Good Saturday Morning!

I've been up since 5. Sheesh. I really need to sleep longer. Oh well. I'm packed and ready to go. C's picking me up and taking me to l'aeroport. I've got a yummy breakfast (oatmeal and almond butter cooked in almond breeze) with a cuppa chai on the go. Should tide me over for a bit.

SIL is picking me up and then the fun begins:
Today: clean equipment and prepare for sale
Sunday: Niece's first communion & family birthday party
Monday: last minute sale preparations
Tuesday: farm machinery sale
Wednesday: HOME

Not a lot of relaxing, that's for sure. I've got my running gear in the bag, so hopefully I can get out at least once while I'm gone or bootcamp is gonna kick my ass on Thursday!

That's all I've got. See ya on Wednesday!
H =)

Fly By Post

OK--quick trip home on Wed/Thurs, worked last night, crazy errands this morning and fly out first thing tomorrow morning for Grande Prairie. Then we get to drive for an hour and a half to the farm, where I am going to be put to work. Oh joy!

So, here's some random thoughts:
-UPS SUCKS. Plain and simple. But I did get my shoes, so maybe I should stop complaining

-The old lady in charge of the community garden needs to get a life. I'm all for snarky emails, but only after a reasonable attempt at civility has been attempted.

-I'm tired and cranky. My doc and I are hoping (fingers crossed) it's my thyroid. It would also explain the weight gain.

-My dear friend, C. (that I went to uni with, not my current running buddy) just found out that her dad has colon cancer. In addition to COPD. Eat your fibre, my friends! And if someone you love is 50 years plus, send them for a colonoscopy STAT! 90% curable when found early. I hate that I've had to add 5 more names to my t-shirt for the Underwear Affair this year. FIVE.

This was last year's shirt:


Click on the link above if you want to donate to my campaign. I'll add names to my shirt and run for those you've lost, too.

Monday Run

S. & I headed out to do my regular 4.27K route (through a lovely neighbourhood and around the park). Took us 33:06 with an average speed of 7.7 km/h. Not bad. Average heart rate was 88% of my max. I thought there were cement blocks attached to my feet for the first 2.5K, but then I found my groove.

What do you afternoon runners eat for a snack (and when) before you run/workout? I'm a morning girl and have yet to figure out the fuel for the afternoon. Help a girl out!

Weekend Report--the highlights

I'm exhausted, so it'll be point form!

- Worked evenings on Friday then was up bright and early for coffee and a 3K walk with the girls.

- Rushed to Safeway to buy flowers for S's mom, home to change before S picked me up. We drove to his parent's house (just over an hour away) for lunch (it was his mom's b-day). First time meeting the family (his brother was there too). Heck, first time meeting anyone's parents! (They loved me, btw!)

- Came back and hopped on our bikes for a little ride. Wound up biking 45.5K. It was hot and there were big ass hills!

- BBQ'd dinner (it was about 9:30 by this point) YUMMY. First steak of the season.

- Watched 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall'. It was cute!

- Slept in (fabulous) and then went for Indian buffet lunch today--yummy!

- Walked my 4.2K loop, sat on my patio, had a nap, walked by S's house, had ice cream.

- Dinner with my fave peeps, S & L.

- Planted the mint on my patio so that mojito season can begin!!

That's it in a nutshell! Time for bed--lots of fresh air and sunshine this weekend makes me tired!

I've found them!

My abs, that is. They are there. They've definitely made their presence known.




Thank God for Advil.



Boot camp is good for me! (repeat until you believe it or six weeks pass, whichever is first)

Hello,

My name is H-woman and I'm a carbohydrate addict. Anytime, anywhere, any reason. I prefer salty and crunchy to sweet and sugary, but hey, a girl in need is in no position to be picky. Thank you. (sits down)

Can you tell it's cold, rainy and yucky here? I'm having crackers (Mary's Organic Crackers--tres yummo) and cheese (old cheddar, boursin and light havarti) for dinner.

Le sigh.

Back to work...

Yep, it's twenty after five and I'm just getting ready to head out the door for another day of work. Good new is, I'm done at 2! There's always an up-side, right?

I can feel a few muscles after boot camp--mostly from the push ups, I think. That's ok, at least I know there are muscles there somewhere. What worries me is no ab-related pain...maybe I don't have a six pack hiding in there.

Not much going on today:
-work
-nap
-French

If it's nice, the nap may occur outside on the patio. We'll see if Ma nature co-operates.

Food today looks like this:
-chai for brekkie with an Egg mcmuffin with back bacon and old cheddar
-peaches and strawberries with vanilla yogurt and All bran for coffee break snack
-lunch: leftover roasted spuds, ratatouille and grilled trout
-dinner: TBA

Activity will entail: walking to and from work, walking to and from French; maybe a quick bike ride around my favourite loop (depends how sore the lower body is this afternoon!)

Happy Hump Day!
H =)

Check this out!

AMY is giving away Pampered Chef goodies!

H =)

Last Day of the Weekend!

Yep, my long weekend is non-traditional. I worked on Saturday so I get today off instead. =)

My list:
-French homework (I've missed three weeks, I think)
-Buy printer ink (didn't do--C. printed out what I needed!)
-Post office (DONE)
-Bank (DONE)
-Laundry (the bane of my existence)(DONE)
-Boot camp (twice a week for 6 weeks, starts today--YIKES!!)DONE--and still alive to talk about it. It's going to be fun!
-Pay bills (DONE)
-Buy shoes to wear with dress I bought to wear to niece's confirmation (the dress isn't pink floral like in the photo--it's dark brown--with a teal shrug(DONE--had to buy them online b/c the downtown store didn't have them and the girl was oh so NOT helpful)

But blogging isn't getting any of those things done! Have a great day. The sun is back today--yaaay!!

H =)

Back in the saddle

And oh my God, does my ass hurt! I can tell I haven't ridden a bike in two years (hangs head in shame) but it felt really good to get out there. We rode from my house through Sandy Beach (read: hill #1), then through North Glenmore Park and down into Weaselhead. Of course, that meant that eventually, we had to come back up (big-ass hill #2). We circled around the reservoir and through Heritage Park. The remaining hills are little, but by that time my legs were Jell-o. Who am I kidding?! They were Jell-o after Sandy Beach! Back to mine for a love-r-ly 28K and a rest on my fabulous new patio furniture. S. brought some Sun-Rype fruit bars for the trip--why have I never had these before?! I must also remember to take more water or my camelbak next time.

Then we went to see Angels & Demons. Not sure what to think. It was gory--there were more than a few times I had to cover my eyes and ask if it was ok to look. A few bits were completely unbelievable--but I guess that's why they're called movies and not reality tv!

There was talk of hitting the indoor driving range this afternoon, but it will depend on how sore S. is--he did his first run of the season on Saturday and is still recovering from that. Does the term 'weekend warrior' ring a bell?! Ahem. Anyhoo....if we don't go to the range, I'm sure there will be some serious vegging on the couch.

On the weightloss front, it's slow and steady. I've been faithfully writing down everything since April 30. I'm not recording points or calories, just writing it down is keeping me accountable enough for now. And now my chai awaits, as does last weeks' episodes of Corrie.

Hope you've had a fabulous long weekend, wherever you are! (And in typical May long style, there's snow/rain in my future today! Glad I didn't go camping!)

H =)

How sad is it

That it is May 15 and I'm curled up in front of the fire with Nerm. Mother Nature is still NOT co-operating with my pleas for summer's arrival. How much longer?

I was way-laid by some whole wheat pitas (2) and some tzatziki by the 2 Greek Gals from the Farmer's Market. Oh well, I'm making a big batch of channa masala to stick in the freezer--it's looking kind of bare in there and then I'm tempted by the fabulous restaurants in my hood.

One more day of work this week and then I can relax! Hopefully the sun shines on Sunday for a bike ride, but Monday's forecast was for snow this morning. I'm scared to check...maybe we can test out my new golf clubs at the indoor driving range! Or just rent a movie and veg on the couch!

Happy May Long weekend!

I got nuthin'

Seriously.

I'm tired. Dude downstairs woke me up at 1 a.m. I think he plays video games. He is too old to play video games, IMHO, especially when the volume is turned so high they wake me up.

I missed French (shocking, I know). Had a very long, emotional conversation with a patient advocate regarding a claim we filed against my dad's GP. Then had to relate said conversation to Mom and would you look at that, I've missed the first ten minutes of French and it takes a good twenty to get there, so I'll study on my own. Yeah, right (snickering).

I'm almost fully trained at work. That is good. What is bad: I don't like this last bench! Arrrgh. I've still got three more days on it though. At least then it's the long weekend (slightly modified as I work on Saturday, but then get Sunday, Monday and Tuesday off).

Ok--I guess I've got something. Just nothing exciting! I'm finishing off this glass of water and then going out for a walk. I need to clear the cobwebs, je pense.

H =)

Bring on summer!

Look at what I got! Home Depot rocks!

It is done...

I went and got my bike! I now have no reason to go back to my old place, EVER. Whew! The old bike looks like it needs a bit of love, though. Spending the winter (maybe it's been two) outside has not been kind to my two wheeled friend.

BUT, this means S. and I can hit the paths during the week and the trails (maybe--I much prefer roads, but if the trails are easy, I'm willing to try) on the weekends. Have I mentioned how much I love summer?

Mom's heading into town as I type and I sense that there will be some patio furniture shopping in our future. My former patio furniture is now my kitchen furniture, and I am unwilling to move it back outside. So the hunt is on.

Also signed up for a 10K in Edmonton in July. My friends S. & D. live in Australia and are coming home for a visit in July. They were the ones who thought it would be a great idea for the whole bunch of us to run this 10K. I'm told there are no hills, which makes me oh, so happy, and it's a trail run so it should be nice and easy on the ol' knees. Now, I just have to make sure I'm not working that weekend!

Happy Sunday!

Happy Mother's Day

I have the best mom. EVER. She rocks and most of the time, doesn't even know it. I am SO going to be the favourite kid this year! Check it out:

She's wanted one of these for awhile and what better time than Mother's Day?


And to add an extra bit of class, one of these:


She's beautiful, strong, funny and she deserves it. Besides, she'd probably never buy anything like it for herself!

Love ya, Mom!

Good morning!

OK--I've just got to say it. I'm a planner. I like to know what's going on, when, where, all the details. It stems from my parents being non-planners. Yes, I'm blaming this quirk on my parents, and they are fine with it! S. was going to go see his parents tomorrow (happy mom's day and all that) so we had plans for today, but then they thought maybe they should come here and blah blah blah. Long story short, I have no idea what is going on tonight. Arrrrgh!

And apparently he doesn't think my MO would work: if you can't make a plan of some sort within 24 hours, I will make plans that may or may not include you. Deal with it.

Other than that, it's all good. I've got the weekend off and the sun may even shine! I'm going to get my bike from my old place, hitting the farmer's market(done), picking up my other pair of birks (done), having a nap (on my way now), doing laundry (done) and hopefully meeting up with the girls for a coffee and a catch up (done).

My battle with the scale appears to be going better. It's finally realizing that the number on Thursday was bad and that it should not ever display such a number again. I will beat it into submission!

Happy weekend!

Li'l Miss Crankypants

Yep, that's me. I didn't make it to French. I think I just need an early night and a soak in the tub.

Yummy dinner: pasta tossed with garlic, red onion, orange pepper, sun dried tomato, tuna, capers, olives, zuke and 'shrooms.

Still doing pretty well journalling. It's been awhile, I tell ya. But I know it works, and I don't like running with an extra 25 pounds. SO I gotta get my groove back!

H =)

Back to Work

Unfortunately, my days off have come to an end and I must return to the daily grind. Arrgh. The dude downstairs blasted his tv at 5 this morning. Egad! Even I know that not everyone likes to get up early in the morning! Shhhh!

French class tonight and hopefully a load of laundry or two and tidying up the house. What an exciting life I lead!

Happy Wednesday!

H =)

3:03:43

Not bad, considering there was no training involved! In fact, the first time I did Vancouver, I trained my li'l butt off and finished in 3:02:22. So I think I've maintained a certain level of fitness. Imagine if I'd trained properly!

That said, as soon as I'm done here, I'm registering for 2010 AND booking a hotel room.

Quick post as I'm late to meet a friend for lunch!