Sunday - home from Chicago.

I had a lovely weekend. It was more than awesome for me to get out and meet strangers and love them and feel the love in Chicago. I wish we'd have had more time and a better place to all talk - there was so much information shared so fast and loud and furious, I"m not sure who the heck all I met.

I arrived in Crystal Lake, only getting lost while on a detour still in Wisconsin. Dang, but I get all turned around sometimes. The drive was easy and direct, good thing I second guessed mapquest and went with Google.

Having arrived and settled in, I discovered that I left Angie's phone number at home. I know Angie from her blog, Losing it and Loving it. But, I didn't know her last name. What to do what to do....so I called some people. Finally got my niece who logged in to my email and was able to get Angie's phone number. I knew I had emailed her my cell number and that she would have called me, but I'm nothing if not determined to resolve my issues when I create them. Thank God for technology!

Well, Ang and Kevin took me out to eat at a really neat Italian place near Crystal Lake...or in Crystal Lake...it was dark, I don't know. We shared an asparagus/proscuitto salad that was TDF (to die for!) as well as a plate of bruschetta. I ordered the Souvlakia - lamb kebabs with veggies over mushroom risotto. Delish! I even left some of the risotto because I knew I was close on WW points. We coulda had dessert, but I chose coffee instead. Our waitress got it that we were diet folk, so she brought us some dark-chocolate-mint sticks and a chocolate strawberry to split. Kevin did have cheesecake - gorgeous stuff - but I didn't mind at all. We drank a ton of ice water, iced tea, and coffee.

Book! We needed book - THE book Half-Assed because Jeanette Fulda - author! - would be at Panera in the morning with other blog-fame people. So we went to Borders. Guess what - only ONE copy. Angie was a brick and deferred to me to get that copy since I was the "guest". Personally, I think she was afraid I'd win in a parking-lot throw down, but I digress. We even told the Borders checker-outer boy that there was going to be a throw-down in the parking lot and to call 9-1-1. HE didn't get it. OR he was afraid of us. OR both. Well, we NEEDED that 2nd book, so we went to that other big bookstore.....Barnes and Noble. When we asked for Half-assed the nice kid seemed confused. I told him it was probably right next to "Skinny Bitch" and he was more in shock than anything. (YOUNG MAN! LEARN YOUR BOOK TITLES!) He was so thrown he was going to search "Fat-assed" for Angie, but she straightened him out. *Now I wonder if I should have taken that personally...naaah!* NO GO on the book. We sadly drove to Walmart for dog food, a shirt and accesories and found no book. So we went home.

Bright and early this morning we met again at my Super8 crib and this time headed to the city. Keven is a driving rock-star, so we got there in an hour. We were early. We ate souflees at Panera - these are NOT health food, people. We also decided we needed real food and had bagels to top us off. There was a yound woman there who appeared to be watching and waithing and watching and waiting eagerly. I pegged her for a blogger-stalker like us and invited SARAH to our table. That was cool. Nice young woman from CA in town for a few years while her beau gets edumacated for eye-doctoring and a HUGE Fulda fan AND a WW person AND armed with a raspberry...blueberry...black?berry so should could twitter check and find out where the bloggers might be, cuz time was rolling and NO bloggers. Jeannette sat by me. She is neat. Really neat. And real. and very personable and nice. And I can't wait to get off here and go read that book.

Suddenly from out of nowhere comes Jeannette!! YAYYYYYYYYYYYY. blah blah blah talk talk talk - and Sarah points out that the Borders isn't that far away. Suddenly, Kevin is out the door - gone - poof! He's in hot pursuit of a copy of Half-assed for their collection of fine reading. Then come a whole slug of people. Bloggers and fan of bloggers. And then I saw her - quilted black jacket, long dark hair....

MIZFIT's very own CARLA B. People, she is adorable. And kind. And real. And genuine. And tiny. CUTE AS HADES, too. I felt so lucky to be in the presence of one woman who is all that. *wiping real tear* Life is too damned good.

Kath was there as well. Though it was only after that I realized I had been to her food blog and had made her recipe for oat bars - addicting and YUM! I wish I had spoken to her.

Roni was there - also just cute and that girl talks FAST! So full of energy. AND tiny!!! Angie was so happy to get time to sit and talk with Roni. If you don't know Roni's Weigh or Greenlight Bytes. She is very inspiration and dedicated to helping people become healthier thru weight loss and smart eating.

Madison from Follow My Weigh - gorgeous woman! Very nice. I didn't really get to talk with her, but I will start watching her blog now!

Spent time talking with and listening to Heather from mamavision, a blog devoted to helping those with eating disorders unravel the web of health issues tangled in that whole mess. I believe we - finger quotes - need to devote some research to obesity as an eating disorder as well. It isn't that different from anorexia or bulimia...Very interesting convo's here.

I didn't get to talk to Workout Mommy. DANG! Like I said they were in - WHOOSH and out WHOOSH again.

Stephanie - Back in Skinny Jeans - is also a gorgeous woman. I found her really captivating - dang! Another blog I have to start reading. I love love love this whole experience!

It was cool cool cool to do something grown up all for me that didn't involve sports or WWE or dogs or cats or responsibility in general. I see so much potential in this whole blog thing, I don't even know what to do next. I know I missed some of the bloggers and blogger fans who were there, but they know who they are. I don't have pictures yet. Gotta wait for Angie. I was too smitten and listening to take pics, plus I don't know where my cable is for downloading.

Food - it was a pretty good weekend. No regrets. I still have flex points left, even.

Exercise - didn't get any today. Tomorrow is another day. A gym day, in fact, for strength. I'm sure the weights and machines will be right where I left them.

Make it a great day - evening- night - whatever ya got. And thanks for dropping by.