FEB FAST ~ WEEK THREE

[redhibiscus]

Good morning all. It is icy cold here, about six degrees. It just keeps getting better and better.

I am happy to say another AF weekend and I am so grateful.

Valentine's day was blah, my husband is very thoughtless and at times lazy. So, he finally bought me some flowers, while at the grocery store, with me there, due to guilt. Not due to love or caring. It hurts. I had made him a nice dinner Friday, special dessert, and he is just clueless. You can tell I am still hurt. I could tell that a few others have husbands who cannot just be bothered, too. I am trying to let it go. I hate Valentine's day as my husband is an ass. There, I said it.

Let's see, what did I cook yesterday. Pork chops, asparagus, and greek rice for dinner. Sooty's parsnip soup for the week to take to work. And a lovely chocolate cake. I was busy. I am determined to eat less this week and try to exercise, but not this morning. I am just not in the mood. I look forward to spring.

It is Monday and I am very grateful to have a job. No day off for me. Only the schools, banks, and gov't offices are closed today. I will work my hardest and look my best. To everyone, sending strength and hope. Today I commit to being AF.

[dill]

FEB FAST ~ WEEK THREE

Greetings all, and Red, thank you for starting the week 3 thread. It should have liked to be at your home yesterday with all those lovely foods! I did not cook at all. I made a salad that I planned to have at dinner along with ham and butternut squash, but Mr. D and I went out for a walk at the local mall and while there decided to eat at Mark Pi's Express. Delicious! I can't say that we did anything 'special' yesterday, really, but we enjoyed the day together.

I am afraid I hit a bump in the road yesterday and fell off the bus. I am regretful today, but determined to get back on board. Experiences like yesterday just reaffirm my decision. Someday, I am determined that drinking will be seen only in the rearview. So, Red, I am joining you in the pledge today. Today I will be AF.

Sooty, I was not home yesterday at 4:00, or I would certainly have looked in on chat.

Well, onward and upward, as Lil would say! Peace and strength to all.

[Lavande]

FEB FAST ~ WEEK THREE

Good morning Feb friends,

Week three :yay:
I can't wait to see this month end - it has never been my favorite month - for any reason!

Red - you're married to an ass too??? I seriously think we should start a thread for those of us living with a jackass :H
My spouse has morphed into something I would have smacked with a fly swatter 35 years ago - just goes to show there is no way to predict the future

Dill, don't feel guilty about drinking yesterday as it was a one day event. See if you can figure out why you went there. There's something deep down inside that keeps drawing you back........
Today is a new day - do what feels right for you

Greetings to everyone stopping in today - I'll be back later.
Lav

[sooty]

FEB FAST ~ WEEK THREE

Hi Red, Dill, Lav and all others yet to come - Monday is trundling along quite nicely in Sootyland. I went to aerobics this morning and had a nice healthy salad for lunch - then I had a shower and fell asleep - which just goes to prove that all this exercise is not good for me
Dill don't worry about yesterday - its gone - we slip, we stumble but we keep getting back on the bus and that's what matters. Just reckon up how many AF days you've had compared with days spent having a drink - big gap there methinks!
And I still believe that any day without alcohol is a victory.
Off to my evening class shortly so will pop on later to see who's been along.
Have a good day everyone - hope there's no more snow falling anywhere
Sooty

[lodestar]

FEB FAST ~ WEEK THREE

Well gals, just gotta say...I hate that you were not celebrated in the way you should be. I guess years of marriage creates that dynamic, but damn if you don't deserve to be treated like the jewels that you are! I'll celebrate you!

As a single lass, I don't get much valentine lovin' but that's just fine. My dad called to wish me a happy valentine's day and he said he wished he would have had the forethought to buy me my choc covered cherries. I thought that was really cute. I also reminded him that one blissful valentine's day was not worth 364 days of meeting someone else's needs. :H He agreed, a bit too zealously. Ah well, 4 marriages will do that to ya, I guess.

I haven't wanted to date until I got myself all sorted out. But I'm getting sorted pretty quick and I fantasize about what's in store.............in the distant future..........a land far, far away. :H I'm sure it will be something great, as I'm getting myself ready for fabulousness. And when it comes, I shall freak out right here with you all and try to keep my wits about me.

I love the little family we have here ~ at least I feel like part of one. I feel like I have the best aunts, cousins, siblings anyone could wish for (YOU!). I'm having a rather downer day today, but comforted by my friends here, as always. Have I mentioned how awesome you are? Just checking.

:groupluv:

[ladybirdheart]

FEB FAST ~ WEEK THREE

Good day, dear ones. It is clear to me, my dear Dill, that drinking will never mean the same thing for you or me again, having been here has changed the context and the course. Lode, when you are ready you are going to be the best catch in your town, the real deal, one prize sweetheart. As I am such a romantic, I am already happy for you. Red, you have the right spirit, lets make ourselves and our lives beautiful with whatever we have at hand. I have had times in my life where my most frequent companion has been a poop head and it does not have to be contagious. We can still shine a little more than yesterday. Hi, Lav, Sooty, Shelley et. al. Love, Ladybird.

[Raven.joy]

FEB FAST ~ WEEK THREE

that is such a nice rose

[Chillgirl]

FEB FAST ~ WEEK THREE

Red - Thanks for getting us started on week 3 of Feb Fast.

Red & Lav - I have to agree with everything Lode said, my life is certainly better for knowing you guys. Im sure your hubbies do know what gems they have even if they dont always show their appreciation. (its just a man thing!)

Dill - i love that you just enjoyed your day & pizza together! Now climb back up on board the bus and hang on..

Sooty - Im glad all sounds good in Sootyland, althought falling in the mud and sleeping in the shower! You do make me laugh :H

Lode - I want to get to know the new "sober me" before i inflict myself back onto the dating world! I guess everything has changed including what im now looking for in a partner.
I did get a beautiful ecard valentine from my friend I met here on MWO but I probably shouldnt get carried away as there are several 1000 of miles between us and who knows when we are going to meet....:h

LBH - Your upbeat post today sounds quite poetic....

Hi to Rav, Sky and Sped and wishing you all a happy AF week

[dill]

FEB FAST ~ WEEK THREE

Yes, Lode, this group is very much like family. A fabulous one at that! Thank you all for your non-judgmental and supportive comments. I feel grateful for you all.

Chill, did you know I used to have that "greatest glory" quote in my signature line before you and I met. I changed mine just a couple months or so ago. I felt a kindred spirit with you when I saw you had it in your sig. line.

LBH, you are definitely a romantic and poetic soul but one with their feet planted firmly on the ground and full of true grit. You are so right that our relationship with alcohol has been forever changed. That is for the best for both of us.

Ravenjoy, very nice to see you here. Stop by anytime!:welcome:

And I still believe that any day without alcohol is a victory.

Soots, I couldn't agree more! I think you should use that statement in you signature line.

Lav, what it is is that .01% of me that still doesn't accept the facts about alcohol and me. There is still that little part of me that hangs on to the idea that I can drink like a normal person "this time". I read others on the AF Daily and the AA thread and understand that that acceptance is key and it must be 100%. I know it is so for you. I admire you for that.

[spedteach]

FEB FAST ~ WEEK THREE

Hey all,
I agree with everyone who complimented our family here. Comforting to know there is usually someone hanging about.
Got very good news this morning. My 26 year old who is graduating from graduate school in June has received a job offer from a fairly prestigious Midwestern university. Given the economic times, he had some worries about getting a job at all.
Okay, been lollygagging around on this computer long enough. Must think of something wonderful to make for dinner. How about fennel leek soup? Are there mushroom soups that aren't loaded with cream? Guess I'll have to stay on the computer a little longer.
Later,
Shelley

[ladybirdheart]

FEB FAST ~ WEEK THREE

Goodness, Shelley, if I recall in one of your posts you mentioned that all three of your sons were in doctoral programs; I would have loved to be a kid growing up in a house with that much intellectual curiosity, talk about family values! I am so happy for you and your budding professor, I would imagine that only the most interesting and rare applicants are getting hired these days. And everybody, speaking of our Shelley, she and I have discerned over time the remarkably improbable fact that we are neighbors. I am not sure if we shall ever cross the ether from one world to another, but it so very cool to think that I might be fighting over the best organic parsnips at our local food co-op with somebody hell bent on making Sooty?s soup. I savor this mystery. What an improbable delight. Love, Ladybird.

[Miss Behaving]

FEB FAST ~ WEEK THREE

Hello all, I'm back from my week away. I had naively thought I would drive my mother up to see my brother and then blithely go away to the beach to relax with Mr B (who is working in another country at the moment, so we haven't seen much of each other) but it wasn't to be. I wont go into the details, but both of them were unwell, and the Rest Home where my brother is was not giving him the care he needed, and he ended up having to go back to the hospice for 24 hours. I ended up playing big bad mama (with the support 0f the hospice) and got some protocols in place for improvements in his care plan, but it was all a bit distressing and overwhelming. By the time we got everything sorted, we only got 2 days at the beach, and I ruined that by getting incredibly drunk both days. Interestingly too, I hadn't taken my supps with me (trying to pack light!!) and I'm sure that that made a difference, even if only psychologically

So I'm back at the beginning again and with my tail between my legs for what seems like the millionth time again. But being back home means getting back into routine, and I had got some good ones established through late Jan and early Feb. I get really sick of myself, but know that the only route to the end is a slow and self-disciplined one. Mr B away for another two weeks and I want to use the time well to continue the reading and journal writing that I was doing before I went away ..... I was finding that very helpful for examining some of my inner thoughts and feeling about drinking and not drinking and reasons why etc etc.

I was very happy to get back on Sunday night and log into MWO - I felt like I was missing a touchstone while I was away. Thanks to you all for being here!!

[Lavande]

FEB FAST ~ WEEK THREE

Evening Feb friends,

It has been one long day for Lav but not necessarily a bad one My grand dogs are back in their own home now - thank God!

Miss B, so sorry to hear about your difficulties. Who's to say that we all wouldn't have done the same thing?! Hope you can return to your plan, get right back on the Sober Bus!

Sooty - bad news - it's snowing here again!

Lode, I love this family here! It sure beats the hell out of my other family

Raven, nice to see you here!

Chill, I'm afraid that (some) men just get lazy or too contented & don't bother showing any appreciation. I've tried to teach my son to do better!

Dill, do you think you need to experience total humiliation (the way I did) before your brain finally accepts an AF life? I'm fairly certain that's what did it for me
Close your eyes & imagine me (or you) knowing that you've had too much to drink & trying to walk out the door before anyone else realizes that you're blitzed BUT you fall on your ass as you're reaching for the door knob.............boom! Talk about a dose of reality! I vowed right then that would never happen again!!!!!!

Shelley, you are most fortunate to be a neighbor of LBH! I think the two of you should get together for an interesting lunch Congrats to your brilliant son, good for him!
Re mushroom soup........I make it all the time without a drop of cream (when you're lactose intolerant you have to be creative). I use 2% Lactaid milk thickened with a little flour or corn starch in place of the cream & it works great! Really drops the fat & calorie content of your soup as well - yay!

OK, I really need to go to bed, I'm beat. I had a good day & I'm grateful to be living sober! My grandson is almost 15 months old now & said something to me today that sounded a lot like 'Grandma'!
It just doesn't get any better than that

Good night all!

[redhibiscus]

FEB FAST ~ WEEK THREE

I am up way too early! Good morning to all.

Dill, just keep trying, get back on the AF track. Every time I choose to drink, I realize how horrible it is and so not worth it. It is so much better to be AF in every way. It is just a mystery, or the illness of addiction, as to reasons we drink again. Thanks for your honesty and courage.

Missbehaving, I find I dread being out of my normal routine. It is so easy on vacation to drink, afterall, that is what you do on vacation, right? A few years ago, on a trip with another couple, I only drank one night and it was the best trip. What was the difference? The other female did not drink much, maybe one or two at the most. I wanted to enjoy my trip, had had AF time under my belt, and just chose to not drink. Went to bed early, but woke up early, and really enjoyed myself. I know you said you are back to square one, but you have the skills and the tools and the AF time in the past to help you on this lifelong journey. At the beginning it is just harder. Now, we know we can do this if we are vigilant, have a plan, and are determined.

Lavande, your description of falling down drunk is sooo painful, but I've been there. I never want to be there again. Thanks for reminding me. Can you post your mushroom soup recipe? It sounds delicious.

Spedtech, congrats on your son finding a job, and a good one. That is quite an accomplishment in this economy.

A final word on Valentine's day...just a little something is needed. Nothing big or expensive, a card, some chocolates. What is so hard about that? I just don't get the thoughtlessness. Part of the problem is that like many women, I am the person who takes care of kinship duties, you know, birthday cards, calls, setting up get togethers. It truly handicaps some men who just don't bother and take for granted that part of life. OK, I'm done for this round.

[sooty]

FEB FAST ~ WEEK THREE

Hello everyone, I missed you last night cos the damn blasted internet was playing up again - anyway the sun is shining and the sky is blue so I'm happy!
I hope you all are having a good week, sorry about the snow Lav - hope you haven't had loads more - I saw it on the news at the weekend and thought of you.
I have a couple of snowdrops in my pot on the patio and I can see some daffodils peeping through so spring must be on the way, chin up gang it will get warmer - Lav's orders :H
Think I'm going to go out for a walk today - but on hard surfaces, no mud for me today as it will be really squelchy out there cos we had rain yesterday
Have a good Tuesday lovely ones - see you later
Sooty