Time to catch up......

Ok so here is another dive into my corner of the world. As everyone has noticed, I’m not like most who blog and post everyday. Number 1 sometimes I just don’t feel like blogging and number 2, sometimes it’s necessary to keep my thoughts inside until I can straighten them out in my mind. Oh don’t be presuming there is something wrong because there isn’t…. I’m just me and that’s how I’m wired! Now, that’s been cleared up hummmm, let me think…what HAS been happening in my corner of this great big world.

Over the May 24th weekend I was hostess to the Out-Laws 55th Anniversary Gathering. There were more than a few tense moments and even a moment or 2 when I honestly contemplated a few rather criminal acts upon some of the Out-Laws, but than thought about Big Bad Bertha. You know the one you always hear about leading the Women’s Prison cell block and I took a time out instead. Damn good thing I had placed a bottle of chilled wine in the workshop out back! It poured buckets, but I was snug as a bug in a rug inside the workshop. I did have to make a showing so as sweet as I am I snuck back inside, did the hostess thing for a bit and then took Bentley outside into the pouring rain to have a wee bit of exercise. All I can say about that weekend is…”thank god it’s over!”

I do have to say though, that because of this Out-Law Gathering it added many steps to my over all total in the Walking Challenge. At the end of week one Doug’s Diva’s were in 12th place out of 23. That’s not too shabby at all. I’m just waiting for the last walker to send me her totals and then I’ll submit the totals of week 2 to the one in charge. Hopefully we will move up on the scale since I’m working my butt off to keep my totals as high as possible. As I said before I have put a challenge upon myself and I am striving to keep up with my own personal wager. It does help that have a dear friend who keeps the encouragement going.

Work is coming to a seasonal end for me and I could not be happier. Yes I do enjoy my job, well at least one aspect of it, but in all honesty I’m starting to feel worn down. The Supervisor has told us that we are due for our evaluations and I’m not really looking forward to that. It doesn’t matter how hard I bust my ass for this place for the programs I never get the evaluation I think I deserve. I can almost recite word for word what it will say, but this year I’m not going to worry or become upset. I’ll smile and sign the paper without batting an eye. The next evaluation will come from a different Supervisor so it will be done fairly. By fair I mean that the new Supervisor (the one that has been recommended for this posting) seems to take an interest in ALL areas of the centre not just how much revenue they can pull in. She is more a people person and will be a welcome addition to the centre.

Speaking of the centre one co-worker in particular had her evaluation and as expected it was not good. In all honesty she has surpassed her time as one who can perform her job in an efficient way. I feel bad for her but on the other hand there needs to be a point when one has to admit to themselves that they have earned the right to enjoy life after work. She has admitted that she will not go quietly so during the next couple of months there may be tension filled hours. Thank goodness my work season will be finished in 2 weeks. Hopefully everything will be settled come September when we return. The Supervisor we have now will be there when we return but will be finished at the end of 2010. She did say she may have to come back a few times a week until everything gets settled with her replacement. Oh goodie goodie…NOT! Oh well…we will survive!!!!

Well I guess I have rambled on enough and it’s time to sit back with my feet up and a glass of wine in hand to watch the last few minutes of the second period of the Hockey game. GO CHICAGO…..

A Renewed Agenda

She huffs and she puffs and she tries with all of her might, but it’s certainly not to be able to blow a house down. Its day 3 of the Walking challenge and although it might seem like nothing to some, I never realized that when one counts the steps or rather when one has their steps counted then it’s harder than what it seems. It has to be noted that among the 6 walkers on our “Walking Challenge Team” I am the oldest so therefore I have something to prove to myself. One of our walkers spends 1 hour at the gym everyday, 3 other walkers are young Parks and Recreation employees and are constantly flitting around town every day of the week and one other walker uses her elliptical machine every morning. I’m the oddball out. I gave up my stationary bike years ago and opted to just be myself but included in “when and what I eat.” Well thanks to this walking challenge I had to dust of that old stationary bike and with a few modern “homemade comfortable alterations” I have been doing a daily 1 hour ride first thing in the morning. The first morning I felt like I needed to crawl up the stairs and slither into the bathroom since my legs felt like they didn’t have any bones or muscles in them at all. During the day for some odd reason my butt cheeks decided to protest by having every muscle there clench up and hold tight making it very difficult to walk let alone sit! By the end of the first day the pedometer registered 9,007 steps. Only 5 weeks and 6 days to go! The second day I awoke to screaming muscles but I forced myself to get back up on that bike and crank out another hour of stationary riding. I took Bentley on a walk and then turned around and took Abby for a walk. I don’t know whose tongue was hanging out the furthest by the time Abby and I returned. I had to work last night and since the upstairs was the area in use I manage to do 7 laps around the gym. One of the members of the rental group last night is a good friend of mine. When the group broke for a break my friend came down to chat a bit with me. I told them about the challenge that I was taking part in and this friend accompanied me on a few laps. They suggested that maybe, to make it easier, to set a goal for myself. They suggested that I should try and exceed each daily total making this challenge easier and more fun. I took this into serious consideration. It turns out that my friend was just elected Vice President of this rental group so we celebrated by walking a few laps! By the time I got home and got myself ready for bed I had exceeded my last day’s pedometer reading. My total for last night was 10,583 steps. I awoke this morning still very stiff and sore but with a renewed agenda on my plate. I decided that my friends suggestion was a good one so that’s what I intend to do. Each day I will find different things to do to keep my feet in action. I intend to exceed each daily total. It’s funny but this morning’s bike ride was still painful, but not as bad as the 2 previous mornings. I just glanced at my pedometer and broke into a smile. It’s just past the middle of the afternoon and I’m already close to equalling my last night’s total! I maybe the oldest but don’t count me out just yet!

Happy Saturday!

What a beautiful day today. The sun is shinning and it’s not as warm as I’d like it to be, but I’m not going to complain. My hours have gone way done so unless there is a new rental that comes in, I won’t be working Saturdays anymore until the fall. I do work the last Saturday of this month and it’s an all day shift, but I can handle that. Yesterday my supervisor asked if I could work the next 3 Wednesday nights for a hockey group and without hesitation I told her I couldn’t. I have to pat myself on the back because I was able to say no. I figure enough is enough and to be honest I think I have worked these tired bones right down and I do need a bit of down time to be able to do what I “want” to do, not what others want me to do. The pay checks will definitely start to suck, but as the old saying goes “ you can’t have your cake and eat it too.”

I really don’t have any plans today and that’s just perfect since I can do what I want when I want and not worry about anything. My house was volunteered to be the host house of an impromptu gathering for the *outlaws* 55th Wedding Anniversary next Saturday, so I guess I will have to make sure the back yard AND the inside of the house is cleaned. Dear God, I am praying the weather will be good so everyone can gather outside. I am not looking forward to the lip curls of the *outlaws” because there is a stray dog hair or cat hair somewhere.
Tonight we are going out for dinner with a group of friends and that’s sure to be a few hours of fun and laughter. It’s weird when you think about it. We all have friends yet there is only a small handful that you feel you can really count on. That’s not to say the other handful are people you can not count on, I just mean that with certain ones I feel included, not just a second thought on their mind. Most times I am the one making phone calls and saying “hey lets go for a coffee, or hey lets get together for a night of fun”. I’ll be honest, it makes me feel wanted and loved when a friend calls ME and says say’s
“ hey lets do this, or go here.” So here’s to tonight. A night of fun and laughter!

Tomorrow I have another full day at work. The Sunday contracts do not end until the end of the month but that’s only 2 weeks away. I’ll then have my whole weekends free! Whatever will I do with my free time? ( that was typed with a huge assed grin on my face).

I hope everyone enjoys this beautiful Saturday (holds up my coffee mug in a toast to everyone) and here’s to a wonderful Sunday to follow!

I'm a Diva...or at least one of Doug's Diva's!

Ok so here is a new one for me. I was asked to participate in a Walking Challenge for City Employee’s and with a wee bit of hesitation I decided to join. Each Team will consist of 6 walkers and each walker will be given a pedometer and a record sheet for recording their steps each day. At the end of each week they will tally their steps and send the Team Captain their tallies. This will go on for 6 weeks and at the end of the 6 weeks the team with the highest amount of steps will receive high praise as well as a small gift. Well now, I was asked to be Team Captain and agreed and wished the challenge started today since I had to walk up to our Human Resource Centre and collect the different things that would be needed and walk back home. It might not seem a huge distance but believe me it is. Anyway our team name is Doug’s Diva’s and with a pedometer clipped to our bodies we will be counting every step we take starting Monday for the next 6 weeks.

Proud to be called a Mother

Mothers Day 2010 turned out to be one of the best so far. Over the course of the last 5 years there has always been some sort of drama in my life putting a damper on this day. This year there was nothing, at least nothing that I couldn’t handle. All 3 of my kids were able to gather in the same place and at the same time to spend time with me and let’s face it, if it wasn’t for the kids I wouldn’t be celebrating this day. It’s hard to image my kids in the same room at the same time without having some sort of spat but (hark…cue the singing angels) it happened! Not only were they in the same place at the same time, they actually joined forces and made my favourite dinner…. lasagna. I had no clue this was happening since I did have to work, but upon arriving home I was pleasantly surprised finding all 3 kids laughing and joking around as they cleaned up while dinner baked in the oven. It felt wonderful coming home, relaxing with a glass of wine just listening to their playful banter. With dinner over it was onto a very calorie-filled desert, a slice of my all time favourite sweet pie was served, Mississippi Mud Pie. This is the type of pie that one can only have maybe once a year since the sugar clings onto ones hips for weeks after. After this dinner and desert I will certainly have to try and wash out the sugar by downing lots of water today! All in all my kids gave me the best Mother’s Day in years. I’m not sure how long their “friendliness” will last but it sure felt good and it was really a proud moment in my little corner of Motherhood. I hope all Mothers across the globe were able to enjoy their special day.