Yes, I am going to get closer to God and be a nun for Halloween this year. It is amazing how little your choices are when you wait until the night before to select a costume! Won't make that mistake next year, certain sure. My wanting to be the Mad Hatter will have to wait.

So I'll hopefully have pictures to post tomorrow.

I joined Facebook, but I am still getting the hang of it. The Farmville and other fun stuff I need to look at (just haven't had time to do that). If you're on there and want to friend me, please do!

Don't forget to change your clocks tonight!

Yes, I have been absent from LJ for a while. With two vacations and Dad being in and out of the hospital, it's been a busy month for me.

First as I reported, the trip to Buffalo was fantastic. I love going back there. Then a week and a half later, I headed out to Key West for 8 days to attend HH2009. What a blast that was and I am glad that I ended up going. Tricia and I met up in Miami and were on the same flight to Key West. To narrow down the whole trip -- it was a lot of drinking, pool/hot tub parties, watching movies and enjoying the sights of Key West. The food alone - oy. I almost had to turn in my Weight Watchers card, I was so bad!

After the con, Tricia and I rented bikes for three days and toured Key West. It is the best way to see the island, trust me. We did a lot of biking and shopping and hated to leave but we had to. I vow to get back there one day.

But, when all is said and done, I didn't gain or lose during this month. October has been kind of a nill month for me weight loss wise, but I look at it this way: At least I didn't gain. I am already back on track and am thinking about taking up biking. Who knew that Tricia (who probably bikes 10+ miles at a time) would get me to even think about exercising! LOL

Dad is doing ok; he is back in the hospital but should be getting out tomorrow. Two bouts with kidney stones and then complications from that have really taken a lot out of him the last 5 weeks, but we hope that he'll regain his strength. He'll be heading back to the rehab center to get stronger and gain some weight back.

Other than that, I don't have a lot of down time. Or rather, as much down time as I used to.

I hope everyone has been well. :)

Shouting to my flist! I (or my nephew) did something to my laptop when I took it to the hospital to get on wifi. Now, at home, I can't even get it to acknowledge any signal or wireless network. Does anyone have a hint as to how to get that back on track? I am hating using my desktop because it is so slow and really doesn't have the capability of doing a whole lot because it is so old and one reason I haven't been on LiveJoural because it cycles so slowly.

Life has been so busy lately. Dad ended up getting kidney stones and was in the hospital for a week. Now he is in a nursing/rehab center to build his strength back up. It's going to be a long process. Now, the urologist says he has another large mass in his kidneys. Didn't they see that before or did it appear within the last two weeks?! Needless to say, things aren't looking good right now.

Fortunately, my twin gave her blessing for Mary and I to travel to Buffalo to keep our vacation plans. My twin stepped up with Dad and I am grateful about that. We had a good time meeting up with my other sisters. Ate Buffalo food and I for one enjoyed the cold weather, albeit it it rained a lot.

Weight Watchers is going well. I have lost almost 24 pounds, trying to get to that 25 pound mark.

Vacation is coming again next week. Going to Key West for HH2009. Looking forward to it, although the weather is going to be hot! Trying to escape this tremendously humid weather!

Well butter my buns, I made it to my 10% weight loss total already! I was pretty excited. Got my 10 pin and now on to the next goal of 25 pounds. I hope to hit that before vacation in two weeks, but you know I am losing it slowly but surely.

Anyone else watch the season premiere of Gossip Girl?

Oh and yes I ranted about the Bills player that fumbled the ball. But I have moved on, because in the large scheme of things, it hasn't affected my life too badly. Can you believe some asswipe actually vandalized his lawn? Guys, I may snark or complain, but that is taking it too far. Have some class and respect.

Snagged from ghanistarkiller:

You Are Fat

You are by no means fat, but you are like fat in that you can easily absorb what's around you. You are easily influenced by both the good and bad people in your life. It's important for you to be around people you want to be like. You are a comforting and calming force. Without your presence, people feel unsatisfied. You sometimes have a reputation for being a bad influence, but you're not nearly as dangerous as you seem.

How can you be leading the game and wham bam you lose by one point? I'd like to personally kick the kick returner who decided to run it out and then ended up fumbling the ball. All you had to do was do a touch back and then run the clock out with running plays. Damn it.

Just pimping the Lose for Good campaign for Weight Watchers. They are collecting hits to increase the amount of money to be donated to world hunger.

It's been a few since I posted!

Let's see - my laptop got totally infected with viruses and spyware. To the point that it was deleting all my .exe files. I thought my McAfee was up to date, but it wasn't. So off to the Geek Squad it went and within two days they had it fixed. Definitely made sure my anti-virus was up to date. So make sure yours is up to date, because it is well worth it!

WW is going well still. Almost to the 19 pound mark. I really need to step up the exercise so that my metabolism gets a kick. But I hate to exercise. There, I said it. At least I am able to start fitting into clothes I haven't been able to wear or have never been able to wear.

The smoking, or rather non-smoking, is going great. Almost to the 19 week mark.

I've got a new show -- Ghost Hunters. They had a marathon on last weekend and I was glued. I really got into it. Now, mind you, I could NEVER go into creepy buildings like that in person! But I have a serious crush on Jason and Grant.

Anticipating the new NFL season. The Bills play on Monday night. Hoping T.O. is healed and ready to go. Their record sucked in pre-season. Their plan to ressurect the no huddle offense has stalled (how can it stall?) and they fired their offensive coordinator. Right before the season ...... not good.

I am not making a political statement. I received this clip from my sister and I cried. In fact, I bawled. It is so moving. Read below before watching the clip. And watch the entire clip. The songs are moving.

Killed in action the week before, the body of Staff Sergeant First Class John C. Beale was returned to Falcon Field in Peachtree City , Georgia , just south of Atlanta , on June 11, 2009. The Henry County Police Department escorted the procession to the funeral home in McDonough , Georgia . A simple notice in local papers indicated the road route to be taken and the approximate time. This was filmed during the procession by a State Trooper.

Nowadays one can be led to believe that America no longer respects honor and no longer honors sacrifice outside the military. Be it known that there are many places in this land where people still recognize the courage and impact of total self-sacrifice. Georgia remains one of those graceful places. The link below is a short travelogue of that day's remarkable and painful journey. But only watch this if you wish to have some of your faith in people restored. Please share widely.

A Soldier's Last Ride Home

And since I don't say it enough, thank you to all the soldiers that protect and serve.

****

Weight Watchers is going great. Past the 15 pound mark in 5 weeks but then I hit a plateau last week and needed to get over it. I was kind of depressed about it after posting good weight loss totals prior. Plateaus are normal, but I didn't expect it that early! The weigh in last night was a relief - lost another 1.8. So I am past the 16 pound mark and still working toward my next goal of 20 pounds.

And yes, I am going to see Rob Thomas in September! Cheryl asked me if I was going and we have decided to go together! HOB is not my favorite venue, but I have no control over that!

Life has been busy. It revolves around three things now - work, Dad and Weight Watchers. Vicious cycle peeps.

WW is going fantastic. I am quite pleased with my progress and am only faltering in one spot there .... exercising. It is just something I do not enjoy. Yeah, I know. Mix it up. But I am very limited as to what I can do with this torn ligament in my knee. So I am trying to work through this mental block. On the flip side, I have already reached my 5% (lost 5% of my total weight) and now developed some new favorite foods: tilapia, 94% fat free kettle corn popcorn, Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches, and my new condiment of choice - mustard.

On another side note, I am now nearing the 14 week mark since I had my last cigarette. It's not been easy peasy, but I have managed not to touch one. I cannot believe how much a pack costs now and maybe I did quit just at the right time.

One of my bibles came in the mail today. Yes, I am talking about the 2010 Ikea catalog. Damn if I had the money, I would so re-do the condo with some of this stuff! I love that modern look.

No rain yet today. Amazing. We've had so much I am absolutely sick of it as well as the hot weather. Bring on the cooler temps already!

Despite only working out one day last week (bad me ... bad! bad!) but keeping well within my points and not using any floaters, I lost another 2.2 pounds. Which puts me over the 10 pounds lost mark. Yeah. Not bad for being on WW for three weeks. So I've pledged to get back on the work out wagon and exercise at least 3 to 4 times. That is doable. I was just a little lazier.

Plus, I have been spending a lot of time helping out with Dad. I won't go into detail because it just gets me frustrated. I just feel like I have very little "me" time anymore. Since when does single with no kids mean no life? Bueller? Anyone? Anyone?!

We are getting a major storm tonight. It was really brewing when I left WW and I decided to just come home instead of running an errand and getting stuck in it.

And cool that my new laptop battery is working. I really missed using my laptop.

I went for my weigh in tonight at WW. Another 3.6 lost, for a total of 8.2 so far. I am really stoked at the progress so far, but know that I won't have these kind of weighs ins every week. And I wonder if I had worked out just one more day if the total would have been any higher. All I can do is just to carry on and focus on getting healthy, thinner and happier.

One task this weekend or next is to start going through the closet and tagging stuff I can begin to fit into. It'll be great to be able to start wearing some of the clothes that I have never worn! You know the ones ~ you buy them in the next lower size because 'you're going to lose weight.' And then it doesn't happen.

I tuned in to see that the US women's soccer team is playing tonight and that Abby is back! She had broken her leg last year. I will say that the rest of the team really stepped up in her absence, but it is good to see her in action again. Go USA!

Our arts community is having a Target Family Festival to celebrate the arts. Since my sister is part of the Target family and involved in their community relations, she got free tickets to a preview of Thoroughly Modern Millie. Now, I remember wanting to see this in NYC when it was playing and it was sold out.

Anyway, they had a lovely VIP reception beforehand, which was a challenge because of the free food and drinks. So, I was a good girl. I filled my plate with veggies and fruit and had only one turkey sandwich. And drank water. They didn't have Ultra!

We settled into the show and let me tell you, it was fantastic! I absolutely loved it. When I had a chance to read the playbill during intermission, it was shocking to know that all the actors and dancers were in high school! They all had Broadway level performances. I was blown away.

Am going to see it again and bring my niece and nephew. I have got them hooked on the Broadway/theatre bug. Just in the seeing stage. Now I would love for them to get interested in performing. Both have natural talents.

We have tix to see Harry Potter today. I can't wait. It's been torture to stay away from reviews and comments from friends that have seen it.

I went to my WW meeting last night. I actually didn't eat dinner before the meeting because I wanted the scale to not reflect that I just ate!! The front desk was running behind so I had to wait to sign in and weigh in. The meeting had already started by the time I got up to the desk, so I was really straining to listen to what she was talking about, because it was the regular instructor on Wednesday and I wanted to know what she was saying (she was on vacation last week). The receiptionist printed out my new sticker that contained my weight info and stuck it into my book. I rushed into the meeting and sat down. Had to get my reading glasses out to see what my progress was for week 1.

4.6 pounds lost!

I was so stoked about that.

It did drop me down one point allowed per day. Which is fine. I wasn't in danger of going over my points anyway. So I am .4 from my first goal. Going to keep it up. The meetings are fun and informative.

I am so happy that finally we get to see HBP. Unfortunately, because of my personal scheduling I won't be able to see it until Saturday morning. I had planned on seeing it Friday, but then forgot we had tickets to see Thoroughly Modern Millie at the theatre. So me, my niece and nephew will have to wait. I heard from Mo that it is really good and to bring tissues!

Speaking of, IGN movies have posted a list of the Top 25 Harry Potter characters. My man made the top 5. See if you agree: IGN Movies Top 25 HP Characters

I have my first weigh tonight in since joining Weight Watchers. I think I have been doing really well and racked up a lot of activity points, so hopefully it'll be a good result. I'll post my progress.

I am still guilt racked about my family turmoil. I just don't know what to do. It's just eating me away.

I hope everyone is having a good Wednesday!

I went to happy hour last night. Where my sister was. The one I am not talking to. We fell right back into being friendly. Seriously, I really have missed her. She's my twin ~ my other half so to speak. But I know she'll never understand why all the sisters are upset about what happened and maybe I need to come to terms with that. She wanted to talk about stuff and I told her we'll do it another time. I just didn't want to hash out anything in front of 8 other people.

Now I have guilt pangs because the other sisters are of the impression that I have totally cut ties with her ..... which WAS the case up until last night.

I am so at a crossroads over it. Again. *sigh*

I am totally into this Weight Watchers program! I even had 4 Ultras last night and still was under my point total for the day! Woo hoo. I already have my work out in this morning and am getting ready to make my egg white omelet and some strawberries.

Mo ~ you so rock woman. Seriously. It was so inspiring to hear your success.

Oh, and guess what?! I heard a rumor that they are opening a Tim Horton's here in Orlando! Oh my freakin' gawd! That would be totally cool. Because you know I am hooked on Tim Horton's coffee, which I will get to have in October when I go up for a visit.

A visit to Timmy's will definitely be my reward for being good and exercising all week. Certain sure.

I used to think this icon was funny. Until I went to put on one of my favorite pairs of pants and couldn't fit into them. Drat.

So, after being inspired by Mo, and after talking to a gal on my team at work who lost a lot of weight and looks great, I decided to join Weight Watchers. I went to my first meeting last night and it was really inspiring. Lots of tools to use and materials to read, but I am determined to do it this time.

Now that I have passed the 9 week mark on not smoking, it's about time to address the weight issue.

I've got practically one and a half closets full of clothes that I cannot fit into. Yet.

The good thing is I have a lot of support with my on line friends, family and the WW staff, who were really great.

I am also getting back into working out. Walked 2 miles this morning and hope to increase that. My left knee has been really achy alot, probably due to the humid conditions lately in Florida. Rainy and damp.

I have my goal weight in mind. Let's just hope the body holds up to make it there!

Happy Father's Day! I hope everyone is having a good one!

Speaking of fathers, I spent the whole day with mine yesterday. My sister and her S.O. and I decided to grill out, so we had chicken and potatoes on the grill. I went and looked in my recipes and found this one. Not sure sometimes how it'll turn out (like the fiasco of the brown betty pear muffins I made two weeks ago), but this one is a keeper. I have to share!

GARLIC BUTTER PARMESAN CORN
8 ears of corn in husks
1/2 cup butter, cubed
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese+

Soak corn in cold water for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine the butter, garlic and salt. Cook and stir over medium heat until butter is melted; set aside 1/4 cup.

Carefully peel back cornhusks to within 1 inch of bottom; remove silk. Brush with butter mixture. Rewrap corn in husks and secure with kitchen string.*

Grill corn, covered, over medium heat for 20-25 minutes or until tender, turning occasionally. * Take off grill and cut string and peel back husks. Drizzle corn with reserved butter mixture and sprinkle Parmesan cheese on corn.* Serve.

* ~ We didn't have string, so we totally husked the corn and used aluminum foil as the husk instead. I think it probably worked better!

* ~ Keep checking the corn, it may not need 25 minutes depending on the heat of the grill.

* ~ After sprinkling with reserve butter and cheese, I re-wrapped the corn in the foil and let the cheese melt before serving.

+ ~ I used the cheese liberally, so don't limit yourself to 1/2 cup if you like cheese! It was yummy to scrape up the cheese in the foil, put it on the corn and eat it!

=======

And I tried Good Seasons Bruchetta mix because the store had then BOGOF. I never made bruchetta before, so I thought I'd try it. I made the bruchetta ahead of time (all it takes is tomatoes, olive oil, white wine vinegar and the mix). I bought a loaf of bagette bread, sliced and toasted it and served it with the bruchetta. It went like hotcakes! IT was so yummy and easy to make. So if you need something easy to make, try this! They also had a garlic artichoke mix.

~~~~~~~

There is a light at the end of the tunnel at work. They are transferring someone onto our team to help. One good thing. Hopefully something else good will happen!

Not much news to report. I did pass my 6th week of quitting smoking yesterday. The desire is still there, but I refuse to buy any. If I can't have willpower in losing weight, then that willpower has to be for not smoking!

Watched the US men's soccer team lose last night. Bummer. They had to play a man down for most of the game, which sucked. You could tell they were tired. They have to play Egypt next.

At least Monday is over. I hate Mondays.

I met up with Kittykat last night at Disney. Hard to believe it's been two years since I had last seen her. It was great to have a few drinks and catch up with one another. We had a great time and I got to see Dimples™ and the kids. My my, they are growing so fast. We've decided that we need to see each other more often.

I may take her up on the suggestion to meet them for one of the PGA tournaments next year. We will be Camillo groupies and follow him around all day .... *whistles*

It is another hot one here in Florida. Mid 90's. And, despite getting up at 5:00 AM (on Mikey's not so subtle urging), I managed to fall back to sleep and got up at 9:00 AM. I have the whole day free to get my errands done and cleaning caught up. I will have Dad duty tomorrow.

And thanks again to all that have given support on Dad and the family situation.

Happy Saturday!

I truly appreciate all the support received both on and off LJ. *hugs* I made one more contact to let her know that the lines of communication are still open only pertaining to Dad. She has a right to know what is going on with him and to actively participate in decisions that affect him. She also agreed that she would not withhold the kids from me, which is a relief. I love those kids.

We had Dad evaluated yesterday and we'll wait for their report. They immediately suggested he see a neurologist because of his early dementia and memory loss.

One bright spot for the week is that Kittykat is in town at Disney. I hope to meet up with her tomorrow or Saturday night. Thankfully the weather has cooperated for the most part.

And go Magic! I hope that can pull out another win tonight.

I am deeply depressed. And I need a cigarette.

The family drama has come to a climax and there has been major ripples. I have had to cut ties with one of my sisters. I cannot believe that after two years, the truth finally came out. What hurts the most is how close we all were just two years ago until this happened. Suffice it to say, after trying to stay neutral, I now have to join my four other sisters in their disdain for the whole situation. What a shame.

At least the Magic won last night. Didn't watch the game, but maybe that is why they won.