Well, it has been awhile since I have written but there isn�t much to catch up on.

I was sick all of last week with the flu and stayed home two days from work. I am finally feeling almost completely better today. Being sick sucks big time.

My cousin�s Dad continues to suffer and still does not have use of his right side. His wife is a fighter, as is he and they are really trying to beat this. It�s so hard to think about him being that sick and then imaging that happening to my own Dad. I can�t fathom what a nightmare this must be for my cousin�s, his wife and his Mother.

Bob has to go to Cleveland possibly next weekend and then for a whole week in February. His Mother has a court hearing dealing with Bob�s Dad (who died last year as of last week � RML was very sad) and a settlement. RML�s Mom wants him to be there and he wants to be there for support and to get some things done around the house for her.

Today I ran 3 miles. I don�t think I will be doing a marathon anytime soon. I weighed myself today and was pleased to see I lost the 7 pounds I gained.  It�s hard work staying thin though. But, I keep active, eat healthy, drink little and I work out almost daily. It will be a year that I have been at this weight in March. It�s also been a year and 4 months since my last cigarette. I also have RML committing to quitting on his birthday � April 27th. I really hope that he can do this. I really hate the smoking. It�s amazing how much I hate it now considering it never bothered me before and I ENJOYED smoking. Ewwwww!

I decided to whiten my teeth with the Crest Whitening Strips. I have been doing it for 3 days now so we will see how much lighter they are in 11 days. I have a hard time keeping them on for the full 30 minutes however so I have only been doing 20 minutes. I figure 20 is better than none.

My Mom called me today and she said that her cousin is dying. They expect him to die in the next few days. I was looking forward to going up north this weekend to see Patrick but now it looks like it might turn into a funeral. I still cannot get over the fact that one year ago at my Grandmother�s funeral he was alive, healthy, and happy and he even sang and played guitar with his daughters at my Grandmother�s funeral. Now he is bed-ridden, can�t use the right side of his body, fed through a feeding tube in his stomach, can�t talk and has been in the hospital more than not. I�m so sad. Every time I see my Mom�s cell phone number on Caller ID I am always expecting the �call�. I dread that call. I can tell by how she says my name when she says hello. It gives me shivers.

I started watching the television series �24�. I think it�s great. I have also started watching Median and still record all my CSI�s and Law and Orders. Of course, Sunday is Desperate Housewives. A guy here at work, Shelby told us his wife thinks she and her neighbor friends are the �Desperate Housewives of Katy, TX�.

My sister Michelle also called me today and told me that she and her fianc� Joe are moving into a trailer the 1st of February. I was hoping she would wait and then they would eventually break up. I am a horrible sister, I know. I just don�t want her to have the �trailer trash� life nor do I want that for Illeana. I am especially worried for her. Oh well� not much I can do about it. She also wants me to go to a wedding expo on Saturday. I said I would go but I think our plans will change depending on the funeral.

RML comes back home tonight! Yea! He flew to Dallas last night for meetings today. He�s getting ready to start traveling a lot again. The bright side of it is he racks up the miles and we can use those for Lisa�s wedding in Hawaii in May and for our Honeymoon sometime down the road. I�m considering having my wedding in Barbados�. And then my Mom will have a reception-party for us with all the family later. I think that�s probably the best way for us. The wedding is just too expensive to do it the way I want to and my parents do not have the money for it at this time. Oh well� some people are born into money and others � like me � are not. I am lucky to have such a wonderful family. I wouldn�t trade them for all the money in the world.

Time to get back to work.