Sunday, July 25, 2010

OWIE!

So in 2.5 days, 4 people drywalled an entire basement by themselves! Yep that's right folks, Amy's basement now has most of it's walls up. What a lot of work it was and I am probably going to die now from pain... well... everywhere, but it looks great! Mom, dad, Amy, and I all worked out butts off all this weekend putting up most of the gyproc in the main areas of Amy's downstairs. It was actually a lot of fun up til about 3:30 today when we all started to get tired, sore, and grumpy.

Amy you better put pictures up.

Alright that's all I have energy to write tonight. I'm going to bed, I need some sleep.

Monday, July 19, 2010

How did this happen?!

Alright folks, today marks the first day in my personal challenge to change the way I look and feel about my body and myself. Over the last few years I have gained a lot of weight. Going from only 170 pounds to now over 200. It makes me sick to look in the mirror. I have tried some very unhealthy things to try and lose weight and now I've decided to do it right. If anyone has any tips or tricks, please feel free to comment and share!

I started a couple weeks ago buying healthier food, but today marks the first day that I've gotten back into working out. It feels awful how out of shape I've become and it is my goal over the next few months to change how I eat and how I treat my body.

So my goals:
1. Do one workout on the Wii Active per day
2. Tone and trim down to 185 pounds (to start)
3. Feel good enough about my body to wear a bikini by next spring when we take our trip to Disney!
4. Eat healthier foods, this to me means I will be giving up fast food COMPLETELY (it's going to be rough)

So those are my goals to start. My current weight is around 207 pounds. I carry a lot of weight around my thighs and stomach. I feel sluggish and gross. Here's hoping that I can change myself for the better!

Anyone want to join my crusade for a healthier self?!

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Some holiday pictures


Left to Right:
Cat, my aunt Linda, my dad's cousin Cathy, Me, and Amy


The family


Brad and I looking out to Detroit (can see it in the background)


Me and Ames


Me and my honey!

We all walk down the same road...

"Too many people grow up. That's the real trouble with the world, too many people grow up. They forget. They don't remember what it's like to be 12 years old. They patronize, they treat children as inferiors. Well I won't do that." -Walt Disney

Well it seems like everyone has been on the same page in our family. We are thinking about the past. About when we were kids. Hell, who says we're not still kids? But yes we've all gotten a little older (not necessarily wiser...) and it's all very real and scary at times. Some of us have moved away, some of us are in school, going to school, or contemplating going back to school. There are bills to pay, spouses to take care of, and jobs to work.

However, I think I should take the more uplifting view of this. We all have drifted apart a little bit but when we get together there is nothing that has changed. We're still those little kids sitting around the feet of our uncles, aunts, fathers, or mothers singing "Grandmas feather bed." I think now more than ever we need to really hang on to those moments and cherish them. But we also have so many more opportunities to look forward to. I believe that our family is strong enough to handle all the changes and we all can stay close. Maybe that is just very optimistic of me.

I just want to say that I love our family and even though we've all gone separate ways we still talk, play, and have fun together. I look forward to more of those times, hopefully soon.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

If I wanted my parade rained on I'd step outside!

So... still raining! We had about 6 hours of sun today so that was nice. Though it really wasn't enough. I'd like to know if anyone has seen the summer of 2010, if you have please tell it it's late and we really miss it!

Anyways, this has been a long week. Trying to get back into the routine and make sure that I get enough sleep... so far not so bad. I've been in bed at reasonable hours every night. It feels pretty good. For some reason though, I've been plagued with nightmares. Awful, terrible, sickening ones at that. I won't go in to details, simply because I just don't want to keep reliving it, but they are so real and Brad has said I've woken up crying more than once. I hope they won't keep up very long.

After spending a lot more time thinking about Uncle Rick and all the issues that I've had dealing with his passing away, I just want to tell everyone to call their loved ones. It's not just Uncle Rick but Gram as well. I always said I would call, and never did. I kept forgetting. Forgetting to call her on her birthday. Or call just to say hi. And now when I really want to call them both, just to talk to them, I can't. So call the people you love right now just to talk to them. Just because you love them. Don't take it for granted.

Ok enough ranting about it again.

I should be off to make dinner. I think it will be quiche tonight. We'll see what hubby thinks.

Monday, July 12, 2010

UGH!

Alright so we landed back on Alberta soil last night around 6:30 p.m. Surprise, surprise, it's raining again. We go from beautiful, hot, sunny, 37 degree weather in Ontario to back to work, cold, wet, miserable weather here in the land of the perpetual cloud.

Anyways, the rest of our week in Ontario was wonderful. We spent a lot of time just hanging out with Cat and Ryan. Brad flew in on Wednesday evening. We just hung around and relaxed that night. We made up dinner for Ryan and Cat (poor Ryan had to work til late). We stayed up fairly late and played Phase 10, chatted, and had some drinks. Thursday was the day we had planned on going down to Ohio and heading to Cedar Point but Ryan and Cat both had to work so we just hung around Windsor. We walked along the Riverfront. In the afternoon it poured rain so we stayed indoors and watched a movie. Thursday night Ryan, Cat, Amy, Brad, and I all piled into their tiny Ford Escape and headed back over the border to Detroit. Ryan and Cat took us to this great Mexican place called "On the Border" and the food was AMAZING!

Friday we slept in late, went to a movie (Knight and Day, see note below), and again hung out and drank.

Saturday was very difficult. We were up early and went to Wallaceburg for Gram and Uncle Rick's burials. It was a short service but it was brutal. I didn't realize how I felt about everything until we were there and dealing with it. I didn't realize that I was angry until I was going over it in my head. And I feel bad but, I was angry at Uncle Rick (well and dad) for telling us not to fly out to Ontario when Gram passed away at Christmas. Obviously we didn't know it then but it would have been another chance to see Uncle Rick. One last chance. I was angry because he couldn't hold on long enough for us to come out there last week. I'm trying to work through that and I know I'm not angry at him really. I love him too much to be angry at him. I know it wasn't his choice to be sick and have cancer. I know he would have loved it if we could have seen him again. I guess it will take some time to deal with. It hurts really bad. REALLY bad.

I suppose the good part of it was that all day Saturday we spent with our family that we never see. My dad's cousins, aunts, and uncles. My Gram's last remaining sibling (my aunty Jerri who I adore). We drove to Sarnia and went to the yacht club and put a whole bunch of picnic tables together. We ate food and partied until late afternoon. Then we got lost a couple times heading back to Windsor. But we finally got on the 401, got back to Windsor and headed out to Leamington to Aunty Linny's (Ryan's mom) and had more food and drank until around 11. It was a great way to end it all. We spent a lot of time with our family. Uncle Rick and Gram would have had a great time with us.

Obviously yesterday we flew home. Sad and very depressing. Only exacerbated by the fact that we arrived home to terrible rain and awful, sad, dreary, weather. But nonetheless we're back and in the swing of things. Went back to work today even though I was exhausted and nearly passed out. Luckily my amazing husband brought me coffee and saved my life!

Side note: Knight and Day, a little cheesy at parts but what a great role for Tom Cruise. I was very impressed and he pulls off the secret agent role well. Rather enjoyed it.

That's all for now though. I'm tired and heading to bed asap.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

1000 degrees and loving it!

Well so far so good. I apologize to my readers for any spelling errors in this post as I'm posting from my iPhone! Well so far I'm loving our Ontario adventure. Wr have done quite a bit of bonding with the family (especially our fabulous new cousin Cat) and we have had some pretty cool experiences.

Yesterday we went state side and did 9 hours worth of shopping. Came home with about 300$ worth of stuff and didn't have to pay duty on any of it. It was quite the trip. I had my first target experience and enjoyed it tremedously. Got some really cute new clothes. Cat took us out for a nice dinner at the Olive Garden and refused to let us pay.

Today dad took us on a tour of the Hiram Walker and Sons distillery which was also a lot of fun. It's where they produce Canadian Club whiskey! It was fascinating experience to sit at a table where business deals once took place with Al Capone during prohibition. Not to mention there was a bullet hole in the wall where he fired a "warning shot" above a smugglers head! We sampled some of the merchandise and I discovered I like ten year old whiskey! Now we're just waiting for uncle David to arrive and take us to the airport so the second part o the Ontario adventure can begin with husband in tow!

Ciao for now friends!

Thursday, July 1, 2010

I'm leaving on a jet plane

Well in a day and a half. I have this feeling that tomorrow is going to be one of the longest days of my life. I'm at work alone all day, and we are going to have really low numbers. Plus the excitement is really starting to get to me.

That's about all I have to write about right now... oh except HAPPY CANADA DAY EVERYONE!