Coordinates

Ok, I'm going to get all mushy for a bit and gush about my husband. I'm also going to admit that I'm a giant jerk and I'm proclaiming it to the world (or the three people who read this blog). And here's why...

August 30th was our fourth anniversary. We generally don't go crazy with anniversary gifts and if you asked me what the traditional presents are for 4 years, I'd have no idea. This year I got A. the 2nd season of Walking Dead on Blu-Ray because it was something he'd specifically mentioned wanting. He seemed happy with it and we went on our merry way. He did say that I'd have to wait until September 8th to receive my gift because it was "on its way." No problem.

September 6th rolls around and he says he needs to take M. to the mall to "pick something up." When they get home, M. presents me with a box and says, "we got you a necklace!!" (Girl can't keep a secret.) And this is when it all went to pot.

I opened the box and see what looks like a black dog-tag on a simple chain. Fairly unremarkable but I could see there were some small characters engraved on the face. A. explained their meaning and I proclaimed it "nice." Ouch, right?

Want to know what the engraving is? Those two lines are the longitude and latitude of the place, the EXACT spot, where we met 7 years ago - Camp Julien in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Since that night, I have worn this every single day and every day I think about how I should have been more grateful and excited. So, here's me, hanging my head in shame and shouting my thanks to the world. I love you A!!

Facing fear

|Photo by SomeDriftwood|

When I graduated from high school (waaaaay back in 1998) I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I think that's a fairly common feeling for a 17 year old but, for me, that feeling seems to have clung on for dear life. I worked as a receptionist for a few years and when I decided I couldn't do that anymore, I found a college program that I thought I'd enjoy and would excel at. Turns out I picked well (Library & Information Technology) and I have enjoyed my career in libraries but there's always that little voice at the back of my brain telling me I should be doing "more." The trouble is, I don't know exactly what this "more" is and the thought of making major change at 31 frankly scares the crap out of me. It's funny because in my early twenties I was all about change; I moved to a different province, I flew across the world to work in Afghanistan, I met the man I'd marry, we moved again, and again, and again. So, what's different now? Has stability made me wary? Am I more cautious because I'm a mother now and I have a daughter to look after?

There are lots of things I *could* do. I could go back to school, but what would I study? I could start my own business, but what about the financial instability? We could move across the world, but what about our families? That "BUT" has paralyzed me. How do you figure out what your life's ambition should be? How do you know what you'd not only be good at, but be GREAT at? How do you decide which changes are worth the leap and which aren't? I certainly haven't figured it out, but maybe you have?


So, tell me your stories. Share your wisdom. Have you made a big life change? What steps did you take to overcome your fear? Was it worth it? I'd love to hear it all.

Healthy, wealthy, and wise

Happy New Year all! I hope you had an excellent Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Festivus and that 2012 brings great things.

I try not to do resolutions per se (not a fan of the word), BUT I do have a few goals for the new year. Well, it's really just one time worn phrase but I think it fits well with the way I envision 2012 - to be healthy, wealthy, and wise.

Healthy

Emotionally, mentally, and physically. This means better foods (unprocessed as much as possible) and continuing with the two activities I really enjoy - swimming and Ukrainian dancing. I'm planning on growing a vegetable garden for the first time ever and can't wait to see what it will yield. I need to take care of me so that I can take care of my family.

This means being content with my lot in life (more on that in the "Wise" portion) and showering the important people in my life with happiness and love.

Wealthy

A. and I do have savings and retirement plans in place but we could be doing better. One of our priorities is to travel and we plan to save more to make that happen. We also need to stick to a budget and spend waaay less on food. Going to the grocery store every day for meal specific ingredients is not a way to save money. With any luck, our vegetable garden will be a big help on this front in the summer. 

Wise

While I may not be going back to school any time soon, I intend to read about and research topics that interest me. I took an International Relations course when I lived in Vancouver and really liked it. Have I done any reading on the subject since then? Not really.

I need to realize my limitations and focus on what I excel at. There are so many incredible and inspiring people doing amazing things that it's difficult not to compare my achievements with theirs. The thing is, those are THEIR achievements and I'm sure there are things I've accomplished that many people haven't (eg. working in Afghanistan!). Am I a good cook? I like to think so. DIY? Maybe not so much. I will continue to try new things (lord knows I have enough projects on Pinterest) but I'm going to try really hard not to beat myself up if I don't get something perfect.

A. and I both have cases of "the grass is greener" and I plan on concentrating on and being happy with what we have RIGHT NOW. We miss Vancouver, want to live in Ontario, our house is too big, our yard is a mud pit. Maybe I can be happy with living in Calgary (close the the majority of both of our families) and the fact that we have a beautiful new home. It may not be magazine worthy but it is ours and it works for our family.

There was a great post on Apartment Therapy about Pinterest fatigue and loving the space you are in and I completely agree. It helps that we are finally starting to personalize the space (after a year!) by hanging art and it was great to get back to our own home after our Christmas holiday. It was a nice feeling, walking in the door and realizing how much I love our home. Absence does make the heart grow fonder.

Do you have any goals for 2012?

Happy New Year

Welcome to 2011 everyone. I hope you had a fantastic holiday season and spent time with all of the people that are important to you. Our Christmas was great if a little overwhelming. We hosted for the first time ever so not only did we have to feed 10 people for two days but M. was in sensory overload from all the attention and stuck to my side the whole time which made cooking interesting. However, dinner turned out amazingly well and everyone was satiated and happy. We decided not to go with turkey this year and so cooked prime rib with yorkshire pudding, Brussels sprouts with maple buttered pecans (a big hit!), scalloped sweet potatoes, and pan-fried carrots & parsnips.

New Year's Eve was a fairly laid-back affair spent at home with good friends, wine and cheese. Is there a better combination?

I decided not to make any resolutions this year because 9 times out of 10 I end up not keeping them but I do have several goals I'd like to work towards.

1. This really needs to be the year that I get my health in hand. A. and I are signing up for the Calgary Herald Health Club at Home Challenge and I am restarting my Ukrainian dance class next week. I've also started going to a Zumba class at work and I'd like to do the Couch to 5k podcast again and finish it this time. If we ever decide to have a second child I'd like to be at a lower weight when I get pregnant and I also don't want M. to EVER feel ashamed to have overweight parents.

2. I taught myself how to do some basic crocheting over the Christmas break and I'd like to improve on that. I'd really like to crochet a ripple afghan for our family to cuddle under.

3. I'm not going to try so hard on this here blog. There are soooo many talented bloggers out there that I read and admire and I was kind of hoping to join their ranks but I've realized just how much commitment that takes. For now, I'm just going to post when something peaks my interest or I have something to say and hope that someone out there reads it.

That's it. Did you make any resolutions or set any goals for yourself?

Two years later...

Wow! I can't believe it has been two years since my last post! A lot of big events have happened since April 2008 and I've come back many times wanting to write about them but haven't been able to find the right words. Perhaps that is a sign that I should shut this thing down for good but, for now, I will update in point form.

• The move to Calgary went well aside from the crazy ice storm we drove through.
• A. and I got married on August 30, 2008 in my Mom and Step-Dad's backyard and it was awesome. Unfortunately, it rained but it held off long enough for us to have the ceremony in the yard.
  

• After the wedding we took a minimoon to Kimberley, BC and then a 7-day Western Caribbean cruise. Both were fantastic and on the cruise we fell in love with Isla Roatan, Honduras. Hopefully we can go back one day.
  

• In November 2008 we bought a two bedroom condo in SE Calgary. We were very excited to finally have a guest room but about one week later we found out that the guest room would actually be a nursery because I was pregnant!
• Our precious baby girl M. was born on July 13th, 2009 and has been filling our lives with joy and delight since then! I am reallllly not looking forward to the day I have to return to work.

That brings us up to date. You'd think we'd be perfectly happy with life as it is but, if you know us, you know that's never the case. :)

After living in our condo with an infant for nine months we decided that our place is way too small for our growing family so we've decided to build! We are staying in the same community because we like the amenities and we have friends here so it won't be a hard move. It has been an incredibly fun process so far - I've always wanted to design and decorate my own home - and we get excited every time there is a change to our lot. We should be moving in October.



As for this summer, it should be a little less hectic than the last two. We are planning on taking a two week road-trip, M.'s first, out to BC to visit friends and taste wine. I can't wait!

The times, they are a-changin'

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...

I said yes...

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'm gonna be a supermodel...

From magmypic.com

PS. Thing #1028 I love about Vancouver - snow days!

Year in Review

What did I accomplish this year? Let's take a look back.

• Took a lot of day trips: Belcarra, Leavenworth, Whistler, Seattle, Buntzen Lake, Steveston, Victoria
  
• Went to Washington, DC
  
• Joined Weight Watchers and lost 20lbs
  
• Had gallbladder surgery
  
• Went camping & wine tasting on the Island and went camping at Alice Lake
  
• Discovered Facebook and reconnected with old friends
  
• Bought a car
  
• Participated in my first AIDS walk
  
• Attended the weddings of Rob & Jen and Brody & Nichole (and unfortunately missed two weddings because of surgery)
  
• Posted every day in the month of November
  
• Became obsessed with Etsy and more interested in home design
  
• Attended the International Friendly between the Vancouver Whitecaps and the LA Galaxy in which David Beckham played
  
• Celebrated my 2nd anniversary with A.
  
• Read 30 books
  
• Had great fun with good friends
  

Here's to more of the same in 2008! Have a happy and safe new year!

Describes me well

Taken October 6, 2007

The dub dub

For those of you that don't know (which is probably a small number since I've been broadcasting it), I joined Weight Watchers on May 3. So far it's been going fairly well and I've lost 8.4lbs which means I'm almost half-way to my 10% goal! People have been talking about goals lately so I thought it would be a good idea to get mine written down. Besides, public humiliation is always a good motivator! :)

• Control high blood sugar - don't want to take medication!
  
• Feel good about myself again and finally believe A. when he tells me I'm beautiful.
  
• Be able to buy clothes that I want and not worry if a store will have my size.
  
• Be generally more healthy.
  
• Tone mid-section.
  

I've been sticking to the plan pretty strictly (aside from this past weekend - oh, the wine...) so hopefully I don't fall off in a spectacular fashion! Here's to watching the numbers get smaller and smaller!

*****

I finished reading Alice Munro's Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage a while ago and I really enjoyed it. It's the first of Munro's books I've read (shocking, I know) and it won't be the last. The stories were interesting and entertaining and it always makes the reading fun when you recognize the places she's describing. A definite recommendation!

It's all about me

I've been tagged to do this a couple of times now so I decided I should bite the bullet and put my thinking cap on. Here are five things you may not know about me.

1. I was academically disqualified from Mount Royal with a whopping GPA of 0.9! I was taking the insurance program and hating it and decided I didn't want to go to class. On top of it all I got sick at the end of my first semester and was totally unprepared to write finals. I learned my lesson the hard way.

2. I don't think I've had a drink of (white) milk since I was about 10 years old. As a kid I loved milk (except for the super sugary milk at the bottom of the cereal bowl) but around the age of 10 I decided that it had a weird taste and stopped drinking it all together. I don't think I've tried drinking it again (I do use it on cereal or in smoothies) and I have no urge to - it still kind of grosses me out on its own.

3. Around the age of 7 I started growing like a weed and spent a lot of time at the hospital getting blood tests and x-rays so the doctors could figure out what was going on. My parents were told that I was two years ahead of the curve and that my skeleton looked like that of a 9 year old.

4. For grade 12 grad, instead of going to a party after the dinner and dance my best friend and I, along with our dates, went to Boston Pizza.

5. When I was in Air Cadets, I was double promoted from the rank of Sergeant to the rank of Warrant Officer Second Class, bypassing Flight Sergeant.

Tagging: Alexis, Michelle, Kelsey, Sara, Kyle

To cap off the year

It's a little late I know, but I did manage to read one last book before the end of 2006.

Book 25 was Angels and Demons by Dan Brown. I had heard from several people that this prequel to The Da Vinci Code was the better of the two books and I agree with that sentiment to a point. Angels and Demons was definitely not as adjective heavy as The Da Vinci Code but both books had interesting stories and characters and both were easy to read. At a time when life is so busy and at times overwhelming, it was nice to be able to escape in some easy reading.

*****

I was a little surprised by how few books I managed to get through in 2006. Hopefully, with the help of our little book club, I will be able to discover some fantastic books this year and get back on track. That is one of my resolutions for this year.

Speaking of resolutions, I've made them in the past but have always made them vague enough that I didn't feel too bad if I didn't achieve them. While I decided that I wasn't going to make resolutions this year, there are a few goals that I'd like to work towards, specifically:

• Get on track with losing weight - eat more veg, less carbs and make a concerted effort to exercise.
  
• Be a better housekeeper - put the laundry away as soon as it is done.
  
• Make use of all of the cookbooks I have and make more interesting meals.
  
• Go on at least 5 hikes this summer.
  
• Attend more concerts and see friends more often.
  

Ouch!

The result of having two IVs in one week.

Woe is me

Last night I had the worse case of what I ruled out as appendicitis so assumed was really bad gas. I've been feeling off since Friday evening so haven't been eating a heck of a lot and have been sticking mostly to salad and bread. After having a small piece of pizza for dinner last night my right side under my ribs really started to hurt. It was incredibly uncomfortable, my back was killing me, I couldn't sleep and by 2:30am I was in tears.

A. decided that he was taking me to the hospital and after a fairly short wait and a painful examination the doctor determined that it was most likely gall stones (apparently greasy food can set off an attack.) They took some blood, hooked me up to an IV and gave me some morphine. That was only the second time in my life I'd had morphine but man is it ever good stuff. My scalp was instantly tingling and within a minute or two I was feeling better. The doctor let me lie there for about an hour and at 5am sent me home with some Tylenol 3 and a requisition for an out-patient ultrasound. I'm really hoping it's NOT gall stones but I'll keep you posted.

Snow Day #2

The college is closed for a second day in a row which means I get to stay home. Yesterday was Wonderfalls and baking my Amma's chocolate chip cookies, today will probably be Pride & Prejudice and banana bread. Frankly, I'm starting to get bored and antsy - especially since I know there is a lot to be done at work.

But first, I WILL finish the book that I have been reading for the past three months - this is madness.

Snowflakes

Today at work a few of us decided to make the place a little more festive so we made some paper snowflakes - took me right back to Kindergarden.

Check out my handy work.

Hair be gone

Yesterday I got my hair cut shorter than I've had it in a loooong time and, while it will take a while to get used to, I love it. My new glasses also came in so the combination of hair and glasses made me look like a totally different person. It's now day two and I managed to make my hair look fairly similar to how the hair stylist did it. I'm pretty proud of myself because usually I'm useless when it comes to hair.

Pet peeve (one of many)

Something that drives me nuts is when people add an “e” to the end of listserv. It is apparently incorrect to use this word to describe any generic email list but people do it anyway. And if they are going to do it the least they could do is spell the word correctly.