A nice weekend

Hi Everyone,

The weather was warm and mostly sunny. I built a couple planter boxes to set my flower boxes in. It went pretty well but I gave myself a large blood blister on my middle left finger. I was holding 2 pieces of wood together and as I was bringing down the hammer I though, "This wood will likely shift and pinch my finger between the pieces." Thud. Ouch. (Actually, it hurt more when I iced it an hour later).

I went on a proper date with Jerry on Saturday night. Usually we get together at one of our places for dinner and tv but this was a proper date. We went and saw Indiana Jones and then went out for dinner. It was rather nice! The movie itself was a bit odd - 3/4 classic Indiana Jones, 1/4 what the ****? It was a plot twist that didn't fit in with the movie or the other movies. We figure George Lucas had too much script influence. Despite that, I'm glad I saw it. It's the type of movie best suited for a summer drive-in double feature.

On Sunday I had 2 picnics, the second was a garden party at the garden plot. Our little garden is coming along. We lost our accorn squash and we didn't see any peanuts come up. I thinned out some raddish so we're having a raddish leaf salad tonight.

I'm making lamb - specifically lamb shank. It has a simple marinade - white wine, worchestershire sauce, onion, garlic oil, rosemary and red currant jelly. I've had bad luck in the past with lamb but Nigella's recipe was easy to follow and has more details than past recipies. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Have a great day!

Pretty Charlotte

Hi Everyone,

I spent last night giving Charlotte some tlc and making her pretty. I picked up a bright pink chain and put it on. I wanted to get purple but the bike shop wasn't expecting to get any in for the next while. I said, "But I don't think pink would go with my red bike." They then said, "Well, your helmet is red and pink." So they got me. My bike and helmet are becoming co-ordinated. All I need is an orange water bottle and I'll be set!

So, after an ice-cream date with Jerry, I went home and got myself all dirty and greasy. I took the new chain out of the box and cleaned the packing grease off it. You can ride with the original lube but I was told if I have time, to do a proper cleaning/lubing. I then broke my original chain and cleaned it. What a mess! I think I've been over lubing which means dirt sticks to the extra lube and makes it really dirty. It's good for winter since it protects the chain but in summer you want a pretty clean chain. The main problem I had with putting the new chain on was rejoining the chain. Basically, there's a little pin that joins the links and to break the chain, you need to remove the pin but only until it's out of the middle section and still sticking in the outer part. I only had a small chain breaker on my multi tool and although I could remove the pin, there wasn't enough distance between the pin and the crank used to shove the pin in and out. I ended up lining everything up and using a hammer. Not an ideal situation but in the end it worked.

After all this work, I was rather tired and went into my room to get ready for bed. Next thing I know it's morning and I'm late for work. The tv was on, all the lights were on, the furry family was hungry...

So, I opened the window for Mike (he's happy), bribed the other two with strawberries (they're happy) and sent an e-mail to work letting them know I'll be late (they laughed). Had a nice ride in, chain working well, no weird noises or grinding.

So, I've got a very busy week ahead of me. My payroll mid term is next week and I'll be getting the apartment ready for Mom, Dad & Christine's visit. It's suppose to be a nice weekend so I can get a bunch of laundry done.

Had some problems with my kitchen sink pipes. There was/is a clog somewhere and I didn't pick up on that being the strange smell in my kitchen until 11:30 Wednesday night. Since it wasn't standing water (just took a super long time to drain), I used Drano kitchen crystals to help clear it. I think most of the clog is gone - when I was running the water to test it, it took a long time for it to back up and it did drain much faster when it did back up. I'll continue with these crystals over the next few days to make sure everything's fine. Mind you, I did learn how to remove the pipes under the sink to see if there was something caught in the U shaped section (and there wasn't).

Have a great day!

A nice picnic

Hello Everyone,

The weather is finally nice enough to try out my new picnic backpack. I met Jerry at Prince's Island after work and have a lovely picnic. It was my first one of the year and I enjoyed myself. I picked up some pink lemonade by a company called Efferve and it's imported from France. Not something I would normally splurge on but it had a very nice glass bottle with wire and a stopper for the lid. It was also very delicious - not too tart. I think it will end up being a regular in my fridge.

We then watched "The Golden Compass". I've read the book and after watching the movie, I think people put it way out of context. For those of you not familiar with the contraversy, tje author is athiest and many fundamental Christians believe his children's novels are a direct attack on Christianity and organized religion. The novels are geared toward tweens and young teens. In my opinion, this age group would not get this message from the novels and you would have to stretch to even get this message as an adult.

Basically, in this fantasy world, a person's soul is not inside the body but takes the form of an animal (called a demon). This animal is a part of the person (ie physically hurt the animal and the person feels it) and is constantly near the person. There is a religious order, which seems to be connected with the government who wants to control (brainwash) all people. In this book, a little girl is able to use a magic compass to discern truth and receive answers to any question she has. The magistrates (religious order), want to destroy the compass so people can only rely on "their" truth. They also want to separate the souls/animals from children because once children get older, they start getting "bad thoughts". The girl's father is trying to travel between alternative worlds through the means of "dust". This dust connects worlds from all dimensions and seems to be a life source/universal substence. At the point where the movie/book left off, the girl is on a quest to save her father from evil plots. The magistrates want the father's knowledge so they can control the dust, and therefore control the other alternative worlds.

After watching this movie, I saw the message cautioning against absolute power to any one body - whether religious or government. I didn't see it as a novel deliberately underminding any religious faith. In all honesty, I don't think this age group would see this either and only someone looking from an attacking angle would see this message. I don't think a young person would be affect so much by a fictional novel that he/she would lose trust in organized religion.

Anyways, that's my rant for the day.

Meet Ruby!

She's a 400 series Roomba that I got yesterday from Walmart. Only $128! Mind you, they do have newer models but I didn't need all the extra accessories. I charged her yesterday and gave her a test last night. Was quite surprised.

She's a bit noisy but much quieter than my regular vaccuum. When I turned her on, she went in circles until the pattern got large enough that she ran into something. This changed the pattern into a mixture of straight and diagonal lines. Quite interesting watching her and she was able to get under things better than I could with the regular vaccuum. She also picked up a lot of dirt, handled rugs easily and switched between carpet and linoleum nicely.

Mike & Whiskers reacted quite well. They're terrified of the regular vaccuum cleaner. They were still very hesitant about Ruby but Mike got within 6' of her and brave Whiskers got within 2'.

I'll likely run her a couple times each week for an hour to help keep the pet hair/dander and dust/dirt under control. I hate vaccuuming with a passion so this will help with cleanliness and allergies. The air purifiers are a huge help and I'm excited about Ruby's potentials.

I made it!

What a weekend it was. Wet, windy and cold (8-12 C)

Saturday

Airdrie – Fairview Colony 23 km, rain
Fairview Colony – Crossfield 17 km, rain that was hard enough to ring my bell
Crossfield – Carstairs 17 km, rain
Carstairs – Didsbury 14.5 km, rain stopped
Didsburry – Olds 17.5 km, first time we had a bit of wind in our favour for about 10 km. Had some fun at 60+ km/hr

Total distance = 89 km, total time = 6 hours + rest stops

Sunday

Olds – Airdrie 70km (the challenge loop was cancelled), some light sprinkles around Didsbury; wind on our backs; lots of fun. Total time = 3 ½ hours + rest stops

That wind was terrible! Luckily, Jerry was my wind block the entire way and I took advantage of drafting. The event was a lot of fun, despite the weather and I would recommend this event to anyone. The volunteers and support was excellent, although coffee at every rest stop would have been appreciated. I had my coffee mug with me (you can see my cup holder in the photo) and I got more than a few envious looks on Saturday.

We were going to tent on the campus grounds but they opened some dorm rooms so we had a dry night. I was exhausted Saturday night and my eyes were so bloodshot from wind that it looked like I had been on a bender. I'm proud of myself for making it all the way through. Jerry was also impressed and I think it was good for him to see what my physical limits (and abilities) are and what I'm like when I reach that point. He was amazing through the whole event and I wouldn't have made it without him. Mind you, I wouldn't have been in this event in the first place without him!

Charlotte handled great. I was passing people going up hills and I could hear the grumbles about a single gear as I went by. This was because many people don't know how to shift properly. She's also lighter and I kept her at a high cadence (fast pedal rotation). My bum's not sore, thanks to her wonderful saddle and I only had a twitch of pain above my left knee later in the ride. My leg did cramp up at one of the rest stops but it was caused by an improper cool down in conjunction with cold weather.

I want to thank everyone who supported me with financial contributions, advice and well wishes. My muscles are feeling surprising good today, although I can’t believe how much I’ve been eating! I had 2 suppers last night and lunch and a half so far today.

Have a great day!

Over the hump...

Hello Everyone!

The week has been flying by – only two more sleeps until the ride. Jerry was over last night for dinner. We had salad, chicken cacciatore and lava cakes with ice-cream. I mention the salad as it was an organic kit with the outer packaging made out of corn starch. It looks like clear plastic and was twice the price of salad-in-a-bag but I was curious. Overall, I wasn’t too fussy on the dressing – too runny and although I like the packaging innovation, I’m not sure I would buy it again. The chicken came from one of Nigella’s recipes. It was very delicious. I cheated with the lava cakes, thanks to Dr. Oetker and I thought it was rather clever how they were made. Basically, they’re brownies cooked at a very high temperature so the middle lava part is batter that didn’t have time to bake. Yum!

I got Charlotte inspected for the ride on Tuesday night and I needed to change her brake pads. No problems with that – although the technician gave me a hard time about it and I was given the impression he didn’t believe I knew how to do this. It’s a very easy maintenance task but since I needed him to stamp my inspection, I ignored his attitude.

The cucumbers didn’t survive the transplant so I’m giving up on them at my place. I planted a whole bunch of garlic instead. I figured it would add some greenery to the flowerbed and it’s also practical.

The youth service went excellent! I’m very proud of the group. They were a bit nervous but the service flowed well and they got lots of complements after. The congregation was very positive and they appreciated the hard work that the youth put into the service. Afterward we hung out outside, playing a form of tag on the playground equipment and just generally relaxing. I think they needed it – youth have so much on their plates that sometimes they just need some “no pressure” time.

As much as I enjoyed working with them, I’ll be glad for the end of the month. This way, I can attend church because I want to, not because I have to. Also, if I want to take a weekend off to play in the mountains, I can. It was very restricting and I was working 6 days a week. Yes, I needed the extra money to cover my expenses when I originally got the position but now I make (just) enough to pay my bills working at Akita. Yes, it’ll mean sticking very close to my budget and watching my spending but I think it’ll be good for my overall well-being.

Whiskers got into my room this morning so I was late getting to work. I think she can hear when the door shuts but doesn’t catch. In these cases, she can knock the door enough to open it and hop under/in the bed. She didn’t hop up into the box spring luckily and it only took a few minutes (and bribes) to get her out. Silly bunny,

Have a great day!

Garden Planting!

Hello Everyone,

It's finally dry/warm enough to plant! Last week was terrible - rain every day and low temperature. The rain stopped Monday night so the ground will be dry enough to work. It suppose to stay sunny & warm until Saturday, when there's a small chance of rain for part of the day.

So, what will we be planting?

Acorn Squash, Amaranth (grain with pretty burgundy flower), Pole Beans, Wax Beans, Beets, Carrots, Corn, Pickling Cucumbers, Regular Cucumbers, Garlic, Onion, Peanuts, Peas, Potatoes, Quinoa (ancient grain), Radish, Shallots, Watermelon, Zucchini

There will also be flowers around the edges to help keep bugs out (and for eating) - marigolds, nasturtium, geraniums.

Yes, there's a lot of variety. It's an experiment to see what will grow in this climate.

We're also setting up an irrigation system using a rain barrel. Lee Valley Tools has all sorts of ideas. Basically, the rain barrel will be the predominate water source but we can also fill it up with the hose at the garden if there's not enough rain. We'll run a drip hose system to water the plants so we don't need to be up there so often just to water.

I've got two different layouts of garden plans. One has the rain barrel in the middle and there's a main line that heads west. This connects to a north/south line. From the north/south line, the drip lines will connect to it. I think this format is the simpliest form although we lose a row of food.

The other way has the rain barrel in the corner with the north/south line running down. The drip lines connect to it and on the first line, we loop it back toward the rain barrel to get the last short two rows beside the barrel. The problem I see with this one is the loop row may not get enough water.

The other system also allows more space for flowers. We can plants marigolds along the north/south main line hose that's far enough apart to let you walk, but close enough for me to get more flowers. The flowers should still get enough water from the drip lines but if not, there will be space enough to water them by hand. It would be difficult to plant vegetables there (unless maybe onions & garlic since there's little space to spread out. This watering system is another experiment.

We should get most of it in tonight and the rest in tomorrow. I couldn't find potatoes last night at Walmart so we may need to do some searching. I already have acorn squash, cucumber, watermelon and corn sprouted.

We're going to keep the tomato plans at our respective homes as I don't think they're hardy enough to handle the garden. I transplanted my seedlings last from my 9x13 plastic container (I can store baking again!) into little flower pots to help develop their root system. Mike rather likes the smell of tomato plants but he was on his best behavior last night and didn't attack any. I ended up buying herbs as the seeds I planted aren't doing anything. They're in a container so I can bring them in this fall.

Have a great day!

What a wonderful birthday

Hi Everyone!

What a wonderful weekend I had! I've never celebrated my birthday with anyone before and it felt great to be pampered. Jerry took me out for Indian (my choice) and even got dressed up for it! I've only ever seen him in a dress shirt a couple times and it was rather nice to put on a dress and pretty shoes when going out with him rather than my bike clothes. Mind you, it was pouring rain so I wore my bike clothes over top and pulled them off out front of the restaurant.

He gave me a picnic backpack with the offer of weekly picnics (and him willing to provide the food). We had talked about picnics a few times already but thmye weather hasn't been co-operating. We had even been looking at baskets a couple weeks ago and I was planning to buy one next weekend!

Inside the backpack was a Brooks saddle. For all non-cyclists, it's an English made, all leather, high quality bicycle seat. He's had it soaking in Dubbin for about a month and has been working on it to make it comfortable. Both him and his roommate use this type of saddle and they say it's the most amazing seat to ride. They've also done trial break-ins and this method seems to be the quickest/most effective. Eventually the seat will mold to my bone structure and you'll be able to see where my tail bone sits (a dent) and my hip bone placement. I've ridden Jerry's bike once and found it very uncomfortable since it's already at the molded stage and males and females have different bone structures. I tried out my seat on Saturday and already found it more comfortable than what I've been riding. Over the next couple weeks I'll be making small adjustments so it'll be all set up for the MS ride.

My final present will be latin dance lessons this summer. He's mentioned it a few times and we'll take some classes downtown. His roommate and fiancee are planning to sign up for some also so we'll all do it as a fun couples activity. I've never taken formal dance lessons - just gym class so I'm rather excited. Jerry's quite interesting to watch when he's listening to music. He really gets into things and will be moving around, bobbing his head, tapping his fingers to the rhythm etc. I'm more subdued (we just appreciate music in different ways) and love watching people loose themselves in music.

On Saturday, we spent most of the day just hanging out. It had been months since we've just been together with no commitments for the day. It was so wonderful - no rushing, no list of things to do.

On Sunday, I worked with the youth group to prepare them for the service next week. They're running everything and they're getting quite excited. I'm very proud of the work they've done and I think it will be a great service. I also let them know I won't be continuing as a youth leader. Their main reaction was one of abandonment (which I understand) but we talked about it and I've let them know I will still be there when they need someone to talk to. They really liked their last leader and I know they were hurt when she didn't keep in touch with them. Mind you, she wasn't a member of our congregation and she started a teaching job last year so I can understand her busy year. They seemed more upset that she ignored all their attempts of contacting her. It's difficult for them. It took several months before they warmed up to me (although they were always polite) and then to have someone who was an important part of their life suddenly cut them out is a huge rejection. For me, although I will be church shopping, I will still stay a part of St. Matthew's over the next year and will make an effort to stay in their lives. Youth are the future of the church and it's important for everyone (congregation and youth) to give them a sense of community. So, I'm glad I was the one to tell them (I've already given the Board my resignation) and although they don't like it, I think they understand my reasons.

I've got a busy week ahead. With the rain we've had, we haven't been able to put in the garden yet. It should taper off tomorrow so we'll put in the garden likely around the middle/end of the week. I'll be happy to get my window sills back and I think the plants will be happy to have more space for deeper roots. My little garden out front has some seedlings coming up. Only one of two cucumber plants survived the transplant (although I'm not surprised - they can be fussy) and I have 3 ripe strawberries I'll eat tomorrow.

Have a great day!

PS - I got Boston cream pie at work for my birthday. Yum!

Happy Birthday to me!

Hello Everyone!

So, I turn thirty tomorrow – 3 decades old! I’m o’kay with this – I’ve said my goodbyes to my twenties and ready to start on something new. It’s been a year of changes but here are a few highlights:

- moved departments so now I’m in payroll. Now with Akita for just
- picking up some business courses, stopped schooling at Alberta Bible College
- took a position at my church as a youth leader. Decided against pursuing formal ministry at this time.
- got the apartment to myself again – no more roommate!
- in a stable and serious relationship for the first time
- built a bicycle, rode a bike with road tires, commuted by bike in winter
- got more adventurous in cooking
- learned how to fish
- tried the following food for the first time: peanut butter and jam sandwich, pear, antipasto, oysters, capers, buttercup/acorn squash, crème brûlée
- went snowboarding

It’s been a whirl-wind year but I feel more calm and confident with myself than I did on my last birthday. I’m not sure what my thirties will bring but I see a trend of settling down and establishing roots. One of my goals this year is to complete my payroll compliance practitioner certification. I will continue my spiritual journey and will start exploring other expressions of Christianity and worship variances. I’m also looking toward my future and will start putting money aside for maybe some property or other assets.

So, life is good and I’m quite happy with how things are at this moment. It’s not what I expected when I think back to my ideas of turning 30 when I was a teenager but I’m life doesn’t always turn out the way you plan.

Jerry is taking me out for dinner tomorrow night to celebrate. I still prefer a small celebration rather than a huge party although I still love birthdays.

Have a great day!

Long Weekend

Hello Everyone!

I hope you had a fabulous weekend. Mine was great – the relaxation I needed.

On Friday night, I picked up a few annuals and planted them in the little flowerbed by my steps. I also had a couple friends drop by so it was nice to catch up with them.

On Saturday, I did my long bike ride. I mapped out a 30 km loop that had a majority highway style road. I did three laps, with a stop at my place to simulate the rest stops for the tour. My first loop was the hardest. I was out in the hottest part of the day and they were new roads to me so I wasn’t sure how things would go. The 2nd and 3rd loops were easier and faster.

When I first signed up for the tour, I was worried about the physical aspect. I’ve discovered that the long distance was mostly mental work. There were a few hills that I first thought, “There’s no way in he$% I’m making it up that!” But, I kept my head down (so I couldn’t see the incline) and worked on my cadence (the speed that you pedal). The timing trouble I had was when should I stand to give my legs that extra push and what speed should I be at. I have since worked it out and when I was biking last night, I noticed a huge difference.

So, I’m rather proud that I was able to bike 90 km. On Sunday & Monday, I was planning to do more biking but when I woke up, I had no muscle pain/strain to work out and no soreness. I decided against the extra riding and did a whole bunch of stuff around the apartment.

I was in an organizing mood for the rest of the weekend so my place looks rather messy with its piles of stuff everywhere. I should have everything back in its place tonight.

Jerry got home last night so I went up to his place for dinner. We’ll be putting in the garden this weekend so we’re going to postpone the Bragg Creek trip.

Yummy product to tell you about – Astro yogurt. They have a type called “Original All Natural Yogurt” and it’s Balkan yogurt sweetened with honey. I bought it because most of the yogurt in the store was low fat with lots of chemicals in it. I was able to pronounce everything in this yogurt and it tasted delicious. It is a bit runnier than regular yogurt but I liked its texture and the sweetness level.

Have a great day!

Feeling sorry for myself

Hi Everyone!

And no, I don't have a legitimate reason for the above title. Jerry's away until next Monday so instead of doing a whole bunch of stuff I've been putting off for a couple months, I vegged in front of the tv last night.

Beautiful day - I put Tammy Faye outside so she can get more light. I'm a bit worried that she's almost 3 ft high and still haven't seen any blossoms on her yet. Tonight I'll be doing some plant tlc and household stuff.

Tomorrow night I'm heading to MEC for an early birthday present to myself. I need some summer bike clothes and a few odds and ends. The clothing may be on the expensive side but it's well worth it. I have clothes that are 8 years old, are in great condition and still have the properties I need (ie moisture wicking, warmth). I've decided this weekend to bike 100 km, 50 km and 100 km. The weather is suppose to be nice - sunny and warm.

Mike and Whiskers were very cute last night. I'm a bit worried about Gilbert. I think there's something wrong with his back left foot. Guinea pigs have 3 nails on their back feet. Although his 1st and 3rd nails look fine, his middle one is twice as thick it should be. As well, the nail itself seems dead and I'm not sure what to do. Guinea pigs do not handle vet visits well because of the stress involved. He doesn't seem to be in pain but I've noticed he laying down more often in his cage than usual. I may be worrying over nothing but he is getting up there in years - he's 4 1/2 years old now. I guess all I can do is monitor the situation and look for any drastic changes in his health.

Have a great day!

Training Day

Hello Everyone!

Did a ride yesterday, exploring the pathways of the city. It was a very nice loop that gave me a rest stop at J's place. The main loop was 30 km and then the ride home was 6 1/2 km. The pathway took me through a wild park, around the Glenmore Resevoir, through some very expensive real estate areas, and then along the Elbow and Bow rivers.

I didn't have good time since I had to drastically reduce my speed to avoid other pathway users. I think I'll use at least portions of this loop again since it was a very pretty ride.

I'm planning on some extra riding on the Victoria Day weekend. Not sure yet what my route will be but I'll likely do a long ride on Saturday, a short ride on Sunday afternoon and a long ride on Monday. This will let me experience the long term impact on my body. Oh, and I'll be staying within city limits.

J and I will do a major training ride on the 24th. We're going to Bragg Creek and back which will be similar to the distance we'll be cycling for the ride.

Total training distance on Sunday = 36.5 km

Have a great day!

Garden

Garden photos

Before any work After adding mushroom compost Our little statue

So, we were at the garden on Saturday. Were going to have it rotor tilled but when I tested the soil, the shovel sliced into it like butter. Spent about an hour adding 5 wheelbarrows of mushroom compost. Don't have anything planted yet - could do potatoes and peanuts next Saturday.

Oh, and it wasn't me who originally chose the statue. We agreed we needed something to watch over the garden and Jerry saw this one. He said, "People will see and say, 'Oh, it's Jerry and Karen - how cute!'" He is incredibly adorable, eh?

Bike photos

Here's pictures of Charlotte and me! New helmet bought on Friday has pink and orange butterflies. Spent my grocery money on a helmet - where have my priorities gone! Oh well, I've got food in my cupboard - although I would prefer not to eat it.

A busy week

Hi Everyone!

It's the end of the work week and I just finished processing. A nice way to end the payroll cycle. Spent the week catching up with friends - had coffee on Monday with someone I knew from the Townships Project and had Sherry-Anne (from work) over on Wednesday.

Saw "The Forbidden Kingdom" with Jerry (yes, I think this is the first time I've used his name) last night. He really wanted to see it and since we didn't get to see it last time (it was sold out), I was willing to watch it with no expectations. I had heard some bad reviews but I though it was rather amusing. Good action scenes too.

Will be going to the garden on Saturday to check in with the rest of the group. Already have some seedlings in my window sill. 3 tiny tims, 5-6 corn stalks, 6 cucumber plants, 5-6 acorn squash. Because of the short growing season, the gardening book recommended to start them indoors and then transplant them out after the May long weekend. Tammy Faye, the tomato plant, has reached the window height so I've clipped the top of her branches. She now starting to fill in.

Got a new bike map yesterday so I'm planning out my training rides. Very excited. Thinking about selling Calli. She was a great starter bike but I haven't ridden her since I got Charlotte. She's almost twice the weight. She may look pretty but it doesn't make a lot of sense to keep her in storage rather than have someone ride her. Need to get a new helmet. Didn't have an accident so don't worry. It's that my helmet is 4 years old now and I read they should be replaced every 5 years (don't know if this is true) because of the sun breaking down the plastic and reducing its strength. My reason (other than it's ugly) is that the adjustments can't go any smaller and the band width has stretched over time.

Have a fabulous weekend!

Garage Sale finds

Hello Everyone!

So, on my way home from church yesterday, I stopped by a garage sale. Found a very pretty butter dish (cut glass so it looks like crystal) and 2 posy vases (also cut glass. One has bumps all over it, the other has a nice pattern.). Total = $1.55 I gave them an extra 5 cents as I didn't want to bother them with the change.

I've been looking for a nice butter dish for a couple years now. Super find!

Have a great day!

Wintery Calgary

Hi everyone,

So, if you've been watching the news, you'll know we've had winter for the past week. It started last Friday and stormed over the weekend. This entire week has been cool (in the single negative digits) and there's been a bit a snow each day. It's suppose to warm up on the weekend and most of the snow will be gone by mid next week. This'll be good for bike training.

Had J over last night to try a new recipe. It didn't turn out so well but I made sure there was lots of salad and dessert so he wouldn't be hungry. It was squash with pecans and blue cheese. The recipe called for butternut squash and I used buttercup squash. That might have made the difference - the type of squash needed to be sweeter to contrast with the blue cheese. The other problem might have been that I added too much blue cheese. Oh well, he had been forewarned that it was new recipe and you never know unless you try. I think I will try it again with a few modifications as it looked really nice and it was simple to make.

Have my seeds planted in preparation for the garden. Calgary has a short growing season so most books recommend sprouting the seeds now. It means I have no spare window ledge for about a month but it'll mean yummy veggies later in the season. Tammy Faye is already at the height of the window. Any suggestions? As far as I know tomato plants need full sun. If I move her, she'll only get indirect light.

Have a fabulous day!

Hooray for Akita!

I approached my work this week about sponsoring me in the tour. They were very generous in their donation and, in turn, I'll be wearing my Akita t-shirt during the tour. It's a win-win situation. They get the company profile showing their corporate citizenship and I am over my minimum donation requirement. Mind you, this doesn't mean you don't need to donate - every bit helps.

So, the roads are still snow covered (winter came again last weekend) but most of it should be melted by early next week. I'll be glad to get some longer rides in to get trained up. After all, I've only got 5 weeks to go!

MS Bike Tour Info

Hello Everyone!

So, if you’ve checked your e-mail, you already know I’m hitting up everyone I know for support as I ride in the MS Bike Tour. For those not familiar with the event, here’s a brief rundown:

What multiple sclerosis is

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord). It is the most common neurological disease of young adults in Canada. AN estimated 50, 000 Canadians have MS. Prevalence rates range from one MS case per 500 population to one per 1,000 across the country. The MS Society estimates, based on current prevalence rates, that there are approximately 1,000 new cases of MS diagnosed each year. This means that three more people are diagnosed with MS every day in Canada.

MS attacks the protective myelin covering of the brain and spinal cord, causing inflammation and often destroying the myelin in patches and, at times, the verve fibres (axons) themselves. When this happens, the natural flow of nerve impulses is interrupted. The result may be vision problems, numbness, loss of balance, extreme fatigue, tremors, even paralysis.

The most common form of MS has well defined attacks (relapses) followed by periods of recovery (remissions). This pattern of attacks and recovery can continue for months or years. The unpredictable attacks can cause additional symptoms and disability. As yet, the cause and cure are unknown, but drugs to reduce the frequency and severity of MS attacks are available for the most common form of MS. In addition, almost all MS symptoms can be helped by medications and therapy.

Multiple sclerosis is usually diagnosed between the ages of 15 to 40 although it can occur at any age including in childhood. MS is more than twice as likely to occur in women as in men and is seen most commonly in people of northern European background. It is more common in countries that are further away from the equator, like Canada. Epidemiological studies have shown that Canada has one of the highest prevalence rates of MS in the world.

About the RONA MS Bike Tour

The RONA MS Bike Tour is a pledge-based fundraising even that provides Canadians with the opportunity to ride through scenic and often spectacular parts of the country. Over 10,000 cyclists are expected to participate in the 21 one- and two-day tours taking place across Canada between June and September.

The Bike Tour began in 1989 and is now one of the MS Society of Canada’s most important events. In 2007, it raised over $8.2 million, the proceeds of which have gone to fund research in the search for a cure and vital services for people currently living with MS.

Info about my participation

So, J and I had been talking about doing some longer bike rides this summer and he mentioned this event. I was rather worried about the distance but he said with a bit of training, I would have no problems with it. I did a test last weekend when I went to a youth rally in the far south. It was 25 km each way and although I was a bit tired, I wasn’t exhausted and my muscles weren’t sore the following day. This was after a 5 km bike ride in the morning so I was rather proud of my 55 km day. As well, I averaged 25km/hour on Charlotte (and yes, she's still a single gear).

Airdrie is a small community north of Calgary. The route starts there on Saturday morning (June 7) and we ride to Olds. You may be familiar with the name as they are known for their agricultural college. I will be camping at the campus and there is lots of support available on the way. They take care of food, beverages and transportation of camping gear. I also have the choice of a massage or yoga class once I reach Olds. We return on Sunday. Roundtrip is 180 km.

To participate in the ride, I need to raise a minimum of $275 before June 3. I’m hoping to achieve this through your support. I will also approach my work, and am currently looking for the best approach. If you have experience in this, any advice you have is most welcome. You can make donations online or if you don't feel comfortable giving credit card info over the internet, give me a call and I'll write your info on a pledge sheet or you can always mail a cheque. Tax receipts are issued for donations over $20.

I’ll keep you up to date with my progress on my blog. Look for the label MS Bike Tour. I’m excited and a bit nervous about the ride. I think it will be a wonderful time.

Have a fabulous day!

I Passed My Exam!

Hello Everyone!

I passed my Payroll Compliance Legislation exam today (and yes, the material is as dry as it sounds). It was a 3 hour exam but I finished it in just over an hour - and got 80%! A pass of 60% was required. So, I'm quite happy with the mark and a bit surprised. I struggled with the mid-term and was expecting more calculations (find CPP, EI, net pay etc) questions than what I got. As well, there were a lot more broad questions that I found easier to handle. I have 3 more courses to take and then I will have my Payroll Compliance Practioner certification. Two of the courses are payroll courses and the 3rd is an introductory accounting course.

So, I'm going to relax for the month of April. I'm going to take a rock climbing class with J (there's a facility close to his place) and part of the price includes a one month membership. I think it will be a lot of fun and it'll help me build up my shoulder muscles.

Other than that, it's been cold and snowy (started on the weekend). Most of the snow is gone now but in all honesty we needed the moisture. My tomato plant is growing fast - Tammy Faye (and no I wasn't the one who named her) is about 8" high now. Other than that, I've been busy with work and nothing very exciting going on. It's a rather nice change.

Have a great day!

Writing-On-Stone Provincial Park

Karen on a hoodoo

Karen close up

Sweet Grass Hills (the 3 mountains)

J having fun on a hoodoo

Action shot of J jumping to another hoodoo

hoodoos

elephant

Writing-On-Stone provincial park

I spent Good Friday with J and his family in Lethbridge. On Saturday, we went with his parents to Writing-On-Stone provincial park. It is in southern Alberta, very close to the US border. It was a beautiful, warm day (we were quite warm in long sleeved t-shirts. This is a lovely place - beautiful rock formations, pretty views and it is sacred to many native tribes. There are native carvings (hence the "writing" on the stone) that are still being studied and there are also spiritual ties to the area. I enjoyed it because there were few people and we played on the hoodoos for about an hour. It had been a long time since I had climbed and jumped around on rocks (like what you do as a kid).

A nice weekend

Hello Everyone!

I had a really nice weekend. On Friday night, I took J to Spiros. It's a yummy Greek restaurant that's near my place. Had a lot of fun and the food was great as usual - it's got great atmosphere.

On Saturday morning, I led the labyrinth walk at church. There was only a handful of people but it was good. I was super mellow by the afternoon (from the meditating and relaxing) and that basically continued throughout the day.

I went to the seed exchange in the afternoon and picked up all sorts of seeds. They're all heirloom or organic seeds, all bred to grow in Alberta/the prairies. I also picked up a dwarf tomato plant and another plant - I think it's a "bamboo" plant - since what you buy in Canada usually isn't true bamboo but looks similar to it. I have a south facing large window sill so it should grow well there. I know, I don't eat tomatoes but I use them every once in a while and J doesn't have any good windows for growing plants. We're looking for a garden plot in the city to try growing some produce this year. I have a couple leads but if we can't find anything, all the seeds I got can be grown in containers. I think this'll be fun - I wasn't able to keep up with my garden and J can turn vegetables into all sorts of yummy dishes. I later met up with J and we went to the Italian market near his place. He did up a delicious Italian dinner, I choose the wonderful little desserts and we watched a movie about an Italian restaurant (yes, the evening had a theme).

On Sunday, I had church but the youth weren't able to stay for decorating eggs. I went home and napped for most of the afternoon. Woke up for Jericho - a great episode. Did a bit of studying and tidying but overall took it easy.

Wasn't too stress at work today. Wore green but spent my St. Paddy's day sober. I've been taking it easy tonight too but I have some studying to do before bed.

Have a great day!

Caterpillar Cake

To celebrate Birthday Cake Sunday at church, I made a caterpillar. It was a big hit and super easy to make. I cheated by using a mix and it took less than 15 minutes to decorate.

Make a cake in a bundt pan. Cut the bottom 1/3 off (as in straight across). The top 2/3s will be the arc. Cut the 1/3 piece in half - this will be the head and tail. I ended up trimming the head and tail a bit so it was flush with the body. Ice with a small tub of Cool Whip. I used long skewers with jube jubes on them for aentennas, jube jube eyes and marshmallow legs. The red stripes are Licorice pull-aparts. When I made the cake, I added a package of green jello so the middle looked green when you ate it (like when you squish a caterpillar).

I love the Kraft website!

Welcome to the world!

Welcome to Joseph Ross Halliday!

He was born yesterday morning in Walkerton. 6lbs 6 oz and 19 1/4" long.

Mom said he nursed right away and he and Stacey will likely be resting in the hospital until Sunday. Both are doing well.

I haven't heard yet what version/combination of his name they'll be using. But I think he's rather cute - from an unbias opinion of course :-)

Election News

Hello Everyone,

Well, despite our best efforts, Leah didn't get elected. I think overall she did quite well and should be proud of her efforts. J is a bit disappointed (since she would be very good at the Legislature and she's an environmentalist) but he knew it was a long shot anyways. So, tonight and likely Thursday night I'll be helping him take down campaign signs. I have plasma donation tomorrow so I won't be able to do physical work that night.

Only 41% of eligible voters showed up. I'm thoroughly disgusted with that number - I think it should be manditory. There's a couple countries in Europe where if you don't vote, you get penalized with your income tax. In my world, everyone would be required to show up at the polling station and get a ballot. What they do with the ballot afterwards is up to them - fill it out or void it.

Anyways, that's my rant for the day.

plus one, minus one

Hello Everyone!

Last night I picked up another fish - a bottom feeder since my snail isn't keeping up. I've had that type before so I think it should be o'kay. Sad news though - this morning, I lost one of my little fish.

I have a big birthday party to attend tomorrow night. It was my co-worker's 23rd (I know - it's not a generally celebrated milestone) birthday back in January and her parents wanted to throw her a party. It's turned into a 200+ guestlist, complete with party planner, mulit-tiered cake, bouncers, media (she broadcasts on the radio) formal shindig. It should be a lot of fun.

Going bowling with the youth group on Sunday.

Will be very happy when this stupid election is over. Only 3 more days to go...

I think I'll be spending Easter with J and his family. He asked me to join them on Good Friday for their Easter meal and then we'll go to Castle Mtn on Saturday for snowboarding. J is even willing to go back to Calgary Saturday night (since I have church committments on Sunday) and miss an extra day of snowboarding for me. Believe me, he got extra boyfriend brownie points for that! I'm still worried that something might happen while's he snowboarding and he'll rebreak his arm. At least if I'm there, he'll take it easy during the afternoon with me. I send him out on his own in the morning so he can get his fresh powder and then he's more than willing to play with me on the easier runs in the afternoon.

Have a great day!

I've got bling!

Well, in my mouth anyways...



Hello Everyone!



Got my crown last night and it feels quite comfortable. You can't see that it's gold (not that I cared about that anyways) and I didn't have any problems eating last night. For those of you who need crowns in the future, ask your dentist about gold vs enamel. With the popularity of cosmetic dentistry, many dentists aren't even telling their patients about the option of gold. Gold is stronger (will generally last a lifetime) and causes less wear on the opposite tooth. It's also cheaper!

Also picked up some more fish last night since I was by the petstore. Hooray for 1/2 Price Fish Tuesday! I got 6 in total and so far things are going well in the tank... I also got Whiskers an igloo to go with her wood tunnel. She's still testing it out but I think it will help to mimic what she misses from the bed. As well, she can hide from Mike in there. She was very much the cutie last night and we had a good cuddle while I was watching tv.

It was rather gray this morning - overcast because a Chinook is going through. I'm wearing a Spring outfit to counter the gray and felt much better as soon as I got it on. The sky has since cleared and it's a lovely afternoon.

Have a lot of things to do around the house tonight. I'll be away from the apartment for most of the weekend (several committments in different parts of the city) so I want to get things done in advance. I've decided to see what it's like to cook without a microwave. Over the past several years, I've been weaning myself off it and I realized on the weekend that I don't use it very often now. So, the microwave is in the back room and I now have a lot more counter space. It's amazing how much room they take up - especially with it needing to be near a power outlet.

Have a great day!

A Sleepy Sunday

Hello Everyone!

We didn't end up doing our youth activity after church so I had an afternoon to relax. Instead of my huge list of cleaning/organizing/household stuff I had to do, I slept.

Watched a bit of the Oscars but decided to do my income tax return. I wasn't sure if I was going to get anything back since I overestimated my school deductions on my federal and provincial forms. I have since updated this information. I get a little bit back but in all honesty, it's going straight to bills. It's going to be a very tight next few months but I revised my budget tonight and I have things under control. There's a couple big debts that will be paid off and I've included a mini-vacation in May: Slush Cup in Sunshine Mountain Resort (big party in Banff to close the snowboard/ski season). I'm going to arrange to take the long weekend off from church for it since J should be back in the snow sometime next month (he's been getting a bit grumpy about being stuck in the city).

My mouth is no longer sore but I'll be glad to get the crown on so my gums can heal properly. Went down to Kensington on Friday night with J for a political pub night. Basically, their riding holds regular get-togethers at a local pub for an informal social time. Spent Saturday making signs for his candidate. When the campaign originally started, I wasn't sure how much I would get involved since I'm not a party member and I've had some issues with their past record. However, I really like their candidate and I think she would be a great additional to government. As well, by making signs, it meant I got to spend the day with J rather all alone by myself. I'll be quite happy when this thing is over - our social life is very limited right now and it's getting a bit stressful for J.

Anyways, even though I'm not tired, I need to go to bed. My fabulous nap has messed up my sleep pattern. Oh well, I'll still have enough time for a sleep cycle or 2 so I'll be rested enough for tomorrow. Have a great night/day!

Ouch!

Hello Everyone!

Had visit one of two to the dentist last night for my crown. He has recommended, based on the tooth, that I get a gold crown rather than a porcelin one. Since gold is better (except for aestistics) and is a bit cheaper, I'm in agreement. They put on a temporary crown and my mouth still feels a bit funny. They had to do some work around my gum (I have overcrowding and a small mouth - no remarks from the peanut gallery! - because my gum had gone over a corner of the original tooth. It's still rather sore although I was able to lightly chew on a bit of pasta tonight on that side.

Whiskers is still giving me attitude and she's had a couple time-outs in her cage over the past several days. I hate doing it to her - she hadn't been closed in her cage in 1 1/2 years. She has room to hop around but there's not enough room in there for proper exercise. She's been a bit calmer tonight so hopefully I'm making some progress. I think the main problem was she thought she was "alpha-rabbit" in this household (they have a hierarchy) and so when I asserted my authority, she rebelled. Mike seems to have adjusted well.

Have a great day!

Feeling happy & healthy

Hi Everyone!

Well, except for the sore throat I'm trying to get over, the above title seems appropriate right now. Since the fall I've been trying to lose weight and I'm now at where I want to be.

How did I do it? I'll admit this time I needed some help. I had put on quite a few pounds over the past year and it was really starting to make a difference, in a bad way. I had no energy, despite all the biking and my clothes weren't fitting properly. I first tried on my own by eating salad but I kept gaining weight. Finally, at 142 lbs, which according to my BMI put me overweight, I went to Herbal Magic. A lot of my weight gain was around my stomach, which for women is one of the most unhealthiest places to gain.

They helped set up a food guide for me with clear descriptions for portion sizes. It involved eating a lot more fruits and vegetables and cutting out a lot of fat. As time progressed, they slowly added more portions until where I'm at now - where I can eat whatever I want. Although I started out with taking their supplements, I stopped after about a month, mostly because of cost, but I still lost weight in about the same target time. This is likely because I bike so much and their programs don't take that into consideration.

I'm now at a healthy 127.4 lb, as of this afternoon and my energy levels are back. My clothes fit better - I'm down a couple sizes but even how the cut of the clothes fit on my body is better. I'm cooking more rather than eating a lot of processed foods. There's a lot more veggies & fruit in my grocery cart and no chips. I still indulge on pizza but not as many slices and I still like my sweets. It's all a matter of balance - I'll now eat one or two cookies rather than an entire row. Yogourt is an everyday staple now.

My target weight was 128 lb although I'll be happy with anything under 130 lb. I still have all my curves, they're just accentuated more. I'll never be "thin" - my body shape and my muscles structure prevent that but I actually prefer being a bit curvy. I was more concerned with my energy levels and health rather than shape.

The nice thing with Herbal Magic is the visits. While I was on the program, I needed to visit the store 3 times a week and bring a record of everything I ate. Now that I'm on maintenance, I visit once a week to make sure I'm still around my target weight. If I get 5 lbs above that, they'll have me start recording my food consumption again and, if necessary, bring me back to a structured food guide. They also look long term - I'll be visiting them for an entire year. If I were to take the supplements, it would have been two years (their "guarantee". Since what I think I needed was some guidance to drop the weight and instruction on proper eating habits, I don't anticipate any yo-yos with my weight.

I know when people hear about weight loss programs, they usually see ads about "I lost 100 lbs on this program" and other enormous weight loss numbers. I lost 14 lbs over a period of 3 months and since I have a small frame, it's quite noticeable. For me, I don't think I could have lost the weight in a healthy manner in this short of period without their help. So, they have my recommendation.

Have a great day!

A Sleepy Evening

Hello Everyone!

I just woke up from a 3 hour nap and feel great. I was rather tired at work so I think my nap was much needed. Will be running errands and doing things around the house this weekend. It's Family Day on Monday in Alberta so I'm spending the day with J, helping him with election campaign stuff and fun errands. I'm hoping to come up with some birthday ideas for him - it's coming up in March and I'm drawing a blank. Any suggestions you might have would be much appreciated.

There's a battle of the wills going on in the apartment. I've decided to put my bedroom off limits to Whiskers & Mike to try to cut down on hair/fur on my clothes and overall to see if I can keep the apartment a bit neater. Mike's been o'kay so far but Whiskers is rather ****ed off at me. She's dug up the carpet that runs under the door. This actually isn't much of a problem since the carpet is a tile style and there's no underlay between the carpet and the cement floor. She loves staying in my boxspring and I'm hoping she'll get used to finding another place "just for her".

J took me to a fabulous tiny French restaurant for Valentines. He was even more organized than I thought - he had to book 1 1/2 months in advance for a table! I would say the entire restaurant could seat 50 people. He used to work with the chef a long time ago and the restaurant had a lot of character. There was a set Valentine's Day menu with four courses. For the first course, I had a vegetable (well, there were 2 main vegetables in the "potage" but I can't remember them - it was green coloured) soup and J had a warm spinach salad. The next course was a melted brie/blue cheese blend on bread. The main course was steak covered by a demi glaze (which looks a bit like gravy but isn't. It's made with the juices rather than pan drippings. It was extremely tasty) served with vegetables. The veggie selection was interesting - did you know you can cook radish? I'm not a radish fan but I did try it and it provided a nice contrast to the other veggies. I even ate the piece of broccohli but that was more to be polite. For dessert, I tried creme brulee for the first time (I think it's a new dessert favourite for me) and J ordered a chocolate pate that was served with strawberry sauce and some other type of dark berry sauce. He was also nice enough to give me the majority of both desserts (since he claimed he was full). The meal was paired with a nice red wine recommended by the chef. When we were done, ,we were both full but not stuffed. It's sometimes touch and go when going to a restaurant like that. I've been to ones in the past were although the portions were proper sizes (Eurpean sizing so it's much smaller than N. American portions), I was still hungry when I left since it takes a couple hours to eat everything. I really enjoy sharing meals with J - he's rather passionate about food and I love hearing him talk about its preparation. For me, generally I couldn't care less about the food, as long as it's tasty, but when you listen to him, it sounds wonderful. He very much takes a European approach to cooking - simple ingredients that don't overwhelm your palate with too many flavours.

I know some people go all out for Valentine's Day but for me, the thought behind choosing the meal more than overwhelmed me. Yes, flowers and chocolate are always appreciated by me but I think they would have gotten lost in comparision to such a lovely evening.

And for my gift? Well, with Valentine's Day being the day before payday, I was definitely on a limited budget. Since J isn't a materialist kind of person, I decided to make my gift. I got a nice box at the dollar store, which he can use for storage and filled it with goodies. I made monster cookies, since he loves Safeway peanut butter chocolate chip oatmeal cookies and decorated them with red & pink smarties. I also made chocolate cookies (froom the recipe on the back of the white chipets package - very tasty and easy to make) and some heart shaped sugar cookies with pink sugar sprinkled on top. I then filled a mason jar with hershey kisses (so he can have kissses from me whenever he likes "Awww"). I also did up a box and filled it with coupons. These coupons were things like, "coffee in Kensington", romantic things and I added a weekend in the mountains. Since he's usually the one to spoil me with the last item, I wanted to return the favour. He gets a bit grumpy when he's in the city for too long and since we both love the outdoors, it's a win-win situation for all. I had a lot of fun with the coupons and since the items on them will be spaced out over a period of time, it's much easier on the pocketbook. Overall, I had a lot of fun making his gift.

Anways, I should be getting to bed before this weekend screws up my sleep pattern. Have a great day!

Happy Pre-Valentine's Day!

Hello Everyone!

I've only got a few minutes as my work load has increased dramatically. It'll be high until about the middle of April so I'll be able to make a few extra dollars with the overtime.

Have a cold but I'm mostly over it. Was off 2 days from work last week.

Not sure what the plans are for tomorrow - J has something planned that involves dinner. I had lots of fun putting his gift together - will describe it later for you.

Need to get a crown on one of my molars next week and I need another crown on the other side in about 6 months. Just when I get my finances back on track and I'm prepared to put away somthing for savings, I hand over all my money to the dentist. Over the past 4 years, I've spent $4000 on my teeth (not including my upcoming crowns expenses). Moral of the story - go to school and become a dentist. Sure, it has the highest suicide rate among professions but just think of how much money you could get from me! And, by the way, no cavities at my last visit.

Passed my payroll midterm. Although the material is light, I found the exam surprisingly challenging. I write my final sometime around the end of March. Everything is done online so it's a lot more convenient than attending a class.

Furry family is doing well. I think Henry might be feeling ill - I had him in the tank with the other fish but he wasn't swimming around much. He seemed to be hiding a lot so I think the 2 big fish were ganging up on him. I put him in a separate bowl again last night so I'll see if this helps.

Have a great day!

A warmer week!

Hello Everyone!

I can't believe it's been almost a month since I last posted. I have a sore throat (I think) from riding in the very cold weather so I'm taking it easy. The weather, with wind chill ranged from -40 on Mon & Tues, -35 on Wed and got up to -20 on Thurs & Fri. I commuted Tues-Thurs and although I took transit on Fri, I rode up to J's place later that night.

Speaking (writing) of J, he managed to break his arm on Monday and had to get a plate put in. He's doing fine and they have him learning some office work. I was rather worried since this was the same arm he broke last year and they kept him in the hospital for a couple days. I was up for visits from Tuesday onward to make sure he was eating well and that he was resting and overall taking care of himself.

This week I need to prepare for my payroll midterm. It's going to take up my evenings and J will be tied up with the (unofficial as of yet) Alberta election. At this point, I don't think I'll be able to see him until the weekend :-( Oh well, he managed to handle my school schedule so I will work around his election schedule.

Will make pancakes for dinner on Tuesday and will attend the Ash Wednesday service. I still haven't decided what I'm giving up for Lent but I think it will be television.

Have a great day!

Christmas in Fernie & Castle Mountain

Happy New Year!

Hello Everyone!

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas/New Year. I had a wonderful time in the mountains and didn't come down with my head cold until the night I got back. I've head it since Saturday but I think it's clearing up. Spent New Years on the futon, cuddling Mike and channel surfing (since it requires less energy than sleeping)

Stayed up Christmas Eve so I wouldn't need to worry about hearing my alarm clock (sometimes a problem). Had a nice bus ride to Fernie with a stopover in Fort Macleod. It's a tiny, but historic town and the landscape was pretty. Slept most of the way. J's family are very nice. I think I met about half of them. They were rather laid back and I felt comfortable around them.

On Boxing Day I had my snowboard lesson. It's very different than skiing and I was exhausted by the end of the day. I had thought my legs would be sore but it turned out to be my abs and my shoulders that showed the lack of muscle. On Thursday, J's parents drove us to Castle Mtn (near the US border) where J & I stayed at his friend's trailer. There were 4 of us (plus a dog) there that night and 5 the next night (I was the only female but they were all very nice). It was very pretty and I went snowboarding again on Friday and Saturday. Over those two days, I managed to go down the green (beginner) runs and a couple blue (intermediate) runs. I still need a lot of practice but J was impressed I picked it up so easily. I'll go out a few more times this winter. It's a very tiring sport! I think I only totalled 4 hours each day and I was exhausted.

The furry family has been quite affectionate since I've gotten home. It's probably also because I'm sick so I'm laying on the futon most nights. They were well taken care of and I still think they're spoiled. Two fish died so I replaced them with some tiny fish. I also added Henry IX to the tank but I think my big fish is scaring him. I'll see how he is tonight as to whether or not to put him back into his old bowl. I don't think Henry is being injured - just startled since my big fish is 3 times his size and he's never lived with other fish before.

I'll do my best to post some photos over the weekend. Have a lovely day!

Very full

Hello Everyone!

We just finished a potluck lunch at work and I'm rather full. Since I'm printing tax forms this afternoon, I have a few minutes to write.

Got all my cards sent - they will most likely be late. Received parcels from Chesley on Thursday. Since things were wrapped, I'm rationing them out until Christmas Eve. I figured I wouldn't be awake enough on Christmas to open them. I need to be down at the bus depot at 5:30ish, which means leaving my place at 5. Mike & Whiskers (the latter especially) are enjoying the presents. There's a little hiding spot at the back of the tree in which she has rearranged the blanket (she ate the tree skirt last year so this year it's a fleece blanket) to her liking.

Received a few Christmas presents from co-workers so I bought a pretty grey sweater from Roots and some make-up. I've never actually bought anything from that store but I saw a sweater in the window and thought it was really pretty. I didn't end up buying it as once I put it on, it was nice but the grey was just as nice and $40 cheaper. It's a wool blend button-up cardigan with a large collar. Very warm and comfortable.

Will be doing errands and cleaning tomorrow. I want to have my place all clean and organized by the time I leave. It'll be nice to be a homebody for a few days.

Have a great day!

Dinner turned out good!

Hello Everyone!

My turkey stayed moist, even with the reheat, the potatoes stayed firm (which can actually be a problem with instant), and everything else was delicious. I have the makings for turkey sandwiches for the next couple days.

Calli's had a rough couple of days. On Monday, enough of my basket was finally destroyed that it is no longer useable. Weight from books had started a separation and although I now use a pack, the wear and tear got to it. Then, when bringing her inside, I knocked her front light and it fell apart on the stairs. Last night, a piece of her seat came off. It looks like a spring and it helps support the bum area of the seat (or I should say, "saddle"). Luckily, it fell off while I was walking her so I was able to retrieve it. It was a rather uncomfortable bike ride home as supportwise, my seat was lopsided. J put it back together as well as adjusted the distance of the brake levers for me. He's a rather handy guy to have around!

After plasma tonight, I'm heading up to his place to work on Charlotte. I have no idea why my new bike decided to have that name but it came to me while coming home last night. They're building a cargo bike tonight so I'll get to see how that's done. Afterward, I'm going to learn how to strip Charlotte (and keep your mind clean!) and learn how to build a bike from the bottom up.

Have a great day!

Turkey Dinner

Hello Everyone!

Making real turkey dinner tonight. I get a Chrisco hamper every year (I know, it'd be cheaper to just buy groceries but I'm always strapped for cash at Christmas and a hamper means I'll at least have food!) and this year it included a stuffed turkey breast. I cooked it up last night since it took about 4 hours and I'll serve it tonight for dinner. I'm having J over and I'm cooking a proper meal. It'll include salad (mixed greens, mandarin orange segments, almonds & poppyseed dressing), turkey, dressing, gravy, cranberry jelly, potatoes (although they're instant - I hate peeling potatoes and the instant stuff is pretty good - and a Canadian invention!), and mixed veggies. For dessert will be a fruit shortbread-type pie/pastery thing with ice-cream. No, I don't normally make meals like this and no, I don't usually have all these different types of food on hand. Hooray for the hamper - I only had to get ice-cream and the cranberry jelly! The hamper included canned cranberries but I don't like the whole berry - the jelly spreads on the turkey much better.

J leaves for the mountains on Friday night so we're having our own Christmas dinner tonight in case he gets tied up with last minute errands on Thursday night. I think I only have snowboard pants to buy prior to my mini-vacation but I'll get them tomorrow. Have all my Christmas shopping done and my cards are going to the post office today after work. It's doubtful if you'll get them before Christmas but rest assured, I was thinking you.

I'm really looking forward to the time off. The last time I was out of the city was Thanksgiving for an overnight trip to Banff. It'll be nice to see proper amounts of snow for Christmas. There's still a bit of snow here but generally there isn't accumulation. Even with that 2 week cold snap, I don't remember seeing even 1/2 foot of snow anywhere! It's just too dry. I hope everyone is being extra careful when travelling - I've been watching the news and those storms look pretty bad. Keep warm and stay at home to drink hot chocolate.

Have a great day!

Back to auburn

Hello Everyone!

My roots were really getting noticeable (or at least noticeable to me) so I redyed it last night. Not a big change but at least everything is evened out now.

Been trying to get motivated for cleaning/organizing the apartment but no luck so far. I've been vegging out in front of the tv, but I need to get things done some I'm forcing myself tonight to snap out of it. Got my Christmas letter printed so I'll be mailing cards tomorrow.

Eating a yummy salad - it's lunch and I discovered blogger isn't blocked at my work computer. My salad is mixed greens, poppyseed dressing, slivered almonds and mandarin orange slices (from a can, juice removed).

Have a great day!

I can relax now...

Hello Everyone!

Submitted my final and assignments for class yesterday. Felt good to get it wrapped up. I can now start organizing & cleaning my apartment, which had been put off over the past few weeks. It's been driving me crazy!

Got a programmable coffee maker last night from Walmart. I don't drink a lot of coffee - I'm pretty lazy, so I liked how my coffee was all ready for me when I woke up this morning. There's nothing like the smell of freshly made coffee when waking up! I was looking for an 8 cup maker but they only had 4,5 & 12. I decided to go for 12 and also bought a permanent filter so I didn't need to keep buying filters.

Since so many of you have asked, here's a photo of J and myself at my office Christmas party on Saturday. I was happy enough that he was willing to dress up. He got extra super-wonderful boyfriend points for coming back from the mountains early enough that he could accompany me. I was a bit panicked when he called at 4pm telling me about the great snowboarding conditions and the amount of snow. It wasn't until he was mostly done the conversation that he mentioned he was on his way back to Calgary. The venue was rather cold (hence the wrap) but the food was pretty good. Had a lovely time.

Will be taking it easy this week - a lot of catch-up and I need to get my sleep pattern back to normal. The temperature's warmed up and I starting commuting yesterday without my longjohns layer. Was still warm enough although I got a bit cold when running errands after work. I could feel the temperature dropping as the sky turned black. Because of our location in the time zone, it's dark by 5pm.

Have a great day!

A warmer day

Hello Everyone!

Slept in today but still got my work done (and I'm ahead of schedule). Got a haircut at noon - it's now starting to form a bob. I'll try to take a picture tonight if I figure out the auto-picture feature. Picked up my contacts and so far they haven't been bad under the fluorescent lights, computer screen and bloodshot eyes. Running a few errands after work and then heading up to J's for a bit tonight.

It was a bit warmer this morning and I didn't need my scarf on. There's a shift coming tonight and it's suppose to get cold again. It was around -7C this morning when I checked the forecast before heading to work.

Treated myself to a Peppermint Mocha at Starbucks today. Very yummy.

Have a great day!

Update

Hello Everyone!

I know it seems like I've dropped off the face of the earth - it's been a busy time for me but by next week, things will have calmed down and I can go back to keeping this up to date.

Absolutely love payroll - I'm catching on quickly and I'm starting my certification in January. Akita's paying for everything. I'll hold off on ABC courses until I get a better feel for the certification workload. It's a part-time course, run online.

Will be spending Christmas in Fernie (ski resort in the BC Rockies) with J and his family & friends. Catching the Greyhound early (6:30) on Christmas morning so I'll get there shortly after noon. Will take my first snowboarding lesson on the 26th. Will snowboard (or ski if I really don't catch on) on the 27th & 28th. Leave on the 29th as I need to be back in Calgary for youth group on the 30th. I'm very excited!

We decorated my little tree on Thursday. Made roast beef (from M&Ms so I didn't need to season it) with potatoes, carrots and onions added to the pan. Turned out pretty good even though I had all the timing off. The roast was done a lot sooner than expected (thank goodness for meat thermometers) but luckily J was running late so I could remedy the situation. Everything eventually got cooked and was still warm by the time he came.

Have the office Christmas party this Saturday. Found a fabulous black dress on the discount rack ($39.98! - it was originally over $100 more). Got an early Christmas present from Mom & Dad so you'll be able to see photos. Picked up my new camera today so I could learn how to work it before the weekend. I'll also take some photos of J so you'll know what he looks like. He has his winter beard, which I think is rather cute. He does have a chin under it so he's not one of those guys with a weak chin who grows a beard to cover it up. The beard is more a practical thing since he's out in the cold all day.

Still biking even though it's averaged -15C during the day for over a week now. Calli doesn't handle snow well and J will be building me a winter bike. Basically, through his connections, he's going to find a used frame, will build (or have a friend of his build) the wheels, and will put together a single gear for me. It'll be much easier to handle. He gave me my present early - a shopping trip to MEC for winter biking gear. I got me a jacket, two middle layer shirts, winter tights (well, they're not overly tight but that's the best word to describe them) and glasses. It has made a huge difference in my comfort level. I carry a change of clothes in my bag and my new winter boots ($39 at The Bay - I've found some amazing shopping deals recently!) are warm enough that I haven't had to wear heavy winter socks. He was planning to get me this stuff anyways and he figured he might as well give them to me now so I can make sure everything fit, looked great, and I could keep warm. I pointed out the third reason was rather selfish because if I was warm, I would be more likely to brave the cold to visit him. It was a wonderful and thoughtful present.

I've resisted buying cycling gear because I tried to convince myself that I'm a casual rider. I'm not - I cycle a minimum 100km per week and so far the weather hasn't stopped me. The snow does slow my commute up to an additional 15 minutes but that's only when the roads are slippery. The city does a poor job of clearing the core and last Tuesday, it ended up being quicker for me to walk my bike on the sidewalk rather than try to manoeuvre my usual sidestreet with the traffic and road conditions. Don't worry - I keep myself very visible, have an additional red light on my bag and I don't weave in and out of traffic like some crazy cyclists.

Have my Christmas shopping pretty well done. I need to pick up a couple small things (which I already know what they'll be) but I'm sending my presents to Chesley on the weekend. I'll try to get organized and send my cards this weekend too but in all honesty, it'll likely be next week. If they arrive late, it's not Canada Post's fault - it was me.

The furry family is well. Mike still escapes outside when the door is open but he's not protesting when I pick him up and bring him inside. He tries to avoid the snow but he's not all that smart. Whiskers is being quite friendly. So far, the Christmas tree has staying intact. Gilbert's been a bit neglected these past couple weeks but I'll spend some quality cuddling time with him next week.

I've been trying to finish up my Christian History class and I've had a hard time focussing. I enjoyed the content and had a great teacher. I just haven't had any interest in doing the assignments. My professor has given me an extension for my work so I'll need to have everything in by Monday. This is part of the reason why I've been stressed - I know I have work that needs to be done but all I can do is stare at my computer screen. It's likely I need a break from school and I hope the payroll courses are enough of a change to snap me out of this lethargy.

Broke my glasses a couple weeks ago. Stepped on them and snapped them right in half. So far super glue is holding them together (repair about once a week). My contacts have arrived so I'll be switching to them for my main sight aid. I had been thinking about switching back to them for a while and it'll mean I can hold off for a while longer to get new glasses. Because of my prescription, they'll run me around $400, which is not in my budget at this time.

Love having my place to myself again. It's a bit messier before but I enjoy the freedom. I really enjoy having a bedroom solely for sleeping. It's made a huge difference in my quality of sleep. I ended up moving into the spare bedroom and turned my old room into a storage area. I keep the piano and my bicycle in there. I moved my home office to the little alcove where the piano was. There's enough space for me to keep most of my stuff there and I'm close enough to the phone jack that I didn't need to run wire everywhere. My job in the new year is to organize that back room. I've already declutter in the fall but I've got a long way to go.

Have a great day!

PS - an update from my last post. I met J in Kensington for coffee and he mentioned he hadn't eaten yet. He ended up treating me to a fabulous, authentic Italian meal in a very trendy restaurant. We had Napolitana style pizza, antipasto and then some kind of tasty dessert, a bit like a cake? The chef trained in Italy and the restaurant is certified by an Italian agency so it meets Italian standards for quality. Our meal was paired with a lovely wine and I was completely taken by suprise by J's celebration for me. I would have been happy with some fabulous coffee from our usual coffee place but this completely wowed me. I could tell J really enjoyed it. He was trained as a chef and worked in some higher end kitchens. He got really excited when describing the antipasto components to me (never had anything like that before! He really went into details when describing ingredients and how they were prepared) and the food was amazing.

Lucky for me, J is very easy going with food and has tolerated my cooking to date. It can be frustrating - I need to plan my meals in advance and he can somehow magically make something delicious appear on a plate in 20 minutes. Needless to say, I never refuse a meal at his place.

I got my home office!

Hello Everyone!

The offer was waiting at my desk when I arrived this morning. It's a big enough raise that I get my home office and there's a bit extra so I have some breathing room. Hooray! It's effective Oct 16. Not sure when I move over to my new office (hee-hee I love saying that) as they need to get a temp and I'll train him/her.

Decided on my Hallowe'en costume - Little Red Riding Hood. I was her when I was really young and I wore the costume often when playing dress-up. They didn't have my size so they're ordering it in. It should be in 5-8 days. It's very adorable. The website is www.rubies.com and it's #56117. It's a great website to get ideas for Hallowe'en.

Heading down to Kensington to celebrate with J. I can't do a big celebration yet because money will be very lean until the end of the month - just drinks or coffee.

Have a great day!

An exciting week

Hi Everyone!

Had a fabulous Thanksgiving. Didn't do the relaxing weekend/restaurant I originally planned but went for an adventure instead.

J took me to Banff on Sunday (after I got home from church and he got back from visitin his family) and we spent the afternoon strolling around the main strip, went to the hotsprings and then had a romantic meal at the Grizzly House. It's a fabulous Swiss fondue place where we spent 2 1/2 hours eating our meals. The first course was salad greens, followed by cheese/kirsch fondu, meat course and then Toberlone chocolate fondue/fresh fruit. For meat we had both hot oil and a hot stone for cooking it. Selections included beef, venison, elk, bison and wild boar. Very delicious - I've been there a few times and it's a place where if I know I'm going to Banff, I'll save my money so I can eat there.

On Monday, we stopped in Canmore for a leisurely breakfast before returning to the city. I really needed that trip - I hadn't been in the mountains for a year! It was also very unexpected. When J originally mentioned having a car and maybe heading to the mountains, I was figuring on a day of hiking or something adventure-like. I was not expecting a romantic, incredibly relaxing, fun escape from the city.

On Tuesday, HR approached me about a position in payroll. They want to move me to this department to help with the field pay. I'd get my own office (and a good size too), with windows along the back wall. It involves a raise (but they haven't given me the numbers yet so my acceptance isn't official yet), a bit more flexible hours and as many courses as I want to take. Since a lot of it is on-the-job training, my inexperience is o'kay. There are courses I'm interested in taking (which they'll pay for) but I was advised to be in payroll for a couple months before taking any courses. I haven't been given a start date but I'm accepting the position based on a change in work, the challenge and new experience. As well, the other girls in payroll are very nice.

If I get a big enough raise, I can afford to keep the apartment to myself and turn the second bedroom into an office. At least - I can do this until the end of June when the youth leader position finishs. It'll be nice though because it'll give me time to come up with other money options. I've been really wanting a separate room for an office to help keep my schooling and youth leader stuff organized. As well, I'd have somewhere to store my bike during the winter. J plans to build me a single-speed bike for winter - lighter than Cali and easier maintenance for snow. Keep your fingers crossed for me on the raise and I'll keep you up to date.

Have a great day!

It's October already!

Hi Everyone!

I can't believe how quickly time flies! It's already October and I didn't realize how long it's been since I updated. Things have been busy.

I started my new job as youth leader - the kids (12-16 yrs) are a challenge but it's really interested to be with them.

Paula (roommate) found a job in Canmore and moved out on the weekend. I've been roommate searching again. I have a few interested people but no showings yet. I'm expecting 2 showings this week and possibly a couple more next week.

Made a lovely dinner on Sunday. J joined me and he took seconds even when he didn't need to. He's a really good cook so I'm glad he's willing to dare my cooking. I made pecan topped sweet potatoes (with marshmallows!) and bacon apple stuffed pork loin. Both recipies were really good although I left the pork in for too long and it was a bit dry. It was still edible though and not nearly as bad as some of my attempts. Made apple crisp and served it with vanilla ice-cream and caramel sauce.

I've also met his roommates. They love mom's recipe for chocolate chip squares.

No plans yet for Thanksgiving. I usually go out to a restaurant but I'm not sure what country I want to eat from. So far I've done Greek, Indian and Chinese. Any suggestions?

Attended my first Critical Mass. It's a movement to support alternative forms of transportation (bikes) for commuting. Basically a huge group of cyclist rode around the core of Calgary on the last Friday of the month to promote cyclist awareness. Apparently it's done all around the world. It was a bit of a crappy (weatherwise) evening but it was an interesting crowd.

Start class on the 23rd. It's been nice to have a break but I think it's important to get back into the swing of things. Been doing some psychology reading in the meanwhile.

Was at the optomitrist on Monday and got a sample pair of contact lenses. I'm to try them out for 2 weeks before I make any decisions. They're softer than the ones I used before but the focus isn't as clear. Was able to wear them all day Tuesday at work with only a little itchiness. Since I don't plan to use them everyday, they may be a good option for me. As well, my eyes are healthy and my prescription didn't change a lot so I can keep my current glasses.

A bit of snow fell earlier in the evening.

Have a great day!