Appreciation

I had a really good week at work.

First off there was the Christmas party last Tuesday.  We had our annual company meeting where the President and the VP recognized those that had worked for the company for over 5 years - including myself.  I received a really nice card enclosed with a $100 gift certificate to Future Shop.

Then we did our white elephant gift exchange.  I was #1 - so I picked first - but in our rules, at the end of the game, the person with #1 gets to go back and exchange their gift (if they want) for anything anyone else received (even if it was stolen 3 times and became "dead").  I chose a night out at the movies (2 tickets, 2 drinks and a large popcorn).  I am thinking that I am actually going to give it to my brother's girlfriend for Christmas.

My desk is fairly clean and organized right now.  I worked hard last week on dealing with all the paperwork that had been piling up.  I also got the US & International copies of Alberta Venture and Alberta Oil mailed out - and it's always great when I get those sent earlier in the month.

Yesterday the President called me into her office at the end of the day and gave my a card with a nice little monetary present.  I have never received a Christmas bonus before, and it felt really good to be appreciated for all the work I have done over the past year.

It's been a bit crazy with my co-worker Jen being off work for most of 2014.  It has helped that we outsourced the fulfillment of the subscriptions to a company in Halifax, which took place in September.

Being recognized by my company has made me realize that I was not appreciated by my ex husband. All the little things I would do for him each day, just because I loved him, and he would very rarely reciprocate.  It didn't start out that way in our relationship, but I can look back and see that I was always more willing to compromise and do things to make his life easier.  It feels great now to put myself first.

On top of the reward, I was also told that before Christmas the President wants to do a job review.  I had one at three months, but nothing since then.  It will also include a look at my salary.  When I agreed to take this new position in Edmonton, the letter of employment mentioned that there was a possibility of a raise at six months.  The past year has been tough for the company, mostly because we are on our fourth controller since October of 2013.  We also have had three different editors for Alberta Oil along with two event coordinators.  Now that we have good people in place, we hope that 2015 will be a much better year.  A year that would include increases in salary.

So I had fun with my co-workers and I have been recognized for my efforts.  That definitely means it was a good week at work in my books.

The Best Laid Plans . . .

When I talked about my goals for the year I was 37 I had included the following:

"3.  I will continue to work on my online course.  I want to finish the course work by May/June so that I can complete my 4 week practicum and get my diploma.

4.  Once my course is done I will take the next big step and find a new job as a legal administrator."


Looks like my plans have been a bit derailed.  I signed up for the course in January of 2013.  Then I went to Edmonton for a week to work out of the office here and spend some time apart from my ex husband.  When I got back he spent two weeks crashing with a friend.  After that we decided to separate.

When I spoke to my aunt/the CEO of our company about leaving Venture when I moved back to Edmonton, she came up with another solution.  So I changed positions to the one I now have in the circulation department.  When I agreed to the job, I signed a contract and agreed to give them two years (from April 2013 to April 2015).

It has been almost two years and my program instructor told me that I either had to finish the course by December 31 (not happening), or they could transfer the courses I have taken and give me an Administrative Professional Diploma.

I wish I could go back and hold off on signing up for the course.  Or at least wait until I got to Edmonton, maybe even taking the program through a different institution.

It's all just a bit frustrating.  I know I should have communicated with Robertson College more clearly that I was moving and going to commit the next two years to my current career.  Thus making it extremely difficult to complete the program, as I could not take time off to do the 4 week practicum.

I also know that I should have been more dedicated to my studies.  If all I had left to complete was the practicum, and maybe one test, then I am sure there might have been some more flexibility.

I am not sure what to do from here.  I really like my job and there is potential for a raise in 2015, but my hope was to find a job where I could make even more money.  Then I would have the finances to have a child on my own.

Everything is a bit confusing right now.  I guess I will just take it one step at a time and hope that it all works out.

Weight Loss Update: Nov 16 to 26

We are currently under a snowfall warning and are expected to get 20 to 30 cm of snow, staring sometime tonight and continuing through Friday evening.  Then after the snow comes a rush of Arctic air and cold temperatures.  Good thing I already bought snow pants to wear on my travels to work.



Weight Watchers Weigh-In

Original Weight:  314.8
Previous Weight:  256.2 (Nov 15)
Current Weight:  256.0 (Nov 22)

Change:  -0.2 pounds
Total Loss:  -54.2 pounds

Total Loss since May 2012:  -66.2 pounds
Total Loss since November 2005:  -80.4 pounds


SP Weigh-In

Previous Weight:  252.8 (Nov 15)
Current Weight:  251.0 (Nov 26)

Change:  -1.8 pounds


That -0.2 pounds at WW was not expected since my home scale had me up 0.6.  It just goes to show that I should stop weighing myself so much at home and trust the calibrated scales at WW.  I will take a 0.2 loss any day.

Now, based on that silly home scale, I am down almost 2 pounds, and it is only Wednesday.  I just want to see a loss of at least 1 pound at WW this Saturday.  That will mean a weight loss streak of 5 weeks.  I can't remember the last time I lost weight 5 weeks in a row.

The reasons behind this weight loss are not rocket science.  I ate relatively healthy this past Saturday and stuck to my WW points on Sunday.  It didn't kill me and I still had a small treat of a 1/2 cup of ice cream.  I also had a delicious coconut curry chicken soup for dinner with garlic bread and chicken wings.  Roughly it was under my 49 extra points for the week.

I can do this.  This way I will feel much better about a small gain over the holidays.  I will also be able to keep that gain small as I will have a plan in place to eat well most of the time over the two weeks.

Weight Loss Update: November 1 to 15

I can't believe that it is already less than two weeks until December.  This time next month I will be getting ready to get on the plane to Victoria where I will spend two whole weeks.

Weight Watchers Weigh-In

Original Weight:  314.8
Previous Weight:  260.8 (Oct 25)

Nov 1:  259.0 (-1.8)
Nov 8:  256.6 (-2.4)
Nov 15:  256.2 (-0.4)

Change:  -4.6 pounds
Total Loss:  -54.0 pounds

Total Loss since May 2012:  -66.0 pounds
Total Loss since November 2005:  -80.2 pounds


SP Weigh-In

Previous Weight:  257.0 (Oct 30)

Nov 1:  255.8 (-1.2)
Nov 8:  253.8 (-2.0)
Nov 15:  252.8 (-1.0)

Change:  -4.2 pounds


As you can see, I have been doing really well over the past few weeks.  I am not sure I will see a loss at WW this week as I may have indulged in too many pieces of banana bread on Sunday after Chinese food on Saturday.

No worries, I just need to make healthy choices this weekend and keep going.  I know that I will probably see a gain after I get back from holidays in Victoria, so I want to do well before I leave.

I am super proud that I am down over 65 pounds since 2012 and 80 from my highest weight.  Those are awesome accomplishments !!

Weight Loss Update: Sept to Oct

I have really been struggling lately on my weight loss journey.  I keep using events (my mom's last days in Edmonton, my birthday, the vacation to Victoria) as an excuse to make bad food choices.

Now, it's not as bad as it could be.  I have not been stuffing my face in extreme excess.  So the result is that I have not been losing weight and I have not seen the home scale go higher than 260 (which was right after I got back from Victoria, and that would make a total gain of about 5 pounds).

Still, I really need to get back on track.  Even if that just means getting out of the office at lunch and walking around City Centre (out of the wind and slightly chilly temps) so that I get more steps in each day.

I can admit that weekdays are, as usual, easier than weekends.  Saturdays start out well with my planned breakfast and I bring snacks - but by the time lunch or dinner rolls around, I have trouble making good decisions in regards to food.

So, back to the basics.  I need to figure out my WW points for Saturdays and Sundays.  If I make a plan before the weekend rolls around, then it will be easier to stay on track.



Weight Watchers Weigh-In

Original Weight:  314.8
Previous Weight:  256.6 (Sept 13)

Sept 20:  Missed Meeting
Sept 27:  258.4
Oct 4:  258.2
Oct 11:  Missed Meeting
Oct 18:  Missed Meeting
Oct 25:  260.8

Change:  +4.2 pounds
Total Loss:  -54.0 pounds


SP Weigh-In

Previous Weight:  254.2 (Sept 13)
Last Week:  258.0 (Oct 25)
Today's Weight: 257.0 (Oct 30)

Change:  +2.8 pounds (since Sept 13) and -1.0 pounds (since Oct 25).


If you look at today's weight on my home scale, I am moving back in the right direction.  I do expect at least a 1 pound loss at my next WW meeting.

I can do this.  I just need to stop being lazy and think of how far I have come over the past two years.

A Much Needed Vacation

I spent 10 wonderful days at my parents house in Victoria from Oct 10 to 19.

It was relaxing and wonderful and exactly what I needed.  I have not booked a full week off work since last September, and I was definitely due for some time away.

I arrived in Victoria on Friday morning (October the 10th).  My dad and I drove over to The Rootcellar and picked up vegetables for Thanksgiving dinner as well as the Turkey we had ordered. We were going to have the big family meal with all the fixings on Saturday as my cousin, his wife, and 5.5 month-old son were going to come over from Surrey.

Saturday (October 11), we visited with my cousins and played with the baby.  He is so darn cute and is working on being able to sit up unassisted.  My cousin's wife added me to her iPhone picture group and now I have hundreds of photos of their son, plus I get updates.  We had our Thanksgiving dinner with maple pecan pie and pumpkin pie for dessert.  Everything was delicious, although we somehow forgot to put the cranberry sauce on the table.

Sunday (October 12), the visitors left and we had leftovers for dinner plus the cranberry sauce.

On Monday a nurse came in to take care of my grandmother for 3 hours.  My parents and I went to Wal-Mart uptown and then lunch at Milestones.  It was nice to just hang out with them.  I felt like an only child, lol.

Tuesday started off with my dad and I trying to get blood work done on my grandmother.  Something about the lab being busy, and nothing being checked off on the requisition form, and they turned us away saying they needed an order from a BC doctor.  So we went over to the walk-in clinic at the Superstore where there was a very short wait and they had her already on file from a previous visit. Later, my mom dropped my dad off at the airport in the afternoon for his weekly trip back to Edmonton.  My grandmother and I continued to work on her puzzle.  Actually, we had bought a few 300-large-piece puzzles, and she was able to do them pretty much on her own.  But I would help with a piece or two every once in a while.

My grandmother and I watched a submarine head out from the naval yard.

Wednesday my mom and I took my grandmother, along with the BC requisition, to get her blood work done.  We had good timing and were in and out fairly quickly.  I also went for a nice walk along the top of the hill where my parent's live.

Thursday is another day when a nurse comes in to take care of my grandmother.  My mom had a physio appointment and so I had lunch at Floyd's Diner and enjoyed a dish called Jack's Toast with the Candied Banana topping.

Then I made a trip to Michael's, and then I went back to pick up my mom.  Later a woman came in to do my grandmother's hair (curl and style).  I also went to pick my dad up from the airport.  I only missed one turn, because I could not get into the right lane (too busy), but I remembered that I could take a different exit a few blocks up, so it was all good.

Friday my dad and I made another trip to the Rootcellar.  I could have filled the shopping cart with apples & pears and been very happy.

We also ordered Romeo's pizza for dinner.  It's my favourite pizza place.  I got the Maui Luau (with no chedder) and I froze the leftovers and brought them home with me.  Yummy.

It was a windy, drizzly day, but I got some awesome pictures of the waves on Lagoon Road.

 

Saturday we went out to the Keg for dinner in a super old building on Quadra St in Saanich.  I realized it had been ages since I had a good steak.  Mmmmm red meat deliciousness.

All too soon it was Sunday and I headed home.  It was a beautiful day and I ate lunch sitting on the deck and watching the sailboats.

I don't know why, but we left for the airport at 2:45 for my 4:00pm flight.  So when I got to the counter at 3:30pm, they had closed the flight for checked baggage.  I got rebooked on the 5:00pm flight to Vancouver (instead of going through Calgary), but all the flights out of Vancouver (on Air Canada) were booked with people already on stand-by.  I ended up on the 9:55pm flight to Edmonton and crawled into bed after 1:00am.  I was tired Monday, but mostly I just wanted to still be on vacation.  I also learned that I need to make sure I am at the airport 1 hour before the flight leaves the hard way, lol.

Goals for 37

Looking back over the past year I realize that I have accomplished a lot, even if it was not exactly part of my goals for the year I was 36.

I lost 28 pounds.  I wish that number was higher, but at least I did lose weight and the scale is moving in the right direction.  If I was not going to Weight Watchers meetings and participating on Sparkpeople online, that number would definitely be different.  I could just have easily gained 28 pounds (or more) over the past year.

I am more than halfway completed in my online course.  There are 18 different modules and I have finished 9 and I am working on the 10th.  I got 97% in Customer Service (that was a boot camp), 80% in Business Communication (76% on the first part and 84% on the second - and this was a workshop), and in Office Procedures I got 98% on the first 4 chapters, and 96% on the next 4 chapters and I am now studying chapters 9-15.  All the MS Office modules were online assessments and I completed them 100%.

Over the summer I found and moved into my new house.  All of the boxes are unpacked, but I do need to organize my room, especially the closet.  We also packed and moved my parents out of their home of the past 29 years and then moved my grandmother out to Victoria as well.  So much work, but it was all worth it.

The divorce is finalized.  I have only spoke to my EH a few times over the past year, and most of those communications were quick instant messages or emails about the divorce proceedings. Weirdly, he wished me a happy birthday on Monday, but I just deleted the email without a response.

Now I want to make some goals for my year as a 37 year old.

1.  I need to exercise more.  Whether that means Wii games or videos at home or the gym or classes  at the rec centre/YMCA - it doesn't matter.  I will start by making a plan and scheduling exercise.  Maybe a reward system for doing a certain number of days a week?

2.  To go along with the exercise, I need to eat better.  I want to make sure I am tracking most of what I am putting in my mouth.  I am much better at not going overboard on the weekends.  Now I just need to continue and make sure that I stick to my WW points.

3.  I will continue to work on my online course.  I want to finish the course work by May/June so that I can complete my 4 week practicum and get my diploma.

4.  Once my course is done I will take the next big step and find a new job as a legal administrator.

5.  I want to put myself out there again and start dating.  I have an online dating profile, with eHarmony, but I have not really done anything with it lately.  I also want to look at some of the MeetUp groups in Edmonton.  If I put some effort in I think I could at least make some new friends.

6.  Ultimately, whether I find someone to spend my life with or not, I want to start saving/looking into being a Single Mother By Choice.  I really want to have a child.  I have no problem with using a sperm donor, but I know that I need to be healthier and to make more money (hence goals 1 through 4).  It probably won't happen this year, but I want to put the gears in motion for next year.


I know that these are achievable goals.  I just need to make some plans and be more dedicated instead of procrastinating.

Happy Birthday to Me !!

Another year has passed and I am now 37 years young.  Well actually I will be 37 as of 9:00pm tonight.  My youngest brother Greg will turn 30 tomorrow.  Yes, he is 7 years and 5 hours younger than me.  It was a little frustrating when I wanted to have birthday parties, as Greg would have the closest Saturday to his birthday without it being Thanksgiving, and I would end up having my party up to two weeks before or after my actual birthday.  Other than that it was neat having a sibling with a birth date one day later (it was almost the same day as he was born at 2:00am).

I had a few of my friends over on Saturday afternoon to celebrate.  It was also a chance to show off the new home.  On top of that, I was also commemorating that I am actually divorced with papers in hand.  Lots of great reasons to have people over.

There is a part of me that wishes I was still closer to 30 than 40.  Since I do not have a magic youth elixir, I will just have to enjoy being 37.  I am looking back on the goals I set for my 36th year, here they are for a refresher:  Goals for 36

Well, I slacked on the exercise.  I was playing my Wii exercise games for a while.  Then there was bowling on Wednesday nights.  I want to check out the Terwillegar Rec Centre for an aquasize class (or the YMCA, Dani we should do this together).  I have lots of room for the Wii again, so I should pull out the games.

I don't have an excuse for not recording what I eat, except laziness.  The SP and WW apps are on my phone.  I can also access both websites from my computers at work and home.  I was doing it a bit last week, and finding places like milk in my coffee where I was being sloppy.

With my online course - I finished two sections with bootcamps.  I have finished the MS section as well.  I wrote two tests on the first 8 chapters of Office Procedures.  I just need to continue to read and make notes while I am watching tv in the evenings.

The goal that I actually achieved was getting divorced.  It feels great to be able to put all that behind me and never look back.

I will post my new goals for 37 later this week.

Weight Loss Update: Sept 3 to 23

Weight Watchers Weigh In

Original Weight:  314.8

Previous Weight (Aug 30):  258.2

Today's Weight
Sept 6:  257.2
Sept 13:  256.6
Sept 20:  Missed meeting

Change: -1.0 and -0.6

Total Loss:  -58.2

Total Loss since May 2012:  -65.6

Total Loss since Nov 2005:  -79.8

SP Weigh In

Previous Weight (Aug 30):  255.8

Today's Weight (Sept 13):  254.2

Change:  -1.6


So it turns out that back in August the receptionist at WW read my total weight loss on my card as -5.8 instead of -58.0 (and even then that was off by a pound because of an adding/subtracting error in June).  Crazy, since they all have been there during the past 17 months that I have been weighing at that location.  Whatever, I got them to fix my book and my card.

I had a weight loss 3 weeks in a row, and then I missed the meeting on Sept 20.  Actually, I chose not to attend because I would have been up about 4 to 6 pounds.  The week before I ate out for dinner and was not making healthy choices for 4 out of 5 nights.

Now I am back on track and even if I am up at the meeting on Sept 27, it would only be by a little bit.

My grandmother and parents are officially moved into the house in Colwood.  My dad will be here on and off until November or December.  For the most part that will not involve weekends, so I will no longer being going out for dinner on Saturdays on a regular basis.

I really want to reach my weight loss goals before the end of the year.  I don't think it is unreasonable to lose 10-15 pounds by Jan 1.

  

Weight Loss Update: Aug 27 to Sept 2

Weight Watchers Weigh In

Original Weight:  314.8

Previous Weight (Aug 23):  259.7

Today's Weight (Aug 30):  258.2

Change: -1.5

Total Loss:  -56.6

Total Loss since May 2012:  -64.0

Total Loss since Nov 2005:  -78.2

SP Weigh In

Previous Weight (Aug 23):  257.4

Today's Weight (Aug 30):  255.8

Change:  -1.6


Now that is better.  The scale is moving in the right direction again.  I am a week behind with updates on my blog, but I will post about last week tomorrow.

A funny little note.  Even with a calculator, the women at my WW meeting cannot add and subtract.  Yet again they have my total weight loss off (this time a pound more) for the past couple of months.  Then for the past 3 weeks they had my total weight loss at 5 point something pounds instead of 50 something pounds.  ** Shakes Head **  I will have to get them to fix that on Saturday.

Yep, I Am Still A Huge Kutz

So this long weekend has been all about organizing the house.  My parents headed to Victoria on Thursday morning, so they were no longer underfoot, and I could start to deal with all the stuff that ended up at my house.

I got all the boxes in my room unpacked.  This made me realize that I needed another bookcase.  Sigh.  If I had just realized this a couple of weeks ago, I probably could have got one or two for free from my parents.  Oh well.  I found an awesome one at Ikea for a good price that is in this white-washed wood.  It's what I would like to do with the pine pieces in my bedroom.

Yesterday afternoon I was coming down the stairs with stuff in my hands, and my right foot slipped out from under me and I fell.  I lightly twisted my left ankle.  I wore my ankle brace yesterday and it seems much better today.

What is causing me grief is my left knee.  It ended up behind/underneath me when I landed.  It was super sore last night and I had trouble sleeping (even after taking some painkillers).  This morning when I got up for work I could barely walk to my ensuite bathroom.  I stayed home with my leg elevated.  It does feel better but still a bit aggravating to walk. 

Doh!  I am such a klutz. 

Weight Loss Update: Aug 20 to 26

Weight Watchers Weigh In

Original Weight:  314.8

Previous Weight (Aug 16):  257.8

Today's Weight (Aug 23):  259.7

Change:  +1.9

Total Loss:  -55.1

Total Loss since May 2012:  -62.5

Total Loss since Nov 2005:  -76.7

SP Weigh In

Previous Weight (Aug 16):  255.8

Today's Weight (Aug 23):  257.4

Change:  +1.6

Sigh.  It's just a blip.  It was that TOM plus I wore jeans plus there was the baby shower on the Sunday which meant I made bad food decisions for the whole weekend.

I was back down to 256.8 on my home scale this morning.

I know I can move past this.  It's just one week.

What does make me feel good is that overall I am down 3 dress sizes and almost 8 inches.  That is something to be proud of instead of focusing on the weight on the scale.

Awesome News !!!

I received the best email on Wednesday:

"Just a quick note to advise you that the final Divorce Judgement has been received back from Court.  We will be able to pick up the final certificate within the next month.  Once we have both the Judgment and the Final Certificate, we will mail you these two documents . . . "

Looks like my house warming party will also be a "YAY, I'M DIVORCED !!" celebration.  

Cake done by: http://www.elitecake.com/

I have been in a great mood ever since I got the news.  

I can see this bright path in front of me full of possibilities.  

The future is beautiful.

Weight Loss Update: Aug 12 to 19

Weight Watchers Weigh In

Original Weight: 314.8

Previous Weight (Aug 9):  259.2

Today's Weight (Aug 16):  257.8

Change:  -1.4

Total Loss:  -57.0

Total Loss since May 2012:  -64.4

Total Loss since Nov 2005:  -78.6

SP Weigh In

Previous Weight (Aug 9):  257.0

Today's Weight (Aug 16):  255.8

Change:  -1.2

It feels good to be back on track.  I am getting closer to losing a total of 60 pounds on WW 2.0 and also weighing less than 255 pounds.

The movers come to my parent's house tomorrow to start packing.  If they need to, they will finish on Friday. Then the truck is loaded up on Monday.  Hopefully they will book their flight out to Victoria for sometime between the 26 and the 29 of August - and then comes the task of unpacking.

Once my parents are moved to Victoria I am really hoping I can get back on a schedule that involves coming from from work, cooking/eating dinner, studying, exercising and a little tv watching.

Things will still be busy until around September 15 when my parents will take my grandmother out to Victoria.  I believe the plan is to have my brothers drive her stuff out there on the weekend of September 20.

It has been a huge amount of work, but my parents lived in that house for 29 years.  Some of the stuff we went through was from our old house, the start of their marriage, even my dad's bachelor days.

I am going to miss that house.

Weight Loss Update: July 10 to Aug 11

Well, that was a crazy month!  There was too much eating out and not making healthy food choices.

Weight Watchers Weigh In

Original Weight: 314.8
Previous Weight (July 5):  260.4
Today's Weight:

July 11:  260.6 (+0.2)
July 19:  261.8 (+1.2)
July 26:  Missed Meeting
Aug 2:  264.0 (+2.2)
Aug 9:  259.2 (-4.8)

Total Loss:  -55.6

Total Loss Since May 2012:  -63.0
Total Loss Since Nov 2005:  -77.2


SP Weigh In

Previous Weight (July 2):  257.4
Today's Weight (Aug 9):  257.0


Over the past month I ended up gaining 3.6 pounds.  Actually it was probably more, but I did not go to the meeting on July 26.  I do know that when I weighed myself at home for Sparkpeople, I was up to 265 pounds, and that is usually 2-3 pounds lighter than the WW meetings.

Then I got back on track and I am under 260 at WW.  That feels good.

I really want to go out walking around my neighbourhood in the evenings.  Also, once it starts getting cold I will see about getting a membership at the Rec Centre near my house.  Then I could finally get back to aquasize/aquafit type classes.

My goal for the remaining months of 2014 is to lose more than an average of 0.5 pounds a week.  I know that there is nothing wrong with that average, but I want to get closer to an average of 1.0 pounds a week.  I also know that I can do that, if I stop sabotaging myself.

Unpacking and Organizing

I have now been living in my new home for almost two weeks.  It's great, even if it is still a bit disorganized.  There are a bunch of boxes in the dining room and living room.  In my room I just have four small boxes left to unpack - and then I need to do a bunch of organizing.  I did buy and build a cabinet/shelf system that goes over the toilet and put that in my ensuite bathroom.  It works great but I know I need to go through all my toiletries and get rid of a bunch of stuff.

We rented a truck and moved the majority of all our stuff on July 29.  That night I was able to sleep in my new bedroom.  Unfortunately it was on my old mattress.  We bought new beds a few weeks back.  Then the store failed to let me know that they were out of stock and the delivery would be delayed.  I had to make phone calls and track down the shipment and figure out what was happening.  Once the beds were in stock, I wrote a email with a complaint about the lack of communication.  I asked the store to take away my old mattress and box spring at no charge.  After a call to a manager, it was agreed that they would do this for me.  One less thing to worry about.

The truck was rented for two days.  On the first day we emptied my parent's storage unit and moved most of the things left at my parent's house.  There are a few boxes of books left, hopefully we can get those this weekend.  On the second day I was back at work, but my brothers went and emptied my grandmother's storage unit and brought all that stuff over to my parent's garage.

It has been really warm here over the past couple of weeks, and we are expecting another hot week.  My brothers were actually moving all my grandmother's stuff on the hottest day of the year (so far).  I was not sleeping well at all, so I bought a little window air conditioning unit.  Luckily it was on sale.  Even my brother broke down and bought himself a window unit - but he needs to do some work to get it to fit in his side-sliding window.

This past weekend we had a huge garage sale.  Mostly all the stuff that my grandmother has had in storage over the past three years.  I think we made just over $3000.00.  It was tiring standing and walking around all weekend.  Now we will have a charity pick the rest of the stuff up and take it away.  Also we have to stop my dad from trying to take a bunch of the remaining stuff to Victoria.

All-in-all everything has been going well.  I need to start getting up 10 min earlier so that I am not racing around the house right before my bus comes in the morning (which I did this morning and it worked well).  Canada Post was delivering my parent's mail to our house in error, but that should be fixed now.  I also need to get over to AMA to fix my insurance and car registration and driver's license.

I am busy but super happy.

With A Little Help From My Friends

On Saturday a couple of loads of boxes were moved into my new place.  My brother and I got help from my friends.  We packed up two SUVs and some of a van for the first trip with boxes etc from my parent's garage.  Then we went over to the storage unit (after unloading at the new home), and stuffed the 2 SUVs, all of the van, and the bed of a truck.

I really appreciate all the help I got from my friends.

There were these nice towers and walls of boxes in the living room and dining room.  On Sunday, I went over to the house to wait for the installation of the cable/internet.  While I was there I unpacked all of the kitchen boxes.  I also found the boxes that go into my room and took them upstairs.

My parents and my other brother are both flying in tonight.  Greg will go pick them up from the airport. Tomorrow we will pick up a truck we rented and move the rest of our stuff.  The new mattresses also get delivered tomorrow.

Hopefully I will be able to sleep in my new bed, in my new place, Tuesday night.

Of course the next week or so will be all about unpacking and organizing and figuring out what we need to buy/fix.  Plus I need to do some weeding and pruning - especially in the front of the house.

There is a lot of work to be done.  It will be so satisfying when we are settled.

Camping and other stuff

Life is busy and just keeps moving along at a super fast pace.  Here is a random list of stuff that is going on with me:

 - I finished the boot camp/workshop for Business Communications.  I got 76% on the first test and 84% on the second test for a total mark of 80%.  Not bad but I could have done better on the first test.

 - my co-worker with Lupus ended up in the hospital again.  She has pneumonia and an infection in her heart.  She is just not doing well this year.  Please send her all your well wishes.

 - the furnace and ducts are being cleaned at my new house today.  My youngest brother/roommate is also going to do a bit of cleaning.

 - we are going to move a bunch of the boxes in on Saturday (July 26) with the help of my awesome friends and my youngest brother

 - my other brother gets back from New Brunswick on July 28, on July 29 we have a truck rented and we will move all the heavy stuff (couches, my armoire, etc).  We also have the new mattresses delivered that day.

 - I found a couple of pictures and a new duvet cover set to put in my bedroom

 - just got back from the company BBQ at Pigeon Lake.  I camped over night on Saturday.  There was some rain, but I also got way too much sun yesterday.  We ate a lot of delicious food, had a few drinks, played bocce ball, had a couple of campfires, and just had a fabulous time.  I am super tired and a little sore today.

 - I am now in the process of changing my address in a million and one places.  Started with setting up the mail forwarding with Canada Post

Weight Loss Update: June 25 to July 9

Weight Watchers Weigh-In: 

Original Weight: 314.8 
Previous Weight (June 21): 262.7 
Today's Weight (June 28): 261.4 
Change: -1.3 
Total Loss: -53.4 

Total Loss since May 2012: -60.8 
Total Loss since Nov 2005: -75.0



Previous Weight (June 28): 261.4 
Today's Weight (July 5): 260.4 
Change: -1.0 
Total Loss: -54.4 

Total Loss since May 2012: -61.8 
Total Loss since Nov 2005: -76.0 
 


SP Weigh In 
Previous Weight (June 25): 259.4 
Today's Weight (July 2): 257.4


Nice!  I had a loss three weeks in a row.  Hopefully I can keep that streak up this week at WW.  I would love to make it below 260 at WW. Bowling on Wednesday nights has been helping me move more.  I also walked around IKEA for about an hour last Saturday.  

I was going to go for a walk last night but I ended up making a coconut-key lime pie and the filling for a rum raisin pie instead after running to the grocery store for ingredients.  It's my aunt's birthday this month, and at work (where she is the CEO) we always have pie to celebrate the July birthdays.  I volunteered to make the pies.  

image courtesy www.bunkycooks.com

 

We Got The House !!

I now have a new place to live and should be moved in by the end of July.  

It was funny - after realizing that we still had not got confirmation of the seller's finances for her new place (it was a condition of the sale) - we gave her two more days, until end of day today, to get everything sorted out with her bank.

So then my dad and I decided to cover our bases and started looking around at what else was out there. After dinner yesterday we went out for a drive to the north part of the city to see how close homes were to amenities and transit.  Actually saw a good possibility/back-up plan house right behind the Eaux Claires transit station.  

We got home around 8:30pm.  By 9:30pm the realtor's office had called and it was confirmed that the conditions were removed and the duplex is ours!  No need to consider finding a new place after all.  Now we just need to sign paperwork and visit the lawyer, and sign more paperwork, etc.

Possession should be July 18.  We need to have someone clean the ducts, and we will clean the carpets. My one brother is in New Brunswick until the 28 - so we are looking at moving from July 29 to Aug 1.  Well, I guess some of the moving could be done the weekend before on July 26 and 27.  

My dad, and sometimes my mom, will be staying with us every second week or so until May.  He will continue to cover the nursing homes that he has now.  That way he can pull in some extra dollars, mostly to help pay for a private home for my grandmother out in Victoria.

I am SO SO SO excited !!!!

Cross Your Fingers & Toes

image courtesy https://yourideasredditch.wordpress.com/tag/youth-project/

We are so close to closing everything on the new duplex.  The current owner is just waiting to make sure all her finances are confirmed for the new place she is buying.  So we are all waiting for her to hear back from the bank.  We gave her an extension until the end of business Friday (it was originally June 29, but that was a Sunday, and then it was moved to July 2.)

If everything could just cross their fingers really, really hard.  I don't want to have to go look for something new at this point.  It would probably mean possession would not be until early August - and that will effect the plans we have made for my parent's move out of their house and moving my grandmother to Victoria.

I am holding my breath and making a million wishes.

image courtesy https://www.flickr.com/photos/kilkennycat/7147003031/

Weight Loss Update: June 4 to 24

Weight Watchers Weigh-In: 

Original Weight: 314.8 
Previous Weight (May 31): 261.6
Today's Weight (June 14): 263.4
Change: +1.8
Total Loss: -51.4

Previous Weight (June 14): 263.4
Today's Weight (June 21): 262.7
Change: -0.7
Total Loss: -52.1

 

Total Loss since May 2012: -59.5 
Total Loss since Nov 2005: -73.7 


SP Weigh In 
Previous Weight (May 31): 259.6
Today's Weight (June 25): 259.4


So I was up almost two pounds on June 14, but then down again almost a pound on June 21.  I should also be down this week.  At the start of the month there were too many opportunities to make bad food decisions - which of course I succumbed to instead of saying "no".  

I really need to drink more water.  I have a water bottle at work, I just need to remember to go fill it up after lunch (or at lunch).  I have a coffee with milk on the way to work (right now usually iced), then tea with milk at work (walked over to David's Tea in City Centre at lunch yesterday to replenish my supply).  I have milk with dinner and often water after dinner.  If I would just drink some water in the afternoon I would be good to go on the liquids.

Of course there is the same old song and dance about moving more.  I did go for a nice walk at lunch yesterday.  It was really warm outside.  I almost had 7,000 steps yesterday.  Tonight I have bowling, and I am taking transit to and from work - so it should be another 7,000 + day.  I just need to finish up my workshop/bootcamp for Business Communications, and then I would have time to walk in the evenings.

image courtesy http://www.foodielovesfitness.com/2014/05/30/my-healthy-morning-routine/glass-of-water/

Making Strides

I can't believe that it was only a week a go that we made the offer on my new home.  It also feels longer than ten days ago that my parents sold their house.

Things are slowly moving forward.  On Sunday the people who have the pending offer on my parent's house came over again to take measurements for furniture etc.  It's a good sign that they want to see where they will place their stuff in the house.

Tomorrow we are having the house inspection done on my parents house.  Then Friday we are doing the house inspection on the house we made the offer on last week.  My brother is also going to take this opportunity to measure things in the basement so he can figure out a floor plan.

The women we are buying my house from has all her financials in place and has made an offer on the place she wants to move into.

Still crossing my fingers that everything goes well and we can get possession of my new place on July 18.



One of my best friends, Kristine, moved to Vancouver Island.  She was going to be here until mid-July, but then her parents came up and spent two weeks helping her organize, clean and pack.  I guess they worked faster than they thought.  They ended up heading out on June 18.  At first she is going to stay with her parents in Parksville.  By September she will move to Nanaimo as she is taking a course there in health care administration.  I am really going to miss her - but we made it work when I lived 3 hours away in Calgary for almost 5 years.  Plus she will be only 1.5 hours from my parent's house in Colwood.  I really want to invite her over to enjoy the view from the top deck.

Last Wednesday I started playing the Summer League in bowling.  It's fine.  I met a girl from Atlanta, GA who is up here in Edmonton for something work related (I should really ask her about that again tomorrow) and had never played 5-pin before last week.  The other member of my team that I met was a young man who is taking culinary courses at NAIT.  The other two team members were missing.  It's fun but I enjoyed it more when Kristine was there with me.

My New House

image courtesy edmontonrealestate.ca

YAY!  We finally found a home that fit most of our criteria and made an offer.  The owner came back with a counter offer, we countered that, and then accepted the 2nd counter offer from the seller.

It's a 2 master bedroom duplex with an open kitchen/dining/living room on the main floor and a double detached garage in the back.  My brother (along with some help) will be building a bedroom & bathroom in the basement - as well as the storage/furnace/laundry room and a small tv room.

It's in the South Terwillegar area of Edmonton.  The bus stop is in sight of the front door (just down the block a little).  The huge rec centre is close by as well as parks and green spaces. 

Possession date is July 18 (as along as everything goes well with the house inspection) but looks like we might have to wait a few weeks to move in all the big stuff as my one brother is in New Brunswick with his girlfriend from July 19 - 28.  We will have to sit down and figure things out.

I can't wait to start planning decor and paint colours and furniture arrangement.

image courtesy edmontonrealestate.ca

image courtesy edmontonrealestate.ca

SOLD !!!

Wow !!  My parents now have a pending offer on their house that is just waiting on the buyers financials and a home inspection.

Here is how it all went down:

On Wednesday night the realtor came over and my parents signed all the paperwork.

Thursday evening the photographer came over and took pictures of the house.

Then on Friday it went up on MLS (Multiple Listing Service) and we had the first showing of the house at 4:30pm.  We left to go get dinner and came back after they had left.

We had one showing at 4:30pm and another at 7:00pm on Saturday.  There were also a few phone calls from realtors and we set up more showings for Sunday and Monday.

Saturday evening the realtor came over to our house with one offer and another interested buyer.  He made a bunch of phone calls back and forth, starting a small bidding war, and they ended up with a pending offer about $10,000 over the asking price.

Crazy and overwhelming.  Possession date would be August 30 - so we really need to find a new house for my brother and myself.  As well as get movers booked, start packing, and figure out what we are doing with my grandmother's stuff.

The other buyer who was interested in still there as a back up with their offer (which is also over the asking price).  

I just can't believe how fast it happened.  We never even got the for sale sign set up on the lawn.

image courtesy http://elvisvogrin.blogspot.ca/

Another Busy Week

It has been another busy week.  Cross your fingers - my parents are having our realtor over tonight and hopefully they will be able to put the house up for sale.  Last Friday (June 6) we had the carpet cleaned in the basement.  It was really odd looking down there on Thursday night with all the furniture removed (except the pool table).  I think that the house is ready. 

Not last weekend, but the weekend before, I was feeling like a little old lady.  On Friday evening (May 30) I had my regular bowling game with Kristine.  Then on Saturday evening (May 31) I met up with the girls I work with in the circulation department for bingo.  I almost one a game - I was just one number away from having a blackout on a card.  The director of our department won over $200.00 by having the four corners in one game.  It was a lot of fun and I would go again.

Last Thursday we were supposed to go out and look at some houses.   I gave the list to our realtor and his assistant emailed me back to confirm Thursday evening.  Unfortunately she never told our realtor that I had agreed to the appointment.  We ended up going out on Saturday morning (June 7).  Not that we ended up seeing any that were on the list I provided.  There were 12 places, and all of them were sold or had pending offers.  It's great that we are now looking for a single family home around $350,000 - but that has placed us in the hot part of the Edmonton real estate market.  I gave our realtor another list of 22 places and hopefully we can go out Thursday and Saturday.  I am getting anxious to find a place to live. 

My online program has another bootcamp going on right now.  I can finish another course in my program by the end of the month.  I really like that they occasionally offer these ways to complete courses faster.  With all the cleaning, packing, and house hunting I have not been focused on my studies.  Another reason I want to get settled in my new home.

Of course on top of all of this, and work, my vehicle decided to have more issues.  I went to drive it to work last Thursday and it would not go faster than 5km an hour, and the check engine light started flashing.  I managed to park it back in the cul-de-sac and headed to work on the bus.  I was only 15min late.  Once I got to work I made a bunch of phone calls (my mom, AMA, the dealership etc).  The vehicle was towed and the service tech looked at it on Friday morning.  They replaced two more coils (for a total of 5 out of 6 now), and since I had already had it in twice in the past 6 months for the same problems - there was no charge.  I even managed to get it back and drive it to bowling that evening.

Tonight we have our bowling wrap-up banquet and fun bowl.  I am thinking that I am going to sign up for the Summer league.  Kristine won't be able to participate as she is schedule to move to BC on July 11.  I might even look into buying my own bowling shoes.  The ones I rent are of course old and worn out.  Last Friday was fun as we had our last official bowling games and then after Kristine met up with some people from work.  I tagged along as I knew a few of them as former co-workers.  We had a nice time talking.

image courtesy http://www.specialolympicsburlington.ca/Teams/5PinBowling.aspx

Weight Loss Update: May 28 to June 3

Weight Watchers Weigh-In:

Original Weight: 314.8
Previous Weight (May 24): 262.8
Today's Weight (May 31): 261.6
Change: -1.2
Total Loss: -53.2

Total Loss since May 2012: -60.6
Total Loss since Nov 2005: -74.8


SP Weigh In
Previous Weight (May 28): 260.0
Today's Weight (May 31): 259.6


Nice!  I got below 260 on my scale at home.  I will admit that I had popcorn and candy at the movies on Sunday.  I like to enjoy a treat once in a while - although I know I should have got the small instead of the regular, and picked up a smaller chocolate bar at a convenience store.

It may or may not show up on the scale this Saturday.  Whatever.  I spent most of the weekend walking around houses which also involved going up and down stairs.  Monday evening we moved boxes into our storage room. 

What really feels good is that all of the capri pants I had from last summer (and some are older than that) are too big for me now.  I have to find a couple of new pairs to get me through this summer. 

I love shopping for new clothes!

image courtesy of http://www.lose-weight-naturally.us/mindset/best-inspirational-weight-loss-quotes-to-motivate-you/

Finding New Digs

Well some things have changed on the house-hunting front.  My dad finally spoke to his lawyer/accountant and has decided that his corporation will buy the home for my brother and I - and we will pay rent.

Since he now wants an income property that will have a good resale value down the road - we are changing what we are looking for:

 - newer build
 - single family home (no condo fees)
 - detached or duplex
 - 2 or 3 bedrooms with 2 full baths upstairs and a basement (finished or unfinished) with room for the 3rd/4th bedroom and a family/rec area.

We actually went looking at showhomes this past weekend (and Wednesday evening).  Unfortunately most things in our price range, that are not over an hour on transit to downtown, are sold.  The developers/home builders are selling for early 2015.  Silly dad would have had to made this decision about 6 months ago. 

So, this Thursday we are going out with our realtor to look at established homes built in the past 5 years or so in the west and south areas of the city.

At this point I really just want to find a place to live.  It was fun walking through the showhomes with all their newness and shiny things and staging.  It just made me want a pretty new house. 

One of the upsides of this is that we should be able to get a house with a garage (even if it is just a single car garage), so I won't have to worry about plugging my car in on cold winter nights and brushing off piles of snow.

In other news:

 - Friday night I had my best two games of bowling (ignoring the first game).  Just when I am getting the hang of this the spring bowling league will be over.  I am trying to decide if I want to bowl in the summer league or not (because Kristine most likely will not be there).

 - I saw Maleficent on Sunday evening and really enjoyed it.

 - Congratulations go out to A Warm Cup of Jo on the birth of her son

 - My grandmother has been struggling with walking.  We think her breathing is worse, so she's not getting enough oxygen, and after walking for a bit she gets over exerted.  Then her legs give out on her.  She will not be happy if they try to put her on oxygen, but tough, breathing is kind of important.

image courtesy http://www.edmontonrealestate.ca

Weight Loss Update: May 21 to 27

Weight Watchers Weigh-In:

Original Weight: 314.8
Previous Weight (May 10): 263.4
Today's Weight (May 24): 262.8
Change: -0.6
Total Loss: -52.0

Total Loss since May 2012: -59.4
Total Loss since Nov 2005: -73.6


SP Weigh In
Previous Weight (May 24): 261.0
Today's Weight (May 28): 260.0


I am so close to getting out of the 260s - especially on my at home scale.  I just need to keep at it and not go overboard on the weekends.

That 260 on my scale at home is the lowest I have seen since sometime in 2009. 

This past week I have received a few compliments about how good I am looking from co-workers and a few FB friends.  I need to remember to measure myself this weekend so I can also see how many inches I have lost. 

Another thing that made me feel good last week is that I had this pair of capri pants/long shorts that were a size 18.  I put them on on Saturday, and they fit !!  A little tight, but I wore them while running errands, and it was fine.  I still need a black pair of capri pants for the summer - so when I go out this Saturday I will try on a size 18 just to see if they work.  It depends on the style. 

I finally got the red highlights in my hair I have been wanting for months - a bit of a reward for reaching 50 pounds lost.  I think they look good.