The Artisano Experience!

Now you just have to understand what happened when the Stress Triplets got together at Artisano's!


Of course, I'm not about to tell ALL!
But you do need to know that I was standing at the coffee bar fixing my 2nd refill of "bottomless cup" when a worried waitress walked by. She was carrying a frothy-topped cappuccino and calling out, "Cappuccino? Cappuccino?" As I stirred my tasty but regular, she visited each room and table looking for the customer who had decided to take a load off their feet while their cap was being puccino-ed.

When she passed by me I smiled and said, "I'll take it -- if it's been paid for!" I thought my humor was quite fitting but I detected ever such a tiny upward tilt of her chin and a slight narrowing of her eyes as she continued on her way! I was embarrassed! I had risked bringing a laugh into her doldrums shift and she had coldly walked away without a twitch of a smile! So I turned back to my little job of measuring out a squeeze of honey and a slurp of cream, hurt! Real sad!

But as I lifted my cup and turned back towards our table, she closed in the pattern of her final figure eight around the rooms and approached me with my free cappuccino! "You may as well have it," she said! "By the time they come to get it, it will be cold and I'll have to redo it anyway!"

Pat had just picked up a second cappaccino and I had just fixed my refill, so Jeanette was the recipient of the freebie! Hey! Ya gotta watch out for us when we get together -- a joint sum of more than 150 years of living experience! I'd say it was time we cashed in on a cuppa something!

THE STRESS TRIPLETS!

Carol-Ann, Jeanette, and Pat at the coffee shop!


I just got back from a wonderful visit to Canada to see my mother and Carol-Ann and her family, as well as Pat who also lives in that area. What a great time we all had! I loved every minute of it.

Before I left home to fly to Toronto, Carol-Ann, Pat, and I were joking by email that we were all having so much stress (mostly work-related) that we should call ourselves the stress triplets!

Last Sunday evening the three of us got together at Artisano's, a wonderful coffee shop and eatery near Carol-Ann's, and spent a great 4 hours gabbing and at times laughing so hard that we could not see for the tears! I fear we drew a great deal of attention from other patrons, but they were very kind to us! When we started taking pictures of each other, one nice lady came over and offered to take a picture of all of us together, so here it is. I'm pretty sure that this past week has gone better for each of us because of the great fun we had on Sunday evening and the friendship and support we gave each other! The stress triplets are old enough to know that stress shared is stress divided, and the support of understanding friends is priceless!

Carol-Ann and I have certainly wimped out on weighing in this week, haven't we! I haven't even been brave enough to get on the scale to see what I weigh, let alone post it here! We really did not do too badly when I was visiting her, but since I came home I have been eating everything in sight as I try to catch up on my work.

Sometimes all my best plans are useless. I had hoped to keep up with my client's dictation while I was gone (an internal medicine doctor), and so I had my laptop with me to do just that. All was ready, and then his recorder malfunctioned! He could not send me his dictation until the night before I came home! For just a minute, I wavered in deciding whether this was yet another irritation to ruin my day, or if it was a blessing from God which allowed me to forget all my work and have fun! I decided to count it a blessing and it really was!

But...there is definitely a downside to coming back to overwhelming non-stop hours sitting at my computer trying to catch up, typing until the bones practically start poking through the ends of my fingers. I am almost caught up now, though. All I have left to do are the records for Friday's patients which he sent me last evening so...(deep breath)...I am feeling pretty good about it.

Now if I can just get my weight loss back on track...

What is Andrea up to??

Yesterday Paula (Andrea's mom) forwarded me an email with some pretty impressive attachments!

I think Andrea's first event at school was today, and then things are going to be in full swing starting next week, if I have it right. With demanding class schedules, teaching assignments, and tutoring jobs, her own car is a must, and she has taken the plunge! What a beautiful car, Andrea!




An inside view of the dash (and Andrea in the mirror)!



Andrea, pleased as punch with her very own wheels!


CONGRATULATIONS, ANDREA!