Sarah - I actually saw a link from a different forum to Stephen's brother's pictures, which were cool. It's amazing how the banders can capture them and then hold them for examination, since these little birds seem so fragile! That's interesting about the hummer downtown here. I wouldn't be surprised because there are alot of parks scattered around and a nice emphasis on planting trees and shrubs and perennials whereever possible downtown. As it is, I managed to capture a few pictures of some fledgling American Kestrels that had apparently come from a nest on the roof of the building where I work which is a couple blocks from the Delaware River in Olde City. And early last week, I saw a pair of Great Blue Herons in the Wissahickon Creek right near where the 92nd Police District building is along Lincoln Dr. I have never seen those birds before in the wild (let alone in the city) and was floored by their size and graceful stance while standing in the water. If I could have pulled over to take a picture of them, I would have but I was on my way to work and there was no place to pull into. They were gorgeous in the early morning light and mist. I have this mental image of a watercolor painting of what I saw. The variety of birds that have been really making their presence known here in the city is amazing. They seem to be adapting so far, right along with the squirrels and pigeons! LOL

Good Morning, Wish I was camping with Ekl. I bet she would really push me with that paddle. Reminds me of the time year before last when DH and I were camping and decided to float/paddle down the river. About halfway through, the sky blackened and I could hear thunder in the distance. I am terrified of lightening, especially anywhere near the water. Have had, locally, on 2 separate occasions in the last few years, a young boy struck and killed by lightening, near water. I grabbed the paddle and let me tell you I had an upper body workout that day! I think DH got a real kick out of watching me kill myself trying to get down river and off of the water before the storm hit. It wasn't a bit funny to me. Thank God, the storm turned and didn't hit us. I never could have out paddled it as far upriver as we were. SS, Thanks for the vote for the award. But remember, I only lost 5 lbs last week. The other 2 were from the weeks before. I've also found a big difference in weight with different times of day, different clothes, and after meals. I only go by 1st thing in the morning weight in my nightgown. Counting calories would be too hard for me. I am so lazy. I have found it easier to just forget the bun completely at BK and have the meat in a dish with lettuce, tomato, and mayo. I have to have my mayo. I've never been big on bread anyway. Lots of meals I cook I just forget to fix any bread. Drives DH crazy because he feels he has to have it. But, he will settle for WW sliced bread with butter spread on it when I forget! Harold, How are those eyes doing? Can you see us yet?!?! Sorry we are confusing you with the multiple weigh-in days. Weekends aren't good to me, so it is best to have a day to get back on track before posting an official weight. 48 lbs lost! WOW! Such tenacity! If I can hang in, that would put me right around my goal weight. I shall set my sights there. Peg, 3 lbs! Great job! I can't wait to get below DH in weight. I HATE HATE HATE weighing more than him. That's why I get discouraged when I only lose 1 lb a week now. I think he hangs around high 150s -low 160s. Once I get below him I will be ok with "slow and steady wins the race". Can y'all tell I'm from the "I WANT IT NOW" generation? That's how I got so large. I wanted those 2 big bowls of chocolate ice cream everyday while I forgot veggies and exercise. Now I'm paying for it. Those chest pains were my gift from God to wake me up. It worked! Karen, I'm glad you held steady while being sick. Are you feeling better? I bet you are weak as a puppy. Take it easy 'till you get some strength back. I know what you mean about night snacking. DH eats stuff every night after we get in bed. Can't fall asleep because of all of that eating noise on the other side of my bed! Some nights it's peanut butter crackers, others it's 2 peanut butter sandwiches, chips & dip, whatever he can find in the kitchen. If I can't resist, I will do celery with a very little PB, or 15 or so pistachios (sp?) shelled and eaten very slowly while he pigs out. I try to resist "Roseanne" that is giving Silver such a hard time!!! Helen, Everybody needs some fun with friends occasionally. And to still lose a pound, how sweet it is! Jas, About the WW. If it helps you get where you are going sooner, it is worth the $8 weekly. I did WW for a while once. My meeting was about 40 miles from home, so I quit going. Being right at work would really help you. My friend does it and it has helped her. It's just about finding what works best for you. If you have friends who are doing it at work with you, that would really help you stick to your diet. Nothing like having that up close and personal encouragement. If it would still be you working alone and you can get yourself kick-started, Save the $8 to use at the grocery store on healthier foods and spend the time you would spend at the meetings working out, walking, etc. Check in here more often for encouragement and our tried and true diet tips that have worked for us. As you can tell from the length of my posts, I love to talk. I can talk until you beg me to shut up!!! Have a great day everyone, Betty

Erro, someone must have emailed you saying that we don't allow advertising here. Truly, your posted message sounded like advertising, giving the website and raving on and on about how great the workout was. Don't be offended. Some here are very sensitive about people promoting their own companies or products. I know I am. Many people try to do it in a sneaky way so others don't realize it really is self-promotion. So....don't go away mad. Stick around and post when you want to. How great you have found an exercise program you like.

Pilates is a great way to help increase flexibility and elongate the body and muscles. It will not get you the ripped and muscular body building look if that is what you are looking for. Which most people are not. But if you are looking for a lean and toned body without being "jacked" this is the workout for you. I would recommend starting off with a set of dvds and working your way through them. Dvds are easy to do at home and the instructors in the videos give a lot of instruction bec they know they are not there to help you. Mat pilates is what most people do and if you are workout from home then that is most likely what you will be working with. This is a great low impact way to start off. If you start slow and with a beginner level and actually stick to your workout schedule you will def see results. Good luck! Here is a link that might be useful: Beginner Pilates DVD