We know you guys all work hard every week and we're thrilled you spend some of your free time here on Gather.

Those of us who work here at Gather work hard too - but late every Thursday afternoon we all pull ourselves away from our desks and computers and actually talk to each other! (Novel idea, right?) Sometimes we even laugh together too!!!

We call this weekly escape "Thirsty Thursday's"

Here's a quick peek at yesterday's little get together.

Happy Weekend from your friends at Gather!

YOU are what makes Gather great.

And now we need your help making Gather even better.

Please give us ten minutes of your time by answering a 20-question survey.

As our way of thanking you for your time, effort, and honesty Gather will give the first 1,000 members who take our Spring Member Survey 50 Gather Points.

The points you earn for taking the survey will be uploaded into your account on April 15th.

Take the survey now. It's easy!

Gather is excited to announce a new program aimed at sharing some of the best content on Gather with a handful of trusted partners. To start, Gather will team with Divine Caroline in a program that will feature great Gather content on their site. In return, you will see the best of Divine Caroline within Gather's Family and Health Essentials. We believe this "best of" content share is a win-win for members on both sites.

Divine Caroline is a website designed for and about women. As they say, "it's a place where women rule and all the things that matter to them are covered every which way." 

If you write about womanhood - family, faith, health, relationships, work, raising children, caring for parents, etc...- and would like your content considered to be featured on Divine Caroline, please submit your work to the new Gather group; DivineContent.gather.com

Only content submitted to the Divine Content group will be considered. New content will be selected regularly and we will do our best to inform members when their content is featured.

Gather is excited about this program and looking to expand upon it. Look for announcements about more content-sharing partners in the weeks to come.

There. I said it. 

You see, for me it's not the act of dieting that drives me crazy, it's deciding in my head that I need to go on a diet. You know what I mean? For me, the really horrible part is knowing you need to shed a few pounds, but just not having the strength, desire or willpower to do it. I hate that.

So I spent the last two months thinking (ok, obsessing) about dieting. Then in early February, I decided to do it. It's time. The holidays are over and swimsuit season is coming on like a freight train.

I looked at the calendar and noticed that in February there are three birthday celebrations plus Valentine's Day. Ugh. I'll start on February 23^rd after all the hoopla. Once I made that big decision, I had nearly three weeks to obsess about dieting. It's the worst.

Just like all dreaded dates, February 23^rd eventually arrived and I psyched myself up to diet. I made my breakfast and packed my lunch and even brought in a blender for my fat-free milk and frozen strawberry smoothie. I was rip-roaring to go. When I arrived at the office I promptly dropped my blender and it shattered all over the kitchen. Not a good sign. But I would not be deterred! I went out and bought a little blender at lunch and I was feeling great.

The biggest change I made this week and the one I'm most proud of (stunned would be a better word) is that I haven't had one coffee or Diet Coke since Sunday night. To you, that might not be a big deal. But to me, that's HUGE. You see, I'm a Diet Coke addict. No, really, I'm addicted to the stuff. I almost never drink anything else. It's really disgusting, I know. But, other than my morning coffee (which I also haven't had) Diet Coke is the only other liquid I consume. And I love it. And I miss it. But I think I'm going to try giving it up. Truth is, the water has really helped me stay satisfied and "full" during this first week. And we all know, Diet Coke isn't good for you, so I'm going to try to kick the habit.

You know what? The last five days haven't been so bad. In fact, I'm really not that hungry at all and I'm only eating 1,200 calories per day. (Yes Mom, they are healthy, well-balanced, nutritious calories.) And I've had some really great success. This morning I stepped on the scale and I'd lost four pounds. I don't expect to keep up that pace, but it sure was a great start.

Now if I can only make it through the weekend without a Diet Coke...