Where has the summer gone? I spent a lot of the summer working on the house, which was very rewarding, but it also feels like I missed summer somehow. It also doesn’t help that I got all of 2 days off this summer, both of which I used banked overtime for. To say I’m looking forward to my vacation in October is an understatement. I can’t wait! Only 53 more days now… I wonder when our tickets will come in the mail, should be sometime this week or next. That will be super-exciting!
This past weekend, I had some good R&R time at the cottage with CT and nej. I had a great time. The weather was really nice on Saturday and yesterday (I had yesterday off work), and Sunday was a cloudy day. It was very peaceful and relaxing and it was soooo nice to sleep in! I haven’t slept that long in months!
So, back at work now. Some exciting things coming up. On Thursday, we are having a company BBQ in the evening, so it will be a good opportunity for CT to meet some of my co-workers. Should be fun!
Also, there is this huge conference coming up in a couple weeks. It’s a 3-day thing and every year, senior management attends to network and schmooze with current and potential clients. This year, they have asked me to attend! So, it will be the president of the company, a senior manager, and me going. Yikes! I’m a little nervous since I don’t think I’m all that good at schmoozing, but it will be a good opportunity for me to get some practice in and network. It’s out of town, so I will get to stay in a fancy hotel and go for fancy meals at the company’s expense and the whole deal. Should be interesting.
Baby Age Ticker
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Wasaga, here we come!
I just registered for the Wasaga Triathlon which is on September 9th. I decided to only to the Give-it-a-tri length since my hip flexor problems this year really set back my training. If I were to try the Sprint, I think I would have to just about kill myself to finish the race, which is not the way to go, too much of a risk for re-injury. So, I am doing the shorter distance. The bonus is I will be doing the same race as my mom, so that will be cool. We are planning on hanging out at the beach for the rest of the afternoon after the race, which will be fun. The only thing I don’t like is I hope people won’t think I’m strange doing a mini-tri with a hardcore triathlon bike. I guess I shouldn’t really care what people think anyways.
Since I have been able to increase my running with no pain, I am hoping to be able to train during the winter and then be all ready for some Sprint and maybe even a little longer tris next year.
I am really looking forward to the upcoming weekend. I am taking Monday off work and going to the cottage for a long weekend. Nej is coming too and I’m sure we’ll have a blast. Weather may not be the greatest, but we’ll have a good time no matter what.
Since I have been able to increase my running with no pain, I am hoping to be able to train during the winter and then be all ready for some Sprint and maybe even a little longer tris next year.
I am really looking forward to the upcoming weekend. I am taking Monday off work and going to the cottage for a long weekend. Nej is coming too and I’m sure we’ll have a blast. Weather may not be the greatest, but we’ll have a good time no matter what.
Monday, August 21, 2006
Whirlwind weekend!
My weekend was full of good times. On Friday, I went to one of my favorite stores in town, Tribal Voices, with my mom to pick out something nice for my brother’s girlfriend. She turned 18 on Friday so we bought her a very nice necklace. I also bought myself a pretty ring as a “I just got a huge raise” reward. I took my mom out for thai food as well to celebrate. It was a lot of fun.
On Saturday, CT and I went to his apartment to pick up some stuff. All he has left there now are a few smaller items that he can fit into his car. He will be all officially moved in by the 1st. Exciting! I really do like having him around more. It’s quite comforting to have him around all the time and wake up next to him every morning. I could definitely get used to this ;)
We also booked our trip! We are going to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic from October 21 – 28. Yay! We are staying at the Grand Palladium Bavaro, the same resort I went to last time. I asked around to a couple of people I know who have been to Punta Cana before, and got some recommendations for resorts, but then I thought, I have been to the Palladium before and know I love that one, why not go to the same one again? I think I may be disappointed in trying another one in the same area since I know the Palladium was awesome. And it’s not as if we are going to “see new things”, we are going to just hang out on a beach and relax, so why not do that at a resort I already know and love? So, I’m going back to the same one. I will have to see if Tony “Dangerous” Thrust still works there, right girls? ;)
Saturday evening, we went to the Festival of Lights, which is a free concert and fireworks show here in town. The Trews were playing and they are really good live. They put on a great show!
Yesterday, CT and I went shopping. I cashed in some of my RBC rewards points for a $50 gift card for Shortscheck, so I wanted to buy a couple new bikinis for my trip. They had some really nice ones on clearance (half price), so I ended up getting 2 really nice bikinis for only $24 once my gift card was used. Pretty sweet deal! If I had paid full price, it would have cost me $150. I love deals like that! I also found 2 pairs of sparkly flip-flops at a store downtown, both on sale. So, I’m all set!
Then we cleaned the house because we had some of CT’s friends over last night to watch the WWE pay-per-view. It was good. The next one in September is in Toronto, and we are going to see it live, so that should be entertaining!
So, here we are at another Monday. Hope everyone has a great week!
On Saturday, CT and I went to his apartment to pick up some stuff. All he has left there now are a few smaller items that he can fit into his car. He will be all officially moved in by the 1st. Exciting! I really do like having him around more. It’s quite comforting to have him around all the time and wake up next to him every morning. I could definitely get used to this ;)
We also booked our trip! We are going to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic from October 21 – 28. Yay! We are staying at the Grand Palladium Bavaro, the same resort I went to last time. I asked around to a couple of people I know who have been to Punta Cana before, and got some recommendations for resorts, but then I thought, I have been to the Palladium before and know I love that one, why not go to the same one again? I think I may be disappointed in trying another one in the same area since I know the Palladium was awesome. And it’s not as if we are going to “see new things”, we are going to just hang out on a beach and relax, so why not do that at a resort I already know and love? So, I’m going back to the same one. I will have to see if Tony “Dangerous” Thrust still works there, right girls? ;)
Saturday evening, we went to the Festival of Lights, which is a free concert and fireworks show here in town. The Trews were playing and they are really good live. They put on a great show!
Yesterday, CT and I went shopping. I cashed in some of my RBC rewards points for a $50 gift card for Shortscheck, so I wanted to buy a couple new bikinis for my trip. They had some really nice ones on clearance (half price), so I ended up getting 2 really nice bikinis for only $24 once my gift card was used. Pretty sweet deal! If I had paid full price, it would have cost me $150. I love deals like that! I also found 2 pairs of sparkly flip-flops at a store downtown, both on sale. So, I’m all set!
Then we cleaned the house because we had some of CT’s friends over last night to watch the WWE pay-per-view. It was good. The next one in September is in Toronto, and we are going to see it live, so that should be entertaining!
So, here we are at another Monday. Hope everyone has a great week!
Thursday, August 17, 2006
I have to pat myself on the back for this one!
A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned that I had a friend of mine (former co-worker) over for a BBQ. We used to work together; she left to go to a different company about a year ago. While she was at my house a couple weeks ago, she mentioned to me that they have a position open that would be perfect for me. Normally, I would not consider leaving since I love my job, am number 4 in terms of seniority, and just got my own office. But, this position would pay approximately $7,000 more per year than what I am currently making. I thought about it, but didn’t do anything. She mentioned the job again earlier this week and said that they are really keen to get me. I likely wouldn’t even need to interview since the manager of that office used to be our manager here.
So, I thought about it and decided that I would like to stay where I am. However, an increase like that I couldn’t ignore. So, I went to one of my coworkers here that I am really close to and told him what was up. I was really open and honest and just said that I had been approached by another company about a position and I normally wouldn’t consider leaving, but it would offer a substantial increase, which I couldn’t ignore. I asked him if he thought there was a possibility of getting an increase here, which would make my decision easy. I couldn’t talk to our manager since he’s on vacation this week. My co-worker (who is like a mentor to me) said “Christine, I personally can’t let you go, so I will talk to the boss and we’ll see what we can offer you; we can’t lose you”.
Today, the boss came into the office for a bit to check on some things, and came to see me. My coworker had apparently called him right up and said “You have to do something, we can’t lose Christine”. So, the boss expressed to me how much he appreciates me being honest and that he has seen a constant increase in my skills and abilities with experience, and they want to keep me. So, he asked me if I was happy here. I said I am incredibly happy here and love my job. So, he said, if it is just the money I am unhappy with, we can fix that. He offered me an increase of about $7,000 (I will get a final number in writing on Monday). So, I am very happy. That made my decision easy. I can stay in a job I love and get the salary the other job was offering. So glad I asked!
It also made me feel really important that my co-worker right away called up the boss and he came in on his vacation to deal with this because they can’t afford to lose me. It’s so nice to be wanted!
So, I thought about it and decided that I would like to stay where I am. However, an increase like that I couldn’t ignore. So, I went to one of my coworkers here that I am really close to and told him what was up. I was really open and honest and just said that I had been approached by another company about a position and I normally wouldn’t consider leaving, but it would offer a substantial increase, which I couldn’t ignore. I asked him if he thought there was a possibility of getting an increase here, which would make my decision easy. I couldn’t talk to our manager since he’s on vacation this week. My co-worker (who is like a mentor to me) said “Christine, I personally can’t let you go, so I will talk to the boss and we’ll see what we can offer you; we can’t lose you”.
Today, the boss came into the office for a bit to check on some things, and came to see me. My coworker had apparently called him right up and said “You have to do something, we can’t lose Christine”. So, the boss expressed to me how much he appreciates me being honest and that he has seen a constant increase in my skills and abilities with experience, and they want to keep me. So, he asked me if I was happy here. I said I am incredibly happy here and love my job. So, he said, if it is just the money I am unhappy with, we can fix that. He offered me an increase of about $7,000 (I will get a final number in writing on Monday). So, I am very happy. That made my decision easy. I can stay in a job I love and get the salary the other job was offering. So glad I asked!
It also made me feel really important that my co-worker right away called up the boss and he came in on his vacation to deal with this because they can’t afford to lose me. It’s so nice to be wanted!
Monday, August 14, 2006
Diamonds, Baboons, and Polar Bears!
Well, here we are at another Monday morning. I’m a little tired, but I’ll survive. Nothing that a little cappuccino can’t cure ;)
I had a most excellent weekend. It was one of the best weekends I’ve had in a long time. CT and I went to the Toronto Zoo on Saturday. As we were getting ready to head out to Toronto, CT suggested to me that we stop at Spence Diamonds on the way (he knows I really like that store). So, we went to the one in Scarborough and spent over an hour there. As we walked in, a sales person greeted us and asked what we were there to look at, and CT without hesitation said “engagement rings”. They have over 4,000 engagement rings there, so there were a lot to look at! For any of you who haven’t been there, it’s a really neat store. All the rings on display are not real gold or diamonds, so they are all in open display cases. So, you can reach in and look at every single one and try them on and wear them around. After looking through almost the whole store, I still wasn’t finding the exact one I wanted. I described to the sales person what I was looking for, so he had a look and pulled out another one for me to look at. And that was the one. Exactly what I was looking for. Princess cut centre diamond with one baguette diamond on either side. I had 3 different ones in my hand at that point, my top 3 choices, and both CT and I agreed on the favorite. So that solidified my decision. We found the ring.
The sales person then took us into one of the “little rooms” and explained all about the 4 c’s of diamonds (cut, colour, carat, and clarity) and we got to look at some diamonds under the microscope as well, which the geology nerd in me really enjoyed! He was very knowledgeable. He also explained all about their coverage and warrantees, which is pretty comprehensive. So, I was certainly impressed and so was CT. The salesperson then asked me to leave the room so he and CT could talk privately. I was a little worried that the salesperson might be pushy with CT once I left, but CT said later that he wasn’t pushy at all. Which is good. I don’t want CT to feel pressured at all, which I don’t think he is since going to the store was his idea! So, now the hard part is done. The ring is chosen, so now the ball is in CT’s court. At least I made it easy for him in helping him chose the ring. I imagine that task can be pretty daunting, so I’m glad we were able to do it together. And it will still be a surprise since I have no idea when he will actually purchase the ring. My involvement in the process is done. And I have no clue when he is planning to pop the question.
After our trip to Spence, we headed to the Zoo. We got in for free since I cashed in some of my air miles for free zoo admission. We had a great time at the zoo. Perfect weather; sunny yet not too hot. We spent the day there and probably walked 20 kilometers… it’s a big place! I think we saw the whole thing. There were a few animal no-shows though, but I guess you can’t see them all! Some of them are bound to be hiding. There were these baby baboons that were super cute. I also loved the polar bears. Lots of cute animals to look at.
Yesterday, we were supposed to work on the house, but I was so wiped from all our walking on Saturday that we just relaxed instead. I did invite CT and my mom to an “I have my own office now so let’s celebrate” party yesterday. We picked up a pizza and headed over to my office for a little get together. My mom gave me a jade plant, which I love. It’s so cool! And I brought my degree in to hang on the wall.
All in all, it was a most excellent weekend!
I had a most excellent weekend. It was one of the best weekends I’ve had in a long time. CT and I went to the Toronto Zoo on Saturday. As we were getting ready to head out to Toronto, CT suggested to me that we stop at Spence Diamonds on the way (he knows I really like that store). So, we went to the one in Scarborough and spent over an hour there. As we walked in, a sales person greeted us and asked what we were there to look at, and CT without hesitation said “engagement rings”. They have over 4,000 engagement rings there, so there were a lot to look at! For any of you who haven’t been there, it’s a really neat store. All the rings on display are not real gold or diamonds, so they are all in open display cases. So, you can reach in and look at every single one and try them on and wear them around. After looking through almost the whole store, I still wasn’t finding the exact one I wanted. I described to the sales person what I was looking for, so he had a look and pulled out another one for me to look at. And that was the one. Exactly what I was looking for. Princess cut centre diamond with one baguette diamond on either side. I had 3 different ones in my hand at that point, my top 3 choices, and both CT and I agreed on the favorite. So that solidified my decision. We found the ring.
The sales person then took us into one of the “little rooms” and explained all about the 4 c’s of diamonds (cut, colour, carat, and clarity) and we got to look at some diamonds under the microscope as well, which the geology nerd in me really enjoyed! He was very knowledgeable. He also explained all about their coverage and warrantees, which is pretty comprehensive. So, I was certainly impressed and so was CT. The salesperson then asked me to leave the room so he and CT could talk privately. I was a little worried that the salesperson might be pushy with CT once I left, but CT said later that he wasn’t pushy at all. Which is good. I don’t want CT to feel pressured at all, which I don’t think he is since going to the store was his idea! So, now the hard part is done. The ring is chosen, so now the ball is in CT’s court. At least I made it easy for him in helping him chose the ring. I imagine that task can be pretty daunting, so I’m glad we were able to do it together. And it will still be a surprise since I have no idea when he will actually purchase the ring. My involvement in the process is done. And I have no clue when he is planning to pop the question.
After our trip to Spence, we headed to the Zoo. We got in for free since I cashed in some of my air miles for free zoo admission. We had a great time at the zoo. Perfect weather; sunny yet not too hot. We spent the day there and probably walked 20 kilometers… it’s a big place! I think we saw the whole thing. There were a few animal no-shows though, but I guess you can’t see them all! Some of them are bound to be hiding. There were these baby baboons that were super cute. I also loved the polar bears. Lots of cute animals to look at.
Yesterday, we were supposed to work on the house, but I was so wiped from all our walking on Saturday that we just relaxed instead. I did invite CT and my mom to an “I have my own office now so let’s celebrate” party yesterday. We picked up a pizza and headed over to my office for a little get together. My mom gave me a jade plant, which I love. It’s so cool! And I brought my degree in to hang on the wall.
All in all, it was a most excellent weekend!
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Another week gone by.
I had a very busy but awesome weekend. On Thursday, I had one of my former coworkers over for dinner and to see my new house. It was a lot of fun to catch up with her again. Good times.
Friday was CT and my 6-month anniversary. We went out to Red Lobster for dinner – yummmmm! After dinner, we went mini-golfing. It was so much fun! I had a wonderful time. It was nice to go out on a date again after months of work on the house. It was nice to get out and just enjoy each other’s company.
On Saturday, CT and I hung out and in the evening, MM and her sis showed up to stay at my place for a couple of days since they were going to a wedding on Sunday. It was nice to catch up with them again.
On Sunday, CT, my mom, and I went to a big sale at a HUGE shoe and clothing store. I got a pair of Birkenstocks for an awesome deal and a really fun skirt for 40% off. We then went to visit CT’s parents, which was fun. It was the first time my mom got to meet them, and it went really well. I’m glad that they all get along.
Yesterday, CT and I went to my parents house for a swim and BBQ. My dad also came to my place to replace my kitchen sink faucet, it was leaking hot water. It’s all fixed up nice now. We also scored some really nice adhesive tiles to put on the kitchen floor for half price. Those will really spruce up the kitchen for now until we have money to really do it up nice. The existing floor is really discoloured and disgusting, so I just wanted something to put down to cover that up until I have the funds to be able to re-do the kitchen, which will likely not happen until maybe 2 or 3 years from now.
So, there’s my weekend in a nutshell. This week should be pretty busy at work, so I am already looking forward to next weekend. It will be filled with more work on the house. I want to get the trim in the entranceway and upstairs hall painted and the adhesive tiles in the kitchen installed. It never ends ;) The house is looking really good though, so all our hard work is starting to pay off!
Have a most excellent week everyone!
Friday was CT and my 6-month anniversary. We went out to Red Lobster for dinner – yummmmm! After dinner, we went mini-golfing. It was so much fun! I had a wonderful time. It was nice to go out on a date again after months of work on the house. It was nice to get out and just enjoy each other’s company.
On Saturday, CT and I hung out and in the evening, MM and her sis showed up to stay at my place for a couple of days since they were going to a wedding on Sunday. It was nice to catch up with them again.
On Sunday, CT, my mom, and I went to a big sale at a HUGE shoe and clothing store. I got a pair of Birkenstocks for an awesome deal and a really fun skirt for 40% off. We then went to visit CT’s parents, which was fun. It was the first time my mom got to meet them, and it went really well. I’m glad that they all get along.
Yesterday, CT and I went to my parents house for a swim and BBQ. My dad also came to my place to replace my kitchen sink faucet, it was leaking hot water. It’s all fixed up nice now. We also scored some really nice adhesive tiles to put on the kitchen floor for half price. Those will really spruce up the kitchen for now until we have money to really do it up nice. The existing floor is really discoloured and disgusting, so I just wanted something to put down to cover that up until I have the funds to be able to re-do the kitchen, which will likely not happen until maybe 2 or 3 years from now.
So, there’s my weekend in a nutshell. This week should be pretty busy at work, so I am already looking forward to next weekend. It will be filled with more work on the house. I want to get the trim in the entranceway and upstairs hall painted and the adhesive tiles in the kitchen installed. It never ends ;) The house is looking really good though, so all our hard work is starting to pay off!
Have a most excellent week everyone!
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
C-dub's world
Let’s see, what’s new in my world. Well, I have a man living with me and it’s not CT! Haha! Well, actually, CT stays at my place 90% of the time anyways and will be officially moving in September 1st, but there is another guy living with me right now. A new guy started at work last week and was moving from out of town, so I offered him a room at my place until he finds an apartment of his own. So, he will likely be staying for a month only since most apartments would be available September 1st. So, that’s cool, some extra money for me!
Other than that, I moved into my new office yesterday, and I am super-excited! I love it! My walls are really bare though, I’m going to have to bring my degree in to affix to the wall.
MM and her sis are coming to stay with me this weekend from Saturday until Monday, so that should be fun. They are going to a wedding, so I may go up to the Bancroft Gemboree on Sunday. We’ll see, I may skip it for this year and just make sure I go next year.
One of my former coworkers with whom I am still good friends with is coming over on Thursday to see my new house. Yay! We’re going to have a BBQ and hang out for the evening.
Friday is CT and my 6-month anniversary. Crazy! Hard to believe we have been together for half a year. I couldn’t be happier though. The last 6 months have been amazing. I think we’re going to go out on a date on Friday to celebrate. Maybe go for dinner and then mini-golfing. Sounds like fun!
Other than that, I moved into my new office yesterday, and I am super-excited! I love it! My walls are really bare though, I’m going to have to bring my degree in to affix to the wall.
MM and her sis are coming to stay with me this weekend from Saturday until Monday, so that should be fun. They are going to a wedding, so I may go up to the Bancroft Gemboree on Sunday. We’ll see, I may skip it for this year and just make sure I go next year.
One of my former coworkers with whom I am still good friends with is coming over on Thursday to see my new house. Yay! We’re going to have a BBQ and hang out for the evening.
Friday is CT and my 6-month anniversary. Crazy! Hard to believe we have been together for half a year. I couldn’t be happier though. The last 6 months have been amazing. I think we’re going to go out on a date on Friday to celebrate. Maybe go for dinner and then mini-golfing. Sounds like fun!
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