Spring September ~ Week 3

[Rusty]

Spring September ~ Week 3

Hi Everybody!

Busy day for me.....gym....accountant.....and then off for a visit with my mom. Notre Dame football and dinner with my family. I am filled with gratitude today.

Hello to all my very "real" friends here. I am so fortunate you are a VERY REAL part of my life.

Have a splendid AF Saturday.

[Lavande]

Spring September ~ Week 3

Good morning all!

I slept soundly until my 5:15 am hot flash alarm went off :H
That's a big improvement for me, believe it or not!
I am mixing up a concoction of pomegranate juice, pineapple juice & coconut water & having a glass of that in the evening. I got this idea from the report I mentioned earlier this week about the 7 superfoods to eliminate hormone hell!!!!!

Rusty, enjoy your busy day!
The rain is heading back here tonight so you are probably done with it there
I am grateful right along with you!

Greetings to Dill, Star, Papmom, Witts & everyone.
I sent Happy birthday greetings to Chill yesterday on Facebook. She may be dropping in to say hello

Wishing everyone a wonderful AF Saturday!
Lav

[dill]

Spring September ~ Week 3

Greetings all!
I'm taking a break from my cleaning project. It's a particularly nasty project although not as bad as cleaning a hen house! I'm cleaning out mouse droppings, nests, webs and spiders in one of the rooms in one of our outbuldings. It's a nasty job but somebody has to do it!

Rusty, thanks for the reminder of gratitude. You've come a long way, girl. We all have! Lots to be grateful for. Online friendship being among them.

Lav, that concoction of yours sounds delicious. Was last night the first time you tried it? I'll be interested to know if you continue to do well with it. I hope for your sake that you do!

OK, back to work.

[2013 wittsend]

Spring September ~ Week 3

morning everyone
sorry been busy had a new grandaughter Marley may yesterday morning alls good and she's cute

well had my compter in to get fixed and when i got home and set it up the problem was still there after they had wiped it clean and lost some of my programmes
so i took it back in again and set it up with them and showed them the problem and i used my mouse and keyboard and guess what ......the problem was the mouse and key board ....not happy after spending all that money to get it fixed .....now i' hasselling with them about warranties as i had extended warranty .......I would have thought technicians would know the difference with a virus and malfunction of accesaries

[Lavande]

Spring September ~ Week 3

Good evening all,

Witts, sorry about the computer repair screw up
You have another new grandbaby?? CONGRATS to you
How many grandkids do you have now? I think the three I have are all I'm gong to have.

Dill, after reading your description of the cleaning project - I think I'd rather clean out the hen house :H Bless you :H
Last night was the 3rd night for my pomegranate concoction. If this works I am going to write to the woman who writes that blog. What a relief after 18 years of this nightly BS!!!!

[paguy]

Spring September ~ Week 3

Hello Friends! Remember me??

I have been thinking of all of you recently so I decided to check in to see how everyone is doing. It's nice to see that many of the same names are still out there and that your support system is still strong. You folks are great!

I am doing very well. This past July, I marked my 3 year AF anniversary and cannot be happier about being completely sober. My life is so much more meaningful and full - I love it.

I did manage to 'retire' at the end of last year and have spent most of my time working on projects around the house and my landscape and garden. I have also managed to pick up a few minor consulting gigs along the way which has been interesting - I hope to do more of that in the upcoming year.

I still see so much alcohol abuse around me - mostly friends and some family members. It helps reinforce my commitment to never again let a substance control my life. And I will be forever thankful to all of you who supported me and were there to guide and encourage me when I started this journey 3 years ago!

So.... Greetings to all of you (Lavande, Star, Rusty, Papmom, Dill and others). My best to all of you on this beautiful AF Sunday!

Paguy (John)

[Rusty]

Spring September ~ Week 3

JOHN!!!!:h It is soooooo good to hear from you!!CONGRATULATIONS ON 3 PLUS YEARS AF!!!:yay::thumbs: I am thrilled to hear of your long-term sobriety and how much better your life has become.:goodjob: I am also delighted that you were able to retire when you wanted and you are enjoying life to its fullest. Have you run any more marathons since we last communicated? Are you still with your partner? How does your family feel about your long-term sobriety? What are the most significant, positive changes you've seen in your life? I love your little doggie in the avatar, too.

Geez, I sure miss ya. We can't keep men on this thread to save our lives. And I don't even flirt anymore and where did it get me? Nowhere....I'm still scaring people off.:H Most of we "regulars" are still here, as you can see. I always valued your balanced male perspective on the broad topics we share here, and Lavande and I have mentioned a few times that we missed you. Ah ha! You've been lurking. So you DID see that we missed you.:H

Sorry to hear about the alcohol abuse among friends and family. You know, I used to smirk at people who were sober (this was years ago) who would comment on the behavior of people who were drinking heavily and their actions/poor health, but now I get it. When you stop drinking, that behavior is even more noticeable and it really IS sad.

[Rusty]

Spring September ~ Week 3

Posted by paguy:

It helps reinforce my commitment to never again let a substance control my life.

AMEN TO THAT, JOHN! Me neither. Never going back to that frightning, dark place of AL.

[Lavande]

Spring September ~ Week 3

Well - there you are Mr. Paguy :H :H
I have been wondering about you too, glad you stopped by. CONGRATS on your 3 years AF :wd:
Congrats on your retirement too - now you can move down this way & become a gentleman farmer if you really want something different to do
Wishing you continued success, don't be a stranger!

We had a whole lot of rain here overnight but the sun is here starting to dry things out already. I need to get myself out soon for much needed supplies. I have a date with two little dirtballs for lunch & they tend to eat a lot!!!

Have a wonderful AF Sunday everyone!
Lav

[Rusty]

Spring September ~ Week 3

Posted by Lavande:

I have a date with two little dirtballs for lunch & they tend to eat a lot!!!

:H:H

[Rusty]

Spring September ~ Week 3

Viewed on Facebook this morning-by Doorkickers Inc.: God gives us only what we can handle. Apparently God thinks I'm a bad-ass.

I thought of Lav, Dill, Star, Pap, and several other people when I saw this on FB this morning.

Chill-if you're lurking, belated Happy Birthday!!:h

[dill]

Spring September ~ Week 3

Hello AF Friends,

I think we need to start week 4 tomorrow, so whoever gets here first...

Paguy, it is really great to see you and to know you are still AF and loving it. Such a better way to live to be in control of ourselves and not under the control of alcohol. You have that 100% right! I'm glad your retirement is going so well. It doesn't sound like you spend much time sitting on your front porch rocking. Stop in again sometime. It's good to see you.

You know, I used to smirk at people who were sober (this was years ago) who would comment on the behavior of people who were drinking heavily and their actions/poor health, but now I get it.

Rusty, I used to think/feel the same way. Isn't it interesting how our perspective changes? There was a time tho, when I looked at alcohol that way, that I was still in control of my consumption (or thought I was). I didn't realize that for me, alcohol was worming its way into my psyche in such a way that one day it would indeed have the upper hand over me.

Awesome! Three good nights sleep in a row!!! You better patent the recipe!:H How was lunch with the 'dirtballs'? I have decided for my own sanity, to serve meals on the picnic table out on the deck for as long as the weather holds up.

Pmom, where are you?

[paguy]

Spring September ~ Week 3

Thanks for the nice words, folks. It really is very nice to see that many of you are still here supporting one another. I will try to stop by on a regular basis.

Rusty - I will be running my 3rd full marathon in 3 weeks in Chicago. I think this may be my last full marathon - I get more satisfaction from the half-marathon distance (13.1 miles) and the wear and tear on my body will be less severe! New, congrats on your AF success too!!

I did have an interesting encounter earlier this evening that I'd like to share. I am staying at my condo in Florida for a couple of weeks and a group of us met on a neighbor's patio after pool time today. Interestingly enough, the conversation turned to their alcohol consumption and how they couldn't tolerate NOT drinking. And then one of the gals turned to me and said, "Well, John, we all have our vices and since you don't drink, your vice is running. You get your high from running." I was a bit flabbergasted and didn't really know what to say so I just bit my lip and said nothing. I guess it made her feel better to put me down that way? Not sure. I'm not bothered by what she said. I just find it interesting how uncomfortable it makes
some drinkers to be around those of us who don't drink.

Hope you all have a great week!

[Lavande]

Spring September ~ Week 3

Well John ~
That was one bitchy remark if I ever heard one :H
I wouldn't give her another thought, she's hiding something
Good luck in Chicago! I guess your foot has been holding up well since your surgery?

Don't know if I'll get the new thread started tomorrow. Just found out I need to be out of here before 7 am again to watch the boys aka dirtballs :H Those two can create a huge mess in the blink of an eye. Feeding them outdoors is always an option!

Have a great night one & all. Check in papmom & cyn.

[Rusty]

Spring September ~ Week 3

Hi Everybody,

I forgot to start a new thread for this week but perhaps I will tonight unless someone beats me to it.

John-I'm glad you blew off that ignorant woman's comment. I think she's jealous you can run distances like 13.1 and 26.2 miles because she probably can't fathom running a block much less a half-marathon. I say this because when I was running 10K races regularly in my mid-twenties and early thirties, my closest friends and my boyfriend (several years down the road) made snide comments like,"I think people who run are nuts. Running is too hard on your body." She probably wonders how you can be happy without a drink in your hand AND be a competitive long-distance runner. Glad you didn't give her comment another thought. I am thrilled that you are running a marathon! I admire your stamina. Awesome! I went to DC last week via Philly and I thought of you. Please stay with us. I value your opinion so much!

Dill:

Isn't it interesting how our perspective changes? There was a time tho, when I looked at alcohol that way, that I was still in control of my consumption (or thought I was). I didn't realize that for me, alcohol was worming its way into my psyche in such a way that one day it would indeed have the upper hand over me.

I couldn't have said this any better. I feel the same.

Lav-kid duty at 7:00 AM???? Where do you get your energy?

Hi to everyone else....I have a 3.5 hour drive to work today and will be traveling....so everyone have a happy AF Monday.