Weekly Update: Dec 11 to Dec 17

It was an all right week.  I was a bit unmotivated to workout.  I did manage to set up the other workout game I have for the Wii, which is EA Sports Active 2.  I like this one because I have two sensors that I wear - one on my right leg and one on my left arm.  The one on my arm has a heart monitor.  Of course I set it up on Thursday and have not played it since.  I only managed the BLC game on Wednesday and then this Monday & yesterday.  If I could just develop some consistency with the workouts, that would help improve the numbers on the scale. 


 Weight Watchers Weigh-In:

Original Weight: 314.8
Previous Weight (Dec 7): 277.3
Today's Weight (Dec 14): 277.4
Change: +0.1
Total Loss: -39.9

Total Loss since May 2012: -47.3
Total Loss since Nov 2005: -61.1


Spark People Weigh-In: 
Previous Weight (Dec 7):  272.2
Today's Weight (Dec 14):  272.2



So no movement this week.  I am glad that I maintained.  Hopefully I can lose a pound or two this week and then maintain over Christmas.  My mom is making her delicious sticky buns, and I just can't resist having one or two.

I am going to make some healthier options for sweets -  such as pineapple cake using just pineapples and angle food cake mix, and chocolate candy cane cookies using Splenda.  I also love the peanut butter cookies from Kraft that only using PB, an egg and sugar (and I have made them with Splenda).  I am going to look through my old emails (from WW and SkinnnyTaste etc) and see if I find anything else.

It's not that I can't have all the yummy foods of the season, I just need to eat them in moderation.

Weekly Update: Dec 4 to Dec 10

It has been a really cold week up here in the frozen North.  I finally took my car into the garage.  Ended up getting a couple of things fixed as well as a new windshield.  Now I just need to find the warranty information so that I can get some money back. 

I also finally met up with Dani for dinner at Moxie's on Thursday night.  Of course we also had to wander around a couple of stores in typical Karen/Dani fashion.  I finally found the delicious WW brownie bliss bars - which I highly recommend. 


Weight Wacthers Weigh-In:

Original Weight: 314.8
Previous Weight (Nov 23): 274.8
Today's Weight (Dec 7): 277.3
Change: -2.5
Total Loss: -40

Total Loss since May 2012: -47.4
Total Loss since Nov 2005: -61.2


Spark People Weigh-In: 
Previous Weight (Nov 30):  274.8
Today's Weight (Dec 7):  272.2


Woohoo !!  I am down a total of 40 pounds since I started back with WW on November 17, 2012.  At my 1 year anniversary of WW 2.0, I was down 37.4 pounds. 

This time last year was when my ex and I had a horrible conversation after his work Christmas party (Dec 14 or 15).  It would have been so easy to turn to food every time I was angry or sad - and I do admit that I had many times in the past year where I made bad food decisions - but overall I moved forward.  Separation, moved 300km, new position at work and I still lost 40 pounds. Not bad, not bad at all.

This week I worked out (with my Biggest Loser Challenge Wii game) on both Saturday and Sunday.  I have no excuses for not getting off my butt for just 30min a day.  Dinner is ready when I come home from work.  I do not have a husband or kids to take care of and minimal responsibilities around my house.  It won't always be like this, so I need to take advantage of the situation while I can.

My next small goal is to get into the 260s.  I think the last time I was at that weight would have been sometime in the middle of 2009.  I really need to go back through my old WW record books and make a chart/graph for myself.

Top Five - Things I Love About Winter

I think these were supposed to be posted on Fridays, oh well, whatevs.  I am totes getting this done, obs. 

My house is all Christmatisized up - my youngest brother and I emptied the one side of the storage room and put up everything we could find, that was not normally used somewhere else in the house.  I think I just have to put up my little Christmas tree in my room along with a little paper village.  Then I have these old posters/characters that were always up at my Grandma's house in Medicine Hat.  The basement is now a little Christmas crazy.

Anyone up for a Top Five list about decorations?

The deep freeze seems to have abated a bit today, although that wind is very gusty.  I am fine with it being between -15 and -20, but when you drop below that temperature, it is just too cold.  I cringed when I heard the windchill on both Thursday and Friday morning.   


On that note here is the latest Top Five:

THINGS I LOVE ABOUT WINTER


5.  The way the trees look when covered in frost/ice/snow.  I admit, I do enjoy this best from inside my warm, cozy house. 

4.  Building things out of snow.  I still remember the awesome snow fort we built in grade 6 next to the ice rink at school.  I also love building snowmen. 

3. Christmas lights and decorations.  I love walking down Candy Cane Lane on a nice winter evening in December.  Looking at the decorations around my house makes me smile - a lot of them hold special memories from my childhood.  I had a great time at The Festival of Trees.  I used to love going to see Bright Lights at Hawrelak Park.

2.  Delicious coffee and tea beverages, preferably made with Eggnog.  Who am I kidding, I just love a cold glass of Eggnog, and all of the other delicious treats of the season.  My mom makes the best sticky cinnamon buns.

1.  Spending Christmas and New Year's with my family and friends.  It's still my favourite time of year.  I love giving gifts and cards.  The white elephant gift exchange at work is always good for a laugh.  This year will be the last holiday celebrated in the house in Edmonton.  I miss the Christmases that we spent in Medicine Hat with my grandparents.  I truly enjoy our whole Christmas Eve dinner/opening gifts tradition.  There is the music, the movies and the books.  It is all super fantastic!

Weekly Update: Nov 27 to Dec 3

Weight Watchers Weigh-In:

Original Weight: 314.8
Previous Weight (Nov 23): 277.3
Today's Weight (Nov 23): N/A
Change: N/A
Total Loss: -37.5

Total Loss since May 2012: -44.9
Total Loss since Nov 2005: -58.7


Spark People Weigh-In: 
Previous Weight (Nov 23):  274.4
Today's Weight (Nov 30):  274.8


So I did not make it to my Weight Watchers meeting on Saturday morning.  My car has the check engine light on, and had an appointment booked for Tuesday.  My mom's car had an oil change booked for Saturday.  My dad helped my mom drop off her vehicle, and then he and my mom went shopping with his vehicle.

I was going to take the bus.  I made myself coffee and a breakfast sandwich.  Either my clock was off, or the bus came a couple minutes early - I walked out the front door and saw the bus driving by the cul-de-sac.  Doh!  The next bus (either the 2 or the 106) did not come for another 30min.

I think that the 0.4 pound gain (if you can even call it that) on my home scale was due to my time of the month.  So mostly bloating and water weight.  I know that things will be better this week as I weighed in at 274.6 this morning.

I have a goal to do at least 10min (if not 30min) of exercise everyday in December.  I know this will help move the numbers on the scale.

Top Five - Things I Would Do If I Won The Lottery

I went to the Festival of Trees on Friday after work with a co-worker.  It really got me into the Christmas spirit.  I loved all the trees and decorations and gingerbread houses and cakes.

Saturday I watched all four of the "Step Up" movies.  Then I helped my youngest brother build our village on top of the pool table.  I will post some pics here later.  Then we took Grandma out for dinner as usual, except it was just Greg and myself and Grandma. 

Sunday was the regular trip to the grocery store.  Then Sunday night dinner with Grandma.

My alarm did not go off this morning, but I still managed to make the 7:08am bus to the LRT.  Dressed up warm for the walk to and from the station before and after work today. 

Now for more catching up with the top five lists:

Things I Would Do If I Won The Lottery

 I think that I would attempt to follow this list no matter if I won $1 million or $50 million - it would just vary to different degrees.


5.  Pay off all my debts/put money away/invest

I would love to have even just a month two where I had no bills to pay.  Now unless we are talking about a BIG win, I would still have mortgage payments.  There would also always be utilities/phone/cable/internet payments, but it would be nice not to have to stick to such a strict budget. 
 

 4.  Have a personal trainer

I could really use someone to make sure I am doing movements correctly.  Also someone to kick my lazy ass into gear.  I'm not horrible, but there is definite room for improvement.  Maybe someone could finally improve my balance and teach me yoga?

I'm a good cook, and I actually enjoy it too - so I don't need a chef or a nutritionist.  Having money would hopefully mean more time to prepare food and also the ability to buy good quality ingredients.

I just really need help with exercise. 

3.  Travel

I want to be able to go to all the places I have always wanted to visit.  Travelling there in style would also be nice (if I had enough money).  Of course I would want to take my friends with me so that we could enjoy it together.

Those 3 to 4 month long cruises around the world sound like a great opportunity to see multiple destinations.  I would also like to go to the states and go shopping crazy.

2.  Spread the Wealth

I would of course like to share the money with friends and family.  Whether it be to fly everyone out to Victoria, or to join me on a cruise (see above), or to help me spend money in the US.

My one brother could fix up his house.  I could pay my parents back for all the financial help they have provided for me over the years.  We could put my grandmother up in style with good nurses in Victoria.

1.  Buy a House & Car

I really do like my car, but it would be awesome to have a brand new model with all the bells and whistles.  Even better would be an awesome place to live.  It doesn't need to be a mansion, I would rather have a smaller place with super upgrades. 

Eventually in 2014 I will get a place of my own.  There are a bunch of details to work out, but it will all happen in time.  It would just be really nice not to have to stick to a budget for the mortgage.  A girl can dream.

Weekly Update: Nov 20 to Nov 26

Weight Watchers Weigh-In:

Original Weight: 314.8
Previous Weight (Nov 9): 277.4
Today's Weight (Nov 23): 277.3
Change: -0.1
Total Loss: -37.5

Total Loss since May 2012: -44.9
Total Loss since Nov 2005: -58.7


Spark People Weigh-In: 
Previous Weight (Nov 16):  275.4
Today's Weight (Nov 23):  274.4


A little disappointed in the lack of movement on the scale.  Oh well, moving on.  I really want to do well over the next couple of weeks so that I have made progress before Christmas. 

Starting tonight, my daily exercise will be increased to 30min. 

I also bought the Spark Activity Tracker.  I love how it records all my activity and then I just synch it to my SP account.  I just wish it was not so picky about what constitutes a workout, that you need 10min of constant movement - only because if I am working on arms, it doesn't record that I did a 20min workout.

My mom had a stability ball that was just sitting, deflated, in the bottom of my closet.  I need to figure out how to pump it up and then I can use that while I am watching tv.

Weekly Update: Nov 13 to 19

Not much of an update this week.  The snow storm on Saturday kept me from my WW meeting that morning - it just wasn't worth driving on the crazy roads.

WW Weigh-In - November 16

Original Weight: 314.8
Previous Weight (Nov 9): 277.4
Today's Weight (Nov 16): Unknown
Change: N/A
Total Loss: -37.4

Total Loss since May 2012: -44.8
Total Loss since Nov 2005: -58.6


SP Weigh In (Nov 16): 275.4

This is actually really good - only one pound up from the week before.  So I can guess that I would have been around 278.4 at WW if I had gone.


I had a really good week.  I had fun at my dad's birthday party on Saturday evening, but then it was back to the normal schedule.  I even worked out on Sunday.  I should have a good weigh-in this Saturday.

My focus this week is to keep at it, and try to keep warm.  When I left the house this morning it was -24, and with the windchill it feels like -30.  Brrrrrrrr.

I didn't drive me car all weekend, I let other people navigate the snowy roads while I was the passenger.  Monday evening I walked to the Bay LRT station in the snow.  When I got to South Campus, the 5:23pm bus was so late that we ended up with two number 105 buses one after the other.  Last night I got a ride home from my aunt (thank goodness), and since she is in Calgary today and tomorrow, I can use her parking spot.

It took the snow removal crews until early this morning to finally clear the road in front of our cul-de-sac.  The bus got stuck there yesterday morning.  Of course now the street is scraped down so smooth it is like a skating rink.  You can see the shine off the ice as you drive.  

Top Five - Things In My Purse

It has been super CRAZY at work the last two or three weeks.  I have 5 of the contract publications going to print, and I am responsible for getting the mailing lists together.  Plus we have our annual circulation audit.  Oh, and let's throw in mid-month accounting.  Then to add to everything, my computer stopped working and Windows had to be repaired. 

My parents got back from Victoria last week.  We celebrated my dad's retirement/65th birthday on Saturday.  It was really fun!  We had a caterer and a DJ with Karaoke.  I drank way to many rum and cokes and sang the night away.

Of course Friday night and all day Saturday it snowed.  We got about 20 cm of the white stuff.  My brother and I shovelled the driveway three times.  I left my car in the garage all weekend and was happy to just be the passenger.  Unfortunately this meant that my cousins from Cochrane, and my Aunt & Uncle from Mayerthorpe were unable to attend my dad's party. 

So, I thought I would try to catch up a little with our top 5 lists.


Here are the Top Five Things In My Purse:


5.  A travel pack of Kleenex.  

Good for sneezes and runny noses and messy hands and spills.



4.  EOS Lip Balm

This is my favourite lip balm.  One of my co-workers even got me one from her last trip to the US in a flavour we could not get here.



3.  Antihistamines and Painkillers

I usually have a small pharmacy in my purse.  Just common over-the-counter drugs that help with allergies and headaches.  No where near as colourful as the picture above.



2.  Debit, Credit, and Membership Cards

I have way too many cards.  So I have an Umbra holder, and an Alumna Wallet (which is really just another kind of card holder). 



1.  Phone

I am horrible for never hearing it when it rings, or I get a text message - but it is always in my purse.  I also like using it for a daytimer/organizer.  Of course I also have a lot of music and games on it too to help pass time.

Weekly Update: Nov 6 to Nov 12

The first part of the week went really well.  My weekday schedule continues to work well.  I come home from work, have dinner, work out for 20min, and then watch TV/work on my online course.

WW Weigh-In - November 9

Original Weight: 314.8
Previous Weight (Nov 2): 280.2
Today's Weight (Nov 9): 277.4
Change: -2.8
Total Loss: -37.4

Total Loss since May 2012: -44.8
Total Loss since Nov 2005: -58.6

I also weigh myself at home in the morning when I first get up  - and I use that one for Sparkpeople. 

SP Weigh In (Nov 9): 274.4

Then I proceeded to eat whatever I wanted for the rest of the weekend.  Which for me was three days as we got Remembrance Day off.  I also did not exercise at all for those three days.

On Tuesday when I weighed myself in the morning again for Sparkpeople, I was up to 279 pounds.  Eek.  A gain of 4.6 pounds.  Yikes.  Usually I go up about 2 pounds over the weekend.   This was more than double that.

Well back on track as of yesterday.  I have my dad's retirement/birthday party this Saturday.  Sunday I will eat within my point range and work out. 

I need to stop sabotaging myself on the weekends - especially long weekends.  I can totally do that, I just need to change my mindset. 

Weekly Update: Oct 31 to Nov 5

I am really starting to get a nice schedule going, well at least for the week days.  I need to stop being so lazy and counter productive on the weekends.

November 2 was WW Weigh-in day.  I was down another 1.4 pounds for a total of 34.6 pounds lost since Nov 16, 2012. 

That is 4.6 pounds in the last 3 weeks - which is an average of 1.53 pounds a week.  Much, much better than the average of 0.7 pounds/week that I had over the past year.

I did the BLC on the Wii on Friday, and was up and down handing out candy to kids on Thursday.  Then I did no exercise over the weekend.  Not good.  I walked from the LRT to the office yesterday, and did a bunch of tidying up/dishes - but nothing more than that on Monday.  Tonight I am determined to do my 20min.

I finished a module for my online course, and I am one chapter away from finishing another.  I have been trying to finish a chapter each evening.  Even so, I am a bit behind.  My adviser asked me to call her, and I know it is because she is concerned I might not make the goal of finishing the Microsoft Office and Office Procedures sections by Nov 21.  I can do it if I work a little harder.

My ex and I have chatted a couple of times in the past few weeks.  I asked him to get his shit together and figure out a way to transfer the balance of the Scotiabank credit card into his name.  He said he would, so I guess I just have to see if he will actually get it done.  It was weird because we had not spoke since the end of July, and in truth I am happier when we don't talk.  I really have nothing to say to him.  It's been almost 10 months since we separated and part of me is counting down the days until I can file for divorce. 

My parents are in Victoria right now.  Lucky them, as it snowed on Saturday evening/Sunday morning and we are definitely in winter now.  Not much planned for the next week except taking care of my grandma.

Top Five - Childhood Toys

I really need to get organized so that I am posting these on Friday's.

One of the reasons I love Pinterest is that I can find pictures of a lot of my favourite toys as a child.  When I was 18, the summer after my first year of University, my parents developed the basement of our house.  The first step in this process was to clean up the basement.  Of course it had become a catch all for everything we no longer used, including all my childhood toys. We ended up having a huge garage sale and sold most of the toys and books.  It's not that I wish I had all of the toys back, I just wish I had took some pictures to remind me of what I played with as a child.

So here is a list of my Top 5 favourites:

5.  My Little Pony

I had the nursery and the castle and a whole bunch of ponies.  I think I had some of the sea ponies too that went in the bathtub.

4.  Strawberry Shortcake

I loved the little pets that came with the dolls.  I also had a bunch of furniture sets and the Berry Bakeshop. 

3.  Fisher Price Kitchen Set

I had the stove and the sink.  I also had a bunch of rubber food, but not sure who it was made by, but it was very realistic.

2.  Fisher Price Little People

I do wish I had kept some of these.  The new ones are not the same at all.

1.  Cabbage Patch Dolls

These are something that I saved from the garage sale.  I think I have about 13.  There is the first one I got in Christmas of 1983, my parents finally got their hands on one thanks to a neighbour.  I also had twins, a girl from Holland, one with cornsilk hair my mom would put in rollers, one that could go in the bathtub, a newborn, a preemie, a toddler, and one that talked.

Weekly Update - Oct 24 to Oct 30

It's been a pretty good week. 

At my WW weigh-in on Oct 26 I was down 2.6  pounds (over the past two weeks as I missed Oct 19 because of my cold). 

I was better at tracking my food, but Saturday in particular was still difficult.  I made chocolate chip cookies with my cousins and then ate two of them.  I had another two after dinner, which was pasta & sausage.  I also could have made better choices on Sunday.  I did take healthy snacks to the movies, but then I also had a few handfuls of caramel popcorn.  Even today, I caved and had a small piece of the birthday cake for the October birthdays (including mine). 

I set up one of my exercise games on my brother's Wii - The Biggest Loser Challenge.  I completed 10 min yesterday and 20 min today. 

I have been wearing my pedometer most days, I just need to remember to pause it when I get in a car or on the bus.

I will keep working at it everyday. 

Weekly Update on Goals and Getting Healthy

Last week I blogged about goals that I wanted to accomplish.

By the time I got home last Tuesday, my throat was on fire.  Wednesday I started sneezing.  Thursday I added a cough into the mix.  I missed work on Friday and spent the whole weekend on the couch hacking up a lung and going through a box of tissues.

Still I did manage a bit of forward momentum.

On Wednesday I logged back into my SparkPeople account.  I have decided that I am going to use SP and WW to achieve my weight loss goals.  I love the support of the teams and the members on SP, as well as the way they reward you for being more involved.  They give you points for everything you do on the website.  It's like the gold stars I used to get for reading in grade 2, or leveling up in a video game.

I also love how SP is free (although WW online is now included in the monthly pass).  Plus there is an abundance of information about how to be healthier.

In review of my post about "Fitness Goals for 2013"and the post about "Pinterest Ideas", I have completed a couple of items:

 - Right after my birthday I took my measurements.  I will take them every month around the 5th going forward.  I have not taken any "before" pictures yet, but I will this weekend. 

 - I have not set up my Wii exercise games, once my cold is gone I will do this.

 - I have not joined a gym.  I still want to go to Aquafit classes, but the closest pool to my house is under maintenance for the Fall.  I tried to go with Kristine to another facility, but she is busy almost every night during the week.  I will come back to this later.

 - I never really used my brother's recumbent bike and then he moved it back into his bedroom.  I am going to focus on the Wii and walking right now, and see if he will move it later.

 - I bought a WW pedometer before my trip to Victoria.  I reached 10,000 steps a day a couple of times.  I have gone back to wearing it everyday again.  My first goal it to reach 6,000 steps everyday, consistently.  I am also thinking about getting the Spark Activity Tracker - as it would sync to my computer and enter my fitness info directly into SP.

 - I set up two jars with glass stones in them - one for weight lost and one for weight still to lose.

 - I have made a few new healthy recipes.  Some were hits and some were misses.

As for my other, non fitness goals, I completed a lesson for my online course last night while watching tv.  I also chatted with my ex yesterday and he is going to figure out how to transfer the Scotiabank credit card balance into his name before the next bill is due at the end of Nov.

Actually when I write it all out like this, I have made a lot of progress.

Top 5 - Movies I have Watched Repeatedly

Ok, so this was supposed to be posted on Friday - but I have been suffering from a horrible cold.  First I had a really sore throat, then a runny nose & sneezing, then coughing and coughing and more coughing.  I woke up twice last night with coughing fits.  Ugh.  I think I am on the mend.

OK, on to the Top 5 . . . there are movies that I have watched over and over again.  It's funny, but they are the ones I will stop and watch when they are aired on television, even though I own them.  There are actually more than 5 of these, but I will just pick a few of them.  Otherwise this would easily be a top 10 or even a top 20.

5.  Jurassic Park 1 & 2

Dinosaurs and Jeff Goldblum - what's not to like?  Most of the time I root for the dinosaurs.  In the same vein, I have also watched Independence Day over and over again, but instead of dinosaurs you have aliens.  Still the lesson is to listen to what Jeff has to say, it might keep you alive.

4.  Groundhog Day

My heart still breaks when Phil tries to save the life of the old, homeless man over and over again.  Sniff.  The dates with Rita cheer me up.  Bill Murray is also great in Ghostbusters 1 and 2. 

3.  Save The Last Dance and Dirty Dancing

I love a good dance/romance movie.  These are my two favourites, but I also love Step Up and Strictly Ballroom, and Bring It On (although that is cheerleading, not dancing, but I feel they are related). Oh and Center Stage and Honey and Coyote Ugly (although that has more singing) and Fame and Flashdance.  This could be a whole list of it's own.

2.  The Shawshank Redemption and The Usual Suspects

Just two, really good dramas.  I guess both are related to crime.  You got Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins in a prison drama.  I love the moment when Andy breaks out.  Then you have Kevin Spacey and Gabriel Byrne in a mystery with an awesome twist.  The moment we find out who Keyser Söze really is, I could watch that a million times.

1.  Sweet Home Alabama

There is nothing better than a feel good/cheesy/romantic/chick flick movie.  Sweet Home Alabama has that whole southern charm going for it as well.  And a baby in a bar.  I also love anything with Hugh Grant.  Love Actually and 4 Weddings and a Funeral would be at the top of the list, but you also have Notting Hill, Two Weeks Notice, Music & Lyrics, Sense & Sensibility, and Nine Months.

Hmmmm seems like I might have mentioned about 26 movies.  I apologize.  Sort of. I could have listed another 26, easily.

Check out A Warm Cup of Jo, Divulge with Dani, and A Piece of Apple for more awesome movies that have been viewed over and over.

Goals for 36

Nine days ago I turned 36.  So far it has been pretty good.  We had a nice Thanksgiving weekend with way too much good food.  Except mashed potatoes for dinner on Sunday.  Somehow no one noticed that we did not boil potatoes.  How can you tell that my ex and my cousin's husband were not there?  Both of them love potatoes.  Only my mom missed having them (as an excuse to have more gravy).  I made potatoes for her last night when we had all the leftovers for dinner.

I am super thankful for my friends and family this year.  Without them I do not know how I would have got through the separation and move back to Edmonton. 

I have decided to set some goals for my 36th year.  While I am happy that I am losing weight, and continue to do so, I know that I can do better.  I need to get off my lazy arse and stop spending hours in front of the television every night.  I also need to stop making Saturday (and sometimes Sunday) a free for all where I eat whatever I want.  I know that I would see more movement on the scale, as well as with my measurements, if I just moved more and ate less.

I also want to make progress with my online course.  I bought some supplies to help me study.  Now I just need to complete the Microsoft Office portion of the course and move on to Office Procedures.

My big goal for this year is to complete the last couple of tasks so that I can file for divorce.  I really want to be free and clear of everything that tied me to my ex.  I actually want to get this all done before the end of 2013.

So here is a list of my goals:

1.  Exercise for at least 30 min everyday. 

2.  Record what I eat and calculate the WW points everyday.

3.  Work on my online course for 30 to 60 minutes everyday.

4.  Make appointments/phone calls/emails/research etc to be able to file for divorce

I am going to track my progress and provide you all with updates on Tuesdays.  This will help keep me accountable.  I will also be able to reinforce my forward momentum on my goals. 

Happy Birthday to Me !

I had a great birthday weekend.  On Friday my parents took myself and my youngest brother out for dinner for our birthdays.  Greg turned 29 on Oct 7 and I turned 36 on Oct 6.  He was almost born on my 7th birthday as he was born at 2:00am. 

We went to Vivo, it's an Italian restaurant on the southwest side of the city.  They serve the meals family style, and each "plate" feeds 5 to 6 people.  We started off with a antipasti dish with cured meats, fresh made crackers, cheeses etc.  They also gave us foccaccia bread with oil for dipping.  Then we had some of the best gnocchi I have ever had in my life.  The main dish was four different meats (sausage, steak, chicken and lamb) with roasted carrots and beats.  Then we had fresh baked cookies - and I had a cappuccino.  We took home leftovers for every course.  It was an abundance of super delicious food. 

Saturday I was Kristine's date for Logan & Sarah's wedding.  I worked with both Logan and Sarah at Voxcom before I moved to Calgary.  I had a fairly good time, mostly it was nice to get dressed up and spend time with Kristine.  I knew 7 other people there besides the bride and groom.  One of them was a groomsman at my wedding.  It was a little weird as he and his wife, along with a former team member and her husband didn't really talk to me all evening.  The former team member did not even realize that I had separated from my husband.  Whatever.  I got to see a lot of the pictures from Kristine's trip to Italy over lunch in between the ceremony and reception.

Sunday I did a little shopping.  I had birthday coupons for my favourite clothes stores, so I got 3 shirts, a light cardigan style sweater, a metal belt, and some socks.  I really want a pair of dark blue pants for work, but I have not found exactly what I want.  There was also this lacy, burgundy top that I tried on, but it was a pinch tight and they did not have a larger size.  I might try a different store.

Sunday evening my dad made stir fry and my brother Tim and his girlfriend joined my parents, my youngest brother, myself and my grandmother for dinner.  Greg made warm brownies with peanut butter chips and pecans for dessert.  My mom's birthday card was a purse.  My dad got me one that made sounds - a police radio announcement about a birthday girl on the loose. 

When I came into work on Monday, my co-worker Jen had bought me a card and cute owl slippers.

I am saving my birthday money to buy myself a new laptop.  Not sure if I will get it before or after Christmas.

Overall turning 36 was pretty good.  It's not quite where I saw myself a year ago, but it's better than the way things were 9-10 months ago.   I am going to make sure that turning 37 is even better. 

Friday's Top Five - Fav Places in Edmonton

Brrrrr the weather has definitely changed this week.  I had to scrape the frost off my car in the mornings and wear more layers to work.

Sunday is my birthday - I can't believe I will be 36, I really feel much younger.  Tonight my parents are taking my youngest brother (who's birthday is on Monday),and myself out for dinner.  Saturday I am attending a wedding with my BFF Kristine.  Sunday my other brother is coming over for dinner and cake.  Actually I think I will have my mom make cupcakes, that way there will not be a whole cake to eat.  Too much temptation.   

For four and a half years I lived 300 km to the south in Calgary.  Most of the time I didn't notice much difference between living there, and living here in Edmonton.  There is more traffic, especially at rush hour.  In fact there is actual rush hour traffic that made my commute to work 2 or 3 times as long as it would have been on a weekend.  When I first moved to Calgary, there were some shops there that Edmonton did not have (Williams Sonoma, Restoration Hardware, Pottery Barn), but this is no longer the case.  No Save-On-Foods for groceries, but Calgary did have Co-Op.  I did love the view of the mountains on a clear day, especially from a high point on the west side of the city.  The ability to be walking around Banff in under 1.5 hours was a nice perk.

A big upside of the separation from my ex was my move back to Edmonton.  Back to the familiar streets where I was raised.  I love being back home.  Looking back I still can't quite figure out why we didn't consider him moving up here, but that is now a moot point.

It's a little different this time around, as I work downtown.  I wore out a pair of shoes this summer by hitting the pavement on my lunch hours.  I enjoy the walk from Bay Station, up 104 Street, to my office.  Since I am temporarily living with my parents in the SW, I have spent more than one Saturday walking from one side of WEM to the other.

There are quite a few places her in Edmonton that I would love to be reacquainted with - places that I know are awesome, but I have not been in a very long time.  I would define this list as "Places In Edmonton I Want to Spend Time at in the Near Future":

5.  Whyte Avenue

The cute, unique shops, yummy places to eat, theatres, and the interesting people.  I would love to check out The 11 O'Clock Number or Die-Nasty at the Varscona.

4.  Telus World of Science

I might have to borrow someone's child to make this one legit.  I am looking forward to Harry Potter:  The Exhibition.  I would also love to pretend to be a CSI at the Forensics Gallery.

3.  Rexall Place

I feel the need to take in an Oilers game and support my boys.  I would wear my jersey (actually I have two, a home one and an away one) and get to yell at the players (instead of yelling at the tv).

2.  Royal Alberta Museum

The Chop Suey on the Prairies exhibit is supposed to be really good.  Plus I love the Wild Alberta Gallery.  I can't remember the last time I went to the museum.

1.  The Art Gallery of Alberta

I want to go for brunch at Zinc and then take in the art.  This sounds like it might make a good girls trip out or a mother/daughter day.

Check out other awesome places in Edmonton at Divulge With Dani, A Warm Cup of Jo, and A Piece of Apple

Friday's Top Five - Things I Love Most About Fall

 Ok, ok, it's actually Saturday, but with one of my co-workers on vacation for the past two weeks plus month end plus still working reception in the AM - work has been crazy busy.  When I get home I just want to crash. 

 Fall/Autumn is definitely my favourite time of year.  Even though my wedding was only on September 4, I still had a fall theme.  This summer was great, but now I am going to write about everything I am looking forward to now that the weather is starting to change.

 Things I Love Most About Fall

5.  The Changing Weather

I love the cool crisp mornings and that feeling of the changing weather in the air.  The frost on the grass.  The leaves changing colours (and pictures of the foliage from other parts of Canada and the US where  there are more reds and oranges).  Then the leaves fall off the trees and cover the ground, so much prettier than snow.

4.  Fuzzy/Warm/Cuddly Things


The change in the weather means that I can comfort myself with warm sweaters.  I can turn on the fireplace in the basement while I watch tv.  I can cuddle under blankets on the couch.  Snuggle under my comforter in my bed.

3.   Returning/New Episodes of Television Shows

My love of television is well known.  Fall means not only that all my favourite shows return with brand new episodes, but there are brand new shows for me to fall in love with as well.  My parents and I have been watching a lot of the new shows together.  I use the following calendar to program my PVR.  Of course many of these will end up cancelled, but hopefully a few of my favourites will stick around.

2.  Fall Flavours - Pumpkin and Apple

I went over to one of the specialty coffee shops that sells the pods for my Keurig last week and stocked up on Pumpkin Spice and Spicy Eggnog flavours.  I also bought canned pumpkin today so that I can make pumpkin waffles tomorrow and pumpkin oatmeal later this week.  I have enjoyed Pumpkin spice lattes ever since Starbucks and Second Cup brought them back for the season.  

Then there are the delicious fresh apples that we have in the fridge (and hopefully we can get some more at the Farmer's Market tomorrow).  My mom made an awesome apple crisp last weekend.  I plan on making cornmeal apple muffins in the near future.

It's all very yummy !

1.  Holidays

Fall contains most of my favourite holidays.  Halloween is great because you get to dress up in costumes and you get candy.  I used to love organizing my trick & treating haul.  Thanksgiving involves pumpkin pie and turkey and dressing, as well as spending time with family.  Of course before both of these dates you have the best holiday of them all . . . .  MY BIRTHDAY !! 

Yes, even at 35 (almost 36) I still love celebrating the date of my birth.  I get cake and everyone makes me feel special all day long.

Check out more Fall Favourites at A Piece of Apple, A Warm Cup of Jo, and Divulge with Dani

10% Goal - Accomplished !!

I did it ! 

This Saturday at my Weight Watchers meeting I lost another 2.9 pounds (over the past two weeks), for a total of 32.8 pounds lost since November 17.  This meant that I had finally reached my 10% goal (as in 10% of my original weight has been lost). 

It took me longer this time around. There is nothing wrong with that.  This is the biggest difference between my WW 1.0 and WW 2.0 journeys.  I am allowing myself a few more treats, and to be a little less rigid, so the weight is coming off a bit slower.  It keeps me saner to do it this way. 

Admittedly I would like to lose 52 pounds by November 16 - so that would be an average of 1 pound per week over the past year.  More likely I will lose another 6 to 10 pounds, since that date is only 8 weeks away. 

My next goal is to get to 272 pounds.  Perhaps around November 17, but I don't really have a date set.  This will mean that I will weigh less than I did in all of 2010, and less than what I weighed at my wedding. 

In order to accomplish this goal, I am going to go for a walk everyday.  The temperature has dropped into averages for Fall, but it is still nice in the evenings.  I should really take advantage of this.  Yesterday I walked to the grocery store and back instead of driving to pick up something my mom forgot.

Friday's Top Five - Things I Did This Summer

I can’t believe that summer is almost over.  It’s been mostly great, with me settling back into Edmonton and getting to spend more time with my friends and family.  Six months after moving back I can say that I am happier and healthier. 

So here are the top five things I did this summer: 

5.  Spent many hours with my fictional, 2-D friends   

Television has been like a warm, comfortable blanket this summer.  To start off with I re-watched the whole series of The West Wing.  I had forgotten how much I loved this show, especially the first 4 seasons where Aaron Sorkin was the writer and executive producer, and the last season with the election as well as Josh & Donna finally getting together. 

My youngest brother actually watched many of the episodes with me.  Then we watched season 1 of The Newsroom (and have now also watched season 2).  I also updated my Netflix account; which lead to me watching Orange Is the New Black, Homeland, Dexter and now Breaking Bad. 

As well, I had my usual diet of summer shows, including So You Think You Can Dance and Big Brother.   

I love escaping into a television series.  This also reminds me that I still need to borrow Downton Abby from Dani.   

4.  Improved myself/continued to move forward 

Since the beginning of May I have lost almost 12 pounds (and I am pretty sure as of tomorrow it will be more).  I bought a pedometer and have been trying to reach at least 6,000 steps each day.  I started there and am working towards reaching 10,000 steps a day.   

With moving back to Edmonton, I started a new position at my company.  I have been learning new tasks all summer long.  My boss let me know that the controller thinks I am doing a good job with the mid-month and end of month accounting.  I also was given positive feedback at my 3 month review in July. 

I spoke to the instructor for my online course – and I am doing well and ahead of schedule.  I really need to plan out time to work on my lessons a little bit each night.

   

3. Spent time with my awesome 3-D, real life friends

 Kristine and I have gone on a couple of shopping trips.  I had a lot of fun the day we tried on a million clothes and I ended up buying 3 new dresses for less than $60.00.  

Dani hosted a girl’s night at her home.  I went to Sherwood Park to pick up Bonnie and then travelled across the city of Edmonton.  We only got a little lost, and only because we were talking too much that I missed the turn off plus I didn’t set my GPS on my phone.  The other women scrapbooked while I ate fruit and chatted.  It was super fun. 

2.  Enjoyed my favourite summer combination - fire, food and fine company

Jo and her husband hosted an awesome BBQ/Pot Luck at their home June 29.  I got to spend time with most of the old high school gang plus their husbands and children.  At the end of the night we built a fire and stayed up way too late. 

There were also a couple of Saturday nights where I drove the whole 5 min over to Jo's house and spent time around the fire pit.  Dani & her husband were there too once, the other time it was just me (a bit of a reward after a walk up a hill and down a million steps).   

At the end of July my company had their annual summer BBQ.  It was out at the Ponoka Fish and Wildlife Association's camp facility.  I was one of the few that spent the night in my new little tent on my wonderful new cot.  That night there was a huge thunderstorm (but I was warm and dry).

1.  Travelled to my parent’s fantastic dwelling in Victoria.

I love that house.  I spent many hours reading on the upper deck.  Went for long walks down to the beach (the hill in front of the house is a BITCH).  Watched cruise ships, naval vessels, float

planes, cargo ships and the ferries coming in and out of the port.  Went to Ogden Point and saw jellyfish.  I ate the most the delicious pizza.  We all helped my grandma finish a puzzle.  I relaxed and just drank in the view and the ocean air.  I wish I could live there.