Since we will have our family Thanksgiving dinner this evening at our house (tomorrow we head up to Tennessee to spend the weekend with family) I wanted to take a moment to wish all our LCT friends a blessed and happy holiday.

We have so much to be thankful for, but this year I feel especially blessed. For the past 3 years I have had muscle weakness from taking a Rx drug that lowers cholesterol and was unable to walk much or even use my arms. Many days I used a cane and even then didn't leave our house that often and when I did it was a short trip only to come home because I was so weak and I needed to rest.

In August I found a new doctor/chiropractor that has taken me from being weak, disabled and at times quite depressed to a happy strong person that will never take my health for granted ever again. I am off all my Rx meds and only take natural supplements. I am able to walk 3.5 miles a day and I try to eat more sensibly (well not on CROSS). I am not telling you this story because I want your sympathy - I want you to join me in giving THANKS for getting my life back!

Our CROSS cruise was really wonderful - other trips I would enjoy, but never really "get in to it" because of not being able to walk much. I walked up and down the steep streets in Funchal, I walked the treadmill on the ship, I took an Abs class, we went to dance classes 2 times a day for about 5 days and I took the stairs many times when going from deck to deck.

Happy Thanksgiving :lct:

Wow .. Sue, that's quite a story. I'm delighted you have found a regimen that works far better for you. Good reasons to give thanks, especially this year.

Have a safe trip to Tennessee. We also did our Thanksgiving early with family (Sunday) and are looking forward to family visiting us over the weekend.

Tomorrow's menu? Bruschetta, schrimp cocktail, steamed asparagus, dark chocolate, pumpkin cheesecake and champagne.

Cheers, Anne

For the first time in years we are not hosting turkey day. While I am happy to not have days of cooking and cleanup to look forward to it's a little weird.

Well, anyway, Happy Thanksgiving to all my LCT buddies. May you all enjoy a wonderful time with your family and friends.

Sue - awesome to hear that you have your life back.

Anne - you just detailed the perfect menu!! All of my favorites!! What time should we be over?!? LOL

Sue: What an amazing story. Thanks for sharing it.

To all my American friends - Happy Thanksgiving.

Lee

happy thanksgiving to all.

sue--what a terrific ending. you are much stronger than even your muscles have become. we'll take the stairs together in a few weeks.

May your stuffing be tasty,

May your turkey be plump,

May your potatoes 'n gravy

Have nary a lump.


May your yams be delicious,

May your pies take the prize,

May your Thanksgiving dinner

Stay off of your thighs

Jerel and I are going out for a nice quiet dinner as a dual Thanksgiving/anniversary celebration (and I am going to enjoy every bite).

Sue - you know I am SO happy for you!! I love your new avatar too - you look fabulous!

Marcie - too cute!!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my LCT friends!!

Thanks for sharing that wonderful story Sue - Happy Thanksgiving to all!!!!

So happy for you Sue...
I'm in the middle of cooking our Thanksgiving dinner which will take place tonight, and tomorrow we go to the kids for lunch. I just love being with our family My daughter is not able to come home this year, she can't close the store for the weekend, so there is certainly a missing piece in my heart this year. :mecry:
Happy Thanksgiving and don't eat tooo much!

Sue, sounds like you've been reminded clearly about why we should all be very thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends.

HAPPY TURKEY DAY Everyone!!!!

Wonderful Thanksgiving story Sue. Thanks for sharing!

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody! Kids and kidlets will be descending on us tomorrow, and I'll have to herd them toward the door after Mark goes to bed. But we also have hearts overflowing with thankfulness as Rich continues to make a full recovery from his horrible illness. He won't be able to be here tomorrow, but I've already frozen his leftovers for when he can come.

This will be our last Thanksgiving in this house, unless something drastic happens. We are building a new house so my mom can move in with us, and it should be ready to move into around the time of Roar2. We may have to decide before or after (I'm voting for after). This is our 26th Thanksgiving in this house, so it's kind of a bittersweet thing.

I haven't said much, but Mark has decided to have gastric bypass surgery, and it's scheduled for Dec 17th. We are getting on Navigator Nov 26 for 10 days; during that time, he will have to be on a very restricted diet. I think it's a good thing that we know the ship's chef can make his restrictions taste far better than I ever could.

Edit (my phone rang before I was through): Sue, your story is amazing, and I am so happy that you found a doctor who wanted to get to the source of your weakness! What part of Tennessee do you go to?

A joyous Thanksgiving to all!

So happy for you, Sue!

We are totally skipping Thanksgiving by crossing the International dateline. We board our plane for NZ tonight. It will seem weird to have no Thanksgiving dinner. Maybe we will have lamb on Air NZ?

Sue, that's an amazing story and congratulations to finding a regime that works for you.

And, Pam, so happy that you're son is doing well.

I'm thankful that we can all share the love of travel on LCT and have the opportunity to see so many places in this world.

Sue, Kudos for your health and for a wonderful
attitude...you're welcome to join Ida (she does those exercise classes every morning (about 8 or 9) on the ship)and me (I run daily, when on the ship (5:30 am to 6:30 am) on the Navigator...when done we're truly ready to enjoy the ship's gustatory delights...r/wes

Sue,

You would never, ever know of your weakened condition. Your stamina was full speed ahead on CROSS! So glad to hear that you can put this all behind you and are doing so well. You look fantastic. BTW, a new medical breakthrough you may want to look into - "Egg Salad Enhances Muscular Strength." :D :hug:

A bountiful and happy Thanksgiving to all our LCT friends!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO EVERYONE!!!

Sue: I am so disappointed I did not get to meet you and Tom on CROSS. The evening of JoAnn's welcome reception for you in Funchal, Sandy and I were under the weather, so to speak. Then we got so involved in activities and the time just seemed to fly by. I am so interested in your health issue as I have had a very similar experience, also related to the taking of a statin drug, which is is what I'm thinking was your problem. I am doing much better also after going off the drug. I would like to compare some notes with you. When it is convenient, pm me and we can talk.

Now trying to get back to the "real world" after an amazing and wonderful 3 weeks away. My fur faces were just fine even though I worried about them while gone.

Shirley

Thanks all - again I really just wanted to share why I have so much MORE to be thankful for this year especially!

Shirley I felt bad, too, that our paths never really did "cross"! I guess we were all having way too much fun.

Drop me an IM after the holiday weekend - I would be happy to share my healing journey with you and compare notes! :)

So happy for you Sue!

My turkey is in it's brine bath, just a small family dinner tomorrow.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you who have made my year so memorable (especially all those wonderful PANDAS).

Andrea...another fantastic new photo? I've got some work to do before next June!

Everyone's plans sound wonderful! I am headed for my girlfriends cabin in the woods, our Thanksgiving tradition! I am on a medicine for a week that you can't drink while taking so I will also have to have a dry Turkey day. I hope the Turkey isn't dry, too! The good news is that I will be done with the medicine before LAMB!

Karen that is great news - a 'dry" Karen would be no fun at all on Lamb - "dry" turkey you can handle -

Pam we are going to the Eastern part of TN near Athens (small town of Tellico Plains). Toms brother and wife just moved there at the beginning of the month. We fell in love with the area when we met them during their house hunting trip in August. We hope to purchase some land this weekend if we can find that perfect spot! ;)

here's to all the tired cook/cleaners.
my son is with us for this Thanksgiving, so today I took off of work and made pies, pies and more pies. have been making apricot, plum, etc breads for weeks, and just brought them out of the freezer. i have a bread mountain--think I overdid it.
vacuuming is done, prep work is almost finished, and now I am going to watch Project Runway.
snowing here. should be a pretty holiday.
everyone enjoy tomorrow, and leave room for desert.

Happy Thanksgiving all! We're having a small Thanksgiving, inviting my parents over to have it with us. Still haven't started cooking yet - the eternal procrastinator!

Masaki

Happy Thanksgiving all. Sue it's good to hear your problem is better. Your new avatar is terrific also.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! At least I started making dessert tonight...it's a start.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.

Thanks for sharing your story Sue - I am glad you have regained your health.

We're having 20 people over today (what was I thinking??!!!) - my family plus some single friends plus some work colleagues (Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Romanian, German and Israeli) who are on temporary assignments to our headquarters.

Turkey is out of its brine and air drying prior to roasting. I made everything else yesterday so except for the last minute gravy making things should go smoothly.

Enjoy the day with your families and friends!

Mary Ellen

Happy Thanksgiving to all of the wonderful LCT friends here!

Sue your reason for thanks is such an important reminder of what in precious in our lives.

Health, friendship and adventure. I'm thankful to be sharing all those good things with all of YOU!

Happy Thanksgiving to LCT!


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R - come on over anytime! We've got extra glasses out and waiting for you and Paul.

Happy Thanksgiving to all, and to all superb bites (of turkey).

Cheers, Anne

We are at our daughter's in Virginia where it is 36 degrees warmer than our home in Michigan today! I went out and raked leaves for her this morning. It is the first time in my life I have been able to be outdoors on Thanksgiving day without so much as a sweater or jacket.

I made spinach balls and cooked butternut squash for our dinner. Karen is doing the rest.

Sue, it is so good that your current doctor has helped you find your way back to good health. My husband took Lipitor for several years with no problems, but I have heard of so many who could not take it. After Bill retired, lost weight and changed his eating habits he was able to go off both that medication and blood pressure medication.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Happy thanksgiving to all my wonderful LCT friends.

Nancy

It has been 80 here for weeks and turned to 50ish for Thanksgiving to everyone's surprise just overnight.

I was making chateaubriand (which I still am), but I got so excited by all those mixed spice sachets I bought in Marseilles from Provence that I had to do a turkey. So...now this 14 lb. turkey is almost done for just the two of us.

Sue, I remember the year you did that St. Lucia FAM. You have had a lot of experiences, and kudos for being in fabulous shape and finding wonderful things to help make your life terrific again. You look great, and it sounds like you feel great. I am anxious to meet you after so many years.

I must tell everyone my story today. I woke up this morning with an email from my mother, Pat. The subjct was Grandma Got Runover By a Reindeer. Well, she is in so much community theatre, and also a few people forward us stuff. I almost didn't read the thing. I kept wondering why I had not heard about her arriving at my sister's (on top of that, Mom leaves for a cruise tomorrow, followed by a trip to Beaches Boscobel). Here is a synopsis of what happened to her last night:

Well, she hit a deer going to my sister's (a 5 hour trip for her). She never even saw the deer. It shattered her windshield, and glass came in the car all over her. The top is dented, as was the passenger door, and the side mirror came all the way off. Since it was the day before Thanksgiving in between two podunk towns, the tow service couldn't get to her. They told her to have the sheriff tow her. Then two of my nieces who were already home for Thanksgiving came after her. It was 2 hours each way from where she was. So, they dealt with Geico and my BIL has to go deal with the car on Friday while she departs for her cruise! She never saw the deer. She didn't even know what it was until the state trooper that rescued her saw the deer hair on the car somewhere. She said it felt like an explosion. Thankfully, she is unharmed and enjoying making rolls and having a "yeast crisis" at my sister's.

Sue: Couldn't help visualizing your son getting married and you "dancing" to your heart's delight!

Karen: Am sure the meds will deliver a knock-out blow to whatever ails you and that you'll be one happy lambsy divey.

Pam: Always good to hear of your son's progress and do hope that Mark's upcoming adventure with the medicos is a complete success.

DebbieH103. Wow, that story sure gives one pause. What a tough gal she must be and I'm sure she's most "thankful" that she, nor anyone else, was injured.

Lots to be thankful for even in small measures.

As for us, we'll be at daughter # 1's home where we'll lay some love on the grandchildren as well as some expected teasing and rough-housing. Son-in-law is firing up the kitchen with a canjun meal and on this , windy, damp day it sounds like just the ticket.

ENJOY!!

http://www.jacquielawson.com/viewcard.asp?code=1310746042161&source=jl999

We're going to my funny brother's house. They've never cooked a turkey before, as of 9:30 last night they hadn't even bought one yet, said they need to buy some pots and pans too. :eek:

He means so well, trying to make up for all the many years he's eaten at our home on Thanksgiving and I was thrilled not to cook this year for the first time!

Something tells me we may be driving home hungry or via a drive thru! But we'll be home to watch the game....GO TROJANS!!! :banana:

Marcie, I can't wait for your report when you come back from your brothers!!

I have so much to be thankful for this year, but at this very minute I am most thankful for my NEW COMPUTER!!!!!!!!!! I'm back in business.

Woo hoo Betty! New computers are so much fun!

I can attest to Sue's energy level as I witnessed it during dance class! :) . Sue, nothing short of amazing that you had such a complete turnaround.

Happy Thaksgiving everyone. I haven't gone outside because it's rainy but temps are supposed to be in the 60's!

Right now I'm most thankful that I have a full house and my DH is taking care of all the cooking!I'll be the bartender!

I'm a day late, but Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Hope your day was filled with fun, food and family.