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Saturday, January 29, 2011

Gratitude Journal - Day 7

Well, it's day 7 of my journal....it was a challenge to get to the computer tonight and write this..but not because I didn't want to...just super tired tonight and I had a few other chores on the MUST DO list before I sat down :-)

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Today I am grateful for:

  1. No tears at Hayden's swimming lessons
  2. A yummy dinner of Chinese Food with Brian, the kids and mom and dad
  3. Above mentioned dinner  paid for by mom and dad (totally unexpected, we planned on treating)
  4. The reminder of peoples' generosity at my grandfather's passing
  5. The though of my warm flannel sheets in bed...calling my name :-)
“Let's be grateful for those who give us happiness; they are the charming gardeners who make our soul bloom.” - Marcel Proust

Friday, January 28, 2011

Gratitude Journal - Day 6

How can one's mood be grumpy today when it's perfect winter weather.  I don't even mind the gentle snowfall!

Friday, January 28, 2011

Today I am grateful for:

  1. Finishing work early on a Friday
  2. It's Friday
  3. A brand new 2 x 4
  4. Paint colour swatches for the house
  5. A new Supernatural tonight
"Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation."
-Brian Tracy

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Gratitude Journal - Day 5

Tomorrow's Friday, what's not to be grateful for!  Still loving this gratitude journal idea by the way :-)

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Today I am grateful for:

  1. Finding out a girlfriend found my blog and said some nice comments
  2. 2.5 km walk
  3. CSI Las Vegas (I got hooked on this show while on maternity leave)
  4. Quiet time all to myself
  5. Finishing up my homemade item for an exchange
“Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful.” -Buddha

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Gratitude Journal - Day 4

I have done my chores for the day and now it is me time.  After a bath, the first thing on my list was writing my blog.

Wednesday, January 26, 20100

Today I am grateful for:

  1. A day off
  2. Getting Hayden to explain why school is suddenly upsetting him
  3. Resisting the temptation to have a big piece of carrot cake and settling for a small bite
  4. 2.5 km walk
  5. T.V. time tonight
“Appreciation can make a day, even change a life. Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary.” -Margaret Cousins

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Gratitude Journal - Day 3

It's day three and so far, my challenge isn't very challenging.  I have found it easy thus far.  Plus, it's nice to look on the bright side of things.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Today I am grateful for:

  1. It's Tuesday already
  2. Warmer winter weather
  3. Hot Chocolate after snow shovelling
  4. My TOPS group
  5. A loss of 2.5 pounds
" Learn everything you can, anytime you can, from anyone you can - there will always come a time when you will be grateful you did." - Sarah Caldwell

Monday, January 24, 2011

Gratitude Journal - Day 2

OK, so day number one my gratitude journal is done, only 6 more to do. Actually, I re-read what I wrote for yesterday when I got to work this morning and it made me smile.  So, here is the continuation with my challenge.

Monday, January 24, 2011

Today I am grateful for:

  1. The Internet at work
  2. Drinking 3 cups of water today
  3. Laughter
  4. Indoor Plumbing (see reason 2)
  5. Time for crafting after the kiddies are in bed
As each day comes to us refreshed and anew, so does my gratitude renew itself daily.  The breaking of the sun over the horizon is my grateful heart dawning upon a blessed world.  ~Terri Guillemets

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Gratitude Journal - Day 1

OK, so I put a challenge out there, to myself and anyone else who was interested.  List 5 things each day you are grateful for.  I have done this before in the past, and it's nice to look on the bright side of things.

There are things that I am grateful for everyday, the love of my family, job stability for both myself and my husband, a warm place to live and enough food to eat.  I am going to up my challenge and not list these everyday things. I am going to list things that might have an impact on my life, no matter how small that might be.

So, here goes day number 1

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Today I am grateful for:

  1. Spending time with my mom, remembering my grandfather
  2. Hearing my 4 year old son say "Mom, we're best friends, right?"
  3. HEAT (baby it's cold outside)
  4. Wood scraps from my dad...now I can get crafty!
  5. Having a shower and hair washed before 8 pm
"Feeling grateful or appreciative of someone or something in your life actually attracts more of the things that you appreciate and value into your life." -Christiane Northrup

Friday, January 21, 2011

A Walk On The Wild Side

So, anyone who knows me, knows I am no tiny little girl. My weight is something I have struggled with my entire life.

After the birth of my son, I decided I really had to do something. I was just getting too uncomfortable. The catch...I HATE EXERCISE!!! I cannot think of one form of exercise that I like, or could even remotely like.
Some wonderful friends of the family gave me a complementary gym membership, I got myself a personal trainer and did very well. I quite enjoyed myself surprisingly.

I got pregnant again, and this time, I felt HORRIBLE from day one. I stopped going to the gym. Between fatigue and nausea, I just couldn’t manage. That was the perfect excuse not to exercise. Each week I stepped on the scale and was up about 2 pounds each week. I was sure my baby was already about 25 pounds!

In the end, all my previous hard work went down the crapper. I got myself signed back up to the gym, but I just wasn’t feeling it! I think mostly because I didn’t get a trainer this time, so the social aspect was gone and I liked that a lot!

It almost always takes some big event to shake you up and for me, it was the passing of my grandfather 2 weeks ago. It wasn’t so much his passing, but the reminder that life is precious. If I keep this up, I am going to be in my grave sooner than later. How sad that would make everyone and I am not ready to leave my kids yet!

I tried running around downstairs in the playroom, but the room was too small and I quickly got dizzy, even doing a figure 8 pattern didn’t help!

So, Tuesday night, I dressed for a blizzard, took my Saint Bernard, Bristol and off we trekked around the neighbourhood. Keene is a great neighbourhood for walking and I do love walking on a mild winter night...something about the crunch of snow underfoot.

I did it again last night. I hooked up my trusty walking partner and pretended I was a monk in the Swiss Alps, travelling through vast mounds of snow with my rescue dog, looking for people trapped in avalanches turned on my MP3 player and made the trek again.

The route is about 2.3 km and my goal is to complete it twice in a night, but I’ll tell you right now, it will be a while before I can do that. I’m not sure who is pulling who home most nights, the dog or me.

So, keep pestering me about it and perhaps knowing that people are keeping track of me, I will work harder not to disappoint!

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

To My Girl Who Continues To Rock The North

So, I noticed that my girlfriend Teri read my last blog, so this one is dedicated to her.

So, sit back and let me tell you a story...a story about how I met this wonderful woman that I have the honour of calling friend.

In 1999, my cousin was moving to Beaver Creek, Yukon to take a position of nurse practitioner.  She had 2 young boys and her job involved her being on call 24/7.  Her husband was remaining in Ontario for about 6 months to complete a course.  I had finished college and was just doing some babysitting locally.  They called and asked if I would be interested in coming up North for 3 months to babysit.  Heck yeah, it was going to be a great experience and not cost me much money to go.  So, I made my first lengthy plane ride and landed in Whitehorse.  This was my first introduction of life in a northern town.  The airport in Whitehorse is not large by any means and the fact that arrivals and departures all mingle together gives you a good idea.  I met my cousin Lori and we headed out to Beaver Creek.  It's about a 6 hour drive and this was September, so tourist season is winding down and it's a long, lonely stretch of road.  The sights are beautiful and every time I see a show about the Yukon or Alaska, I get TERRIBLY home sick!!



Beaver Creek has a population of about 100, and it's on the Alaska border.  It's the most western community in Canada.  The community is very tight knit and more like a family.  There is an airport, arena, school, post office, bank, nurses station, church, 2 restaurants, motel, RCMP and probably a few other things I am forgetting at the moment.  Now, who would choose to live in a community like this?  Aside from a number of government employee's, most everyone else is native or is there with family.  I met Teri at a bingo night at the community centre and was instantly " in love"  It was so nice to meet someone close to my age, who wasn't married and was willing to hang out.



Not unlike a number of people living in the Yukon, my 3 months turned into 6, which turned into 2 years.  I had a number of different jobs, and proper training wasn't always necessary, just a willingness to do the job and be available the days they need you.

Over the time I was there, Teri and I got closer and spent most of our waking hours together.  We spent my last summer there hanging out with the younger, summer staff from one of the hotels and another woman, Hazel, who was also our age and filling in as Nurse Practitioner.  Teri and I would go for regular "critter runs", turn up my Shaggy CD or some Uncle Cracker.  We would stop dead in the middle of the highway for any animal we spotted.  My memories of my time up there are endless and will make me smile until I am old and gray.

So, my long term goal is to save up some money and drive on up there again.  When the kids are a bit older and my husband gets a few more weeks of holidays, that is my plan.

Finally, in 2001, it was time for me to return home to Ontario.  I missed my family terribly and my mom had some health concerns going on.  But I missed all my adventures and the constant chatter with my friend.  I eventually met my husband and Teri was my maid of honour at my wedding. The short time she spent in Ontario was fantastic and we picked up right where we left off.  I so desperately wanted to return the favor and be at her wedding, but that just couldn't happen for me, plus I am not as proficient as Teri at finding awesome seat sales.

It's been almost 6 years but I know if I saw her tomorrow it would be like I just saw her yesterday.  It's not often you find friends like this...the ones you know you can trust and call on anytime.  The ones who know you care and think about them, even if you don't touch base too often.  I have a couple other friends on this list and that makes me fortunate.

So Teri, this one is for you and know that I do love you like a sister and think of how you are doing every day!

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

The ABC's Of Me!




The ABC's of me

 

I got this off of Bonnie’s blog, and thought, oh, I want to do this too!!  So, here it goes, and who knows, perhaps you might learn something new!

A - Age: 32 – 33 in April (share this day with both my husband AND Bonnie)

B - Bed size: Queen, but only recently, my husband and I shared a double for almost 7        years….my next goal is a king….that way we won’t even have to touch at all!!

C - Chore you hate: putting away laundry.

D - Dog's name: Bristol, he’s a very goobery, but lovable St. Bernard.

E - Essential start of the day item:  snooze button

F - Favorite color: Most recently, anything bright and bold…like lime green.

G - Gold or Silver:  Gold, and not white gold either

H - Height: 5”4”

I - Instruments you play: Nothing now, Clarinet in grade 7 and 8.  I could not read a sheet of music to save my life.

J - Job: Office Administrator at an Orthotics Clinic

K - Kids: Hayden, 4 year old boy, Abigail (Abby) 1 year old girl….the million dollar family, still waiting for the cheque in the mail

L - Living arrangements:  bungalow with a full basement in the village of Keene

M - Music you love:  listen mostly to country or rock, but not heavy metal rock or anything like that

N - Nicknames: Aim…my dad used to call me Bill

O - Overnight hospital stay at hospital: 2 kids =  2 c-sections

P - Pet Peeve: depends on the day…..today, people who think they have to rush while the road conditions are terribly…better to arrive late than not at all

Q - Quote from a movie: To infinity and beyond (I am only allowed to watch cartoons now that I have kids)

R - Right handed or left: Right handed

S - Siblings: it’s just me.

T - Time you wake up: unless one of the kids gets me up, alarm goes off at 7:15, up around 7:30.

U - Underwear: granny panties, but nothing in bed or under my pj’s

V - Vegetable you dislike: would be a much shorter list if I listed what vegetables I DO like.

W - Workout Style: chasing a toddler around the house

X - X-rays you've had: dentist and kidney scan.

Y - Yummy food you make: I think everything I make is yummy…..love my philly cheese steak sandwiches.

Z - The best place to visit: Yukon baby!!