I apologize for letting the posting fall off but things around here have been insanely busy. There are many new, exciting and scary things going on right now and most of them are occurring simultaneously.
#1. I resigned from my position at CILS. As much as A. and I love Vancouver and as loathe as we are to leave our friends, we had been thinking for quite a while about leaving the city and moving closer to family. A.'s family is in Kingston and we investigated the job market around Toronto but weren't able to get any interest so we turned to Calgary. 5 years ago when I left I swore that I would never return but 5 years is a long time and people tend to change. Needless to say, I'm not the same person now that I was at 23 and being so isolated from family was starting to take it's toll.
I sent out a few resumes, had a few interviews and ultimately accepted a library technician position at the National Energy Board. I start in my new job on April 21st so A. and I, along with the help of my mom and step-dad, are packing up and driving over the mountains on the 17th.
#2. Leaving Vancouver also means that we are in the midst of selling our condo. At various points in the past two years we had discussed selling and getting a bigger place but always decided that we liked our current home too much. However, with the move and seeing as we didn't want to be landlords, we didn't have much choice but to sell. I must say that signing my name to that contract was harder than I ever thought it would be. I bought that place on my own at the age of 23 and it was the first place that A. and I lived together. A lot of memories are wrapped up in 527 sq. ft. and it will be hard to leave it behind.
#3. I am also finishing up the International Relations course that I have been taking at Langara and am dealing with all the stress that course work brings. Writing my term paper was an exercise in itself and I still have a final exam to study for.
#4. As you saw in the previous post, A. and I got engaged on March 26. We were driving back to Vancouver from Calgary and because we had left Revelstoke so early in the morning we hit the Fraser Valley at about 1:30pm. It was a gorgeous day and we had been driving for so long that we wanted to stop somewhere and go for a walk to stretch our legs. I saw the sign for Harrison Hot Springs and suggested it because I had never been but always wanted to. I told A. that we would head in that direction and if it was too far we would turn around and come back. (Turns out he had been looking for a nice place to stop all day.) We parked near the lake and took a short walk on the path to see the source of the hot springs. On the way back I had stopped to take some pictures of a lovely moss covered stream and when I turned around A. was on one knee in the mud with the ring box open. I had thought that I was prepared and ready for the proposal but I was still completely blown away. I nodded yes, we both started crying and the rest is history.
And that brings us to the planning for the wedding...
Friday, April 11, 2008
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Dream house
I recently started reading Nicole Balch's Making it Lovely blog and I have fallen in love with her house. (A complete set of photos can be seen via her Flickr account.
Everything about it is perfect, from the colours to the flooring to the furniture, and how I would love my future home to look like.
Everything about it is perfect, from the colours to the flooring to the furniture, and how I would love my future home to look like.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Thursday, February 07, 2008
Map My Run
In the spirit of moving more I walked home from work today. I wanted to see how long my route is so I signed up for mapmyrun.com and added the first walk to my training log. Woohoo! I like interactive tools so maybe this will help me to get off my butt more often. I even got in a little window shopping on Main.
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
WW Part II
When I was in the hospital and then recovering from surgery in July I missed 4 weeks of Weight Watchers which meant that I had to rejoin. I figured I had been doing it for 3 months and doing well so why couldn't I do it at home on my own? Turns out that's not the case. Doing it on my own I not only didn't lose any additional weight but I gained back a few of the pounds I lost so I decided I needed to go back. This past Saturday was my first weigh-in.
I've discovered that the key to my weight loss is accountability. I need to step on the scale in front of a stranger and have them either congratulate me or ask what I did differently this week. I need to have a reason, besides myself apparently, to want to watch what I eat throughout the week. I need the shame factor. I've also added a weight ticker to the right side of the blog so that's an additional incentive for me. Now everyone can track my progress along with me.
Throughout this journey to become lean, svelte and sexy (as Emma and I used to say) I have found that the most difficult thing for me is the exercise. Strange since I was incredibly active in my younger years. There were few things I got more enjoyment out of than sports but unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case any longer. You would be amazed at the long list of excuses I can come up with for not exercising. I'm too tired, I don't feel well, I have a headache, my feet hurt, there is something I want to watch on TV, it's too late, etc, etc. I've looked into activities that I think I would enjoy such as kick boxing but they are sooo expensive. I've tried dropping in at the Y next to the college but I'm just not a gym person. I downloaded the Couch to 5k podcasts but frankly, I just don't like distance running. I've thought about joining a women's rec soccer team but it's been so long since I played I'd be embarrassed. And on it goes.
Some people I know are insanely fit and active. (You know who you are.) Where do they find the motivation? Any tips and tricks? This seems to be the major hurdle in me losing the kind of weight I would like to.
I've discovered that the key to my weight loss is accountability. I need to step on the scale in front of a stranger and have them either congratulate me or ask what I did differently this week. I need to have a reason, besides myself apparently, to want to watch what I eat throughout the week. I need the shame factor. I've also added a weight ticker to the right side of the blog so that's an additional incentive for me. Now everyone can track my progress along with me.
Throughout this journey to become lean, svelte and sexy (as Emma and I used to say) I have found that the most difficult thing for me is the exercise. Strange since I was incredibly active in my younger years. There were few things I got more enjoyment out of than sports but unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case any longer. You would be amazed at the long list of excuses I can come up with for not exercising. I'm too tired, I don't feel well, I have a headache, my feet hurt, there is something I want to watch on TV, it's too late, etc, etc. I've looked into activities that I think I would enjoy such as kick boxing but they are sooo expensive. I've tried dropping in at the Y next to the college but I'm just not a gym person. I downloaded the Couch to 5k podcasts but frankly, I just don't like distance running. I've thought about joining a women's rec soccer team but it's been so long since I played I'd be embarrassed. And on it goes.
Some people I know are insanely fit and active. (You know who you are.) Where do they find the motivation? Any tips and tricks? This seems to be the major hurdle in me losing the kind of weight I would like to.
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
I'm loving...
In other music news, the Juno nominations are out and one of my favourite artists, Serena Ryder, is nominated for New Artist of the Year.
Monday, February 04, 2008
Please, just go away...
Higher by Heidi Montag
I think my ears are bleeding and I am definitely stupider for having watched that.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
First books of '08
#1: The Kalahari Typing School for Men by Alexander McCall Smith continues the tradition of entertainment that was started with The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency. I enjoyed this one just as much as the first three and look forward to reading the rest of the series.
#2: Wild Fire by Nelson DeMille. I gave Andrew this book for Christmas and we started reading it at the same time so we traded it back and forth while I read another book. This newest one from DeMille focuses on a plot by a group of rich civilians and high ranking US government employees to launch a (fictional?) mutually assured destruction-type counterattack called "Wild Fire." An entertaining read.
#3. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. A Christmas gift from Andrew. This story revolves around the interconnecting lives of Miriam and Laila and their stories are told in heartbreaking detail. The books takes us through the traumatic events of Afghanistan's recent history and how it impacts the main characters. Although reading this book was a different experience that reading The Kite Runner (which I read in my tent in Kabul), I think I enjoyed this story more. I recommend this book to anyone and everyone!
#4. The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman is book no. 2 in the His Dark Materials series. I found this book more suspenseful and not as confusing as The Golden Compass and I enjoyed it more. Anyone who enjoyed Harry Potter would probably like these books.
*****
I have started an Intro to International Relations course at the college so I am also reading a large number of political and economic articles and am getting more and more articulate in my debates with A. It's nice being able to hold my own for once. :)
#2: Wild Fire by Nelson DeMille. I gave Andrew this book for Christmas and we started reading it at the same time so we traded it back and forth while I read another book. This newest one from DeMille focuses on a plot by a group of rich civilians and high ranking US government employees to launch a (fictional?) mutually assured destruction-type counterattack called "Wild Fire." An entertaining read.
#3. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. A Christmas gift from Andrew. This story revolves around the interconnecting lives of Miriam and Laila and their stories are told in heartbreaking detail. The books takes us through the traumatic events of Afghanistan's recent history and how it impacts the main characters. Although reading this book was a different experience that reading The Kite Runner (which I read in my tent in Kabul), I think I enjoyed this story more. I recommend this book to anyone and everyone!
#4. The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman is book no. 2 in the His Dark Materials series. I found this book more suspenseful and not as confusing as The Golden Compass and I enjoyed it more. Anyone who enjoyed Harry Potter would probably like these books.
*****
I have started an Intro to International Relations course at the college so I am also reading a large number of political and economic articles and am getting more and more articulate in my debates with A. It's nice being able to hold my own for once. :)
Friday, January 25, 2008
2007 LTAIG Salary Survey results
At long last the results of the 2007 LTAIG Salary Survey are available on our website!
We'd like to thank everyone who took time to complete our survey - without your help it would be difficult to get an accurate picture of the current employment situation for library support staff in British Columbia.
If you have any questions or comments on the survey please contact the LTAIG committee at ltaig@bcla.bc.ca
We'd like to thank everyone who took time to complete our survey - without your help it would be difficult to get an accurate picture of the current employment situation for library support staff in British Columbia.
If you have any questions or comments on the survey please contact the LTAIG committee at ltaig@bcla.bc.ca
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
I'm loving...
Here's a round-up of things I'm currently coveting.
Sunburst mirror from The Cross Design
Chocolate jug by Bodum from peekkeep.com
Campfire Tealight from The Curiosity Shoppe
Po-Zu slippers available at Lark on Main
Porcelain dishes from Mud Australia
4-pack of prints by Camilla Engman
Knitware Vase by Alyssa Ettinger
We bought a ticket on the Millionaire Home Lottery and I am completely in love with the Grand Prize home. The 4300 sq. ft. home is in White Rock, was designed by Sarah Richardson and is spectacular!
Dining room
Office
Master bedroom
We bought a ticket on the Millionaire Home Lottery and I am completely in love with the Grand Prize home. The 4300 sq. ft. home is in White Rock, was designed by Sarah Richardson and is spectacular!
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
Who let Celine out?
As someone who has never been a big fan of Celine Dion I thought this post at fourfour and the included video was hilarious! Who knew she was so delightfully strange?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)