WWTKW: Dreamin’ of summertime…

The sun is shining, and we’re officially half-way through the week!  Woo hoo!

Taking a little break to answer this week’s We Want to Know Wednesday questions, courtesy of Scriptor & Kenzie.

1. Would you consider yourself a healthy eater?
2. What is your favorite 'summer' food?
3. Do you have any hidden talents?
4. What would be your dream job?
5. What is your favorite summer activity?

My answers:

1. Would you consider yourself a healthy eater?  Six months ago, that would’ve been a big HELL NO.  But today, I can honestly say yes!!!  I’m far from perfect, mind you.  I love my treats, and somedays the treats outnumber the health foods. But for the most part, I try to stick to fruits and veggies, lean proteins, low carbs, healthy fats.

2. What is your favorite 'summer' food?  Nothing says summer to me like a good ol’ toasted tomato sandwich with a little bit of mayo.  Or a barbequed hamburger.  Or a banana-flavoured popsicle!  Mmmm…yummy summer treats…

3. Do you have any hidden talents?  None that I can think of at the moment…

4. What would be your dream job?  Ah, the dream job.  Aside from being a stay-at-home mother, my dream is to have a big room in my house with wall-to-wall book shelves and a big desk where I can just sit and listen to music, and write all day long.   The dream job is to become an author.  One who is good enough that she doesn’t need a day-job.  But I don’t think that’ll ever happen…

Quite frankly, I think I have my dream job.  I work five minutes from home for wonderful people that I think of as friends more so than employers.  When I look out the windows, I’m surrounded by fields of green in the summer, and long stretches of fluffy white in the winter.  It can sometimes be stressful, and oftentimes I leave work hoping to never hear a phone ring again, but overall, I love where I work, I love my job, and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else!

5. What is your favorite summer activity?  That would be sitting outside in a lawn chair with a cold drink and a book.  I’m a sun-worshipper.  I also love evening walks when it’s cooled off a bit, hanging out at the ball field, and I’m a big fan of swimming!  I’m soooo ready for summer to get here!!

Chattin’ on Tuesday

A rainy, dreary Tuesday here in this neck of the woods.  Let’s grab a cup of tea and chat, shall we?

• First off, I have to say that Relay for Life 2013 was a wonderful experience!!  This was the second year I’ve taken part in our local Relay in support of the Canadian Cancer Society.  Last year, I was walking only a few short months after my dad lost his battle with cancer, and I found it to be a very emotional experience.  This year was emotion-filled again, yet I felt so much more up-beat.  I had my moments – the Survivor walk is always so moving; I kind of broke apart from my group when I heard one of the performers playing one of my dad’s favourite tunes, “The Green Green Grass of Home”, to walk in silence and just listen and think of him; of course, the lighting of the luminaries and hearing Phil Holmes sing “Amazing Grace” is one of the most poignant moments – but overall, it was a fun night spent with great friends, laughing and chatting as we walked or sat around our campfire.  I couldn’t have asked for a better team to walk with – I love my Slipper Sisters!!

• I’d also like to send out some big love to Dot’s Lot – this was the team that the Kennedy Family entered in the Relay this year (including my cousin Donna, her hubby Ellard, my friend Brenda & her family – Wayne, Brittany & Cowan, as well as her mom & dad).  They had a specific goal in mind when they started fundraising for Relay for Life.  Dorothy Kennedy passed away at the young age of 52, and so her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren have been raising money for cancer research for years.  This year, they hoped to reach a grand total goal of $52,000 – a thousand dollars for every year of Dorothy’s life.  I hear they were successful in this endeavour, and took home top fundraising honours at this event specifically, raising over $15,000 for our local Relay for Life (the total amount raised by all teams was over $106,000).  Dot’s Lot, you are all amazing and a true inspiration!!  WAY TO GO!!!!

• One of my favourite Relay for Life memories (aside from all the laughs we shared at our campsite!) was actually jogging one lap around the track with my friend Sharon.  I honestly can’t even remember why we decided to do it – I think Sharon suggested it, and I was like, “No friggin way”, but then the seed had been planted, and the competitive side of me wanted to see if I could do it – but at the end of the day, I can only chalk it up to 3:30 AM insanity.  The soreness of walking for hours had set in big-time at that point, and our pace had slowed considerably as we nursed our aches & pains – so why in the world we thought jogging half a kilometer was a good idea, I’ll never know.  But we did it.  We seriously did it.  And I smile every time I think about it.  Me.  Jogging.  At 3:30 AM.  And it felt good.  Who woulda thunk it.
• Speaking of jogging… I completed Week 2, Day 1 of my Couch to 5 K app last night.  I was a little nervous going in.  Last week, I was alternating jogging 60 seconds with walking 90 seconds for 20 minutes (with five-minute warm-up and cool-down walks).  This week, it was reversed.  Jog 90 seconds, walk 60 seconds.  I wasn’t sure I was prepared to make that step, as last week I felt the 60-second spurts were about all I could handle.  I seriously contemplated repeating Week 1, and then thought, “You’ll never move on if you keep putting yourself back at square one.  Just do it.”  And I did.  Turns out, it wasn’t so tough after all.  Maybe I will get to that 5K someday…
• Anyone remember all the times I talked about my bad-ass gangsta fish, Marley?  The one who lived through muck and slime so thick you couldn’t see him?  The one who out-lived other, more lively fishies?  The one with the goiter?  Well… I have sad news, folks.  This morning when I came downstairs to make my coffee and get my lunch ready, I discovered poor ol’ Marley floatin’ in the tank.  (In a relatively clean tank, so it was a bit of a shock for me.)  I guess no fish is invincible after all.  I had him for almost three years.  Rest peacefully in fishy heaven, Marley.  You were one tough nut.

• So.  Um.  Who wants to come over and help me dispose of my dead fish?  The thoughts of scooping him out & flushing him give me the heebie-jeebies!
• Anyone else wondering when summer is ever going to appear?  It’s practically mid-June, and I feel like we’ve only had one little heat-wave, and it was weeks ago now.  I don’t mind a cool, rainy day like this one every now and then, but I’d be happy if I could bust out the summer clothes for a day or two anytime now…
• I need to go to the theatre.  Like, pronto.  It’s been so long since I’ve been to the movies.  I don’t even care what I see.  I just want to go to my happy place! (Although, I do have my eye on that new Superman movie coming out soon… Henry Cavill in tights?  Yes, please!!!)

• Oh my God, I almost forgot to tell you guys.  I’m finally finished The Stand.  FINALLY!!!!  I can barely remember a time when I wasn’t reading the Stephen King epic.  It took me FOUR MONTHS.  Wow.  In the end, I was glad I read it, because it really was quite a story.  I can see why King fans call it a must-read. But oh-so-long.  So very, very long.

• Since finishing The Stand on Sunday, I’ve moved on to local author Luke Murphy’s debut novel, Dead Man’s Hand.  I received the book as a gift at Christmas, and it so happens to be our next book club selection.  I’ve been excited to start it (and seriously wondered if I’d ever get there at times over the past few months!)  Can’t wait to get into it… I’m only a few chapters in at this point, and look forward to finding out what happens!

• Any fans of The Voice out there?  I’ve been watching with my mom for weeks now, and last night we came  to the conclusion that we really don’t know who we want to win!  As we all know, I’m a BIG Adam Levine fan, but I also really like Blake Shelton, and have LOVED the addition of Usher & Shakira as coaches this year.  They each have some pretty amazing talent left in the competition, and it’s hard to choose.  I think I’d be happy if Amber Carrington, Danielle Bradberry, or The Swon Brothers took home the top prize – but deep down, I still think I’m kind of rooting for Team Adam, and thus, Amber is my #1 hope!

Well, I think that’s all I’ve got for today, folks!  Happy Tuesday!

Linking up with Impulsive Addict and Shawn for Talk To Us Tuesday…

…as well as with Stacy Uncorked for Random Tuesday!

A big weekend ahead… Relay for Life!

Good Friday morning, friends!

Here we are, Friday again…this week has just FLOWN by and I think it’s because I’m so pumped for a very big event this weekend!

But before we roll on to that very big weekend, it’s time first to confess…

Linking up with Aubrey @ High-Heeled Love!

I confess… that I’m so very much looking forward to walking with many wonderful people tomorrow night at our local Relay for Life in support of the Canadian Cancer Society.  Last year was my first experience, and at the time I had just recently lost my dad after he briefly battled colon cancer.  The pain was still raw & fresh.  It was an amazing, emotional experience, and I knew I would be back again for it this year.  I’m so excited to be there with my Slipper Sisters, and so many other friends and family who will be walking with their own respective teams.

I confess… that it’s a good thing I’ll be walking most of the night and burning calories.  You guys wouldn’t believe the amazing line-up of snacks my team is planning to bring to sustain us through the long night!  DROOL-WORTHY!!!

I confess… that I know that in the wee hours of the morning, in the cold and potential rain, it will be hard.   Really hard.  It was last year.  I know it will be again.  But I just keep reminding myself… there’s a reason why this isn’t a fun little walk in the park.

I confess… that the best part about doing a twelve-hour, all-night walk smack-dab in the middle of the weekend is that I have every reason to spend the rest of the weekend lying VERY low!  Tonight’s plans:  a workout and painting my nails and The Big Bang Theory.  Tomorrow’s plans:  sleep in, some yoga, food prep, and reading/watching movies/napping.  Sunday’s plans:  a hot bath and SLEEP.

I confess… that the only concern I have between my plans to “lay low”, tje rain, and Relay, is that I have no idea when the hell I’m going to get my grass cut.  It’s soooo freakin’ long.  *sigh*

I confess… that I’m excited to try out a recipe that I found on my blog pal Ricki-Jill’s page this week for BLT Guacamole!  I volunteered to make guac and chips for my Relay team, and I’m going to make my traditional recipe, as well as this one – it just sounds too good to NOT try it out!

I confess… that I’m really in need of a rain coat.  I’ve been so looking forward to my jog/walk tonight, but it’s supposed to be raining all day.  All of the coats I have with hoods are gigantor sized.  I’m definitely ready to invest in some rain-proof running gear!

I confess… that I’m really not sure I’m ready to be a hard-core runner, though.  Last night my friend Sara was telling me about people who bleed right through their shoes and lose their toenails?!?  EEEEK!!  I don’t think I’ll EVER push myself that far!!

I confess… that my heart has felt heavy this week, as once again our community has been rocked by tragedy.  Many people I know are mourning the loss of a friend, whose life was taken suddenly and in such a terrifying way on Monday night.   I didn’t know Barry personally, but I remember his big smile and friendly nature when he’d come into the office here every now and then.  Everyone was always so happy to see him.  I don’t know how his loved ones are supposed to wrap their heads around this one… But I’ve been thinking of them and his family, and hope that they all feel the prayers of peace so many are holding in their hearts.

I hope you all have a great weekend, and to those of you who will be walking in Shawville tomorrow night – I look forward to seeing you all there and hopefully we’ll get to walk a few laps together!

On 50, and the 5 K.

Well, folks.  Here I am.

20 weeks after I started TurboFire. 

50 pounds lighter than I was 20 weeks ago. 

Actually, 53 pounds lighter.

Believe it, baby.

It’s been quite a trip.  Almost all highs.  A few lows.  And originally, I thought I would address those “lows” in this post, but you know what?  To hell with it.  Why put the negative in the spotlight when, overall, I’m feeling absolutely fabulous?  Dwelling on the comments of a very few in the past week or so now seems silly in retrospect.  I don’t want to give them their due.

I want to focus on the positive.

And you know what, guys? 

I feel amazing.  Healthier.  Happier.  Shinier.  More confident.

I’ve had a few friends and family members even tell me I’m glowing, and honestly… I FEEL like I’m glowing!!

Here’s the really cool part:  Back when I started this gig, staring down the barrel of a 20-week intense cardio work-out schedule, at close to the heaviest weight I’ve ever been, I admit to feeling daunted and thinking, This is going to be really frigging hard.  Do you REALLY want to do this?  Are you SURE you aren’t just happy being fat?

And I’m here to tell you today that, while it’s been a lot of hard work, looking back now… you know, it really wasn’t that hard.

It takes a high level of commitment.  An unwavering mindset.  A dedication to doing whatever it takes to get there.

But looking back on it all, it actually doesn’t feel like it was all that difficult.  Dare I say…it almost feels like it was kind of easy? Once I got on the right track, everything became routine.  Sure, there were days when I dragged my ass through work-outs that seemed next-to-impossible. Days when I wondered, “Am I EVER going to be able to do those jumps and sumo burpees?”  Days when I felt like I would never see results.

Now, though, I can see the results, and this amazing feeling has made it all worthwhile.

The key pieces to the puzzle have been TurboFire, Shakeology, and support from my coach Jared, and my amazing family & friends.  I told you all about them (and a few of my other tips & tricks) back in my I LOST 30 LBS post.  I haven’t changed my strategy much since then, other than ramping up my intensity bit-by-bit.  I’ve continued to work out six days a week.  I have a Shake every day.  I still drink water like it’s my job.  I find myself staying accountable to my schedule, as well as my food and exercise diary.  I’ve steered clear of junk and booze as much as possible.  I still don’t eat after 7 PM. 

Why change what’s working, right?

To be honest, I thought the weight would be harder to lose after I hit that 30 lb. mark, but I’ve been shocked at how it’s continued to fall off – if anything, it seems to be dropping faster now.  Chalk that up to a high metabolism, I guess?  Whatever it is… I’ll take it!!

So, the 20-week TurboFire schedule has come to an end.  And now, what’s next?  After bragging (let’s face it, that’s what I’ve been doing. bragging.) last week about reaching my 50 lb. goal, that has been the most popular question from my friends. 

So?  What’s the next goal?  Where do you go from here?  Are you done now?

No, I’m definitely not “done” now.  If there’s one thing I’ve learned over almost 30 years of battling weight problems, it’s that this is something that is never “done”.  It’s always going to take work.  I can’t reach my goal and just quit, and go back to my old ways.  It just doesn’t work that way.

So what IS the next step?  The next goal?  I can tell you that it’s not so much centered on weight-loss specifically this time.  I mean, sure, I’d like to see if I could lose some more weight.  I’m still far from skinny.  Would another 20-25 lbs. be nice?  It would be a flippin’ dream.

But overall, I’m happy with my current weight and size.  And I’m okay with being here for a while.  I dropped fifty pounds fairly quickly, and I don’t think it will hurt to just stay here for a little while.  To just maintain this for a bit.

That being said, I know I’m more likely to succeed at maintaining if I have another goal in my cross-hairs.  So this time, rather than working towards a specific number on the scales, there are a few other things that I’m going for. 

I started this next phase by creating my own four-week schedule - still including TurboFire, but adding a few new elements - with several new goals in mind.  One being a flatter stomach.  Despite all the lost weight, I’m still carrying around quite a bit of flab in my mid-section.  I don’t remember when I last could’ve said I had a flat stomach.  Maybe Kindergarten?  Seriously.  I have ALWAYS had a muffin top of varying degrees.  So I have some big-time work to do on my abs.  I also want to work a little harder on building lean muscle and toning up.  I have wayyy too much  flappy skin  goin’ on here, folks.  I’m going to be spending more time with my resistance bands and weights.

But perhaps my biggest goal of all right now is training for a 5K.  I’m officially registered for the Army Run 5K on September 22nd (thanks to my friend Brenda for signing me up, even though I didn’t even realize it until  last night! haha!) – so now I kind of have to take this running thing seriously.

I started my Couch to 5K app last night.  And I survived.  In fact, it felt awesome.  I can’t describe the exhilaration I get from running.  Even just the 60-second spurts that Day 1 of the app had me doing last night were such a rush.  I was flying high when I finished last night.

Running a 5K was one of those “pie in the sky” long-term goals that I harboured in my heart when I first started this program 20 weeks ago.  I doubted I’d ever get there.  Now?  Now it feels entirely possible.

This place that I’m in right now?  It’s a wonderful place to be.  A place where I can actually consider running a 5K?  It’s a place that I have dreamed about.  A place that makes me feel so good inside.

I can’t wait to see where these next steps take me…

Thank you to everyone once again for your support – my blog friends, you have been awesome cheerleaders and I can’t tell you how much it means to me!  I love you all!!!

And now, because I’ve been asked for “Before & After Photos” – check these.  (And NO, Mom, don’t worry, they are not the underwear pictures!!!!)

Before

After 30 lbs.

After 50 lbs.

Alrighty, gang… Let’s hit the ground RUNNING!!! :)

One More Step…

Happy Monday, friends!

The 50 Post…it’s coming.  I swear.  Just not today.  There is no damn time today to write all the words that are burling around in my brain regarding my recent achievements, and my next goals.  Maybe tomorrow. *sigh*

I just wanted to give a quick shout-out to our MINISTER (no longer a student!!!)… the newly-minted Reverend Nancy Best!!! 

It was a great pleasure to travel with members of our congregation on Saturday to John Abbott College in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec (near Montreal).  It was there, at the Montreal-Ottawa Conference weekend, that Nancy became an officially ordained minister of the United Church of Canada.

Of course, to our little charge in rural Quebec, Nancy was already “our minister” – whether she was ordained or not!  She came to us five years ago, as we took on our very first experience as a “learning site” for a student minister.  And, as Nancy has said on many occasions, it seemed we were a match made in heaven!!

The past five years have been filled with so many ups & downs – both for Nancy and many of the members of our church, including my own family - but I believe our congregation has come to look to her for her calming presence, her gentle voice, her dear smile, and her reassuring words.  Nancy has served communion, baptized little ones, helped marry young couples, and grieved with families over lost loved ones.  She has grown and flourished, and we’ve had the distinct pleasure of watching her do so.  She has, for all intents and purposes, been our minister… and so it was a huge thrill to be there on Saturday evening for the joy- and emotion-filled service that saw her officially being ordained by the United Church of Canada.

Nancy, we are so blessed to have you in our little town, and in our lives!  I was so happy to be there to share in your celebration, to sing those “Hallelujuahs” in your honour, and to stand with a big grin on my face and sing “One More Step Along the World I Go”, while you absolutely beamed on stage.  It was an experience that I will treasure, and I know how much it meant to you to finally be there!!!

 

I said it on Saturday when I saw you,  but I’ll say it again here…

CONGRATULATIONS NANCY!!  We are all so proud of you :)

Photos stolen from Nancy’s Facebook page… mine aren’t uploaded yet…

Friday Confessions

It’s Friday!!  HALLELUJAH!!

Now.  Let’s confess.

Linking up with Aubrey @ High-Heeled Love :)

I confess… that I thought once Golf Tourney weekend was over, things would settle down a bit and I’d have so much more time.  I was wrong. *sigh*

I confess… that it really sucks when the grass grows three flippin’ feet a day, and there’s ABSOULTELY NO DAMN TIME TO CUT IT.

I confess… I’ve had it just about up to HERE with mosquitoes and allergies.  Seriously.  The mosquitoes in our town are always nutso, but this year seems to be especially ridiculous.  I skipped the Flyers home opener last night simply because of the damn things.

I confess… that I’d really hoped to have my “50” post up this week, but it just hasn’t been in the cards.  Hopefully next week!  It will work out well that way, actually, because I have only 3 days left in my TurboFire schedule, and it will be fun to write that post and reflect back on the  past 20 weeks!

I confess… that I’m still a little amazed that on Sunday, I will be able to say I actually stuck with a work-out regime for 20 weeks.  I like to think I have all kinds of faith in myself, but back on Day 1, I really didn’t think I would ever be able to stick to that 6-days-a-week routine for 20 FRIGGIN’ WEEKS.

I confess… that things in the weight-loss world haven’t exactly been 100% rosey this week.  I mean, it’s great that I’ve lost 50 pounds and I’m super-ecstatic about it.  But for some reason, out of the tons of wonderful and supportive comments I’ve got from friends & family on reaching the “magic number”, and despite how good I’m feeling inside, I’ve been letting the the few not-so-wonderful comments gnaw away at me.  Why is that?  WHY???

I confess… that I need a tougher skin. Fo reals, yo.

I confess… that I sat down last night and drafted up my own schedule to follow for the next four weeks, and it kind of makes me nervous.  It’s sort of a hybrid of TurboFire and the beginning stages of training for a 5k.  Notice that I still can’t just come right out and say “training for a 5k”?  I still stick that disclaimer in there - “the beginning stages”.  Because I’m still not entirely confident that I can ever actually run a 5k.  I’ve been doing this lunch time 15-minute hydro pole jogging for a few weeks now, and it’s not seeming to get ANY easier. And the “running in public” thing still scares the BEJEEZUS out of me.  I can’t help but picture an elephant clomping along…

I confess… that I’m very excited to be travelling with members of our church congregation to St-Anne-de-Bellevue tomorrow for our minister Nancy’s Ordination!!

I confess… that I kind of can’t believe Relay for Life is NEXT SATURDAY.  Wow.  Things just keep creeping up on me!!!  So very excited for it!!!

I confess… that if you were a fly (or a mosquito) on the wall of my car this week, you would likely find me belting this song at the top of my lungs:

I confess… it’s an odd choice, considering I haven’t been doing much beer drinking and ripping and tearing and painting the town red these days, but it makes me long for summer.  Oh, and also, Kip Moore is a sexy sexy boy.

Have a fabu weekend, gang :)

WWTKW: Grab a coffee, let’s chat…

You know how, on the odd occasion, a dreary rainy day is kind of welcome?  It’s one of those days.  A chance to sort of catch our collective breath around here; a slightly slower pace, a few less phones ringing…  and maybe a moment or two to answer the We Want to Know Wednesday questions!

Linking up with Scriptor & Kenzie.

1. If we met up for coffee what would we talk about?
2. What is one great thing that has happened to you this month?
3. Where is the last place you went?
4. If you could meet up with one or two bloggers who would they be?
5. What are your pet peeves?

My answers:

1. If we met up for coffee what would we talk about?  Honestly, that could be any number of things, depending on the day.  The book I’m reading, my current favourite TV show, how my hockey team is doing (sadly, this topic is null & void now until next season. *sigh*), TurboFire, Yoga, the cute things my nieces and nephew do, popular headlines in the news, how hot Adam Levine is… I love to chat!

2. What is one great thing that has happened to you this month?  May has been a pretty wonderful month!  I could choose any number of things, but just yesterday, stepping on the scales and discovering that I had officially lost 50 lbs. (actually, OVER 50 lbs.) was a moment I’d been waiting for – and hoping for – for a long time :)  Felt like I was walking on sunshine all day long!!!

3. Where is the last place you went?  My mom’s.  For breakfast.  Like I do every morning!

4. If you could meet up with one or two bloggers who would they be?  I always find this question so tough!  I’ve made so many wonderful friendships through blogging, and I think it would be so cool to someday meet them – so it’s hard to pick and choose just a few!  Nicole and I are keeping lists of things we each want to do if we ever visit each other’s respective hometowns; I’d love to sit down with Date Girl and meet her new baby boy!!; Stacie is someone that I think I’d really get along with; I feel like Steph and I would probably be great friends… That’s just to name a few!!!

5. What are your pet peeves?   I have many. LOL.  This week, though, the main ones would be mosquitoes, bitter Hab fans, and Ryan (that’s Lindsay’s hubby) coming up behind me at work when I’m sitting at my desk and MESSING MY DAMN HAIR.  He knows I have a meltdown over it, and yet, once every couple of months, he does it anyways.  And each time, he can’t understand why I don’t laugh and find it hilarious.  ugh. ;)

Happy Wednesday, friends!

Too busy for a real blog. So here’s some pictures.

It’s too busy around here to even take a second to pee.  And for a girl who pees about eighty thousand times a day, that’s a BIG PROBLEM.

Weh.

So, yeah.  This isn’t even a real blog post.  I just wanted to let you all know that I’m still alive, just too busy to do any real blogging.

How about some pictures from the weekend?  It was our annual Canada Day Committee Golf Tournament, and as per usual, it was a BLAST!!  Check it.

Stole this one from Lindsay’s blog!  I didn’t get a picture of my whole team – here we are at our traditional picture-taking-spot on #4

Brenda, Sarah & Sue working the registration table

Party time back at the hall!  Garry, Glen, Wayne & Randy

Group shot!  Sarah, Graham, Sue, Brenda & Adam

Dance floor fun with Sarah, Linds & Brenda

  

I was in such a good mood, even the Penguins fans didn’t bother me!!!

A hug from my fave celeb, Gail Gavan… and Dougie too!

  

My bro Luke and his beautiful wife, Amanda

…aaand there were more, but now my Facebook is being a noob and won’t let me open any more of the pictures I uploaded there last night. So I guess that’s all she wrote for today folks!

Oh.  One more thing.  If you didn’t already catch it on Facebook or My Fitness Pal this morning… I have officially lost 50 lbs. 

!!!!!! 

Celebratory post to come.  Someday.  When it’s not so busy. ;)

Linking up with Impulsive Addict & Shawn for Talk To Us Tuesday!!

I confess that I’m a ball of stress.

Normally, Friday is the day to start relaxing and unwinding.  Instead, I seem to be winding up!  And here’s why…

Linking up with Aubrey at High Heeled Love!

I confess…that I wish I didn’t become a ball of stress leading up to fun events.  But I do.  Especially ones that I help to organize, like our Canada Day Committee annual golf tourney tomorrow.  Wound up tighter than a bobbin.  You’d think after being involved in as many of these things as I have been over the years, I’d eventually relax.  *sigh*

I confess… the Sens probably aren’t helping me relax today.  It’s do-or-die time tonight.  I had such high hopes after they beat the Penguins in an exciting double-OT game 3.  But then game 4 was kind of a disaster.  7-3.  Yikes.  We’re back in Pittsburgh tonight with our playoff lives on the line.  I don’t handle that kind of tension very well.

I confess… that you can tell me over and over again that it’s just a game, but it doesn’t change a thing for me.  I’m a basketcase.

I confess… that it’s not normal to be already looking forward to Sunday.  Is it?  No, it is definitely not.

I confess… that usually, working out helps me to feel more calm.  But I got up earlier than normal to get my exercise out of the way today (with a busy evening of cutting grass, setting up for golf tourney, and watching hockey ahead of me after work today), and it did diddly-squat to settle my jangling nerves.  God love me.

I confess.. that this was the first time I got up earlier than usual to complete a work-out, and all it really did was reinforce the fact that I am soooo not a morning person.  It takes me a really, really long time to wake up in the morning, so I kind of felt more like a zombie going through the motions lack-lustrely than anything.

I confess… that when I hopped on the scales this morning, I was inwardly squealing with excitement to see that I’m creeping ever-so-close to that next “magic  number”.  Next week?  Maybe??  Eeeeek!!!

I confess… that I’m finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel with Stephen King’s The Stand.  I think I’ve finally hit the last quarter.  I’ve only been reading it since February.  Sheesh!!  I’m actually finding it quite interesting, but it’s SO SO SO LONG!!!!  I have so many books on my shelf that I’m looking forward to reading… Soon.  Soon.

I confess… that I wish Mother Nature would figure her shit out.  It’s seriously freakin’ freezing out today.  It better not be this cold for golf tomorrow!!!  I mean, usually that’s the day I get my first sunburn of the summer!!!  It is supposed to be a sunnier tomorrow, but not so warm…sunburn is looking doubtful.

I confess… that I’m really going to try to golf more than five holes this year.  Maybe six.  I’m also going to try really hard to not get in trouble for driving my cart in places that carts aren’t supposed to go.  That’d be a first…

OK.  I think that’s all I’ve got for today!  Wish us luck with our tournament tomorrow, and …

GO SENS GO!!!!

WWTKW: How connected am I?

Hey everyone!

Sorry I haven’t been around lately – busy time of year at work, busy week gearing up for our Canada Day Committee Annual Golf Tourney on Saturday, and with a long, relaxing long weekend thrown in there, I haven’t been spending much time in the blogosphere!

But I’m taking a quick break today to take part in Scriptor & Kenzie’s Wednesday Q&A!

This week’s questions:

1.) How connected are you to your phone? Do you always have it on you?
2.) Would you be able to be away from your computer for an entire week?
3.) If you had to get rid of one of the following, which would it be and why? Cell phone, computer, or TV?
4.) Do you think you could ever live "off the grid"?
5.) Tell us about a time you disconnected from technology/the world and how you dealt with it. Was it good or bad?

My answers:

1.) How connected are you to your phone? Do you always have it on you?  Oh, my Blackberry and I… we’re pretty connected.  Not that I usually have anything important going on with it, but it’s usually at my side.  On the odd day that I forget it at home (it’s happened, like…twice in the past five years) I kinda feel like I’m missing my right arm…

2.) Would you be able to be away from your computer for an entire week?  Hmm.  There’s a big part of me that says yes.  I mean, I’ve gone entire weekends (including this past long weekend) without even turning a computer on.  But then… I had my phone with me, with Facebook and Twitter access.  When I went to Cuba for a week in 2011, I didn’t bring my phone with me, but I did use their computer room at the resort a few times to send emails home.  So depending on the circumstance, I think I could go a whole week without a computer.  But maybe not without a phone.

3.) If you had to get rid of one of the following, which would it be and why? Cell phone, computer, or TV?  Ummm… well, technically, I’m already kinda half-assed living without a TV because it’s so temperamental and only works when it feels like it.  But I still use the DVD player, and I go to my mom’s to watch hockey games and The Voice. lol!  If I had to get rid of one, I’d say the computer.  If I had full wifi service on my phone (which I don’t), I could use it to do pretty much everything I can do on a computer.  And despite my current asshole TV problems, I don’t think I could live without one completely.  Of course, at work my computer is essential, but otherwise… the computer could go.

4.) Do you think you could ever live "off the grid"?  Nah.  I don’t really have any interest in going “off the grid”.  You know people who often talk about deactivating their Facebook, or taking a Twitter hiatus, or a blogging break?  People who relish life without a phone or email?  I don’t have those impulses.  These forms of social media and technology keep me feeling connected - keep me feeling in the loop, and I rarely find them a hindrance.  I don’t like the thoughts of being “unreachable”.  I need to stay “on the grid”.  Fo sho.  Otherwise, I’d get panicky.

5.) Tell us about a time you disconnected from technology/the world and how you dealt with it. Was it good or bad?  I attempted to do this as much as I could that week I spent in Cuba in January 2011.  One of the goals on my 101 List was to go a whole week without checking Facebook, and I was successful in doing so that week.  I didn’t even bring my Blackberry with me on that trip.  The only time I logged on to a computer was to send a few emails to family to let them know all was going well.  At the time, my grandmother was quite ill in hospital as well, so I was nervous about leaving at that time, and the emails from home reassured me that she was okay.  How did I deal with cutting way back on technology and disconnecting from the world that week?  Oh, it wasn’t so hard… the bottomless drinks, sandy beaches, and beautiful sunny days by the pool or ocean helped, I suppose… ;)