go shopping & I'd take  her to lunch for her day. It worked out fine. She was in a play downtown & had to go at 2pm. It was fun shopping with her. She tried on jeans (which she said she wanted) & ended up with a pretty sweather.  Then we went to eat. I got her home in time  for her to leave.
    That left Brittany. I had thought I'd take her out to eat for supper before the play. Well she wanted to go shopping to. She's working at a Dairy Queen so she has her own money. She wanted jeans to. She got 2 pair. They were on sale. She's a very frugal shopper. Then we went to Claires & I found a beautiful necklace & earring set to match the brown outfits I've been wearing.
    She wanted to eat at this place called California pizza . She said they had a neat pizza that was real different from the usual. It had a thin crust & was covered with lettuce & avacodos. It didn't sound to good to me but she said it was great. Then she wanted a appetizer & it was like an eggroll & had avacodos & other stuff in it. I'm not one for trying things new but I told her to order it. I found it was all good.
   Then we went to see this play. It was just one women & she did all the talking. She was divorced, had a teenage daughter(that you never saw) & was trying to get back in the dating life. While doing all this talking she's in her black panties & bra trying on clothes. She talks about some of her dates. It was really funny.  After the play We went to her Dairy Queen & got ice cream. It was a delightful evening. She said she was glad I had asked her.
    That left Betsie. I had told her I'd take her to lunch before I came home. I went to church with them & sat in on the youth class. Jenny was teaching the class. Those kids are amazing. They talk when the teacher asks them things. The age is middle school. Jenny is a wonderful teacher. I was so impressed with these kids. Jenny said she was going to say a prayer before they were done. This little black boy raised his hand & asked her if he could come up on stage & give the prayer. It blew my mind. (It was a beautiful prayer to.)
    Betsie & I went to Colonial for lunch(her choice). She wanted chocolate pancakes. We had a nice talk to. All the girls are getting school subjects done so each of them told me what they are taking.
   After lunch Britt. wanted us to come back to D.Q since she was working today. She made our choices.
   I took Betsie home but she wouldn't let me leave till she painted my nails. Then she gave my fingers a massage with lotion. Really felt good.
   I left for home at 2pm with regret that I had to leave these wonderful girls They are each so special & caring. Britt. told me about something she wants to do. She & Becky & Jenny go to Nicaragua every year & they take down shoes for the kids. Britt. said there is a website called Toms shoes. If you buy a pair of shoes from him he donates a free pair to a country who needs them.She wants to set something up to get more shoes for these kids. How sweet is that? She said the look on their faces is so wonderful. Some of them have never had a simple pair of shoes.
   So that was my weekend. I must say my son & daughter-in-law have raised some grat girls & I'm very proud to say they are my girls.
   Time to go to bed & dream about my trip.
  P.S. I'm sure every other grand parent feels the same way about their kids. That's the neat thing about being grandma & grandpa.RIGHT?
Bye for now.

I FELL IN LOVE IN BRANSON

Hi Gang

I said I would get this done this weekend. So guess I had better start.

Last Friday (15th) Chuck & I left to a timeshare in Branson. We knew it was going to be HOT but it was HOT here to. We got there about 5pm. Had some trouble finding the place. Our GPS girl kept sending us to Shepard of the Hills & that's not where we wanted to go. Finally we decided to stay on highway 76 till we found it. Everything in Branson is on 76. Finally found it & got checked in. This place was HUGE. We got boxes & clothes inside & looked around. It was very nice & big. There were 2 bedrooms & both had their own bathroom. My only problem was we had a sunken tub & I couldn't see a shower. Okay now I'm wondering how I'm going to get clean all week. I have trouble getting in & out of deep tubs. Chuck came in & looked for a shower. Guess where it was. On the other side of the tub was a shower that you pulled up out of the tub. You had to hang on to it & try to wash yourself. First you get wet then push a knob to turn off the water. Aftyer you get soaped up you push the knob to turn the water back on. Talk about inconvenient. I hated it. I did get used to it finally.

Billy & Jackie got there Sunday afternoon. We met them at the registration building so we could get them a visitor pass to keep in their car. They unloaded their stuff & then we went to find someplace to eat. Later we sat around & talked.

Monday Billy had a Dr. appointment in Springfield so we spent the day there. It's a HUGE place. We did some shopping at a few malls. Went to Walmart to & I found short sleeve tops like I get here. They are only 4.00 & last forever. I got 5 of them.

Then we went to a store called Bonworth. I'd never heard of it but it was a neat store. I had told Jackie I wanted to get 2 outfits for my 55th class reunion in Sept. This store had so many sets,tops,matching pants & sometimes jackets. She found this one outfit she thought would be perfect for one of the nights. I tried it on & it was perfect. So I bought it.

Then we found a Macy & we don't have one here. I found another neat top that would look good with white pants. The price said 12.99 but it was crossed out & it said 9.99. Then it was 70% off that. I took it to the checkout girl & asked how much it was. 3.89. Now I can say I bought something at Macy's.

They wanted us to eat supper at a place called (DOES). You buy your steak by the lb. Then you order your sides. So us 4 shared the steak & we each got our own sides. It was different but kind of fun.

Tuesday morning Jackie & I rode the DUCKS. in case you don't know what that is it's a boat that goes on land & water. We had a very funny driver. There were lots of kids & when we got to the lake he let everyone of them drive. We had Quakers that we were to use everytime we saw another DUCK. Got pretty noisy because you know kids. They blew the darn things all the time.
   Tuesday night we went to our first show. This next explains my title. We saw Mickey Gilley. He is absolutely the sweetest man I have ever met. We had heard last year that something had happened to him but he was coming back to his theather soon. Well he is amazing. In July of 2009 he was helping a friend move a sofa. He fell backwards & landed on his back. He ended up paralized from the neck down & couldn't speak either. He's been in rehab ever since. We didn't know what to expect. He came walking out on stage with 2 lovely girls holding his arms. He sat in a chair with wheels & sang his heart out. His eyes twinkled all the time.
   The nicest thing was he had a guy in his band (Joey Riley). He is a HOOT. We saw his show last year & it was fabulous. Another guy that we saw last year was Mike Walker. He was an impersonator & fabulous to. He came out & did 2 Elvis songs. It was so neat seeing them again. I talked to Mike in the lobby after the show.
   The neat thing about the show was they tape the whole thing. During the intermission they film the audience so we were in the video. Of course I bought the CD. We had eaten at Mickey's cafe next to the theather & they told us Mickey comes over after the show & gives autographs. I decided I was going to meet him. I stood in line for a long time but it was worth it. He didn't have you stand at the table,you sat next to him. We had a nice chat & he wrote his name on my CD. He said it was good therapy for him. His right thumb looks so deformed I'm sure he'll never play the piano again. But he's working his butt off to do it. He loves his fans & lets them know it. Before I left him he thanked me for coming & gave me a kiss on the cheek & a hug. I walked out of that cafe on cloud nine.
    Weds. night we saw the (Presleys) They were the first show on the strip years ago. It's a big family & it was a great show. They just went from one thing to the other. They did funny things, sang gospel songs & everything inbetween.
   Thursday night was our last night there. We saw Paul Harris & the Cleverlys. Billy & Jackie wanted to see them. We'd never heard of them. This Paul came out the first hour & told us funny things. I never laugh much at funny people but this guy had us almost on the floor. Then the Clerly's came out. They were the same guys who were on first but they were dressed to look like complete idiots. They sang blue grass & other things.
   All in all we saw some really wonderful shows. In between them we did shopping.  I ended up buying 7 tops & one pair of pants. But I now have my fall wardrobe. Can't beat that.
    I hated it when Friday came. We followed Billy & Jackie awhile & stopped to eat breakfast together. Then they went their way & we headed to home. Got home about 5pm. I had Avon waiting for me & unpacking to do. I set up deliveries for Sat.
    Now the weekend is over & tomorrow We get back on our routine. It;s still HOT & no end really in sight for awhile. Hope it cools off soon.
   We talked about maybe going back to Branson this fall. Jackie wanted to go to Silver dollar City but it was way to hot for that. We'll see.
   Well I hope you have an hour to read all this. I guess you can vtell we had a good time.
   Talk to you all later

I'M BACK

Hi all
   I know it's been a long time since I've written anything. Really hasn't been too much exciting going on in my life.  I do my usual things every day. I guess you would say my life is kind of boring. I know I feel it is sometimes.
   I read my sis's blog last night. It seem we are kind of going thru the same thing. I hate to just write negative things now but I'm having a hard time finding positive things in my life. That's not good. I'm having some trouble sleeping. (Guess Deb understands that). I lay there &; try to figure out how to solve some problems. I'm getting nowhere with answers.
   I'm finding myself crying over stupid little things that my husband says. I feel like I'm hormonal. Why does everything make me cry? I don't know.
   There are silly things that have been upsetting me. that people would probably laugh at. Example- I missed going to the Scrapaganza weekend blast because I didn't get my reservation made in time. They put me on a list but didn't call. It was this last Friday night &; all day Sat.
   I have just been so bored the last week. I finally left last night &; went to the casino by myself. Since we've turned on the air he sits out on the deck all the time. I was loving to do that but it's been too darn hot lately. There's nothing on TV that isn't a rerun. If I read to long I fall asleep.
   Sounds like I'm having a big pitty party doesn't it? Sorry but I guess I need to vent.
    My losing weight has kind of changed to. I'm still being good but I'm not really losing now. I'm more maintaining &; I'm not ready for that yet. I still want to lose about 50 more lbs. I know I'm suppose to be thankful for the lbs. already lost &; I am. I won't give up trying so don't anyone worry about me. I check my blood sugar every morning &; I'm doing fine.
    The one bright spot in the month was seeing David &; Kim. We had a good visit. David &; I went to the museum &a; saw the Titanic display. I had seen it in Branson last year &; was anxious to compare. David was right when he said I shouldn't do that. It was great if I hadn't seen the other one. There was a lot more in Branson. David enjoyed it. We looked around the rest of the museum &; saw lots of things about our area here in the Quad Cities. It was a fun afternoon.
   I have been really down ever since they left. I have to find a way to get back in the right frame of mind. We leave this Friday for Branson. Chuck's brother & wife will be with us. We plan to see some shows &; maybe go to Silver dollar city if it 's not too HOT. It's suppose to be pretty hot so we will just take each day at a time. I want to ride the DUCKS to. I'm sure we will have a great time. Maybe getting away is all I need.
    I'm sure I could write more but I'm sure no one wants to read all gripes.
   I think what else I need is to see my sister . Maybe we can cheer each other up. I did tell Chuck I wanted to go see her when she becomes a grandma again. He said I could fly out if I wanted to. I might just take him up on it.
   I'll try not to wait so long to write more.
  Hope everyone is having a good summer.
  See you all later.
LOVE

HOW BOUT A COLONOSCOPY?

I haven't written for a long time. Don't know why except that every time I think about it it seems like too much trouble.
   It's been a pretty boring year so far. We've had way to much SNOW this winter. Everyone is so ready for SPRING. I know I am. I want to WALK. The sidewalks  haven't been safe. I know I could go to the mall but I don't like to walk there.
   Guess I should write about what I made my title.
   I went for my physical last Nov. Everything went great till she did her little rectal exam. I had already told her I didn't want a colonoscopy. She didn't push it then. But I guess she changed her mind. She found some bleeding & said I'd better have one just to make sure there wasn't a problem. I was not a happy camper. I went thru 2 of those with Chuck & wanted no part of it. I asked if I could wait till after Xmas & she said yes. So I tried to put it out of my mind. That was a lost cause. I dreamed about it & really got tired of that. I should have just done it but oh no that's not me. I tend to put things off. Not a good way to be.
   Fast forward to new year. I knew I should call & set it up but the DR. didn't call so I tried to forget about it. Finally one day the nurse called & I had to go thru with it. I really got stressed out about it. I dreaded thinking about the prep. the night before. Everyone told me the thing itself was nothing but Oh the prep. was terrible. Then I'd hear comments like (I woke up before it was over) (that freaked me out). I just wanted to be knocked out completely. I dreamed all kinds of terrible things. It was awful. It;s amazing how your imagination can take over.
   I had my  meeting with the Dr. who was going to do it. She was real sweet & I felt comfortable with her. We set it up for the 14th which happened to be Valentines day. Not the best day but it was the best timewise for me. Once the day was set I really stressed out. I was so dreading last Sunday.
   I had talked to my sister who had one in Jan. & she was very helpful . Of course she said the same thing everyone else had said that the prep. was the worst & the thing itself was nothing. I kept hanging on to that thought.
   Well Sunday came (DARN) & I had to start. Chuck had to work so he wasn't going to be home. That was good & bad. I watched basketball games all afternoon. I had one thing that got my mind off it for a little while. We got rid of our sofa & bought a new loveseat. My friend came at 4-30 Sunday to take the sofa.
   At 5-30 I took my first glass. Chuck had mixed it with Crystalite so I was hoping it wouldn't taste to bad. My sister had said not to sip it (just drink it down) so that's what I did. I was very surprised it didn't taste too bad. So I'm over the first hurdle. Now I'm not dreading drinking the rest of it. Every 15 minutes I went out & drank another glass. After an hour it was gone. Then you have to drink 16oz. of water.
   So now I sit & wait for it to start working. I had taped my 2 Sunday night shows because I figured I'd miss them. I didn't miss them. I didn't feel anything & it was getting about bedtime. I called my sis & talked to her. She had said it took quite awhile for her. So I sat up waiting. Chuck went to bed at 11pm & I sat up & read.
   Finally about 10pm things started (a little) I sat up till 12 & decided to try & sleep. At 1 am I'm up again & sat till 1=30. My book was so good I didn't want to go back to bed but I did. At 3 I'm up again for another 30 minutes. Then at 5-30 am the alarm went off. At 5=30 I have to take the prep all over again. By now I am so cold my teeth are chattering. Chuck went to work & was coming home at 10=30. I had to be there at 11=30. By now I'm really stressed out.
   We checked in & the nurse was so sweet. She told me what was going to happen really made me feel good. The Dr. was doing 5 that day & I was number2. She stopped in & talked to me . I was so tired from not sleeping the night before I almost fell asleep before they came to get me.
    The rest of the time is still a blur. I remember talking to the nurse & the girl who gave me the stuff that would put me in a relaxed state. Boy does that stuff work. I don't remember anything else. I didn't even see the Dr. come in. Next thing I knew I was back in my room & they said it was all over. I lucked out & had NO polips at all. I think that was the thing I was worried about the most. I was afraid they'd find something wrong. I stayed there till I had passed some gas (you have to do that) The nurse laughed & said I couldn't be lady-like.
   We came home & had some lunch. I was starved. I hadn;t had anything but liquids since Sunday morning & it was now Monday afternoon.
   What a way to spend Valentines day. Chuck took me to Cracker Barrel that night. So the day ended nice.
   I was so mad at myself for getting so worked up over everything. I tend to do that & it's so dumb. I don't have to have another one for 10 years. By then I'll be 82 years old. Maybe I won't need one when I'm that old. Anyway if I do I won't panic like I did this time.
   I did make my sister happy. Her Dr. said she could go 10 years unless someone in the family had problems. She said I was not to have any problems. I'm glad I could make her happy. LOVE YOU SIS.
   She was even sweet enough to call me at 5=30 yesterday to see how I was doing. I really loved her for that. It was 6=30 her time & she was leaving for work.
   Now all I  have to look forward to is getting my new loveseat. They just called & it will be here between 1 & 3 pm Thursday. YIPPE
   Better close since this is a book again.
  Have a good day everyone & don;t be scared if you have to have this done.
   IT'S A PIECE OF CAKE>

WHAT A YEAR

Hi
   People are probably wondering why I haven't written for so long. (I know David & Debbi) are dying to read what I say. LOL
    I'm sitting here in my living room looking outside. Guess what. It's SNOWING. Guess we didn't have to worry about a white Christmas this year.  Only problem is we go to Scott's tomorrow morning so I hope it stops snowing in time for the roads to get cleared. We can't miss being with our family on Christmas day.  We also have to get David back up there so he can fly home Sunday night.
   It's been wonderful having him home all week. We went up last Friday to get him. We haven't done anything to exciting but got a lot of talking done. Just being together is great. We have watched basketball, football games & I've even listened to David's Hockey team play. They won big last night.
    I'm thinking about what all has happened this year. It's been a pretty good year. When I talk to some of my Avon customers & hear their problems I guess my year has been wonderful. We have been pretty lucky.
   Chuck & I are in good health. My dietabetes is under complete control & I was lucky not to have to take medicine. I've lost over 80 pounds & feel so good. I find every day things I can do now that I couldn't begin to do last year. I was going to make a list of  all those things but haven't done it yet.
    I think the first one that comes to mind is I CAN CROSS MY LEGS. I know that sounds weird but to a heavy person it's a big thing.  I can fasten my bra in front & turn it around easily. (sorry guys if you are reading this)  I can walk easier now & I don't huff & puff anymore.   One big advantage is clothes.  I've gone from 3x tops & pants to Large. It's so great to look in my closet & know EVERYTHING FITS> My only problem is deciding how to mix & match what I want to wear. (I'll take that problem any day) It's fun to get up in the morning & get dressed. I look in the mirror & tell myself ;YOU LOOK GREAT: Sure couldn't do that a year ago. I know I sound kind of vain but I just feel so different & I love the new feeling.
   I went for my year checkup  & the nurse & nutrictionist were so happy with me. They said I was a real success story. They want to maybe use me as a sucess story. They want to call me every few months & keep track of my progress. I don't know how serious they were but it would be kind of neat if they did.
     Our family has been great all year. We got to see my sister 3 times this year & that was wonderful. Chuck & I went out in April(I think), then she came here to help us celebrate our 50th anniversery in Sept. That was a wonderful weekend. We had a open house & had so many friends show up. We even had all but 2 of our wedding party there. We met one girl from our party we hadn't seen for over 40 years. It was wonderful to get to know her all over again. We will not lose touch again.
    Our two sons are fine. David is here for Christmas & he & kim were here for 9 days back in Sept. It's always great to see them.
   Scott & his family are in Geneva so are only 2 & a half hours away. We don't see them near often enough but go when we can. We have seen Becky in plays & always love that. She's so much fun to watch. Some day she will be on BROADWAY I'm sure. 
   Our first girl turned sweet 16 this month. She has grown into a wonderful young lady.
   Then there is our youngest one. She will be 10 next month & is growing into a fine young lady to.
   We love them all so much & are so proud of them.
    I guess I should close this. It's turning into a book again. Of course I love it when someone writes a book.
   All in all we have had a great year & I look forward to 2011. By next year I should be down to my goal weight. I'm looking forward to that.
    I forgot to mention my 2 brothers. They have gone thru some health problems & have come thru  with flying colors. Our youngest one fought lung cancer & went thru radiation. He is now cancer free.
  My oldest younger brother just had kind of a scare with prostate cancer but tests showed he didn't have it. THANK GOD.
   I hope everyone has a wonderful 2011.
   See you all later.
 HAPPY NEW YEAR

THANKSGIVING & other thoughts

Hi everyone.
   I guess I'd better write a new blog. It's been a long time but I've been busy & there just wasn't that much exciting to write about. Guess my life isn't too thrilling. I'm like you Deb not to many people read this. At least they don't write comments.  I did get after Deb for not writing for awhile & I guess I should take my own comments to heart.
    Anyway We got back home this morning. We went to Scott's for Thanksgiving. It was a totally different holiday this year. For about 12 years we all went to Eagle Ridge in Galena for Thanksgiving. We rented a house & each had our own room. We had Dinner at the lodge. Santa came on  Friday & the girls always loved that. On Saturdays we'd go into Galena & shop. It was a fun time.
   Last year we changed things & went to Branson. It was farther to go but lots more to do. The house we had was FABULOUS. We could'nt wait to go back this year. But plans didn't work out this year. Becky got a job at the SHEDD aqarium & had to work this weekend. So we canceled the house. Then the Shedd closed the show in Sept. but we couldn't get the house. Becky got another play (IT"S A WONDERFUL LIFE) & had to work anyway. So we ended up having dinner at Pheasent Run resort.  Chuck & I stayed there 2 nights. We can get a discount if Becky is in a play there at the time. They have a beautiful pool there so the girls were thrilled. They went swimming twice.
    We spent some time at Scott's house to.
    All in all it was a fun 2 days. I hated to come home so soon but Chuck had to go to work today & count money from the festival of trees. I had my Avon order waiting for me anyway so I needed to get home. I lost 2 days of delivering so will be awfully busy from now till next Thursday when I have to mail another order. Only 2 more books till Xmas.
     The weather has gotten VERY COLD but we still have no snow. That's good. I'm in no hurry for the white stuff.
     I wrote in my title (other thoughts). I guess like Deb I've been thinking of the last year. Chuck & I have had a pretty good one. We do have a lot to be thankful for. We have 2 wonderful sons that we adore. One son has given us 3 of the most wonderful girls in the world.  We are so happy being Grandma & grandpa to them. The  only problem we have with them is they are growing up way to fast. Guess they can't help that. We took Brittany out for breakfast Thursday morning & had such a good time with her. She's almost 16 & such a lovely young lady. We really enjoyed talking to her. The other two are very special to. We watched them swim & had a good time just being around them. I wish we had more quality time with them but they have so much going on in their lives we just steal what time we can.
   Thinking back over the last year was very sobering for me. I found out in Sept. of last year I had dietabetes * since then my life has changed a lot. I remember when I told my family Jenny made a comment that maybe it was a blessing in disguise. I wasn't sure what she meant by that but I now think she was right. I was already losing weight before I found out but I soon realized I had to keep it off this time. I was lucky because I don't have to take any medicine & I want to keep it that way. I've now lost about 80 some lbs. & feel absolutely wonderful. My A1C is down to 5.6 9Started at 6.4). My blood levels are staying where they should. I've told people that if I didn't have to check my blood I'd never know I had it. Everyone has been so wonderful to me. I have a great support group at Curves. They keep the compliments coming & that keeps me legal. All my friends & family give me the reason to keep going. My Avon customers are terrific to.
   I keep finding new things that I can do now & couldn't do before. Some are so little but if you've never lost weight before you wouldn't understand . I won't list them here but the list keeps growing.
    One thing I have to admit to. It is so much fun now to go to my closet every morning & know everything in it FITS ME. I love mixing & matching things. It's like I look & think what combination am I going to wear today. I look in the long mirror & say  (YOU LOOK SKINNY TODAY) It's the most wonderful feeling in the world. I just want that feeling to last every day & that's what keeps me legal.
    Guess I should quit bragging on myself but I know I'm among friends & they won't care.
   I would have to say my life has changed for the better & I'm looking forward to 2011. This time next year I WILL be at my goal.
   Thanks for listening to my random thoughts. Thanks Deb for the comments you made about me. I know you are proud of me & that makes me feel great.
  Till next time I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season.