The Windy City

Exciting news!  I am going to travel to Chicago at the end of June.

My Fraternity, Pi Beta Phi, is having their bi-annual convention, and I was picked to go as a member of our Chapter House Corporation.  The cost of the convention (accommodations, food & sessions) plus some of my flight down there is covered).

I arrive there on the Thursday evening and hopefully I can meet up with some fellow Edmonton Pi Phi sisters for dinner.  Friday morning I will do a little shopping.  Friday afternoon I am booked on a Chicago Architectural River Cruise as a pre-convention tour.

The actual convention starts Friday late afternoon/early evening.  Then Saturday, Sunday and Monday are filled with meetings, seminars, events, meals, etc.

I leave late on Tuesday, leaving some more time for shopping in Chicago.

It should be fun and educational - plus I get to go shopping in the US.  On Friday morning I would actually love to hit up a grocery store, it is one of my favourite things to do when I travel to the United States. 

My passport has been updated (it had my old, married last name plus it was about to expire in October) and I have used the trip as an excuse to pick up a couple of cute dresses and shoes.  Of course I will wear these outfits to other places (most likely work).

I am counting down the days until I leave (23 as of today).  It's going to be great to go visit another city in another country.  I love to travel.

Weight Loss Update: April 15 to May 14

Weight Watchers Weigh-In

Original Weight:  314.8
Previous Weight:  249.6 (April 4)
Goal Weight:  169.0

April 18:  252.8 (+3.4)
April 25:  249.0 (-3.8)
May 2:     251.0 (+2.0)
May 9:     251.0 (0.0)


Change (since April 4):      +1.4 pounds
Total Loss (since Nov 2012):  -63.8 pounds

Total Loss since May 2012:  -71.2 pounds
Total Loss since Nov 2005:  -85.4 pounds
Pounds to Lose:  82


SP Weigh-In (at home scale)

Previous Weight:  249.4 (April 18)
Current Weight:    246.4 (May 9)

Change:   -3.0 pounds


From mid April to mid May, there was a lot of ups and downs.  Overall I was up a little.  It was frustrating, but I had no one to "blame" but myself.  No excuses, it is no longer winter so I am going to get out there and walk around my neighbourhood each evening, plus I will walk around downtown at lunch.  I should have no problem hitting 10,000 steps a day.

The weather has been absolutely beautiful.  In fact in is really, really dry because we have had no rain or any other kind of moisture since a spring snowstorm on May 6.  We finally got leaves on our tree in our front yard because we gave it a bunch of water.  It is so dry there is a province wide fire ban.

Weight Loss Update: March 15 to April 14

Weight Watchers Weigh-In

Original Weight:  314.8
Previous Weight:  252.6 (March 14)
Goal Weight:  169.0

March 21:  252.6  (0.0)
March 28:  248.8  (-3.8)
April 4:      249.6  (+0.8)
April 11:  No Weigh In


Change (since March 14):      -3.0 pounds
Total Loss (since Nov 2012):  -65.2 pounds

Total Loss since May 2012:  -72.6 pounds
Total Loss since Nov 2005:  -86.8 pounds
Pounds to Lose:  80.6


SP Weigh-In (at home scale)

Previous Weight:  249.8 (March 14)
Current Weight:    246.2 (March 28)

Change:   -3.6 pounds


I ended March with a bang and a big loss of almost 4 pounds.  I'll admit it has been a struggle since then, but hopefully I can end April/start May around 245 pounds (at home) and 247 pounds (at WW).
The change in the weather has definitely helped with my mood and my activity level.  I have been walking more at lunch.  I love getting some sunshine in the middle of my day.

I have been trying to eat better on Saturdays, with some success.  The past couple of weeks I have been just trying to log my points so I can see how much I am eating.  I am also making some better choices, like skinny lattes at Starbucks, making my own breakfast sandwiches, and Subway for lunch. I am just going to try to knock a couple of points off my food each week.

I know I was up, by quite a bit, at home on April 11.  With errands and then a girls day of shopping, I just didn't make it to my WW meeting.  It would have been ugly, like 4 pounds or more gained ugly. I have been trying hard to get back on track since then, and hopefully I can show good progress next month.

As for NSV (non-scale victories), I had a work event on April 16 and I fit into a size 16 dress I wore to a couple of weddings in the summer of 2009.

Weight Loss Update: Feb 18 to March 14

Weight Watchers Weigh-In

Original Weight:  314.8
Previous Weight:  252.4 (Feb 7)
Goal Weight:  169.0

February 21:  254.2 (+1.8)
February 28:  251.0 (-3.2)
March 7:        251.6 (+0.6)
March 14:      252.6 (+1.0)


Change (since February 7):      +0.2 pounds
Total Loss (since Nov 2012):  -62.2 pounds

Total Loss since May 2012:  -69.6 pounds
Total Loss since Nov 2005:  -83.8 pounds
Pounds to Lose:  83.6


SP Weigh-In (at home scale)

Previous Weight:  249.8 (Feb 7)
Current Weight:    249.8 (March 15)

Change:   0.0 pounds



Ok, this has been a tough month.  I fell and injured my back 4.5 weeks ago.  For the most part it has healed, but every once in a while when I do too much (sitting, standing or walking) it bothers me a bit.  I am not going to let it get me down, but moving less/slower has resulted in the scale staying pretty much the same.

The weather has been great lately, and now I can walk on most of the sidewalks in our neighbourhood without risking my life.  The mailboxes are across the street, facing north and shadowed by a house & fence.  It took two days of it being around 15 above before I could even think of getting the mail ( I was making my youngest brother go get it).

The time change was also hard, as usual.  It really seems like an outdated concept.  We should be like Saskatchewan and get ride of it.  I am sure that is why I was up again last week even though I had a good week with my usual amount of walking as well as making good food choices.  Also it was that time of the month.  Yep, looking back, that week sucked.  I should be glad I was only up 1 pound.

I expect I will be down this week.  I would love to reach some of my small goals in the next couple of weeks (85 pounds down since Nov 2005, 70 pounds down since May 2012, and 70 pounds down since Nov 2012).

My only other goal in regards to weight loss is to lose more in 2015 than I did in 2014.  This is not unreasonable.  I can do this.

And now I bring you a picture of the magnolia trees in Victoria from my dad.  He made me jealous. Sigh.

Ups and Downs

I can't believe that it is almost March already.  Time is just flying by so quickly.

 - My back is almost 100% after hurting on Feb 13.  I drove to work all last week because I just could not imagine how I would manage the stairs and possibility of standing when taking the LRT.  This week I was back on public transit, and it was fine.  Today was the first day the stairs to 104 St did not hurt.

 - We did family portraits on Feb 14.  I can't wait to see the proofs.  Hopefully I can get a digital copies of a couple of the shots.  The photographer called yesterday and the proofs are ready - yay!

 - After the photo session, the four of us (Tim, Greg, and Tim's girlfriend Tracy) went all the way to Fort Saskatchewan for Pizza Delight.  It's an east coast chain that makes Tracy (who is from Bathurst, NB) feel at home.  It was a little funny that Valentine's dinner was more of a family dinner - but Tim invited Greg and I because it was not a romantic dinner.  The food was delicious.

 - I spent most of the Family Day long weekend on the couch with a heating pad.  Finally managed to finish Games of Thrones season 2.  Now I want seasons 3 and 4 (which I bought last weekend and I watched the first two episodes of season 3).  I am also finishing House of Cards season 2.

 - Had a review at work and it went really well.  We really need to sit down and have a meeting about where we want the circulation department to go in 2015, because we did get off topic a little a couple of times.  In the end I got a raise, and it was actually a little more than I was expecting.

 - A couple of alumni of my fraternity (including myself) made chili for the active chapter on Monday.  It went over really well.  I used my slow cooker (with a liner) and made vegetarian chili.  It could have been thicker ( I added too much vegetable broth), but it was delicious.

 - I am tired of all the ups and downs with the weather.  The week started out with a high of 7 above, and then this morning it was 20 below (without the windchill).  Of course March is usually when we have the craziest weather, but hopefully no more minus 20 temps.  Brrrrrrrr.

Weight Loss Update: Jan 17 to Feb 17

Weight Watchers Weigh-In

Original Weight:  314.8
Previous Weight:  254.1 (Jan 17)
Goal Weight:  169.0

Jan 24:   254.0 (-0.1)
Jan 31:   253.6 (-0.4)
Feb 7:    252.4 (-1.2)
Feb 14:   No Weigh In - Injured

Change (since January 17):     -1.7
Total Loss (since Nov 2012):  -62.4 pounds

Total Loss since May 2012:  -69.8 pounds
Total Loss since Nov 2005:  -84.0 pounds
Pounds to Lose:  83.4


SP Weigh-In (at home scale)

Previous Weight:  251.8 (Jan 17)
Current Weight:    249.8 (Feb 7)

Change:   -2.0 pounds


I am quite proud of myself.  Since I got back from Victoria and got back on track, I have seen a loss every week.  That is a 4 week streak.

As for exercise, I have been walking more.  I also bought a simple kickboxing video, but I have not started that yet.

Last Friday morning I was walking down the sidewalk from my house to the bus stop to go to work. I hit a patch of ice and slipped.  My feet went out from under me and I fell - hard - on my ass.  Luckily I did not break anything, but I did pull a muscle (or a few) in my lower back.  I have basically spent 4 days on the couch with a pillow for extra lumbar support & a heating pad plus some Robax.  It's still sore but getting better.  I hate being a klutz.

So not much exercise or movement over the past 4 days.  I hope I heal quickly.

Dreams and Nightmares

I occasionally have night terrors.  Actually they probably happen more often than I think they do, but they only wake me up sometimes.

They started when I first moved out and was living in a tiny two-bedroom basement apartment with my best friend.  At that time they were usually just about bugs on the walls.  I would hit the bugs (in my sleep), and wake myself up.  I think they were mostly due to the actual mice we had living in the walls.

We moved to a larger two bedroom coach home.  Then the night terrors changed and really started to amp up.  They usually involved a scary, dark figure being in my room.  I would throw pillow and knock over my bedside lamp before I would wake myself up.

Then I moved in with my boyfriend into our first place in Calgary.  One night I grabbed the pillow out from under his head and threw it across the room.  Freaked him out completely.  Again, usually I was seeing dark, scary figures in my room.  Sometimes dark, other world creatures would crawl up from the floor onto my bed.

Now that I am back in Edmonton, I still have them, but less often (I think).  Once there was a blond little girl twirling around and around at the end of my bed.  Another time an older woman was at the top corner of my room, she kind of looked like Helen Mirren.  It's creepy and weird and why I wake myself up screaming.  Then of course I have trouble falling back asleep.

They usually occur between 10:30 pm and 11:30 pm (depending on when I turn out my light).  They happen more often when I am tired and I fall asleep really fast.  Apparently, if someone would gently wake me up around just after I fall asleep (so before I have a night terror), it would help stop them from happening.

Besides the night terrors I have had a couple of just really odd dreams lately.  A couple of them involved my ex husband.  I think because he is on my mind this time of year.  Two years ago is when we were separated, but still "living together" in the same house.  In January I spent a week in Edmonton, then he spent two weeks crashing at a friend's house.  When he got back we slept in separate bedrooms.  It was right before the Family Day holiday that we decided to officially end it, and I went to Edmonton for the weekend, which is when my aunt offered me my new position in circulation.  My the end of March I was packed up and moved back in Edmonton.

I felt so alone and sad back then.  It was horrible.  Now, life is fairly awesome.  I love my new job (well not so new anymore) and my new-to-me house.  I have less debt, less stress, and more friends than when I was in Calgary.  With the divorce finalized I can close a book on that chapter of my life and look forward.

Also, I hope that in time I will sleep easier in my very comfortable new queen-sized bed.