my suck### day

Dear MErider,

I completely understand how you feel today. I'm glad you got your meds. I feel like a bloated tick and a nervous lap dog. I contacted my boss today at WW's to see if we would be starting the summer passes and not only do we start them Monday but we also have no other specials. People who join pay $30 or buy a pass. We no longer have a special for coupons either. I'm spending this weekend preparing for something that should have been discussed at least a week ago. If I had not asked my boss today about Monday, I may not have known what to do and it would have been an absolute wreck. The Members Services have still not issued instructions and I checked at 6:00pm. Nothing. If this wasn't enough to depress and freak me slightly out, then the fact that my favorite leader/teacher for my group (I'll call her St.) quit working for my class as of Monday. She didn't say goodbye to me or anyone else in our group. Monday I have a new teacher. My boss said St. quit because "she had too much on her plate." I don't know why she left and even if I call her she may not speak to me because she never answers her cell phone when I call. So, I didn't go to karate today. I did, however, eat like a sow all day long. I think I just got upset and nervous. I know, though, that you and I will have a better weekend. I will be in control of my eating and I will learn the new methods for WW's. I'm glad you have your meds so that you can go for a long, fun bike ride tomorrow. I have walked twenty miles this week. I'm right at 120lbs. (probably 121lb./122lb. tomorrow)and I'm okay with that. Weight Loss tip for this week: try to prepare a tentative menu for each day so that it is easier to keep up with your points. Also, I tried to comment on Cyclediva's blog but it wants a google something or other? I'll comment here for now. Cyclediva, I have to say just knowing that you love animals makes me like you. You may be mean to people (I seriously doubt it) but I tend to like people who love animals. People who don't love animals need to be watched. My mother, Ed, LOVES animals. She especially loves lap dogs. I'm sure merider told you that Ed has a lap dog merider calls Ed's "demon dog" (Tippy). Tippy has actually come a long ways from a tragic past. Tippy's first owner was an elderly lady who unfortunately died and noone wanted to take Tippy because he only knew a world provided by the elderly lady. As a result, Tippy bites anyone and everyone, except Ed. When Ed agreed to take Tippy home from "Second Chance and Happy Tails." He was down to his last chance, looking at being put to sleep, when mom agreed to take him home. For a long, long time Tippy bit my father and me. He has only bit my mom a few times. However, now after long years of work with Tippy, he rarely bites anymore and seems to be a happy, well loved dog. I think people who love animals are kind, compassionate, and trustworthy people. Well, I'm going to leave for now. Hope everyone has a better weekend. Love you, merider. JT

Back on Weight Watchers

Well, we (merider and JT) are back to our usual lives including using Weight Watchers daily. merider I hope you stayed on course today(?) I know you will do great once you get into the swing of things. As I promised I ate extra points today in order to maintain my weight. ME seems to think that I need to eat more and stop my weight loss. The reason for this is that I have become so addicted to weight loss and control over my body that sometimes I don't eat my exercisepoints. I've come a long ways, though, so naturally it's great when you have control over your weight and fitness level. Weight Watcher's really works if you follow the program. I don't think of Weight Watcher's as a diet. It really is a way of life. As I have said before, I went from 230lbs. (size 3X) to 117lbs. (size 6/8). I'm a little on the thin side. However, people now are inspired by my weight loss journey. What I love about Weight Watcher's is that you can eat anytfilthi u want to eat as long as you don't go over your points for that day. Unlike Nutra System that offers mainly processed foods, WW's allows you to eat fresh and doesn't have extra charges for processed foods. I highly recommend WW's to anyone who needs to lose either a lot of weight, or just a few pounds. Anyway, hope ME had a great day. I also appreciate my comment from Cyclediva. ME actually has the most beautiful eyes. Her eyes remind me of a deep, ever changing, sometimes moody sea. What I love about those eyes is what I see in them when I look into them. I see love. Well, I don't have a lot to say today. It rained all day. I love it when it rains. We open the door and let the fresh sent of water and soil fill the room. It's exciting when you hear thunder and see lightening. Today was a good day. Till I blog you again, take care of and love yourself. JT

missingMERider

I'm still figuring out how to do this but thanks to those following me and sharing comments. I'll start today's blog by saying "Thank you for today." I had a wonderful visit with my sister, MERider. She left this afternoon to return to Los Angeles. I'm already missing her. I wish she lived closer but I'm not LA material and she can only stand so much southern hospitality. The funny thing about my relationship to my sister is that I was really mean to her when we were kids. For example, I remember when I was about six or seven and ME was about four and we lived in Colorado. We lived in a nice little suburb with a big backyard and a ditch with a stream running for miles. My very first friend, outside of family, was a little boy named Tommy. He was a couple of years older than me and we used to play in the ditch. We would catch all kinds of critters and then set them free. Well, my father bought a small swimming pool (like the plastic kind) and attached a small ladder so that ME and I could play in the pool. I guess you can figure out where this is going. Tommy and I filled the pool with Crawdads, garden snakes, turtles, and anything else gross enough to make any kid run away. We then tried to convince ME to slide into the pool. ME, however, was more intelligent than we gave her credit. She ran, not away, but to my father and told on Tommy and me. Naturally, my father sent Tommy home to face the music with his Dad, and I ended up getting a whipping I'll never forget. This example is one of many. I'm going to talk to her to see if I can share other examples with you but some were so embarrassing and mean, she may not want me to share them with you. I was a really bad sister when we were kids. Over the past ten years, though, my sister has offered the kind of support, love, and friendship that makes us as close as we are now which is extremely close. I love her with all my heart and I like to think I'm a better sister now. I'll miss her until I see her again. Thank you ME for loving me and being there when I desparately needed someone to help me find my way. Also, thanks for this blog. I don't know how interesting my blog is or isn't but it sure is fun. Until I blog you again, love yourself and take care of yourself. I love you. JT

thank you for today

I would like to start my blog by saying, "Thank you for today." The weather is beautiful today in Tennessee. The trees are full of thick green leaves and beautiful flowers. You can smell the honeysuckle when you step outside. Multicolored birds, like ornaments, decorate the branches, and sing love songs to each other. We haven't reached the part of the year when the heat of the sun scorches us and we end up freezing indoors from over zealous air conditioners. I am also thankful today for starting this blog. My sister, merider (who has her own blog), convinced me to do this, and so far it is fun and exciting. I could use some writing lessons. I wanted a venue where I could share my experience with mental illness. If you only knew how far I have come from the days in which my doctor told me I wouldn't live to be forty. I fooled him! I'm forty-two and now I exercise daily as well as watch what I eat. I also have the right combination of meds thanks to a wonderful doctor I will never forget. Her sister became ill so she had to leave Tennessee but I'll never forget her. My purpose for this blog is to share, encourage, and inspire people with mental illnesses. I also want to encourage people to lose weight. Due to some old, nasty medications, I ballooned up to 230lbs. at one point in my life. After I started taking meds that actually work with fewer side effects, I was able to tackle the weight problem. I joined Weight Watchers and over a few years I went from 230lbs. (size 3X) to 119lbs. (size 6/8). I lost the majority of my weight with Weight Watchers. Now I'm not only a lifetime member, but I also work for Weight Watcher's part-time. Like I said, this is my first time blogging. I know what I want to share with you. I just haven't figured out exactly how I want to say it. I will say that I hope you (whoever you are) have a beautiful day. I'm being genuine when I say, "Love and take care of yourself." Even with all the problems we face today, we at least have today. Remember, "the past is history, the future is a mystery, and today is a gift." My tip for weight loss today, "drink more water, drink less sodas." I know you've heard that a zillion times but one more time won't matter. (Ha!) Till I blog you again. JT